I enjoyed this book quite a bit; it moved along nicely and made me want to keep reading, and it has characters that I cared about (main characters and others). It also is probably the most positive view of (consensual, responsible) sex work that I have encountered in a romance, although there may well be others I am not aware of. What I mean is (vague spoiler alert?) that every other book I have read that features a sex worker seemed to me to be implying that it is not a very good type of work to be doing and it would be best for the main character to stop doing that work as soon as possible, and definitely if they have fallen in love with someone, even if they have been engaging in sex work wholly of their own accord and the characters who are sex workers are generally portrayed positively. This book isn't like that, and I find it refreshing. ( )

This book is a great mix of Victorian gothic and classic Hollywood, transplanted into contemporary California. The conveniently named Brandon Ringer has inherited his movie-idol grandfather’s looks and his mansion – but he has no cash and a dark past. He finds work as a look-a-like escort just to get by, but taking on the role of James Ringer brings to the fore his ambivalence about his grandfather.

One of his clients is Percy, a young disabled man who comes from a wealthy but uncaring family. They keep him isolated from people of his own age. He lives for James Ringer’s movies but fears he will never have his own life. Brandon and Percy are attracted to each other, but there are obstacles between them and happiness – not least themselves.

Both Brandon and Percy have some traumatic experiences. If you read this as realism it could be concerning that they apparently shake them off quite easily. However, the book has an almost mythical feel that makes it work. The archetypes of the orphan with a legacy, the ancestral curse, the invalid locked in the attic are woven into a world where identity is bound up with movie legend as much as ‘real’ life.

This book has some flaws – there’s too much exposition at the beginning, the dialogue could be punchier in places and some of the plotting is contrived – but I somehow didn’t care. I found the story really engaging and loved the vivid characters. I wanted to keep reading and for the story to have a Hollywood-style happy end.
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I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. ( )