REASON TO BELIEVE (White Lace #2) by Gina Gordon-a review

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About the book: Release Date July 5, 2016

Grace Nolan is doing her best to conform to the rigid corporate world and put her history as a paid escort behind her. And even after seeing the worst that men have to offer, she still hasn’t given up on finding love with the right guy. But right now, Grace could use a distraction to take her mind off her nonexistent love life. The trouble is, giving fashion advice to a former fling with rock-hard abs and a bad-boy attitude isn’t exactly what she had in mind.

After working his way up from cameraman to vice president of an adult media company, Ben Lockwood is floundering. While he reevaluates his future, he asks the most poised and polished woman he knows to make him look respectable. Ben even swears off sex, which makes spending time with Grace pure torture. It’s only a matter of time before they give in to the heat—but unless Ben confronts what his heart has been denying, they may both get burned.

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REVIEW: REASON TO BELIEVE is the second installment in Gina Gordon’s contemporary, adult WHITE LACE erotic, romance series. This is twenty four year old former porn actor/cameraman and the new vice president of White Lace productions Ben Lockwood, and former escort and HR executive Grace Nolan’s story line. REASON TO BELIEVE can be read as a stand alone although I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and history between the characters including Max and Everly from book one-Rush. I haven’t had the opportunity to read book one and I felt I was missing some important information.

Told from dual first person points of view (Grace and Ben) REASON TO BELIEVE follows the re-building relationship, the second chance romance between Grace Nolan, and Ben Lockwood. Ben is the new vice president of White Lace productions- a film company that produces porn videos. When his best friend and ‘brother’ Max Hirsh walked away from his father’s porn company to open his own luxury hotel, Ben stood next in line to ‘inherit’ the mantle of vice president in charge of everything. But Ben is in need of a fashion make-over to look the part of the new VP for speaking engagements, and Grace Nolan has offered herself up for the job. Grace and Ben’s personal pasts have allowed for the kindred spirit in each to find one another although Ben refuses to acknowledge the love he feels for the woman who stole his heart.

The world building continues to focus on the ‘behind the scenes’ executives of the porn industry, the actors, the videos, the ridicule, the stereotyping, and the shame for those who work in every aspect of the business. The sex industry is front and center as Grace comes face to face with several men from her past, and Ben’s attempts to prove himself worthy are met with taunts and derision from the closed minds of the people who are not involved.

There are a number of secondary and supporting characters including Grace’s roommate Sadie who suffers at the hands of someone we know little about. Max and Everly from RUSH take the next step forward in their relationship; and Max’s father Hirsch Levin who has come to a decision about the future of White Lace Productions. We are introduced to White Lace’s new ‘intern’ Cory- a student at the local film school and a young man who has a few things to teach our leading hero.

REASON TO BELIEVE is slow to build. The story line focuses on two broken souls whose lives went off track when the future seemed destitute and bleak. There is plenty of push and pull, back and forth between Ben and Grace-neither one believes they are capable of love or being loved. The premise is interesting and revealing; the characters are broken and real; the romance struggles with issues of guilt and memories but in the end our couple get their happily ever after. Some readers may take issue with the story line subject; I recommend going into the story with an open mind.-sometimes people have to make the best of the situation-any way they can.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy