The Lessons by Elizabeth BrownMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
The Lessons is such a remarkable story about a woman learning to explore her sexuality and ultimately lose her virginity. This was a sexy, fun story with definite moments of humor and pure vulnerability. I totally enjoyed reading this because every single character was different and yet they complemented one another so well.
Natalie Reese is a woman who just hit her thirties and has a secret that makes most men run. She's a 30 year old virgin. Ten years ago, after finding out her boyfriend was gay, she felt her whole world crashing down around her. She had a Plan for her life and with the way things went with her ex, she was now completely off course. She packs her things after her 30th birthday and moves from NYC to San Francisco. Her mission -- to lose her virginity. How she planned to? Using a sexual surrogate. With using a sexual surrogate she was to meet with them twice a week and her therapist once a week up until she actually achieved her goal.
Natalie was a very interesting character. Despite being a virgin and always feeling like a teenage girl around hot, sexy men she always knew what she wanted and embraced her sexuality through her own studies. I loved her! She was witty, daring, sweet, respectable and yet somehow I felt bad for how her life was when she was younger. Natalie is very strong for doing what she did. She made it a mission and even within that mission she found love. Did I find her insane for using a sexual surrogate? Most definitely, but it was the insanity of the whole thing that I loved.
Ryan Andrews was the first guy she met when she moved to San Francisco. They met at the SFPL. He felt an immediate attraction to her and hoped to have something there. Little did he know, she was his client and he was her sexual surrogate. That caused major issues for him because he was already developing feelings for her which went against the job's protocol. Ryan was smart, hot, hardworking and determined. I loved his personal battle about the ethical and moral dilemma he was in. Try as he might, he worked hard to keep his feelings at bay, but that never worked. Ryan Andrews is seriously a hunk!
The romance was absolutely adorable. It reminded me of a first love kind of thing. Ryan helped Natalie lose her virginity, but in the interim they fell for one another. I enjoyed their time together in getting to know one another. I loved seeing them open up to each other so easily. The sex was amazing to read. Ryan really knew how to please Natalie and keep her on her toes, but at the same time Natalie was well versed in doing things. I loved the whole romance they had going on.
The secondary characters (Bryan, Paulina, Josh and the therapist Lisa) all were a great asset to the story and helping it move along a steady pace. Elizabeth Brown has written a pretty great story and I'm interested in seeing how the other stories go.
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