The Hooker and the Hermit by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid

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TheHookerandtheHermit

 

New York’s Finest
Blogging as *The Socialmedialite*
April 22
LADIES AND GENTS! I have an announcement!
You know that guy I featured on my blog a few months ago? The really, really hot Irish rugby player who plays the position of ‘hooker’ in the RLI (Rugby League International)? The one with the anger management issues, the body of a gladiator and the face of a movie star? The one with the questionable fashion choices leading me to ask whether he was the lovechild of a leprechaun and a hobbit? Ronan Fitzpatrick? Yeah, that guy. Well, I have a confession to make…

THE HERMIT
Annie Catrel, social media expert extraordinaire at Davidson & Croft Media and clandestine celebrity blogger, can make anyone shine in the court of public opinion. She is the Socialmedialite, anonymous creator of New York’s Finest and the internet’s darling. Virtual reality is Annie’s forte, but actual reality? Not so much.

THE HOOKER
Ronan Fitzpatrick, aka the best hooker the world of rugby has seen in decades, despises the media—social or otherwise. The press has spun a web of lies depicting him as rugby’s wild and reckless bad boy. Suspended from his team, Ronan has come to Manhattan to escape the drama, lay low, fly under the radar. Only, Ronan isn’t easy to overlook, and he can’t escape the notice of the Socialmedialite…

THE PLAN
When Ronan is sent to Davidson & Croft Media to reshape his public image, he never expects to cross paths with shy but beautiful Annie, nor does he expect his fierce attraction to her. He couldn’t be happier when her boss suggests pairing them together.
What lengths will Annie take to keep her virtual identity concealed? And what happens when the hooker discovers who the hermit really is?

First things first! I am going to clarify that it is not what you are thinking when you first read the title. It isn’t about a prostitute/hooker on the street trying to romance a hermit. Well, it is half right I should say. You see there is a Hermit. Her name is Annie.  She happens to work in social media, but is rarely seen.  She prefers being alone and out of the public eye.  The Hooker part is a guy named Ronan.  Hooker is actually a position he plays in Rugby.  He is also a bad boy who needs his image cleaned up after getting into a fight with his team mate.

To be fair to Ronan, his team mate deserved the beat down he got.  He was caught cheating with his girlfriend.  I guess he shouldn’t have fought him in the public eye though because he gets suspended from the team.  While on suspension, he takes a break to stay in USA. This is where he meets Annie and her team of media clean up crew. Annie has a secret of her own though.  She is the famous Socialmedialite blogger that has lived under the radar with no hint of who she is. Oh, and did I mention that on this blog she loves to post photos of celebrities and point out all of their flaws?

These two quickly start to fall for each other even though they are from two different places and personalities.  I did have a slight problem with how Ronan handles the aftermath of her secret being revealed.  Really? You are going to turn your attitude completely around from the way you have been treating her and be a jerk? I didn’t find it believable because Ronan treated her with nothing but care, love and respect up until that point.  Also nagging me in the back of my mind was how furious Annie was when Ronan admits to knowing her secret identity. It irked me that she got so mad at him when she was the one hiding the secret.

The ending was satisfying and the writing was great.  I do hope we get to read about more of the characters in this book.  I would love a story featuring Annie’s boss! You will be laughing out loud with every chapter as well.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Dearest Annie, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I’m using my hand But I’m thinking of you. – Ronan P.S. Just to clarify, I’m using my hand to write this note…get your mind out of the gutter.”

 

MY RATING
[sc:rate4 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

Review: Painted Faces by L. H. Cosway

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Painted Faces
Author: L.H. Cosway

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Come forth with an open mind, for an unconventional tale of love.. 

Dublin native Freda Wilson considers herself to be an acquired taste. She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn’t have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her.

Nicholas is darkly handsome, funny and magnetic, and Freda feels like her black and white existence is plunged into a rainbow of colour when she’s around him. When he walks into a room he lights it up, with his quick wit and charisma. He is a travelling cabaret performer, but Freda doesn’t know exactly what that entails until the curtains pull back on his opening night. 

She is gob-smacked and entirely intrigued to see him take to the stage in drag. Later on, Nicholas asks her if she would like to become his show assistant. Excited by the idea, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself immersed in a world of wigs, make-up and high heels, surrounded by pretty men and the temptation of falling for her incredibly beautiful employer.

In this story of passion and sexual discovery, Nicholas and Freda will contend with jealousy, emotional highs and lows, and the kind of love that only comes around once in a lifetime. 

MY THOUGHTS

Why did I wait on reading this amazing story?!  I will admit that if other reviewers had not given this book such high recommendations,  I would probably have completely passed this read over.  After everyone pushing it though, I caved and I can happily say that this book was SO GOOD!

Painted Faces is a love story, but it is so much more than that.  Plus, it isn’t your usual type of love story either.  Nicholas is a straight man that enjoys dressing up as a woman and performing as a drag queen. I wondered how in the heck I was going to get a “sexy and male feeling” for a man who dresses in drag, but the author certainly convinced me with the this book.  Then the author took it a step further and made the heroine Freda average weight!  YES, she actually had meat on her bones and wasn’t a size two!  Finally an author who writes a real sized woman.

Throughout the prologue — which is the readers first hint — and the rest of the story, we get to read bits and pieces on the question of why Nicholas dresses and performs in drag.  While the prologue actually gives you a pretty good clue, I think the author revealing everything in the spot she chose was perfect timing.  We got to see how Nicholas was shaped into the man that he is today.

Freda was hilarious.  I loved her quick wit and humor.  I laughed out loud so many times reading this book that I received may strange looks from my family.  The author has a unique writing style that brought the story to life in my mind.  Her attention to descriptions and details gave the imagery needed to form a colorful and unique piece of art in my head of what Nicholas would look like on stage.  I applaud the author for this amazing talent.

Overall, this has to be one of my favorite books I have discovered this year.  While I was sad to read the last page — realizing the story was ending — it was also an ending that was fitting.  A satisfying read that makes you want to read it again as soon as the last word is read.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE

“We all paint on a face to show the world,” Nicholas replies philosophically. “For some of us, that’s quite literal.” He takes a brief pause, “When you’re passionate about something, you don’t mind suffering a little discomfort.”
I give him a wry glance. “Have you had to suffer for your passion?”
He nods gently, his eyes roving over the crowds as they push by us. “More than you would think.”

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!