Curve Couture: A Beautiful Romance

by H.M. Irwing

**THIS IS A STANDALONE NOVEL**


Claire Williams, is a modelling agent to her illustrious supermodel younger sister, Janice Williams. Scouted by an ex-supermodel and renown talent agent, Erin Robertson to join his agency as a plus-sized model, Claire is torn between needing to escape from living beneath her sister’s shadow and needing to escape her unhealthy infatuation with Erin himself.

Erin Robertson dominated the catwalks as the world’s top male supermodel, only to leave that position at his peak. Running his own modelling agency, he had been on the hunt for Janice Williams, along with every other talent agency in town. So what made him shift his sights from the blond, blue-eyed beauty to settle it on her plus-sized, grey-eyed older sister?

Curves Couture is a romance unlike any other. Fresh and humorous, it’s bound to grab the reader’s attention and lead them on the journey of spun web of duplicity, deceit, romance and well-aimed humour.

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2017

About the author

Inking is a symphony in romance in itself. The art of flowing ink into curves and lines, forming the patterns of words. Words into the beauty of thought. Thoughts into the beauty of a story.
Stories I love to write and share inking paper after paper with romantic and fantastical thoughts. I hope I do the ink justice and have it spill out stories that will fascinate and enthral you.

H. M. Irwing, an author of romantic fiction from Down Under, takes great pleasure in penning romance stories that often bring light to the pain and suffering faced in today’s world. Her heroines are remarkable characters. Bold brassy women who face the tough strictures of today’s world and all the failings within it with a positive attitude and forward strides marching ahead against all adversity.

Irwing lives with her beloved husband, two kids and dog in the contemporary arty world of Melbourne where living is pleasure and pleasure is living.

Catch all the latest updates and more about your favourite characters at
H. M. Irwing’s author’s website https://www.hmirwing.com
H. M. Irwing’s facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hm.irwing
H. M Irwing’s Amazon page
https://www.amazon.com/H-M-Irwing/e/B...

H. M. Irwing blogs at https://www.hmirwing.com/
She writes on Wattpad under @50shadesofblues, @ufartalot and @dionseth and publish under the pen name of H. M. Irwing.

Reviews

[Aromfan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at plus sized models

And their experience in the modeling world. Clearly modeling requires thick skin. It also helps to have connections as well. Some steamy scenes. I'd put this just up to mid- steamy. Fast read.

[Jo Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ticks lots of boxes for me. The ugly duckling definitely becomes the swan in this story. Lots of sexy scenes and a variety of characters. Was disappointed that we didn’t know the name of the main character until quite a way into the book

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curve Couture by H.M. Irwing is a contemporary romance featuring a plus-size woman in the fashion industry, hence the title 'curve couture'. Erin and Claire. I'll be honest, it took a bit for me to get used to thinking of an Erin as male. I kept thinking about the name Claire. I think Judd Nelson said it in Breakfast Club, it's a fat girl name. And the woman on the cover? Not exactly a plus size woman, which 78% of American women actually are but only represented 2% of the time by women in magazines. So, I'll be honest, I went in with a crinkled nose.

The character names aside, Curve Couture is actually pretty good. Claire is a woman who, if not at complete peace with herself, is well on her way. Of course she has anxiety and hang ups about her body but we need that for her to be relatable. Claire is definitely relatable. She's snarky and funny and she was fun to get to get to know. Janice was annoying and a bit of a monster, as was her fiance, Colin. I care so little about them that I breezed over their parts, to tell the truth.

There is a lot of humor in this novel, the dialogue is good and feels real in many places but also falls into the cheesy category at times. Some of the issues that come up are a little contrived, such as when Erin has taken to many of his anti-depressant before he has sex with Claire and she freaks out... Sorry but that rang way too true to Jessie and her caffeine pills on Saved By The Bell.

All in all, though, Curve Couture was the perfect book for an afternoon on the beach or on a rainy evening on the couch, those times when you just want to float away and let another world and it's people perform for you.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curve Couture is about a curvy girl named Claire who finds herself in the model industry. The book covers her struggle with her weight, her relationships with other models and thinner sister, as well as her agent Erin she falls in love with. The book moves at a pretty moderate - fast pace. The author's writing is easy to read, nothing advanced.

I took a star away because I struggled with Claire, the main character. There are moments she is confident, others times she struggles. Very real and honest writing, which can totally be appreciated. But then there were parts that made me cringe a bit thinking about young girls reading this book and getting bad ideas. For example, Claire talks about trying to lose weight by skipping meals. I struggled because this character could be very real, but also not a great influence in some areas.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are someone that does not struggle with eating disorders or become triggered by examples of unhealthy habbits.

[Linda Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok read

This book was ok. It started off slow and I didn't think I would like it. As the book continued I was able to get more into it.Claire was a plus size woman that was full of insecurities and showed it daily, with managing her sister the model. When her long tome crush showed interest in her she couldn't believe it and doubt him only to find out he genuinely liked her and saw her beauty. He becomes her manager and she starts to model leaving her sister jealous.
Overtime things worked out with Erin(the manager-crush). Different book from my reading type but nevertheless I enjoyed it.

[Jimmy Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new take on romantic life

This is a story of romance, insecurity, love, shame, and longing. Claire is the older sister and agent for her supermodel younger sister who is being required by every major modeling agency in town. The Robertson modeling agency began recruiting supermodel Janice but then switched course to want plus size sister and manger Claire. This story is filled with emotion and need. Claire wants to make a life on her own while escaping her crush on Erin Robertson. A good read for the romantic humor genre. I liked the story as it takes a different approach to romance. Would reccomed as a good distraction from the stress of everyday relationships.

[Mary Yarde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare has always felt that she lived in her sister's shadow. But now she is coming out of the darkness and living the life she had never imagined for herself.

Curve Couture: A Beautiful Romance by H.M. Irwing is a fast-paced romance, that kept me turning those pages.

I thought the characterisation of Clare was beautifully portrayed and she was a believable and likeable character. It took me a little while to warm to Erin, I was, like Clare, a little unsure of his motives at the beginning, but he grew on me.

All in all a very enjoyable read.

[Stephanie H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read Irwing’s romances before, and while I liked those other books, I think I liked Curve Couture even more. Perhaps it’s because I relate strongly to the main character, Claire, and her struggles with her self-image and feeling worthy of being with a man. Her relationship with Erin, while a little tumultuous, was sweet and tender and grew slowly, just as I would expect in real life. (Of course, their lust grew very quickly, but that’s what happens with such superficial matters.)

Claire has just made the biggest mistake of her life: sleeping with her model sister’s fiancé, Colin. To make things worse, she despises the man—and she’s her sister’s agent. Ashamed and unable to face her sister again, Claire arranges a meeting with Erin, a model-turned-agent, to ask him to take over as her sister’s agent. Erin, however, has different plans for Claire, ones which will transform Claire’s career, self-image, and personal life, not to mention her sex life. What exactly does Erin want from her? Is it strictly professional, or…something more? Does Claire have what it takes to meet all his needs and expectations, or will her own jealousy and lack of self-confidence get in her way?

Irwing develops the plot and relationships very thoroughly, taking his time with building each up to a satisfying conclusion. I especially love the time and care Irwing took with developing Claire. She is very real and definitely not a damsel-in-distress. She has her weak moments, sure, because she’s human and she’s put into an unfamiliar situation, which would unsettle even the toughest among us. Overall, though, she’s tough and slowly builds up her confidence and self-image throughout the novel. My favorite parts, I’m not afraid to say, are when she beat up Colin. Just like Erin, I couldn’t stop my laughing and felt empowered just reading about a woman like her bringing a man like Colin to his knees. It was very refreshing.

I also appreciate that, while the plot and romance go hand-in-hand, there were parts of the plot which fell outside of the romance, mainly Claire’s budding modeling career. So many romance novels stick to just the romance for the plot, and I love to see these layers added to such books. They make them seem less like fluff and more like novels I can really enjoy.

The book isn’t perfect, of course. (Very few are.) In particular, I had a hard time reconciling the kind side of Erin and his angry/possessive side. Mind you, he’s more kind than not (while often a bit cocky), but some of his anger towards Claire and how he expresses it made me uncomfortable. He’s not abusive per say, but it’s definitely not behavior I’d personally let go on for too long if I were in such a relationship. Still, one could say this is complex character development, a result of his adolescence being spent in the toxic modeling world. I suppose you have to take the good with the bad.

Also, in case this isn’t obvious, there are sex scenes. There are also scenes filled with sexual tension which do not quite make it to doing the deed. If you have problems with sex scenes in novels, you’ll want to avoid Curve Couture (and modern romance novels in general).

All in all, I think that Curve Couture is a great romance. It’s not a picture-perfect romance, but it feels real and doesn’t resort to only traditionally-beautiful women ending up with traditionally-beautiful men. There are some soap opera-like elements, but that’s to be expected in a romance; besides, Claire’s inner monologue commenting on how scenes in her life have become like The Bold and the Beautiful just add to the humor and her character. If you’re looking for a romance novel with some meat to it, I highly recommend this book.

[RM(Alwaysdaddygirl) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah

Have you ever picked up a book that seems promising but turns out not to be good? That's what happened for me with this book, Curve Couture: A Beautiful Romance, by H.M. Irving.This is a romance featuring a plus-size character named Claire Williams. She works as an agent for her sister, who is a model. Claire goes on a journey that leads her to self discovery and results in her becoming a plus-size model. Claire’s new agent is Erin, whom she falls in love with. He used to be a model and now has his own modeling agency. She has had a crush on Erin since she was a teenager. This book is a stand-alone novel and has no cliffhangers.

I give the book 2 out of 4 stars. Before I begin, I will mention that my writing style is different again because this time I will mostly use references to illustrate my points. My other reason is to show that these are not just my feelings talking. The following are my reasons for this rating:

My first issue is with the book's cover. The lady pictured on the cover does not look plus size. As a plus-size woman who is 5”11, I was disappointed. My excitement for the book decreased because of the cover. However, I tried to keep an open mind. I admit that I am a hypocrite and buy most books because of their covers. I could not connect to Claire because in my imagination she does not look anything like the woman on the cover. You read the book and wonder when the character on the cover is going to come into the story. This leads to my second concern, Claire.

Throughout most of the book, Claire talks about her love of food. This is one of the stereotypical opinions about plus-size gals. It would have been nice if the book had projected a less negative view of plus-size women. There were times in the book that being plus size was portrayed in a positive light, but this was undone by Claire's behavior.

In the book, Claire states: “There was no way I was going to lose weight in the next month. It just wasn’t feasible. I mean, we had been to the gym several times this week already, and I had even missed most of my meals, but here I was, still the same rollie pollie me.” An article on livestrong.com, "What Effect Does Skipping Meals Have on the Body?," states that “Although skipping a meal on rare occasions is harmless, skipping meals often does have negative health effects.”

My second concern with this sentence is that it does not specify what exercises Claire was doing at the gym or how much time she spent on them. According to the article "Working Out and Still Not Losing Weight? Here Are 7 Reasons Why," from health.com, "only doing cardio—or doing too much of it—can actually add to the problem." If Claire was doing cardio but still not losing weight, it could be easier to understand her obesity issue.

Those are my top issues with this book, but I noticed other problems. This could turn into a five-page research paper! Regardless, I would recommend this book to those who want a fluffy romance . Most readers want a book in which the story seems realistic. These issues would not bother some readers. Everyone has their own tastes.

[Meleka Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the story of Claire Williams. She is a model agent to only one client, her sister Janice Williams. Claire is ready to venture outside of being an agent, get from under her sister’s thumb, and pursue something she can love and excel in. Throughout this story she gets to live her fantasy of being and falling in love with her childhood celebrity crush, Erin Robertson.

Through deep, deep searching I found that Claire is easily manipulated. She does what everyone tells her to do. She had low self-esteem. She started to “embrace some part of herself and gain confidence” (sarcasm in quotations) only after being degraded, fat shamed, being put in uncomfortable positions, and people changing her into the image they wanted her to be. Claire also has no follow through with her decisions. Her backbone is non-existent. At the end of the book I was wondering what it was about this woman that made men want her. She was hit on by Colin (her sister’s fiancé), Erin, and Erin’s younger brother.

I had to venture deeper to sense who Erin Robertson was. I only found that the author made him a character with no substance. Erin was a former model turned model agent. He is attractive to all the women that laid on him. He had an unhealthy tendency to take care of his family, which were a bunch of grown people who seem like they did not want to work. Did I mention he was sexy?

With hardly any character development, I did not believe Claire and Erin’s romance and their story. The reader gets a shaky introduction to Erin and his attraction to her. He comes onto the scene immediately offering to have sex with her and willing to supply all of her sexual needs. That scenario happened within the first 5 pages of the book. I saw why she was attracted to him…hello???!!! Former model. But what made him have a desire for her? The reader did not get that explanation. It would have been better to hear his thoughts. The author would have presented the reader with a legitimate reason for Erin’s attraction to Claire.

The reader, in my opinion, did not get a proper back story on the characters. They did not get to know each other, unless being around each other for a brief second at a fashion event constitutes developing a relationship. Throughout the story, the author did not mature the characters. They were flat liners. They did not cultivate the relationship to get to know anything significant to unite them. Even after having sex, I believed they were more of friends with benefits. It was just pure lust between them. I might be old-fashioned, but it would have been better to build up to the romance. There was no connection between them other than sex. It seemed like their answer to every situation they had was sex. They barely had a conservation, except to say how they wanted each other sexually. No deep conversing. If you like insta-love between characters that really have no connection followed by a happily ever after. Then this is the story for you!!!

[Kara Skinner (Lover's Quarrel Reviews) · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was so much wrong with this book. Most troubling was the incredibly abusive relationship between Erin and Claire. He beat her without her consent, threatened to rape her just because she smiled at another man, and blamed her when she almost did get raped. He also got absurdly angry at her all the time until she apologized, whether she was in the wrong or not, and then immediately be like "it's fine." Everything about this book disturbed me and pissed me off. Also, Claire is a size 16 (14 in the U.S.). Why the hell is she maybe a size 10 on the cover?

I posted a full review on YouTube for those who are interested: https://youtu.be/1ngrHjrBTj8

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book following a plus size model named Claire. I enjoyed this book as I could understand some of Claire's insecurities. I of course am not a model but I am a plus sized female who gets that it not easy. I liked Claire's character also enjoyed getting to read about her experiences with Erin. Her character was able to grow through the book to get her happy ending.

[Brianna York · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through the fashion industry with a strong female lead who supports healthy bodies and healthy eating. If you like non traditional heroes, you have them in spades with this tale which leads the good guys to a happy ending.