Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Pretty Boy 
SERIES: Perfect Boys
AUTHOR: K.M. Neuhold
NARRATORS: Tim Paige & Liam DiCosimo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hrs & 3 min
RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2021
BLURB:
Once upon a time, in a little Texas town in the middle of nowhere, there lived a boy who everyone called ugly….
When half your face is covered in a big, blotchy birthmark, you get used to the staring and the whispers. You get used to feeling unwanted.
Until he walks into my bar….
Tall, gorgeous, and all kinds of out of place. And the way he looks at me ain’t like no way I’ve ever seen before.
Does he mean it when he says he wants to take me away from here? Nobody’s ever wanted me around for long. Can I believe Barrett when he says that’s what he wants?
Something about the word Daddy on my lips makes it all seem possible. Even if I don’t really believe anyone would want to keep an ugly boy like me forever….
***Pretty Boy is a low-ish angst, steamy, sweet daddy story with NO age play.
REVIEW:
Sterling is a young man in a small town. He has a low-paying job at the local bar in a small time in nowhere Texas. He pours drinks and cleans up – the only job he’s ever had. He keeps his head down and just tries to be as invisible as he can be to avoid the bullying and harassment he’s always had to put up with. Why? He has a birthmark on his face that takes up nearly half his face and he’s been subject to cruelty the whole time he’s been growing up.
Barrett is a rich, handsome, privileged guy who, while passing through town, see’s Sterling at the bar. He’s immediately attracted, but Sterling misinterprets his interest and interaction as making fun like everyone else has always done. His anger is up and when he tells Barrett off, it’s not clear which one of them is more stunned 🙂 Luckily Barrett doesn’t give up too easily.
After convincing Sterling that he’s not teasing him, that he really does want him, Sterling figures he really doesn’t have anything to lose. So he takes off to Las Vegas with Barrett. When they stop at a fancy hotel on the way to Barrett’s home, Sterling gets a glimpse of how the other half lives. But that doesn’t prepare him at all for Barrett’s huge house, cars, drivers and staff when they get home to Barrett’s compound in Vegas. Poor Sterling has his clothes in bags, so to say he’s a bit overwhelmed is an understatement.
Sterling’s a bit thrown but Barrett does his best to assure him that he is really wanted and that this is his home. He’s got a credit card, a driver at this disposal and he wants to find a job. Being without his own money or sense of purpose doesn’t sit well with Sterling. After a near disaster when Sterling overhears a conversation that he shouldn’t, he begins to settle in and find a way for himself. Barrett continues to make him feel loved and needed and appreciated and seen. He also makes a new friend and finds a job and a purpose 🙂 He continues to struggle with why Barrett would choose him when he could have his pick of any man, but Barrett works hard to convince him that he loves all of Sterling. It does take some work, but thankfully they are both willing to put in the necessary time and communication.
I struggled a little bit at the beginning of this, mostly because daddy/boy kink is not really my thing. But I love this author and these narrators, so I carried on 🙂 Once Barrett and Sterling get out of Texas, I enjoyed the story more. Sterling has had a mostly miserable life – being bullied for the birthmark on his face, his mother a drunk and his daddy nowhere to be found. He’s been bullied his whole life and so his self-esteem is pretty much non-existent. He struggles to understand why Barrett would want him. Barrett for his part is pretty self-aware. He knows he’s a big, handsome, rich, privileged guy, but he’s trying to now do something with his life. But he needs a boy to complete his life and he wants Sterling – all of him. Despite Sterling’s skepticism and Barrett’s friends reluctance to believe him, Barrett really does set out to prove that he will be there for Sterling. I loved that Sterling stood up for himself – even though he didn’t really have any plan or resources. His moxie in going out and getting a job even though he was being taken care of and offered anything he wanted. His job and his new friend I hope mean that we are going to see more of them in the next book in this series 😉
Full disclosure – one of my aunt’s has a large portwine birthmark on half of her face. Of course I never thought anything of it, because I was used to it as I saw it from the time I was born, so I tend not to pay attention to such things. However, I know growing up in the 50s, it was pretty difficult for her. I loved that Barrett couldn’t have cared less about it, but didn’t minimize Sterling’s discomfort or desire to be rid of the thing that caused him so much pain growing up. I felt this part of the story was very strong and compassionately written.
The narrators of this book, Tim Paige and Liam DiCosimo are a great duo. I’ve listened to a number of their duel POV narrations at this point and I have never been disappointed. They do a great job with the POV voices as well as the other characters. They have quickly become favorites in this genre. I look forward to more narrations from them in this and other series. They really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. If you’re a fan over underdogs overcoming adversity, I think you will enjoy this story 🙂
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Audible