Book Tour for Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage (Review & GIVEAWAY)

Today I'm bringing you a book from a new-to-me author that left a wonderful lasting impression on me.  Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage puts a modern spin on the Pretty Woman theme and you can discover more about it through my review and by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour.  Make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win a bookstore GCs and books!

I don’t care what my cousin says; I am not the queen of impossible relationships. I mean, just because my last boyfriend tried to kill me and left a bit of a scar on my neck, then forced me to move across the country and legally change my name to Reese Randall to escape him, does not mean—
Oh, who am I kidding? For a freshman in college, I have to have the worst dating track record ever.
It’s no wonder love is the last thing on my mind when Mason Lowe enters my life. But the chemistry between us is like bam! Our connection defies logic. And he’s just so freaking hot. Being around him makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before. I even like bickering with him. He could be my soul mate...except for one teeny tiny glitch.
He's a gigolo.

BUY LINKS:   AMAZON   |   BN   |   ARe   |   KOBO   |   SMASHWORDS

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

I don't normally read books in the NA genre but the description of this book completely won me over and upon turning the final page I was left in awe.  Ms. Kage has created a story that is heartfelt and gut-wrenching with flashes of humor and suspense.  The lead characters are delightful together with entertaining and witty banter that lights up every scene.  Surrounding them is a memorable cast of secondary characters, some of which I liked and a few I didn't.  The romantic journey between Reese and Mason slowly evolved as their friendship morphed into something more intense and fragile that was constantly put to the test due to outside forces.  Ultimately all the tears and laughter culminated in an immensely satisfying conclusion.

Reese is a wonderful heroine.  She's smart, kind, and supportive which is surprising given her traumatic past.  She's currently in hiding living under an assumed name courtesy of a psycho ex-boyfriend who physically and emotionally abused her and left her with a knife scare on her neck to remember him by.  She lives in fear that he'll return but she never lets it show as she's a bubbly, energetic girl, not afraid to speak her mind.  She's immediately attracted to Mason but knows they can never be more than friends since he's a gigolo.  Since being without him is too painful she keeps things platonic (with a few slips here and there) and remains supportive of him in a community that treats him like a pariah.  It's not until her life is again in jeopardy that she realizes how important truly living, and taking what makes life worth living, really is that her and Mason can finally start living for themselves.

Mason is a hero truly worthy of the title as he's sacrificed everything for his family.  He's allowed himself to be degraded, sacrificed his moral code, and denied himself happiness to keep the rent paid and meet his sister's medical needs.  He's tired of being seen as an object and shunned by those same women who pay to bed him.  He's immediately attracted to the joy and happiness Reese exudes but knows he's no good for her.  He wants to commit himself to her as he's never been able to before but Fate intervenes once again and in another misguided attempt to save someone he cares about he's forced back into the life he's desperately trying to leave behind.  Happiness can be fleeting and ultimately he realizes that he's worth more in a conclusion full of tears.

The relationship between these two was delightful to read as their back and forth banter was at times funny, playful, but always full of sexual tension.  Mason could always be counted on to say the most romantic things that would bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face.  Needless to say I couldn't get enough of him and his nobility.  The secondary characters were just as intriguing.  From Mason's sister Sarah who has Cerebral Palsy (which was depicted in a thoughtful and respectful manner) to his mother Dawn who was loving but flighty, I was left wanting to read more of them.  There are two characters though that I found immensely irritating and who took away some of my enjoyment of the story.  Mason's landlady Mrs. Garrison, who introduced him to this lifestyle, was emotionally grasping and manipulative.  She used his love for Reese against him and took away his brief glimpse of happiness.  Reese's cousin Eva was also an annoying judgemental shrew who purported to be her friend but her actions spoke differently as her dislike of Mason was more than apparent every time she came on the scene.  

The pace of the story was wonderful through most of the book but felt a bit rushed towards the end.  The storyline dealing with her psycho ex-boyfriend felt a bit overly melodramatic in that he was always able to avoid prosecution.  After almost killing her that didn't ring true, nor did her parent's seemingly calmn reactions throughout the ordeal.  Barring a few small quibbles I found myself completely won over by this story and its main characters, particularly Mason and his ability to always say the most amazingly romantic things.  This is my first book by Ms. Kage but it won't be the last and I can't recommend it highly enough to those readers looking for a hero that's to die for and one that you wish would walk right off the pages on to my front porch!

My rating for this is an A.

*I received this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Linda grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, toddler daughter, and their nine cuckoo clocks. She works a day job in the acquisitions department of a university library and feels her life has been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part her world, and she's thrilled to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.

Website - http://www.lindakage.com
FB Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/authorlindakage?ref=ts&fref=ts

**********GIVEAWAY**********

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