Reviewed by Amber
SERIES: Workplace Encounters #2
TITLE: The Chauffeur
AUTHOR: Serena Yates
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 128 pages
BLURB:
Scarred former model Kyle Anderson leads a double life. By day, he works as a chauffeur for his uncle’s limousine rental company. Since his wages are too low for him to become financially independent, he works nights as an exotic dancer, donning a mask to hide his identity and the facial scars that got him rejected by his parents. Kyle catches the attention of Nick Giddings, a forklift driver who visits the club to let off steam. Nick is stuck in a low-skilled dead-end job after being kicked out of school for a prank he didn’t commit. The two men immediately connect, but when Nick is laid off and Kyle’s uncle pushes him to date a woman, everything comes crashing down.
REVIEW:
This story was just not my cup of tea, at all. I didn’t really connect with Nick or Kyle. It all just seemed very forced and rushed.
Kyle Anderson has recently been dealt some pretty hard blows. He was in a car accident a couple years back and suffered a facial injury that ended his lucrative modeling career. Since Kyle’s livelihood supported his greedy selfish parents when it was gone they threw him away like garbage. His only recourse was to take his Uncle up on his offer of free room and board as long as Kyle agrees to be a chauffeur in the Uncle Limousine business. Kyle agrees, but his Uncle keeps a tight rein on Kyle’s freedom and money. Knowing the only way out from under his Uncle’s control is financial freedom he starts stripping at a local gay strip club. It fits him perfectly because he is allowed to hide what he believes his “ugly” face behind several different masks.
Local blue collar worker Nick Giddings splurges every once and awhile and treats himself to a night out. One of his favorite spots is the gay strip club pretty close to his work. One night he sees a stunning stripper dressed as Zorro, who happens to be Kyle. There is an immediate attraction between both men. Nick decides he needs to get to know Zorro and waits for him in the parking lot. After an interaction with a security guard Kyle comes out with the Zorro mask still on. He agrees to get coffee with Nick but only if the mask stays on, Nick agrees thinking it adds an air of mystery to their encounter.
Things heat up very quickly between them. I usually don’t have a problem with fast hookups in my romances but like I said before this was forced and rushed which just made it seem phony.
After their first encounter they can’t get the other out of their head. One day as Nick is leaving work a limousine pulls up with some high powered execs in the back. When the chauffeur gets out Nick recognizes him as Zorro from the strip club. Kyle is horrified because he thinks Nick will reject him do to his scars but Nick is still very much attracted and they embark on a tentative relationship.
One of the biggest things about this story that left me scratching my head was Kyle’s relationship with his Uncle. There was so many HUH? Moments even after the big reveal. Like why wouldn’t he pay him what he deserved? I didn’t get it.
Like I said this story just didn’t appeal to me.
RATING: 
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