Saturday Snippet: The Seduction of Esther

An excerpt from Jennifer's contemporary romance...

The Seduction of Esther is on sale this month for $0.99.

Amazon

“Hello, Zoe!” Samara pulled away from the Rabbi and the other woman, grinned and put her arm out and hugged Zoe, who raced up and hugged her back.

“I want you to meet my Daddy. I told him all about you and how great you sing and here he is!”

Samara looked up, her face open, eyes wide with happiness. Nathaniel met her eyes and for a moment, everything was fine. Fine, until recognition turned her brown eyes to cognac and her face to rose. Fine, until her hand shook and spilled her red wine down the front of his light blue shirt and burgundy tie.

He jumped back. This was the woman he remembered.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped as she grabbed a bunch of napkins and blotted the front of his shirt. The heat of his body permeated the fabric and warmed her fingers. As she stood this close to him, the scent of his aftershave—a rich, masculine smell she couldn’t yet identify—enveloped her. The typical chatter of the congregation after services faded and she kept her gaze lowered, sure if she looked up, all eyes in the room would be focused on her. Her friend Rachel, who’d been talking to her moments before Zoe and her dad approached, had melted into the throngs of people. Even the Rabbi had disappeared. Was he off talking to someone else, or just staring at her in disapproval, waiting for her to make more of a spectacle of herself? Her face heated and her feet itched to escape. Silence surrounded her like a cloak and she tried not to gasp for air. As the wine soaked through the napkins in her hands, she reached for more. In her haste, she knocked into a plate of cookies and sent them tumbling to the floor.

“It’s okay.” His quiet voice was meant to give reassurance. It should have. But the rich timbre sent chills down her spine and her stomach flopped. The man from the grocery store. The one who’d watched her make a fool of herself. Maybe he wouldn’t remember her. Please God.

“No, it’s not.” She thrust the napkins into his hands and bent to clean up the cookies. Her hip hit the edge of the table and it rocked. She dropped her head in shame. Could this possibly get any worse? One glance up and she had her answer. As she suspected, the whole room stared at her, the silence thick, like cotton wool. She took a deep breath, and another. Rachel approached with extra napkins and Samara pleaded with her wordlessly for help. She had to get away before he realized who she was.

P Is For Passover and Purim

Jennifer’s Jewish books revolve around the holidays...

One of the reasons why I wanted to write romances with a Jewish slant was to include holidays that most people might not be familiar with, and which aren’t usually found in romances. Most holidays discussed in romance are Christian and if a Jewish holiday is mentioned, it’s Chanukah.

Purim and Passover are different, and they’re great for romance!

Passover is the holiday that celebrates the Hebrews’ escape from Egypt. It’s the story of Moses and the ten plagues and the parting of the Reed Sea. With its theme of freedom, it provides a wonderful conflict, because truly, freedom from anything can count.

In my book, Miriam’s Surrender, Miriam prepares for Passover during the story. The holiday requires a lot of preparation, as there is massive cleaning and cooking to be done. All traces of bread and bread products have to be removed, and most people spend weeks cleaning it out of every crevice in their homes. And the cooking! We only eat unleavened food during the eight-day holiday and the smells from the ovens and stoves are mouthwatering.

I deal with freedom in this story by having Miriam and Josh, the hero, each need to break free from their pasts and their need for control before they can truly find love.

Purim is a holiday that celebrates the saving of the Jews of Persia. Esther married the King before telling him she was Jewish. Haman, an advisor to the King, wanted to get rid of all the Jews and Esther foiled his plot. We celebrate the victory with dancing and singing and the wearing of costumes. It’s a joyous holiday.

The theme for this holiday is hiding one’s identity, also something that makes for excellent storytelling. In The Seduction of Esther, my heroine, Samara, hides her true nature and my hero, Nathaniel, hides his past. By learning they each have nothing to hide, the resolution of their romance is even sweeter.

What themes do you like to read about in books?

Sunday Snippet From The Seduction of Esther, by Jennifer Wilck

Below is an excerpt from The Seduction of Esther, on sale for $0.99 the entire month of August on Amazon. The scene is from the heroine's POV. Samara has just met our hero's, Nathaniel's, ex-wife and is devastated. Josh, who is secretly in love with Samara, is trying to comfort her:

           The masculine hand splayed across the small of the back like a brand. She could almost smell the smoke and hear the sizzle as it imprinted itself on the black coat. Light hair on square fingers burned themselves into her brain. She knew the feel of that hand, the rough drag of skin as his thumb had swirled against the inside of her wrist. Her hand tingled at the memory and she clasped it around her waist as she watched the hand, and the man it belonged to, move farther away with the woman. Samara shivered.

            “Are you cold?” Josh asked and concern creased his forehead.

            “I’m fine,” she mumbled, unable to tear her glance away from them. She stared at them until they turned the corner, listened for their footsteps, waited for him to return to her, but he didn’t.

            In the space of five minutes—had it only been five minutes—her world had changed. She’d been having a conversation with Josh. She didn’t even remember what the conversation was about. Her forehead crinkled. Oh, yeah, the Purim spiel. She’d heard Zoe’s chatter before she saw her, before the little hand had pulled at her arm. She remembered smiling at Zoe; now, she couldn’t imagine smiling again. Just the thought of stretching her cheek muscles made the skin hurt, as if it were already cracked. Zoe’s words echoed in her brain. “This is my mom, this is my mom, this is my mom.”

            Four such simple words, yet they’d been the beginning of the end. She’d looked up with interest, had introduced everyone with courtesy and had quelled her curiosity. Although very little had been said, and Shelley had been pleasant, Samara’s stomach had developed a knot the size of a grapefruit. The three of them together had looked complete, like a family. Nathaniel had been distant, aloof. Gone was the warmth she’d experienced with him before. His look that said she was his had disappeared. The icy chill had started. She fought to concentrate so she could continue talking and smiling. His hand on Shelley’s back had cemented the feeling. So much for asking him out. How could she think Nathaniel and she could be together, when it was so obvious this threesome was a unit? Sure, she was a great diversion, but there was no way she could compete with the mother of his child. And what right did she have to even try?

http://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Esther-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B00D4J6A80/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438954049&sr=1-1&keywords=jennifer+wilck