Jenn's Books

 The Writings of Jennifer Patricia O'Keeffe

Thanks for visiting this page! Here, you will find everything I have published, updated as new releases arrive!

The Scent of a Man - Anthology

from DCL Publications

Story Inclusion:

"The Scent of a Man"

Blurb:

When accident-prone Beth is nearly flattened by a speeding vehicle while crossing the street, she’s saved by a tall, dark and handsome man, only to worsen matters the second she’s on her feet again. Now, concussed and unable to care for herself, Beth must endure homecare in her tiny apartment by what she assumes will be the cruelest, worst nurse in the world. Instead, the nurse she’s given is the last person she ever expects to see at her front door. Can Beth keep her sensual yearnings for a handsome homecare helper at bay long enough to recover, or will her nervous awkwardness doom her as she discovers the ecstatic joys of the scent of a man?

Excerpt:

“Beth!” Melanie squealed with happiness as she saw her friend up and on her own two feet. Then, her expression went to shock as she noticed her forehead. She gasped, put a hand to her heart, and took a step back. “Oh, my god!”

“Oh, that looks bad,” Dianna added. “Like, really bad.”

“Is… is that permanent?” Melanie looked absolutely horrified.

“I hope not,” Beth said and shrugged. “It’s pretty embarrassing.”

“Yeah it is,” Dianna agreed. “You can’t go to work with that on your face.”

“I can’t go back to work at all for a while,” she told them. “Bed rest for a few days. I have a nice concussion that the doctor seems concerned about.”

At the mention of the doctor, the expressions of both friends transformed and wide smiles took over.

“Speaking of the doctor,” Melanie began. “That’s who you were with when this happened, right?”

“He’s pretty cute,” Dianna noted. “Like, really cute.”

“He’s my doctor,” Beth specified. “He now knows much too much about me to want to date me. I can promise you that.”

“You don’t know that,” Dianna said. “He’s a doctor, but he’s still a man.”

“A delicious man,” Melanie added. “Have you smelled him? He has on no cologne and his scent is still divine!” She fanned herself as she thought about it.

“Have I… smelled him?” Beth questioned. Then, she wondered what Melanie was doing smelling him.

“How can you miss it?” she continued. “You can’t miss it! Honey, there is no scent greater than the scent of a man.”

Beth laughed out loud. It was absurd. Unless someone was drenched in cologne or perfume, they didn’t really have a scent… did they? Maybe sweat, she thought. Men were often sweaty, and sweat definitely had a scent.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

The Two Sides of Santa's Lap - Anthology

from DCL Publications

Story Inclusion 1:

"I See Christmas in Your Eyes"

Blurb:

Lydia’s life is at loose ends as she leaves the apartment she once shared with her late husband. Feeling old and useless, she moves in with her daughter and young grandsons, but she is determined that this is the end of the road for her. Things take a drastic turn as she catches the eye of a handsome neighbor – the same country boy that her daughter is set on dating. Will this mother-daughter competition end in chaos, or will a Christmas miracle save the day? Find out in this splice-of-life romantic comedy that rings in the holidays with karaoke, cold pizza, and some good old-fashioned hip gyrations!

Excerpt:

Lydia cleared her throat, straightened once more, and strutted her way up the hall. At the living room’s entrance, she saw Michelle primping in the mirror over a small table.

“You looked very nice,” she told her as she stepped into the room. “The highlights turned out great.”

Michelle touched up her lipstick in the mirror and smiled. “Aww! Thank you, Mom. That’s sweet of you to say.” Putting the lipstick in her purse, she turned around to face her mother, as did William and Timothy. Michelle’s eyes looked like they were going to pop right out of her pretty little head. Lydia’s smile widened. “You… you look amazing!” she exclaimed after taking in the vision in.

“Oh, wow! Grandma,” Timothy told her, “You look so fantastic!”

It wasn’t hot, but it would do, she thought as she thanked him.

“This is just a little something since it’s Christmas night at that place. Nothing special, really.”

“Mom, you look so good,” Michelle continued, nearing her. “I had no idea you could still turn it on like this. I mean, you look sexy!” Staring into her eyes, she smiled sweetly.

There it was… the compliment she sought. And, in Lydia’s opinion, sexy was much better than hot.

“We make a lovely pair, I dare say,” she told her daughter. “Johnson won’t know what to do with himself… having the company of two lovely women at his side tonight.”

“Oh, he’ll know what to do with himself,” Michelle chided, “but he won’t do it until later, when he’s back home and locked in his room, I imagine.” She winked and chortled a bit.

Lydia’s eyebrows rose as she got the comment. Then, with a light laugh, she told her, “You’re a naughty one… and with Christmas right around the corner.”

“Oh, Mom! Please tell Santa to bring me a man this year!” she joked in an overly enthusiastic manner. “One that’s tall and dark and handsome!”

“And has a lot of money?”

“And has a lot of money!”

“Good grief…” Timothy muttered and collected his iPod and book from his chair. Carrying them toward the hall, he said, “I’m locking myself in my room, but I’m not doing what you implied Johnson would be doing!”

Story Inclusion 2:

"Hot Chocolate on a Cold Winter's Night"

Blurb:

On the stage, she’s Hot Chocolate, the most infamous pole dancer in Nashville. She’s earned her place on the stage, and the right to decline private dances. When she declines the wrong customer his whim, she witnesses a brutal crime that sends her on the run, fleeing for her safety. As news reaches her that her daughter has been taken by the Japanese Yakuza, Hot Chocolate realizes she must face the danger head-on. Can a stripper with nothing left to lose outsmart one of the world’s largest mafia rings, or has the stage been set for the ultimate trap? The guns are loaded and the stakes are high in this fast-paced Christmas action-thriller, written in ‘real time.’

Excerpt:

“I told you guys she’s gone!” she overheard Tommy shout as he stepped from the building. A moment later, she heard the door slam behind him. She peered around the edge of the car and saw that he was joined by the Japanese businessmen. Two white American’s were among them. They were brutish and looked mean as hell. “There’s nothing I can do but offer you one of the other girls.”

Brianna silently gasped as one of the suited men behind Tommy shoved him forward a few feet. The club owner stumbled but remained upright.

The man in the white suit – an older Japanese man with a heavy mustache and sunken eyes – said something in his native tongue to his accomplices. The men chuckled lightly at what they were told.

Then, one of the men looked at Tommy and said, “The boss says he wants either the girl or the money that you owe him. If you do not have the girl… then pay him the money.”

Tommy laughed, but it was his nervous laugh. Brianna recognized it. He always laughed like that when things weren’t going his way.

“I – I don’t have that kind of money,” he told them and held his hands up before them. “Look, we can work something out. Make a deal. Any one of my girls inside… you can have any of them. Hell, you can have all of them! I’ll kick everyone else out and you guys can have your way with…”

Before Tommy could finish his statement, one of the men pulled a gun from the breast pocket of his jacket and shot a bullet straight into the center of his forehead. Tommy fell dead to the ground and Brianna shrieked from the shock of it all.

She realized the second she screamed that she gave away her presence. Quickly, she stood upright, made eye contact with the shooter and his friends, and then froze.

“It’s the girl,” the man holding the gun noted in English. Brianna screamed again. This time, she ran as she screamed, clutching her purse close but leaving the backpack behind.

She heard gunfire behind her as she reached the open gate and hurried through it. Turning the corner, another shot sounded and she nearly stumbled as she hurried her clumsy pace.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

Audible

Falling for You - Anthology

from DCL Publications

Story Inclusion:

"My Name is Not Cupid"

Blurb:

Once a proud angel overseeing the relationships and deeds of humans, Zeretha has been stripped of her wings and sent to earth. After a shaky history in performing her duties, she has been separated from her heavenly powers and made mortal, given one final assignment to prove her worth and re-earn her wings. The assignment: to unite a man she’s never met with his true love. Desperate to earn her wings and resume her life as an angel, Zeretha begrudgingly takes the assignment and sets off on a Hollywood adventure that will change her forever. Unknowing of how to take care of her new mortal body, Zeretha is aided by a senior citizen husband and wife on their way to Hollywood on vacation, and through them, she learns that humans might not be so bad after all. Will Zeretha complete her assignment to satisfaction and earn her wings again, or will she be forced to remain on earth as a human? Find out in this deliciously humorous and light-hearted romantic comedy!

Excerpt:

Her powers… she hadn’t tried her powers since landing here. Perhaps, she thought, they hadn’t been stripped after all. Crouching low, she began to run, and with a leap, she jumped into the air to fly. Instantly, she fell back down to the ground.

Okay. She couldn’t fly anymore. Perhaps she could still teleport. She looked at a tree across the lake and placed her focus on it. Then, with the tilt of the head that had always worked before, she attempted to materialize beside it. Yet, no matter how much she focused, she could not teleport.

Immortality was another trait that all angels shared, and so Zeretha began to climb the tallest tree she could find, getting about a third of the way up it. Then, she crawled out onto a sturdy branch and stood up straight on it. Without a second thought about it, she jumped from the tree and fell down hard to the ground.

It hurt like hell. She had a gash on her leg from a sharp rock and when she tried to stand, she felt the bone snap. In the worst pain she’d ever known, she collapsed back down to the ground.

“This is not funny!” she screamed through bleary eyes as she once again looked to the heavens. “I did not deserve this!”

“You broke your own leg,” she heard a voice tell her. “God didn’t make you jump from that tree.”

Looking over, she saw Titus – one of God’s impish assistants. Dressed in a suit and tie, he held a clipboard and made notes as he looked Zeretha over through the lenses of his glasses.

“You…” Zeretha groaned, and for a moment, she thought she’d rather deal with the pain of the broken ankle than with Titus.

“Yep, me… I’ve worked my entire existence trying to move up the ranks, and I get stuck following you around on Earth.” The tone of his voice was droll and he held a resting bitch face. “You think you’ve got it bad? You don’t have to follow you.”

“Then go home,” she told him, holding her ankle with both hands. “I’d rather deal with this than deal with you.”

“Okay,” he said, adding more notes to his clipboard. “Fine. But with that ankle, you won’t make it ten feet. Come morning, you’ll be breakfast for the bears.”

“Bears?”

“Big ones.” Zeretha sighed and shook her head. The last thing she wanted was Titus’s help. He was a brown-nosing suck-up to God, and if she was to be perfectly honest, she detested him. He made the life of angels so much harder than it should have been. He was the one that noted failed good deeds, shirking duties, and anything else that could have caused angels to lose their wings.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

Queens of Hearts - Anthology

from DCL Publications

Story Inclusion:

"All I Want is to Be Happy"

Blurb:

Michael is feeling down over his life. He works two jobs, has four roommates, can’t afford a car, and he’s as single as they come. Worse yet, after winning the crown at a local drag competition, he begins comparing himself to his nemesis – Madame Vivian, whom he stole the crown from. Now, as a popular author and a missing wallet come into his life, Michael finds himself on a series of misadventures that will either help him see the silver lining of life or drive him further into his self-despair.

Excerpt:

As he set his cell phone down, the store phone rang.

“Why won’t people just let me wallow in my misery?” he complained, lifting the receiver of the phone. Then, in his most chipper voice, he said, “Thank you for calling Thompson Books. My name is Michael. What reading enjoyment can I help you find today?”

“Is this the guy that was behind the counter a few minutes ago?” came the reply.

“One and the same. Just me until the boss man gets here. Who’s this?”

“This is Stevie Basil,” the voice replied and Michael felt himself go weak. What did the man want? Was he going to lodge a complaint? Michael just knew that he was about to become the latest man brought down by the Me Too Movement.

“Hi, Mr. Basil,” Michael said upon clearing his throat. He was beginning to sweat. “I’m actually reading your book right now.” More flattery, he knew, but maybe directed in a better direction.

“I was just in your store, remember?” Stevie Basil asked him. “I’m the brother on the back of the book.”

Flipping the book over, Michael looked at Stevie’s picture and acted surprised. “Why, oh, my goodness. Mr. Basil, it is you. How about that?”

Stevie took a moment to respond. “Listen,” he said, and Michael perked in his seat – his nervous smile disappearing to a nervous frown. “I think my wallet fell out of my pocket while I was there. Did you happen to see it anywhere?”

His wallet, Michael thought, shaking his head. There goes a fantasy.

He had hoped, somehow, Stevie would have found his memory of Michael so attractive that he’d wanted to call and ask for a date. His head had been stuck in the clouds – a way to advert the thought of being in trouble for flirting. “Hang on,” he said, now feeing imposed upon. “Let me check.” He stood from his seat and peered over the counter, looking to the ground. There lay the wallet. “I don’t see it,” he replied, suddenly feeling a bit devilish. “Maybe you lost it in the street?”

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

The Greatest Gift of All - Anthology

from DCL Publications

Story Inclusion:

"We Made Snow Angels"

Blurb:

After meeting a modern-day Adonis with the perfect behind - and making a fool of herself at the same time - Rebecca finds herself forced into spending Christmas at her overbearing parents' house, courtesy of a conspiracy against her between her best friend and her sister. As the holiday approaches, Rebecca becomes the center of her mother's ridicule, and through a series of unfortunate but hilarious events, she gets a Christmas gift like no other. A humorous splice-of-life ChickLit story that you will want to revisit year after year.

Excerpt:

Dazed, her bottom sore and her pride even more so, she looked up at the person she had collided with. The man seemed unharmed, unscathed, and – most fortunately – not angry. He smiled down at her with his magnificent blue eyes, perfect brown hair, and teeth as clean and healthy as any she’d ever seen. She blinked, wondering if she was imagining him, but no – he was truly there. He seemed kind. He was handsome.

He wore a white button down shirt that clung to his muscular chest and arms as if it had been painted into him, and his choice of a Versace tie was excellent – adding an array of color and pattern.

“Please, forgive me,” the man said to her. His voice sounded embarrassed, although Rebecca was the one that had caused the accident. He extended a sturdy hand to her – his left hand, which had no wedding band. “May I help you up?”

She took his hand – felt his strength and his warmth… the feeling made her tingle inside and she felt kind of giddy. She smiled in return and, with his help, she stood. She released his hand almost instantly and adjusted her black Prada glasses to where they were level again.

“Thank you,” she said, grinning at him and trying to avoid making direct eye contact. She felt suddenly nervous and wondered if it showed on her face. Was she blushing? She hoped she wasn’t breaking out into hives or anything like that. Thinking of hives made her itchy, but she fought the instinct to scratch and instead slid her hand in between the elevator doors as they started to close. They reopened, buying her more time to enter. “Are you sure you’re okay?” the sensual, sexy, handsome, strong, dreamy and any adjective she could think of man said in a voice that sounded so sincere that it almost made her weak in the knees.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Smashwords