Gigolo

Wow! This book holds nothing back as Ben writes about his life as a masseuse that ends up being paid to do more than give massages to rich women. The author was honest in how he felt about what he was doing to make money and in how it impacted his marriage. Great hot and steamy read!

Fact or fiction? Whichever, this is an unputdownable read as nice, married, father-of-three Ben Foster inadvertently falls into the life of a male 'escort' and sex worker.

The narrative voice is a compelling one and Ben is a nice guy: self-deprecating, charming without being insincere, and all-round good guy (apart from the fact that he's 'cheating' on his wife, of course!)

The more I read, the less I believed, though: for someone who portrays himself (or is portrayed by his ghost-writer... or should that be author?) as an innocent, naive, working-class lad with little education or savoir faire, not only is he self-reflective throughout this narrative, but he's also pretty spot-on in his analyses of class, economic disparities and social inequalities.

There are other points where it's hard to accept the story at surface value: that Ben has sex with around 2000 women in two years, including periods where he's servicing up to five women a day (he's in his thirties, and has what he describes as a physically tiring job as a masseur, as well as a family life - come on!); that his wife never really queries his sudden influx of designer suits, new cars, weekends away, even newly shaved genitals (and saying that they only have vanilla sex in the dark really doesn't explain the latter).

All the same, even if this is a fictionalised version of some underlying truth, I couldn't stop reading this book. It is explicit about the sex so beware if that offends you, and is a rivetting story of the rise and fall of a very modern male sex worker.

A glamorous “client list”

Not unlike the above tv show, Ben , the narrator takes us behind the curtains of the high society mansions and private clubs through his eyes as a masseur turned gigolo. Not for the faint-hearted, this book is quite graphic without being vulgar and kept me definitely wanting more. The story is a true rag to riches (if not on the riches) tale which might be cautionary in its ending but nevertheless thoroughly entertaining and sexy. I read this book in one sitting and I might never look at a physiotherapist the same. While reading about his heartfelt and candid ascension , you will end up falling under Ben’s charm and wonder if you too could have been tempted by his services, after all he is a simple struggling family man trying to make ends meet and I think that is this the reason you will feel so endeared if not protective of this peculiar character.

This is a story about a massage therapist who gets involved his head with some very rich society women. Ben works two jobs to keep up with the bills he and his wife Kelly have. With their family of three children, how can he pay for everything? Ben gets a job offer from a group of woman who want more than a massage. It leads to sex and big gifts. His wife is suspicious, but understands how hard he works. A car, money, gifts and trips are only part of it. What he doesn't know is that he is a replacement for the last guy that got dropped. Will Ben be dropped as well and will Kelly find out? How will this end? You have to read this story of sex, coercion, unfaithfulness and loose morals. I enjoyed it up to a point. I got to see how the rich live to an extent. Great plot and writing. I received this book from Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for an honest review and no compensation otherwise.

The book is written in the form of a narrative given by Ben Foster, who is an ordinary man with a wife and three young kids going about the daily grind. He works two jobs, one as a masseur, and the other in a care home for people with learning difficulties. He attends one of his regular weekly appointments who happens to be a wealthy man and after finishing the massage, on his way out he meets the client’s mother who introduces him to her various assortment of wealthy and famous friends who refer to themselves as ‘the Committee’. He leaves his number with one of the women after explaining he is a masseur and she contacts him to arrange an appointment. Little did he know at the time that taking on this particular client would change the course of his life.

I found myself feeling really disappointed in Ben. He is portrayed as a run of the mill man with the same sort of money worries as the majority of people out there, but he genuinely seems to love his wife, so I was disappointed when he gave in to ‘Lady Mags’ and slept with her so easily without even a hint of protest. Even though you get the sense early on where the book is going (the clue is in the title after all!), I still found myself hoping he wouldn’t succumb. I hoped he would do the decent thing and turn her down and walk away. Similar in some respects to Romeo and Juliet, you know what the outcome is, but when it comes to it, you are still hoping she doesn’t drink the poison. But I guess in this regard, you know when a book has got it right, when you find yourself having an emotive reaction to what they are doing whether it be positive or negative. I definitely found myself wanting to read on to see quite how far down the rabbit hole Ben was willing to go. Quite far as it happens.

The bitter truth to take from this book is that all good things come to an end. This was an emotional, perceptive, very sexually explicit read. If you are easily offended or squeamish of this type of writing then this is not the book for you. However, if you like reading material that makes you slightly uncomfortable, but not necessarily in a bad way… then read on. Is Ben’s story too far fetched to be believable? I’ll let you decide.

An open and frank account of one guys move into the world of gigolo to the rich and the famous. This is a warts and all account of life as a play thing to rich women and how it’s not always the dream it sounds. I couldn’t put this book down

This book was great!! Lots of sex , anticipation and wondering if what happens next!
Ben is the type of man you wouldn't want to be your husband but would like to have a massage from!!
I read this in a day and was sad when it got to the end.
Very well written and has you hooked from the first page!
I'd definitely recommend !!

https://whippetreads.com/?p=292&preview=trueI picked up a copy of this book because I have read and enjoyed other books by this publisher (even though it isn't usually the kind of book I gravitate towards) This biography left me speechless (a tough thing to do). Not for the faint of heart, this is a gut wrenching account of overindulgence. It is raw, sexually graphic, moving, and utterly unbelievable. Ben Foster is a massage therapist trying desperately to provide for his wife, Kelly, and their three young children. When he find himself as the private massage therapist for the rich and famous women of London (called the "committee"), he soon realizes that it is not only massage that he is being hired to provide. As he flies around the world on private planes, attends private parties and dinners, he is well aware that he is nothing more than a sex worker being hired to cater to the often outlandish fantasies of these actresses, socialites, and politicians. The most interesting part of this book is the end and Ben's hard fall from grace. An interesting insight into another world, Ben's account will leave you wanting a shower--and wondering how far someone would go to provide for their children.. A stunning and surreal look at class and power, this book is a revelation and a look behind the curtain of society's most cherished.

Gigolo is an entertaining romp,supposedly the story of Ben Foster,a care worker and part time masseur catapulted into the world of servicing rich and famous women for money. I say supposedly as while perhaps Mr Foster did once work as a Gigolo parts of the tale are highly unlikely, not least his lovely wife barely batting an eyelid as new cars and a whole new wardrobe of designer clothes appear,hubby fails to come home from work etc after a life of scraping by. The sex scenes are more titillating than pornographic with a variety of "interests" portrayed,seemingly with a variety of well-known public figures.
It's actually not a bad read for "this kind of thing" with a bit of politics,bit of social history,the odd observation on society and an in-depth introduction to massage thrown in for good measure which I found very interesting and hadn't expected.
Personally I wasn't convinced that it's not at least partly a very entertaining piece of fiction but I don't really care and the "entertaining" bit is what I look for in a book and it was certainly that.

My copy very kindly supplied by Netgally and Thistle Publishing in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are mine,others are available.

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 star review. It was an enjoyable and I would recommend. to others. Generously provided to me through NetGalley.

Enjoyed this book immensely. In fact, devoured it in one sitting and even had to order the paperback for my shelf which I only do with books that I can’t stop thinking/talking about. Loved the story itself and the way it was told - the entire time I felt like I was reading someone’s diary. I would absolutely recommend this title to anyone who can keep an open mind and enjoys a good page turner. Looking forward to checking out more work from this author in the future. Cheers!

Faced with a barrage of beautiful clients Ben couldn’t help himself, the temptation was too sweet to miss. He not only allowed himself to be swayed by their wealth but by their beautiful bounties, slowly betraying the ones he loves with is insatiable lust and greed. Forgetting about his wife and three kids and the vows and commitment he made, what a shame. Sex and money paved his road and like he said he takes pride in his job, he firmly believed in doing an excellent job, who wouldn’t be. It’s just so sad how he allowed himself fall into that trap and an even bigger shame when he willing made the choice to go that way. This book may sound very adventurous and exciting, have a lot about his sexual exploits, drugs and such, but it’s a very sad story indeed. He became a victim of his own facade, his seductive aura, that of a male masseur, his hands all slathered in oil, too smooth my brother too smooth.

Wow! Gigolo was an interesting read and look into the life of the rich and someone just wanting to provide for his family and where that all intersects. You just cant help liking Ben Foster even though you are surprised what he is willing to do considering his normal life. He just seemed like a guy who wasn't a jerk or had any intentional plans...he basically fell into situations and just didn't say no.

I think the most interesting part of this was that it was based on real life. The end sort of left me with a feeling of wait is that how you are going to end this...I want a bit more.

I don't want to say much more because I hate to spoil it but I think it was a good read.