By the Hour by Roni Loren
Series: Pleasure Principle, 2
Contemporary Romance
Released: April 25, 2017

Reviewed by Sheena

Favorite Quote: “She held in the moan that threatened. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. His soft laugh brushed against her ear as he found her swollen clit. “Now, now, that’s not a game you can win, so don’t bother trying. You won’t be quiet for me.”

I decided to abandon the compulsion to accost strangers on the street and shriek about why they are seriously screwing up their lives by not reading Roni Loren’s – everything always.  I’ve also decided to subdue my “OMYFAWKING GAWDDDD” fan girling.  No. no thank you, I’ll wipe my drool later and how nice of you to ask, but my arthritic pearl clutching fingers are doing just fine.

I lie.  I’m doing all of the above.  Fan girly reviews are totally argh– but, hello- Roni Loren!  So know this- Roni’s writing makes me squee and pant with reckless abandon.  Know this too- I like a lot of cock.  What that cock is doing and who it’s doing it with is of little consequence.  With the exception of some hard limits (blood letting ex.)- I like my smexy times good and plenty in contemporary fiction and the Pleasure Principle series is shaping up to be one of the sexiest in its lane.

By the Hour features doctor Elle and sex surrogate, Lane from book one, Off the Clock, two of the most least likely professionals to hook-up at The Grove treatment center and not just because Elle is a raging bitch. You see, Lane is a sex surrogate.  Loren does an impeccable job explaining and showing how important and professional Lane is, how good he is with his patients and the trust and respect that he’s earned but he engages in sex- if its needed- with patients to help them conquer whatever intimacy monkey they have riding their back.  If you are anything like me, you are totally still twenty-eight words behind me, mulling over engages in sex- because- umm HOW does that work in a real relationship?! How does a partner reconcile their lover’s chosen profession that includes such intimacy with others? Especially when you are a woman scorned, betrayed and belittled and using your curt, cold ice queen armor to protect what is left of your heart?

Ladies and gents, welcome to By the Hour!

It’s Elle’s birthday and she’s at someone else’s celebration, feeling like an interloper.  Lane enters her orbit and intrigues her, countering her acerbic darts with his trademark cool, confidence, giving it as good and she’s dishing, setting the scene for a mutually beneficial horizontal arrangement that went from 0 to 100 in no time flat!

[spoiler]“Lay down,” he said as he knotted the fitted sheet to the top sheet.
“I don’t have what I need but this should work.”
“Work for what? And it’s lie not lay.”
He looked up, smirking. “Are you really giving me a goddamned grammar lesson while you lie there with a soaked cunt and a fuck me look on your face?”[/spoiler]

Much to my surprise, Lane wasn’t just some pretty boy who knows how to sling the peen. He had a dominant streak that was very much so “YES PLEASE.” A total boss in bed that gave Elle the space to let go and relinquish control, loathe as she was to give in, which was terrifying for her- yet half the fun!

He kept his eyes on her face as he tucked his hand between her legs and swiped at her with her panties, drying her damp skin but also dragging satin over her clit and making her knees want to buckle. Every nerve ending was on high alert.

“There,” he said against her ear. “I’ll see what state you’re in after. If having my cock in your mouth doesn’t make you wet, you win.”

It would have been a good novel if the focus remained between the sheets.  The book is sizzling hot and there is more than enough steam to suffice.  But the brilliance in the writing is what made it a great book. The character depth and the clever plot that unravels, twists and turns upon itself was refreshing. The story was never too predictable, stealthy revealing the many consequences, large and small of the choices made in their lives.  Lane is a former escort with a melancholy back story, Elle also had a harrowing past.  They both escaped their pasts bruised and determined to never look back or be victimized again. Together, they pushed and encouraged one another in a way that spoke of a true kinship. There are few things sweeter than adversaries who are explosively compatible in bed, yet only reach true affinity and attachment through their caring acts of service, achieving hallmarks of true friendship with one another.

Her opinion had started to matter to him. And when people he cared about threw knives his way, it hit those old unarmored parts of him, tearing into tender flesh.

It is important to discover how exactly Elle and Lane’s relationship evolves and what unexpected events bring them together and also threaten to tear them apart.  They grow from confrontational, gauntlet throwing sex, to insults and a most indecent proposal, into polite respect, on to  more bone jarring sexxx  that neither were totally convinced would grow beyond quid pro quo.   Elle definitely reconciles her thoughts about falling in love again with her feelings for Lane and they both make important decisions that impact their careers and personal lives.  Beyond jumping one another’s bones (this is a supremely sexy novel folks!) they jump start one another’s lives, forever changing their trajectory and only when they are both absolutely selfless are they able to achieve their HEA.

Her whole demeanor was edged with something jagged.
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t say anything was wrong.”
Grim awareness hit him. “You saw me with my client.”
Elle’s mouth twitched at the corner, at attempt at nonchalance but one that she didn’t quite pull off. “She’s beautiful.”
“That’s her job.”
“She likes you.”
He sighed. “That’s my job.”
“Right.”
“Elle…” He reached out for her, wanting to break through whatever wall she was standing behind. “Talk to me.”

How does a woman scorned fall for a man who makes connections with female patients in and out of the bedroom and they not fall apart at the seams? How does a man who spent his adolescence trading and peddling his own flesh for survival change his life and devote himself to his soul mate? How do the two of them reopen old wounds and heal without causing new scars?

Her knees landed softly on the hotel carpet and she reached out, placing her hand over his where he gripped his erection. They stroked together for a moment and then he braced a hand above her on the door and guided himself to her mouth, but he didn’t push his way in. He brushed the tip over her lips, painting her mouth with the salty fluid that had escaped, but making it clear she was going to have to make the next move. He wasn’t going to force this. Part of her wished he would. Anxiety was trying to invade her brain. The last time she’d done this to a man, she’d tasted another woman on him. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the scent of Lane filling her senses… This was Lane, a man who meant something to her. A man she wanted to enjoy, to give pleasure to. She parted her lips and enveloped his cock with the wet heat of her mouth. Salt. Warmth. Velvet skin. Lane.

Find out for yourself, By the Hour.

Grade: A

Previous Roni Loren Reviews of Books That You’ve Just Gotta: Loving You Easy , Wanderlust,  Off The Clock, Break Me Down, Yours All Along, Nice Girls Don’t Ride

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