Narrated by Kale Williams
Felice Stevens has some fun with the billionaire/escort trope in her standalone contemporary romance, Just One Night. It’s a sexy, undemanding listen with moderate levels of angst, and the narration by Kale Williams keeps things moving despite some slower pacing and repetitiveness in the second half.
Madden Steele, CEO of family-owned Steele Construction, was badly hurt when he discovered his boyfriend of four years was cheating on him and then sued him for ‘palimony’. Wanting nothing more than to close the door on that chapter of his life, Madden didn’t contest the suit and paid a seven figure sum to pull it tight shut, lock it and throw away the key. But that was two years ago, and Madden has retreated into a protective shell; he doesn’t date or socialise (other than when work-related) and his older sister Tricia is genuinely concerned for him. She decides that maybe what he needs to loosen him up is a night of fun and fantastic sex and to that end arranges him a very special thirtieth birthday present.
Archer Strong is one of the most highly paid escorts in New York City. He’s gorgeous, he’s charming, he’s discreet… and he’s incredibly good at what he does, leaving his clients extremely satisfied (although he’s rarely the same). He’s not too keen on the idea of being a birthday surprise – such things can go badly in his experience and he’s inclined to turn it down. But on learning his fee has been paid upfront – ten grand for the whole night – he changes his mind; at least, if things go pear-shaped, he can leave without losing out financially.
When Madden arrives home on the night of his birthday to find a shirtless stranger sitting in his bedroom sipping his finest brandy, his first instinct is (unsurprisingly) to throw him out. But once the man has explained who he is and why he’s there, Madden’s resolve falters; the guy is hot as hell, and he can’t ignore the bolt of desire that runs through him. Angry – at the situation and at himself – he calls Tricia to ask what she thinks she’s playing at; she tells him she thought he deserved a night of fun on his birthday, that Archer is who he says he is and that he should just let himself enjoy what’s on offer, even if it’s for just one night. Madden is still annoyed and not at all sure that he shouldn’t just send Archer away, but after all, it would be just a night. He allows himself to be persuaded – but next morning, insists that nobody can know they spent the night together; should Tricia ask, nothing happened between them.
Both men expect that to be it. Archer has already decided to take a break – he’s been in the business for eight years and needs a bit of time to work out what he might want to do when he has enough money saved to enable him to quit – and Madden has a company to run, together with some difficult family issues to deal with. But they can’t quite forget each other, and a few days later, at the end of a particularly trying day, Madden finally gives in and does the thing he’s been telling himself not to do ever since their night together and texts Archer. He can’t deny that the sex was fantastic and he’d enjoyed the man’s company, so why not do it again? It’s not as if it’s going to mean anything or go anywhere, right?
Well of course, we’ve all heard that before, but I liked the way their relationship develops. Both men are confident, used to having the upper hand and used to going it alone; they don’t open up about themselves often or easily (or, in Archer’s case, ever) and are determined to keep it that way. But the evenings they spend together very quickly become about more than just sex, and the more time they spend together talking and getting to know each other, the more Archer can see that Madden is tied up in knots and really needs someone to unburden himself to. In turn, Madden senses that there’s more to Archer than the gorgeous sex-god he presents to the world and that he, too, is in need of a sympathetic ear. I liked that they both felt able to confide in one another and that they support each other unreservedly; there’s one potential (small) bump along the way, but it’s smoothed over in a sensible way and not allowed to fester.
The conflict in the story is mostly external, due to the fact that Madden’s aunt Edwina – his late father’s sister – is trying to force him out of his position in the company, and is certainly not above using his relationship with Archer to paint him in a negative light. Madden is deeply hurt by all this; after his mother left, his aunt and uncle were always there for him and loved him like their own, but since his father’s death she’s become greedy and is insisting Madden take a DNA test to prove he is really his father’s son. Apart from dredging up some unpleasant memories about his past, this rift has the potential to cause real problems for the company and Madden’s vision for its future. Edwina is somewhat cartoonish, but I did like the drama!
I enjoyed Just One Night, even though the set up bothered me quite a bit. Tricia feeling it was okay to arrange for a complete stranger to have access to her brother’s home and then pay him to have sex with him was just not on. Her intentions may have good, but I absolutely didn’t blame Madden for being angry and wanting Archer to leave, and I applauded the conversation that he instigated later to tell her why what she did wasn’t okay.
Given this is a book in which one of the leads is a sex-worker, I suppose it’s not surprising that there are a lot of sex scenes in it – but after the third or fourth (or fifth or sixth…) I started to wish the author had applied the “less is more” principle and cut a few of them out, because they didn’t really add much to the overall story.
Kale Williams is a narrator I always enjoy listening to. He has a gorgeous voice, and I like the way he finds the heart of the story and characters and how he is able to convey the deepest of emotions in a manner that is understated and real. His characterisation of the two leads in this story fits their personalities really well, with Madden’s voice having a harsh edge that expertly conveys how tightly wound he is, while Archer’s is smoother and well-modulated, oozing charm and sex appeal. The handful of secondary characters are well differentiated, but there were times I found it difficult to tell the difference between Madden and Archer, especially when starting a new chapter. The story is told in alternating PoVs which switch between chapters, but it sometimes took a couple of minutes for me to be able to tell whose PoV we were in because the voices weren’t always distinct enough. It didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment of the narration or story, but it was a bit frustrating, especially as Mr. Williams is so very good at everything else!
Just One Night might not make my list of favourite listens, but I enjoyed the story and narration enough to offer a low-level recommendation to anyone looking for a sexy contemporary with just a smidge of drama.
Caz
Buy Just One Night by Felice Stevens on Amazon
Felice Stevens has been hit or miss with me, but I may give one a try. thanks for the review.
I’ve really enjoyed some of her books – although her more recent ones have been hit or miss. I read her latest (or last but one) release and asked myself if it was by the same author! Her stuff seems to work better for me in audio, though – probably due to Kale!