Review: How I Became Lotus Raine by Erika Ashby

I refused to work my way up the company ladder by sexually favoring my sleazy boss. I was beginning to lose hope. Until one day, he surprised me with an assignment that would literally rock my world.

I never imagined my first assignment being my last. But Brent Nichols worked his way inside every way possible, unlocking something within me.

Becoming a porn star was never part of the plan. Neither was changing my name.

Everyone else knows me as Lucy Rogers, but you can call me Lotus Raine.

5 Fantastic Stars!

Review by Allison East

From the get go, when Erika showed me the graphic and teaser back in May of what she was working on- I immediately said "SHUT UP!" What I did know was the blurb and cover sounded awesome, what I didn't know was that she was going to make me fall in love with a porn star. How she did it, I will never know, but she did. Typically porn stars are not my fave, but Erika painted some of the characters in a different light, one I never thought possible. That's the sign of a good author- one that takes your preconceived notions of a person and then throws them right out the window.

Not only was the story line of this book the complete opposite of Broken Wings, it was written well and the characters were amazingly lovable and scrumptious, much like cupcakes. Broken Wings was  heavy and complicated, and although I loved it, it made me bawl my eyes out. Lotus made me smile, laugh out loud, and fan myself from the sheer hotness it exudes.

This book also goes from present tense to past tense, and I felt like it was executed superbly- if you aren't a fan of those types of books- this book may not be for you. For me, I enjoyed it. I liked the interview style of questions that happened in the present, and then the story would switch back to the main character's feelings in the past.

Lucy is an average, run of the mill woman- who works for a publishing company. She never seems to get her "big break" at her job because of Rachel- who I can't describe using nice words for a review- meaning everything I have to say about her is really bad! Rachel kisses the boss, Mr. Callahan's butt- and that's not all she kisses. So she seems to get all the really good jobs, that is until Mr. Callahan delivers information that Lucy has landed her very first job! 

The hero of the story, is Brent. Ah, Brent- hello lover. I really freaking loved him. Lucy meets him at her job, because he is "researching" for his job. He has mad sex appeal- and he pulls Lucy in with just a look. She doesn't need to go down that road- the road of what would be a bad boy/player and get hurt in the process. She needs to focus on her new job. But he is relentless and really finds himself swooning over her.

"In all honestly, knowing that you're nothing like the norm I am used to, makes me that much more attracted to you."

Lucy's assignment, however, is a little bit obscure- but she needs to do it, in order to climb the ladder. What she didn't expect was how she felt about wanting to climb someone else's ladder- if you catch my drift. She has to live with a porn star for the week, and she is not too thrilled. But after she discovers who the porn star is- her mind changes in an instant. The chemistry between the pair is undeniable, palpable, and totally believable.

"I wished I could jar up the sweet sound of him moaning my name and keep it forever."

By the end of the assignment she was a changed woman, a freaking goddess, Lotus Raine- who I for one, insta-loved. I wanted to climb in the book and be fly on the wall and hear all of the stories she had to tell. It was freaking genius.

This book was an unexpected breath of fresh air in a sea of robotic, romantic carbon copies. I was already a fan of Erika's work before this, and I will continue to be a big supporter (supporter, stalker, fan girl, pimp- whatever works!) Trust me, read this book. When I love a book, I love hard- and this book is worthy of that love. It will be in my top reads of 2014 for sure. 

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