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Angel's Share #1
When the Lights Go Out...
A blackout gives this straitlaced executive the chance to break the rules…in USA TODAY bestselling author Jules Bennett’s scorching new series, Angel's Share!
What happens in the dark won’t stay in the dark—
when business partners cross the line…
Distillery executive Elise Hawthorne always puts business first. No way she’ll gamble a lucrative partnership for one night of pleasure. But when a storm outage strands her with VIP client Antonio Rodriguez, he awakens a passion Elise can’t ignore. Continuing their clandestine affair when the lights come back on puts everything she’s worked for at risk. And now a family secret could blow up her life and cost her the most priceless merger of all…
From Harlequin Desire: A luxurious world of bold encounters and sizzling chemistry.
You’ll be swept away by this bold, sizzling romance, part of the Angel's Share series:
Book 1: When the Lights Go Out...
Book 2: Second Chance Vows
What happens in the dark won’t stay in the dark—
when business partners cross the line…
Distillery executive Elise Hawthorne always puts business first. No way she’ll gamble a lucrative partnership for one night of pleasure. But when a storm outage strands her with VIP client Antonio Rodriguez, he awakens a passion Elise can’t ignore. Continuing their clandestine affair when the lights come back on puts everything she’s worked for at risk. And now a family secret could blow up her life and cost her the most priceless merger of all…
From Harlequin Desire: A luxurious world of bold encounters and sizzling chemistry.
You’ll be swept away by this bold, sizzling romance, part of the Angel's Share series:
Book 1: When the Lights Go Out...
Book 2: Second Chance Vows
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2022
11 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Jules Bennett
618 books457 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Jules Bennett has written for multiple publishing houses and currently has books with Harlequin and Kensington.
She loves to chat with readers through Twitter or her Fan Page on Facebook. You can also contact her through her website as well as stay up to date on her latest releases, book events, and awards. julesbennett.com
She loves to chat with readers through Twitter or her Fan Page on Facebook. You can also contact her through her website as well as stay up to date on her latest releases, book events, and awards. julesbennett.com
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 5, 2023
I could rant at great length about why I disliked this, but there’s no point. Most of my complaints are due to what New Age Harlequin is pushing on their readers, & there’s little satisfaction in screaming into the hurricane. Suffice it to say this just wasn’t for me. It was a Hallmark Channel movie on paper. Everyone was nice & good & supportive & modern & utterly Safe; there was no plot to unravel, no hurdles to worry about. It was 200 pages of large-margin schmoopy cheese with the dial glued to Relaxation Mode. There was literally nothing standing between this couple & their HEA, & the way they made mountains out of transparent molehills was so obnoxious that it made me want to feed the book through a garbage disposal.
The hero, especially, was an exercise in Fail. What a weenie! All he did was whine how he was scared to explain to his beloved parents that he didn’t want to run their zillion-dollar restaurant biz because his brother died when they were 13 & he couldn’t face disappointing them. …Did I mention this dude is ALMOST 40 FUCKING YEARS OLD?? Christ on a cracker, MAN THE HELL UP. Then the parents stroll on-page in the finale to hold his hand & pat his head (only a slight exaggeration)—turns out he’s a silly bear & they’ve always known he didn’t want to run the biz, so they ensured he can live anywhere in the world & do nothing but glance at his branch managers’ financial statements via his phone & take brief vacation/business trips to Spain twice a year. (Meanwhile, his future wife will run the heck out of HER biz, because she’s proud to have made something of herself & her family, & clearly he’s going to mold his newfound freedom around her life instead of theirs. Yummy! Nothing says Sexy Alpha like an oblivious walking wallet, y’know? 🙄) But seriously, this was a total revelation. The dumbass never once considered that hey, tycoons don’t all live on the doorstep of their zillion-dollar businesses. Apparently remote meetings & chain of command were unknown concepts to a rich 40-y/o businessman-slash-playboy. Hm.
…Getting the picture? This guy was as alpha as a mop. He also exemplified the New Breed “hero” that HQN is so bent on stuffing down readers’ throats—labeled as Alpha, but in reality the male equivalent of a blow-up doll. The only thing Alpha about this whiny noodle is a killer body & ability to service the heroine multiple times every night for the rest of their lives. She might as well pop fresh batteries into a pink-coated pleasure device, because that’s the extent of his role—an on-command peen to soothe her body after stressful workdays.
1.5 stars. I shouldn’t have rounded up, but I did like a couple lines of dialogue—one where the heroine says she always gets dressed up for manicotti, & the other that she’s in an intense relationship with her cushy new office chair. Two sentences of genuine cuteness in an otherwise overstuffed casserole of saccharine inanity.
The hero, especially, was an exercise in Fail. What a weenie! All he did was whine how he was scared to explain to his beloved parents that he didn’t want to run their zillion-dollar restaurant biz because his brother died when they were 13 & he couldn’t face disappointing them. …Did I mention this dude is ALMOST 40 FUCKING YEARS OLD?? Christ on a cracker, MAN THE HELL UP. Then the parents stroll on-page in the finale to hold his hand & pat his head (only a slight exaggeration)—turns out he’s a silly bear & they’ve always known he didn’t want to run the biz, so they ensured he can live anywhere in the world & do nothing but glance at his branch managers’ financial statements via his phone & take brief vacation/business trips to Spain twice a year. (Meanwhile, his future wife will run the heck out of HER biz, because she’s proud to have made something of herself & her family, & clearly he’s going to mold his newfound freedom around her life instead of theirs. Yummy! Nothing says Sexy Alpha like an oblivious walking wallet, y’know? 🙄) But seriously, this was a total revelation. The dumbass never once considered that hey, tycoons don’t all live on the doorstep of their zillion-dollar businesses. Apparently remote meetings & chain of command were unknown concepts to a rich 40-y/o businessman-slash-playboy. Hm.
…Getting the picture? This guy was as alpha as a mop. He also exemplified the New Breed “hero” that HQN is so bent on stuffing down readers’ throats—labeled as Alpha, but in reality the male equivalent of a blow-up doll. The only thing Alpha about this whiny noodle is a killer body & ability to service the heroine multiple times every night for the rest of their lives. She might as well pop fresh batteries into a pink-coated pleasure device, because that’s the extent of his role—an on-command peen to soothe her body after stressful workdays.
1.5 stars. I shouldn’t have rounded up, but I did like a couple lines of dialogue—one where the heroine says she always gets dressed up for manicotti, & the other that she’s in an intense relationship with her cushy new office chair. Two sentences of genuine cuteness in an otherwise overstuffed casserole of saccharine inanity.
April 16, 2023
Ich habe mir das Heftchen am Bahnhof geholt, um es im Zug zu lesen und mich drüber lustig zu machen. Überraschend war es gar nicht so schlimm, sondern ganz okay. Ja, voller Klischees und natürlich muss es zu einer total unlogischen Situation kommen, wo sie in einem dunklen Raum eingesperrt sind, aus dem sie stundenlang nicht raus kommen...
Der Schreibstil ist gut.
Ich möchte nur nie wieder solche Sätze lesen: "Schon jetzt kannte er ihren Körper so gut, er hatte sie für jeden anderen Mann ruiniert."
Der Schreibstil ist gut.
Ich möchte nur nie wieder solche Sätze lesen: "Schon jetzt kannte er ihren Körper so gut, er hatte sie für jeden anderen Mann ruiniert."
June 9, 2022
Elise Hawthorne and her two sisters own a Distillery that is house in a castle, in a small town in Kentucky. Their brand is called Angel’s Share. Three women in what is dominantly a man’s world, they have had to work hard to get their share of business. When handsome and sexy Antonio Rodriguez, this Spaniard is intrigued by the fiery redhead he has been corresponding with when he come to taste test their Burbon and Gin for the restaurants and business his family owns. Elise is all business, but Antonio is interested in not just business, but pleasure too... And how will Elise handle him when the lights go out...
This is a wonderful start to a new series that will have your interest from page one. I love the instant attraction between Elise and Antonio. Can the all-business Elise find her inner passion and playful side and can the playboy who loves his freedom find a place to put down roots and have the life he really wants? All with the two sisters and the secondary story of the secret about their pasts, this book has everything you expect from a book by Jules Bennett. She never disappoints her readers. Lots of great stories to come with the sister Deliah and Sara.
Thanks, Jules Bennett, for allowing me an ARC of this book for my honest review.
This is a wonderful start to a new series that will have your interest from page one. I love the instant attraction between Elise and Antonio. Can the all-business Elise find her inner passion and playful side and can the playboy who loves his freedom find a place to put down roots and have the life he really wants? All with the two sisters and the secondary story of the secret about their pasts, this book has everything you expect from a book by Jules Bennett. She never disappoints her readers. Lots of great stories to come with the sister Deliah and Sara.
Thanks, Jules Bennett, for allowing me an ARC of this book for my honest review.
August 24, 2022
Add a distillery in a castle, a power failure, and a hunky Spanish VIP client and you have the makings for a delightful first book in this series by Jules Bennett.
Elise Hawthorne is part owner and executive of the Angel’s Share Distillery with her two sisters. She never mixes business with pleasure so getting caught in a power outage and locked into a secure portion of the castle has her a bit on edge. Add in sexy VIP client Antonio Rodriguez and this could be a night to remember!
Antonio Rodriguez has come to Angel Share Distillery in an effort to offer a wider range of liquor for his family’s restaurants. Meeting the delightful Elise Hawthorne has made this work trip a pleasure and spending the night alone locked inside during a power outage at the castle/distillery is only the beginning of their story. But would she allow it to continue?
Can two people with such opposite backgrounds and jobs come together and make a life or are the differences just too much?
Give this wonderful book a try and I know you won’t be disappointed!
Elise Hawthorne is part owner and executive of the Angel’s Share Distillery with her two sisters. She never mixes business with pleasure so getting caught in a power outage and locked into a secure portion of the castle has her a bit on edge. Add in sexy VIP client Antonio Rodriguez and this could be a night to remember!
Antonio Rodriguez has come to Angel Share Distillery in an effort to offer a wider range of liquor for his family’s restaurants. Meeting the delightful Elise Hawthorne has made this work trip a pleasure and spending the night alone locked inside during a power outage at the castle/distillery is only the beginning of their story. But would she allow it to continue?
Can two people with such opposite backgrounds and jobs come together and make a life or are the differences just too much?
Give this wonderful book a try and I know you won’t be disappointed!
June 28, 2022
When the Lights Go Out is the first book in Jules Bennett’s Angel Shares series. Elise Hawthorne and her sisters have just lost their adoptive mom and are trying to deal with her death while also planning to launch their Distillery business worldwide. Antonio Rodriguez is trying to find his way. He too is suffering with the grief of losing his twin brother when he was a teenager. His parents are hoping he takes over their restaurant business, but his heart isn’t into it. He wants to travel the world and not be tied to a job he doesn’t enjoy.
While on what he hopes to be his last business trip, his first stop in Angel Shares where he meets the beautiful Elise. Immediately they are drawn to one another. While touring the distillery, the lights go out and one thing leads to another. Will Antonio choose his career path and include Elise? Can Elise find a way to include Antonio in her long-term career plans? And, when the sisters discover a long-held secret, how will that affect Angel Shares?
When the Lights Go Out is a fast-paced book that I highly recommend. I received an advance copy which I chose to read and review. This is my honest opinion. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
While on what he hopes to be his last business trip, his first stop in Angel Shares where he meets the beautiful Elise. Immediately they are drawn to one another. While touring the distillery, the lights go out and one thing leads to another. Will Antonio choose his career path and include Elise? Can Elise find a way to include Antonio in her long-term career plans? And, when the sisters discover a long-held secret, how will that affect Angel Shares?
When the Lights Go Out is a fast-paced book that I highly recommend. I received an advance copy which I chose to read and review. This is my honest opinion. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
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June 1, 2022Categories
Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Angel's Share (Book #1)
Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Angel's Share (Book #1)
April 23, 2022
A fiery Spanish Antonio, a red headed Kentucky beauty Elise. That gets your attention right off the bat. Antonio visits the Kentucky castle where Angel's Share bourbon is made this is an all female operation.
Elise is the one that takes Antonio around showing him the operation and telling him about the bourbon and gin. He is there to maybe buy for the restaurants he an his parents run.
Slide is buttoned up by the book but there is something about Antonio that sets her blood on fire!
As the title suggests the night the lights go out, the chemistry of these two characters could have lit the room they are stuck in. That chemistry burns brighter each time they come into contact.
There is a touch of mystery when Elise, Delilah and Sara find out that not all is as it seemed with their mom Milly.
A great start to a wonderful new series by Jules Bennett!
Elise is the one that takes Antonio around showing him the operation and telling him about the bourbon and gin. He is there to maybe buy for the restaurants he an his parents run.
Slide is buttoned up by the book but there is something about Antonio that sets her blood on fire!
As the title suggests the night the lights go out, the chemistry of these two characters could have lit the room they are stuck in. That chemistry burns brighter each time they come into contact.
There is a touch of mystery when Elise, Delilah and Sara find out that not all is as it seemed with their mom Milly.
A great start to a wonderful new series by Jules Bennett!
June 13, 2022
When the Lights Go Out is the first in the Angel's Share series in which three adoptive sisters have started a new bourbon and gin distillery in a castle in Kentucky. This is Elise and Antonio's story. Elise is very focused on creating international deals to take their bourbon and gin worldwide so she has been in email contact with Antonio who is searching for new liquors to serve in his family's restaurants. Antonio arrives at the castle for a tour and taste testing but the instant they meet, there is an instant attraction. Elise and Antonio try to maintain a professional demeanor but when a blackout occurs during a nighttime tour, their attraction explodes and they have what is supposed to be a one-night stand that will not interfere with their business relationship. Neither is looking for a relationship due to the vulnerability of losing loved ones but as their connection grows they must decide whether love is worth the risk of losing someone. This is a wonderful beginning to the new series with engaging, flawed characters and realistic issues that draw the reader in and make them feel a part of the story.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher but all thoughts and feelings are my own.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher but all thoughts and feelings are my own.
June 27, 2022
What a fun new series and I especially love that it’s a group of amazing women who are running the Angel’s Share Distillery. Each sister has their own unique personality and place in the business, and this was a great introduction to each sister. Unfortunately, Delilah is going through some pretty sensitive issues personally so she’s not in the best head space to give support or be excited for Elise who has met a potential VIP client which might have turned more personal than either Elise or the VIP Antonio was thinking. I enjoyed this story and watching both Elise and Antonio as they are both going through some personal issues themselves in the background, one with a family secret and the other with his duty to family. I also liked learning about the history of the distillery, and it would be a great place to visit. Wonderful ending to the story with the surprise that showed up for both Elise and Antonio but in the end, everything turned out in a good way for both of them. I’m intrigued by the secret that came out in this story and can’t wait to see if we learn more in the next book and I’m also rooting for Delilah and Camden as well.
June 9, 2022
I loved this book. Elise and her two sister bought a castle and turned it into a bourbon and gin distillery. Antonio has come from Spain to taste their bourbon for the possibility of buying it for his family restaurants. It would be a huge deal for the sisters. They had met over facetime, but when they met in person, sparks flew.. Elise tried so hard to not react to him, but when they got locked in a cellar during a storm, sparks and clothes flew! one of the sisters, was not happy, the other one pretty much said good for you. When the 3 sisters found out a secret cleaning out their adoptive mother's house, Elise turned to him for comfort.
The characters in this book were wonderful. I loved Antonio's parents and how they understood him better than he did himself.. It was a great start to a new series
I got this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review
The characters in this book were wonderful. I loved Antonio's parents and how they understood him better than he did himself.. It was a great start to a new series
I got this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review
June 28, 2022
Passionate, down-to-earth and delightful! Jules Bennett's first book in her Angels Share series is sure to please with a fast paced instant attraction story that lays the groundwork for family scandal as one sister falls in love with a Spanish tycoon. I loved their story and can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes!
Elise is accomplished and sincere and I really enjoyed everything that she brought to the storyline.
Antonio is rugged and intriguing and I liked watching him let his guard down for the first time in years to actually care about someone new.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a dominant female in a mans world type of trope that brings kindness and sincerity to the forefront.
Elise is accomplished and sincere and I really enjoyed everything that she brought to the storyline.
Antonio is rugged and intriguing and I liked watching him let his guard down for the first time in years to actually care about someone new.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a dominant female in a mans world type of trope that brings kindness and sincerity to the forefront.
July 8, 2022
Three sisters running a successful distillery in Kentucky about to go to the next level. Antonio Rodriguez arrived to check out what sisters have to offer and comes face to face with his destiny. Neither Elise or Antonio thought they were in a place in their lives for commitment. Both Elise and Antonio are dealing with loss and big decisions in their lives. Somehow they click but they live on different continents. If it could work how would they do it. This was a quick read. Great beach read for sure. It's faced paced. The author gives you bit and pieces of the three sisters lives while giving you what seems like a impossible love story between Elise and Antonio. Looking forward to reading the other two sisters stories.
June 18, 2022
I enjoyed this start to a new series. Elise runs a distillery with her two sisters and they are wooing Antonio who has come from Spain to consider serving their product in his restaurants. There is an immediate attraction, one they act upon when they are trapped together during a power outage. Can they figure out how to be together when their lives are on different continents?
Good romance and chemistry between the characters. I love the Kentucky backdrop with the distillery set at an old castle. I am looking forward to the other sisters getting their HEA.
Thanks to the author for a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Good romance and chemistry between the characters. I love the Kentucky backdrop with the distillery set at an old castle. I am looking forward to the other sisters getting their HEA.
Thanks to the author for a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 21, 2022
“When the Lights Go Out…” by Jules Bennett begins the family saga of Angel’s Share, a distillery owned by three sisters.
For years, Elise Hawthorne has put her heart and soul into the family business. Until she meets Antonio Rodriguez, who is in the States to find the right bourbon for his family restaurant business.
Both have always put family and business first, but with their mutual attraction, they will have to figure out how to separate business and pleasure if they intend to have a future together.
Ms. Bennett has written a story with an interesting premise while living up to the Desire promise of a passionate read.
For years, Elise Hawthorne has put her heart and soul into the family business. Until she meets Antonio Rodriguez, who is in the States to find the right bourbon for his family restaurant business.
Both have always put family and business first, but with their mutual attraction, they will have to figure out how to separate business and pleasure if they intend to have a future together.
Ms. Bennett has written a story with an interesting premise while living up to the Desire promise of a passionate read.
June 27, 2022
What a great story!
Antonio has been running from his past for years. Elise is breaking into the old boys network when it comes to bourbon. When he schedules a meeting to see if their liquor is what he wants to carry in his family's restaurants, the connection is instantaneous.
I love this family and story. Elise and her sisters have always believed one thing only to find out it wasn't true. Now they must decide what they want to do. I can't wait to see what happens with the other girls!
Antonio has been running from his past for years. Elise is breaking into the old boys network when it comes to bourbon. When he schedules a meeting to see if their liquor is what he wants to carry in his family's restaurants, the connection is instantaneous.
I love this family and story. Elise and her sisters have always believed one thing only to find out it wasn't true. Now they must decide what they want to do. I can't wait to see what happens with the other girls!
June 30, 2022
I love a good sibling series…just like I love a good bourbon or gin!
The first book in the Angel’s Share series, written by the lovely romance author Jules Bennett, is Elise Hawthorne and Antonio Rodriguez. This romance book is a wonderful blend of great characters, drama, business dealings, grief, healing and finding oneself.
This was a quick read, but a wonderfully written read! This first book is the perfect beginning to this series! 4.5 stars!
The first book in the Angel’s Share series, written by the lovely romance author Jules Bennett, is Elise Hawthorne and Antonio Rodriguez. This romance book is a wonderful blend of great characters, drama, business dealings, grief, healing and finding oneself.
This was a quick read, but a wonderfully written read! This first book is the perfect beginning to this series! 4.5 stars!
July 18, 2022
This story grabs you from the very first page and keeps your interest until the very end. Elise and her sisters own and distillery in Kentucky now Elise is more business but once she meets Antonio that all changes the attraction is there and they give into it. The first story in the Angel's Share series and I'm looking forward to the other sister's story! Pick up this book you want be disappointed.
June 29, 2022
Wow I love this authors writing . Elise and her sister own a distillery in Kentucky.Antonio’s parents own restaurants in Spain that he is supposed to take over for them to retire . He has worked his way up through the business to know it from the bottom up . He meets Elise when you is looking for new offerings for the restaurants . The attraction and earth shattering sex WOW .
July 18, 2022
Great first book in the Angel's Share series by Jules Bennett! Elise and Antonio have as much passion as the raging storm that takes out the power, but will they give into the storm and ride it out or will it pass much like the storm does? Enjoyed reading this book and if you have never read a book by Jules Bennett this is a great one to start with.
June 29, 2022
New in the series.
So happy I was able to read it.
Elise and her sister run distillery, They have a visitor, potential business partner. Too bad Elise and Antonio can't follow with the attraction between them... or they can
Enjoyed the storyline
So happy I was able to read it.
Elise and her sister run distillery, They have a visitor, potential business partner. Too bad Elise and Antonio can't follow with the attraction between them... or they can
Enjoyed the storyline
July 15, 2022
I brought "When The Lights Go Out..." by Jule Bennett in paperback. This book is the first book of three in this series. The cover grabbed me from the very first time I saw it, then the story and the characters kept me turning the pages. Can't wait to see what is coming next in this series.
July 18, 2022
This book took a bit for me to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I was curious about Antonio and found Elise to be a great character. I look forward to seeing how the rest of this series unfolds and how everyone else will get their HEAs. This is a good book and I do recommend it.
June 21, 2022
An amazing and emotional love story. Elise is a beautiful strong woman who along with her sisters open a distillery. Intriguing and filled with plenty of chemistry with a sexy Spaniard.
November 25, 2024
Good book
November 29, 2022
A wonderful story to kick off this new series! I’m hooked and can’t wait for the others. That cover photo is beautiful !!
July 16, 2024
This book's storyline was okay. I liked the hot 🔥 & steamy scenes. Elise's character was okay. I liked Antonio's character was okay. I liked the ending.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews