A Vixen in Venice by Kate Deveaux Blog Tour

He’s an art thief on the run—with her heart.

Look closer, into Totally Five Star Venice, where art curator Monique LeBres has just walked through the doors of the newly opened, swanky luxury hotel to assist with their art collection. Alessandro Bonnard, the world-renowned art connoisseur and collector, has been sent incognito to supervise Monique and oversee her acquisitions for the hotel.

Concealing his true identity, Alessandro is intrigued by the art-loving vixen with an appetite for kinky sex. He pursues Monique, charming her at every turn, taking her to places she’s never been—both in and out of the bedroom.

Monique falls hard for the man who has utterly captured her heart, only to find out he isn’t who she thought he was.

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of anal sex, public sex, voyeurism and soft BDSM.

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Chapter Two

The view from Monique’s second floor office was limited, but it did offer a peekaboo glimpse of one of the narrow canals that passed by the back of the hotel. She was glad for a bit of space from young Donovan once he’d been thankfully called away.

Alone, Monique gazed at the small, dimly lit office with its heavy ambiance. Maroon velvet swags framed the small window opening. Not at all what she’d expected and a complete juxtaposition to the sleek, modern décor of what she’d seen of the hotel so far. Her office’s traditional interior struck her as more suited to a classically decorated, vintage hotel rather than the ultra-chic, contemporary luxury Totally Five Star was known for.

Taking in the beautiful but incongruous theme of her office, she remembered James Conroy III had made it clear in her letter of employment that the works of art she was to acquire were to be mostly classics. He had stressed ‘not too much’ modern art. He wanted art his guests could relate to, identify and appreciate. He’d worried contemporary art might slip over their heads and wouldn’t wow them like the more recognizable classics. James Conroy wasn’t in the hotel business to do anything but make money, and that meant not only satisfied guests, but also ones who were awed by the beauty and attention to detail at each of his hotels from Vancouver to Venice. Exquisite luxury was the key to Totally Five Star.

Looking over the compact office, Monique was glad to see an iMac and a small printer, the only visible signs of anything modern as they perched on a desk that looked like it was straight of out of Christie’s antique auction. Beside the desk stood a credenza, again antique, but topped with stacks of art magazines with the most current periodicals in the art business placed on top. That reminded her that she had only three months to build a collection worthy of the Totally Five Star Hotels. No small feat, but she was quite sure she could pull that off without a hitch. She already had her iron in the fire with several art dealers who would be paying her a visit shortly. She’d even reserved a few pieces in advance before she’d ever set foot in the hotel. Monique had a good idea what pleased James Conroy III, and she planned to deliver in spades.

Her attention turned to the thick, embossed leather welcome packet that sat on her desk awaiting her. Thumbing through it, she quickly realized it was more of a manual, really. A knock at the door interrupted her and she shut the binder.

“Scusi, Signorina Le Bres.” Donovan appeared, quickly moving from the doorway directly to her desk. “I know you are probably tired from your long trip from Kansas.” The way he said Kansas sounded exotic, the second syllable floating off his tongue like something secretive. “But I was wondering if I could dine with you tonight? Share a little of Venice on your first night here.”

There was no denying his well-practiced charms flattered her as he waited for her answer, but Monique knew this was like playing with fire with young Donovan. A fire that was best dealt with by a hardy dose of cold water.

“That sounds tempting,” she said, parsing her words. She wondered how to turn him down gently enough as to not offend him and endanger her barely broken-in job. “I am exhausted from the trip.”

“You still have to eat—”

Monique shook her head, knowing now was the time she must set the ground rules— boss or no boss.

“Ah.” He clutched his heart as if wounded. “Un vero peccato. Such a pity. Well, then… I wish you goodnight, Signorina Le Bres. I will see you in the morning. Buonanotte.”

“Bene, buonanotte,” she replied, trying to conceal her relief as he turned and stepped out of her office.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Rachael – ☆☆☆☆
Oooh... Where to start with this book.

The underlying plot I found amusing, it was interesting and different and I enjoyed it. Even if I was confused a LOT about what Luc did for a living and why J was putting him to work in his hotel... nevertheless, I liked the characters and their chemistry.

However, that being said there was a LOT of confusion between placement in the book and things that happen. For example, people would be sitting and then suddenly they'd be standing or doing something that would only be possible if standing. Or he'd tell her to meet him at his place, but then they were meeting at her place. And his occupation... yeah, that was a whole mess to me. The media couldn't get a good shot of him before the scandal? I find that hard to believe because suddenly they had one. Not to mention they were calling him one thing when we were told before and after that time that he was something completely different.

If all of the mix ups were fixed, then I could rate the book better, but it confused and ruined the flow of the story for me many times.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is the first in a series, and I will be reading future stories as my to-be-read pile permits.

I am a huge fan of stories set in hotels, love Venice, and have a reasonable appreciation of art ... and romance – well that is a given! And this story has an interesting, if slightly strange plot, which was entertaining, but there was an element of confusion introduced, due to the order of events and continuity in the story. There are definitely some steamy scenes, and some really fun adventures, which I enjoyed a lot.

(I was lucky enough to get an early, unedited release, so am not commenting further than here about the issues of incorrect usage/spelling of Italian words)

A die hard romantic and former wedding planner, Kate has been writing stories about romance, from the sensual to the sinfully sexy, since she was in college. When she's not writing or reading, Kate can be found on the tennis court—yes, there's even "love" in that game too! And she found a sport she can play and still wear a dress. Born in England, Kate now lives in Arizona with her wonderful and very patient husband. Kate enjoys traveling and dreaming up new exciting stories. She'd love to hear from you.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Vixen in Venice by Kate Deveaux to read and review for this tour.