Saffron Nights

Saffron Nights #1

by Liz Everly

Wherever they travel, there’s an aphrodisiac waiting to whet their appetites…Brazil…Hawaii…India….As a food writer, Maeve has just been handed the hottest opportunity of her career. She’s being sent on an international research tour for an aphrodisiac cookbook. The downside is that she has to travel with rock star photographer and womanizer Jackson Dodds. And the upside is that she has to travel with Jackson Dodds. Because once they meet, Maeve understands why he’s been named “America’s Most Eligible Bachelor”—and despite her best intentions, all she can think about is putting their arousing recipes to the test… Sexy and talented, Jackson can have any woman he desires. But lately, the thrill is gone—until he lays eyes on Maeve, who exudes sensuality like no one else. She’s determined to keep things professional, but he knows the attraction is mutual. And as they travel the world, sampling warming saffron, juicy papaya, silky avocado, rare herbs and teas—and a mushroom whose very aroma sends women to heights of ecstasy—both discover a hunger they’ve never known, and don’t want to resist, even amid unexpected danger… 71,800 Words.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks, Contemporary Romance

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Liz Everly writes, plays, and cooks in a tiny house with a big garden. She writes under a pen name to escape expectations and to embrace all possibilities. She's the author of the SAFFRON NIGHTS SERIES (e-Kensington), the EIGHT LAYS AROUND THE WORLD serial, and a contributor in THE LADY SMUT BOOK OF DARK DESIRES.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maeve is on the top of her game, her book career is taking off and now she has a huge opportunity to write an aphrodisiac cookbook. She will get to travel around the world to experience these aphrodisiacs, her only issue...her contracted book colaborator Jackson Dodds will be accompanying her to take pictures of this trip.

Jackson Dodds is a womanizing “America’s Most Eligible Bachelor”/ Photographer. He was remotely partnered with Maeve and “Chef” for a few books but has never personally met Maeve. Sexual tention ignites between Maeve and Jackson from their very first encounter. During this first meeting, they discover someone has murdered “Chef". Besides mourning the loss of their friend, they might also loose this book deal.

Chef’s wife gives Maeve a book containing all the notes he has made about the aphrodisiac’s around the world. These notes enable the book and tour to proceed but personal attacks, more murders and threats follow Maeve and Jackson where ever they go, pulling Jackson and Maeve closer together. Can they unravel the mystery behind the murders before they become the victims? Will they finish their book in time? Can the keep their relationship professional and not give into their explosive chemistry? Guess you’ll have to read Saffron Nights and find out.

I enjoyed this interesting and original story. The atmosphere was highly sexual and the encounters highly descriptive. The locations visited in the book were described vividly, you could see them clearly in your imagination by Liz Everly's words alone. Saffron Nights was an enchanting and enjoyable read. 3 Stars.

This ARC copy of Saffron Nights was given to me by Netgalley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Publish Date February 7, 2013.

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saffron Nights is full of intrigue and suspense. Jackson and Maeve were the two main characters. They traveled the world to fulfill their contracts to publish a cookbook specifically written about aphrodisiacs. Prior to their journey they learn that another partner is dead and possibly killed. They proceed with their mission and take the reader along a jaunt filled with twists and turns, peaks and valleys. I loved the conflict between the Maeve and Jackson. It wasn't your typical I have eyes only for you and will touch no one else but you. This book allows the reader to see the multifaceted nature of the conflict of giving up one's previous life to be with a person that you love. That was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book.

The characters are lovable and easily draw you into the story. I gasped when the characters were attacked and attempted to help them solve the mysteries. I let go of a sign of relief when they were saved. Saffron Nights is a wild ride that you will definitely enjoy taking.

Reviewed by Michelle for Cocktails and Books

[Katana Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, sexy read! I love the way Everly integrates food into the story. Definitely made me hungry and not just for chocolate! =0)

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Allison
Book provided by NetGalley
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Review: A plum assignment searching out aphrodisiacs from around the world bring Maeve, a food writer, and Jackson, a famous photographer, together in this steamy story by Liz Everly.

Even though Maeve and Jackson are paired together to find, cook, and test aphrodisiacs, she is adamant she won’t get involved with the love ’em and leave ’em playboy. But danger brings them closer together when the chef they were supposed to work with is murdered before the trip even begins. Once they have embarked on their journey to exotic and foreign lands, that danger follows them, and they are assaulted and robbed multiple times. What do they have that someone is so desperately searching for?

The story is told from both Maeve’s and Jackson’s points of view, so we can get their insights into each other. The aphrodisiac effects bring them closer together, but each begins to wonder if there is something much deeper between them than just (amazing, mind-blowing) sex. Maeve begins to see past the playboy façade Jackson hides behind. And Jackson sees past the prim and proper front to the sensual, exciting woman Maeve really is.

The story is fast-paced. There were some instances I wanted the story to slow down so I could focus on the budding relationship between these two characters. But at other times, I wanted it to hurry up and reach the climax (no pun intended) to find out why killers are targeting this couple.

At times the writing itself was rushed and could have been reworked, but I was so involved in the story I could overlook it.

I am definitely waiting for the next book by Liz Everly. I was astonished to read the opening chapter of “Cravings” to see the author has brought back a surprising character from Saffron Nights.

[Arlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

By: Liz Everly
Published By: Kensington Books
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Book Blog For: GMTA
Review:

"Saffron Nights" By Liz Everly was a interesting contemporary romance and some mystery read that flowed along quickly giving us a good read with a happy ending. The exotic food, add some hot chemistry and some mystery and you have this read all tied up. The two characters Maeve and Jackson were very interesting. I will leave it at that...well I will say that Maeve seemed somewhat selfish and Jackson at times too soft at times. Now, this is where I will say you must pick up the read to see what you think. At one time I was somewhat confused with this mystery of it all and if I had the time I would reread but I will leave that up to you to read and see what you think. Now, I do think that this was still well written I do think the chemistry and the love scenes were great. Would I recommend this read...YES...I definitely think it is worth checking out.

[Madeline Iva · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something unexpectedly sexy about the heroine in this book and how she gives in to her appetites. As the author whiffles us from one exotic local to the other there is much to savor for the senses in each location, with each new aphrodisiac introduced to the hero and heroine. This book is perfect for those who like food, like travel, and like the little shiver that comes with the unexpected danger a food writer and journalist must face. Loved Sasha!

[C. Kempe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sexy food, amazing locations and hot, steamy sex with intrigue. What more do you want? MORE LIZ!

[Pretty Sassy Cool · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did Not Finish

So, I want to start by saying that I really wanted to love Saffron Nights . It combines food and writing, and I had such high expectations... and maybe that’s my own fault.

This book has so many inconsistencies in the characters and set up just in the beginning section alone. There was so much emphasis placed on them either not knowing each other in person, and then there was emphasis on them having worked together for years on several books and knowing each other very well. I was confused, to say the least. The more I read, the more I became convinced this confusion had more to do with the way the words were put together than inconsistencies the author or editors overlooked.

I decided to just let that all go.

Then I got to the first half-lemon, between Jackson and some random woman on the beach.

He slipped into her, and she groaned into an orgasm. One stroke. Two. He exploded into Mulani, but thinking of Maeve.

Now, I don’t know about you, but this scene goes from him barely touching her before, to her having an orgasm as he penetrates her. Then he literally strokes into her twice, and comes. This guy has been built up as this amazing sex god, fucking every woman he comes across basically, and then he’s a two-pump chump?

Several pages later, the main female character is remembering an intimate moment with her semi-boyfriend Mark, as a friend of Mark’s watches.

He slid himself into her and rocked once, twice, three times, and he was spent.

…

So, yeah. I personally wasn’t finding the sex all that hot, or the main character all that sexy. The author repeatedly told me he was sexy, and that every woman he met wanted him, but that all fell flat for me.

I desperately wanted to at least keep reading until after the first real lemon between the two main characters. I made it that far. I will say that, despite the (to me) insane and unbelievable circumstances leading up to it, their first time together was hot, and Jackson managed to last longer than before.

Ultimately, I had to flounce this book. I didn’t feel connected to or particularly invested in any of the characters, and even as they dropped like flies in the background murder mystery element, I felt … disinterested. I didn’t care enough to find out if the two emotionally broken people who can’t love continued to fuck, or rode off into the sunset living happily ever after, somehow, becoming unbroken together.

There are a few punctuation errors scattered throughout, and a typo or two that I found in the 46% of the book (according to my Kindle) I got through. There were several sections I had to re-read because either it wasn’t clear who was speaking, or the text was just downright confusing.

For more reviews and bookish talk, visit our blog at Pretty Sassy Cool

[Crazy for Books (Stephanie) · Rating 2 out of 5]

NetGalley free read

I really wanted to like this book and it started interestingly enough, but quickly went downhill about halfway through.

Maeve is basically a ghostwriter for chef's doing all the research and writing up the descriptive with Jackson as photographer. It seems they've worked on many projects before, but haven't had to be in the same room or space until now. They are about to do a cook books on aphrodisiacs, when the Chef partner of theirs is killed.

Firstly, I didn't like the constant change from Maeve's point of view to Jackson, to the third person perspective without any notice. One paragraph would be Maeve describing something and talking to the next being Jackson to the author. It was a bit dizzying.

I felt like the author missed opportunities to describe the locale and make it interesting or lush. I had no interest in ever visiting any of the locations and I've been to a couple of them. The author says the flew to Hawaii, but they were going to the "big" island. I was thinking that Honolulu is the big island. Where else could they have flown into direct from New York. That didn't make any sense to me, unless I was missing something.

The characters where picked up and dropped so abruptly, there was no way to get attached or really know what they meant to the story. One moment Maeve is deciding that she wants to no longer date her boyfriend, Mark, who lives in London to him being a hitman and killing people. There's not even a real reason for any of this. I mean why did he kill Chef Paul, Alice the agent and then himself? It was all so muddled by way of a storyline. Did he kill the Sasha? Who bombed the hotel room they were staying in and why?

The description of the intimate moments were kinda boring. They would kiss then all of a sudden someone was having an orgasm. Also, who lets a woman walk home alone in forigen country, especially in Morrocco where women are like second class citizens. I know that Jackson left Maeve with the other woman eating deserts, but either he shouldn't have left and waited for her or should have said something to her about making sure she wasn't out alone. And why was Maeve so drunk, when I believe the story states she only had a glass or two of wine? Did someone drug her, was it the aphrodisiac with the wine?

I mean, it's lucky I'm giving this 2 stars. I just liked the idea and I liked that Maeve was so independent that she had an open relationship and wasn't hung up on conventions and would have sex any way she thought would be good for her.

But even Jackson's character was a bit too soft. For someone who was a womanizing jerk for the most part, he sure became a sap easily and quickly.

Just didn't work for me, but something kept me reading it.

[Shirley Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's something about a book that draws your eye - the cover, the blurb or both, as was my case. So off I went to enjoy a book that promised exotic food and places, sizzling chemistry and a little mystery. And I tried, I really did try to love the book, but it felt flat to me at the 40% mark and it was downhill from there. Although the story shifted constantly from Maeve's point of view to that of Jackson then to the third person, I decided to overlook it and focused instead on the characters, their story and their connection.

And here is where it got complicated for me.

The Characters: Try as I might I could not connect to Maeve. Although I liked that she was a strong female lead, to me she came across as selfish and cold. And at times where I got see some depth to her, the story changed and the moment was lost. I gave up on her when she continued to lead Jackson on, especially when she went ahead and left him alone when he was injured. Now Jackson I liked a little bit more. He came across as a very passionate man, sure of himself. He did care about Maeve in his own way, but sometimes he was a bit too soft. For a well traveled bachelor, he sure was lacking common sense and became too clingy too fast.

The Chemistry: With all this talk of aphrodisiacs and arousing dishes, these two were kind of vanilla on the page. I was expecting the sizzling-hot chemistry, the lustful moments, the sighs and the moans to be more than what they were. But nope, it didn't even reach the simmering level in my passion meter. They were plain and short.

The Mystery: There was a moment for me when I lost the direction of the story. There were some events that I felt were unnecessary because they added nothing to the story and then there were those that were important to the story but were not developed properly. It was confusing and at times I found myself walking away from my tablet. I still don't understand the reasoning behind the killings. Maybe it's just me, but it was all happening so fast and not properly explained that I just didn't understand.

I encourage you to read it and come to your own conclusion, because I'm fairly sure that this just wasn't a book fit for me. I found Saffron Nights to be an okay read. I liked the concept behind the story, the different places visited and Chef Paul and his little book.

I received this title from Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.

[Christa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maeve, a food writer, has landed the job of her dreams, researching around the globe for an aphrodisiac cookbook. Her collaborator is Jackson, a womanizing food photographer. As the two travel the world to find the aphrodisiac foods, they are drawn toward one another, just as murders and threats follow on their trail.

This was an interesting book. Maeve and Jackson had quite a bit of conflict between them, and I had a difficult time connecting to either of them.

[Donna Was A Scandal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm giving this 1 star and saying I read it but in reality, I didn't officially finish reading it because well, I just couldn't get into it. I tried really hard, made it to about 40% but the characters were making decisions that didn't seem realistic at all and the whole concept was frustrating me. Sadly, the one character who seemed really interesting is dead so...

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time

Can I give this book less than 1 star??? I deserve a prize for reading this. The book dragged on and on, with no real destination. The characters aren't fully developed. Once you arrive at the end of the book, you don't understand the motives of anybody involved. It was sloppy writing at best.

[Katie_la_geek · Rating 2 out of 5]

No. no. no.

Full review to come.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jackson and Maeve

I really couldn't get into this one. Full review to come on Fiction Vixen Book Reviews

[Nikki]

DNF...can't do it. I think I went into a coma reading it.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not all that great.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

reaction of women to Hawaiian mushroom like Ann Patchett's


good hook for plot-- an erotic love story exploring aphrodisiacs

murder and mayhem

how do you determine "true love?"

[Aimee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish...