Book Review: Masquerade by Nicole Flockton

Review: Masquerade
Series: —
Author: Nicole Flockton
No of Pages: Kindle
Release Date: October 22nd 2012 by Crimson Romance

Synopsis:

After being humiliated by her fiancée, Sophie Franklyn has decided that getting involved with work colleagues and men in general isn’t for her. Now her focus is going to be on her career and her recent promotion. That is until at a New Year’s Eve masquerade ball, she meets a man that tempts her to question her choices.

Alex Scavoni is extremely dedicated to his job, so dedicated that his first marriage crumbled under the pressure of his dedication. Now he’s happily single, with a new job he’s excited to start. When he meets a masked Sophie at the ball, she fires desires in him he thought long dead. He spends a wonderful night with her, but wakes up alone.

The next time the two meet, it’s in the high pressure world of Emergency Room medicine where they must work side by side. While they deal with the stresses of the Emergency ward, they endeavor to keep their feelings for each other on a professional nature. When the desire that pushed them together that one night flares to life again, can they ignore them or will their one night together have consequences neither of them planned on?

Author Interview:

Hi Nicole! Thank you so much for doing this interview for My Seryniti. I’m super excited to read this book. The synopsis sounds super sexy!

Thanks for having me!! I’m excited to be here.

How did Masquerade start for you? Image, Idea, Dream? It started as an idea of two girls gate-crashing a New Year’s Eve ball and then it evolved into a New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball.

Did you have any growing pains with this novel? Yes it had a few false starts with the opening and the characters but then once I decided to make it a medical based romance it became a little easier.

I noticed Masquerade has a bit to do with being a doctor, how do you do research for this? Well I’m very lucky that one of the girls in my critique group in Australia has a nurse for a mum. So whenever my comments came back from this girl, there would be comments from her mum as well – I was very lucky. I also used the internet to look up a few things and well, there was an Australian hospital drama All Saints which influenced me as well as Grey’s Anatomy.

How would you most like readers to respond to Masquerade? I would like them to have a connection with characters. To care for them and always wonder about what happens to them afterwards. I also want them to have a fantastic time reading it.

How sexy is Masquerade? Will I need a fan and some water to put out fires? 😉 LOL it’s sensual so not super steamy. I think I might bring the heat level up in my next story.

Do you have a message you try to convey when writing a story? Just to always believe in a happy ever after. I want my readers to feel good when they read my work.

What are you reading right now? I’m currently reading a book from an Australian author Trish Morey. She writes for Harlequin Presents and the book of hers I’m reading is “The Heir from Nowhere”. It was a last year’s release but my TBR pile is huge and a combination of e-books and paperbacks!

Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences? No not influences as such, but there were many authors that helped me when I first started out. Bronwyn Jameson and Robyn Grady – both Australian authors who write for Harlequin Desire, they read my worked and gave me valuable ideas. There’s also my wonderful critique group who told me what worked and what didn’t and helped make my story stronger.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Read. I love nothing better than to sit on the couch with my e-reader. When I read I tend to block out everyone – not good when the kids are yelling for my attention.

Have you always wanted to be an author? I always enjoyed writing stories at primary (elementary) school. But it wasn’t until I’d had my first child that I decided to try my hand at it. I soon found that I loved it.

How did you break into the industry? I formed great friendships on the eharlequin.com community forum some ten years ago. It was from that site that I got the opportunity to pitch online to an editor who asked for a partial. It was my first request and that was in July 2008.

What is your writing style? Do you create outlines for your writing or do you just sit and type away? Oh you know I’d love to say I collage and post pictures of my hero and heroine on a cork board and have a detailed outlined, but sadly no that’s not me. I sit and write. I have an idea of the start and the end and the middle comes from many twists and turns until I get on the right track. Having said that I’ve got two synopses written for the next two books I’m going to write.

Do you listen to music while writing? Sometimes but more often than not it’s either Sponge Bob Square Pants or sports on in the background.

What is your next project? What have you been working on recently? My next project is working on a proposal for two of the characters from Masquerade. They’ve been telling me that they’ve got stories to tell.

Now for the silly questions! Hang on to your hat! 🙂

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Soap Opera’s and bridal shows – love me some “Say Yes to the Dress”

What is your favorite word? Oh geez, my favourite word probably can’t be repeated here. LOL But my kids would probably tell you that my favourite word is “No”.

What is your least favorite word? It’s more a phrase – “Mum I’m hungry”

Do you talk to your characters? Not really, sometimes. LOL

What sound do you love? My kid’s laughing

What sound do you hate? My kids screaming

What’s your favorite time of year? Spring, everything is new and fresh.

I love the picture of you on Splash Mountain! Very important question, what’s your favorite Disney ride? LOL oh isn’t it just the best picture of me screaming my head off! I went on Splash Mountain 3 times, so that is a bit of a fave, and each time I knew what was coming with that last drop, but still my stomach dropped and my heart rose to my mouth. But you know there were so many that I liked, another good one was “Radiator Springs Racers” in the new Carsland at California Adventure Park that ride was brilliant and cleverly designed. Loads of fun.

Have a favorite Disney Character? Never thought I’d say this but seeing Mickey Mouse – was pretty amazing.

I’m a huge football fan myself. What sports do you enjoy? I had one brother growing up so I was dragged to every sport he played – hockey, cricket, Australian Rules Football. So yep I love sports. I enjoy the NFL as well as Baseball. But my true love is watching Australian Rules Football. Unfortunately it doesn’t get shown much over here in the States which is a bit of a bummer. Currently Monday Night Football is playing in the background as I answer your questions!

Thank you so much for taking the time to indulge my curiosity!

Thank you for having me and I hope you enjoy Sophie and Alex’s story.

My thoughts:

Ohhh Sophie and Alex! What am I going to do with you two!? Other than shout at you and make my husband and pups give me looks of, what in the world is she doing over there? 😉

This was a really fun read. A bit steamy but not overly so. The characters, as you see above, are equally as fun. Sophie and Alex are both enigmas and you just hope by the end that they will get their crap together instead of letting so much get in the way! They have both been bitten and although they have a fabulous night of passion, neither thinks they’ll see the other, but they do and that one night of passion slowly grows into something more.

I love the way the plot is paced. These two do jump into bed rather quickly but they are both consenting adults so this really did add to, not take away from the story for me. Actually it was that night that the basis of the story revolves around. It’s actually quite frustrating but also a little hilarious how they dance around each other. Alex drives me a little crazy but I really think they both did at different parts of the book.

“I’ve no expectations tonight, Sophie”

Sophie was saved from having to make a reply as the doors opened on her floor. She quickly stepped out and made her way to her apartment. He was always so in tune with what she was thinking. Were her feelings written all over her face? Or had their night together created a connection between them that couldn’t be broken? But if that were true, why couldn’t she feel or see wht Alex was thinking? Perhaps it was etter that she didn’t. She had to try to sever their connection, otherwise working with him would be evern harder than she tought it would be.

She held the door open for him and he indicated for her to precede him into the room. She turned the lights on, but dimmed them so they created a soft glow. The full moon created a ghostly pattern on the river and was shining in through her window.

“How would you like your coffee?” she asked as she made her way into the kitchen to turn her automatic coffee machine on. “I can give you an espresso, cappuccino, latte, or flat white.”

She tried to control the shivers coursing through her as he came up to stand behind her. Even after all they’d been through that evening, his aftershave wafted over her.

He whistled softly. “That’s an impressive machine. You must like your coffee.”

Do you SEE what I mean here? These two, H O T! No sex in that scene but boy did I need some water through this entire book. It’s fabulous.

The only character I didn’t like was of course Neil but he is in the plot for a reason, so we all hate him. And I so do. It was Phoebe that really made this for me though. She is just one of those gals that made me feel like I would tell all of my secrets to and never regret it.

The ending was well worth the read but the entire thing was sexy and fun!

About the author:

Nicole is an Australian living in Houston Tx when she’s not chasing the kids or the dog, she is writing romances where she can escape to a world she can control. She writes contemporary romances where you could find yourself in the chaos of a hospital emergency ward or in the high powered boardroom of a powerful, yet sexy, executive.

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