Kristie J’s review of Fauxmance (Showmance, Book 2) by L.H. Cosway
Contemporary Romance published by Amazon Digital Services 13 Aug 18
I’ve said it in the past and it holds just as true with this book: L.H. Cosway writes some of the most unusual and fascinating romance books I’ve read. Whether it’s a hero who gets off on literally playing with fire with his partner or a heroine who makes money dressed as a fairy and standing in one place for hours at a time, her characters are unique. In this book, both Julian Fairchild, our hero, and Ellen Grant, our heroine, are different than your average bear (a reference only those in their older years will get) – though Ellen is the oddest of the two. For those who haven’t read the previous book in this series, Showmance – and if you haven’t then you should – though a secondary character, Julian shined in every scene he was in. And while I’m normally not one who demands that secondary characters get their own books, Julian was an exception and I was so excited when I saw this book was coming out.
Julian is an escort. Though he dabbles, and dabbles quite a bit, in taking things further than simply escorting women, he doesn’t consider himself a prostitute but rather more of a people studier, women in particular, who discovers what they want and then, for a fee, delivers it. He’s selective in who he chooses and focuses much more on the inner person than the outer person.
At present he is fascinated by a woman he’s been observing weekly in a coffee shop as she shares her romantic adventures with her friend. He sits in a corner, unobserved, and listens to them. But he finally has the need to actually speak to this woman, Elodie. In fact, he almost stalks her, following her to both her home and her place of work. And he becomes very confused as he also meets another woman, Ellen, who is the opposite of Elodie in personality, though they look very similar.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler, because this comes out very early in the book, that Ellen and Elodie are actually the same person. Ellen suffers from debilitating social anxiety and rarely can even leave her home. When she gets a makeover, out comes Elodie, a self-confident, outgoing, and sexually adventuresome woman.
When Julian discovers this, he’s enchanted with Ellen and the unusual way she’s developed to have an outside life. The more he gets to know her, the more time he wants to spend with her and help her discover new experiences.
Both Ellen and Julian are wonderfully drawn characters. As good as Julian was in Showmance, and the promise he showed as the lead in his book is fulfilled in this story. As more and more layers are uncovered, we see why he does what he does, and instead of being a kind of cold and unfeeling guy, he cares too much.
And Ellen, my goodness Ellen. She is so multifaceted and so very much more than what she thinks of herself. She’s beautifully written and one of my favourite heroines in quite some time. There’s only been one book by this author I haven’t been that keen on, but Fauxmance is one of the those I’m most keen on and I want to read it all over again.
Grade: A
Summary:
In this era of social media, we all pretend.
We pretend to be prettier, happier, more confident versions of ourselves, but not Ellen Grant. She takes it to a whole other level and pretends to be someone else entirely. Adopting the persona of a woman far more interesting is the only way she can break free of the socially awkward, romantically inept girl she really is.
And it’s all going swimmingly until she catches the eye of a man at her local coffee shop. Julian Fairchild has been noticing her for a while and he’s fascinated. Little does he know, the woman he thinks he’s obsessed with is a fake.
It’s not long before the jig is up, and Julian discovers Ellen’s true identity. However, he has a proposition. If she really wants to pretend, he can introduce her to a world where she can be anyone she wants. Ellen is intrigued by the prospect, and, blind to the nature of Julian’s profession as a male escort, closes her eyes and lets him lead the way.
Can Ellen keep her feelings in check while discovering a new world of thrills and excitement? And will Julian let it show that he isn’t entertaining Ellen purely out of the goodness of his heart?
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
