Lust On The Rocks by Dianne Venetta

Lust On The Rocks by Dianne Venetta
Published By: BloominThyme Press
Release Date: October 8, 2011
Format: Paperback - 402 pages / Kindle - 497 KB / Nook - 855 KB
ISBN: 0983246432
ASIN: B005WK6WQE
Genre: Women's Fiction / Contemporary Romance


About The Author:

Dianne lives in Central Florida with her husband, two children and part-time Yellow Lab--Cody-body!  When not whacking away at her keyboard crafting her next novel you'll find her in their organic garden chasing grasshoppers and plucking hornworms all while drawing wild analogies between kids and plants and men.  Definitely men.

A girl's gotta have fun, right?

When she's not knee-deep in dirt or romance, Dianne contributes garden advice for various websites and volunteers in her kids' school garden (a crazy existence to be sure). But at the end of the day, if she can inspire someone to stop and smell the roses--or rosemary!—kiss their child and spouse good-night, be kind to a neighbor and Mother Earth, then she's done all right.


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Disclaimer: At the request of the author and Goddess Fish Promotions, a Kindle edition of the book was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review and participation in the virtual book tour event.


Virtual Book Tour Event: On Friday, February 10, 2012, in association with Goddess Fish Promotions, Dianne Venetta participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/author-guest-post-dianne-venetta-author.html


Lust On The Rocks Virtual Book Tour Event Contest Giveaway!

Dianne will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card to one (1) randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the above link and post a comment to enter for a chance to win! The more comments you post, the more chances you have to win!


Book Description:

She has what he needs, and he won't stop until he gets it.  Trouble is, what begins as a matter of death, becomes a matter of life.

One case away from partnership, Samantha Rawlings is forced to share her high-profile case with a sexy younger man, whose eyes are on a different prize.  In the best interests of her client, Sam opens the door to his strategy.  Turns out, a little too far...

Victor Marin has ulterior motives.  The defendant in her case holds the key to his revenge, and his last chance for justice.  But as he chases old demons, he uncovers a powerful woman with no inhibitions, one he wants to possess for himself.  But decidedly single, Sam wants no part.

Until Vic walks away.

Book Excerpt:
“You did well today, Vic.  You didn’t win your argument, your performance was a little overpowering, but you did well.”  She slid a hand across the table.  He would have sworn she was about to touch his, but instead, her fingers curled around the stem of her water glass.  “Chavez was out of line.  It’s his MO.  Whenever there’s a new attorney in his courtroom, he parades power like a peacock.  Don’t take it personal."
No longer sparring, Vic noted her removal of armor.
“You’re good.  Really good.  You have phenomenal energy in the courtroom—I mean you had the jury.”  A smile crept onto her lips, a gesture which reached deep inside him.  “I was watching.  Each and every one of them followed you around that courtroom, your every move, your every word, they were right there with you.  They didn’t believe her either.”
“Then why won’t you include me on Perry?”
Sam’s breath caught in her throat.  Trapped beneath his gaze, the question echoed Raul’s.  Around her, the noise level rose as lunch hour officially reached full sprint.  People shouted orders, metal cash registers clanged in action, but she focused solely on Vic.
Her suspicion returned.  Because I don’t need any help.  Because I don’t want the distraction.  Because I’ll be damned if some unknown hotshot comes in and tries to strip the prize from my hands regardless of how good, or how good-looking he is.
Sam’s spine locked straight.  All her life she had to work twice as hard, run twice as fast—because she was a woman.  As an adolescent, her parents forced her to share an overload of responsibility for the care of five younger siblings, despite the fact her brother was scarcely a year behind her.  In college she was offered more dates than internships with law school providing more of the same.
Sam sighed.  Baker, Schofield, Martinez and Brown had been the one interview where she felt wholly respected—wholly appreciated for her talent and not her looks.  Because of Raul.  He focused on her abilities and she responded.  From there, the man taught her everything she knew, from the law to the lowdown, and groomed her into the legal shark she was proud to be.
Her thoughts chilled.  Yet now, he was encouraging interference on her caseload from the new guy.  It didn’t make sense.
Sam honed in on Vic.  “Give me one good reason I should include you on Perry.”
“You said it yourself, I’m good.”
“So am I.”
“It’s a big case.  More than one attorney can handle.”
“I have Diego.”
“I have experience.”
“So I hear.”  Sam lifted her glass from the table, but never took her eyes off him.
“It could work to your benefit.”
“I work to my benefit.”
Vic eased his neck from his collar and reached for his glass.  “I’m offering to help, Sam.  Most attorneys would jump at the opportunity.”
“If you hadn’t gathered by now, I’m not most attorneys.” 

My Book Review:


Samantha Rawlings is a very powerful, vivacious and successful attorney in Miami, she is one case away from making partner in the law firm. With the winning case before her, no one or nothing is going to take away her thunder .... but her boss, Raul Martinez, a senior partner with the firm has other ideas. He wants her to mentor their new young attorney, Victor Marin, a transplant from Philadelphia, and to make matters worse, he wants her to utilize him on the case. Samantha has already noticed that Victor is quite attractive, but there is something that he is hiding, he is too interested in the case, and she is bound and determined to find out just what his secret is ... and while she's at it, she wants to enjoy his company! Can they mix business with pleasure? Can Samantha maintain her focus on winning the case and securing the partners position? Will Samantha find out what Victor's secret is, and will it affect their working relationship? More importantly, can their affair turn into something more than just Lust On The Rocks?


Lust On The Rocks is a fast paced sizzling novel that keeps the reader's attention throughout the book. The storyline is well written, it is full of intrigue, sensuality and passion, everything a true romance fan could ask for. The characters are realistic, their engaging and complex personalities give the story depth and make it that much more compelling. Samantha and Victor's affair/relationship is just plain sizzling! Their sexual attraction leaps off the pages, it definitely has the wow factor. I really liked Samantha's sassy, no nonsense, independent personality, I found myself grinning throughout the book. Having met Samantha's character in the author's novel, Jennifer's Garden, I was hoping that Samantha would have her own story to tell, and I was not left disappointed. The novel touches on a lot of interesting topics: wrongful death, bereavement and justice, pregnancy and miscarriage, younger man - older woman relationship, and of course romance. I really enjoyed the mix of topics that the author provided in this book, and I loved following Samantha and Victor's journey.  Lust On The Rocks is a must read for all romance fans that like to add a little spice to their reading, and I would definitely recommend that you read Jennifer's Garden first! 

RATING: 4 STARS ****