The Varlet and the Voyeur (Rugby #4) by L.H. Cosway &Penny Reid
Now available on
The Varlet and the Voyeur, an all-new standalone in the USA Today bestselling Rugby Series from Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway is coming June 14th!
He kept his salacious secret for years. But soon, everyone is going to be reading about it in their morning paper…
THE VARLET (and the VOYEUR)
William Moore is a long way from home. A farm boy from Oklahoma, he’s now the most well-respected member of the Irish rugby team. But appearances are often deceptive, and Will isn’t the clean-cut, all-American good-guy everyone imagines him to be. He’s got a secret, one that will tarnish his reputation forever.
THE VOYEUR (and the VARLET)
Joesy Kavanagh is a self-proclaimed mess, but she’s finally get her shi…uh, act together. She’s set her sights on becoming a veterinarian, but there’s one teeny tiny road bump. Her living arrangements are coming to an abrupt end, leaving Joesy homeless and in need of a job to pay her way through college.
THE PLAN
What he needs is a companion to keep him on the right path.
What she needs is an apartment with free rent.
Will is convinced Joesy will make the perfect companion, since she’s brutally honest and basically ‘just one of the guys.’ Joesy is convinced she can ensure Will doesn’t succumb to his voyeuristic proclivities by keeping a scrupulous eye on him.
Except, what happens when the varlet is tempted by the voyeur, and vice-versa?!
Perchance something very, very volatile. And vexing.
The Varlet and the Voyeur is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the 4 th (and last) book in the USA TODAY bestselling Rugby Series.
Review:
When I started reading The Varlet and the Voyeur I thought I don't know about this. Is this going to be another The Hooker & the Hermit for me? Is the female lead going to turn me off so much I am not going to enjoy the story (as in book 1)? Luckily that wasn't the case, but it is still not my favorite in the series, though overall it was an enjoyable read.
Josie is a female lead for this story and...well I didn't like her. She is in her 20's and still a child. I mean when the story opens she is still living with her parents and they are paying for her schooling, she doesn't have a job, she is just coasting along happy as a clam to not have to do much besides study. Which is all fine, but then she finds out her parents lost everything in some bad investments and they need to sell the house and can no longer pay for her schooling. Does she feel bad and try and find another place to live or help out and talk with them about what she can do for them? No. She immediately throws a temper tantrum and storms off. At almost twenty-six years old she acts like she is two. And when she reflects on it later, while still acting like a child, well it is her parent's fault for not making her learn to adult. Okay. Way to take responsibility for yourself. So she wasn't my favorite. Because I dislike adults who act like children in this way.
Now, luckily she wasn't all bad. I did enjoy some of her random talking and saying whatever pops into her head. I do really love socially awkward people so that kind of evened out her annoying bits a little. If she were a bit more...adult she could have been great. So she was alright overall.
Now Will. He stole the story for me. I loved Will. So so much. Even when he was way too strict with his rules and hard on himself. Even when what he was saying doesn't really work in practice. Like not dating unless you think you will marry the person. How are you supposed to know if you don't date? So he doesn't date. Though he does like to watch people have sexy times, but not in a creepy peep in your window when you don't know kind of way. No in an everyone is consenting adults and we all get off on this kind of thing way. And I didn't really understand why his friends and teammates were a bit uncomfortable with it and like he had an addiction that he needed to fix. Like he shouldn't want to be a voyeur and he needs to figure out how to stop. Because...as Josie I think points out at one time isn't that what porn is? You do have that separation with the screen and not actually being in the room, but you are still watching people have sexy times so....how is it the weirdest thing you have ever heard? It was strange. And I hated how he knew people thought he was a pervert because he liked this. And how he had to get a babysitter to fix his problems with this. Because there really wasn't anything to fix. Even if he paid prostitutes to let him watch (as the media is claiming in this story) so what?
Now as I said Will is a voyeur and he needs to try and curb his want to connect with another couple to watch them have sexy times because it is hurting his team. Which I do get because some people are really judgy when it comes to other people having consensual sexy times. And he will do anything to help the team. He really is an amazing guy, though a bit hung up on power imbalance in relationships and not hurting anyone. At one point someone argues with him that women are capable of making their own decisions and it is not all on him if something doesn't work out, but he just can't do it. Some things happen in his past and he is way overcompensating for it, but I still loved him. I understood even if he went overboard doing so. He really is the sweetest guy. He would do anything you needed him to because he would hate to hurt you. Oh, he killed me.
When Josie moves in to be his non-voyeur companion and make sure he stays on the straight and narrow everything is fine. They like each other, but just as friends. And of course things get a bit more complicated when other feelings get involved. Josie still drove me crazy by the end especially with everything that happens. She has some self-confidence issues which make her do things that really annoyed me and makes her really whiny in the end. Luckily I loved Will enough that I wanted to keep reading. It does make me sad that I didn't like her more because with a better female lead this could have been one of my favorites. Oh well, it is a fun read at times and good overall. And who knows - maybe Josie won't annoy you the way she annoys me.
*Note: I received a free copy of this book for voluntary review consideration
Rating: ★ ★ ★1/2
Excerpt:
*Will*
When I saw how spotless the shared living space was, I allowed my curiosity to
get the better of me and peeked my head into her bathroom, Rocky dancing around my
feet as I entered the space. The counters were covered in woman-products, but the
marble surface and sink were free of water spots, and the glass of the shower had been
wiped clean.
I glanced at Rocky. He glanced at me. Bemused, I chuckled to myself, about to
turn back to the door, and that’s when I spotted it.
A dildo.
A big, Pyrex dildo.
With ridges.
In the shower.
I froze, blinked, and I stared at it, my brain sluggish. Oddly, I had to remind
myself to breathe. Likely because I was . . .
I was—
I was shocked.
I shook myself, tearing my eyes from it and rubbing my chest where an odd kind
of pang was spreading mild warmth up my neck.
But why was I shocked?
Why should I be surprised?
Despite my never seeing her that way, Josey was a woman and women have
needs.
Don’t they?
I hadn’t grown up around women—any women. My mother died when she had
my youngest brother. My grandmother died before I was born. I had no sisters. We lived
on a farm, way out in BFN Oklahoma.
Girls—women—and their bodies were sacred lands of the unknown to us Moore
boys.
Unbidden—completely unbidden—an image of Josey flashed through my mind’s
eye. Her full lips parted, her big eyes closed, causing her thick black lashes to catch
droplets of water before they dripped over her sharp cheekbones. Her head would be
lolled back as shower spray melted bubbles of slippery soap, sliding down her bare skin
as they dissolved. Her legs would be parted, and maybe one hand would be braced
against the wall of the shower while the other moved in a steady rhythm.
Holding that huge, glass dildo.
I swallowed a sudden rush of salvia and, unable to help myself, I leaned closer to
the sex toy, examining it and comparing its size against my own.
I was bigger.
But not by much.
And for some reason, this realization made me instantly hard.
Crap.
Of course I knew Josey was a woman, but until this moment, I’d never really
thought of her that way. Not even the tampon-mountain drove the point home. Up until
this point, she was someone I liked as a person, someone who made me laugh, who
was smart and compassionate, someone around whom I felt completely comfortable. A
good—no, a great companion.
She was still all of those things, except—
Except now I’ve pictured her naked.
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About Penny Reid:
Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
About 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 favorite 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.
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