Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Pretty Mess
AUTHOR: Lily Morton
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 13 hours and 38 minutes
RELEASE DATE: October 22, 2025
BLURB:
Kiss him, sleep with him, but don’t ever fall in love with him.
The first time Wes Archer steps into Jack of Clubs, an exclusive London pleasure club, he’s completely confident he can heed the tried-and-true advice about becoming an escort. Wes gives himself away for free with casual hookups all the time. Why not make some cash doing what he already loves? And cash is something he desperately needs. His brother’s gambling addiction has taken their family’s home, saddled Wes with insurmountable debts, and compromised his chances for finishing his degree.
Accepting an offer to spend a few hours of fun with a rich bloke will be a simple business transaction, right?
Wrong.
Wes’s first client is Cormac Reilly. The handsome billionaire is grumpy, funny, and commanding in a way that unlocks desires Wes never knew he had. Cormac is icily determined to keep their arrangement strictly business, but that doesn’t stop Wes from finding him fascinating.
As their one-night contract becomes something much more, Wes can’t deny he’s falling for his client. He knows he’s flouting all the rules, but breaking down Cormac’s barriers is an irresistible challenge, and his reward might be the best prize of all — love.
From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a passionate love story set in London and Paris about two astonishingly different men and one very pretty mess.
Please see the disclaimer at the beginning of the book for content some listeners may find triggering.
REVIEW:
Whoa! I wasn’t really prepared for this one if I’m honest. This is a bit darker than other Lily Morton stories. There is still the patented snark and banter and humor, but there are other harder themes here. Take heed to the CW at the beginning of this story.
Wes is a uni student who has a plan. He’s going to finish grad school and get a good job. He’s grown up on the edge of poverty and he’s worked his ass off to get where he is. Then he comes home to his family home to find everything being tossed out the door – including his SIL and then his own stuff. Turns out his brother’s gambling addiction has cost them their home. And all his money is not only gone, but he’s overdrawn. He is walking around trying to figure out where he can go and his school mate Julian offers his spare room.
Julian isn’t exactly a friend – in fact he’s sort of a rival at school. But Wes is desperate. While he’s staying with Julian, he finally find out Julian’s secret. He’s not posh – he’s a “whore” – his own words. Given Wes’s situation, Julian suggests that Wes can make a LOT of money doing what he does. It’s not like Wes has a lot of options and when Julian tells him just how much money he can make, well he agrees.
At the club that Julian works at, Wes meets Cormac. Cormac is a billionaire who wants Wes. Wes thinks it’s a one time thing, but Cormac wants to continue their relationship. And he sets up Wes in a flat. But there is a teeny tiny problem. Wes has caught feelings. Feelings he’s trying to hide from Mac. He does a pretty good job – until his brother comes back after causing even more trouble. And Julian figures it out too. But this can’t work. It’s not Pretty Woman is it?
Oh Lily Morton. This one just was a more difficult read what with the darker themes. I was surprised how invested I was in Wes’s love for Mac. The third act breakup usually annoys me, but this one was absolutely necessary to the story that needed to be told of these two. Mac has his own ghosts and struggles too. I was so rooting for them to figure things out. Well done! I have high hopes that we might get an HEA for Julian sometime soon (hint hint). Highly recommended.
Joel Leslie hit this one out of the park. It’s a long book – 13 hours plus – but the hours literally fly by. Both Mac and Wes have baggage. Wes protects himself with sarcasm and snark. Mac protects himself with walls and control. As they spend more time together, they end up sharing bits of their past.
RATING: 
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