Unlock My Heart
by Jennifer Wilck
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GENRE: contemporary romance
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BLURB:
Abby Marlow, a computer security expert, lands a job at the best IT security firm in the country. Her sole focus is financial independence, so she never has to rely on others again, especially a man. But why does her boss make her wires short circuit?
Ted Endicott, CEO, and founder of the IT security firm, is hard of hearing. Although an expert in his field, he’s still uncomfortable admitting his difficulty hearing to his clients or employees. So why is he willing to accept Abby’s help?
As Ted and Abby work together, barriers fall away, and soon the lines blur between colleagues and lovers. But a security glitch in a client’s system shows one of his employees is the hacker, and all signs point to Abby. Can they get past the suspicion and find a future together?
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Excerpt:
Ted grasped Abby as she toppled. Pulling her tight against him, he skated them to the rail and leaned against it, giving her time to get her feet back under her. Greg was right; Ted shouldn’t hold her like this, but no one was around and with Abby, everything felt right.
And he was enjoying her body against his. He stifled a groan. Soft breasts, delicate bones, strawberry-scented hair. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman.
She’d bragged about his success to her mother? For a man who’d grown up with a dad who called him stupid, Abby’s brag was more of an aphrodisiac than any sexy model ever could be.
He hugged her to him on the pretense of making sure she remained upright and waited for her to pull away.
Her lips moved, and he studied them, unable to hear her with the background music, the whoosh of air as they glided, the voices of the skaters, and traffic noise. He thought she said “thanks,” and he nodded. When she spoke again, he took his finger and placed it over her lips. They were velvety soft and pink, and he would have given anything to kiss them.
Instead, he shook his head. “I can’t hear you. And lip reading is exhausting.”
He expected the usual shame to creep in. Maybe because she was out of her element here on the ice and relied on him. She clutched his hand as he guided them slowly over the ice. Maybe it was because he saw no pity. In fact, desire flashed. She blinked, and it was gone. But he’d seen it.
He could spend their entire time together wondering what conversations he missed. He could worry about what she thought, or about whether the CEO of the company should skate this close to his employee.
Or he could skate.
Confession time. I read the book before this and it was outstanding. So when it came to my attention that the next book was available, I jumped on it. I just love a series where the heroes are billionaires but don’t act like it. They are down-to-earth, emotional men that have a secret about them that makes them vulnerable. I’m all in. Ted is no exception. He wears hearing aids and, trust me, his hearing plays a huge role in the overall arc and romance in the book.
I can’t decide if I liked Ted better than Simon. It’s a tough call, but right now, I’d say Ted. He is vulnerable, smart in business (dumb in relationships), and he really cares about people and their jobs. Unfortunately, he has trusted the wrong people, and when it came time to trust Abby, well, his trust was misplaced. I figured out the “villains” pretty early in the book, but it surprised me at the depth to that Ms. Wilck took it. Ms. Wilck took her time with the romance and the workplace issues.
Abby could have come across as a tough-as-nails, no emotion kind of gal, but underneath that shell is a woman that just wants to work, be loved, and love back. She thought she could do that with Ted, but in the end; he didn’t believe in her. Ms. Wilck delivers a one, two punch like no other author I’ve read. The emotions that she wrings out of her characters and me, the reader, are top-notch. In so much that Ted has to take a trip to Maine to get his head screwed on straight. Oh yes, we get Meg and Simon in the book, and it thrilled me to see them again.
I really enjoyed Abby and Ted’s book. The emotions that it evoked in me were gut-wrenching, but Ms. Wilck has a point. Both Abby and Ted needed to grow up at some point and realize that what the heart wants, the heart wants. Don’t be stubborn and dumb about it. I can’t wait to see who she writes about next. Alex or Caleb. Tough choice.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
Jennifer Wilck is an award-winning contemporary romance author for readers who are passionate about love, laughter, and happily ever after. Known for writing both Jewish and non-Jewish romances, her books feature damaged heroes, sassy and independent heroines, witty banter and hot chemistry. Jennifer’s ability to transport the reader into the scene, create characters the reader will fall in love with, and evoke a roller coaster of emotions, will hook you from the first page. You can find her books at all major online retailers in a variety of formats.
Buy links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/jennifer+wilck?
The Wild Rose Press: https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=jennifer+wilck&submit_search=
She can be reached at:
Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/
Newsletter: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjenniferwilck/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-wilck
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Jennifer Wilck will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Great review
Congratulations on your release of Unlock My Heart, Jennifer! I enjoyed following the tour and learning about your book, which sounds like a great romance for me to enjoy and I like the cover! Good luck with your book and I hope the tour was a success! Thanks for bringing it to my attention! Thanks, Harlie for sharing your review! Have a wonderful day!
Absolutely love the excerpt and the review!
A great review. IT security is so now.
What a fabulous review!! Congrats to Jennifer!
Thanks so much, Jan.
Sounds like a great read.
Thanks, Rita!
Oh my gosh, you made me squeal with delight (this early in the morning, my husband gave me strange looks)! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review! I really appreciate it.
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review of Unlock My Heart, this is a must read book and series for me and I am really looking forward to meeting these characters
So glad to hear that, Bea. I hope you enjoy it!