Linda Verji's Blog

After five long months of writing, Simply Irresistible is now published. The book was always a ‘might not complete’ kind of thing for me. My ‘outside’ life has been pretty busy since the beginning of the year, and writing was last on my list of priorities. But I’m glad the story is done now.

I really enjoyed writing about Tanner and Zuri. They were a complicated couple and sometimes, were very very frustrating. But they suit each other… I think. What do you think?

While writing there were so many things I couldn’t add to the book because then we’d have a 200,000 word behemoth. So below is a bit of the behind the scenes information that didn’t make it into the book. If you haven’t read the book, you should do that before you read the rest of this post. There will be many, many spoilers.

GET THE BOOK HERE! 1: MEET THE LEAD CHARACTERS

After experiencing the worst heartbreak of her life, 27 year-old ZURI KINSLOW no longer believes in love. She thought her ex-husband, Roberto, was her soul-mate. But he ended up betraying her with his boss’s daughter, Cat.

After her divorce, Zuri decides to focus on her career and its growth. But that plan changes when she and Cat cross paths again.

33 year-old TANNER CROSS is hot as sin, filthy rich and charming. He is many women’s dream. Unfortunately, his parents’ dysfunctional relationship completely destroyed his trust in love. He is not interested in anything more than fun.

The moment he meets Zuri, he is attracted to her, and he is determined to make her another notch on his bed post. But would he want to do the same if he knew her real agenda?

2: THE CONTROVERY OVER ZURI'S REVENGE

A lot of readers were understandably angry that Zuri would choose to drag Tanner into her revenge. He’s an innocent bystander. All I can say about her choices is that she’s not a perfect woman and she makes bad choice. It’s not an excuse but please consider how far up the wall Cat drove her. This woman not only stole her husband, but she pushed Zuri thus making her lose her baby. Worse, she showed zero remorse and continued to needle Zuri. Wouldn’t you want to get back at her?

3: WHERE'S ROBERTO?

Ah! The ex-husband.

In the book, it’s mentioned that at first he was sorry about his affair but once Zuri mentioned divorce he completely flipped on her. He even claimed that she was the one who was having an affair and that the baby wasn’t his. Afterwards, he kept calling Zuri to make sure that she hadn’t moved on from him.

The man currently has a fiancée. However, he still keeps tabs on Zuri, mostly to make sure that she isn’t doing better than him. Obviously, her relationship with Tanner will piss him off. Luckily, Zuri has blocked him on every avenue so he can tell it to the birds.

4: LORI'S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH WILLOW'S DAD

Isaac Walker, Willow’s dad, is a typical deadbeat. He has twelve kids by eight women including Lori. What did Lori see in him? Well, he’s hot, a smooth talker, and has gives good pipe. Given her traumatic upbringing and bad taste in men, it’s no wonder that Lori was drawn to him.

Though it wasn’t mentioned in the book, Lori tried to facilitate a relationship with him and Willow. But Isaac is too busy skirt chasing, and Willow is too disgusted with him to put in effort.

5: PAUL GARBER & THE NEVER ENDING WIVES

Another one of Lori’s bad relationships is with Paul Garber. The man is the face of narcissism. Women are disposable to him. And his children only matter if they are useful.

Before Lori, he had three other wives and four children. After Lori he had two other wives and three children. He is currently engaged to a twenty-six-year-old girl. If you’re counting that he is currently preparing for his seventh marriage, and Tanner has six other siblings (one unfortunately passed away).

The only good thing about Paul is that he takes care of his ex-wives and children financially. Even though he rarely deals with them when they’re young, he still supports all of them. So I guess that makes him better than Willow’s dad?

6: MORE ABOUT GIDEON

I like Gideon… as do a lot of you lol. Well, Gideon is a single. Yeah, he’s a dad too, but the kid, David, is sweet. How did he become a single dad? Well, his ex was… disturbed. Even though she and Gideon had a good thing, she had affairs with several people.

When Gideon found out about the affairs (someone sent him a video of his ex getting busy with three men), he ended the relationship. Later, she revealed that she was pregnant. After doing a paternity test to certify that David was his, Gideon went to court for joint custody. However, his ex decided that she wasn’t interested in being a parent anyway and one day, she just dumped the toddler on Gideon and disappeared. She is currently in New York doing God knows what.

Gideon is raising his son with the help of his father, who is a widower. As you can see, they need a good woman in that family. Maybe I’ll give them one in the future.

7: HOW DOES TANNER & ZURI'S HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER LOOK LIKE?

Zuri and Tanner get married eight month after the end of the book. It’s a small destination wedding in Santorini, Greece. On their wedding night, Zuri reveals that she is pregnant. They go on to have a daughter, Sky, then two sons (Cameron & Amari) later.

Zuri stays as the head-chef of The Sarco Oven. She and the other owners go on to open a New York, Los Angeles, Savannah, and Miami branch of The Sarco Oven. The plan is to go international in the future.

8: ‘RING MY BELL’ BY ENRIQUE IGLESIAS WROTE THIS BOOK

This song has been out of a while. It’s a 2007 hit, and I hadn’t heard it for several years until I accidentally came across it, and now I can’t stop listening to it. It made for a great listen when writing Tanner and Zuri’s… ahem… saucy scenes. Take a listen, tell me what you think.

Have you read SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE? Learn More About it

If you read it, have you reviewed it? Review it HERE.

Is there something you really want to know about SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE? Drop a comment below this post and I’ll answer it ASAP.

The post 8 Things You Didn’t Know About SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE appeared first on Linda Verji.

Maybe you know this – or maybe you don’t. Whenever I’m writing a book, I pick out a romantic theme song that I replay over and over while I write. Below are a 15 of my current favorite songs (though definitely not all of my faves). Maybe you’ll find something sugary to add to your playlist. Enjoy!

1: HELLO (Joe Cover)
2: LIPS ON YOU (Maroon 5)
3: HESITATE (Jonas Brothers)
4: 1000X (Jarryd James ft Broods)
5: CERTAIN THINGS (James Arthur)
6: I BELONG TO YOU (Jacob Lee)
7: MIRRORS (Justin Timberlake)
8: MY OASIS (Sam Smith ft Burna Boy)
9: DANCE LIKE WE’RE MAKING LOVE (Ciara)
10: WE’RE NOT FRIENDS (Ingrid Andress)
11: ANGEL BABY (Troye Sivan) 12: COME KISS ME (Tryon)
13: GIVE ME YOUR FOREVER (Zack Tabudlo)
14: SOMEONE YOU LOVED (Lewis Capaldi)
15: A WHOLE NEW WORLD (Zayn & Zhavia Ward

The post Music To Melt You appeared first on Linda Verji.

Tanner is not Zuri’s type. But he’s her sworn enemy’s type, which makes him a prize worth fighting for. But has she bitten more than she can chew? It starts out as a game, but soon these two opposites are in deeper than they ever planned

Simply Irresistible is now available for your reading pleasure.

Normally, sensible Zuri Kinslow would never be caught dead near a charming, hot as sin, skirt-chaser like Tanner Cross. But these are special circumstances.

Apparently, her ex-husband’s mistress has set her eyes on Tanner. What better way to exact revenge on the woman who ended her marriage than to steal the man she wants?

So here’s the plan: unleash her inner siren, seduce Tanner, make the home-breaker eat crow, then dump the playboy and go her merry way.

Sounds easy, right? Nothing could go wrong with the plan, right? And Zuri certainly won’t fall in love with that irresistible rogue, right?

To get your copy today, just click on the link to your favorite store/site

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN76V18N

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN76V18N

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CN76V18N

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202076167-simply-irresistible

Enjoy and let me know what you think by leaving a review after you’re done.

The post He’s The Bad Boy Your Mother Warned You About appeared first on Linda Verji.

Ling Bu Yi, a talented & ruthless general, is on a mission to uncover hidden truths about his past. His mission is slightly derailed when he meets Chen Shao-shang.

Though Shao-shang is the daughter of a noble family, she is neglected and uneducated. Having always lacked a loving family, Shao Shang had been looking forward to being reunited with her parents, but the many years of separation inevitably led to some estrangement. Shao Shang, however, is unfazed and determined to live for herself, and her unruly and audacious nature, and her quick wits, begin to catch the attention of quite a few people in the capital, including Ling Bu Yi.

MY REVIEW

I’m going to be honest! Even though I don’t post about Chinese dramas, I watch them a lot. Like a lot. I also watch lots of Filipino, Thai, South African & Turkish dramas but that’s a story for another day. Anywaaaaays, I enjoyed this show so much that I thought I should stray from my usual broadcasting and introduce it to you.

LLTG is a costume drama that is filled with romance, political intrigues and sword fights. If you enjoy watching stuff from the feudal ages, you’ll like this one.

The drama has an interesting storyline, great, realistic and well written characters who are easy to root for. Though the politics and fighting takes a good portion of the story it is woven well with the romance and doesn’t overwhelm it. I think you’ll like it. Lots of people do as you’ll see from all the rave reviews out there.

THE VERDICT: 8/10 because Ling Buyi is everything a woman wants and you can watch the drama for free on Youtube which is awesome!!!!

WATCH IT HERE

The post WHAT I’M WATCHING: Love Like The Galaxy appeared first on Linda Verji.

Sahara Mills was the first black ballerina to lead the Manhattan Repertoire—until her life was upended by a billionaire mob boss determined to make her his private dancer. On the run from that disastrous relationship, the last thing Sahara needs is another billionaire bad boy… but Fate has other plans.

When an anonymous fling with a quirky stranger turns into something more, Sahara is shattered to learn that her mystery man is none other than Hugh Lindsay the eccentric tech billionaire—a man, even richer and more powerful than the last one.

Can Hugh convince her to look past all that money and love him for himself, or will Sahara’s fears about the power of billions keep her from the joys of performing for an audience of one?

MY REVIEW

I haven’t read any of Karyn Langhorne’s books, so when someone DM’d me with a recommendation, I said, ‘why not?’. And I was totally blown away.

Sahara is in witness protection after testifying against her mobster husband. Enter Hugh. Hugh is smart, cute and very charming. It was supposed to be a fling, but y’all know you can’t keep a good man down. Though she’s determined to push him away, he is more determined to have her.

This was a great, great read. I read it in one go. There was enough romance and suspense to keeping me feening for more. Try it.

Get HIS PRIVATE DANCER on Amazon

Have you read it? Let me know in the comments section.

Got a book you think I should read? I never turn down recommendations.

The post WHAT I’M READING: His Private Dancer by Karyn Langhorne appeared first on Linda Verji.

Danielle

Letting him go was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
My husband promised me forever. He made me believe we could weather any storm as long as we had each other. Now, he’s telling me he’s sorry. He’s not in love with me anymore. But, how am I supposed to get over him when my heart won’t let him go?
Until I had to start over.

Noah

I know she’s not ready. I even understand how difficult all of this must be for her, but I never planned on falling for someone who wasn’t prepared to love me. However, the heart wants what the heart wants, and mine wants Danielle. I’m willing to wait, and when she’s ready, I’ll be right here waiting to pick up the pieces he threw away. I plan to show her that when destiny calls you have no choice but to answer.

MY REVIEW

First, let me just put it out there; Latham ain’t worth sh*t. I’ve never wanted to walk into a book and punch a character so badly. Whoever birthed him needs to come get his ass. Oh my God! That dude was so trifling, even the word ‘trifling’ didn’t want to be associated with him.

*Breathes out.

Okay, now that we’ve got out that little rant, let’s get to the book lol. I’ve read (and loved) many Renee Williams books, but this one hit me right in the feels. To say Danielle got a bad hand in life would be an understatement. One moment you’re on top of the world, and the next the person who was supposed to be your partner in life stabs and throws you down to the wolves. Luckily, she’s got a great support system. And she’s got Noah.

Noah. Noah. Noah. Every woman deserves the kind of love this man gives at least once in their lifetime. While Latham was being a colossal bastard to Danielle, Noah stepped up and stepped in to provide her with the love and support she needed. I love this man. But I bet you’ll love him too.

Get BEAUTIFUL LIES on Amazon

Have you read it? Let me know in the comments section.

Got a book you think I should read? I never turn down recommendations.

The post WHAT I’M READING: Beautiful Lies by Renee Williams appeared first on Linda Verji.

A year after her high-profile relationship blew up and she lost her job, Jenna Jones (played by Gabrielle Union) is forced to ask her frenemy Darcy for a job at Darzine.

That night she goes out with two close friends and randomly kisses a man 15 years younger than her. The next day at work, Jenna meets Eric (Played by Keith Powers), the same younger man. He is Darcy’s son, the company’s new videographer.

Finding out who Eric is is enough to make Jenna wary of him. However, their chemistry cannot be denied and soon she finds herself in a forbidden romance with her boss’s son.

MY REVIEW

Usually, I’m not a movie kind of girl. I like to watch shows that have more meat on the bones. It has to give me at least ten hours so I can fully connect. But I saw Gabrielle and Keith Powers on the poster and I was like ‘hot couple – must watch’. So the moment Netflix dropped the movie, I was there to pick it up.

Honestly, I liked it. Not just because Gabrielle Union has the power to make you fully immersed in her character but because the premise of the movie was interesting. Girl gives her best years to some guy, the guy ends up disappointing her. She decides to have her own hot-girl summer but somehow that ends up being more complicated than she planned it to be.

Now, could it have been better. Yes, it could have been. Because there was such a time limit a lot of things were rushed especially towards the end. Also some of the choices the characters made were eyebrow raising but I’ll take it. Still, I’d love it if it got made into a series. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know… I should stop dreaming, right? lol/

 

THE VERDICT: 7/10 because the characters were hot, their chemistry was sizzling, and after it was all over, I still wanted more. Also, it was directed by Numa Perrier. My, my, my… how far our girl has come.

WATCH IT HERE

The post WHAT I’M WATCHING: The Perfect Find appeared first on Linda Verji.

Tumi Sello is the black sheep of her family. She has abandonment issues because of her absentee father, can’t stand her mother, and kind of avoids her sister, Beauty because they are just completely different people.

As luck would have it, Beauty is getting married over the Christmas holidays. Despite her almost pariah status, Tumi, was offered a position as the maid of honor. She took it, which was a bad idea because she is the kind of gal to leave chaos wherever she walks.

MY REVIEW

Yes, ladies and ladies! Miss Linda has strayed away from East Asia and decided to see what Africa’s got to offer. And I was pleasantly surprised so don’t be shocked to see more African stuff on here. For this trip, I visited South Africa.

There’s a reason why How To Ruin Christmas has been renewed for its third season on Netflix. This drama (soap opera?) is fire incarnate. Our leading lady, Tumi, is a dumpster fire. Every move she makes is a disaster in the offing. Plus her relationships with her family members are just… wow!

You need to watch this one. Seriously, you need to watch it.

THE VERDICT: 7/10 because there was comedy, satire, and touching moments. However, Tumi, her family and the Twallas gave me more headaches than I signed up for.

WATCH IT HERE

The post WHAT I’M WATCHING: How To Ruin Christmas appeared first on Linda Verji.

If you’ve been riding with me for some time, then you probably know about my book Tempting The Player (TTP). It was the third book I ever completed (I think), and it did very well on Wattpad. It is now nine years since the book was written, and I thought that it was time to renovate it so that it better reflected by journey as a writer.

The new version of Tempting the Player is similar in many ways but also different in particular ways. Sounds complicated, but if you’ve read the book, I’m certain you kind of know what I’m saying. Speaking of which… if you haven’t read the rewrite of TTP, then you should probably do that because there will be lots of spoilers in this post.

Okay, now that I’ve warned you, let’s go behind the scenes of TTP.

GET THE BOOK HERE! 1: MEET THE LEAD CHARACTERS

30 year-old CHELSEA ‘CHESS’ WINTERS grew up with a father who was never there for her, and a mother who made excuses for the deadbeat. She swore that she’d never end up with someone like her father, and yet somehow she ended up pregnant by a man who, in her opinion, was just as irresponsible.

In the end, she chose to be a single mother rather than deal with her son’s father. Was it the right decision? Some might think so and others would disagree. Still, she’s done her best over the years to provide her son, Jay, with the best life she can afford.

No one is more aware of how time can change someone than 30 year-old TAZEEM KHAN. When he was younger, he was the quintessential playboy, flitting from girl to girl and avoiding any sort of commitment. So his deep feelings for Chess were unexpected and quite confusing. And when she revealed her pregnancy, it was like getting hit by a thunderbolt. It took him a minute to adjust.

He, himself, would agree that he wasn’t a perfect partner. But does that justify what Chess did? He doesn’t think so.

2: MY OPINION ON CHESS’S ACTIONS

So we all know the main conflict of the novel… Chess lied to Jay that their baby was dead, and proceeded to raise the child on her own. The whole premise of the novel caused a lot of in-fighting in the comments section of Wattpad. Some readers enthusiastically agreed with her decision, others violently disagreed. What’s my stand? Well, I understand but do not agree.

Back then, neither her and Tazeem’s communication was appalling. They had mismatched expectations of what their relationship should be and were constantly fighting. Neither of them knew what the other was thinking, and neither of them shared their thoughts. In the end, it was these misunderstandings that led to Chess’s decisions.

Still, I feel like saying the baby was dead was too cruel. Even if Tazeem was the deadbeat she presumed, she should’ve at least given her son a chance at having a father. Of course I may be wrong, but that is my opinion. What is your opinion?

3: CHESS’S FATHER IS STILL ALIVE

In the book, I mentioned that Chess and Senia haven’t seen their father, Gerald Winters, since their mother’s funeral. One would think that that’s because he’s dead because what kind of father would just disappear on his kids for 12 years. Well, Gerald is that kind of father. Rather than acknowledge and make up for his sins, he’d rather ignore his kids and pretend they don’t exist.

As is common for ‘men’ like him, he has other kids by other women (three to be exact).  That means that Chess and Senia have half-siblings out there. They haven’t contacted the sisters though so… great?

4: A STORY FOR SENIA?

Senia is a really, really interesting and fun character. Also, she’s very smart. And not just because of her (strange?) job. Even though she is the youngest in their family, she was the first to realize that their father was an emotional vampire, and the first to step back. As a teenager, she was the silent helper to her single-mother and sister. As an adult, she’s done a lot to improve their family’s standard of living. In summary; she’s an admirable character.

Her personality, history and job would make for an exciting story, and to be honest, I’m very tempted to give her one. Should I? Let me know in the comment section.

5: DERRICK DIDN’T DESERVE HIS END

Now, now, now… I know some of you scoffed when you read that title. The guy was scum. He cheated on his sick wife and betrayed his best friend. But hear me out, I still don’t think he deserved to die.

Even though he was a villain, he was a victim in some ways. Evie only seduced him because she wanted to use him to win the job. Meanwhile, the poor sod actually fell in love with her and thought they had a genuine thing going. Worse, she ended up dumping him when he was at his worst and eventually killing him.

Doesn’t that warrant some pity?

No?

Okay, I’ll let you be. Lol

6: RICHARD HUSKLE IS A TERRIBLE BOSS

I know that the man was our girl Chess’s biggest fanboy but let’s not lie to ourselves; he’s the worst kind of employer. He was always pitting his employees against each other and did very little to control employees who crossed the line.

Take the example of Mark; he sabotaged Chess so many times and yet when she went to HR they just tried to sweep it under the rug. Plus, consider the whole speech he gave Derrick about him not being good enough to be a team director and to just focus on riding Chess’s coattails. Then we have Evie who practically rocketed up the ladder just because she’s a family friend. If that ain’t the markers of a bad boss, then I don’t know what is. Who wants to work in a company like that?

Honestly, I’m surprised that it took Chess so long to jump off that crazy train. But then we have to remember that she’s a single mother with a kid to raise and a mortgage to pay. She can’t just quit her job willy nilly.

7: ‘LOST ON YOU’ BY LP WROTE THIS BOOK

I know this song doesn’t match the overall tone of the book (forgiveness) but the beats, the voice, the lyrics, the vybe… they worked wonders when writing scenes where Chess and Tazeem were fighting. Listen to the song tell me what you think:

Have you read Tempting The Player? Learn More About it

If you read it, have you reviewed it? Review it HERE.

Is there something you really want to know about Tempting The Player? Drop a comment below this post and I’ll answer it ASAP.

The post TEMPTING THE PLAYER: Behind The Story appeared first on Linda Verji.

Chess and Tazeem have a history… a terrible history. He left her hanging in the wind, and she told a lie that she could not come back from. Eight years later, they meet again. The chemistry is still there, but so are their problems. Now they both have to figure out what it will take to forgive each other and move on.

The reworked version of TEMPTING THE PLAYER is published and available for your reading pleasure!!

Eight years ago, Chelsea ‘Chess’ Winters booted her first love, Tazeem Khan, out of her life. He wasn’t ready to be her man, or to handle the responsibilities that came with that role.

But now Tazeem is back!

He has become everything she needed from him back then. He’s mature, responsible, and attentive. But he’s still just as charming as when she first met him. Despite their complicated past, the sexual tension between them is as wild as ever. He wants her. She wants him. But there’s just one little problem…

He doesn’t know that they have a son.

 

To get your copy today, just click on the link to your favorite store/site

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5JZR55K

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C5JZR55K

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C5JZR55K

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156968279-tempting-the-player

 

PS: Tempting the Player is currently on discount (only $2.99). The price will rise to $3.99 on Wednesday, the 24th so grab your copy before then. Also, the book available for borrowing through Kindle Unlimited.

Enjoy and let me know what you think by leaving a review after you’re done.

The post Can Love Grow Where Secrets & Lies Thrive? appeared first on Linda Verji.