| Genre | Gay / Science Fiction / Escorts/Porn Stars/Strippers / Aliens / Other Planets / Interspecies / Erotic Romance / Action/Adventure |
| Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 19-February-2016 |
For two decades Corbin Leroux has worked on the planet Wish as a high-priced companion. He loves his life where physical pleasure is encouraged and has no intention of quitting it. Corbin sees his clients almost as part of his family. Not even when bounty hunter Emmanuel Leoniste comes to kill him will Corbin roll over and give up his lifestyle.
Despite being a hired killer, Emmanuel lives by a strict moral code. Killing whores is acceptable, and easy. Or it was until he met up with Corbin. Worn down by the pesky Corbin’s resolve, Emmanuel accepts Corbin's bribe and calls off the hit. But the truce might not last. Emmanuel’s mounting desire for Corbin causes problems. He refuses to allow anyone close enough to become intimate with him, especially someone like Corbin. Yet with each smile and soft kiss, Emmanuel’s emotional shield is dismantled piece by piece.
This sequel of ‘To the Highest Bidder’ is set eight years after Thierry and Monroe get together, and I loved the fact that I got to find out more about Thierry’s somewhat elusive older brother. The story of Corbin, a high-priced companion, and Emmanuel, a hired killer sent to assassinate Corbin, could have gone many different ways. The fact that the author decided to have them fall in love makes this a romance, among other things, and I have to say, it is one of the strangest, most complicated, and therefore most fascinating ones I have ever read about.
Corbin and Emmanuel are very different men, and not just because they are members of separate alien species. The way they think and what they want from life – or believe they want – is so utterly different that the physical variations pale in comparison. Both of them struggle to understand even the basics about each other, yet they are clearly fascinated with who and what the other man is, so they persevere in their quest of figuring out what to do about their attraction. With each of them having a moral code that causes issues for the other, that is not an easy feat. But the final solution they come up with is all the better for all their struggles, and even though I was ready to smack them so they’d be less stubborn, I have to admit that, in the end, their lack of flexibility (up to a point) actually helped them figure out the best possible deal.
Corbin is an aspasian, and he is proud of the fact that he can help people and make them happy. Every time Emmanuel calls him a whore it hurts Corbin deeply. He loves his job and while he wants someone to love as well, he can’t see himself giving up being who he is – and that includes having sex with some of his clients. But as he gets to know Emmanuel better, and as they go through a few crises together, Corbin begins to change. He no longer craves intimacy other than what he shares with Emmanuel, but he still can’t see himself doing anything other than being a companion.
Emmanuel is a bounty hunter who kills for money. He may tell himself that his targets deserve to die, but it is still a brutal job. It is part of why Emmanuel is emotionally closed off to the point that he doesn’t even know how to open up to Corbin. Not that he wants to – he hates the fact that Corbin “cheats” on him with other men. I didn’t think he’d ever get over that part of Corbin’s job, and it was very clear that any compromise, any change Emmanuel would make to his life, would have to be met by Corbin agreeing to a change it might be impossible for him to make.
If you like stories about aliens who are more stubborn than seems possible, if you want to find out more about two men who have moral codes that seem unalterable yet they are so attracted to each other that they have to find a way to live together, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, full of conflict between the main characters, and very hot, then you will probably like this novel. It’s a great sequel to the first book in the series, and another interesting look at the planet Wish and those who live there.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.
| Format | ebook and print |
| Length | Novel, 200 pages/59493 words |
| Heat Level | |
| Publication Date | 19-February-2016 |
| Price | $6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle |
| Buy Link | https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/fantasy-for-a-gentleman-by-caitlin-ricci-5289-b |
