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WORK TITLE: Exclusively Yours
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.nadine-gonzalez.com/
CITY: MIami
STATE: FL
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2006010425
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2006010425
HEADING: Gonzalez, Nadine
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035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca06840892
040 __ |a MnMpUMNX |b eng |c MnMpUMNX
100 1_ |a Gonzalez, Nadine
670 __ |a Provos, drugs & illusions, c2004: |b t.p. verso (Nadine Gonzalez)
PERSONAL
Born in New York, NY; married; children: son.
EDUCATION:Attended law school.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Lawyer, romance writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Born in New York City to Haitian immigrants and now living in Miami, Florida, Nadine Gonzalez writes the contemporary romance “Miami Dreams” series with engaging characters, sultry settings, and career-driven couples in modern relationships. The vibrancy of Miami plays into her romance novels, as does her interest in soap operas, pop culture, global music, and classic literature. Gonzalez also attended law school and is a practicing lawyer, as well as an amateur illustrator and art lover.
Book One of “Miami Dreams” is Gonzalez’s 2018 Exclusively Yours. Leila Amis left Naples, Florida for the big city of Miami. There she is a Kane & Madison real estate agent whose new boss, Nicolas Adrian, has a reputation for closing, in business and with women. Unable to keep their personal life from intruding in their professional life, they agree to a brief, eight-week fling until Nick moves to Manhattan. When he asks Leila to come with him, she refuses, devastating him. A year later, Nick returns and again asks Leila to stay with him, but finds he has a professional rival. “Gonzalez successfully captures the milieu of the high-end Miami real estate market, from glamorous open houses to exacting clients. A spirited, sexy tale from a promising new author of contemporary romance,” according to a writer in Kirkus Reviews.
Keitha Hart commented online at RT Book Reviews that Leila’s and Nick’s long-awaited reunion is drawn out, and Leila’s hot-and-cold reaction to Nick gets tedious, “Despite that, readers will become invested in Leila and Nick’s relationship.” While the book is a solid offering by Gonzalez, “I wished that Nick and Leila’s chemistry was as evident as the sensuality of the alluring Miami,” noted Natalya Muncuff on the Island Reader website. Muncuff also explained that readers were told more about Nick and Leila’s attraction than were shown in the story. To understand a character like Leila who quits her job, runs away from Nick, and has unclear motivations, a contributor online at Hot Sauce Reviews explained: “Leila’s behavior needs to have a context. I need to have even a little degree of understanding as to why she’s like this, so that I can empathize with her.”
Unconditionally Mine is Book Two of “Miami Dreams.” In the story, event planner Sofia Silva is hiding the fact that her engagement to her scoundrel fiancé is over. Meanwhile, wealthy playboy Jonathan Gunther enjoys his attachment-free lifestyle on waterfront property. When Jonathan offers Sofia his house to hide in for a time, they are unprepared for the sparks between them.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2018, review of Exclusively Yours.
ONLINE
Hot Sauce Reviews, https://mrsgiggles.com/ (March 31, 2018), review of Exclusively Yours.
Island Reader, http://theislandreader.com/ (February 12, 2018), Natalya Muncuff, review of Exclusively Yours.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (February 20, 2018), Keitha Hart, review of Exclusively Yours.
Author Site
Nadine Gonzalez Writes Contemporary Romance With A Distinctive Miami Flair.
Count on fast-past contemporary stories, diverse characters, sultry settings, and career-driven couples figuring out the rules of modern love.
Exclusively Yours is the first of the new Harlequin Kimani series: Miami Dreams. Available everywhere March 2018. Pre-order at Amazon and B&N today.
For sneak peaks, updates, illustrations, and all the news, join the mailing list. *Exclusivity has its perks.
Nadine Gonzalez was born in New York City, the daughter of Haitian immigrants. As a child, she was convinced that NYC was the center of the universe. But life has its twists and turns, she eventually landed in Miami and fell in love with the people, the weather, and the unique mix of cultures. Now this vibrant city has become her muse.
Raised on a steady diet of soap operas, Harlequin romances, pop culture, global music, film, and classic literature, Nadine hopes to infuse her novels with her unique worldview.
A firm believer in work-life balance, Nadine is a lawyer, but also a self-proclaimed fashionista, political junkie, art lover, amateur illustrator, wife, and mother.
Nadine Gonzalez was born in New York City, the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Eventually, she moved to Miami, Florida, and fell in love with the people, weather, and lifestyle. She started her first novel while in law school and her modern romances reflect this vibrant city and unique mix of cultures.
Nadine lives with her Cuban American husband and their beautiful son. For more visit her website: www.nadine-gonzalez.com
Nadine G.
Nadine Gonzalez was born in New York City, the daughter of Haitian immigrants. As a child, she was convinced that NYC was the center of the universe. But life has its twists and turns, she eventually landed in Miami and fell in love with the people, the weather, and the unique mix of cultures. Now this vibrant city has become her muse.
Raised on a steady diet of soap operas, Harlequin romances, pop culture, global music, film, and classic literature, Nadine hopes to infuse her novels with her unique worldview.
A firm believer in work-life balance, Nadine is a lawyer, but also a self-proclaimed fashionista, political junkie, art lover, amateur illustrator, wife, and mother.
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Print Marked Items
Gonzalez , Nadine: EXCLUSIVELY
YOURS
Kirkus Reviews.
(Apr. 1, 2018):
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Gonzalez , Nadine EXCLUSIVELY YOURS Harlequin Kimani Romance (Indie Fiction) $5.85 3, 1 ISBN:
978-1-335-21660-1
A rekindled connection becomes tested when lovers turn into business rivals in this debut novel.
For Leila Amis, a position at Kane & Madison Realty in Miami is the opportunity of a lifetime. Driven and
ambitious, she dreamed from the time she was a child of leaving her hometown of Naples, Florida, for a
major city like Miami. She never expects her new job to be anything more than a steppingstone until she
meets her boss. Nicolas Adrian is a top associate at Kane & Madison with a reputation as a shark in both his
professional and personal lives. Nicolas is impressed with Leila's savvy and real estate acumen, and a
mutual attraction flares between them, but they vow to keep their relationship strictly professional.
Everything changes when Nicolas accepts a job transfer to New York and plans to leave Miami in eight
weeks. Unable to deny her feelings, Leila proposes an eight-week, no-strings-attached fling. When Nicolas
tries to turn their affair into something more substantial, Leila disappears from his life, leaving him
devastated. A year later, he returns to Miami, determined to see Leila. They establish a business connection,
but personal pressures and professional rivalries may keep them from what they desire. Gonzalez's tale is a
sleek and entertaining contemporary romance that offers vibrant settings, appealing characters, and a sexy
and nuanced love story. The engaging narrative opens with Leila and Nicolas' reunion and then traces the
development of their relationship from colleagues to lovers. In less deft hands, this structure could be
awkward; but the transitions from past to present are smooth, and the opening scenes effectively establish
Leila and Nicolas' romantic spark. Leila is a likable heroine who overcame childhood tragedy to build a
career in real estate. She is complemented by Nicolas, a top realtor who never thought he would fall in love
until he met Leila. Setting plays a key role in the story, and Gonzalez successfully captures the milieu of the
high-end Miami real estate market, from glamorous open houses to exacting clients.
A spirited, sexy tale from a promising new author of contemporary romance.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Gonzalez , Nadine: EXCLUSIVELY YOURS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2018. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A532700336/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7a3d48bf.
Accessed 23 June 2018.
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Gale Document Number: GALE|A532700336
Romance / Series / Current Series Imprints / Kimani Romance
Image of Exclusively Yours (Miami Dreams)
RT Rating:
Genre:
Romance, Series, Kimani Romance, RT Review Source
Sensuality:
Hot
Published:
February 20 2018
Publisher:
Harlequin Kimani Romance
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RT Review Source
RT RATINGS GUIDE
5 GOLD: Phenomenal. In a class by itself.
4 1/2: TOP PICK. Fantastic. A keeper.
4: Compelling. A page-turner.
3: Enjoyable. A pleasant read.
2: Problematic. May struggle to finish.
1: Severely Flawed. Pass on this one.
EXCLUSIVELY YOURS
Author(s): Nadine Gonzalez
Exclusively Yours comes alive with memorable characters, quick dialogue and an interesting story line. The sexual tension is palpable between the protagonists, a mixture of sweet and heat, but it’s the everyday interaction that will enthrall readers. However, the long-awaited reunion between the couple seems drawn out and Leila’s hot-and-cold reaction to Nick, presumably based on her fear of getting close to anyone, gets tedious by the resolution. Despite that, readers will become invested in Leila and Nick’s relationship and find the time spent with them to be worth it.
Leila Amis never thought she would be “that woman” — the one who falls in love with her boss. Yet, when she meets Nicolas Adrian the attraction is instant. Determined to focus on her career, Leila proposes a fling with Nick once she knows he’s leaving for a promotion in New York. A year has since passed, but neither Nick or Leila have recovered from their relationship’s end. Now Nick is back in Miami and determined to get Leila back. However, he must overcome the disparity in their professional status and Leila’s fear of commitment to have a forever, lifetime love. (HARLEQUIN KIMANI, Mar., 224pp., $6.50)
* RT Review Source *
Reviewed by:
Keitha Hart
Natalya Muncuff
Exclusively Yours is the debut novel by Nadine Gonzalez that features two young and ambitious professionals, Nicolas Adrian and Leila Amis, set in the seductive Miami, Florida.
Nick is a bloodhound when it comes to real estate; a top realtor who is known for closing big deals quickly. Leila is new to the real estate industry and begins to work for a Miami firm as Nick’s assistant. The attraction between these two is instantaneous and though Leila tries to fight it for a while, these two begin a whirlwind 8-week romance. Nick tries to change the game though and is crushed when Leila does not respond the way he hopes and he ultimately leaves for New York City with his heart broken, for perhaps the first time in his life.
One year later, Leila has started her own real estate agency and Nick is back in Miami under the pretense of a new lucrative job. However, he’s really back in the Sunshine State to show Leila that what they had was more than just a short fling.
In Exclusively Yours, we were able to see the business side of the high-end real estate industry in Miami. The work was just as much as an integral part of the novel as the romance. I also liked that Gonzalez really showed Miami as one of the secondary characters. As someone who used to live in Miami, I appreciated all of the small details that really made the city come alive in the novel. There were times, however, that I wished that Nick and Leila’s chemistry was as evident as the sensuality of the alluring Miami. I felt like we were told more about their attraction and ultimate love for each other than we were shown. I would have loved to dig a bit deeper and read more about. A little more love in the afternoon in Miami would be okay with this reader. 🙂
Overall, Exclusively Yours solid book by Gonzalez and I’ll definitely be checking out more of her work as it becomes available.
Exclusively Yours by Nadine Gonzalez is a sexy second chance romance set in the world of high stakes real estate in sultry Miami.
When Leila Amis took the job as assistant to real estate mogul Nicolas Adrian she learned a lot of tricks of the trade, and ended up having a heated affair with him. But when he made the decision to move to New York, she wasn’t about to give up her career aspirations to follow him there.
A year later, Nick has returned but Leila is wary about getting involved with him again. She’s got her own boutique real estate company going and is busy drumming up new clients. Nick wants her back, and he’s not above hiring her to be his agent to spend more time together. But having already had a workplace affair, she’s determined to keep him at arms’ length as long as he’s her client. Misunderstandings compounded their time apart. Can they find a way to move forward and get their happy ending?
I had a hard time connecting to Nick at the start. In the era of #MeToo, his actions as a boss could be construed as harassment. For example, he asks Leila about her personal relationship status; implies at a business dinner that he and Leila are a couple when they are not; makes inappropriate comments about her appearance, etc. But Leila isn’t bothered by these things and she makes it clear that their relationship will only last for the eight weeks until he moves to New York. Once he’s gone, Leila has other problems to deal with and moves on with her life.
Leila is focused on her career and isn’t willing to be Nick’s ‘assistant with benefits’ in New York which is why she ends their relationship when he moves. Her parents died when she was younger and she was taken in by her aunt, an elderly woman now who is ill and whom Leila is determined to see has the right care. Having Nick back definitely puts the drama back in her life. They have a tempestuous relationship, argue often, indulge in passionate sex, have issues with jealousy and need to learn to communicate better. It’s a sign of their strong feelings for each other that they are both frustrated with the status quo.
In the second half of the story we learn more details that made me warm up to Nick. When his last assistant wanted to find a job that would enable her to spend more time with her kids, he helped her find a new position. When he moved to New York and lost contact with Leila, he came back to try to track her down, not knowing she’d moved away for a few months to spend time with her ailing aunt. He wants Leila to know that he views her as an equal partner and respects her career. With this in mind, I found it easier to root for a happy ending for the couple. It’s not without some more drama in the form of one of Nick’s ex-partners but they do finally admit their true feelings for each other and get a happy ending with a sweet epilogue.
Exclusively Yours by Nadine Gonzalez
Posted March 31, 2018 by Mrs Giggles in 2 Oogies, Book Reviews, Genre: Contemporary / 0 Comments
The back cover synopsis of Nadine Gonzalez’s Exclusively Yours gives basically the entire story away, just to let you folks know. Not that it matters, because it’s not like this story has any plot twist that will ruin anyone’s enjoyment should it be spoiled. There are only a handful of acceptable plot lines in the Kimani line, and this one is your usual rich boss, feisty but barely capable employee romance. Most of what is found here will not surprise anyone who is familiar with a Kimani story with that story line – these days, it’s as if the editor will just give the author a list of compulsory plot points and phrases, and tell the author to form full sentences around these points to produce a new book.
Anyway, this one, oh yes. Nicolas Adrian is hot, rich, and is used to taking whatever he wants, even if this “whatever” is the honeypots of his hot employees. He is, as the author puts it, not into self-denial after all. Don’t worry, he’s handsome and rich, so this is not #metoo as much as it is “Me too, squee!”. So, our hero basically asks inappropriately personal questions to Leila Amis, our heroine, and generally does a lot of things that can and will be considered sexual harassment if he were fifty pounds heavier and a few million dollars lighter in the bank account. Leila, meanwhile, has a long history of quitting her jobs, and right now she feels like quitting again because her hot boss is making inappropriate overtures at her and she’s totally down with putting out, except doing so will mean that the author will have to end her story after page 100, so she will have to put up a lot of fuss before she puts out.
So, she puts out. What, you think she won’t? Of course, she insists that they can only have a fling, and it must end when he leaves town in two months or so, blah blah blah, and meanwhile, she will wring her hands and goes all mopey about how she must not fall for him, no matter how hot he is, but oh, leaving him will be so hard, et cetera – you’ve heard and read all that before, I’m sure.
By the end of the fling deadline, the sex is so good that it completely transforms Nick into a total 180 – a guy determined to have Leila in his life for so much longer, and he even tells her so. I tell you, I wish my vagina is this powerful when it comes to its effects on men. Anyway, Leila is so “OH NOES!” about having this hot, loaded guy wanting her to his long-time girlfriend that she bolts.
To enjoy this story, I need to care about the characters and their dilemma, since there are no dead bodies or werewolf attacks to distract me from the personal drama here. Given that the bulk of this story sees Leila running away from Nick’s honorable intentions like a terrified heroine in a slasher movie, I need to know why she’s like this. Did she have some traumatic incident with a rich, loaded man in the past? Does she have some kind of phobia that she should see a shrink about? Unfortunately, our heroine’s motivations are never made concrete as far as I’m concerned, so this story is all about this woman fleeing from a besotted rich, hot guy as if it’s the worst thing that can ever befall a woman. Am I supposed to find Leila’s drama compelling? Why? She seems like a dumbass to me. Give that guy to someone else if she is so unhappy about it. All this drama seems like a contrivance to keep the story going until the author has met her word count.
Still, I think I get what the author is trying to do here. Exclusively Yours is supposed to be an arc of self-discovery for Leila, as she will eventually realize that she needs to stop running away at the first sign of trouble, and she also needs to reach out and make things happen for herself, instead of whining and moping when things don’t go her way. Even so, Leila’s behavior needs to have a context. I need to have even a little degree of understanding as to why she’s like this, so that I can empathize with her even when she’s showing her ass all over the place. This is especially important as the heroine’s epiphany takes place very late in the story and up to that point she is a whiny, self-absorbed, petulant hot mess. The context would have given me the patience to hang in there and care.
So, I don’t care. The heroine is like a lottery winner who spends a few hours whining that she is traumatized by the colors on her million-dollar check. No one cares.
On the bright side, the author has a bouncy, sharp narrative style, and I like it. Sure, she tells a bit more than she should, when she could have shown more, but I’m sure the author can work out that kink after a while. Maybe her future books will entertain me more, who knows. As far as this one is concerned, it’s just a story about characters making mountains out of molehills, and I can only roll up my eyes so many times at a book.