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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Blog Tour/Review - Shimmy For Me by Deanna Cameron (#giveaway $25 GC)




Shimmy for Me
by Deanna Cameron


BLURB:

Juggling two jobs to keep her belly dance studio afloat keeps Abby Anderson’s mind off her shattered love life—until a reawakened pain sends her into the arms of an anonymous stranger she plucks from the audience of her tribal belly dance show. No names, no strings, no romance. She tells herself it’s a harmless hookup.

Until he turns up at her day job . . .

Derek Collier, the sexy heir to the Collier media dynasty, just landed everything he’s always wanted: the publisher’s seat at the Orange County Herald. Except his first order of business is to sell the newspaper. Reeling from his family’s betrayal, his only comfort is the memory of that mysterious belly dancer and the perfect night they spent together.

He won’t rest until he finds her again.

She’ll lose everything if he does.

A Review By Wendy 

3.5 Passion, Traditional Stars 
* * * 1/2


In today's world, it is so hard to be able to do what we really want to as a career... we may feel a calling for something deeply... but it may not be what will pay the bills. So how do we decide...do we throw all of ourselves to what we truly want... or do we conform and plow ahead on a path we know we will never be passionate about... Or do we become crafty and live in both worlds... the everyday world and also the passionate one...

This novella presents this question and shows how important it is to recognize what brings you joy in your life. The author uses the art form of Belly Dancing and it works extremely well.

Little did I know, there had been cause for people to look at it as something more than a beautiful art form...It seems our main character had experienced the innuendos from others but as she became stronger in herself, she realized this was her calling. When the studio she was part of was up for sale, she took the plunged and bought it. Now she is barely getting by; temping at the major newspaper, dancing at the nightclub and teaching is the way she is trying to make ends meet. Unfortunately, it is not working out and she is almost close to losing the studio.

We meet her as she is getting ready to perform... she is not going to think about late rent or anything else for that matter... no she has made a decision to find a man in the audience tonight and if the feeling strikes her... she will experience what she has not had in sometime...Physical contact...touch, stroking, caressing...all of it... she will give in to what many have offered and turned down... tonight she just wants to feel ....with no commitment. 

He is at the bar... back in his hometown... angry with the change of events... For years he worked, labored and learned the newspaper game... sweated and dealt with all the politics... only to have learned the new course of action his retiring father has set in motion... He was supposed to take over the paper... he was suppose to run the show... now they have decided to sell it out from under him.... He is in the club to just stew... he needed a distraction from the pain...

She comes out from the curtain... a beautiful vision... nothing like he has ever seen...she sways and ripples; she hypnotizes him with the tattoo she has wrapped around her belly... she comes to him at the bar... draped in layers of chiffon, coins, and other exotic tokens... eyes meet eyes... an invisible chord connects them... she leans to him and whispers... meet me in the courtyard....

These two meet and the agreement is made... one night only; no names, information or personal tidbits...of course, it was a night of their lives for both of them... she leaves under the cloak of the early hours... wanting to stay but knowing she must go.

As the next day happens... a meeting for the newspaper takes place... he is at the side of the publisher... she doesn't understand what he is doing there. He is announced as the new head. She is transferred to be his ex assistant...What will she do... how can she handle this - she needs this job to pay off her studio... 

The charm of this novella was how much it gave us within the shorten structure. We were able to see all of the steps and they make sense. There was a bit of insta-lust but under the circumstances it was fine. I appreciated learning more of the belly dancing art form and its history. 

Overall a fast paced read for a blossoming series.    

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

Excerpt 


“It’s only sex,” Abby Anderson said, keeping her focus on the mirror propped on the desk in front of her and the black eyeliner wand in her hand.

In the corner, Melanie flipped through a tattoo magazine. “It’s about time. How you managed to go a whole year is a mystery to me.”

“It’s not like I planned it. It just happened. I’ve been busy.”

Busy working two jobs—three if you counted the belly dance studio that was consuming every spare minute and dollar she had. It didn’t seem possible that so much time had passed since her ex had given her the ultimatum: him or the studio. He didn’t understand how she could leave graduate school and the prospect of a comfortable career to devote herself to what he considered a dead-end business. That’s when she knew he didn’t understand her—and he never would.

Most days, she was too busy to think about her wreck of a love life. Today she could think of little else.

May 1. Seeing the date on the calendar had brought it all back. That last terrible fight. All the awful things he’d said to her. She knew they weren’t true. Pursuing her passion didn’t make her selfish. It didn’t mean she was damaged goods.

She’d find love again. Eventually. But tonight it wasn’t love she was after. She just wanted to think about something besides that brain-dead temp job at the newspaper, the skimpy dance tips she earned at the restaurant, and the studio that sank her deeper into debt every day, even if it was the only thing that could still make her smile.

She wanted to remember how it felt to be touched. To feel lips pressed to hers, hands on her waist, maybe a caress or two. All the belly dance writhing and grinding in the world wouldn’t scratch that itch.
           
She needed a man.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

DeAnna Cameron writes novels featuring feisty heroines transformed by true love and belly dance—the oldest and most exciting dance form in the world. Her novels have been translated into Japanese, Polish, and Serbian, and her work has been praised for its “deft prose, energetic characters and . . . colorful images” by RT Book Reviews and called “most entertaining” by the Historical Novel Review. Before turning to fiction, DeAnna worked as a journalist, writing and editing for several Southern California newspapers and magazines. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, as well as its Orange County chapter. When she isn’t working on her next novel, she can usually be found at her jeweler’s bench, creating new wire-wrap, bead, and multimedia designs. She lives in Orange County, Calif., with her family.

http://www.DeAnnaCameron.com

http://www.facebook.com/deanna.m.cameron

http://www.twitter.com/deannamcameron

Giveaway


1 comment :

  1. Thank you for featuring SHIMMY FOR ME today and your thoughtful review! I've had lot of fun sharing what I know about belly dancers: that they are some of the sexiest, most interesting people you'll ever meet. I'll stop by a little later to see if there are any questions :)

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