TBR Day. Escorted / Claire Kent. 2012


This month's TBR theme is hot and steamy. I rarely read erotic romance, so I was about to pick something else for this month when I remembered I had this on my Kindle. I think it was free for a while, or at least very cheap. Escorted, by Claire Kent, is the story of Ander, a male prostitute, and Lori, a best-selling romance writer. Lori, at age 27 is still a virgin and she decides it would be easier to hire someone for sex than go through the angst of sex with someone who would expect her to have more experience. Since I've read a fair share of historicals featuring a female courtesan, this turnabout was kind of interesting.

The book is told entirely from Lori's perspective, although in the 3rd person. I thought Kent did an excellent job of letting us see Ander's feelings through Lori's eyes. There's a lot of awkwardness as what begins as a business transaction turns into a relationship. Lori is unapologetically inquisitive; we learn about Ander through her persistent questioning. I liked how Lori is up-front about her curiosity--and that she gives Ander permission to tell her to shut up if she doesn't want to answer a question. He does indeed tell her to stop when she gets too personal.

Frankly I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to. There is, of course, lots of sex, but there is a lot about both Lori and Ander, what motivates them and what they're looking for. Their relationship progresses at a believable pace; if I recall correctly, the book takes place over at least a six-month period. There are numerous obstacles they both need to get over and I liked the way Kent wrote her characters through those obstacles. Once I got into the book I had a hard time putting it down. I'm awfully glad I gave it a try.

I see that there's a sequel to this told from Ander's point of view. I think I will give that a try, too.

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 21, 2013 at 11:33 PM

    Hmm, I think I have this on my Kindle, too. Your review makes me think I'll like it more than I thought.

    ReplyDelete
  2. S.August 22, 2013 at 5:27 AM

    I liked your review....it gives me will to try it as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PhylAugust 22, 2013 at 10:13 AM

    I hope you both like it. There's another review at DA that Jane wrote. It's a bit more comprehensive than mine, but she also liked the book. The minor things that bothered her did not bother me. http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-reviews/review-escorted-by-claire-kent/

    ReplyDelete
  4. WendyAugust 25, 2013 at 5:46 PM

    I too scored this when it was a Kindle freebie, and your review now has me really curious to try it sooner, rather than later. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhylAugust 29, 2013 at 12:36 PM

      I hope you like it Wendy. It was definitely different from what I normally read, so I enjoyed that aspect as well.

      Delete

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