Flirting is just a part of the job. Until their hearts change the rules…
Two years after extricating herself from an emotionally abusive marriage, high school teacher Caroline “Caz” Baker is still healing. Her friends, though, arrange a date with a hired escort to throw her headfirst back into the dating pool.
Caz tells herself to relax and just have fun, but the beautiful blonde with intense cobalt eyes stuns her tongue-tied. “Eva” is just doing her job, but there’s nothing forced about the electrifying desire streaking through Caz’s body.
Hannah is new to escorting, but she knows the rules. Flirt shamelessly, keep her heart separate. Yet the pain behind Caz’s beautiful green eyes—not to mention her luscious curves—makes it tough to remember the woman is just a client.
So tough, Hannah breaks the rules and gives Caz her real name. But when Hannah’s daughter gets into trouble at school, she is in for the surprise of her life. And the line between personal and professional gets hopelessly tangled…
Note: Discovery is a new lesbian age-gap romance from best-selling author Melissa Tereze. Contains a single mum just trying to make ends meet, a woman with a wounded heart, and one of the most awkward parent-teacher meetings ever.
Melissa Tereze is a best-selling author living in Liverpool, UK, with her fiancée and Golden Retriever. She holds a degree in Sports Development, and when she’s not writing, she can be found at a local bar singing one of her favourite tracks.
You can contact Melissa through her social media and her website.
I came to know of Melissa Tereze when she first published Mrs Middleton. There was some hype surrounding that steamy taboo story and once I started reading, I became a fan. I read her next book, and the next and the next and found myself enjoying whatever she had to offer.
Her books generally follow the same formula - Odd couple, insecure women and miscommunication - something I realise isn't for everyone and this book is no different. Caz is a school teacher who has been beaten down by a toxic ex. She has esteem issues which makes it hard for her to find someone else to move on with, and to help her get back out there, her friend pays for the services of a social escort. Caz is initially reluctant to be a part of it but forms an immediate connection with Hannah, the social escort. Hannah wants to go further with Caz but Caz initially refuses for several reasons. She was unable to accept Hannah's job, she felt Hannah was too young and there's an added obstacle when she finds out that Hannah is the mother of one of her students.
I wasn't a big fan of Caz, at least not in the initial phase. I didn't like the way she dealt with Hannah being a social escort. But I like Hannah well enough throughout the book and Caz grew on me after she spent time with Hannah and her daughter as a family. Plus Tereze writes the steamy bits really well, so I ended up enjoying this story quite a fair bit.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
For me, a book cover is the window to the story I'm going to uncover. It can intrigue and entice or turn me away from a book. Coupled with a good title/blurb my choice is made easier and it was for this book. The author's latest romance has main characters of a teacher and an escort both in desperate need of a growth in self worth and personal change. Caroline (Caz) suffered through many years of a toxic abusive marriage that sucked up her self esteem. She's been reluctantly nudged into getting back in the dating game with an "escort" meeting paid for by her sister and her best friend. Newbie escort Eva (Hannah) is a single mom to Edie, her teenage daughter. With debt and bills to pay her intent is to leave the escort life as soon as she can and feels unworthy of a long term relationship. From their first meeting Caz and Hannah recognize a spontaneous connection and ease and a second date is arranged. Then an incident at school brings teacher, parent and student together with Hannah's daughter revealed as Caz's student. Tereze writes the emotional aspect between the two women cleverly. Caz has to get over preconceived hurdles and trust Hannah. Hannah realistically needs to get a new job for any future with Caz. Is any of that possible? There is so much to this storyline. The angst is evident as is the caring and eventual blossoming of the relationship. Nothing is rushed, feelings are explored, tears shed and it is all paced naturally with self doubt and second guessing intermingled and the pesky age gap set aside. Twists, turns and unexpected events add to the plot plus a perfect heat level and I can't forget three cupids that emerge over time - Brenda, Juliet and Edie resulting in a happy ending. I easily recommend Discovery - a romance that hits the right spot. On my favorites shelf.
I rec'd a copy from the author. This review however is completely voluntary.
For me Melissa Tereze is one of the most talented authors in this genre when it comes to pulling us into a story as a reader. I don’t know how exactly she does it but I know she definitely did it again. I didn’t wanna stop reading and wanted to know what happens next. Another thing Melissa did once more was she surprised me with the direction the story took. I expected something that didn’t come, but instead she has woven other things in I didn’t expect. If you wanna know what I mean, you know what you need to do and that is to read this book. ☺️
What I can say that I totally fell in love with both MC‘s and of course also with Edie Hannah’s daughter. Caroline or Caz like she is called is very vulnerable when she meets the escort Hannah (Eva). She is totally drawn into Hannah’s direction but doesn’t believe it‘s the same for Hannah. I mean how would anyone like Hannah want her? Hannah on the other hand totally feels the same but with her job it’s not that easy as much as she wants it to be. But if Hannah is one thing it is persistent. That’s one of the things I loved so much about her. This is exactly what Caz needs because often in life when we can’t see something by ourselves we need someone else to show us.
I really don’t wanna reveal too much. I really think that you need to read this book and experience everything by yourself. I‘m sure in the end you won’t know who you love more because honestly I couldn’t decide. While I wanted to hug and comfort Caz and loved how she grew during the story, I adored Hannah for her persistent and for being there when Caz needed her the most. They really are perfect together. Or maybe I should say these three are perfect together because I adored all the scenes together with Edie. 🥰
Oh and if you’re anxious about too much angst, I can tell you, you will be ok. And now dive in and enjoy. 🤗
I received an advance reader copy from the author and voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review.
The constant miscommunication in this book made me cringe, the first part of the book Caz was pretty judgmental. She ended up getting better 45% into the story. This wasn’t great for me, it didn’t get decent until 65% in. In the end I didn’t feel like the two MC had any chemistry at all, never felt the exciting build up to their relationship. Also the kid in the book definitely seems wayyyyy younger than 14.
I love Melissa Terese's book premises but I do not enjoy the story when there is too much inner dialogue revolving around the willful denial of what the MCs are saying to each other.
ie. MC1 "she can't really be into me, she's just doing her job as an escort (right after said escort says the exact opposite to her) MC2: "She can't possibly ever really want to be with me for real because I am an escort and obviously not good enough for her".
There are a couple of Ms. Terese's books I absolutely adore and I will just keep those top of mind while I give this one a pass.
I’m such a Melissa Tereze fan. Absolutely. I must admit that after reading any of her books, I need to read something short, low angst with HEA. Happens to be that she’s so good at making you believe every part of the story that you get invested in.
We met Caz she’s a teacher that was in an unhealthy relationship, that has a pretty low self-esteem. Hannah, an escort, but so much more than that.
This is a book that I would definitely read again. You have lots of back and forth but guess the freaking what, those kinds of things happen. Taking into consideration the type of toxic relationship Caz had it believable but also Hannah, her last long-term relationship wasn’t good. I don’t believe in comparisons but what is true is that people get over things in different ways.
The escort thing was interesting because there’s a part where Hannah makes us feel that that’s not what she wants but doesn’t do something to change it sooner, not until she mets Caz. Everything makes sense to me when she says that "escorting is not what I want but isn’t bad either."
Really enjoyed this story. I really like the way Melissa Tereze writes and she did not disappoint with this one. Really loved the MCs dynamic and how, despite their problems, they were always patient and tried to talk to one another and never gave up on each other. And Caroline’s development and how she overcame her doubts and insecurities, born from her previous relationship, was just chef’s kiss! Such a brave woman! Very beautiful story!
Caroline is still living with the effects of being in an abusive relationship. For years her wife made her feel un-lovable, she belittled her and made her feel worthless. 2 years after her divorce Caroline still believes all these things
Hannah has had a run of bad luck and some heartbreak. The woman she’s spent the last 3 years with left her without any explanation, the company she worked for closed down and she has a daughter to support. She’s now working as an escort to pay the bills, a job she doesn’t hate but that she’d rather not do!
When Caroline’s best friend decides to get her a date with an escort, just to boost her confidence in order for her to be able to date again, Caroline doesn’t expect to meet a woman who if circumstances were different, she would like to date! But why would a woman as stunning as this ever want to date her.
Hannah is just going to get another job, but when she turns up and meets her client she doesn’t expect to have all these feelings! Caroline is gorgeous and Hannah would really like to date her for real. But she’s been hurt before so she has to tread carefully.
Oh this book was hard at times, but that was to be expected when you’re dealing with two women that have been through what Caroline and Hannah have! There is a lot of pain, trust issues and believing in one’s self to get through! I think Melissa dealt with it really well! There was a lot of back and forth between the MCs but that’s to expected! They’re both working on themselves so it was never going to be plain sailing.
I struggled with how hurt Caroline was, and how hard she was on herself! Not because of the writing but because it was raw and real and really hard to take! I wanted her to believe in herself and to ‘just get over it’ but I knew she couldn’t and so this caused a lot of miscommunication, again understandable but oh how it hurt my heart!
Hannah seems like a lovely woman, but she too has her own hang ups at times I thought these women weren’t really meant for each other, and then they’d come back together and talk and I could feel that spark, and longing!
After about 65% of the book the weight off my chest lifted and I could start to enjoy the romance and the heat between these ladies.
Hannah’s daughter Edie was a great character. She is 14 but young for her age and she is suffering from anxiety and maybe she has a touch of OCD/autism characteristics because she constantly had to have homework done, tea at a certain time and she couldn’t go to bed without knowing someone was awake in the house. I really liked her she was sweet and loving, I appreciate have a more relatable kid character in a book because newsflash kids aren’t perfect.
By the end of the book I was happy and satisfied with how the story had unfolded and I’m really glad I read it! Melissa always puts me through the ringer and makes me feels so much, and this book is no different!
I’d totally recommend this book, but make sure you’re in a good mindset because this is a raw read and tackles lots of real issues but as always with Melissa it has plenary of heat and a lovely happy ending!
DNF at 20% - I rolled my eyes so hard and so much reading this book that I should probably consult with an ophthalmologist asap. Two stars only because it's sapphic and I'm being extremely kind.
3.5 stars My god I just wanted to stick these two in a room and lock them in! 🤣 I did feel so bad for Caroline, she’s super insecure because of her awful ex wife! But thank god for Hannah, she’s a gem and just what Caroline needed! I did enjoy this book, which is no surprise because I love Melissa’s books. Definitely recommend giving this a read. I tandem read with audio which was also really good.
Written in third person with 2x POV’s. Single mum, escort service, starting over, age gap (13 years), Femme/Femme. 5x Spicy scenes.
Two broken women finding each other."Eva" has a daughter, 14 yr old Edie. The only job she can find that affords her time with he daughter and a good salary is escorting. She only escorts women. This is how she meets Caroline, a 47 yr old divorcee who's wife verbally abused her, when her friends hires "Eva" as her escort. They feel a pull, and "Eva" tells Caroline her real name. Does Hannah(Eva) love Caroline enough to help her through to the otherside? What a great story! I love Melissa's writing!! 5 stars!
Discovery is the story between an escort and a single woman who’s been hurt before. Badly. If you think you’ve read this before you’d be wrong. This is quite different from Melissa’s other book staring MCs in the same predicament. As with all of Melissa’s books this too deals with very serious and upsetting subjects woven between the romance and steamy passages. Caz and Hannah both struggle, albeit their struggle is quite different. Will Caz and Hannah cross the escort/client line? Read the book, it’s as usual, a home run from this author.
Good story but too many back and forth "i want to be with you" / "I can't be with you". Every chapter one of the MC change her mind, i got tired of it and just wanted to slap them both... I usually really like this author's books but this one was not for me.
My brain is wrecked, all thanks to this novel by Melissa Tereze. I couldn't put it down. It is emotional, heartfelt, and amazing chemistry. The growth of the MCs was phenomenal. This is another favorite of mine that I will come back to time and again.
5 ★ | AH YES. Hit EVERY nail on the head for me. The single mom trope. Right up my alley. A beautifully executed story about the effect an emotional abusive relationship can have on one’s self esteem. I adore Melissa as a writer she’s definitely got the knack for it. I’ll give her that! And she’s a scouser too? Double brownie points.
The ending made me cry. I sobbed violently. In a good way. For ALL the right reasons. This book really hit the nail on the head for me. The chemistry, the attraction, the storyline, the pining, the dialogue.
5 stars for you Melissa, bravo! Can’t wait to see what else you bring to the table in the future!
Caz's constant "you're only doing this because you're an escort" despite Hannah continually telling Caz her feelings were genuine was a bit much. You're 47 years old, mate. I know you've been hurt (your ex is repugnant) but a) get some therapy (you can't work through that shit on your own) and b) if someone repeatedly is showing you they care, believe them.
But me? I don't care enough to continue this. It was dragging on. It was the same stuff every single chapter. It was exhausting.
Emotional, annoying, definition of a myriad of love. We have here a forced escort worker with child responsibilities (we all know we can neglect ourselves but for loved ones like a child, a mother will do anything) and an almost going fifty abused divorcee who unfortunately only sees herself with the eyes of her Ex. They click and there goes the story that had me smiling, annoyed, loving and grateful to have read such a lovely book.
Creo que este libro pudo ser más, Caz una de las protagonistas pasó por un momento muy difícil en su vida, ser víctima de una relación en extremo tóxica, y cuando conoce a Hanna su vida cambia para bien.
El problema principal que yo ví y que me decepcionó bastante, es el hecho de como se trató la situación de Caz, porque desde un avión se ve que ella no estaba bien, que aún tenia problemas que debía superar y en ésta historia lo hacen ver qué todo es posible cuando el amor está de por medio. Y eso no es así, la superación de esa vida y el crecimiento del personaje es evidente, solo que la forma en que se llegó ahí, le quitó muchos puntos a mis ojos porque no es realista y eso me llevo a creer mucho menos en el final.
4/5 Favourite Melissa Tereze book.Literally.I've read some of her books ,but this might have been the one that opened my eyes of her talent.
They were everything, from the beginning till the end ,I loved them .Of course there were moments especially at the beginning that I thought were annoying and unnecessary because they were going back and then forward again for quite too many times.
The relationship was so healthy and understanding, made me more delusional in thinking I'm gonna find someone like that.
Plot: This book switches perspectives between Caz and Hannah. Caz first meets Hannah as “Eva” the escort. Caz gets an escort because she needs a confidence boost after the end of her toxic marriage. Hannah and Caz are instantly attracted to each other but Caz believes that “Eva” is lying to make her feel better. They bump into each other a couple times before they realize that Caz is Hannah’s daughter’s teacher. They continue to go back and forth over if they should date or not.
I have a few issues with this book but one of the bigger ones is that Hannah is accepting of Caz’s emotional trauma but Caz is not accepting of Hannah’s job even though it’s just a job. They eventually work though their various issues and start their HEA.
Overall the plot was poorly developed. There were so many characters that coincidentally bump into each other, the back and forth of wanting to date and then not was like a record scratching over and over, and the main characters were not likable.
Characterization: Both characters constantly change their mind about wanting to date for the first half of the book. I can deal with a little indecision but this was infuriating. Especially because their reasons for changing their minds often made no sense.
Writing: Poor writing made this book a struggle to get through. Y-you can o-only h-hesitatingly s-stutter so many times before it becomes annoying. None of the characters genuinely had a stutter, but they ALL constantly had nervous hesitating ones. Even in sentences where it wouldn’t make sense, like this:
“Hey, Edie?” Edie dropped the wheelbarrow and turned. “Y-yeah?” “I love you, too.”
Edie doesn’t know she is about to hear an emotionally charged statement. It would be much more likely that Edie would be expecting a normal response that is not emotional charged. She has no reason to stutter here but the author just sprinkled them in everywhere and it made this book unpleasant to read.
DNF 40%. Someone else might like this story, but Caz’s rudeness about Eva’s escort profession was kinda repelling. I’m sure she’ll show growth later in the book, but I prefer love interests being nice to sex workers and escorts from the beginning. (Which, she’s not even a sex worker and she gets all that flack!)
Meh, the characters were very immature for their ages. Constant back and forth with the same argument. I feel like the book could have been 15 chapters shorter and maybe a little better written. Started dreading it from the middle but forced a finish.
Since I can't rate this 3.5 stars I have rounded up to 4. But, I stand by a rating of 3.5 stars.
The first 1/3 of this book is an exercise in torture. Some torture in a romance novel is acceptable because it's important for the protagonists and the reader to pine for the relationship. This, however, felt like reading an 8 novel series where the main characters flirt every other page and then break-up in between. Tantalizing? Sure. But, at a certain point it becomes absurd. And I understand the absurdity is because one of the protagonists has some heavy baggage. Still, this song and dance went on far longer than it should have.
The remaining 2/3 is really enjoyable. And as someone who has never wanted kids and doesn't particularly care for them, I adore Edie. These characters grew into each other instead of around. It was cozy - like a hug.
The climax is... Hmmm... A bit awkward? It's not awful, it's just strange. However, I do really enjoy the bits afterwards which demonstrate how much each character cares for the other. I just wish the climax was something deeper and more meaningful to the protagonists.
This is another well written romance. The storyline was amazing especially Hannah and Caz taking a chance at love when their circumstances of meeting and past could’ve kept them from each other. Caz had been torn down and made to feel worthless by her ex wife. Hannah’s ex girlfriend left her out the blue no note or explanation. For them finding love and trusting it was real was hard for both characters. A great read and love story.
Good read, I liked the storyline of dealing with Caz’s previous emotional abuse. Seemed like the best friend and sister dropped off halfway through after having bigger roles in the beginning. Wondered how they took the developments between Caz and Hannah