Review: With Your Permission by Stephanie Nicole Norris

With Your Permission by Stephanie Nicole Norris
Published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on February 12, 2019
Genres: African American, Family & Relationships, Romance
Pages: 202
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four-stars

It was their first encounter that landed them in newfound territory.

Up and coming wedding planner Bri St. James is in the height of her career. As the CEO of Building Bridges LLC, Bri is driven by determination for success, and each day makes for new opportunities abound. However, while planning the wedding of one of Chicago’s hottest couples, Bri’s focus is shifted when the strum of a nocturnal voice captures her attention. Being an empath has empowered her sense of compassion for others, so she’s not only drawn to him because of his broken heart but also from a fierce attraction that sparks her interest and tap dances on a groove on her heart. Getting involved with someone who’s not open to love may prove to be the most difficult road Bri has ever journeyed, but she’s unable to stop herself from falling into an irresistible tango of love.

World-renowned photographer Raphael Valentine hasn’t been in the public eye since the tragic death of his fiancée four years prior. To date, his time is spent helping his charity of choice—educating the community about the dangers of driving while intoxicated. For him, love is a thing of the past until meeting Bri St. James at his brother’s rehearsal dinner made Raphael question what he’d always believed to be true. There was no explanation for the riot of pulsing sensations that ripped through his core when his eyes met hers. The unquenchable heat that followed stirred his soul, sending his heart on a quest he himself hadn’t agreed to venture on. As a friendship between the two flourishes, and they're cloaked in a dynamic surge of desire, Raphael is met with the ultimate challenge: surrender to a second chance at love or abandon his happily ever after for a lifetime.

“Everything happens for a reason. Nothing is coincidental, and every step we take is in the blueprint given to us by the Creator. “

– Raphael Valentine

Raphael is my favorite Valentine. Sorry, Hunter.

via GIPHY

We met Raphael in Give Me A Reason, and I was immediately intrigued. There was something almost hypnotizing about him that we briefly saw. I instantly wanted to know more and was excited to see that his story was coming out this month.

Raphael is a protective and caring soul with a substantial amount of pain. He lost his fiance four years ago, right before their wedding day, in a car accident. He is still, in a lot of ways, coming to terms with her death and ridding himself of self-imposed guilt. He was devastated after her passing and retreated from the spotlight and cut himself off from the world for a long time. He doesn’t have plans to love again, a part of him doesn’t even think he can. Why does he get to move on and be happy when his fiance doesn’t?

Bri St. James enters Raphael’s life at his brother’s wedding and turns his emotions on its head. She’s an empath, deeply in tune with the feelings of others and Raphael is no exception. She sees the pain and fear simmering beneath his hard exterior and she wants to help; first as a friend but then as much more.

In the grand scheme of things, these two didn’t necessarily have a hard time getting together. While Raphael was understandably hesitant, he didn’t stay that way for long and he acknowledged his feelings for Bri and did what he needed to do to be able to move on with her. Like the previous books in this series, With Your Permission was definitely instalove.

I liked the added tale of Bri’s business woes with her partner and the introduction of a new character on her side of the family that may pop up soo.

With Your Permission is a heartwarming story with sizzling chemistry (SIZZLING!!!) about finding love after loss, moving past tragedy and allowing yourself to live.

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Natalya

Natalya is an Account Manager by day and an editor and author's assistant to passionate creatives by night. When she is not adding to her enormous book collection or stationery supply, she is catching up on her favorite television shows.

Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.

You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.