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Two things prompted my decision to read and review this title. The author and the premise. Based on the blurb, I figured that this would be an intriguing and riveting read. This was my first time reading E.L. Todd's work, but I heard so many great things about her that I knew I had to give this book a try. Unfortunately, Into the Fire did not live up to my expectations. It was not that bad of a read. However, it was not gripping and it did not evoke the emotions I was expecting.
Can you imagine being blackmailed by your parents because they did not approve of your lifestyle? This is what happened to Ash. All he wanted was the money they owed him so he could fund the opening of his tattoo parlour. However, they wanted him to settle down with a nice girl. They believe that this would keep him grounded. Ash, however, was not interested in having a relationship as such the only way to get around this was to trick his parents into believing he was meeting their demands. This is where Alessandra came in.
Alessandra works at Beautiful Entourage as an escort. Men would hire her to pose as their girlfriend under special circumstances. There were rules to this arrangement. If these rules were broken the contract would be terminated. Will Alessandra be able to stick to these rules after spending time with Ash?
Based on the blurb I figured Ash would be a tortured soul. I was prepared to feel his pain and to get insight into what he was feeling from his time served in Afghanistan. However, I was sorely disappointed. Ash is arrogant and egotistical. He believes he is a sex god. He suffers from commitment phobia. He does not believe that relationships were made for him. He also has a major chip on his shoulder. I could not believe I was reading about a thirty-year-old man. His actions were that of a spoilt teenager. This made it difficult for me to connect with him. He did not display any traits of someone who had experienced atrocities while serving.
Alessandra was quite the opposite. She was modest and humble. She made some choices in the past that some may consider poor. I may not have agreed with what she did, but I did understand why she did it. It goes to show when your back is against the wall you may find yourself doing things that you would not have done under normal circumstances.
The story was told from the POVs of the main characters. This is one of my favourite things when reading a novel. It allows me to gain insight into what the characters are thinking and feeling. Getting insight into Ash’s thoughts revealed his level of immaturity. There were instances when his actions would endear him to me, but then he will do something that made me re-think my opinion of him.
The pacing was slow. It took me some time to get into the story. However, when I did it proved to be an ok read. I found the romance somewhat unrealistic. It happened too quickly, especially knowing that Ash did not believe in long term relationships. I found his belief odd in light of the fact that his parents appeared to be happily married.
Into the Fire is the first book in the Gorgeous Entourage series. Although it did not give me what I was hoping for, I would read more of this author’s work. Therefore, I would be looking to read the next book in the series.
