Title: The Joy of Comfort Eating
Author: Suzanne Jefferies
Series: Standalone
Genre: Chick Lit/Romance/Erotica
Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
Release Date: Nov 17
Edition/Formats: eBook & Print
It’s the worst day of Charlie Everson’s life. Not only can she no longer fit into her clothes—disaster for any public relations director—but also her first love, the sexy super-successful Brian Tendai, is her new CEO, the last person she ever expected to run into. Seeing him again tumbles Charlie back into her past. There are still so many unanswered questions: he’s convinced she left him, she’s convinced he left her. Charlie minimizes the ‘ex’ factor. Tell that to her emotions that are running wild.
But Brian’s not there to rekindle their romance. He’s overseeing Queenswood Communications’ recent merger after a hostile takeover. Guess whose name is at the top of the list?
They agree to one night together, just the one, then it’s back to business as normal. Or is it?
The Joy of Comfort Eating is a contemporary romance novel set in cosmopolitan Johannesburg.
Excerpt
Her gaze dropped before she had a chance to stop her
thoughts. Beautiful hands, long fingers….
Remember what those fingers used to do?
“It’s been...” he started.
“Years,” she finished.
“Oh. You already know each other.” Shelley twitched her
nose.
“You could say that.” Brian grinned. “You haven’t changed a
bit.”
That voice. How could she have forgotten that voice? He’d
always sounded like he should advertise premium deep-roasted coffee.
Charlie adjusted her waistband as she felt the elastic dig
into her flesh, and pulled her sweater further down over her backside. “What
happened to the big music career?”
Brian scratched behind his ear. “Well, that was a long time
ago. What have you been up to?”
He looks exactly the
same. Dark coarse hair close cut, solid frame, the only difference being
the dark beard around his lips. He smelled of lemons and spices, and of a time
long ago when they’d had dreams and acres of future waiting to be explored.
“What have I been up to? Not much, really.” Charlie took in
the pink shirt, the rolled-up sleeves, and the opened collar.
Brian-Badass-Tendai does corporate. And he does it well.
Charlie noted the change in temperature, the heat rising,
the sound of hearts beating in sync.
Had to be nostalgia. One never forgot their first love, did
they? Just hormones.
But if she had to look at those hands again, the curve of
his mouth. Chocolate fudge brownies—
“It’s good to see you again,” he said.
With lashings of cream oozing over the spongy goodness—
“I have to get back to my desk,” she explained.
And crushed pecan nuts tossed over—
“Charlie. It’s good to see you again,” he repeated.
She walked over to her desk.
Chocolate-fudge-brownies-with-lashings-of-cream-oozing-over-the-spongy-goodness-and-crushed-pecan-nuts-tossed-over—
And a big-eyed fly stuck fast in the sauce.
Definitely the worst day of her life.
It is always fun reading a new author and a story you can truly relate to. I have seriously used food as comfort when my life or relationship was out of control. Even more, I can sympathize with Charlie and her body issues.
But what is the main point of interest for me is how the author creates an atmosphere that not only draws the reader into the storyline but expands on a relationship from the past and the misunderstandings that are still existing while keeping the business merger aspect of the story in the forefront.
The two drawbacks of this book for me were parts of the book I felt could of moved a little faster keeping the reader more actively involved and the book cover. Though the book cover did not draw me in, her blurb was interesting enough to sell me on wanting to read this story.
This is a love story and there are times you want to cry from some of the scenes in the book, other times you just want to laugh out loud.
A copy was gifted in exchange for an honest
review
Suzanne Jefferies loves to write contemporary romance and paranormal fiction. She believes in happily-ever-afters, in fiction. As a member of ROSA (Romance Writers of South Africa), she knows that she’s not the only believer in romantic tension and emotional power smacks to keep the romance reader hooked. A movie fanatic, she spends most of her time writing scripts, fielding production for short films, and trying again. Working in communication, she has done more than her fair share of corporate and investor PR, and now lectures in between editorial jobs for big, glossy company magazines. The Joy of Comfort Eating is her first contemporary romance novel.
The cover and title almost made me think it was a recipe book lol but after reading your review, I do like the sound of this one :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a really sweet love story....I hope people read it.
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