This is not your average story. This is not a book you can read in one go, because this story requires you to put it down, stand up, and take a breath before continuing. Going into this book, I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to read, because the title was a big giveaway, and I am damn proud to admit that it wasn’t. If you’ve been on my blog before, then you know that I am a whore for angst, and Aster gave me that in spades with her new title- Whore.
Whore is the story of a girl, who learns that all she is is not defined by the blood that runs through her veins. It is a story of a girl who finds redemption in love, and her identity in the battle for it. It is the story of every that girl who was labelled by the society, and expected to fit inside the box under the label. Whore is the story of that woman who learned to love herself despite becoming an used up object that is the stark portrayal of this world’s fucked up sense of love.
And to say that I loved it would be an understatement. There’ve been very few books that have impacted me, and those are the books that change you, not because they make you all emotional and shit, but because they teach you to look at the world in another light that you were once blind to.
And Willow Aster’s Whore is one of them.

Willow’s writing always sucks me right in to whatever world she decides to create. In Whore, we meet Lilith a prostitute in a French Quarter brothel run by her mother. Lilith has known no other lifestyle other than pleasing the customers her mother provides her. Through a chance encounter with a stranger; Lili learns there can be an amazing life outside Maison D’Amor if she can only escape from its grasp. Whore combines suspense, love, and action. I highly recommend this book.

I was so happy when I seen this pop up in my kindle. I had heard nothing but great things but sadly the story just didn’t do it for me. To predictable, corny and drawn out. I made myself finish the book hoping that it would change my mind but sadly it did not.

I want to start off by saying that since Willow Aster announced the title of her new book, I was interested, then I read the synopsis and that’s it, I had to read this book!
There are some of some that don’t have an opinion on what they are going to do in life and some that dream of what they want to be when they grow up and follow those dreams. Lilith is in the first category. Her family business has been passed down from generation to generation. Growing up she was told and knew that she had no choice and would be involved 100% in that business. You guessed it though. Her family business was a whore house. He grandmother opened and operated it and then it was passed down to her mother and will be passed on to her.
Lilith was one of the highest paid prostitute in New Orleans, but that is not what she wanted to do with her life, but she had no idea what the outside world was like, what normal men where like. She was only with men that paid and used her. Even her “first love” Nico Santelli was a paying costumer for a very long time. He was the worst of them all. He had a life she didn’t know about at first. He was a mob boss and when she found out what he did, it was best when he stopped coming around, but it broke her. She thought she was in love and he loved her. But years later he shows back up and what does he want? Her! She leaves the property and runs into a community center owner Sotiris Christos (a Greek man <3). She knew something was special about him and didn’t find out until he did everything he could to protect her. That’s when she realized that the love she had for Nico was not love. Soti showed her what being loved felt like. He was something out of a dream, she didn’t know men like him existed. She only read about them in her books. Both of these men would not give up on her and like Willow Aster stated in her synapsis “Each has his own very specific, very opposing, plans for her, and neither will rest until it becomes a reality.”
This story was amazing. You never knew what was coming next. Then you thought that the worst was over and BOOM something happens out of nowhere and you get sucked right back in, trying to figure out what’s going to happen next. I have read all of Willow Aster’s book and she is an amazing writer. I highly recommend Whore! I loved every word. It also shows you that love can be found when you’re not expecting it and from someone you never knew existed. Look around you, everyone can change their life, have a new beginning and even change of scenery. You just have to push yourself and ask for help when you need it and it will happen.

*~*This ARC was given to me for my honest review*~*

❤️✌️ Anastasia Triantos

One of the best books I’ve read this year!! I couldn’t put it down and that in itself was refreshing to me.

It has all the feels you want and checks every romance novel box. This is a book I will be rereading.

Things are never as they appear, even when you think you can see right through the veil.

Raised a certain way to expect nothing more than what is expected of you has a way of shutting you out, shutting you down, and shutting you away from the very existence of life around you. You become a robot in human skin. This is the way reading Lilith’s story made me feel.

This story grabs you and pulls you in heart first.

I liked this story really much.
Whore is thrilling and engaging,I held my breath for the last 30 % and I just couldn't go to sleep before to finish it.

Lili is a good heroine,she always finds the strenght to go on even if her future appears dark and hopeless.Soti is a kind and beautiful man inside outand you cannot not to fall in love with him at first sight.

"All of us are just fragments trying to grasp onto the next broken piece, trying to be a little more complete."

Willow Aster is one of my favorite author and I find her attempt to a more suspenseful storytelling really convincing and captivating.

***4 “Beautiful, Peaceful Chaos’ Stars***

The cover and title peaked my curiosity and when I saw that the book fell under the romantic suspense genre I had to check the blurb out. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of the whole love triangle thing, so after reading the blurb I waffled because of the whole two men going after the woman aspect of it, but my gut said to get over it and give a try and I’m very happy I went with my gut. Whore was a pleasant surprise all around. It was nothing like I expected it would be and I enjoyed every word of it.

I’ve waffled a bit on how to proceed with this review because when I attempted to do it with my typical MO, I found that I was being kinda spoilery and this really is a book you need to go into blind, or at least semi blind so we’re going to do a semi short and sweet thing here. I adored Soti, there really is no other way to describe it. It’s been 24 hrs or so since I finished the book and his name makes me smile. Lilith absolutely fascinated me. There was so much she has experienced and yet she hasn’t ever truly lived. Her journey, her evolution was definitely an experience. Nico...he was probably the one character that didn’t surprise me, but still kept me captivated as I read the book because while his motives were transparent on one side of the coin, he was still surrounded by mystery throughout.

As for the romance side of things...it was an interesting mix of slow burn and hello that was quick, but it worked for me. All three evolve in one way or another throughout the book and where they end up is exactly where they were all meant to.

This is my first read by Willow Aster and I really enjoyed it all from the writing style to how the story unfolded. She has a way of bringing the characters to life, even the secondary, that made me want to spend more time with each of them. There are triggers in this book, so reader beware, but they worked within the framework of the story. So, if you’re looking for a good romantic suspense with well written and intriguing characters then you should definitely give this one a go!

The title and cover were intriguing and so I began reading the book without looking to the description. It's fun not to know what to expect all the time.
I enjoyed the story; the twists and turns and great characters along the way! Lilith has only ever known the prostitution industry and with a crazy turn of events winds up with Soti. This big, beautiful soul who shows her what life and love can really be about. This book is filled with tender, heartfelt moments but also sad and dangerous scenes. I really enjoyed reading Whore. Thank you Willow Aster for an entertaining story.

This was a rating I had to sit on for some of the morning, and I'm still not sure it's 4 star worthy.

The book as it stands is pretty good. If it was just placed as a fictional novel I'd probably recommend it, because Lilith is an amazing woman.
However, this is in the genre of romantic suspense, and I felt like both aspects were lacking. Very few times throughout the book did I get excited and ready to follow Lilith into the depths of whatever was about to happen, I wasn't kept on edge and I wasn't biting my nails waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When you think romance you think big gestures, swoon worthy moments, and (unfortunately) a lot of sex. None of that really was present here either.

Outside of those missing elements, this book is a great girl power read. Lilith is a whore at her most central level. It's all she's known, and all she's ever thought she'd be. But as the story progresses you see little changes in her, leading up to the grand finale (end of the story). I love her. I respect her, and I aspire to have even 1/4 of the strength she portrayed and carried. I would definitely be interested in a follow up story with her as the center.

It has been a while since I have read a Willow Aster story, so this sure was a different one to jump back into that pool.

The title alone had me intrigued, the blurb had me needing to jump right in.

Lilith's story is one of love, lost, betrayal and redemption. She is (mostly) a strong heroine and I couldn't help but cheer for her as she broke away from the life she was trapped in.

However about half way through, she started making some dumbass decisions, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and think "really? That's what you're going to do?" But this could just be me.

The second half fell away a little for me, and everything felt a little rushed and a lot of "seriously?" moments - but again, that could just be me.

I did like where the story ended up though.

I will not be leaving it so long between reads in the future.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. Having found out about this from another author, I was actually nervous to read it. There seems to be a lot of mixed opinions, with people saying they either loved it or hated it. For me, I most definitely enjoyed this story, especially after the halfway mark.

Short summary of the book: Whore is about Lilith. Her occupation: I think you can guess, right? She’s a prostitute forced to work in a whore house run by her own selfish and vindictive mother. Her ex Nico is in the mafia, and though they haven’t communicated in years, he’s still oddly infatuated with her. But there’s another unexpected man who comes into her life. Soti. I don’t want to say much about either man or what happens in the story, but I will say this took some unexpected turns and has some mystery woven in. And while there were some slow moments, the author would just drop in little unexpected bombs (one moment you think all is fine and then the next sentence, BAM!) that had me speed reading to see how it'd all turn out.

What I loved: I couldn’t put this damn book down. Though the writing is a little ... odd (I honestly can’t think of the word for it. It was sort of choppy, sort of simplistic? It also did that whole “telling not showing” thing most people hate but I don’t know why, it kind of worked here. At some points, it kind of reminded me of Tarryn Fisher's writing.) I NEEDED to know what was up with Lili’s mother and why Nico was doing what he was. I ADORED Soti. What a f*cking man.

And his and Lili’s insta-lust-love-whatever actually kind of worked, too. I’m usually the first person to proclaim how much I hate insta-anything. But I swear to Christ their relationship was making me stupidly emotional.

Maybe it was the way Soti so fiercely wanted to protect Lili. Maybe it was the way he just so easily went all in for her. Maybe it was the way they were just so sure about the other. Whatever it was, I was ALL about them together.

My only two complaints: I wanted more backstory on Nico!! As the antagonist of the story, we really get so little on him, his motives, his personality, his background. I for one love getting inside the head of the bad guy. Especially those in the mob. I really think the book would have benefited from getting his POV or just more info on him. The author also heavily used time jumps to move the story forward, which I’m just personally not the biggest fan of.

But I have to say the ending of this made the book for me. I loved it. It started a little slow, and with little given in the blurb, I wasn't sure where this story would go. It turned out to be a really good read and I just love when you wind up devouring a book, not thinking you'd even really enjoy it.

Whore
Willow Aster
Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥❣

There has been so much hype around this book, it made me a little nervous to read it. I'm so glad it didn't disappoint!

Maison D'amour of New Orleans only takes the high-end clientele. It may be a whore house, but only the privileged can get through the door. Alexis Fontenot is the lady of the house, and she only takes the best girls. To the outside world the Maison D'amour is an upscale spa and is called the house of love by the regulars, but this isn't the place dreams are made of.

Lilith is Alexis daughter. One day she will be queen bee. Her mother is cold and all business. Her daughter, Lilith has only known one life. The life of a whore. She is beautiful beyond a doubt. Her clientele is the most exclusive and she sees twice as many men as any other girl.

Nico Santelli is the stuff nightmares are made from. He's in line to take over the mob and evil beyond a doubt. He was Lilith's first customer. Her younger self-thought he would be her saviour, but she soon realised she was in bed with the devil himself. She cut off ties with him years ago, but Nico always gets what he wants. Lilith has always been something he wants and he is done with waiting.

Soti wants to save the world. One wrong undoing at a time. He's kind-hearted and determined to make up for his past. He wants to save Lilith. His love for her is beyond obsession, but could he be her angel? The price to find out could cost him everything.

A whores life isn't glamorous, but it is all Lilith has ever known. She doesn't trust anyone. She is kept in pristine condition and her heart is on ice. This is just the beginning. The danger is just starting and her life is about to change forever. It just might not be for the better.

This is a dark story which is totally addictive. It's disturbing and shocking. It's about love, life and taking what you want.

4.5 stars out of 5.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*


Expected publication: December 26th 2017

"I wish I could wander through your mind and heal every single bad memory."

Whore was my introduction to the writing of Willow Aster. And I must say, it was memorable. Being a fan of books with broken characters, this one was right up my alley. You can't get much more broken than Lilith. She didn't have a chance at normal, born and raised into the lifestyle predetermined by her family took away her choices. Her childhood dreams of finding love and living happily ever after were shot down very early.

I was intrigued by the synopsis as it mentions two very different men. Nico and Soti. One is a mob boss and the other owns a local community center. They are as different as night and day and Lilith is the only thing they have in common. They both want her...

I can't tell you too much, you need to read the story to figure it out for yourself. I can tell you that one of them was her first lover. One is an #InkedKnight and is sometimes referred to as #Boxforous. Which one caused her to think, "Even with his imperfections, he's perfect for me?" And guess which one made her laugh by saying, "My body is your wonderland." One is dark, and the other is light. Both are obsessed with her. Will either of them claim her heart or just her body?

I found this story to be very heartbreaking and thought-provoking. I could not put it down once I started reading, anxious to have my questions answered and my worries eased. Yes, I picked a man for her and hoped that my choice would be hers. I also admit to mentally bitch-slapping a few and junk-punching some others. No wonder she doesn't trust anyone, nobody has been on her side, ever. But no worries, I had her back. I was ready to throw a shovel in the trunk and help her bury some bodies. And now that I've devoured this amazing story, I'm ready for more from this author. The line forms here...

Hands down one of the best books I’ve read! The drama. The elegance in words. All were perfect.

Whore is a standalone book. It was listed on netgalley under romance and mysteries & thrillers. And I think this is accurate. There is romance. But there is also a mystery aspect to the book.

This is my first book by this author.

The book is divided into four parts. The book is narrated in first person POVs. The main narrator is Lilith/Lili (22).

When the book begins Lilith works as a prostitute at Maison D'amour in the French Quarter/New Orleans. Her mother Alexis is the Madam. Even though Lili is an escort there are no descriptions of those encounters. I was thinking that maybe the book would be super sexy, but it was less explicit than I was expecting (which was perfect for me).

Even though the book is called Whore I was surprised by her occupation (since I didn't re-read the blurb right before I started the book).

There are two main men in this story Nico (mobster) and Soti (works at a community center). We do get a male POV for some chapters.

I really liked Lili. I definitely felt bad for some of the things that she had to go through.

Some of the things that I liked about this book: I loved the community center and the people that worked there. I loved Jennie. I loved the mystery aspect of the book and I spent a good portion of the story wondering what Nico and Alexis could be up to.

Some of the things that I liked less: I don't love reading about people being hurt. And I don't love when people have romantic feelings super quickly.

The last half of this book was the strongest for me, especially the last 25%. There was a lot happening in the last part of the book. And I really did not want to put the book down.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story!

The first 50% of this book was solid 5-Star material. Then halfway through a character pulled the biggest shit for brains move that overshadowed the entire second half. I was left going...seriously? You believe that of her knowing all you know about her life up until that point?? The threats made against her?? I also felt the second half of the book was rushed with too many jumps in time and a lot of over the top events.

That said, I still found myself pulled into the story. This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be my last. She has a very captivating way of writing. I loved the setting of New Orleans. The pace was good for the first 50%. Like I mentioned above I found the second half to be rushed and I am not particularly a fan of time jumps in my books and the second half used this technique a lot. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. It was full of feels and heartbreak but also hope and redemption. There were a few sex scenes but I wouldn't say it was overly spicey. There was a nice selection of secondary characters as well.

Both of the main characters were likable (mostly). For the first half of the book I ADORED Soti. He was sweet. He treated Lilith like gold. He wore his heart on his sleeve. Then the halfway point came and I have to say Soti lost some of his luster for me. He was too quick to think the worst of Lilith considering he knew about her previous life. The threats made against her, etc. I mean for heavens’ sake did he forget the damn car chase?? How do you claim to love someone from the ends of earth and back, but a SINGLE letter convinces you that it was all a lie??!! He seemed to be a somewhat intelligent man, so how could he not put two and two together? He gave up on her SO easily...sigh. Lilith I loved from beginning to the end. She was a strong heroine. She had to be with all the shit that kept getting thrown at her. Last, it was all wrapped up in a sweet ending that again was rushed for me. I would have liked more page space given to Soti and Lilith learning to be a couple again. All in all, though I enjoyed it quite a lot, so yours truly is giving this one two thumbs up.

You know what they say, never judge a book by it's cover and that was exactly what I did. With a title like "whore" I was expecting a little a naughtiness and I was SUPER WRONG. With the love story, the "whodunnit" and the action all wrapped into one, this book was very hard to put down. I received an advanced, complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and even though I have never read anything by this author before, I am glad I picked this book to start with.

This book. This book was such a pleasant surprise.
I can totally admit to being a Judgey Judgerton and admitting that I was turned off by the title. Normally if a book has a title like, "Whore," I can guess it's not for me. LORD WAS I WRONG. I'm so glad I gave this book a chance.
Willow Aster is one of those authors on my "must read " list so I was pretty confident that even though the title of the book didn't impress me much, the story would. I was not wrong.
Lilith. Soti. Miss Jez. Alexis. Nico.
So many amazing characters. So many emotions. So many lessons learned.
I had gone into this book blind. No clue what it was about. I was so very pleasantly surprised. A "whore," gangsters, a bleeding heart, an evil mother....seriously. This book has it all.

Willow Aster's stark prose in Whore was very emblematic of the existence that the protagonist, Lilith seemed to exist. Her days were filled with very transactional, mechanical sex where she was beholden to the whims of her mother; it was only when Soti becomes part of her daily life that her the drab that colored her days burst into technicolor. This was also, in my opinion, when the novel seemed to go from a curious, but flat, read to a read that was fuller and engaging and lively.

As with all novels, there must be conflict and Aster went for a huge one. Whore didn't contain your run of the mill, typical romance type conflicts. Nope. She went big. And horrific. And the drab of Lilith's existence returned, colored at the edges with sadness and horror. Thankfully, the romance community never fails to deliver a HEA so we get to see Lilith have something better than where we started with her, and so we end with a softer, rose colored hue by the end.

SIDE NOTE: As a native Louisianian, and dweller of the New Orleans area, I am thrilled with all the details Willow Aster used and got right when it came to New Orleans. Not only did she get small details like names of restaurants (and the causeway!) right, she also didn't make a mockery of our accents and traditions, like so many like to do. I'm always so impressed when writers do their research and do it well, and it is so evident that Aster did more than a cursory look at a map when it came to writing this novel. Kudos to you, Willow Aster--I appreciate the time and effort you took to make it right.

Final thoughts? As this was my first time reading Willow Aster, I wasn't sure what to expect and I walked away thinking I'd definitely pick up something from her backlist and read it. Whore had an interesting premise--one that didn't try to spin Lilith's job as anything but what it was for her--in this case a lack of a choice--and didn't try to stigmatize or stereotype. It had interesting subplots and secondary characters that I wish had been a smidge more developed because I was curious about how and why, when it came to some of the things that happened.

*links to come when the review is live*

WOW!!! This book has left me speechless!!! I really don’t even know how to put into words how much I loved this story. Nothing I say really will do this book justice.

I didn’t know what to expect when I decided to read Whore by Willow Aster. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I have wanted to read her work so many times, and this just happened to fit into my schedule. The blurb is what drew me into wanting to read this book.

This book was so far past my expectations of this storyline. The twist and turns of this story will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is a storyline I can’t talk in detail about because I don’t want to spoil anything for other readers. Just know this book will suck you in right from the beginning. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started it. I would have finished this in one sitting had life not gotten in the way…LOL

This is a book that I know will live on in my mind for some time. These characters were amazing and the storyline is unlike anything I have read lately. This is a story that is told in Dual POV and is a story about redemption and unconditional love. This story will have your heart racing, your minding running and the tears flowing, but in the end you will end with a huge smile on your face. This book truly blew me away and I look forward to reading other books by Willow Aster.

I know this review is short and vague, but I don’t want to ruin anything. I am just going to say this…. READ THIS BOOK!!!! I don’t think you’ll be sorry. This is definitely making my Best of 2017 List!!!