Pretty Man

by Ryan Field

Roland Marcus, still not over the fact that his twenty year relationship has ended, accidentally bumps into a hot young guy in a used book store…a strapping male hustler whom he decides to hire for one week to accompany him to charity events while he’s in New York. He offers him five thousand dollars, with no strings attached, to just stand by his side and look pretty. Josh Holden, a young guy who is helping to support his son and saving money to buy a business with his best friend and ex-wife, is only too happy to escort Roland anywhere he wants to go that week. And he’s not doing it just for the money… Unlike most stories, where the rich and powerful husband dumps the hard working, devoted life partner for someone younger, this one takes a turn in the opposite direction when the rich husband is the one to get dumped. But with young Josh’s help, Roland learns in less than a week’s time that his future can still hold both earth-shattering sex and a love of real substance.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Menage, Erotica, Gay, LGBT

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ryan @ryanfield Hybrid author of over 100 published modern romance novels and stories, including AN OFFICER AND HIS GENTLEMAN, FANGSTERS, and THE RAINBOW DETECTIVE AGENCY. He is a Lambda Award-winner with a short story and he's always more than thankful for reader reviews. In fact, he cherishes reviews from real readers, and that means good or bad reviews.

Reviews

[Daisiemae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author. I didn't love it, but I did like it. The story definitely has the whole "Pretty Woman" storyline to it. My problem with the book was I thought the characters didn't quite connect like I wanted them to. Their relationship to me was like getting one foot from the finish line, and not being able to cross it.

There are ALOT of sex scenes in this book. There is voyeurism, toys, light BDSM and there is a menage scene. (I kinda skipped over that part since I am not a fan of menages) The characters had sexual chemistry together, but they didn't connect on an emotional level to me. They seemed to like one another, and there is a HFN ending that was kinda sweet.

Roland Marcus has been hiding out for the past year. His lover of 20 years cheated and then dumped him for a younger man. Although, their relationship had been rocky at the time, this still hurt and humilated Roland enough to lick his wounds alone and shut himself from the world for a while. When Roland runs into his ex-partner on the street, he ducks into a local bookshop and runs into a sexy, younger handsome man. He is everything Roland is not. From the way he dresses and carries himself to the confidence he has with his sexuality. Roland offers to pay the man money to go outside and meet his ex as his boyfriend. The sexy man agrees.

Josh Holden is never one to turn down easy money. Half-owner of the bookstore and part time male escort, he is more than happy to accompany Holden to meet the ex. After they meet and convince the ex that they are dating, Holden offers Josh Five Thousand Dollars to be his escort, as his boyfriend, and attend some local parties and functions Holden has been strong-armed into attending. Josh of course needs the money, so he agrees and they spend the week together.

The simularities to Pretty Woman are: Holden takes Josh on a shopping spree and buys him TONS of clothes, Josh never kisses his clients-but kisses Holden in the end, Holden outs Josh as an escort to his ex ,of all people, and this embarrasses Josh so much he wants to leave, but Holden apologises and convinces him to stay...and so on.

I plan on reading this author again. I did like his style of writing, and he writes some hot sex scenes, but I am hoping for some more emotion and love between the characters.

I loved Pretty Woman. I thought Pretty Man could have been better, but it was okay.

2.5 stars out of 3...but I'll bump it up to 3.

[Fabi NEEDS Email Notifications]

DNF @25% I can't keep going. These are two dimensional stereotypes engaging in simple, boring porn. It's an insult to Pretty Woman which was an emotionally intense portrayal of Cinderella type second chances.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A gay retelling of Pretty Woman. I picked it up, because I am a fan of the marriage-of-convenience trope. Fake relationship, close enough. It turned out to be mostly porn with little plot.

Could have done with the use of a good editor or beta reader to iron out all the inconsistencies and continuity errors.

The porn was ok, I guess. Not terribly erotic. Halfway through this was pretty much PWP. Some BDSM. Forget informed consent though (aka the group sex scene, the sex shop, etc.).

I was looking for a romance novel, when I picked this up. Which this is most definitely not. There was no emotional connection between Roland and Josh or any real intimacy.

Josh sounded like an imbecile. Do people really talk like that? Generally there was plenty of bad dialogue. Corny, repetitive. I did a lot of eye rolling.

And the book was full of stereotypes, which is funny considering that the author writes in the opening words about lacking positive role models growing up and wanting to change that.

If you are looking for m/m erotica without much of a plot and some kink, this might be for you. For me it was a DNF at 65%. I was ready to quit sooner, but I wanted to give it a chance.

I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you! P.S.: You would probably have a better target audience, if you categorized this as erotica.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of Pretty Man from Riverdale Avenue Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reasons I requested this book:

- age gap (approximately 20 years)
- single parent
- fake dating

First things first, this book should honestly be marketed as erotica rather than a romance because it’s sex, sex, sex, and little to show any kind of romantic feelings are developing.

I wanted to DNF this book within 4% when the narrator, Roland, describes Josh’s pectorals as looking like “halved grapefruits.” But hey! Maybe that meant this would be a cheese-fest, right? NOPE! I have so many highlights and comments wondering what I’m even reading, if these are actual things people think and/or find sexy, and flabbergasted. The only reason I chugged through is because my approval for this book asked that if I DNF not to review, so I “spite read,” skimming most of the sex scenes by the end and flipping through the last several pages.

Okay, so, we’ve got Josh, an escort who is also a father wanting to buy a bookstore with his ex, and using his sex work to supplement their income. We don’t even realize he has a kid until over 50% into the book and only see his son like once. This didn’t really read like a fake dating story, all that happens is lots of sex scenes in the rich dude’s house and drama with Roland’s ex as the Big Climax.

And those sex scenes!! Oh god they’re terrible; this honestly reads like someone writing their first PWP story and a teensy bit of plot snuck in. We’ve got so many exaggerated descriptions and weird consent issues. Like, from the get-go Josh was touching Roland’s butt in public, not to mention the way he almost immediately has Roland strip down so he can fuck him. And, oh god, there’s so many “I’m a total top and you’re a total bottom and the reason your relationship failed is you’re both bottoms” and why they’re exclusively top/bottom and saying people aren’t actually versatile for the most part. Uhm, what??? And there’s one part where Roland is all “bottoms have an obligation to be smooth (shaved) and toned and prepare themselves so the top can just get to it.” What is this?? Is this a reality I’m not privy to? It was just so absolutely agonizing to read these scenes~! And, oh yeah, Josh invites two friends to Roland’s for a foursome as a SURPRISE! and they go to a sex shop where STRANGERS join in on their sexual encounter. How is that okay or sexy?? And the BEST (aka ABSOLUTE MOST HORRIFYING WORST) was using CUPCAKE ICING as lube for anal sex. CUPCAKE ICING!!!!!!

Like I said, there’s really not much in the way of a plot; it’s just sex scene after sex scene. The way we end up getting drama and tension, is in the shape of Kenneth, Roland’s ex boyfriend. Kenneth is always touching Roland, calls everyone “Doll,” and treats Josh like a second-class citizen. The worst part is Roland discloses Josh’s sex worker status to Kenneth and when Kenneth is reassuring him that he won’t tell anyone, Roland legit says “I really don’t care who knows.” Uhm, you do NOT have the right to disclose that to anyone else and it can be dangerous for someone to know he’s a sex worker. And it does end up being dangerous!! Kenneth attempts to rape Josh being all “wanna make a little extra this weekend?” And Roland can’t comprehend why Josh would be upset/hurt that he told Kenneth he’s an escort.

This book was just TERRIBLE. It has tropes I enjoy so I was looking forward to reading this (I’ve never watched Pretty Woman, which this is supposed to be based(?) off) but I came away from this book upset and uncomfortable. I don’t think there is a single person I’d recommend this to.

Content notes:

✨ what’s with the waist measurement??
✨ talking about sex work, tho semi vague
✨ cheating in past - ex cheated on MC w/ new boyfriend
✨ smacking butt in public - not discussed prior
✨ showing genitals without consent
✨ on page sex
✨ dangerous driving - speeding, driving yellow lights, pedestrians jumping out of the way
✨ classism
✨ bribing salesperson for good service
✨ paying person for their time as escort to charity events
✨ semi public sex (dressing room)
✨ getting caught during sex
✨ fatmisia
✨ fat fetishization(???)
✨ commenting on another person’s weight
✨ light bondage play
✨ food used during sex
✨ interrupting someone when they try to speak, power play feel to situation
✨ mentions of losing friends to HIV/AIDS
✨ MC is last living founder of HIV/AIDS foundation
✨ road head
✨ telling someone they like something because of physical response (“you like this, look how hard you are already.”)
✨ invading personal space
✨ f*g h*g 😬😖😣
✨ inviting others into sex as “surprise,” not previously discussed/negotiated
✨ sex shop
✨ people having sex in open(?) area of sex shop
✨ salesperson reaching to remove MC’s clothes w/o warning
✨ exhibition and voyerurism
✨ putting collar on person w/o discussion/negotiation/consent
✨ stranger touching a couple during sex to “help”
✨ foot fetish
✨ fatmisia
✨ threats of violence
✨ sexual assault, non-consensual sexual touching
✨ trying to excuse non-con touching
✨ sex work shaming(?) - saying “in your line of work I’m sure you’ve heard much worse than that from guys far worse”
✨ telling someone they’re acting like a child for not wanting non-con touching or being told it should be okay/accepted because he’s a sex worker and is packing a bag to leave
✨ bimisia - acting like a man with a man flirting with a woman is the worst thing he could be doing
✨ sexual objectification
✨ trying to proposition sex and when denied, getting forceful - attempted rape
✨ physical violence
✨ commenting derisively on small genitalia

[Trio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not pick up this goofy little erotica novella unless you want to snicker and snort the whole way through. Hopefully I'm not completely misunderstanding this author's sense of humor (and he is new to me), but this one's cheeky as hell.

Intended as a spoof of Pretty Woman once I reminded myself not to take it too seriously I actually enjoyed most of it. Lost count of all the little things that had me rolling my eyes as if, but in the end that was okay and it all works.

While I definitely could have done without the description of Josh's underarms smelling like "raw onions and stale, yeasty beer" (yes, that's a direct quote and yes, it's supposed to be a good thing), the sex scenes were pretty hot and worked for this couple.

Ryan Field does a good job with the characters. Roland, a 45 year old multi-millionaire who's been living without it for way too long, and Josh a horny as hell $200/hour male escort with amazing stamina and a heart of gold, work well together.

The supremely campy dirty talk kept me laughing, and I can honestly say I'll read another book by Ryan Field when I need a smile... assuming (again) I'm not wrongly interpreting this one!

a copy of Pretty Man was provided by NetGalley for the purpose of my honest review

[Lillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to see a continuation story with these characters. The physical attraction between them was pretty hot at times, but I didn't feel any emotional connection until the end.

[Charly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t believe in the characters’ supposed emotional attachment

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 4/10

PROS:
- Some of the descriptions of characters and situations are funny. Here’s one I liked: “Sometime in his early 30s, he reinvented himself as a quasi, free-spirited Tallulah Bankhead type.”
- There’s a lot of sex, which I expected since one of the characters is an escort, but most of the sex scenes are unusual. I didn’t find them very stimulating, necessarily, but I also didn’t find them boring.
- Roland has tons of money, so a lot of the places they go--and a lot of the things they do--are exotic and high-brow and exciting.

CONS:
- I didn’t see anything outstanding in the characters’ emotional attachment to each other. I saw a lot of sex, so I believed that the guys were hot for each other, but I didn’t at all believe by the end of the story that they were in love. And Roland and Josh know each other for 3 days at most before deciding that they want to get tested so that they can bareback. I simply could not suspend my disbelief enough to believe that anyone would do that without first being at least halfway in love with the other person.
- The writing is plagued by constant POV shifts and near-constant “telling” instead of “showing.” Example: the men are talking (superficially) about the fact that Josh wants to own a bookstore one day, and then there’s this: “Roland liked that Josh was an avid reader, but was preoccupied with the young man’s [body part].” Why did Roland like that Josh was an avid reader? What does that tell him about Josh? Is this something they might have in common? These sorts of holes contributed greatly to my not being able to see an emotional attachment between the characters.
- There are little inconsistencies all through the book that display very sloppy editing. Here’s an example from the first page: “When Roland looked in the mirror late at night, he noticed the right side of his face seemed to be aging faster than the left. There were a few faint laugh lines at the corner of his left eye, while the corner of his right remained smooth and tight.”
- I’m all for sex scenes that are passionate and romantic and emotional, etc., and I understand that a lot of people get off on group sex. What I don’t understand is an escort inviting two of his friends over to take turns “tagging” his current client without even asking whether that’s something the client is interested in.

Overall comments: As the title suggests, this is pretty much a point-by-point gay version of Pretty Woman (too similar in my opinion: Roland, for example, is afraid of heights, just like Richard Gere’s character). There’s a lot of sex, so if you’re into that, you might like it. But I didn’t find it emotionally engaging enough to keep my interest for long.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I made it to about 10% in and realized that what we were promised and what we got were two very different things. Most of what made Pretty Woman so successful was its unabashed charm; that is completely missing in here in what feels like a Marty Stu's dream of the perfect gay porno. But even the crudity would be manageable if the writing wasn't so incredibly unsophisticated. I'd love to see the author's "gay version of Pretty Woman' too as he promised in the introduction - but we didn't get it here at all.

Roland needs a date to make his ex jealous. He sees a hot young hunk named Josh and immediately propositions him. Sex, sex, and more sex ensues with plenty of eyeing of bulges and grabbing of butts between.

I knew I was going to have a hard time with this book as soon as I saw this sentence on the first page: "From a distance, he could still pass for 30; but up close in broad daylight, you could tell he was closer to his true age." There are a LOT of sentences like that which should make sense but just don't. The writing is stilted, lacking segues, and focused purely on getting from one sex scene to the next.

Story wise, there was no emotional attachment whatsoever. I didn't believe in either character or their situations as a result. Nor was I ever enticed to actually care about any character in this book. Just about every cliche of the genre was here (gay porn) and so oversimplified to the point of being about as egregious a Marty Stu as you can get. I received this as an advance review copy from the publisher but I honestly would have been very disappointed had I actually spent money for this title. Reviewed as an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Addicted2M/M · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[meep · Rating 1 out of 5]

me the guy then 10 minutes later they are doing it 0___0 i mean i enjoy some good action as much as the next person but too fast and 500$ to stand next to you for 5 minutes ......

[Usagi Tsukino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not even 1 star.
Didn't even bother to finish this, after two chapters I couldn't read it anymore.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as I could tell this was fairly close to the movie Pretty Woman only with tons more sex and colorful descriptions. And the two stars is because I actually managed to finish it! :)

[Janeylou · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This LGBT novel take off of the popular 80’s romantic comedy seems to miss a lot of marks and it is a shame as the premise is very promising.

Field’s book is more erotica than romantic novel and lacks a certain depth that the film it takes off seems to offer in spades. There is no real emotional or heart connection beyond the bump and grind of sexual appetites and the opening up of orifices that leaves the reader a bit cold.

The main characters are likable but if Field had take the time to delve into the emotional side of the characters beyond the sexual, this could have been a definite winner. The ex boyfriend of the piece is very two dimensional and as far as the new boyfriend, he is just there with no real character points to life him up. The secondary characters are better drawn which happen to be woman and they definitely come more alive on the page then any of the gay characters on hand.

The book, if judged on the erotica angle is very well handled and Field’s tends to excel on these passages but lacks emotional depth to make this a memorable book. Having read this less than a day ago, the story is losing all essence of ever being read which is a real shame.

Overall, this is not very thought out romantic comedy and wondered maybe if another writer took advantage for this gay take off of a classic film that maybe we would have something that had a bit more feeling and more oomph. If you are looking for erotica, then this maybe your cup of tea. If you are looking for romance and seeing how two people connect on an emotional level, then this book is sadly lacking.

[Riayl · Rating 2 out of 5]

So...rather disappointed. We have the m/m version of Pretty Woman which I didn't really like but mostly because Richard Gere completely does NOT do it for me and rather creeps me out making it difficult to watch and enjoy a movie he is in. Sorry. *shrug* Anywhos, I was interested.

Then I started reading. Flat, like squished possum on the highway flat. Cardboard characters, no emotions. Sex that was totally not sexy. Then our "Pretty Man" brings in two of his buddies to have group sex with our Gere-replacement, but never asks if that is okay. I'll be honest, I had a total freak out moment over that. Almost dropped the book then and there because I was frankly sick to my stomach and completely wigged out. But those are my issues and I managed to push past it, hoping, I guess, that somehow these characters would start to show some emotion. Nuh-uh. Add in editing issues and a completely unlikable cast of side characters - oh, wait, the lady he had the business meeting with, I liked her - otherwise they were all nasty little...nasties. *sheepish look* Couldn't come up with an appropriate word.

1.5 stars - I didn't quite hate it, but it was pretty darn close.

[FloJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

this didn't do anything for me at all. The title Pretty Man is a play on the Pretty Woman film. ie prostitution. Albeit male. It had promise but I don't think the author could decide what sort of book to make it nor which market he was aiming it at, then at the end lost his way and finished it off in a rush. I don't usually say this because I think there is a bit too much stringing us along by selling what is really one book in 2 or even more installments, but in this case it might have been better to separate the elements of the story and write several different ones.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda porny, and the writing is not the best. But I like Roland and Josh. The resolution to Josh and Hilary's problem is a little pat, and I don't buy their reactions. But I do believe as the book ends that Roland and Josh are moving off into their Happy For Now, if not their Happily Ever After. Some problems, but generally an entertaining read.

As of 3/30/11, the ebook is available for Kindle for 99¢.

[Mirdja · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book did absolutely nothing to me. Basically it was boring and quite badly written. The story was Pretty woman, but without the funny moments and the feeling of romance. I didn't like any of the characters and that alone ruined the book for me.

[MsMiz (Tina) · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.75.

[Ely · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has to be the worst book I have EVER read... The writing was horrible. The characters were straight from a bad, low-budget 70's porn video... HORRID.

[Maureen Lubitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found Pretty Man on Netgalley, and I requested it because my interest was piqued by the possibility of a m/m take on Pretty Woman. I read quite a bit of m/m, and although my preferred genre is historical romance, I’m not opposed to contemporary.

From what I understand, this novel was originally published in 2009, and author Ryan Field is re-releasing it now that rights have reverted back to him. The first thing I noticed is that Field did not give his book a once over before republishing it because there are numerous errors throughout the book. I don’t bring this up to be petty or pedantic, but there’s a continuity error in the second paragraph of the first page.

The premise is familiar when considering the source material: a good-looking guy in his 40s (Roland) ends up hiring a young escort (Josh) to spend the week with him, no strings attached. Roland buys Josh some fancy new clothes, they go to some fancy parties, and when the end of the week rolls around, they realize that they’re in love.

Not so fast.

Let’s start with the sex. There’s a lot of it, and the prolific amount seemed more akin to erotica than the conventional romance market that it’s being marketed as. At the beginning of the book, Josh says (to paraphrase) that he’s not into weird stuff. However, over the course of the book, Josh “surprises” Roland with group sex with two of his friends, Josh and Roland engage in public sex at a sex store, Josh and Roland experiment briefly with power dynamics, and they use cupcakes as part of their sexcapades. I certainly don’t want to kink shame, but I interpreted Josh’s statement to mean that he preferred conventional sex, so it was somewhat surprising to see such an eclectic mix of activities.

It’s clear that Josh and Roland have a physical connection, but I’m not buying the love connection. During their many many sessions together, there is only about one where Josh touches Roland intimately. I get that Josh is a “top”, but what happened to helping a buddy out? Just because there’s a mutual orgasm doesn’t mean that there’s any intimacy.

I am also dubious of Josh’s prior relationship. I’m going to be vague here for spoilers (although that horse is already out of the barn), but even though Josh was no longer in a relationship with his ex per se, he is not completely disentangled from said ex, and I’m not sure he’s in a position to be able to just go gallivanting off with Roland due to prior obligations.

Stylistically, this book has a lot of head hopping, and it was difficult to tell whose perspective it was supposed to be in any given scene.

Ultimately, Pretty Man does not work as the romance novel it is being marketed as. However, as erotica, this book is decent. If you’re looking for a book with a lot of sex- a parody, perhaps, of a beloved 1980s movie- then this is okay. No complaints. I would even read more from Ryan Field in the future.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

[Lullu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review and there it is.
Roland is a man that after a relationship of over 20-years and been dumped, he met Josh, a young guy, and pay him to be his fake boyfriend for one week, like a male escort.
I truly liked the introduction that explain the problem we in the LGBT community have found in the LGBT content (books or movies), and the author wrote that he wrote about an asexual character, but frankly I can’t remember someone even close to be asexual.
I’m giving this book 4 stars, but that review feels more like a 3,5 stars.
I liked this book, one of the LGBT book with a happy ending! No tears here, honey.
It has really good description of place and sex scenes (it really describes everything) and has a strong language.

IT MIGHT CONTAIN SOME LITTLE SPOILER, I SWEAR NOTHING REALLY BIG THOUGH.

And there was something that I couldn’t really get, why every time Roland wants to give Josh a blowjob he has to be naked, I mean you will only use your mouth or/and your hands.
They experienced some sex stuff that probably were too much for me, that are not exactly my type of things, and I don’t fully liked it, but obviously this thought is extremely personal.
Maybe I was a little disappointed because I was expecting maybe more romantic and fluffy shit, but I got it only in the very last chapters.
Another thing that I didn’t like was that more than one Josh use the word pussy to describe Roland’s hole, but the whole thing about homosexual sex is exactly that there is no pussy here, and I don’t think that a gay man would say something like that to his partner.
Roland and Josh can get along with each other even though they’re really different kind of people. Speaking of, I like the age difference but I think that it wasn’t really highlighted, the author decided to bring that up only when Roland was getting ready for some mundane party.
This seemed like a gay and more smutty version of fifty shades of grey.
But in the end I liked it, even though I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone one, maybe to may gay best friend and his boyfriend, they would probably take some ideas.

[Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok...Full disclosure...I am obviously not this book's target audience. I am a hetero female who loves to read romance novels and erotic novels. I have read many romance and erotic novels in the LGBTQ category and have enjoyed lots of them. I understand the differences between m/m romances that are written for female fans of the genre and those that are written specifically for men...and I can enjoy them both. This is clearly a book written for the gay male but I still found some aspects of the story to be quite enjoyable. I liked the main characters Roland and Josh but I wanted more depth to the characters.

For me the story could have been vastly improved if written in first person, dual POV with even the smallest insight into the emotions of these two characters but I understand that my perspective is likely to be different from the that of the target audience. (I also could have done without the orgy but enjoyed the sex shop scene.) I just expected a bit more romance from a book that was billed as a Pretty Woman parody but I found I had read more than 80% of the book before I had clue that either character was actually feeling any kind of connection other than sexual.

Would I recommend this book to other female fans of m/m romance and erotica? Probably not, but I would probably read another book from Ryan Field to see if I found it any more enjoyable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book . Aside for the similarities/parody aspects of it in relation to the movie, Pretty Woman-- I found it to be a very pleasant and VERY sexy M/M Romance. This is a reprint and I'm glad it is being re-released or I might have missed it.

Roland and Josh are both interesting and lovable characters. It's funny though because as I read, I did not picture them at all like the men in the cover art.

If you appreciate the erotic content in a gay romance, this book is overflowing with it. Each encounter being uniquely different from the previous one. I'm saying-- there is sex on nearly every page. What worked best about this for me was the fact that though their relationship is 'contract based', it always felt real and casual like sex between friends. As you can imagine, things get a little complicated in the process but it never goes outside of realistic behavior.

Two different worlds collide-- between the sheets and then in the hearts of two special men-- in spite of the sometimes amusing/annoying interference of Roland's flamboyant Ex.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I loved Pretty Woman, still do, and when I'm flipping channels and find it on, I usually stop my search for something to watch right there. With that in mind, the idea of a M/M version of the story appealed to me. Unfortunately, that's the last thing about this one that did appeal to me. In the introduction, the author says, "If you remove the erotica, the story line itself is the classic Cinderella trope." The problem is if you remove what passes for erotica, there's not much story to consider. There are a few loose similarities to the movie, the most prominent being the cover, but the key element is missing - Chemistry! There is zero chemistry between this pair. Of course, with so little actual story, it's hard to build any character depth, anything to show why these two can't keep their hands off each other. The few things brought in to add some angst are quickly glossed over for another sexcapade - and I use that term loosely. While the steamy time is considerable, it's repetitive and often times, eye-rollingly over the top. To sum it up, most of the book reads like bad 70's porn and is not something I would recommend to anyone looking to read a romance.

[Brian Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amusing male on male take on "Pretty Woman", set in New York rather than Los Angeles. Wealthy businessman Roland pays male escort Josh to stand in as his boyfriend for a week of charity functions that he sponsors. Of course their relationship becomes more than trick/client as the week progresses. There is an age difference that only seems to be noticed by Roland. The pair have a great week as Josh shows Roland some New York sights he was not aware of, even though he has lived there for many years. A visit to a sex shop is balanced against a night out at the opera. A downer is Roland's bitchy ex-boyfriend; maybe too much of a stereotype.

There's plenty of explicit male/male sex, which shouldn't come as a surprise. Josh has some strong views about tops and bottoms, and gay relationships.

There's some over-the-top commentary and events, but all in all it's a fun read. Recommended for light entertainment.

Thanks to Riverhead Books and Netgalley for my copy of this eBook. The views expressed are my own.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers!!! Spoilers!!!

Pretty Man, sexy older rich man, meets hot young escort, one weeks work for $5,000. It has a similar theme as pretty women when it comes to that and the shopping. This book is on fire with crazy hot sex scenes that will make you want to drop your panties and have your own fun with your partner. I will never look at a cupcake in the same way.


****Spoiler below !!************************************



Other than the hot monkey sex which there is a ton of, I didn't feel like the two guys really got to know each other by the end of the week and the whole thing with Kenneth at the end was just to much for me to believe. I felt like most people would not be helping there ex out like that. I could see buying the house but that would be all. I don't fell like Hillary would have flipped like that I felt like she suddenly like Richard and I didn't feel that was true at all.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

For the full review check out https://wp.me/p220KL-eu1 on 8/24

From that review: " I admit it. I love the movie Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.  I can visualize scenes based on a laugh and a clap of a jewelry box.  The sight of a outside escape ladder on a building will immediately call up memories of that ending where he heads up the ladder and she tells him that the fair maiden rescue's the Knight right back.  Swoon!  Because of course, that's the point.  She rescued him just as much as he did her.  There was an odd vulnerability on both parts and a toughness.  A relationship we could give our hearts too.

All of which is what's missing here."


For all our reviews, check out http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...

[Gavin Stephenson-Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you need to look a little deeper. Roland finds this out when he hires Josh to be his escort for a week of charity events. Josh is more than willing to take the job with the handsome older man. Not only is the money attractive as he and his ex-wife try to save money to buy their used bookstore, but also to support his young son, but Roland is too. Roland was dumped by his ex-boyfriend after 20 years and doesn't want to have to face him alone, hence the arrangement. As the week draws to a close he and Josh begin to realize that their time together may have more significance than they intended, and both are a little afraid of the implications. When Roland is offered the option to come back and rescue the company he once owned it means staying in New York near Josh. Could they make it work? Only time will tell. An interesting read.

[Jennifer Shanahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book followed the story of Pretty Woman loosely...Roland and Josh meet accidentally and Roland ends up paying Josh $5000 to be his escort for the week. Roland had been in a long term relationship but his partner left him for a younger man and he has been alone ever since. He is independently wealthy but not happy. Josh obviously makes him happy but he can't say that since he is paying him and also Roland doesn't know how Josh feels. There is A LOT of sex in this book, way more than the original Pretty Woman and way more kinky too. Not the best writing or plot but Josh and Roland were super cute together. Super fast read and a perfect summer beach book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!