The Hooker and the Hermit by L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid

The Hooker and the Hermit by L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





I LOVED IT!!! I am a huge fan of Ms. Cosway’s and when I saw that she was co-writing a book featuring an athlete as the main male character, I was beside myself with glee. Although I have never read Ms. Reid’s writing before, I’ve heard good things about it so I was doubly looking forward to The Hooker and the Hermit. Let me just say that these ladies did not disappoint me.

Annie has a secret … she’s one of the most popular anonymous bloggers on the internet. As her online persona – the Socialmedialite – Annie is witty, charismatic, and pokes fun at unsuspecting celebrities (mostly male) in a good natured way while raising awareness and money for various charities. Because her posts are often satirical and she avoids “attacking” her celebrity victims, most of them are pleased to be featured … that is, until her most recent post. Ronan Fitzpatrick. The rugby player who was recently suspended for assaulting a teammate. The rugby player whose image is so messed up that he is about to become her new project at work. The rugby player who is so much more than she expected, who makes her pulse race, and who is becoming more important to her with each new bit of information she learns about him. That Ronan seems to be just as taken by Annie doesn’t help any because while the Socialmedialite is all about attention, Annie is not. She goes to great lengths to blend in with the crowd and keep to herself. So when the two are photographed together and the PR agency decides that she’s perfect faux-girlfriend material to help reform his image, Annie is thrust into the public eye and the Hermit becomes the center of attention – her worst nightmare. She must decide what’s more important to her – the man she has come to love or her anonymity.

I absolutely loved Annie, Ronan, and Annie & Ronan. Each character is written so that they feel like real people, people I would love to be friends with. As individuals, they’re great, but as a couple they are a freaking decadent treat – éclair anyone? I loved the connection that they had for one another and how gradually it grew from just a physical attraction to falling in love. Even though we were past the half-way point before they finally had sex, the sexual tension between Annie and Ronan was fabulous. As for the sex scenes, mmmmm……. I wasn’t expecting any BDSM in the novel so it was a wonderfully tingly surprise. I completely forgot to mention that on top of everything else, Ronan is Irish; so I was thrilled as I imagined him speaking with a brogue. I quite enjoyed the balance the authors bring of melancholy drama and over-the-top antics that had my heart breaking for the two and then snorting out loud a few pages later; thankfully my snort does not sound like it belongs to “the love child of a pig and an alligator.” The Hooker and the Hermit was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me and will definitely be added to my re-read list. Obviously Ms. Cosway is already on my go-to author list, but I will certainly be checking out some of Ms. Reid’s writing.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

Check out The Hooker & The Hermit by L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid Blog Tour post on Wicked Reads.


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