Review: HOTELLES by Emma Mars

HOTELLES is an eloquent and enveloping exploration in sensual intrigue. It balances suspense, mystery, sexual awakening, and romance with a craftsmanship that will endear this writer to many fans of reading. Mars takes readers on a journey that'll not only strip the surface off characters who feel like neighbors, but gives readers the chance to reveal intimate details about themselves to themselves. Buckle up and prepare for an erotic roller-coaster ride of a lifetime.



Hotel des Charmes is a special hotel in Paris, France where each room is designed and dedicated to a historically famous mistress, lady of the night, or woman who used her wiles to seduce men. It is an apt setting for our female protagonist, Annabelle- aka Elle, the escort.

Putting herself through school for journalism and caring for a cancer-stricken mother, Annabelle turns to escorting as a way to keep her head above water. She's not as sexually free as her fellow escorting friend, Sophia, but she does what she musts and starts to "sleeps" with her clients to command higher fees. She never feels quite that satisfied after these illicit encounters but her purpose resonates deeply within her and she's resolved to do whatever it takes.

Soon Annabelle grabs the attention of a well-to-do producer/businessman whom quickly falls in love and proposes to her. He doesn't know of her nighttime activities and Annabelle hopes she'll be able to keep it secret, but she'll soon face some opposition that'll threaten what she hopes to build with David.

All seems well until her fiancé's brother Louie starts to pursue (and blackmail!) her. Louie brings out the sexual vixen in Annabelle, but why does something that is so obviously wrong feel so damn good? All the while the increasingly personal and salacious anonymous notes Annabelle has been receiving begin to get bolder and more insane threatening her "way out" with David. Is this mystery author Louie?

Between investigating the demons of the Barlet brothers' pasts and getting closer to solving the mystery of the silver notebook that was slipped into her bag and for which the anonymous notes belong, Annabelle receives a sexual education of a lifetime (from someone other than her betrothed) and leaves behind a story of her own fit for the decadent hotel rooms she has been liberated in.

My Rating:

My Favorite Part of the Book: Was reading the overall journey Annabelle went through in discovering sexual freedom and seeing how everything connected. A lot of it was internally sorted- which I usually dislike- but it was written in a very compelling way. Annabelle's exploration happened under the dynamic circumstances of the plot which intricacies added to its allure. 

This story was a marvelous introduction to Emma Mars. You could feel the French influence in every elegantly-strung sentence and reference. It was a bit of an adjustment getting use to the writing style, but an entertaining one. It didn't all work for me- like the fast progression of Annabelle and David's relationship irked me and the sequence some details were revealed. Early on, Annabelle's detachment from the situation, which isn't an outrageous reaction given the circumstances,started to rub off on me (the reader) and made it harder for me to connect with her character at first- but eventually as Annabelle started opening up, I started to connect more. There was a lot going on both internally and externally with this book, but 500+ pages might have been pushing it just a tad; The story is so intricate and distinct, however, that you won't be too perturbed at the extra hour or so of sleep you'll lose finishing it. I'd say, if you're open, adventurous, and looking for something a bit different from your usual erotic romance give this book a read!