Rent Boy

by Peter Styles, J.P. Oliver

JACOB

Hiring a rent boy to get over my sexual hang ups is either the most brilliant idea I’ve ever had, or the worst. It’s hard to tell. I mean, what do I know? I’m an almost thirty year old virgin.

Everyone else makes it look so easy, but my head makes it the most complicated thing in the world.

And then I book Evan for an evening, and everything gets infinitely more complicated.

It’s not anything he does. He’s perfect. Being with him is perfect.

Touching him comes naturally. Flirting with him is effortless. My lack of experience isn’t a problem at all, because who needs to know how to swim when I’d happily drown in his kisses instead?

But its also easy to forget this is just a job to him. The lines are so blurred I sometimes forget they exist at all. And then I have to remind myself: the only future here is the rough landing I’m in for when I finally take the plunge. Bringing our business transaction to a close.

I’m no longer afraid to be intimate with another man. Being with him that way is what I want more than anything.

But taking that step means watching him walk out of my life the moment it’s over.


EVAN

Life lessons for rent boys: never take jobs with hot, sweet, innocent virgins.

They’re way too easy to fall in love with.

Jacob was supposed to be just another job. An easy one too…never hurts when the client’s a bit of eye candy himself.

Our date didn’t go as planned. He was too nervous to take it as far as he wanted. And making him uncomfortable was the last thing I wanted, so we parted as friends.

And then hung out again as friends. And again. And again.

But when I suggest helping coach him over his hang ups, reality comes crashing back after he brings up the bill. It’d been so easy to forget what I was when I was with him. To fool myself into believing he’d ever see me as more than a rent boy.

I don’t know how much longer I can act like it’s all just pretend. Like I’m not falling in love with him.

But I know I’ll keep playing the part for as long as he’ll let me, just to be near him.

This 50,000 word standalone gay romance with a HEA makes the business of pleasure a VERY pleasurable read for anyone over eighteen!

A First Time Gay Virgin Romance

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Family, Gay

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2018

About the author

Hello everyone! My name is Peter Styles. I am a young new gay writer who is in love with reading and writing gay romance. I hope my stories keep you as entertained as much as I like writing them.

If you would like to join my insider's club, and get free books, click the link below.

https://goo.gl/njtQnR

Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do you see the "low steam" tag? That's kind of weird considering the story revolves around a high-end rent boy and a virgin, no?

But not as weird as the authors claiming this book ends with a HEA when in fact it ends with a tentative HFN and leaves many issues unresolved: Will Evan continue seeing clients or stop being a stubborn idiot and let Jacob help him with finances? Will Jacob's parents ever accept him? Can Evan and Jacob stay together when they're both about as mature as a 12-year-old boy drinking a Slurpee?

These are burning question, people, and I expect answers!

I also have a serious grievance with authors who don't understand the basic conventions of grammar. If you don't know the difference between it's/its and your/you're, you probably shouldn't write fiction (or, at the very least, hire an editor, for fuck's sake).

I present you:

You're family is the best kept secret in the neighborhood.

These are my Uncle's Rob and Emerson.

My anger slowly fading and self-reflection taking it's place.

And my very favorite:

I decided to wing by his apartment to make it up to him.

Holy shit, HE CAN FLY!

Sorry, darlings, but you could wake me up at gunpoint, and I'd still know my way around an apostrophe.

Overall, this book was a tragic disappointment. I'm going with 2 stars only because I got a kick out of Evan's mom, who knew he was a hooker and encouraged it.

She called it "holistic interpersonal work."

😂 😂 😂

Now that's some good parenting right there.

[Ronie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! That was a whole relationship developed from payment plan to planning for a future together. I think...after that non communication. I don't know...well here's hoping for the best

[Denise H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a corporate businessman and his rent boy !
Here we have younger Evan, tan, sweet and smart, who will go back to IT for the right man.


Jacob, businessman with dark hair, hazel eyes, who is a 30ish virgin, because he's been in the closet.
Jacob can be obtuse and hurl insults;

he's angry and in over his head, because he actually likes Evan right away.

It's tenuous at first and Evan's never run into someone like Jacob. Jacob is a nervous wreck. This quick story shows us how Jacob steps up and claims what he wants. Evan realizes his dreams may come true.
It is sad, cute, and loving as they figure it all out. Jacob catches up on sex quickly and thoroughly.
ENJOY !

====

[BR11 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars
It ended too abruptly... basically when their relationship was truly starting... A lot of questions don’t get answered. The book would benefit from an epilogue.
So, so for this one.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jacob was so pathetic, apologizing to Evan when Evan was the one who lied to him and took clients behind his back. Have fun being cheated on for the rest of your life!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evan is a "Rent Boy" and has not feelings of guilt about it especially when he gets his payment from his client. Meeting for the first time with Jacob, a CEO of the company he is startled to feel an attraction for him. He has been feeling the need to have a life with a partner to make a family of his own and Jacob makes him think he might have found the one. Jacob, however is a virgin in every way and anxiety and his religious upbringing makes him want to back away from his commitment with Evan, though he feels as drawn to him as Evan is to Jacob. There is plenty of angst, a closeted gay, emotional suffering, misunderstandings and a beginnings of love. A really sweet, medium heat romance that will make you want to pick it up and read it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book with some decent story telling and characters, although it didn't really grip me.

There was nothing wrong with this book. I preferred Evan to Jacob, but that's just because I don't much like the stoic, unemotional type. The story of them falling for each other was fine and played out well, but seemed very deliberate, there wasn't actually much conflict or angst in their feelings for each other.

Dare I say it, it's probably very realistic as far as real life romance goes. Nothing that earth-shattering, nothing that dangerous, just two people working out the parameters of a new relationship. Not truly heart=pounding exciting, but nevertheless very well written.

Recommended to fans of M/M romance. Thanks to Booksprout for my copy, I have chosen to review.

[Patricia Hoffstaetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this well-written, heartwarming MM romance.
This book is about: two men (Jacob) who hires a “rent boy” (Evan) to help him loose his pesky virginity.
What you will find in this book is: the challenging, emotional journey of the two men finding love and happiness and they are faced with doubts, verbal disagreements & misunderstandings at times.
The characters are interesting and entertaining with individual personalities. The story-line and plot grabs the reader’s attention.
I would recommend this book.
“I received a complimentary copy from Booksprout so I give my honest opinion”

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes

I so wanted to like this book. It had an awesome summary. But the story fell flat to me.
Jacob had such a dry personality. It was hard to even get who he was as a person.
And then there was the two of them together. I couldn’t see how they would have even wanted to date. There was this huge disconnect between the two characters. I just couldn’t see them ever wanting to actually date, let alone just be friends. I don’t know, maybe the story just moved too fast and there wasn’t enough content to really show how they would be together. Or maybe it’s just these two authors don’t have enough chemistry to put a book together. I puts me off from reading anything else they have done.

[Chancey "Does not give out 5's like candy" Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blurb = (Scale 1-10)
9

My Genre Scale = (Scale 1-10)
7

What stood out =
Nothing really either good or bad

Mood Type / Appeal to those looking for =
Exactly what it states

Warnings =
None

Series Notes =
None, Standalone

Rating Notes =
This is a nice bit of straightforward easy reading. Solid writing. Some angst but not a ton. It was nice that one m/c has very religious parents who were not portrayed as just horrible. Interesting premise. No real surprises. An entertaining average read. What you see is what you get. Although, the ending does feel a little abrupt.

(Obviously this cannot takie into account all the various personal pet peeves of readers, though I try to take into account the common ones often bemoaned by other reviewers).

Blurb rating purpose:
( I don't think a book should be docked stars for being as stated. If I don't like stories about "?whatever?", I shouldn't give it 2 stars, JUST based on my preferences. Unless... it wasn't clear in the blurb.)

Review Factors:
Since 2009, I have exclusively read m/m. My 1st was in 2007. I am a Kindle diehard, and I never do audio for m/m. . I read at least 100+ books a year - at an average length of 220± pages; but the total number of books is usually much, much, higher. My Goodreads lifetime rating (at the start of 2020) was a 3.72 average for 1390 books. Which considering, the more you read, the better you should be at picking out books you like, I feel is a accurate average.

[Victoria Smiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I make a point of reading all the books this duo creates. Always well-crafted and satisfying reads. RENT BOY was a delightful surprise! I originally thought “oh no, this is an old theme.” Imagine my surprise to find this book to be unique, without a cliché to be found. The story of an attractive, charming, talented, professional companion, with his script down and ready to make a client the center of his world (for a fee and a time.) Add the attractive, highly successful, executive who is tightly controlled in all aspects of his carefully structured life, and the two of them make that one connection.
Evan Lewis meets Jacob Jones and two worlds shift.
Jacob is looking to rescue his sexual lacking, and the corporate executive uses his management prowess and regulated thinking to quietly take the situation into his own hands. When smooth Evan encounters this controlled client, he realizes that he is out of his depth and begins to wonder if his career has come to a not un-happy end. He is no longer the one in control and is re-thinking his life while Jacob is making his own life altering decisions.
This is one of those stories which compels the reader to read straight through with a guaranteed re-read.

[Julianne Macneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book as part of an arc program. I really enjoyed this romance between Jacob and Evan. Jacob was a very successful journalist who was brought up in a very religious and conservative household. Jacob was in his thirties and he was still a virgin. Jacob decided to hired Evan, a male escort, to finally take a chance on intimacy. Jacob and Evan met and arranged a date at Evan's home later that night. When Jacob showed up, he was nervous and after he kissed Evan, he left suddenly. Evan was surprised to find himself really attracted to Jacob and wanting to be more than a client to him. Evan had new feelings for Jacob and soon Evan decided he needed to teach Jacob how to approach men and how to be comfortable making himself available. Jacob was confused and realized he enjoyed spending time with Evan and wanted more with him. Jacob and Evan both were new to relationships and faced many problems, not only with Evan's job, but with Jacob being in the closet and his upbringing. I enjoyed the friendship between Jacob and Evan the formed while they were developing feelings for each other. I thought they balanced each other out and both taught the other things. I loved how open Evan was and was not ashamed of who he was. This was a really enjoyable story. Good one.

[Jonny_Jinx · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good start to the bundle. I docked a star for the number of typos and grammatical errors, but there were some good lines that either expanded on popular existing favourites or weren't underlined at all.
For a novella about a virgin and a highly paid escort who ended up at the beginnings of an HEA through (unpaid) friendship and enjoyable companionship, I have been left with hope, a much better start than cheesy books full of swearing, ball-busting fucking, straight to an unearned HEA.
Finally, I have read books written by both these authors singly, and they have been rather good, usually better than in collaborations.

One last note is addressed to the reviewers who complained that "Rent Boy Bundle" only has one rent boy story out of the five novellas. So, to clarify, the bundle is indeed a bundle, but its title is "Rent Boy (singular) Bundle" and NOT "Rent Boys (plural) Bundle."

Whatever one may think about the marketing aim of naming the bundle with the most titillating story title, quite literally what one sees is what one gets.

If those complaining had stopped long enough to read the (rather awful) blurb or even reached the second review, by an excellently-descriptive ARC reader, maybe they would have skipped this collection in favour of something more like "one-handed FRiction"...

[Kera’s Always Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob and Evan were sweet. This book was about realizing what you want and going for it.

Jacob is gay and a capital V virgin, who, at the age he is with the hot bod, the great career, is desperate to take that step. So, he hires a male escort to help him pop that proverbial cherry... It’s a kind of strange choice, but to each their own. He has issues and doesn’t know how to go about getting out there and meeting people. He has no desire to go out and flirt around to find Mr. Right. So, not only is Evan going to get paid to bang him, he is supposed to help him get the confidence to meet people. What he doesn’t expect I’d to start having real feelings for this young man.

Evan is a very self aware individual with an open mind and an open heart. He agrees to help Jacob on his path, but finds very quickly that he is seeing him as more than just a client.

This book was a very short, low steam romance... which is strange, considering this is a book about a male prostitute hired for those exact services. But it was fine. They were cute together.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Rent Boy , it was a sweet coming to terms with ones sexuality book. Jacob is a 30 something workaholic and he’s also a virgin.When Jacob decides to change his circumstances he hires a professional. Evan is a rent boy or as he prefers personal companion, his life is his own and he enjoys helping others in many different compacities of his profession. When Jacob hires Evan to help him through his sexuality and get him ready for the dating world, neither man was prepared that they would fall for each other. Can a straight laced religious 30 something fall in love with a free spirited 20 something rent boy and make it work? This book end in a HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kirsty Mckenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

I was unsure where this book was going to take me, the story of Evan and Jacob was a very lovely one, with an amazing connection between them.
I really enjoyed this one, as I said by the title I had no idea what direction we where going in but it was one you need to take. You will equally love them both but in different ways, and you can feel how they are meant to be together.
I really loved Evan's mother to.
Get it now a beautiful read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Donna Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and loving romance.

Two men figuring out how to be a committed couple. Being a male prostitute for several years, is getting a tad old. And Evan's met a man who has almost no relationship experience. A businessman, Lucus is from a very conservative family. He's several years older than Evan but he trusts him to help overcome the shyness and lack of experience. They manage, make a mistake or two but it's love that gets them through the rough spots. Fairly short as books go, but that works. Good story.

[Teal Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evan is A professional... a Rent Boy who focuses on quality rather than quantity in clients. And he has just been hired by Jacob. The attraction between the two is true and strong. What happens when those professional lines start to blur?

Well written and entertaining. The characters are intriguing and the storyline enjoyable.
I received this book as an advanced reader's copy and voluntarily am leaving my honest review and recommendation.

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book that moves quickly and smoothly. I loved Evan and Jacob and enjoyed watching their relationship evolve from a business arrangement to a steamy romance. I loved reading their story and would recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever!!! I was hooked from the beginning. Tears in my eyes, clenching in my gut, tingles down my spine with the emotional angst of wanting something so bad you can taste it and thinking you can’t have it. Truly so worth reading. I loved it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Annemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob buys Evans services as a "rent boy" to help him overcome his virginity. They both end up falling for each other and have to learn how to navigate a new relationship. This is a love a first kiss romance that is heavy on the situational issues and not so much on the sex. Wish there was an epilogue showing them settled as a couple, maybe even pregnant.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is about to hire a rent boy as he has never had sex before. Is he doing the right thing? Will it be the best thing he ever did? Then the rent boy comes and things will become more complicated. Will it become more than one night? See where this will go

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved watching Jacob and Evan blur the line between business and pleasure...and then obliterate the line. This is a sweet, sexy story about overcoming differences and misunderstandings, and making the choice between love and money. Perfect story by two great authors.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[A S Winciorek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Styles and Oliver have joint forces and come up with a story where religion meets world oldest job by request. I like how one upbringing leaves a man missing out on the joys of intimacies because of religion while the other is promiscuous because of his upbringing and how the authors manage to mesh those upbringings to a believable story.

[M L R · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me

These authors definitely have a loyal following but can't say I enjoyed this short story at all. Evan was a jerk and Jacob was boring. I kind of wish Jacob found true love with the dentist or guy at the club... he at least grew on me and had potential. No real connection between them at all and very low steam.

[Blueleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Man all over again !

It was good, short. I think it could been better. It went a bit fast on the falling in love. Jacob was a virgin but very demanding and has big time OCD tendencies. He hired Evan to popped his cherry, but it doesn't happen because they start having feelings for each other.

[Sharon Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book, Evan and Jacob were beautiful characters and there blossoming relationship was a joy to read,
my only criticism is that it is a bit too short and the ending was rather abrupt,

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several books about escorts but this one is unique...there is immediate attraction between the two men and their relationship develops into a romance instead of a sexual encounter. The dialogue is well written and the HEA just perfect!

[Pamela Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atypical Romance

So in your face up front that it seemed impossible for the romance angle to click....get it did! Excellent conflict resolution without rushing it or flavoring it! Complex yet easy to follow characters! And hot and steamy as well! Excellent job!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this book is a good read but somethings a little slow.
Don't hold that against it all round it's a fun read.
So come on the journey of Evan and Jacob.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book via Booksprout.