Review for Forbidden Rose (Wildflowers #2) by Vivian Winslow

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?

My Review

Vivian Winslow's "Forbidden Rose" is the second tale in the Wildflowers series and is a part of the Gilded Flowers universe. Again, I liked getting to see the richer detail that's possible with a full length story (as opposed to the novella-length tales that make up the rest of the Gilded Flowers universe). Once again, the leading lady, Rosa, has her choice of hotties. This time, I think you know who she'll end up with. It's a little bit "Sex In The City," which is good because you don't have to wait for the end to get lots of nookie! I can't wait to keep reading the rest of the Wildflowers series.

5 out of 5 stars

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

Excerpt

Rosa pushes Eliseo onto his back and begins to mark him with her nails and teeth. She loves that he likes when she’s rough with him, and every mutual bite makes her wetter. He can’t keep his lips off of her, even when she’s down over his tight stomach. He pulls her arms up and sucks on each of her fingers, forcing her to stop when she feels a tug at her core. Desire drips out of Rosa and sticks to her thighs. She loves the feeling of want. It’s delicious torture to have him so available to her but to deny herself, even for a short time. He bucks his hips reflexively, needing to be inside her. Rosa runs her tongue over her top lip and smiles before moving her warm, wet tongue over his cock. Eliseo hisses as she takes him into her mouth. He loves when she goes down on him. There’s nothing sexier to him than a woman who’s unafraid of her sexuality and strong enough to express it. Eliseo lies back and closes his eyes, shutting out the fact that this will not be his reality much longer. He knows Rosa’s right, but it kills him to acknowledge it. He’s always known he has the capacity to be as self-centered as his mother, doing whatever feels right at the moment. Keeping Rosa to himself is what he wants, but he will hurt her if he tries and she’s not ready. Neither one of them were ready for the other. It’s as if the universe had brought them together just to show them the potential of what could be and nothing more. He groans as Rosa takes him deeper, swallowing and then opening her throat more to accommodate him. She’s one of the most generous lovers he’s ever had. But love does that. It compels you to want to give more of yourself than you’d imagined possible. Eliseo had tried to do the same for Rosa. To give her everything he could. Yet, if he were entirely honest with himself, he would have admitted to himself earlier that it wasn’t enough. Perhaps one day he can prove that he’s no longer burdened by the weight of his emotional baggage. Until then, he’ll show his love to her every way he can. She digs her nails into his chest as she continues to suck his cock, his hips moving in rhythm. Saliva drips down around her mouth and his shaft as she licks him up and down, tickling the underside with the tip of her tongue. The noise out of his mouth is unintelligible. Rosa laughs and nearly chokes as she goes back down on him. Eliseo smiles down at Rosa, loving how easy and fun sex is with her. Rosa grasps the base of his cock and pumps her hand up and down along with her mouth. Eliseo lies back, relishing this moment with her. He runs his hand over her head and presses down once, signaling he’s almost ready to come. She picks up her pace, wanting nothing more than this with him. Of course they have all night, there’s time for everything else. Right now, this is for him. Eliseo moans loudly as he explodes into her mouth. Rosa takes it all, swallowing everything he has to give her. Without missing a beat, Eliseo pulls Rosa to him, his lips conveying a gratitude for all she’s given him. Rosa sits up and straddles his chest, gazing down at him with a look he’d seen before and had taken it for wonder. But now he recognizes it as love. It pains him to think someone else might inspire the same look, the same feelings in Rosa. Maybe she’ll come back to me before that happens. His hands don’t stop moving over her curves, from her ass to her waist and up to her breasts. Her beauty fascinates him because he wasn’t drawn to her for the prettiness of her face or the long, thick wavy hair that is the envy of so many. Granted she has the body he’s always found most desirable—the curvaceous ass, strong legs, small waist and the most delectable tits—yet it occurs to him in this moment that not once were those the features that made her attractive to him. As he summons the memory of seeing her for the first time after so many years, all that he can recall is how being with her made him feel. Her laughter, her smile, her touch meant more than the physicality of her being. It was as if all of her qualities shaped her perceived beauty more than her actual looks.   Blossoming Flower (Wildflowers, #1) Amazon US | Amazon UK In the wake of the collapse of her father’s business empire, Flor, the gorgeous twenty-one year-old daughter of disgraced former Brazillionaire Gustavo de Lima, is forced to forge her own path in life. Flor decides that none of it—the private jets, the vacation homes and the luxury cars—were real. Or at least they really didn’t matter. The only thing that’s real for Flor is her love of horses and her desire to go to veterinary school. Heading into her final year of college, Flor seeks out the help of an unlikely benefactor to secure a summer internship working with horses. Arriving at the secluded Belo Horizonte ranch, Flor is awed not only by the majestic beauty of the place, but also by handsome cowboy and skilled horse trainer, Collin Taylor. Yet nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. When the hidden past is revealed, will love end up blossoming for Flor?  

Here's my review of #1:

Vivian Winslow's "Blossoming Flower" is the first tale in the Wildflowers series and is a part of the Gilded Flowers universe. This tale is full length and I liked getting to see the richer detail that's possible with a full length story (as opposed to the novella-length tales that make up the rest of the Gilded Flowers universe). Once again, the leading lady, Flor, has her choice of hotties. I liked Collin's brokenness. And, yet again, the sexy scenes are amazing...even if it's just a quick masturbation session, it's still described in full panty-wetting detail! I can't wait to keep reading the rest of the Wildflowers series.

4.5 out of 5 stars

About the Author

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Vivian Winslow was born and raised in Southern California. Before becoming a writer, she made a career out of moving around the world every couple of years thanks to her husband’s job and her incurable wanderlust. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and two elementary school age children, and is grateful to finally have a place to call home for more than two years. New York is the perfect city to indulge her love of fashion, the arts and especially food. If she’s not at home writing or running around the city with her kids, you’ll most likely find her eating at the newest restaurant in her beloved Lower East Side or having a cocktail at her favorite bar in Alphabet City. That said, she’s still a California girl at heart and would gladly trade in her heels for a pair of flip-flops to catch a sunset on the beach.  

Giveaway!

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Just in case you missed them, here are my reviews for the other tales in the Gilded Flower universe:

Vivian Winslow’s “Gilded Lily” is an attention-grabbing first tale in her Gilded Flower Series. It’s very much a cross between “Sex and the City” and “Under the Tuscan Sun.” There are several different sexy males in this one. Each sex sesh is a little steamier than the last. It’s a quick read, so be ready to read the next installment.

4 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow’s “Calla Lily” is the second short story in the Gilded Flower Series. There’s still quite the “Sex and the City” vibe, although Lily, the leading lady, is also dealing with a family medical issue as well. There are a few hot nookie scenes and the Gustavo character is one of those sexy leading men you love to hate. It’s really short and ends very abruptly. I’m rooting for Ben to win out in the next episode!

3.5 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow’s “Tiger Lily” is the third short story in the Gilded Flower Series. As always, there’s a “Sex and the City” vibe with an abundance of racy sex. Lily is a lucky girl, if you know what I mean! We finally get to know Lily’s happily ever after and who she ends up with. I’m not giving it away, but I will say that Ben didn’t win in this round, but there’s still time for him to find love in the future stories in this series.

4 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow’s “Blue Dahlia” is a wonderfully sexy short story. We finally get to know Dahlia’s story. Surprisingly, she seems like someone you can empathize with now. After reading Lily’s stories, I didn’t know if I’d like Dahlia’s story, but I totally did. Very Sweet Home Alabama. Lots of extremely hot nookie, although once or twice some of the terms for the naughty parts was a bit much…slick love box? Really?

4 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow's “Black Dahlia” is the second tale in the Dahlia Trilogy. It's also the fifth story in the Lily & Dahlia universe. We get to follow Dahlia as she lives through a tragedy. Don't want to give it away, but it's a doozy! It's a quick read, but very powerful. It really makes you feel for Dahlia, even though you probably didn't like Dahlia at all during the Lily Trilogy! Tasty sexy bits again, as usual. Winslow makes me rub my thighs together a lot!

4 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow's "Red Dahlia" is the third story in the Dahlia Trilogy and the sixth story in the Lily, Dahlia, and Violet universe. Dahlia searches for her daughter, and manages to have some hot encounters along the way. I liked the realness of Dahlia's feelings for her lost child and for her ex, Rodrigo. A old family enemy makes an unexpected appearance as well, such a tangled web. Winslow is building up for Violet's story, and I'll be interested to find out what's going on with her. As always, the naughty bits were amazing, this author can really do sex scenes.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow's "Wild Violet" is the first story in the Violet Trilogy and the seventh tale in the Gilded Flower universe. Violet, Dahlia's BFF, is an interesting character. This one branched out a little sexually and included a M/F/F three-way! Nom nom nom nom! The nookie is exceptional in this one, you don't want to miss it. It's a quick read and I can't wait to devour the next one, "Hidden Violet," which is coming soon.

4 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow's "Hidden Violet" is the second story in the Violet Trilogy and the eighth tale in the Gilded Flower universe. We get to know some of the men in Violet's life. Again, there are a whole cast of characters and you never know who she'll end up with eventually. I know who I'm rooting for. This one had a little more back story and a little less nookie than the other ones, but the nookie that was there was hawt, as always. The end will make you wish the next story was already available - I know I do! Hurry up and end my torture, Ms. Winslow!

4 out of 5 stars

Vivian Winslow's "True Violet" is the last book in her Vi Trilogy and the ninth tale in The Gilded Flower series. It's a sexy read, as always. Violet has had her choice in men all her life and now, she just needs to decide which one will be the forever one. I like the ending to Violet's story - she picks the right guy, IMHO. Lots of delicious sex scenes. I wonder what Vivian Winslow will write next? Whatever it is, I'm in!

4.5 out of 5 stars