Saturday, June 23, 2018

The Varlet and the Voyeur

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The Varlet and the Voyeur, an all-new standalone in the USA Today bestselling Rugby Series from Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway is available NOW! 



He kept his salacious secret for years. But soon, everyone is going to be reading about it in their morning paper…

THE VARLET (and the VOYEUR)

William Moore is a long way from home. A farm boy from Oklahoma, he’s now the most well-respected member of the Irish rugby team. But appearances are often deceptive, and Will isn’t the clean-cut, all-American good-guy everyone imagines him to be. He’s got a secret, one that will tarnish his reputation forever.

THE VOYEUR (and the VARLET)

Josey Kavanagh is a self-proclaimed mess, but she’s finally get her shi…uh, act together. She’s set her sights on becoming a veterinarian, but there’s one teeny tiny road bump. Her living arrangements are coming to an abrupt end, leaving Josey homeless and in need of a job to pay her way through college.

THE PLAN

What he needs is a companion to keep him on the right path.

What she needs is an apartment with free rent.

Will is convinced Josey will make the perfect companion, since she’s brutally honest and basically ‘just one of the guys.’ Josey is convinced she can ensure Will doesn’t succumb to his voyeuristic proclivities by keeping a scrupulous eye on him.

Except, what happens when the varlet is tempted by the voyeur, and vice-versa?!

Perchance something very, very volatile. And vexing.

The Varlet and the Voyeur is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the 4th(and last) book in the USA TODAY bestselling Rugby Series. 


Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
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*EXCERPT*

*Will*

When I saw how spotless the shared living space was, I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me and peeked my head into her bathroom, Rocky dancing around my feet as I entered the space. The counters were covered in woman-products, but the marble surface and sink were free of water spots, and the glass of the shower had been wiped clean. I glanced at Rocky. He glanced at me. Bemused, I chuckled to myself, about to turn back to the door, and that’s when I spotted it. A dildo. A big, Pyrex dildo. With ridges. In the shower. I froze, blinked, and I stared at it, my brain sluggish. Oddly, I had to remind myself to breathe. Likely because I was . . . I was— I was shocked. I shook myself, tearing my eyes from it and rubbing my chest where an odd kind of pang was spreading mild warmth up my neck. But why was I shocked? Why should I be surprised? Despite my never seeing her that way, Josey was a woman and women have needs. Don’t they? I hadn’t grown up around women—any women. My mother died when she had my youngest brother. My grandmother died before I was born. I had no sisters. We lived on a farm, way out in BFN Oklahoma. Girls—women—and their bodies were sacred lands of the unknown to us Moore boys. Unbidden—completely unbidden—an image of Josey flashed through my mind’s eye. Her full lips parted, her big eyes closed, causing her thick black lashes to catch droplets of water before they dripped over her sharp cheekbones. Her head would be lolled back as shower spray melted bubbles of slippery soap, sliding down her bare skin as they dissolved. Her legs would be parted, and maybe one hand would be braced against the wall of the shower while the other moved in a steady rhythm. Holding that huge, glass dildo. I swallowed a sudden rush of salvia and, unable to help myself, I leaned closer to the sex toy, examining it and comparing its size against my own. I was bigger. But not by much. And for some reason, this realization made me instantly hard. Crap. Of course I knew Josey was a woman, but until this moment, I’d never really thought of her that way. Not even the tampon-mountain drove the point home. Up until this point, she was someone I liked as a person, someone who made me laugh, who was smart and compassionate, someone around whom I felt completely comfortable. A good—no, a great companion. She was still all of those things, except— Except now I’ve pictured her naked. 


I honestly have no clue how to write this review so I apologize in advance for how jumbled this is about to sound. The story wasn't a bad one, and I liked the writing, but I think I just didn't understand it. I didn't connect to either of these character one bit so it made it hard for me to connect to and enjoy the story.

They say first impressions matter, and well Josey did not impress me when we first met her. She's 26, in college, and living at home with her parents. And what does this 26 year old woman do after her parents inform her that they lost their money in a bad investment and will have to sell the house, won't be able to continue paying for her school, and suggest she find a place of her own? Well of course she does what any other self respecting grown woman would do...she throws an over-dramatic fit, packs her bags right then and there, and leaves with no clue where exactly she's going to actually go. With no regard for her parents who have to sell their home, but only worried about herself. 

For me this all just turned me off of her character right away. Not only did she come off as very self absorbed and immature, but it's also a big pet peeve of mine to read about a character that gets mad/upset that their parents won't pay for their schooling. It is very possible to go to school without someone else paying for it. If you want it that bad there are loans, and you could work even though that does make going to school a little harder. Not impossible though, and I'm over reading about characters acting like brats just because they have to grow up and start paying their own way. 

Moving on from my rant, I can say Will was an okay character and didn't annoy me as much as Josey did in the beginning. But I never felt like I knew him, and his situation is where most of my confusion came from with this story. Being a Rugby player he was in the spotlight, so when it came out that he was a voyeur and liked to watch couples being intimate, it was clearly a bad thing for his career. Especially when you throw in the prostitute that lied and said he hired her. But I didn't get the big deal about voyeurism being his kink. Secondary characters were acting like he had some addiction and had to be watched all the time, enter the heroine as a roommate, and were always trying to make sure he was okay. 

I just didn't get it at all and it started to annoy me the more his kink was treated like a bad thing. Sure, it wasn't a great thing for his image but let people have their kink without feeling ashamed! And the fact that I didn't feel like it was treated that way during his own POV's just added to my confusion.

So if you made it this far in my rambling review, I'll tell you to still give this book a try if it sounds interesting for you. I can't say that this was my favorite book these authors have written, but it wasn't bad and I think a lot of people will still find it very interesting.
 

Meet Penny Reid: 


Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny: 
Twitter: @ReidRomance

Meet L.H. Cosway: 

L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favorite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.

Connect with L.H. Cosway: 
Twitter: @LHCosway

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