So I was looking forward to reading this. I've enjoyed GA Hauser's work before and the blurb made this sound really interesting.Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this at all. The characters were one dimensional and the ones that weren't were so horrible. Robin was immature and selfish (with one short-lived flash of integrity towards the end). Kipp had moments where I thought he was going to show emotional depth but he lost momentum and turned back into his default - long-suffering, martyred, and self-righteous. The pacing of the story was off. Within minutes of them meeting, Kipp - the closeted senator - was booking Robin into the hotel room next to his with the claim that he was his nephew. There was no build up of tension - sexual or emotional. We were supposed to buy that Kipp felt so much for Robin that he was willing to risk everything for him, but there just wasn't time for true intimacy to develop and he looked foolish and desperate instead. For a man with so much to lose, Kipp was remarkably stupid throughout this story.I kept reading to see what would happen with Louise's investigation into her hubby - her righteous indignation about his cheating somewhat unbelievable given her blatant indiscretions. She could have been a very sympathetic character - signed a contract to be a beard when she was young and regrets it now she's older - but instead, she came across as a gold-digging harpy out for revenge. Her story went from pitiful to ridiculous.Really disappointing on the whole.
