ARC Review: House of Agnes

Goodreads Blurb:

A lesbian romance filled with intrigue and sizzling sexual tension as enemies discover that the other side of hatred…is desire.

Agnes Noble is private, mysterious, and untouchable. She rules House of Agnes, the most exclusive escort agency on the East Coast, with a diamond fist. Crossing her is a mistake no one makes twice.

Investigative reporter Lola Osbourne is not afraid. She’s gunning for the House and its so-called queen. She’ll make sure no other innocent gets dragged into Agnes’s alluring web, to be used and discarded the way Lola’s sister was.

But her plan to get close to the elusive madam shatters the moment her eyes meet the Queen’s. One look and everything’s different. More complicated. Dangerous.

Now, Lola’s not just fighting to topple a queen from her throne, she’s also scrambling to escape their explosive collision with her suddenly vulnerable heart intact

My Thoughts:

I’ll start with what I liked/admired:

• STRONG FEMALE MAIN LEADS! Yes! I love reading books like that. It’s so inspirational to me. I suppose that’s when I am motivated to pick up a dumbbell and try to get some gains like Whit or Jamika! If not, I could just work on my scowls, I suppose that would do too!
• Ms. Zedde’s writing style. It was… poetry and prose and every beautiful thing that one can think of when describing superb imagery and style. Do you want an example?! Don’t worry, I got it covered.

Sudden anxiety fizzed in her chest, like an untimely burp waiting to burst free.

What? I read that (of course there were a lot of examples throughout the book but this stood out more.) and was like, y’know. She’s so damn right. It’s obvious yet creates a beautiful picture to capture me into Lola’s world and experiencing the thundering of her heart.

• Not abusing sex. It’s refreshing. I know the story’s setting does stir every conversation in that direction, but I loved how the author was able to create a balance.
• Gretchen. I don’t have to say anything more. That little girl was adorable.
• I admired the author for using her book as a medium to get the message of BLM across.

Like everyone else in America, Lola saw the videos of cops killing unarmed Black people and other ethnic folks in the streets, in their cars, in police stations, on social media, and she hated the system that allowed things like that to happen almost every day with no consequences for the killers.

• Finally, the cover. It’s beautiful.

What could’ve been better?

• The chemistry between Lola and Agnes. Agnes was suspicious of Lola throughout but their “relationship” confused me.
• The end. Too fast-paced and the author made it seem like she was tying all the loose ends together. (view spoiler)  The ending sort of ruined it for me. I wish it was better.

My Rating: It’s a 3.5/5.

Content Notices:  Murder, and death of loved ones in the past.

Audience: 18+

Pages: 243, Kindle Edition

I received a complimentary advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

About the Author:

Fiona Zedde is a Jamaican-born novelist and short-story writer who currently lives and writes and Tampa, Florida.

She is the author of six novellas – “Pure Pleasure,” “Going Wild” and “Sexual Attraction” appear in the collections, Satisfy Me, Satisfy Me Again, and Satisfy Me One More Time, respectively.

Her novels include Bliss, A Taste of Sin, Every Dark Desire, Hungry for It, Kisses after Midnight, and Dangerous Pleasures. To find out more about her, log onto her website at www.fionazedde.com.