New York’s Finest
February 14, 2015
LADIES AND GENTS! I have an announcement!You know that guy I featured on my blog a few months ago? The really, really hot Irish rugby player who plays the position of ‘hooker’ in the RLI (Rugby League International)? The one with the questionable fashion choices leading me to ask whether he was the lovechild of a leprechaun and a hobbit? The one with the anger management issues and the body of a gladiator and the face of a movie star? Ronan Fitzpatrick? Yeah, that guy.Well, I have a confession to make…
THE HERMIT
Annie Catrel, social media expert extraordinaire at Davidson & Croft Media and clandestine celebrity blogger, can make anyone shine in the court of public opinion. She is the Socialmedialite, anonymous creator of New York’s Finest and the internet’s darling. Virtual reality is Annie’s forte, but actual reality? Not so much.
THE HOOKER
Ronan Fitzpatrick, aka the best hooker the world of rugby has seen in decades, despises the media—social or otherwise. The press has spun a web of lies depicting him as rugby’s wild and reckless bad boy.
Suspended from his team, Ronan has come to Manhattan to escape the drama, lay low, fly under the radar. Only, Ronan isn’t easy to overlook, and he can’t escape the notice of the Socialmedialite…
THE PLAN
When Ronan is sent to Davidson & Croft Media to reshape his public image, he never expects to cross paths with shy but beautiful Annie, nor does he expect his fierce attraction to her. He couldn’t be happier when her boss suggests pairing them together.
What lengths will Annie take to keep her virtual identity concealed? And what happens when the hooker discovers who the hermit really is?
The Hooker and the Hermit is a collaboration between authors L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid, is a full length 100k word novel, and is a standalone.
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Review:
When the Arc of this book arrived in my mail, I’ll admit I squealed. Loud. In the middle of the night (Time difference at it’s best! :P). Penny Reid became one of my favourite authors after I marathon read her Knitting in the City Series, while L.H. Cosway is a new author to me! (Yes, I am very ashamed of it, and I am going to rectify this as soon as possible!).
I read this book, not once but twice! The first time I read, I realised that I had made a huge mistake, a colossal one, because I wouldn’t have anybody to fan-girl with about how absolute perfection this was! (Biggest downside of getting an ARC, let me tell you but I will I ever learn? Uhh Nope! :D).
The second time I read it, I still couldn’t squeal or fan-girl over it, but did it stop me falling for Ronan all over again? Again, a BIG FAT NO! (Just a hint guys: Ronan is Mine! I will share him with Annie, but damn if I will share him with you all!)
Coming back before I digress more, this is the weird story told in the POV’s of Annie, The Hermit and Ronan, The Hooker (not literal, just FYI!). Both meet each other at cross roads in their life, one that is so subtle that they don’t even realise its THE FORK in the road until everything is played out.
“I was trying to be a wallpaper. This was purposeful. The clothes, my lack of makeup or hairstyle, my quiet and withdrawn demeanour, were all typically sufficient to deter interest.”
Annie is a self – proclaimed Hermit. She works for a Public Relations company but lives a whole life online as the Socialmedialite, a fashion blogger with a sassy, confident, perverted mouth that is the exact opposite of how Annie is in real life. She wears her anonymity as armour, and keeps away people believing that it would keep her safe. Her world is in her computer and her friends online, a safe distance away. In fact her BFF is @WriteALoveSong who loves pun-ny jokes (Oh my! I am so funny :P), is the only person that she is close to and yet has never met in real life! Why? Cause she feels safe (Now this was definitely a surprise :D).
Annie got on my nerves. Her insecurities seem too out of the world, or maybe too ingrained to seem real. But they were. They really were. I understood her, because I saw myself in her. Her insecurities, her trust issues were mine and that’s exactly why she got on my nerves. It was me I saw in her, her social phobia, her awkwardness and her clumsiness, it felt like the authors had written me. And that’s why I hated her. (Yes, I have issues; that’s why I read). She is as real as it gets. Not because of what I said, but because we all have actually sabotaged ourselves like she has. But rationally she knew what she was doing wrong, and cowardly (her words), yet she did because the influence of her fears were greater than the influence of hope in her life.
“If Sporty Spice married a hobbit, had a three-way with a leprechaun, and then gave birth to a sexy bizarre baby (paternity unknown).”
Ronan Fitzpatrick as described by Socialmedialite on The New York’s Finest! Admit it. This absolutely made me laugh, and had me imagining a weird sort of creature that nobody but his mamma would love 😛
But Ronan is more than that. Coming out of a scandal that almost ruins his career, New York Finest’s post on him is the straw that breaks the proverbial back. This puts him in contact with Socialmedialite on the internet and in contact with Annie in the real world. Ronan is the Man’s Man. Ambitious, fastidious, loyal and an absolute hottie!! He, unlike the stereotypical jocks, has a brain and quite a mature emotional thought process. He is protective, faithful and willing to fight for what he believes is right and fair. What you see is what you get with him. One of the reasons why he needs an image makeover, stat!
I fell for Ronan, hard and fast. There was no slow and steady, just BAM! And I was done for. He is everything I had imagined what my dream guy would be like, not just in looks but in personality as well. His brand of sense of humor, his aggression, his pure dominance force just absolutely blew my mind away and turned my insides into mush.
“When he looked at me, I felt so entirely seen. But it was more than that, because I got the impression he wasn’t just looking at me when we were together. Yes, he watched me, but he also touched me and felt me. He listened to me, and not just my words; he listened to the sounds my body as it moved, as though searching for clue or a tell.”
But Ronan and Annie together?? Holy moley moses mother! That explosive chemistry is turn burn most of your skin off! These two people just clicked together. It took a while for them to understand the depth and the meaning of their feeling, and the journey was not without its fair share of wounds. They hurt each other, they made each other laugh and they made each better, oh so better!
Annie learnt that trusting people isn’t exactly bad as it might seem. Ronan learnt that fighting and biting off people’s heads wouldn’t solve problems. They made sure each took a step out of their comfort zones. This just clicked.
“I know what I’m missing, Annie. You are singular to me, exceptional. You’re brilliant and adorable and so f—-ing real. I care about you. And I haven’t been able to get the taste of you, the feel of you, out of my head since we first kissed.”
I had known that I would love this book because well Ms. Reid’s writing is just what I require to fall in love with reading all over again! But Ms. Cosway was the unknown ingredient. But this collaboration has made sure that I buy Ms. Cosway’s books immediately and get my butt down to read them asap! And I will. Because I have a feeling that I just found a new favourite author to add-on my list!
Now I am going to sign off, because if I write more, there’s going to be spoilers and I have tried so hard not to have given spoilers. But before I go, here have some ‘aww’ worthy moments from the book, because this I can’t help!
“I love him more than my fear, I love him more than my safety and my safety and my peace of mind. I love him more than I value my common sense. I love him more than being anonymous.”
– Annie
“You’re going to force me to grow up, aren’t you Annie? I’m going to have to stop picking fights with all the boys who give you a second look. You’re going to make me mature.”
– Ronan
A Personal Note: Can I please get a physical copy of this book, cause I can’t seem to find one India and it’s irritating the frickity frack out of me!? Also, can I have it signed? 😛
Rating:
5 / 5 Stars
Recommendation:
This one is recommended fr all those who love their contemporary romances to be a little different from the stereotypical. Trust me, with this one, you definitely can’t go wrong.
Disclaimer: This book contains an alpha male with dominant fetishes and a female protagonist with sassiness not outwardly seen. This book also contains a lot of swearing and therefore is only for 18+ olds.
Enter to win signed books from: Mia Sheridan, April White, Daisy Prescott, Tara Sivec, Penny Reid, LH Cosway AND a signed Tote from Wicked Book Weekend and has a ton of author signatures, including Kristen Ashley, Tara Sivec, Chelle Bliss, etc.
L. H. Cosway
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.
She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.
penny reid
SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).
By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.
For The Love of Fictional Worlds 
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