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!!!

- DNF -

I had very high expectations after reading and seeing all the 5 star reviews. But unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. I felt zero connection to any of the characters and everything just happened in a very rapid speed for me. The love between the two main characters didn’t feel real to me. I didn’t like how these two met and how their relationship developed. It just didn’t interest me enough to want to continue. I tried to finish this book but after 40% I started skimming through the pages, just to see what would happen next. And somewhere around 55% it got interesting but then it felt flat again. Regardless of me DNF’ing this book, I still think there will be many readers who’ll enjoy this book (judging from all the 5 star reviews). So if the blurb piques your interest then go ahead and give it a go. I hope you’ll enjoy this book more than I did.

Ah man. I usually love Willow Asters books, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I thought it would be a little dark but it just wasn’t enough for my liking. I couldn’t connect with either character. Lilith and Soti were complete softies in my eyes. Lil tried to be tough but it just fell short. Soti just ugh as big as he is I thought he’d be more alpha but no. And let’s not even get started on Nico. I’m sorry but this book was just blah to me. Thanks for the opportunity.