Maggie Blackbird

Today, I’m hosting and reviewing author Jennifer Ivy Walker’s latest release Flames of Flamenco, an erotic contemporary romance. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Title: Flames of Flamenco
Series: N/A
Author: Jennifer Ivy Walker
Genre(s): Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 27, 2023
Length: 120 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

In Montmartre, the bohemian heart of Paris, Ella meets an intriguing artist who sketches portraits on the trendy Place du Tertre and dances flamenco at the local tablao. As Jean-Luc introduces her to the secret delights of the City of Light, Ella becomes his Muse, the passion they share inspiring and igniting his art and his dance.

When he melts her frozen heart, she decides to remain in Paris and live with him, sharing his atelier as she designs and creates chic couture.

But a beautiful, beguiling curator invites Jean-Luc to display his paintings as the featured artist in the upcoming L’Art de la Danse exhibit, and the lure of international fame threatens his future with Ella.

Will jealousy and greed extinguish their passion, or will the flames of flamenco endure?

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Brilliant purple beams focused on him in the spotlight, while the musicians and other dancers lingered in darkened shadows.

He was dressed entirely in black, his long dark hair cascading loosely over his shoulders, hanging down his expansive back. Form-fitting pants clung to his long legs, emphasizing the bulging muscles in his powerful thighs. An open jacket with long tuxedo tails revealed his bare, sculpted torso and rippled abdomen, where the familiar tattoo of the flamenco dancer twirled sensuously up his left side.

Ella’s breath hitched as she beheld him. He was magnificent. Intoxicating. Mesmerizing.

As three guitarists began playing, the purple lights illuminated them, and Jean-Luc moved in rhythm with the slow, plaintive melody. He extended his arms and raised them high overhead, lifting the sides of his jacket like windswept wings of an eagle about to take flight. Undulating his hips as his arms joined together over his head, he lifted an impassioned face to the sky, the melancholy notes of the music evoking the suffering of his soul.

He clenched a fist high above his upturned face, pulling his hand down slowly, opening his fingers to trace his forehead, bearded chin, and elongated, exposed neck. He stopped the descent of his hand from the sky to form a fist clenched protectively over his vulnerable heart. Wrapping the sides of his jacket to envelop his torso, like a wounded hawk tucking its wings, Jean-Luc raised an anguished face to the crowd.

And penetrated Ella with piercing, impassioned eyes.

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The blurb caught me, so I had to read and review this one, and the author did not disappoint.  As stated in the blurb, Ella is in Paris attending a teachers’ retreat, having been selected as one of the few who can participate in a French program during the month of June.  Jean-Luc is a local artist barely making ends meet but doing what he is passionate about.

They meet by chance when Ella sits for a portrait for Jean-Luc who is sketching the local tourists.  It’s instant-lust at first site.

Although the novella is short, the author uses her words wisely to capture the essence of Paris, its art and history, the chemistry between Ella and Jean-Luc, and their romance in the city of lights.  I really felt as if I was walking the streets of Paris and inside the walls of the many dance clubs they patronized where Jean-Luc showed Ella the beauty of the flamenco dance.  The author gives a vivid and sensual description of this dance that provides a great visual for readers.

Both fall quickly for the other, but there is one problem: Ella’s home, an ocean away, is a big obstacle in their path.  Each must decide if this will be a summer fling or do they have something that can sustain them for the long run.

Then there is Jean-Luc’s chance at international stardom, and a chance to make money…finally.

I recommend this read.  Even though there aren’t character arcs, none were required.  They are two adults ready for a passionate affair who must make some difficult decisions.  It’s a short, steamy read.  Do yourself a favour and get a copy.  The author is a wonderful writer who creates very likeable characters you will root for.

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Jennifer Ivy Walker has an MA in French literature and is a former high school teacher and professor of French at a state college in Florida.  Her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, and culture, incorporating her lifelong study and many trips to France.

Flames of Flamenco was inspired by an artist who sketched her portrait on la Place du Tertre in Montmartre—the bohemian heart of Paris– and an intoxicating flamenco dancer she met on a trip to Spain.

Follow Jennifer: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tik-Tok | Goodreads | Amazon

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