Today we're pleased to welcome author Victoria Rogers to Notes From a Romantic's Heart to tell us about her new book, The Witch and the Dreamwalker, Book 2 in the McKinley Women series. You can find all of the stops on Victoria's tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter drawing for your chance to win a $15 gift card. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.
Available on Amazon
At this rate she was going to need to go to bed at ten. She stubbed the cigar out in the marble ashtray but kept it as a prop, hoping it would dissuade anyone from offering her another. With John halfway into his cups the news of her promotion would spread like wildfire, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that. She squeezed the lime into her drink and left the lime slice on a napkin. Bathroom. There would hardly be anyone in there since men outnumbered anyone else in the ballroom. She could escape and process there.
The bathroom was old and gaudy and coated in marble and fading gilt. It had a twelve-foot arched ceiling, and a maroon carpet. There was a sumptuous sitting area adorned with cream colored wing-back chairs and there were grand mirrors for women to, presumably, powder their nose in. The toilets were farther on through a gilded archway and a fan of potted plants.
The place was empty, thank goodness. She sat down at the far end in a chair by a counter. She put the cigar in an ashtray on the mirrored side table and leaned back. Head of Research and Development. Twenty-seven years old and the head of R and D. She clenched her fists and bit her bottom lip, kicking her feet in excitement. By the gods! Her. Vivian Mary McKinley, Head of Research and Development at Prince Charms. This shouldn’t be happening. It was supposed to take her years and years and years to achieve this, not three years and a major project later.
But then again, Xavier had founded Prince Charms at the age of twenty-six. If he could take a small paranormal security company and rocket to the largest in the country in just nine years, well, she could achieve big things too.
“Oh, honey, I thought I’d find you here,” Jenny said as she flopped down in a chair opposite Vivian. “People are asking about you out there.”
“Yes, well, they’re going to have to wait,” Vivian said with a wave of her hand. “I need a moment to myself first. Plus, John made me drink bourbon. I need a break.” She reached for her glass of soda water and took a sip.
“You’re not going to be sick, are you?”
“What? No. I’ll be fine. I just wasn’t expecting this, you know? It’s a lot to take in.”
“You better not be doubting yourself because you deserve every ounce of this promotion. You’re smart, and you’ve got ideas, and you have every bit as much wherewithal as one of those smug-ass bastards out there. No one has ever come up with a psychic vampire ward! No one, not ever, until you figured it out. You got there before anyone else in the world. Vivian, Vivian, look at me.” Jenny pursed her red lacquered lips.
Vivian ripped her eyes away from the ashtray and met Jenny’s pout with a laugh. “Yes! Yes! I hear you. On paper it all fits, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to accept.”
“What? Why not? Any one of those assholes would accept it without batting a lash. Even Peter, from accounting.”
“OK! OK,” Vivian conceded. “Fine. I deserve this promotion.”
“Yeah, you do, babe.” Jenny grinned. “Now, how long are we going to hide in the bathroom?”
“Give me a few more minutes.”
“Whatever you need.” Jenny managed to stay silent for thirty seconds before she spoke again. “So. What’s he like?”
“Who?”
“Mr. Prince! I’ve never met him. He never comes down to the labs. Mr. Simeon always goes upstairs to the offices for meetings. I’ve only ever talked to Pam, the receptionist upstairs.”
“I talked to him for all of three minutes. He smiled a lot, but he was promoting me. I assume most people smile at the person they’re promoting.”
Jenny giggled. “I wouldn’t know.”
Vivian looked up to the ceiling and sighed. “He seemed nice.”
“He’s a god in mortal form is what he is,” Jenny interjected. “Have you seen him on the tennis court?”
“Well, yes, at the club, but he’s our boss.”
“Just because he’s the boss doesn’t mean you can’t look.”
Vivian shook her head. “That’s not what I’m here for, Jenny. I’m here to be a professional. To grow and learn and well… be successful at it all.”
“You can do all that and still look,” Jenny said with a shrug.
“All right. Let’s go back to the party if it means I don’t get regaled with nonsense like this.” Vivian stood and picked up her matching clutch from the chair next to her.
“Anything to help,” Jenny said, smirking.
3.5 Stars
I found The Witch and the Dreamwalker a wonderful trip back to the 1980s with on-point descriptions of the people and places, as well as the troubles women faced climbing the corporate ladder. The writing was enthusiastic, despite a few minor grammatical errors/missing words, etc. However, the errors didn’t detract from the story enough to matter.
While I realize this was intended to be a steamy paranormal, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with how quickly Viv fell into the boss’ bed, especially after having to defend her promotion against the accusations that she’s slept her way up the ladder. I would have also liked to have seen more emphasis on the supernatural, as opposed to the office politics.
If you like your paranormal on the mild size, and your romance/lovemaking on the steamy side, you’re sure to enjoy this book.
Witches, warlocks, gods, and ghosts fill their dreams and stories. Consent and healthy communication are two major aspects of their work – after all, you can’t get what you want unless you ask for it.
Victoria can be found in the garden and in the kitchen making fruit wines, brewing beers, and infusing spirits. When not feeding friends, they attend tabletop gaming conventions and sit on storytelling and world-building panels, teach about online marketing, and produce live events.
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Nancy
