Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Andre
SERIES: Gentlemen of Emerald City
AUTHOR: L.A. Witt
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 8 hours and 5 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2022
BLURB:
Matt: There’s nothing quite like a night with one of the Gentlemen of the Emerald City. No strings. No complications. I’ve been burned by love, and I’m not going there again.
Unlike my teammates who fell for their Gentlemen, I know how to keep emotions from coming into play.
At least…I used to.
Andre: I used to love this job. The money doesn’t matter—just the thrill. But that thrill is gone now.
That is, until I meet Matt. And that’s before he starts looking at me like that. And booking me more often. And making my heart do things it’s not supposed to do when I’m on the clock.
How do I convince a jaded man that love is worth another try?
Andre is fifth book of Gentlemen of the Emerald City, a sexy series centered around the high class and high-dollar Gentlemen of Seattle’s most exclusive escort service. Each book is full of snark, sass, and sweetness, and like any Emerald City client, you’re guaranteed a happy ending.
REVIEW:
Note: While this is the fifth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. Be warned, however, that there are some pretty big spoilers for previous books. i would recommend reading/listening to Marco before this book as it explains quite a lot about Andre’s headspace.
Matt Smith is a hockey player who has broken his arm and how will have to spend weeks off the ice. He’s had a couple of bad relationships/experiences and it not every going to fall in love or be in a relationship again. Instead he’s happy to pay for discreet company through the Gentlemen of Emerald City. While he’s off the ice, he books Andre – a gentleman he’s not been with before.
Andre has just reactivated his account after a really extended booking the previous summer. He’s not sure if he really wants to do this work anymore. He doesn’t need the money but he’s mad that his prior client had ruined the job for him and he wants to go out on his own terms.
Matt and Andre really hit it off. They enjoy the sex and the company. Matt continues to book Andre and they end up spending a lot of nights together. Andre stays at Matt’s if they are enjoying wine, etc. and they get really close. When Matt has to go back on the road, he begins to really miss Andre. Andre’s boss isn’t too happy that he’s not accepting other bookings. But when Andre confesses that things have changed for him, Matt doesn’t want to continue because he’s too afraid of risk another broken heart. Luckily he’s got friends around who help him see the light 😉
I really enjoyed this story. Poor Matt really had terrible luck. Between his cheating boyfriend, his pain in the ass teammate and his overly dominating parents, he could not buy a break. Andre is the one bright spot for him aside from his hockey career. They seem to really fit together – between their art and their enjoyment of each other’s company in general, they become friends as well as lovers. They both are sort of ignoring the elephant in the room for a while, but Matt is convinced if he just keeps paying Andre, nothing will have to change. Except that Andre wants more. I loved the growth for Matt. He is finally able to stand up for himself with the people that hurt him and that continue to belittle him or worry about his “image”. I loved getting to see the previous couples in this series as well. Andre and Matt really were perfect together – friend, lovers, artists, out men who just wanted to live their lives.
As usual, Michael Ferraiuolo did a magnificent job with these characters. Matt has perfected his shell to protect himself from the hurt he has endured. He’s not will to risk it again. Andre is getting over his own issues as well and they learn to put their pasts behind them together. Matt is really a sweetheart and Andre is the perfect companion for him. There are plenty of steamy moments and quite a bit of pent up anger that finally gets released. I absolutely loved those scenes! Fire and ice for sure. Highly recommended!
RATING: 
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