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Pretty Mess

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Pretty Mess

By: Lily Morton
Narrated by: Joel Leslie
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Kiss him, sleep with him, but don’t ever fall in love with him.

The first time Wes Archer steps into Jack of Clubs, an exclusive London pleasure club, he’s completely confident he can heed the tried-and-true advice about becoming an escort. Wes gives himself away for free with casual hookups all the time. Why not make some cash doing what he already loves? And cash is something he desperately needs. His brother’s gambling addiction has taken their family’s home, saddled Wes with insurmountable debts, and compromised his chances for finishing his degree.

Accepting an offer to spend a few hours of fun with a rich bloke will be a simple business transaction, right?

Wrong.

Wes’s first client is Cormac Reilly. The handsome billionaire is grumpy, funny, and commanding in a way that unlocks desires Wes never knew he had. Cormac is icily determined to keep their arrangement strictly business, but that doesn’t stop Wes from finding him fascinating.

As their one-night contract becomes something much more, Wes can’t deny he’s falling for his client. He knows he’s flouting all the rules, but breaking down Cormac’s barriers is an irresistible challenge, and his reward might be the best prize of all — love.

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a passionate love story set in London and Paris about two astonishingly different men and one very pretty mess.

Please see the disclaimer at the beginning of the book for content some listeners may find triggering.

©2025 Lily Morton (P)2025 Lily Morton
Literature & Fiction Romance Funny Heartfelt Witty Feel-Good England Money
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Listener received this title free

I know that with a Lily Morton book, I am guaranteed an MC with snark, comedy, some exceedingly heated scenes, and a hard fought HEA. And when listening with Joel Leslie narrating, it's the best way to spend the hours of your day!
Wes and Mac do not come together organically. Wes feels forced into a situation of his brother's making where he needs to make money quickly and his fellow student/possible friend, Julien, brings him to Jack of Clubs, a club where men can purchase the time of another but for quite the hefty fee.
Mac is the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Along with brooding/grumpy. Wes's attention is caught immediately and his luck is in as Mac chooses him.
What follows are some of the hottest scenes for both the characters and the reader/listener. However, Max is determined to keep his distance while Wes struggles with the feelings that are developing for him.
Wes's family drama with his brother ebbs and flows through the story, keeping him on his toes as to what is happening with him, and how else the man might have impacted Wes's, and others, lives. With the rules that Wes and Mac have, it's not like they share information like this so it's his to deal with alone. But, of course, Wes clearly starts to have some sort of impact on Mac. With how he isn't quiet, compliant, and distant like others from the club, his openness and snark draw the older man in with slow increments being made into the distance he demands.
It's a fantastic story to read/listen to, with wonderful characters and drama for both men, but especially Wes. Joel absolutely brings all of the characters to life. I always enjoy the accents he provides and how their personalities shine through from the start.

**Content warning - gambling addict with side character. Death of parents in the past. Child neglect experienced by MC**

Fantastic story and narration!

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Listener received this title free

When I read this book with my eyes I knew I would love it because Lily Morton wrote it and because I love a good ‘Pretty Woman’ story. But, OMG, I could never have guessed the tough journey that Wes and Max had to take to get their HEA.

This book was hot AF and it’s full of Lily Morton’s classic wit and snark. I knew I would love it even more if Joel Leslie did the audiobook and I wasn’t wrong. Joel was the perfect choice to perform this story and I loved it even more after listening to him.

Fantastic!

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Listener received this title free

Wes finds himself in a horrible mess that his brother caused. Not knowing where to turn he finds a temp home with Julian who becomes his best friend. Julian gives Wes an idea to help resolve his current problems. This leads to more than Wes bargains for.
Mac attending a club event doesn’t plan the attraction he gets for Wes. Their arrangement leads to more than either planned.

The snark from Wes and answered by Mac made this so enjoyable. The heavy situations were overcome with the lightheartedness of the banter back and forth. Wes as a character has a natural knack for addressing any situation. Mac has a big hidden heart that made him completely attractive. The secondary characters of Julian and Tyler added interest to the journey.

The narration by Joel Leslie made the whole story. I would not have nearly enjoyed it as much reading it. The back and forth between Wes and Mac would have been flat with out the narration.

Very entertaining

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Listener received this title free

A client/customer situation that turns into love is, of course, pure fantasy. But this is fiction, and the fiction works. I enjoy how Wes is sturdy on the inside, how he enjoys his attraction to Cormac despite the circumstances, and how he is always ready for banter. Cormac is so emotionally repressed we don't really get to know him before at the end, and that is believable too. The only part I didn't respond well to was the level of sugary sweetness at the very end, but that was such a small part of the book that my final impression is very positive. Sincerely recommend!

Good use of a trope

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I loved this book, beautifully narrated as always and while I was left morally ambiguous about Mac, I think, since he felt even more judgemental of his own character I can cheer for him nonetheless. If you enjoyed How to bang a millionaire this is very much for you. But while it's a similar premise it's also quite different. This, I think explores a lot more grey areas, and actually addresses them, and I actually think I prefer Mac to Caspian (from How to bang a billionaire) as he attempts to make himself worthy rather than just whine. Wes on the other hand is wonderful through and through.

Her best yet I think

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