Hired

In the Big Easy, love is anything but easy, especially when the discontented daughter of a political candidate hooks up with a male stripper turned escort for some no-strings-attached stress relief. Faith Charles is tired of maintaining a pristine public image and living up to her mother’s high expectations, while Aiden Rios wrestles with guilt over his recent bad decisions, which led him to abandon his friends in the Mayhem City dance troupe in favor of a business deal that fell through. What starts as a fling quickly intensifies, both physically and emotionally, but the relationship—and Faith’s mother’s run for mayor of New Orleans—may not survive once Aiden’s most recent client’s identity is revealed. For this second installment of the Happy Endings series, following 2018’s Stripped, Castile turns up the heat, delivering a sizzling, though predictable, romance between two likable partners who fill the needs in each other’s lives. The contrast between Aiden’s Colombian background and Faith’s African-American heritage plays well against the New Orleans locale, which provides both atmosphere and sensuality. However, readers hoping for a more intense sense of risk from a politician’s daughter falling for a sex worker may be disappointed by this generally domestic and cuddly romance. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary. (Mar.)