Vocal Expressions

This was my first time reading a romantic suspense novel by Lori Ryan, and I was immediately struck by her character-driven style. The story follows Detective Cal Rylan of the New Haven PD, who is paired with FBI Agent Eve Sands after one of the Bureau’s witnesses is killed by a sniper while being transported from the police station to the FBI office. The attack leaves Rylan’s partner, Jarrod, critically injured—a devastating blow that stirs up guilt from losing a former partner in the past. With Eve now at his side, Rylan struggles to balance his instinct to protect with his respect for her skills. He admires her sharp mind, steady composure with the press, and undeniable strength. Though he feels an instant pull toward her, he knows their focus has to stay on catching the sniper before more blood is shed.  As the investigation unfolds, the sniper strikes again—taking out men in the middle of violent crimes, from an attempted rape in a park to a gas station holdup. What begins as ...

This was my first time reading a short romance novella by Janica Cade, and her writing style struck me as sexy, sharp, and emotionally layered. The story follows billionaire Ethan Wolfe, who reluctantly agrees to take over Lane Entertainment Group at the request of its owner, Christopher Lane. The catch? He has to keep Lane’s daughter, Ava—the creative force behind the company—on board. Ava, unaware of her father’s decision to sell, is blindsided and furious, especially after learning her father is gravely ill. When he passes away the day after the deal is finalized, her anger toward Ethan only intensifies. Despite the tension, Ethan rushes to comfort her, and the two give in to their mutual attraction in a moment charged with grief and desire.  The plot thickens when Ava reveals documents stating that her cousin, Jonathan, was meant to take over the company in the event of her father and uncle’s death. The revelation shocks Ethan, prompting him to step back and temporarily hand co...

This was my first time reading a romance novel by Mia Black, and I found her writing style to be bold, relationship-driven, and full of heat and deception. The story centers around Jazmine (“Jazzy”), a freelance consultant for multimedia companies who recently ended things with her cheating boyfriend, Aaron, in Charlotte. Ready for a fresh start, she heads to New York to stay with her best friend Tami while she gets back on her feet. On the flight, Jazzy meets Quinton (“Que”), a handsome and charming stranger who keeps her calm during turbulence. They exchange numbers, and a week later, he invites her to explore New York City—he’s Brooklyn-born and Queens-raised, after all. Their chemistry is instant, leading to a steamy night at the luxurious Carlyle Hotel, with windows overlooking Central Park.  Though Jazzy is drawn to Que, she’s hesitant to jump into a new relationship. She enjoys his company but can’t shake her curiosity about his vague career in “sales.” Her doubts intens...

This was my first time reading a romance short story by Barbara Delinsky, and I found her writing to be emphatic and easy to follow. The story centers around Carly Kelly, the owner of Plant People, a nursery and flower shop. She's offered a potentially life-changing opportunity to partner with Mayer’s, a major home store chain. With only four days to decide, Carly calls her friends Bibi and Hank to share the news—but she accidentally dials the wrong number. On the other end is a stranger named Charlie, whose sexy, intriguing voice catches her off guard. Instead of hanging up, Carly keeps talking. Charlie is kind, curious about her shop, and genuinely supportive. Their conversation flows effortlessly, and she finds herself opening up to him. Just as their connection deepens, disaster strikes—her phone drops into a bucket of water, cutting the call short.  With no way to recover the number, Carly tries various combinations on her new phone but can't reach Charlie again. Still...

This is the first time I’m reading a romance novella by Ivy Layne and I found her writing style to be both engaging and easy to get into. The story centers around Josephine Miller, a computer science grad student at Georgia Tech and self-proclaimed geek and Holden Winters, a charismatic alpha male billionaire with a tragic family history.   The story opens with Josephine enduring a dull blind date with Stuart, her advisor’s nephew. She’s eager to end the evening until Stuart mentions he has a VIP invitation to Mana, the exclusive club she’s been dying to visit. Since it’s nearly impossible to get into this club Josephine decides to continue the date long enough to get in.  While Stuart rambles on about his dissertation on campaign finance, Josephine’s attention wanders and lands on a handsome stranger sitting on the couch nearby – Holden.  With a confident smirk, he invites her to join him. Intrigued by his boldness, Josephine doesn’t hesitate when he asks her to...

Bio: Mr. Ferrin is a highly qualified international business professional by virtue of experience working with Small and Medium Enterprises, US and foreign Governments and trade associations in international management, marketing and sales in Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. Mr. Ferrin designed and implemented the global market entry of the long-distance telecommunications services and VOIP computer telephony software of two start-up U.S. technology companies.  Mr. Ferrin provided management and business development leadership for the Mason Enterprise Center’s international Business Accelerator, one of two multinational incubators in the USA designed to assist both foreign companies and USA firms forge successful business partnerships in the American marketplace. Mr. Ferrin served in Afghanistan as the Senior Investment Advisor/USAID, seconded to the Afghan Investment Support Agency, www.aisa.org.af Mr. Ferrin completed an assignment as Aid Coordinator, Office...