Really good romance novel here. The story follows a couple who are new(ish) to a small town outside of New Orleans who try not to but fall for each other. Throughout the book we flip from one perspective to the other, understanding the other's point of view. What I liked about it is that it's not *just* a romance novel, there's a little mystery to it as well as an actual story and relatable characters to go with the 'heat'. If you like romance books I definitely recommend giving this one a go.

Title: Widower's Aura
Author: A.J. Renee
Format: Kindle (A.R.C)
Pages: 260
Date(s) Read: August 17-19, 2016
Rating: 4

Summary: 

Sofia Brazier escapes a career gone south as a juvenile probationary officer in New Orleans. She moves from the large city to the small town of St. Fleur where she opens a photography business in an attempt to cleanse herself of the dark souls she'd tried to help. All is going well, untill Noah enters the local pub. Noah's wife died, and ultimately it is an act brought on by Noah's own daughter that brings their fates crashing together. 

Review: 

I was gifted an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank A.J. Renee, Love Between the Sheets Blog Tour, and the publisher for offering me this opportunity to participate in the blog tour as well as offer a review. 

All the emotion. 

All of it. 

This book is so very well written and it takes a trope that is quite difficult to get right and gets it so very, very write. A.J. Renee's debut novel is filled with a little bit of mystery to add to the romance that is building between Noah and Sofia. Everything flows so naturally through out the story, and even those scenes that are of an explicit sexual nature are so very well written. 

The small paranormal aspect to the book is one that absolutely sealed my adoration to this story a bit more. I love that Sofia can see auras, and the fact that she can't see Noah's was enough to give her pause and ultimately pique a bit of her interest because....well that's something that's never actually happened before! 

After I started the book (sometime after dinner and before bedtime on the 17th) I knew it was one that I'd have to put down before I went to bed or I'd ultimately end up finishing it in one setting and getting absolutely no sleep on a night where I had one of my longest shifts that week. My better judgement finally won out and I ended up puttin the book down and picking it back up after work and various other household errands. Only reason it took me about 2 days to read it is because I chose to defy the pull of this fantastic novel and delve into the real world when I really, really wanted to stay with Noah, Sofia and Lexi until the very last word was read. 

This is definitely one that I will recommend to anyone that loves a fantastically written story, in-depth and relate-able characters and a little small town magic.

This was a well written entertaining read. A.J has created a fabulous cast of characters that the reader warms to and can understand. The paranormal element was not over the top and did enhance the story. The couple are well thought out and written which was great. I couldn't wait to finish and see what happened next and cannot wait for the next book.

Welcome to St. Fleur!

Sofia Brazier has been living in St. Fleur for two years now. Orchid Photography and has become quite popular. She left her old life behind to start anew and has settled in with new friends and finally feels like home. Sofia sees auras of people. Green, blue, orange and red all have a meaning it tells her a lot about people. That is until one night at Whiskey’s….a hot buns hunk catches her eye.

Not seeing an aura around the man had been unsettling. It wasn’t a bad omen necessarily, but it was the first time that it had ever happened.

Which will make things very interesting. Very interesting.

Noah Tyler his wife Vanessa was murdered he blames himself. Hard trope the dead spouse but it was done well. Air Forces was a cop. The last two years have been tough for him and his daughter Lexi. They have been a drift at sea. That is until he sees a woman at Whiskey’s that takes his breath away that makes him feel again. Thinking that their paths will not really cross again he pushes her to back of his mind. But there is Lexi………

Noah had to let her hand go. He would either strangle Lexi for her latest act of rebellion or take this woman right here, right now with the sheriff and his daughter to witness it all.

Instead of pressing charges, Sofia gets Lexi to do community service and starts to mentor her. The interaction and love between the two was real. It is a rocky start for all three of them. Sofia gets some good advice though.

But then he was a goner.

This worked really well for me. It was engaging, captivating and I had a great time reading it. I couldn’t put it down. I was reading when I told the hubby that I only needed one more minute before bed. He reminded me ten minutes later that I was meant to sleep. Ops!

I love that the author built in a somewhat paranormal aspect into the book.

Both characters have depth and they mesh well together although they both have some things that they need to come to terms with. I felt that although Noah spoke about his deceased wife and it was mentioned that what he had with Vanessa was a slow burning love from friends to lovers. Whereas what he has with Sofia burning, consuming and passionate. There was no comparison and Sofia didn’t live in her shadow but just took on a different dynamic in the family that they have.

I did not see that ending coming and there was suspense with what was going on but it wasn’t OTT and was done well that I had no idea who it could be and at the end I picked the wrong person and that hardly ever happens.

What bothered me was that he should have asked her if she could see his aura when she mentioned her ability. It felt kind of important to me that they would talk about it. And a term of endearment that drives me batty is “honey” there were quite a few of them. I love how they danced around one another and the build-up was great but that anticipation didn’t continue after they got together and I don’t really know what could be done to keep it going but it did pick up again.

LOVED this book! AJ Renee does a great job balancing a love story with a story line that will keep you reading to learn more. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these characters – she makes you fall in love with them from the get go!

This book was incredible! I became extremely attached to Noah and Sophia and can't wait for the next book! AJ Renee is a fabulous author and I can't wait for more!

Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

This book is the first book in the St. Fleur series. It is also the debut novel by this author. I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book. It is a romantic suspense with a little paranormal tossed in. Sofia has the ability to see the Aura that surrounds people, which gives her the ability to read their emotions. Plot. Sofia has moved to St. Fleur, Louisiana to open a photography studio. She has made a good life for herself and has made many friends in her new home town. When Noah Tyler comes to town with his teenage daughter, Sofia is instantly attracted to him. The story moves along quickly introducing us to other people who live in St. Fleur. The curious thing is that she can’t see his Aura. There is exciting chemistry between Sofia and Noah. The book has a good ending, and I am hoping that we see more of this couple in the future books in this series. There is a lot of character development going on in this story. We find out about Sofia’s strange upbringing, and Noah’s relationship with his deceased wife.

SCORES on a scale of 1-5 Stars rate each of the Following 5
Categories
PLOT: 5 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 5 Stars
PACING: 5 Stars
ENDING: 5 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5 Stars

Review Copy of Widower's Aura provided by the AJ Renee for an honest review. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club

I absolutely love the story of Sophie and Noah. The books characters are reasonable, easy for fall for, and realistic with a touch of a supernatural gift. I look forward not only to Lindsey's and Mark story but Lexi and Jaxson story as well. I hope after Lindsey's store comes Jaime Lynn's!

This is a debut author that has written a romantic suspense book with a little extra that gives it an interesting twist.

Widower's Aura is the first in AJ Renee's St. Fleur series. Sofia Brazier has left a life behind as a juvenile probation officer to move to St. Fleur and start a photography studio. After 2 years her business is taking off and she had made a comfortable life with great friends. But when one ex security forces now handyman Noah Tyler moves to town with his difficult daughter, Sofia's world suddenly becomes uncomfortable and very heated.

This was a very interesting read with a great paranormal element. The attraction between Sofia and Noah was instant but both fought the chemistry that sparked whenever they were in the same room.

The character development was well written. Noah's tragic loss of his late wife and his guilt over her death was hit you in the heart emotional. His struggle dealing with a confused teenage daughter was so relatable. Sofia was just what these two lost souls needed to connect with each other and to heal.

The sexual chemistry was a passionate sensual dance that was filled with hot tension. I love a good build up that keeps you anticipating when the H/h will finally give in to their desires.

This is such a great start for AJ Renee and I can't wait to read more about the residents of St. Fleur.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Widower’s Aura”. The characters were real, relatable, and sounded a lot like people I’d want to hang out with. The story flowed exceptionally well (I had a really, really hard time putting the book down). “Widower’s Aura” had humor, mystery, a touch of the supernatural, and of course a hot and steamy romance. I can’t wait to learn more about the other residents of St. Fleur and am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!