Book: Illicit Illustration by E.L. Koslo
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4/5
ALC REVIEW
Illicit Illustration by @elkoslo_writes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 (4.25/5)
Hazel has been nursing a crush on her older brother’s best friend, Reid, for what feels like forever. They used to be close… until she accidentally walked in on him with another woman, which led to peak embarrassment, emotional spiraling, and avoidance.
Meanwhile, Reid has been steadily, quietly falling for Hazel and is fully ready to stop pretending otherwise. When he finds out she’s attending a blind speed dating event, he jumps at the chance. Unsurprisingly, they hit it off instantly—completely unaware that they’re also anonymously texting each other as #7 and #14.
When Hazel starts struggling to illustrate some of the very specific positions her romance clients are requesting, Reid offers to help. They recreate the poses, and he photographs them for reference. Very professional. Extremely educational. Not at all a slippery slope. As things heat up in real life, “7” and “14” are also lighting each other up via text, which only complicates everything further.
Hazel is torn between her feelings for two men who are technically the same man, while Reid is determined to prove he’s always been the right choice.
Warning: Do not listen to this audiobook at work unless you’re prepared for looks. The spicy scenes were spicing hard, and hearing them out loud added an extra layer of filth I was not emotionally prepared for—but absolutely loved.
I’m usually not a virgin-heroine girl, but this worked because Hazel owns her sexuality. She’s curious, confident, and never reduced to naive or meek—which is where this trope so often fails. Thankfully, not here.
And Reid? Give me all the sexy, tattooed, reformed Playboy energy. The most unrealistic part of this book is that Hazel didn’t immediately jump into bed with him, because Reid is YUM.
Thank you to @naughtynookpr for the ALC!
For fans of: 🧑🤝🧑 Brother’s Best Friend | 🔥 Mutual Pining | 🤍 Friends to Lovers | 🕶️ Secret Identity | 😏 Reformed Playboy | 🌶️ Spicy Texting | 🌸 Virgin Heroine
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