By the Hour

by Roni Loren

With Lane and Elle you will be wringing your hands because where Lane is the sort of guy that spoke volumes to me, Elle didn’t, well not initially anyway.

Initially I think my main bug-bear was the fact that I was having difficulty with the whole situation surrounding Lane’s job and the fact that Elle seemed to gloss over it. She was formidable woman and I found it odd that his job as a sexual surrogate didn’t bother her more than it did, I tried to put myself in her shoes and I knew that I would have had real problems. Anyway, pushing my thoughts on that particular topic aside, let’s look at the story itself.

Despite my possible preconceived notions about Lane’s professional role, I thought that he really was helping those who had a genuine need and in many respects those that he was helping were in good hands because he was a really nice guy and when it came to Elle what I really liked was seeing him get under her skin and encourage her to relinquish the reigns that she seemed to hold onto so tightly. Giving Lane the control that she helded so dear wasn’t an easy decision for her but it was what brought out a side of her that I hadn’t expected.

The way their relationship developed was what sealed the deal for me, made me rethink everything that was picking away at the back of my brain. They were so comfortable around each other that I couldn’t help but feel as if their connection had a realism that was refreshing.

I thought the author used several clever and engaging techniques to keep me entertained.

Well written, this was a story that made me take a good look at my own expectations and I loved that this author was able to do that to me, like Lane did to Elle, this book got under my skin and broke down some walls.