Kelly Gendron, $2.99, ISBN 978-1005136451
Contemporary Romance, 2022

Now, now, don’t get the wrong idea. Sure, this one is called My Escort, but see the name of the series? A Different Kind of Escort Service. That’s right, the Daxon brothers don’t charge for their company, they do it for free. The “escort” part stems from how, after they receive the call, they escort abused women away from these women’s abusers to a domestic shelter these men are affiliated with.

Cassie Redmon is one such woman. A year or so ago, Brett Dixon saved her from her abusive partner. Well, she now has her life together, is a marketing director of the retail chain GrandMark, and life is good. Well, GrandMark is opening its newest outlet in Florida, so she has to go back to the place that she fled from. She’s a bit… ambivalent about that, let’s just say.

However, in fiction land, it’s very easy to bump into a familiar face regardless of how densely populated the neighborhood is. Guess the name of the man she bumps into soon after she’s arrived. That’s right, it’s Homer Simpson… oh wait, it’s Brett. He’s a project manager for the family construction company currently making a bid for the gig of setting up of the outlet. Gee, I didn’t realize Florida is such a small place after they excommunicated those pesky Disney people.

While Brett’s presence brings back all those terrible memories of her abuse, Cassie also feels a lot of gratitude to Brett for her rescue. He’s a good man. She can trust him.

Meanwhile, Brett is worried because she recognizes him, and he fears that she may blow his cover, as well as his brothers’. At the same time, being superheroes apparently doesn’t pay, so he and his brothers really need this gig or their business can go under.

Wait. Alright, I’ve checked, and yes, Brett and his brothers are indeed the current and future romance heroes of this series. Weird, as I assume only heroines get into financial problems in romance novels. I supposed it rains sometimes in the Atacama Desert. These men decide that perhaps one of the other brothers can liaise with Cassie about the gig, but nope, she wants to deal with Brett and only Brett.

Now, despite the whole vigilante at night thing, this one isn’t a romantic suspense, as it focuses far more on Cassie and Brett chatting, dating, and of course eventually boinking. Folks expecting kick-ass action and sexy violence therefore may want to adjust their expectations accordingly.

Well, first and foremost, I like that Cassie never comes off like a victim or a damsel in distress here. Sure, she is still haunted by Glenn’s abuse of her, but she tries hard to keep herself together and move on with her life, to start trusting others again, and I especially enjoy how all this takes place without needing Brett to prop her up throughout. She’s a survivor and a fighter, and she is all this even if she hadn’t fallen in love with Brett. This is great, as it is a well-written kind of evidence that a heroine doesn’t need a man to fix her life all the way from A to Z in order for a story to qualify as romantic.

Compared to Cassie, Brett is more of a standard character. He’s reliable, flat abs, fat… okay, the wallet isn’t so fat here, but hey, there’s a body part of his that is fatter, so all is right in the world again, phew. Open any other story with an action hero type in the forefront and chances are that fellow is a variation of Brett. This guy doesn’t have any deep angst, though, which isn’t a bad thing as Cassie has enough personal demons and his job here is to apply the sexual healing.

The downside here is that the story can be tad predictable. Of course Glenn will show up in the end of the predictable denouement, because every other story of this sort needs a dramatic action moment to seal the deal.

Also, I wonder about the optics of Cassie awarding the contract to a company co-owned by the man she is sleeping with. Won’t this give the other companies bidding for the gig an excuse to file an official complaint or something?

At any rate, My Escort is a pleasant read that does a lot of things right as far as I’m concerned. Sadly, I can’t say that I’m particularly moved or excited by the story, as it is also in many ways a rather generic and predictable romance.

Still, don’t let my three oogies discourage you if you happen to be looking for a romance featuring an abused survivor whose character arc is not entirely dependent on her falling for a man. It’s definitely worth a look in that regard.