Tag: Divine Temptation

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Books That Need More Attention #Giveaway Hop

jenlanebooks

Thank you to Stuck in Books for hosting this wonderful hop!


Have you ever felt confused by a book that knocked you over with its awesomeness but generated only minimal reviews? This hop is all about highlighting wonderful reads that deserve more attention.

I’ve got two books that need your attention!

First is a hot angel story by Nicki Elson. See my five star review HERE.

Maggie Brock has everything under control. Even her divorce, though painful at the time, registers only as a minor blip in her carefully constructed universe. Her life in Prairie Oaks has once again returned to a smooth, predictable pace…until an angel shows up in her bedroom.

The angel is just as bewildered as Maggie about why he’s been sent to her, but their unsuccessful efforts to gain understanding of the mystery fade to the background as their relationship grows. Soon, Maggie’s biggest problem becomes the angel himself, as her feelings for him develop into something less than saintly.

While Maggie struggles to keep her desires pure, a nefarious being lurks in the shadows of Prairie Oaks, watching and waiting for the opportunity to fulfill his ambiguous purpose. Preying on her conflicted emotions, the demon manipulates her at every opportunity, but the one to deliver Maggie directly into his hands is the last person she’d expect.

~*~


Sticking with the angel theme, this angel has a potty mouth and is tempted by the crotch-smoking devil himself. HERE is my review.

How does a foul-mouthed angel end up as the last hope for all of Heaven and Earth?

When Seraph Emma is maimed and tossed from Heaven by a rogue angel who’s taken charge, she fears she’ll never be allowed to return. Tasked with the impossible job of showing the self-loathing (and not even human!) Jason his worth, Emma is sure she’s doomed to fail.

Meanwhile, having wormed his way into Heaven, the corrupt Everett has trapped God in Hell and has designs on unleashing evil everywhere. Fortunately, if there’s one thing Emma can’t do (in addition to minding her language), it’s give up. Determined to save Jason and get back to Heaven-even if it means going to Hell-Emma’s plan is simple yet impossible: trick the Devil to save God.

What she doesn’t count on is the devotion and, well, humanity she finds in Jason; the spirit, hidden compassion, and raw sex appeal within the Devil; and the vulnerability of her own heart. With the help of two unlikely allies, she’ll wage the battle for Heaven. But will Emma be sidetracked by a new sort of heaven along the way?

What’s truly more dangerous?

Falling from Heaven, or falling in love?

~*~


And the generous Debra Anastasia is also giving away a copy of her wildly popular contemporary romance Poughkeepsie, which I also loved (review HERE).

But wait, there’s more! Nicki Elson has a pair of adorable angel earrings to add to the giveaway.


Enter on the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And hop on over to discover all kinds of books that need more attention:


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IWSG: Nicki Elson’s Divine Temptation

jenlanebooks

The more insecure you are, the more you the devil can tempt you (or something like that).

Welcome to June’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group, started by Alex Cavanaugh! Author Nicki Elson introduced me to IWSG and has helped me with quite a few of my own insecurities through her warmth and support.

When I discovered Nicki wrote a paranormal romance, I was nervous. One of my insecurities is that I seem to be one of the few readers who’s not into paranormal.

But happily, I LOVED Nicki’s book Divine Temptation! A book about angels and demons seems more spiritual and less paranormal to me, I guess. And I do enjoy romance novels.

Hop over to Nicki’s BLOG where I interview her about her insecurities, and stick around to read my review of her fantastic novel!

Divine TemptationDivine Temptation by Nicki Elson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deep and Affirming

Nicki Elson, author of the fun and flirty college romp Three Daves, heads in a different direction for this adult spiritual romance. I loved the realistic characters, the suspense, and the deep questions this novel provokes.

Maggie Brock is reeling after her husband Carl divorced her. Together they have a daughter Kirsten and a son Liam, and Maggie has to figure out how to proceed as a single mother. She takes a job as administrative assistant at her Catholic church, and tries to tolerate Carl’s new girlfriend establishing a relationship with her children.

Nightly dreams of an angel visiting her bedroom intrigue her, until she awakes one night and realizes this male angel is real. Quiet, lean, and handsome, he invites Maggie to give him a name: Evan. It’s not clear why God sent Evan to protect Maggie, but it is clear she is in some sort of danger. Eek!

Complicating matters is the arrival of a prissy, suspicious priest to oversee the workings of the church, aka the Monsignor. Maggie gets bad vibes from him. Is he the malevolent force Evan is supposed to thwart? When Maggie runs into the monsignor and he questions her, she keeps Evan secret.

For all she knew, the monsignor would attempt to incarcerate Evan E.T. style to study him.

Ha! Maggie struggles with her attraction to Evan, knowing God would disapprove of her getting it on with one of His angels. I have a little crush on Evan too, I must admit. Poor Maggie!

Evan provides this heavenly advice: “Stop trying to control what you feel and just feel it. Trust.”

Meanwhile, ex-husband Carl woos Maggie back into bed. I wonder how common it is for divorced couples to sneak sex again? That happened in a recent read Blue Shoe but I enjoyed Divine Temptation far more than Blue Shoe. Maggie and Carl’s sexy reunion leads her to think that maybe they can make it work again, until Carl bursts her bubble. Their ensuing argument is painful to read:

“You know what?” Maggie fumed. “Thank you, Carl. Thank you for reminding me of all the reasons we didn’t work. You’re absolutely right—we’re so much better apart. Because you never ever did anything wrong. Ever. I t was just mean old Maggie telling you things were wrong. I just made it up in my crazy, little mind, but really, you were perfect in every way.”

I love the shades of grey in the characters. Maggie’s no saint–she’s just trying to do her best–which makes her imminently likable. I’m impressed how Evan comes across as both sweet and powerful, matching my view of divinity. Kirsten is a whiny pre-teen who pushes the limits like a teenager but needs those limits like a child, and Liam adores video games like Mario Bros. Maggie’s friend Sharon is direct and funny. Even Father Tom and the Monsignor have their obvious faults.

The plot twists and turns, leading to a creepy showdown between good and evil. This is one of my favorite quotes from the story:

“You might not believe in the devil, but do you believe evil lurks in this world?”

Wow, that gets to me. I view God as a loving force, and at times I question the presence of hell and the devil. But I have witnessed evil in this world–no question.

You can tell how much this angel story affected me. I encourage you to let Maggie and Evan into your heart as well!

View all my reviews

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Nicki Elson’s Divine Temptation

jenlanebooks

It’s a special day for my pub sister and friend Nicki Elson–the release of her novel Divine Temptation!

Isn’t that cover divine? I loved Nicki’s first novel, Three Daves, a sexy 80’s college romp (see my review).  Check out the blurb for Divine Temptation:

Maggie Brock has everything under control. Even her divorce, though painful at the time, only registers as a minor blip in her carefully constructed universe. Her life in Prairie Oaks has once again returned to a smooth, predictable pace…until an angel shows up in her bedroom.


The angel is just as bewildered as Maggie about why he’s been sent to her, but their unsuccessful efforts to gain understanding of the mystery fade to the background as their relationship grows. Soon, Maggie’s biggest problem becomes the angel himself, as her feelings for him develop into something less than saintly.


While Maggie struggles to keep her desires pure, a nefarious being lurks in the shadows of Prairie Oaks, watching and waiting for the opportunity to fulfill his ambiguous purpose. Preying on her conflicted emotions, the demon manipulates her at every opportunity, but the one to deliver Maggie directly into his hands is the last person she’d expect.



Get it HERE.

It’s also Day Two of the Streamline Book Birthday Bash. Head over to these blogs for reviews, interviews, and giveaways.

Tuesday 3/26
Paulette’s Papers blog
Author Cherie Colyer’s blog
Mich’s Book Reviews blog 
Author Kelsey Ketch’s Book Nook blog