Little Miss Bookmark: Book Review: Thursday Afternoon by Beth Rinyu

I'm just your typical working girl who never mixes business with pleasure. Although some may say my business is all about pleasure. For the past four years, I’ve allowed my profession to define me, distancing myself from family, friends and most of all love. Hating the reflection I see staring back at me in the mirror, I muddle through each day with my heart sealed off like a tomb, until two strangers enter my life.

One teaching me the true meaning of friendship.

The other teaching me the true meaning of love.

She’s everything I’m not.
Humble, loving, and devoting her life to others.
We’re an unlikely duo who are polar opposites, but at the same time so alike.
Never in a million years could I be friends with someone like her...until I was.

Then there’s him.
He’s my Thursday afternoon client.
Just like all the others: handsome, rich and charming…yet so very different.
Trying to overcome a painful past, he seeks out my services as a refuge, only to find that we’re opening our hearts to each other in ways that neither of us could've imagined.
I could never fall in love with someone like him...until I did.
And now I'm finding myself longing for it to be Thursday afternoon all week long.

I've never read a book by this author, so I really didn't know what to expect as I dove into the pages. The whole concept of the book was intriguing ... you've got this female escort/call-girl that (as the blurb states - no spoilers, promise!) falls in love with her Thursday John. I mean client. And before someone jumps their soapbox, I have no problem with that profession, to each their own but let's not sugar coat it - a polished penny is the same as a dirty penny, you know?

As I started to read, I really thought that when I got to know our main character, Bree, that she would be one of two extremes - either she really hated being a paid escort and detested every moment or that she loved what she did and didn't want to give it up. But Bree was neither of those. She was just kinda 'meh' about everything. I was a little surprised. With her lackadaisical outlook on her career, it made the story a little convenient. And by convenient, I mean she didn't have any real hurdles to get over. There wasn't enough conflict, in my mind at least. I won't lie, there was one situation that happened and that added to the story but other than that one struggle, there really wasn't anything else for Bree to overcome. Which is sad. Because it took away some of the depth that Bree could have had with more inner strife or something.

And along those same lines, the story felt really drawn out and sluggish. That could be attributed to the conflict issue that I experienced throughout in the book. It felt like I was trudging up a super steep mountain and every once in a while, I'd find a pretty flower but for the most part, I was just wearing myself out. Or the sluggishness could have come from the characters themselves.

I liked the characters enough but there was just something missing. It didn't feel like there was any real chemistry between Bree and Thursday. There weren't enough sparks. Now, in MY mind, if you're reading a book about a paid escort, you expect some good stuff when it comes to the steamy scenes but I didn't get that. It was a bit ... wah-waaaah ... in my mind. I just wish that there had been more between those two. This book had so much potential but it just didn't ring any bells for me.

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *

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