Escort

NOTE: This coming year I have set a challenge for myself of reading one book a week that takes me out of my comfort zone. A book that may include one (or more) tropes (scenarios) that I avoid like the plague. Cheating. Older women/younger man. OW drama. Just to name a few. Nothing is off limits. I am taking a HUGE step out of the box I usually live in and charting a course into the unknown (HaHa). My reviews for these books will differ slightly from my usual as I will focus more on whether the author wowed me despite it having content I avoid. That said, I will go into each book with an open mind and an open heart and who knows, maybe I will discover a new favorite author on the way!




~THIS BOOK INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING TROPES (SCENARIOS) I USUALLY AVOID~
– Male Escort


~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~ 
I knew going in that this one was going to be a bit outside my comfort zone. I usually avoid books with escort heroes but I really like this author's writing so I figured if anyone could get me to enjoy a book with a male prostitute Skye Warren could. And I enjoyed it. Oh, I still struggled with the fact that he was basically the top-selling whore of Tanglewood (gag). The fact that he only worked Saturdays (for a while previous to meeting Bea) and was never with another client after he meets Bea made him slightly more palatable. I found the writing to be very good if a bit flowery. In fact, pretty much everything about this book was flowery. The setting (which I loved). The way the characters spoke. The ambiance. The sex scenes. The entire book was very grandiloquent. The pace was very good. It was a fairly quick read that took me a couple hours to get through. The plot was engaging. There was a bit of an underlying mystery that added some nice depth to the story. The entire book is told through Hugo's POV. I usually prefer dual POVs in my books, but the single POV worked quite well here. Last, it was all wrapped up in a satisfying ending.


~HERO~
HUGO... I liked him. He was charming. He was sweet. He was sexy. He was damaged. He was quite taken by Bea from the moment he meets her. I wasn't a HUGE fan of the fact he was an escort but considering I knew that going in it didn't take away from my rating at all. 


~HEROINE~
Bea...I enjoyed her character as well. She was sweet. She was damaged as well. I felt for her and the very sheltered life she lived. I loved how she was with Hugo and I loved the strength she showed at the end. She was a very likable heroine.





~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
Most of the secondary characters in this one are familiar faces from previous books. We get to see Damon and Penny again. Harper. Along with a few other guys. My inner Scooby sense tells me we MAY be getting a book featuring Harper, Sutton, and Christopher. Whether it will be a menage or a love triangle, or neither, I do not know. But I am VAWRY intrigued by the prospect.


~HEAT LEVEL~
Medium. The sex scenes in this one were fairly hot. Again, like most of the book, they were on the flowery side. The frequency felt organic to the story and the main couple had amazing on page chemistry.


~ANGST LEVEL~ 
Low. I didn't find this one particularly angsty and there really wasn't any OW or OM drama. Hugo's madame and the woman that took his virginity at 15 pops up a few times, but she doesn't really cause any issues. And Bea's guardian wants her, but again he really causes no issues. That said, I wasn't a HUGE fan of all the mentions of Hugo's escort life and his OW. But again, I KNEW when I signed up that the hero got paid for sex, so it didn't take away from my rating. But I know some people are bothered by that type of thing so I figured I'd mention it. 


~IN THE END~
I enjoyed it for the most part. Like I mentioned I did struggle with Hugo's profession. I knew going in that I would. Hence the whole “stepping out of my comfort zone thing.” I just couldn't stop thinking about poor Bea having to run into Hugo's former clients whenever they went out anywhere. Especially since he specifically mentions one right at the end. That said, the writing was very good. The characters likable and the plot engaging. Therefore yours truly is going to give this one two thumbs up.