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Looks Are Deceiving
* an erotic suspense *

Newsflash!: Looks Are Deceiving
 was awarded the Bronze Award for Best Suspense
 in the 2010 Readers Favorite Contest!

Elissa's Diary

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You Never See Everything.

      All shadows and mystery, Elissa Baker's in hot pursuit of something bigger, uglier, and meaner than Greg Moretti, and she keeps her destiny with the scum of the Earth a closely guarded confidence. Only Greg--muscles, brains, and passion--can wreck her long-laid path by being Mister Right At The Wrong Time, and refusing to let her go.

      How can she resist her Latin lover's dark-chocolate eyes always arresting her, his hypnotic lure stealing her soul, and dealing lusty persuasion like trump cards in a fixed bet?et?

      Restauranteur Greg Moretti is crazy for a woman who leads a smoke-and-mirrors life. He'll fix that by cooking up some heat, triggering a little hunger, and melting the ice-wall around her world. She'll have to choose between Greg and the criminal world. What holds Elissa from his total consumption? Why does she keep so many secrets?

      Greg will take no hostages nor will he back down from his chase until he identifies his competition and makes Elissa want him more than her other distractions. Good boys can be bad too...and lethal to the heart.

      The serendipitous solution to the cold-case murder of Greg's father leads to a gun battle that changes everything. Who invited the Mob?

      Someone's going to lose, and someone will die. Another someone. Everything changes with a bullet. 

 

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There are so many very nice reviews rolling in,
I decided to put them all in one place!

     Elissa Baker's hair was a mess, and her clothes were streaked with dirt from working in the garden. She had made a quick trip to the store, not taking time to clean up. Her car insurance was due and she needed to buy gas. Three strangers walked up to her and offered her money to go on a blind date.
     Elissa showed up for the date dressed to perfection. Greg Moretti was awe-struck. The four men were always playing pranks on each other. Greg and Elissa agreed to play a little trick of their own. They would go out together for a month to win a $1,000 bet. He pretended to be in love with her, and she agreed to act like a dumpy plain Jane. Only, soon, Greg could not deny his feelings for her. Can he convince Elissa that he truly loves her? Throw in the mob and murder for an exciting mixture of romance, suspense, and humor.
     I eagerly turned the pages to see what would happen next between the two great lead characters. The sensual tension between Greg and Elissa is delicious. Excellent read!

Here's what this Review Looks Like!

Review Your Book
"Addictive" 5 Stars

Elissa and Greg date initially because of a dare. They end up falling in love. Elissa has difficulty giving up control. Will Greg be able to break through to her core? Greg's family secrets are threatening his security. Will Elissa help him discover the family secrets? This is a breezy read. I could not wait to get home to see what happened next. I loved the ending. I recommend this!"
- Ashley Turlington, Review Your Book

How many times have our parents told us to never judge a book by its cover? In Ms. Hart's erotic romance thriller Looks Are Deceiving, the title says it all. This tantalizing story will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Moreover, the sexual chemistry between Greg and Elissa will set your body on fire. Greg is one ruggedly handsome, sensual Italian who knows how to mesmerize a woman with his mix of dominance and kind-heartedness both in and out of bed. His desire to take care of Elissa is endearing and will make you want to switch places with her in a New York minute. The light bondage and role play between the couple will definitely warm you in all the right places on a cold winter's night. To be honest, I couldn't get enough of them. As I anxiously hit the next page button on my Kindle, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. 

The plot of the story is realistic in that Ms. Hart will have you questioning if there's more to each character than what's actually being said, which only brings the story to life. Although she allows the reader to learn some of their secrets upfront, she also maintains a high level of suspense by not divulging everything, which balances the plot and only piqued my curiosity even more. The fears exhibited by Greg and Elissa are realistic considering everything that they have experienced in life both in the past and present. The ole saying that opposites attract is on the money in Elissa and Greg's case because they definitely complement one another. In fact, they complete one another if the truth be told, especially when they both decide to live in the moment. 

In Looks Are Deceiving, Ms. Hart provides the reader with a fast-paced, action-packed story that will have you begging for more at every turn. Although I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, I must admit that I was somewhat sad to see the book come to an end. I hope that Looks Are Deceiving is the first book in a series that allows us more insight into the other characters' lives. I would love to see what happens to Penny and Julian, as well as Derek, Greg's brother. In addition, I would love an update on Greg and Elissa, as well as Allen and Sissy. Two thumbs up to Ms. Hart for providing us with a heartfelt story that will make you laugh and cry, while covering your body in goose bumps from the sexual tension emanating between Gregg and Elissa. If you're looking for a book that will warm your heart, bring a smile to your face, and warm you on a cold winter's night from the scorching hot sex scenes, then Looks Are Deceiving is definitely the book to read. I would definitely recommend Looks Are Deceiving to my friends.
-AJ

Find the Review Here!

Whipped Cream: 4.5 Cherries out of 5!

Just Erotic Romance Reviews
4.5 out of 5 Stars


Scoring a blind date was the last thing on Elissa Baker's mind when she goes grocery shopping looking like a bedraggled puppy. Delighted at her less-than-satisfactory appearance, three guys offer her money to have dinner with their friend. The mystery man turns out to be handsome restaurateur Greg Moretti who is knee-deep in solving troubles at his family restaurant. But one whiff of Elissa's butterscotch toffee body spray and Greg's heart is a goner. She is just as taken with the enigmatic man but what will she choose if she has to pick between love and her lifelong dream?

Elissa's personality is a mystery, especially to Greg. She is presented as a fun loving, normal woman but there is a lot going on inside that intrigues and mystifies. She is a whole package and I loved every bit that I discovered but couldn't understand her reluctance to show her dreams. Greg is a fine man. He knows his responsibilities and can become a wonderful support system for anyone when the need arises. Their coming together was all part of an interesting bet to get back on the childish prank his friends played, but I wasn't prepared for all the simmering heat that their union generated. Elissa and Greg uncover each other's potential during the whole course of their budding relationship and the intensity is evident in the sex scenes. The lovemaking scenes will delight readers who want their zings mixed in perfectly with the ongoing storyline. The secondary characters are mostly integral parts of Greg's past and I loved the banter and camaraderie between them. All the female characters have a great deal of strength and spunk and I liked knowing them. A few sub-plots join in the main one but it is a relief that it doesn't get tangled up. The mystery was decent and I was really looking forward to meeting the villain. Ms. Hart managed to grab my interest with a clever opening and held my interest till the end. All in all, Looks Are Deceiving is a fast-paced, adventure filled story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Nicely Done!
--Mahaira Fatima, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Here's the Review!

Looks are Deceiving is in itself a deceit. It starts out lighthearted with a prank being pulled by three lifelong friends on a fourth. They seek and out and proposition the most unattractive female they can find and offer to pay her to go on a date with their friend, Greg Moretti. Being a broke student, who is seriously debating if she can afford real ketchup, Elissa takes them up on their offer. The joke is on the three when Elissa shows up for her date and is a bombshell. They caught her at her worst after a long day of yard work.

Enter Greg. He's the fortunate recipient of his friends blind date prank. She instantly attracts him, but he has no time for a relationship. He's running the family business and trying to solve the murder of his father.

What I thought would be a fun read turned out to be a darn good mystery. The dialogue and attraction between Greg and Elissa was intriguing. Neither wanted or was ready for a relationship, but couldn't help themselves. Added in, Greg proposed that they keep fooling his friends so Elissa could get the money from the bet that originated the prank in the first place, and to prove a lesson to his friends. This added another dimension to the story.

As with any romance, each has their secrets, and they must out in the end. Both had good reasons for keeping them, and I appreciated how they handled themselves. Secondary characters were well-written, and I liked the storylines that followed them.

Definitely a read worth picking up.

~Reviewed by Christine, Simply Romance Reviews

See the Review Here!

    Michele Hart has written an artful erotic romance with strong notes of suspense that leaves the reader breathless. I was drawn into the sensual world that opens up for Elissa as her love for Greg blossoms. Ms. Hart has created a page-turner that leads the reader from the underworld connections of the restaurant business to the glittering social scene of power and money, woven through with dark, sexy ribbons of desire and passion, danger and betrayal.  
-- Anna Small, author of To Tame the Wild Wind

Elissa's Diary

TROUBLE WITH DARK-CHOCOLATE EYES
     I did it for the money...went on a blind date-for-pay tonight, meant to play a trump card in a sardonic bet between childhood friends. Unexpected, I met the most delicious man who skillfully stiffed me out of the $300 I’d been promised for my appearance while enchanting me with dark-chocolate bedroom eyes. The minutes spent sitting opposite Greg at the shadowed restaurant table felt for me like seconds passed too quickly. I was mindless to all but his deep voice and playful gaze.
    Greg hatched a plan to cost his friends a grand, and if I agreed to play along, I could walk away with $1,000 pain-free.  All I’d have to do is hang out with him for a month.  Looking my absolute worst.
     I see trouble ahead. It’ll be difficult to gaze at Greg for four weeks and keep my heart off the playing table, my life unexamined.  It’s just a business deal, right?
     Back to the study of ballistics.

AFTER A NIGHT IN GREG’S ARMS
     Greg is a dangerous man, and all that peril reminds me of what it would mean for me to turn my focus to him. I’ll never see lightning and not think of Greg’s body searing into me to the turmoil of the storm outside.
    Why did a man with a gun come for crates of wine?
     Time for that chapter on abnormal psychology.

HOW MUCH DOES GREG COST?
     Already, all my thoughts and body.  Slowly next, my heart and soul.  Then finally, all my hopes, dreams, and independence. Men and my kind of career aspirations don’t mix. Already, I’ve missed two classes in favor of time spent with Greg. He takes too much of my mind, and every day I want him a little more, want my life-long goals a little less.
     The Mob’s lurking. Where did they come from? What’s with the wine? 
     Off to my karate class.

HE TOLD ME I WAS SCARED
     Greg might be right. He handed me the choice of being the cop or the robber. My pick told all. I can no longer concentrate without him in the background of every thought.
     Greg has something the Mob wants, and he doesn’t know what that is.

NOTHING LOOKS THE SAME AFTER THIS
     The wine thefts led somewhere no one saw coming. Guns, the Mob, video. A cold-case murder.

     Now someone’s DEAD. ANOTHER someone.

Greg's Journal

THE NIGHT I MET ELISSA
     Tonight I took a dare I’d earlier regretted, and I laid eyes on the paprika-tressed woman of my dreams. 
     As usual juvenile, I’d bet childhood friends I could fall for a woman for her mind, and tonight they’d mistakenly sent me a woman I can’t get out of my thoughts. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted her lean, satin-fringed legs on stiletto heels, one foot rising when she leaned against the hostess’s podium. My mouth went dry at the sight. 
    There on a mercy date for pay, Elissa sat across me in my favorite booth in the restaurant, and the mood lighting turned her vibrant blue eyes into jewels winking back at me with her every small expression. Her hair, the exact shade of Hungarian paprika, called me to touch it. It took some concentration to keep my hand from following instinct. She smelled like toffee and, God, she made me hungry on a few different levels just sitting there. I really can’t remember when I’ve reacted so instantly, so potently to a woman. 
     Many times tonight I’ve tried to study contracts for the restaurant franchise, but her cherry-painted mouth, her bare shoulders, her long legs interrupted every thought until I just gave in to the fantasy and pictured myself stripping off her black-satin dress before the fireplace.

AFTER THE RESTAURANT ROBBERY
     I kissed her three times tonight.
     Once in front of the world, ten sets of eyes from my childhood looking on, ten chins I remember staring up at as a kid, falling downward. It was a blast, and Elissa fell right into the kiss and played along. I like that.
     I kissed her twice in private, a second first kiss, and a third kiss to guarantee she didn’t imagine the second kiss. Her blue eyes just TOOK me. Irresistible impulse.

AFTER VISITING ELISSA AT THE BAR
      Tonight, I dragged the guys to Elissa’s new job at Club Reno’s. I thought I’d die watching her rear-end sway atop those stiletto heels half the night. The guys never once realized...when they checked out the hot server providing them drinks, they were looking at the same girl I’d taken to the graduation party.