YouTube cooking sensation, Karina Kendricks has one love, her cooking show. After losing the love of her life three years earlier the last thing on the menu is romance. But when the opportunity of a lifetime arises fate intervenes to heat up contact between her and her younger neighbor, whom she’s wary of.Zymir Espinola is a good neighbor if nothing else, but one chance encounter with his sexy, … his sexy, neighbor has him intrigued. The more he encounters her sassy, feisty attitude the more he wants to know about her. Yet, Zymir realizes there’s something deeper behind the attitude that she’s covering up.
When Zymir finally gains Karina’s attention he questions her intentions for him. In a series of calculated moves, he forces Karina to reveal her hand. What will Zymir have to do to convince her to give him an honest shot at love and how will she handle her second chance at love?
Desire is book #1 in the debut of a sizzling new romance series designed to make your nights fiery, your days steamy, and have you turning the pages for more.
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It is always good to have a neighbors who is good with his hands
Desire is the first book in the Love Desired series and is the story of Karina and Zymir. They are neighbors who become friends with benefits. But when Zymir decides he actually wants much more with Karina then the fun begins. Karina suffered the lose of her beloved husband and has been rebuilding her life since, which is not easy. She has her walls up because his lose hurt her so deeply. So when Zymir, who owns successful mechanic shops, decides he wants more with her than fwb her walls are up and she is not having it. Zymir approaches her the same way he would a temperamental automobile – gently, with reverence and letting her reveal herself to him.
This is a great story with wonderful characters. I liked the fact that Karina is older than Zymir but that he takes care of her heart, along with steaming up her sheets, in some great ways.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own..
Karina is opinionated, rude, judgmental, intelligent and a surly woman hiding behind a wall of hurt, loss and depression. Zymir is a man who is doing a neighborly thing by helping fix her car. No matter how rude or pushy she gets, Zymir holds it down. He is determined to understand her darkness and she is determined to keep him in the dark. Great story line, characters and successes in their own right. A realistic adventure. No cliffhanger
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I found this book really interesting it hit on various emotions for me while reading li. Karina is a somewhat cold and aloof character on the flip side I liked Zymir’s character from the start. The storyline is so well written that by the end of the book I was cheering them to get their HEA. Kudos to the author on a well written book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Book one in the Love Desired series a well written story of a younger man/older woman. Widow and YouTube cooking sensation, Karina Kendricks and her young neighbor Zymir Espinola’s story.Once I started reading I was not putting this book down until I was finished reading. I enjoyed seeing how their story came together. They will have their ups and downs but love will prevail. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
She is ten years older than him and does not want to deal with a relationship. She has known heartache before and does not wish to go through the pain again. Good read and romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story has it all drama, issues, perceptions. and chemistry. Karina and Zymir start out on a rocky path, mainly due to Karina’s judgmental and disrespectful attitude. Zymir is resolute in the pursuit of a woman who has to deal with some issues. The chemistry can be felt even as the fragility of their burgeoning relationship is tested. The romance shows growth as the pair come together resulting in a satisfying conclusion. The story is enriched by the depiction of friendship demonstrated by Karina’s circle of sister friends. This is definitely one on the author’s best stories so far.
Karina and Zymir are neighbors however, Karina is not very neighborly. Zymir is new to the neighborhood and tries to be friendly but Karina has snubbed him at every turn. One morning Karina has car trouble and is in need of “rescuing”. Zymir is there to help get her to her meeting on time. He also offers to fix her car. After much convincing, she relents and lets Zymir help her. This begins a prickly sort of friendship as Karina has to allow him to help her. Neither of them can deny the sparks and heat that are flying between them. Having dealt with some serious tragedy in her fairly recent past, Karina is not ready to let anyone into her space other than family.
This book made me laugh, made my heart ache, frustrated me with Karina’s prickly personality. It is well written and I loved of the secondary characters. Verano writes real relatable characters. Her story drew me in and made want to read to the end to find out how things worked out.
Reader Cautions: This in not a clean novel. It is very steamy and may be much for some readers. Contains profanity. I would not recommend for young adult readers or people who may be offended by the aforementioned.
I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review which is my opinion alone.
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?!
Karina officially meets her neighbor Zymir when her car breaks down in front of her home. Initially she refuses his help and when he attempts to inspect her vehicle, she has a hissy fit. She sees Zymir as a thug and she hates his dreads and tattoos. Zymir takes her attitude in stride and still offers to take her to her destination. Despite his kindness, Karina is rude, arrogant and judgmental and refuses to believe she’s part of the problem. When new information is revealed about him, she barely gives him his props. Zymir attempts to get to know her and she pushes him away at every turn with very harsh words. Zymir knows there is more to her story and he aims to find out just what makes her so cold and angry.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I can honestly say that Cassie Verano always write characters that have me ALL in my feelings, and the heroine in this story is no different!!! Kalina made me so mad at the beginning of the story that I almost stopped reading this story several times. However, I completely fell in love with Zymir. He had the patience of a saint dealing with Mrs thang. I understood that Kalina had a rough time in her life but her mouth and attitude was a turn off for me personally. She came off as judgemental and snobbish. She did have some good qualities about herself and I’m glad that she finally got out of her own way to see that God sent her a second chance at love with Zymir.
Love Desired is something that I feel everyone wants or have wanted in some point of their life, and most people do not get it a second chance if they once had it. In this story of Desire Karina was a very lucky person. When the story started Karina plucked everything nerve I had I wanted to label her as a potential “Karen” but that all changed as the story progressed. I love how the author flipped this one , you don’t get to see that too much, but I loved every part of it and was not expecting that plot twist. Zymir ‘s character was a breath of fresh air, I loved how he would not let things go the way that Karina wanted them too an I respected him for that and I felt his pain, this was a true love desired. I look forward to the next book in this series.
I loved this book about Karina and Zymir. They are about as opposite as night and day. Karina is mean and doesn’t give Zymir the time of day. Zymir is very charming and tries to break down the walls that Karina has constructed around her heart. She has had some tragedies in her life and is now trying to get her life back in order. Zymir sees something in Karina and wants to just make her feel better. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. I loved it and I highly recommend reading this book!!
After reading the first chapters, I did not like Karina at all. I’m all for strong women, but part of that is knowing when to exert that strength. Karina was rude, unkind, and judgmental. Though, how she handled her manager and her meeting had me respecting her for knowing what she wanted and not settling. I felt bad for Zymir, who was called out of his name by Karina for a good portion of the book. As I continued reading, my dislike for Karina changed. Zymir challenged her and her small group of friends called her out on her mess. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that reminded me of the connection I have with my small inner circle of women I have the honor of calling my friends. Rhonda and Lori reminded me of my girls. I smiled and laughed at their dialogue. They felt so real throughout the story. They helped soften me to Karina, to understand her pain.
The writing flows in this book and urges you not to set it down until you’re done. Zymir is the man of dreams. He has his stuff together and he knows what he wants. He is willing to do what’s necessary to stake his claim. This book shows that sometimes strength means getting help, leaning on others, and pushing to do the things we think are most difficult. Love is holding firm and helping loved ones through the difficulties; no matter how long it takes. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the rest of the series (I’m hoping Rhonda’s story is in the works!). 4.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed reading this book and the range of emotions that I experienced. I had deep belly laughs and she’d a tear or two. I was wrapped up in the character experiences that reflect real life.
Youtube cooking star, Karina meets her new, much younger neighbor, Zymir when he has his head under her hood. Get your mind out of the gutter. Zymir notices that Karina has an issue with her old Mercedes and chooses to do her a favor. A favor that Karina does not appreciate. Karina is extremely rude and very obnoxious to Zymir. Zymir was raised with chivalrous manners and he knows he can assist her with her vehicle, so he insists.
After Karina learns more about Zymir’s mechanic skills (he owns several shops and has his own money) she decides to cook for him as a thank you. Slowly they develop a FWB relationship, but Zymir wants more.
Once Zymir is able to break down Karina’s barriers and understand where her cold, aloof and sometimes rude behavior stems from, he allows her the space and time to come to him for a true relationship once she is ready.
This story contains angst, twists, surprises, and lots of sex between the couple, but the story ends with nothing but love between Karina and Zymir.
Desire
A book that looks at the chemistry between Karina and Zymir.
Karina is a you tube chief with the history of owning a 5 star restaurant. However she is so much more. She watched her husband die from cancer. Can she ever put herself out there again.
Zamir is a Brazilian born auto mechanic, who gets what he wants. Right now he wants Karina, but he pushes her away to try and get the one woman he wants.
Sit under a fan while you read this book because it’s on fire! Loved me some Kymir! I wanted to slap Karina in the beginning but the more I learned of her story, I began to love and root for her. All the characters in this book were excellently written. Cassie, girrllll…..I am hooked!
This book was a real page turner with a well written storyline and characters that were so well created that the interaction between Karina and Zymir made this book well worth the read!
I thought this book was amazing and I loved the twist! I love the characters and the fight he puts in to get what he wants!
When I started reading this story, I could not put it down. I read the book in one day. This author is an awesome writer. I can not wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Desire was a great story. I loved Zymir and Karina and could relate to both of them. Karina’s story was truly heartbreaking. After going through so much in her life, I completely understood her fear of being in a relationship with Zymir and becoming vulnerable again. Although it’s a minor element in the story, what I also liked about Karina’s story was her husband. The most common stereotype behind the angry black woman is an ex-lover who did her wrong. But Luis loved, cherished, and adored her. That’s why Karina was so scared to fall again because he set such a high expectation and standard for the next man to follow. A love like that is hard to top. But Zymir proved that he was more than capable of rising to the occasion. He was sweet, patient, caring, thoughtful, and so much more towards Karina. He was definitely the calm to her storm. I laughed, cried, and laughed again. A great story!
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.