Title: Forbidden Rose (Wildflowers, #2)
Author: Vivian Winslow
Publication Date: February 29, 2016
Genre: New-adult contemporary romance - *Can be read as a STANDALONE*
Blurb
Rosa Cruz, the fiery and ultra-sexy heiress of the Mama Linda Latin foods empire, is determined to create something on her own and not rely solely on her family's name and legacy. For her new upscale restaurant in the trendy Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, she enlists the help of her childhood friend, the hot, young Cuban-American chef, Eliseo Perez, who's already made a name for himself on the New York culinary scene. Despite Rosa's reservations about a forbidden workplace romance with her new employee, not to mention longtime friend, the chemistry between them is undeniable. When the cooking starts, things quickly heat up in the kitchen and the bedroom. But with Eliseo's troubled past coming back to haunt him, can Rosa and Eliseo hold onto love and keep the restaurant from going up in flames?
Excerpt
Lily clears her throat again. “So, you want to tell me what you have going on with your new chef?” Rosa can hardly mask her surprise. “Who told you?” “Your face,” Lily chuckles into her glass. “You look like some lovesick schoolgirl when you look in that direction.” Rosa shakes her head and in a low voice says, “You are sworn to secrecy.” Lily makes an X over her heart. “Absolutely.” “I’m in love.” Rosa immediately purses her lips, hoping to swallow up the words that just fell out of her mouth. Her sister-in-law hugs her. “I’m so thrilled for you. You deserve to find someone who makes you happy.” “Yeah, except it won’t work.” “Why not?” “He works for me.” “And? If you’re really in love, there has to be more a deal breaker than that,” Lily insists. “It’s just . . . it’s complicated. In any case, it’s over.” Lily snaps her fingers. “1, 2, 3. Like that?” Rosa nods. “I don’t believe you. If you really love him, then you have to find a way to make it work. Like I did with your brother.” “But you two didn’t have so much baggage or family drama.” Lily tilts her head at Rosa, as if to say, “Look at who you’re talking to.” Between a double-crossing Brazilian ex-lover who nearly ruined their wedding, and an interfering mother, she’d brought plenty of baggage to the relationship. “But you made it work.” “Real relationships based on real love always require work. There’s no getting around it.” “Yeah, but . . . .” “You’re finding excuses, Rosa, because you’re scared. I turned down your brother at first because I was scared. Consider your life, not as a series of moments, but in a larger context. If you can see yourself with him, experiencing something profoundly satisfying in the long term, I’d say it’s worth the risk. Whatever problems you have in the moment will always resolve themselves in time.” Rosa leans against the stone pillar, taking a real cocktail off the tray of a passing waiter. She knows Lily’s right. But how to make it work without compromising the restaurant? That’s the question she can’t answer. Lily kisses her sister-in-law’s cheek. “Unfortunately, I have to go talk to that couple over there.” She nods in the direction of an older gentleman and woman looking admiringly at the sculpture. “Just remember what I said. And keep in mind, a man who could do what he did to your neck may be worth keeping in your life.” She winks as she walks away. Alejandro separates himself from a conversation as soon as he notices his wife heading toward him. Rosa can’t help but smile at the gesture. That’s commitment. “If I remember correctly we met somewhere around here,” Juan says approaching Rosa. In his hands are two freshly made doughnuts. The idea that he may break his daily calorie intake by eating one of them makes her grin. Rosa looks out toward the water and nods. “I think you’re right.” She takes one of the doughnuts out of his hands and takes a bite. The scent and taste of the pastry reminds her of the morning she spent with Eliseo. What she wouldn’t give to relive that time. Maybe when he asks, “Are we?” She’d respond with, “No, we’re not finished.” “You have a bit of . . . ,” Juan runs a finger over her lip to gather a bit of the guava jelly. He licks his finger. It’s like a scene from a predictable romantic comedy. The hot leading man standing with a gorgeous woman, who doesn’t realize just how beautiful she is to him, reminiscing over their first flirtation over a warm doughnut. Of course a kiss is expected to follow, maybe a laugh at the memory of how that night was the first of many nights together that led to them falling in love without realizing it—your typical romance trope. It’s all fantasy, Rosa realizes. A very beautiful one, but a fantasy nevertheless.
Blossoming Flower (Wildflowers, #1)
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