Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

Strut by Jay Hogan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jay Hogan has such a talent for addressing complex and complicated issues without ever making the book a depressing drag into the darkness.

Here in her second book set in the world of fashion, she looks at the appalling way models can be subjected to both casual mishandling and full on sexual assaults, alongside the abject lack of responsibility on the part of model agencies to police what happens on photo shoots.

Our protagonists are the wonderful farm boy turned New York-based model Alec and top photographer Hunter who were last seen flirting up a storm in Ryan’s book Flare.

We find out they had a steamy but somewhat fraught encounter in the back of a pub after Ryan’s show and then Hunter did a runner.

So when their paths cross once more, Alec is determined not to let his bruised heart get any more damaged by the flighty photographer. What we get next though is a beautiful story of second chances, of two men falling in love because they’re destined to be together.

And two men who, when things get really tough (read the trigger warnings), must fight to keep everything together as they fall ever more deeply in love.

This book was un-put-downable from the moment I first started reading until I got to the very fulfilling epilogue a few hours later. The chemistry between Alec and Hunter is scorching, they spark off each other with biting wit, humour, tenderness and a lot of exchanges of control.

I loved both of them dearly but Alec stole my heart because he shows such courage in how he deals with the major plot point at the centre of the narrative and Hunter proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that his running days are behind him as he builds a solid rock for Alec to lean upon.

With guest appearances from Rhys and Kip, Jay kept the pacing tight but never overly rushed and I’m now eagerly waiting for book three when Kip will finally get his ever after!

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review

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