Selling Out by Amber Lin

 

Shelly Laurent escapes her life as a high-class escort, but against her better judgment she takes the scared young Ella with her. Framed for murder by her pimp and his dirty cops in retaliation, Shelly turns to the one man who could be her salvation: Detective Luke Cameron. She doesn’t know if she can trust him or if he’s just a mirage, but it's time for her to take a stand. Just one shot, make it count, she’ll fight Ella’s demons—and face her own.

Shelly throws light on the shadows of Chicago’s underworld, challenging everything she knew and the man she’s come to love. Together, a prostitute and a cop fight for truth stronger than secrets, hope deeper than deception, and a bond more enduring than betrayal.

*****

Selling Out is one of those stories that will have you thinking long and hard about your feelings on prostitution, regardless what your stand on it actually is. Through Shelly's experiences, Amber Lin shows us both the harsh, and the not so harsh side of the oldest profession on earth. It's a story told from Shelly's point of view, but we also get up close and personal with what's going on inside Luke's head.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this story! Though admittedly, I wasn't Shelly's biggest fan in the beginning. She didn't just have walls built around her heart, it was an entire fortress. But once I "got" where she was coming from, I couldn't help but respect and care for her.

But Luke? He caught my attention right from the start and I couldn't get enough of him. His motivations for the things he was doing, and his reasons for keeping Shelly at arms length, were heartbreaking. He's a solid man, knows what he's about, and even though he has his demons, they do not own him. As the story progressed, Shelly grew on me and surprised me by turning out to be a strong, amazing, compassionate woman, one I'm happy to see paired with Luke.

I really can't say enough about this story, and am looking forward to reading more by Amber Lin, an incredibly gifted writer.

My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of Selling Out in exchange for an honest review.