Calling Card by Ashley
Suzanne
Dexter MacFadden is a world famous playboy photographer who
has no use or interest in women beyond the time it takes to bed them. To keep
them at bay after the deed, Dex has devised a little system. He sneaks out
after they fall asleep and leaves them his calling card with a number (really a
rating) on the back.
Dex has all the details worked out. If they score above a 6
then he may call on them again if he’s back in that city. If they score low and
call him, well then they are simply handled by his answering service. He even
has a little app for his sex life which he calls FB. It’s not Facebook, but the
B does stand for book and the F stands for... you get the picture.
Is Dex an insensitive, cocky man-whore? Oh absolutely. But
are his early exploits funny to read and thus you like him despite his flaws?
“It’s perfectly acceptable to nod your head in agreement, I’m not judging.”
But after years of avoiding confrontation and scandal with
his hook-up system and cocky attitude, both finally fail him. Media exposure
forces Dex to lie low and he retreats to the only two girls who have ever meant
something to him—his one and only ex-girlfriend and her daughter.
Briar is a former model; the woman who made his career. They
have a long history, a former relationship that has resulted in a dear
friendship. But once Dex is forced to reexamine his life (his whole life even
beyond his sexual shenanigans) he finds that Briar may mean even more to him
than he ever realized.
From here the mood of the story shifts a bit. The beginning
is humorous and sexy, the middle sweet, and the end a little melancholy so the
book takes you on a bit of a ride. Dex must weather the storm of his damaged
professional career and public image, investigate his feelings for Briar, and
return to his past to be set free of some personal demons.
The narration is witty as Dex is no holds bared with his
commentary and descriptions of his sex life.
This book is somewhat unique in that it is told entirely from the male
point of view, and while it would have been nice to have some perspective from
Briar to get a better feel for her character, this is largely about Dexter’s
journey.
It’s a fairly quick read (or maybe it's just that easy to stay engaged with), and I would have ultimately liked
to see more to his relationship with Briar and maybe less of his exploits with
other women after a certain point. But it's still an engaging story, and there is an HEA, no cliffhanger, and an epilogue that
shows just how far Dex has come.
Barnes & Noble
If you've read the book, check out our CHARACTER INTERVIEW with Dex, Briar, and Nicholas!
If you've read the book, check out our CHARACTER INTERVIEW with Dex, Briar, and Nicholas!
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