Book Description:
Women loathed me without even knowing my name.
Men coveted the very idea of me.
Escort. Call girl. Prostitute. Hooker. Whore.
I'd heard it all. Done it all.
Over the years I'd felt a lot of things about my occupation...but not regret--never regret. I had my reasons for doing what I did and nothing and no one had ever made me question them.
UNTIL MARCO VALENTI.
He'd changed me and I'd naively fed into the fairy tale.
But Marco wasn't my Prince Charming.
He had secrets of his own.
Secrets that would eventually rip away everything I held dear.
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Nsrt9q
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/230uWxD
Excerpt:
Marco leaned into me, his breath fanning across my face, causing goosebumps to race across my skin. “You’re very stubborn for someone who’s paid to provide me pleasure. É una fortuna che mi piacciono le sfide.”
“What was that?” I asked softly.
“Good thing I enjoy a challenge,” he replied without blinking.
I cleared my throat, uncomfortable with the level of attention he was giving me. “Why don't we get on with what I'm here for,” I suggested in a sultry voice.
His eyes narrowed. “As you wish. Your madam says you are like a...” He looked off toward the ceiling. “The animal that changes color.”
“A chameleon?”
“That is the one.” He smiled widely, showcasing a dimple in his left cheek, made more pronounced by the dark stubble on his jaw. As sudden as the ferocity had flared up inside of him, it quickly disappeared.
“It's true. I can be whatever you want,” I replied in a seductive voice. I closed the distance between us, placing my hand on his chest. He flinched at the contact like I'd scorched him. Not a lot, but enough that I noticed.
Looking up into the depths of his dark eyes, I said, “Why don't you tell me what you're looking for, and then we can discuss any extras in my payment.”
The smile dropped from his face and he reached for my wrist, pulling my hand from his chest. “What I want from you will be very different than most men.”
My eyes widened and I sucked in a breath. This ought to be interesting. I'd had all manner of things proposed to me before, but the fact that Marco felt the need to warn me set off alarm bells ringing in my head.
“And what is it you want from me, Mr. Valenti?” I whispered.
“Call me Marco.”
“Alright, Marco.”
He traced his thumb along my hairline and stared down at me, intensity pouring out of his gaze like a waterfall. My breathing hitched, and I found myself wanting to lean into his caress to further close the distance between us.
Then the hum of his cell phone vibrating from his pocket broke our connection. He reached into his pocket, glanced briefly at the screen, and stepped back to take the call.
“As always, your timing is impeccable.” The corners of his mouth dipped, and I had the distinct impression that he wasn’t pleased with whoever was on the other end of the line.
Marco listened for a moment while staring out the wall of glass down to the strip below. His hand holding the phone flexed around it for a second at something the other person had said.
“Give me five minutes,” he bit out.
Another pause.
“Well, if you want it to happen tonight, you have no choice but to wait.” Without a goodbye, he ended the call and placed the phone back into the breast pocket of his suit jacket.
With his hands on his hips, he remained facing the window for a moment, drawing in deep breaths of air.
“I must go.”
Not what I was expecting to hear. “Okay...”
He turned and stalked forward until only mere inches separated the two of us. His large hand came to rest at the swell of my hip before he leisurely dragged it across my waist and brushed the side of my breast with his palm. My nipples tightened inside my lace bra.
Marco dropped his hand and leaned into me. My heart picked up pace inside my chest as I waited for his lips to touch mine. He stood solid and still before me while I waited, my anticipation like a live wire setting every nerve ending in my body on fire.
Just when I thought he’d close those final few inches, he brought his face alongside mine and his low voice sounded in my ear, “I’ll get you your money.”
His words were like a bucket of cold water, and I stepped back as if he’d slapped me. It pissed me off that he’d left me wanting.
He stalked back over to the bar and returned a moment later with an envelope. I eyed the cash inside before placing it in my purse. It seemed ridiculous to me that I’d be paid for having a conversation in the man’s room for such a short time, but I wasn’t about to argue with him about it.
“It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Valenti.” I made sure to use his last name since he’d asked me not to. I had a tendency to lash out when I was upset.
An amused grin formed on his face, but he said nothing. I strutted around him to the suite door.
As I unlocked the dead bolt then slid the chain across, Marco’s hand landed on my ass, skimming over it a few times before his other hand pulled my hair to the side to expose my neck.
I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me.
He pressed a kiss to the base of my neck and I shuddered, shivers racing up my spine. I felt his smile against my skin before he removed his lips and stepped away.
Without a backward glance, I turned the door handle and left the suite.
The warm feeling that had invaded my chest remained, but my stomach fell into a nauseous churning. Somehow my body knew what I didn't already. Marco Valenti would be the springboard in my life that caused everything to change.
Our Review:
Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***
“Even the angel has a devil that
sits on his shoulder.”
I am officially Hooked!! This is the first book in a duet so
is not a complete story and at the end all I needed was the rest. This is more
like a romantic suspense and to be honest I am still not sure about who to
trust. Elisabeth Grace perfectly wove suspense throughout this real life Pretty
Woman story…or is it?
“Careful how far out you wade…these
are shark infested waters.”
Emily a.k.a. Brandi to her clients is a high end escort. For
Emily this is a means of survival for her and her son. Her son has muscular
dystrophy and needs a lot of medical care and various therapies and being a
single mum, on her own in a brand new city she did the only she could to
provide whatever her son needed. Emily was a fantastic mother and while the way
she earned her money was not the best it was what needed to be done and I
admired her for it. Between working nights and home schooling all day, all her
time was taken doing what was right for her son and her own happiness was way
down on her radar.
Marco Valenti was an enigmatic Italian that barged into Emily’s
life. Having hired her for a night it was obvious that one night was never
going to be enough. For Marco it was love at first sight and being the Italian
stallion that he was, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. However, I am
still undecided on Marco, while on the outside he seems perfect, he seems too
good to be true. Maybe he really is, but for a man we hardly know anything
about and a man who keeps his cards very close to his chest I am a bit reticent
to believe everything I am reading, especially given the situation that these
two find themselves in.
“The opportunity to be evil –
greedy, stubborn, egotistical, narcissistic – it’s all there. I just chose not
to feed that particular beast.”
I will say though, if it is an act, then Marco Valenti
should be an Oscar winner, because damn he was good and extremely convincing.
His relationship with Emily’s son would melt the hardest of hearts and his
affections do feel and sound totally genuine, but it is that tangled web that
Elisabeth Grace is weaving that leaves that err of caution. I hope for these
two that it is the real thing, but with that synopsis I just don’t know what to
think…gahhhh…so frustrating.
“The only woman he’s ever wanted
to make happy is his mother… until you.”
Marco was an alpha that whispered Italian sweet nothings
that will have your ovaries exploding, he was possessive and dominant but he
looked after those he loved, hence the current situation. I just wish I knew
more about him so I could determine whether or not “this” is real. I
desperately want to believe in it and my heart tells me it is, but my head is a
bit savvier and tells me otherwise. It is this “is it” or “isn’t it” that adds
to the addictiveness of this read. It is quick but I couldn’t put it down.
“You will curse my name like the
devil and then scream it out like a benediction.”
I am erring towards mafia connections but in one of the few
times Marco opens up he vehemently denies it, but the suspense side of this
story definitely screams mafia to me. Maybe he just made the wrong enemies, in
any case he has something that they want and it is something that he does not
have to give…intriguing.
“Sometimes there is no answer to
the question “why.” Sometimes life just fucks you over for no other reason than
it can.”
I seriously need book two, I didn’t want this one to finish
and just as everything was ramping up it ended, I was devastated. Elisabeth
Grace certainly keeps you on the edge second guessing everything you are reading.
Who are the bad guys? What is their connection to Marco? What do they want that
Marco won’t give up? Guess I’ll be waiting on tenterhooks, but we don’t have
long to wait…the answers will all be revealed in June with the release of Burn…I
can’t wait.
Trailer:
About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling author, Elisabeth Grace, has a soft spot for romance novels with happily ever afters and a hot spot for alpha males! She currently lives outside Toronto, Canada with her hubby and two small children. Life is busy, but never to busy for a good story and to share her love of reading and writing with others.
Website: http://elisabeth-grace.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1ElisabethGrace
Giveaway:
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