The Varlet and the Voyeur

Penny Reid & LH Cosway (2018).

Résumé : He kept his salacious secret for years. But soon, everyone is going to be reading about it in their morning paper…

THE VARLET (and the VOYEUR)
William Moore is a long way from home. A farm boy from Oklahoma, he’s now the most well-respected member of the Irish rugby team. But appearances are often deceptive, and Will isn’t the clean-cut, all-American good-guy everyone imagines him to be. He’s got a secret, one that will tarnish his reputation forever.

THE VOYEUR (and the VARLET)
Josey Kavanagh is a self-proclaimed mess, but she’s finally get her shi…uh, act together. She’s set her sights on becoming a veterinarian, but there’s one teeny tiny road bump. Her living arrangements are coming to an abrupt end, leaving Josey homeless and in need of a job to pay her way through college.

THE PLAN
What he needs is a companion to keep him on the right path.
What she needs is an apartment with free rent.
Will is convinced Josey will make the perfect companion, since she’s brutally honest and basically ‘just one of the guys.’ Josey is convinced she can ensure Will doesn’t succumb to his voyeuristic proclivities by keeping a scrupulous eye on him.
Except, what happens when the varlet is tempted by the voyeur, and vice-versa?!
Perchance something very, very volatile. And vexing.

The Varlet and the Voyeur is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the 4th(and last) book in the USA TODAY bestselling Rugby Series.


La première impression que j'ai eu en découvrant Josey et Will c'est de les imaginer, lui en labrador pantouflard et elle en châton qui apprend la gravité en sautant partout autour de lui et sur lui... Bon c'est pas l'image la plus romantique qui soit mais la plus réaliste (enfin pour moi ^^).

Will est un mec posé, qui assume son penchant pour le voyeurisme. Il sait pourquoi il aime ça, d'où ça lui ai venu et comment s'y adonner quand le besoin s'en fait sentir (avec des règles strictes, des adultes consentants et aucun échange d'argent), pour lui ça relève d'une addiction dont il aimerait bien s'en passer. On peut adhérer ou pas, mais on ne pourrait pas reprocher à Will de faire n'importe quoi. Sauf que ce détail de sa vie privée va être rendu public (par une personne mal intentionnée) et il profite de l'occasion pour se faire aider avec un "compagnon de sobriété" comme collocataire. Et ce compagnon c'est Josey :)

Josey a besoin d'un logement et d'un job, faire la babysitter de Will ? Pour elle ça ne pause aucun problème, tout le monde voit Will comme bizarre, mais pour elle il est juste différent. Josey est un rayon de soleil, pas le passé elle s'est un peu éparpillée, mais être vétérinaire est vraiment sa vocation. La routine très organisée de la vie avec Will va donc l'aider à se focaliser sur son objectif. Ce qu'elle n'avait pas prévu c'est que plus elle en apprend sur Will et plus elle craque pour lui.

Je sais que je me répète à chaque fois, mais Penny Reid et LH Cosway créent des personnages atypiques, complexes, tellement intéressant. On lit ce livre sans interruption du début à la fin. Je n'ai jamais lu de romance avec une thématique sur le voyeurisme, mais j'ai l'impression qu'il ne pouvait pas mieux être abordé qu'ici : quand Will et Josey en discutent, c'est sans cliché, sans jugement. Un "must read" pour cette série !

The first impression I got when I discovered Josey and Will is to imagine them, he as a home-grown labrador and she as a kitten who learns gravity by jumping all around him and on him ... Well, it's not the most romantic picture but the most realistic (at least for me ^ ^).

Will is a laid-back guy, who assumes his penchant for voyeurism. He knows why he likes it, where it came from and how to do it when the need arises (with strict rules, consenting adults and no exchange of money), for him it's an addiction he would like to stop. We can agree or not on voyeurism, but we cannot blame Will for doing anything out of control. Except that this detail of his private life will be made public (by a malicious person) and he takes the opportunity to get help with a "sobriety companion" as a roommate. And this companion is Josey :)

Josey needs a place to live and a job, to babysit Will ? For her it's no problem, everyone sees Will as weird, but for her he is just different. Josey is a ray of sunshine, in the past she's scattered a bit, but being a veterinarian is really her dream job. The very organized routine of living with Will will help her focus on her goal. What she did not expect is that the more she learns about Will and the more she falls for him.

I know I repeat myself every time, but Penny Reid and LH Cosway create atypical characters, complex and so interesting. This book read itself without interruption from beginning to end. I have never read a romance with voyeurism, but I have the impression that it could not be better approached here : when Will and Josey discuss it, it's without cliché, without judgment.

A "must read" for this series !