"I'm just a gigolo......"

I flipping loved, loved, loved this book. I got it as an Amazon freebie, ratings were mixed, a friend texted me she knew I'd love it- SHE WAS RIGHT.

On the surface, it kinda sounds cheesy. Professional romance author/virgin hires hot gigolo to take away her virginity she can't seem to lose. They get together, sparks fly....blah blah. This book was a fantastic ride of emotions. It was more than a fluffy read. I loved this guy. His name was Ander (short for Alexa...

"I'm just a gigolo......"

I flipping loved, loved, loved this book. I got it as an Amazon freebie, ratings were mixed, a friend texted me she knew I'd love it- SHE WAS RIGHT.

On the surface, it kinda sounds cheesy. Professional romance author/virgin hires hot gigolo to take away her virginity she can't seem to lose. They get together, sparks fly....blah blah. This book was a fantastic ride of emotions. It was more than a fluffy read. I loved this guy. His name was Ander (short for Alexander) and he's the son of an arrogant wealthy CEO in town. When Ander decides he doesn't want to go down the same career path as Daddy-O, he's disinherited. Ander starts escorting...which really pisses Dad off. Deep down, Ander has overwhelming feelings of worthlessness, never has fell in love....just goes through the motions.....until Lori hires him. She's as awkward and nervous as all get out on their first "date.". He's as patient as can be and nurtures her gradually into a fulfilling sexual relationship. One hot night turns to weekly appointments.

What I loved about this book was the more realistic nature of it. It wasn't some "instant love" stuff. Ander held back for most of the book. I didn't even really know his true feelings. We just kept getting glimpses of something growing with him. Lori's feelings grow almost immediately, he is the one who took her virginity, after all. The sex in this book is almost constant. Usually that bores me to tears but its within "their story" and how it evolves to more than sex.....

All I can say is I loved it. It was steamy but SO ROMANTIC. It's a slow build and even after things get out in the open between them, it's pretty realistic how things play out longer term. I liked that. It's like "hey, this could almost happen." There was chemistry, humor, drama....everything to make it a five star read.

At the risk of comparing books, if you read Damaged Goods (another escort book) and you liked it, you will love this one ( in my biased opinion).

Lori is a 26 year old virgin that decides to embark on 'losing' it by employing a male prostitute.
Ander is said prostitute. Interesting description, he's sexy, and bald, almost everywhere. Love the description of how sexy he makes being bald.

This story is super simple, 26 year old girl (successful romance author) and broken, vulnerable, yet super capable in the bed, boy - they meet and fall in love.
Sound simple? But this author does a great job of describing how Lori breaks through An...

Lori is a 26 year old virgin that decides to embark on 'losing' it by employing a male prostitute.
Ander is said prostitute. Interesting description, he's sexy, and bald, almost everywhere. Love the description of how sexy he makes being bald.

This story is super simple, 26 year old girl (successful romance author) and broken, vulnerable, yet super capable in the bed, boy - they meet and fall in love.
Sound simple? But this author does a great job of describing how Lori breaks through Ander's walls that he put up to protect himself. You feel his pain and agony, although he rarely shows it.Brief descriptions of the fleeting pain in his eyes, or the tense, struggling moments she witnesses when he's in the bathroom disposing of a used condom. (okay, it sounds gross on this page, but in context, it works).

This book could be read strictly for the amount of sexual content (wow, there is a lot and it is described in great detail. but thankfully no weird S&M nor is it raunchy). But reading how Lori can see Ander for the person that he is, and not a sex object- it makes this book so much more endearing. She is a bit of a goof; but it totally works. She blurts out things that hurt him sometimes, but you realize that she is completely honest and open with him, and wishes for him to do the same.

You can see how he struggles to be her friend, to do things that don't revolve around sex, or in bed, how he would like to do things that feel good for him; not just for her. Sometimes his need to be loved just for himself belies his age - which is 7 years older than Lori.

The book has a scene with Ander's father (the reason for his broken state) and it gets your blood boiling. But there is little after that.
I certainly wouldn't expect a reconciliation b/w them; that would not work because the dad is such THE villain. But it would have been helpful to read more about how Ander was feeling (beyond, I hate him); and get greater glimpses of what his childhood was like. What greater emotions he was feeling when he decided to become a prostitute.

The author does a wonderful job describing Lori's first sexual encounter with Ander. You realize that he is a professional. This is not a self-destructive situation for him. It's business. It's almost clinical in the description. Not romantic at all. This made the situation so believable and you are completely engrossed in it.

Slowly as we witness Ander falling for Lori - the book wraps you up in their relationship. No weird angst, no high drama, no big misunderstandings. There is jealously that pops up, but both characters deal with it in an honest and true fashion. There are some pretty surprisingly funny scenes that add some needed levity in various parts of the book.

For me, what would make this a 5 star book, would be fewer sex scenes (wow - did I really say that??) and more depth in the characters. More about how they were as a couple after he 'retires'. Being in a relationship with a former prostitute can't be easy. Also, how Ander can get out from under his father's shadow, deal more with what he's does with his life. The book does a great job of showing just how smart Ander is- he's no dummy; but let's see more of it outside of his apartment.

This book has no cliffhangers. Has a nice epilogue as well.
The storyline, characters and steaminess made this book a very fun read.

Enjoy!

This book will work for those of us who are hopeless romantics and believe that love can happen to anyone and anywhere. For those who love the Pretty Woman and The Wedding Date line, will love this book. For those of you who want to relate in real life, this book is probably not for you. I got this book as a free book from Amazon and I have to say, I was extremely impressed. Not only was this book well written, characters well developed, but the book was exciting and steamy in a good way! Lor...

This book will work for those of us who are hopeless romantics and believe that love can happen to anyone and anywhere. For those who love the Pretty Woman and The Wedding Date line, will love this book. For those of you who want to relate in real life, this book is probably not for you. I got this book as a free book from Amazon and I have to say, I was extremely impressed. Not only was this book well written, characters well developed, but the book was exciting and steamy in a good way! Lori was a successful romance book writer, but despite writing about romance, her love life was completely non-existent. She was still a virgin at 26 and just simply wanted to get that aspect over with in her life. She asks her cousin for some help and her cousin refers her to the most recommended escort. Lori decides to give it a try and hires Ander. The first time she met Ander, she was attracted to him, not just physically, but there was something about him that intrigued her.

As expected, her first encounter with him was phenomenal and she soon finds herself addicted to him. Ander is a complex character. Despite his profession, he seemed to have different things going on in his life and had personal issues. Even though these two people were opposites, I really loved their relationship together. Obviously, there is a lot of sex and steamy scenes, but they were all so well written it was fantastic. Not only does this book have a story line, it also provides nice character development and plenty of romance.

This book was totally worth it, even though I got it for free! If you are looking for something you can relate to, then this book is not for you. If you are just looking to find a swoon worthy romance book and believe in fairy tales, then this book is definitely for you!