An Uncommon Whore, by Belinda McBride

An Uncommon Whore (An Uncommon Whore)

by Belinda McBride

Published by Loose Id, LLC

Word Count: 42.000

Blurb:

Pasha is a slave, whoring for travelers at the most dangerous bar on Warlan. He has no memory, no future of his own, yet deep inside Pasha knows that that he is meant for better things. The day that Pasha spots the dangerous pirate in the bar, he knows that he mustn't let the stranger slip away, regardless of what he must do to attract his attention.

Captain Griffin Hawke spent the greater part of a decade searching for his lost king, only to find Helios Dayspring crouched between his knees, swathed in the robes and shackles of a whore. Though he is appalled by the downfall of his king, the hardened officer finds himself falling for the allure of the sensual creature who has taken his place. Returning Helios to his position on the throne is the only right thing to do, yet Griffin knows that in doing so, he risks losing his lover forever.


Reivew:

This story had me from the get go. The first scenes really grabbed me...but then it tilted downwards. I'm not saying it was bad from there on out, it just lacked that intriguing explosiveness it had at the beginning. I felt Helios's original character didn't get to shine through after he was told about his past. The sex scenes sometimes felt like they were put here and there just for the sake of having sex scenes (they were beautifully written though).

Although the beginning was like an explosion, the end was like a burnt match. It felt too cut-off, almost as if the first book and second were originally one long book, but the editor decided it would be better to make them into two books. Everything felt too good in the end and it seemed a bit unrealistic. Helios also didn't seem too bothered at having been subjected to whoredom for a few years. One would think he would have been traumatized by it, or it should have at least made some profound impact on his character (I couldn't see that it had). I would have liked to see him struggle with it more.

But I liked the story, and the world, and the characters. I want to read the second book to find out things that were left hanging in this one. The writing is great and I had a hard time putting it down.

In Short:
Writing/Voice: 5/3
Characters/Development: 4/3
Plot/Pace: 5/3
Heat: 3 (Hot scenes, a little too much in the end)
Stars: 3.5