January 17, 2010

This ebook will be released on January 19th with Samhain Publishing
Back Cover: 
Pushing the sensual limits can set off all kinds of alarms…

Inheriting her grandmother’s home is a dream come true for web designer Maxine Turner. She’s looking forward to a little freedom from the constant demands of her beloved, crazy mob of a family. When vandals expose just how vulnerable she is living alone, she seeks help.

Ryan Claymore’s well-thought-out life was wrenched out from under him when responsibility for his special-needs stepbrother landed on his shoulders. Going from military man to businessman hasn’t been easy. He counts himself lucky he’s found Maxine to trade his security-system knowledge for her web site expertise.

The red-hot chemistry that sizzles between them comes from out of the blue, and they both fight a losing battle to resist. Even the secret Ryan hides isn’t enough to keep Maxine from working her way into his heart—and his bed.

But something else might tear them apart. Whoever seems determined to destroy her home, and her sanity along with it.

Warning: Realistic multiple orgasm sex scenes, men getting in touch with their emotions, brothers being—well—brothers, and a very tempting back porch swing…you have been warned.


TURN IT ON was my first unsolicited and non-win ARC request and I'm pretty proud of that. When Vivian Arend asked if I was interested in reviewing her upcoming new contemporary release I jumped at the chance. First because it was a contemporary romance, a genre, which holds a dear place in my reading heart and second because I had Vivian Arend on my radar for a while but an earlier opportunity to sample her work hadn't occurred yet.

TURN IT ON is the story of Maxine Turner and Ryan Claymore. Ryan used to be in the army but family circumstances forced him to retire his commission and start a security installation firm. Maxine runs a PR and advertising/web design business with her twin brother and she has just inherited her grandma's old home. But strange things are happening at the place and when her and Ryan's paths cross professionally because Ryan hires Turner Networking Team, she decides to use his expertise and hire him in turn to install a security system in the old house. From the start sparks fly between them that have nothing to do with the jobs they're doing for each other but their respective familial responsibilities are threatening the budding feelings.

Ryan is truly a good guy, he may seem a bit gruff but that's just the outside. He is caring, loyal and very romantic. He left the army to take care of his handicapped half-brother who was gravely injured in a car accident that killed his mother. I was impressed by Ryan's care and love for his brother and the way he tried to adjust his life so he'd be and remain able to do so. The portrayal of Carl and his disability was beautifully written and touched my emotions deeply.

Maxine is a charming, vibrant, independent young woman. She has a good life, working and enjoying it, though she sometimes wishes her family would realize that she is a grown-up woman capable of living her life as she wishes to. Despite her confident demeanor she has a kind of sweet shyness over her. Not the innocent kind but just enough to let her inhibitions and a little bit of inexperience shine through. Ryan is the one who helps her overcome this with his sexual confidence and straightforwardness.

I loved Ryan and Maxine. The chemistry between them was hot and immediate. The sex scenes were sexy and alluring. Ryan has a romantic heart but he's also pretty intense, sexually. He goes for what he wants. He doesn't embellish and is pretty explicit about how he wants things. I love that in a hero.

Family plays a big role in TURN IT ON. Both on Ryan's side and on Maxine's. With Ryan it's the responsibility for Carl and the fact that Carl is the only family he has left. With Maxine it's quite the opposite. She has a huge family and all the members of it make demands on her and it's hard for her not to let them run her life. For a story of that isn't overly long there were many secondary characters, some just walk-ons but others playing their part in either the romance or the plot. Of the secondary characters Carl, Maxwell and his wife Natasha were the ones who captured my attention and interest the most. As the back cover copy indicates there’s a small suspense plot threaded through the romance. It was a little bit predictable and guessing who the perpetrator was, was easy but as the plot wasn’t the focus of the book, that didn't bother me much.

My first encounter with Vivian Arend's work was a very nice one. TURN IT ON is a very sweet and moving contemporary romance in which emotional moments alternate with hot and sexy ones. The instant chemistry didn't only occur between Maxine and Ryan but also between Vivian Arend’s writing and me. I was pulled into the story from the get-go and was captivated by the smooth, easy and seductive writing style and story.

TURN IT ON is about taking chances, living life and enjoying special things and moments in it. It's the kind of contemporary romance I love to read. The romance is captivating and emotional, the characters are easy to relate to and the physical attraction is hot. Vivian Arend's writing style is one I am very partial to after reading TURN IT ON and I've already gotten myself some more of her work while waiting for the book on Maxwell, the other Turner twin.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

7 comments:

Unknown said...

awesome review!!! I love Vivian Arend's Wolf series! you got to give that a try =)))

Sarah said...

Great review - this story sounds great! I'm going to have to investigate further as this is a new author for me :o)

The Queen B said...

Ooh, sounds hot. I love a man in security ;)

Leontine said...

The warning of the back cover alone perks my interest! After your review Pearl I believe this is the kind of storytelling that I might gobble up too. So I'm adding her to my ever growing TBB list :)

Janna said...

This sounds great! I recently bought the first of her Wolf books and this one is definitely going on my TBB list as well! Thanks for the wonderful review!

Maria said...

Great review, I've read Vivian's werewolf series and love it. Just bought my copy of this and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

SusiSunshine said...

That's what I love in a contemp too: "The romance is captivating and emotional, the characters are easy to relate to and the physical attraction is hot."
Perfect review!

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Pearl
Netherlands
39, married to my real life romance hero, addicted to TV shows, reading romance novels and Twitter. I'm a chronic (e)book hoarder and my absolute favorite genres within romance fiction are contemporary romance and romantic suspense, but I don't shy away from historical, paranormal or erotic romance either. Even the occasional (urban) fantasy romance, futuristic and sci fi romance may make it to my Mount TBR. This is my corner of the world wide web where I let you know what books I'm hoarding, reading and reviewing.
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  • The Darkest Secret - Gena Showalter
  • Vampire in Atlantis - Alyssa Day
  • Vampire Dragon - Annette Blair
  • Captive Spirit - Anna Windsor
  • Chosen by Blood - Virna DePaul
  • Rebel - Zoe Archer
  • Stranger - Zoe Archer
  • A Taste of Desire - Beverley Kendall
  • Mistress by Midnight - Maggie Robinson
  • To Desire a Devil - Elizabeth Hoyt
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