Manwhore (Manwhore #1) by Katy Evans
Contemporary Romance
Released March 24, 2015
Gallery Books

Reviewed By Sheena

Favorite Quote: “My expose’…what will I expose now?  I came in to discover and unmask a legend, but what I found is now lying sweaty and sated in my arms, flesh and blood, imperfect and irresistible.  And this-with him, here- is the first real spot I’ve ever been in my life where I wanted to stand still.

Card on the table?  I barely skimmed the blurb as the title alone was enough to get me on board….I mean come on, an author ballsy enough to title their book Manwhore, I don’t know about you but that was an auto-read in my book if for no other reason than to see if the audacity is a fluke or backed up by a kick ass novel. Spoiler alert- Katy Evans has the goods and she definitely delivered.

Rachel Livingston is a lovely young reporter on her last ditch big story at her hanging-on-by-a-thread-low-circulation magazine, Edge.  Her assignment, get close to and write a hot expose’ on billionaire bachelor Malcolm Saint.  Rachel scores her interview and catches Malcolm’s interest in the process.  They tumble into a torrid affair that scorches the pages and singed my fingers.  They break my heart when they fall apart when her initial motivation are revealed.  Though you see the conflict and climax coming more than a dozen miles away, the ride is sooo worth the predictability of the destination.  Malcolm Saint.  Saint.  More like Sin.  More like the author  absolutely blew me away with his characterization.  I want him. I want to experience the storm that is  Saint.  He is the elusive, powerful wealthy stoic, scarred by his upbringing and parental issues hero that we all know well.  But Saint is also an enigma with enough mystery and depth that makes a girl want to jump in- vag first- for the emotional layer peeling long haul.

“Oh no!”  I laugh when he starts to lower his head.  I clench my legs and stop him by grabbing a fistful of sooty black hair.  “It’s too intimate! I can’t”

He trails a hand down my curves, his eyes glimmering, but not with a smile, with a challenge.  “Let me taste you,” he says husky and hot.  

I go quiet and melt as his lips press to my stomach, my navel, lower.

“Malcolm.” I protest first, holding my body tense on the bed.

His first lick- I tense up, my hands in his hair ready to stop him. “What if I don’t taste good?”  I breathe.

He runs the tip of his tongue over my clit and dips it inside to the complete massacre of my senses. 

Mmm. You do.”

The plot, though we’ve been here before reads exciting.  It’s 50 Shades meets you favorite rom com sans the lazy pace.  Each chapter ratcheted up the angst and before long I was groaning (audibly!??!) imploring Rachel to just call the whole damn thing off, ditch that dying publication and put it all on the line for her man!  Rachel is the perfect heroine for this plot.  She is a smart balance of self-deprecation and confidence.  She is proud enough not to want to be just one in the line of Saint’s play-thing-toss away-booty brigade; and yet she is vulnerable and realistic enough to go with her gut and make the kinds of choices women make every day regarding being swept away in a play boy love affair.  Rachel is utterly genuine and I root for her hardcore.  I may even make a t-shirt.

Malcolm is alluring and he pursues Rachel with a full frontal seduction that leaves her breathless often.  He is alpha to the core but does not beat her over the head with his control.  He gives her room to graze –  the little lamb to his wolf- allowing her space to retreat when she is overwhelmed by the magnitude of their mutual desire but he spares her no mercy when he decides that she is his.

“Rachel,” he says as he takes my arm and pulls me out of the car.  

“What…what are you doing?”

“Something I should’ve done before.”

I refuse to take a step as he takes my hand and tugs me toward him.  My eyes are huge.  “You’ve lost your mind.”

“I have,” he agrees, then he lifts an eyebrow.  “Are you coming up, or do you want me to carry you.”  

“Please don’t carry me,” I beg, aware of Otis’s absolutely stunned stare.

“Then come with me.”  I take one step forward, his fingers lacing, strong, through mine and then we’re back on the elevator.  When the doors open, when nobody else can see us, he swings me up on his arms and folds me over his shoulder.  “Saint! Malcolm SAINT!  Put me down, what are you doing?”

“I’ll put you down soon.” I fall still and swoon inside, my heart done for.  

“You’re sleeping over.  You’re staying the night here.”

The sensuality is tangible, and as the story unfolded it killed me that I could not insert myself into the novel and save them from themselves.  Rachel makes an epic mistake allowing Malcolm to find out the truth splashed in the media instead of explaining herself.  Why!! Why!! Argh!  It is a talented writer who can make this archetypal trope so damn engaging.

Manwhore, the cool, little book with the big,salacious title deserves major kudos. Manwhore is a rich story with funny supporting characters; Malcolm’s BFF Tahoe and Rachel’s BFF Gina simply MUST spin-off somewhere, somehow, someway.  I just know he would tame the little wildcat that is Gina!

The end is a cliffhanger and a bad one.  I can take cliffhanger endings in small doses and under certain circumstances, however, the author ended Manwhore in a particularly cruel place, leaving way too much hanging.  Seriously?  *frowny face*  The sequel, Manwhore +1 (Is this a “working” title?  I’m not loving it) is due out this summer so I will have to wait (impatiently!!!) for some sort of resolution!

Grade: B+

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