House of Trysts by Lucy White: Book Review

Every so often I like to take a chance on a new author. It’s tough to break into the writing world so I will choose to review one that sounds like it’s in my genre that I enjoy to read. I get hundreds of pitches for books each month and it can be hard to choose what to read. I want to read them all!

This month I read a book by a new author,Lucy White, who had a interesting and witty story to tell. Here are my thoughts.

The House of Trysts by Lucy White
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
May 21, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1542915137

Open the door to lust lies and slow roast lamb.

Laura Manning, a woman in her late thirties, is living an unremarkable life in an English village. One day she rescues an elderly lady after she has been knocked over by her English bull dog outside her townhouse in London. This meeting catapults Laura into a secret world of trysts and entanglements.

Her marriage to David, an engineer, is on the rocks. She works as an interior designer for her husband’s renovation company and is struggling with a mid-life crisis. Her one daughter Juliet aged 16 is away at boarding school. Laura is lonely and is longing for a change of circumstance.

On the surface it appears that Lady Pamela Spencer-Brown is very refined with impeccable breeding but underneath the elderly lady is running an illegal brothel. She employs a Jamaican housekeeper Tanice with literary aspirations and three ‘girls’ – Pandora, the Dominatrix, Nefertiti the Indian dancer and Cherry Blossom whose services include a special tea ceremony. The merry widow leads Laura into a dangerous world, away from her mundane and sexless situation into the realms of the dark side from which she emerges a new woman.

The House of Trysts is not only about lust lies and love, it’s about food! The recipes at the back of the book reflect a somewhat fractious relationship between Lady Pamela Spencer-Brown and her housekeeper Tanice. But the recipes are tried and true. Try them and enjoy!

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House of Trysts by Lucy White: Book Review

I love to read stories by authors that live in other English-speaking countries such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc. The wit and humor in their writing and descriptions make it funny and an enjoyable experience. This book was an example of that.

The one thing about reading an unknown author is you never know what you get. This has many advantages as I have been totally blown away and surprised before. They are also a few issues that you run across too.

Lucy White has a great story to tell and I enjoyed the plot overall. It was somewhat predictable but her characters were humorous and made for some great entertainment. Some of the scenes were sexy and definitely on the spicy side. But what else would you expect when reading a book about a brothel?

There were some editing issues that caused the story to feel stiff in places, especially in conversational areas. Some paragraphing issues make it difficult to read quickly. Plus, these issues just broke up the flow of the story.

The book itself is a fun escape and enjoyable read. I think it would be even better with a little more finesse and a great editor. If you can look past those things, you can enjoy a titillating, sexy story by a witty new story teller.

Overall 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.