Angel of 13th Street

by Eden Winters

Publisher Torquere Books

Synopsis

The Angel. That’s what the young hustlers call Noah Everett, the man who’ll help them get off the streets. Once a hustler himself, Noah doesn’t take his own good advice, which is, “Don’t let this ruin your life.” Haunted by the past and those he couldn’t save, Noah carefully keeps others at bay until his self-imposed loneliness is shattered by determined, ambitious, but homeless eighteen-year-old Jeremy Kincaid.

A ruthless pimp has targeted Jeremy, but if Noah will fight to get anonymous young men out of the life, he’ll fight harder to keep Jeremy from getting in, even if it means a return to old stomping grounds to make a deal with the devil. To save Jeremy, Noah risks more than just his body. He risks his soul as well, because Willie Carnell, pimp, was once Billy Cordell, Noah’s lover.

Angel of 13th Street by Eden Winters Review

Review by Missy

5/5 Whips

Bravo! No joke. Angel of 13th Street is a well executed, complex story that makes this world of semi-underground male prostitution believable. Maybe believable is not the best word, perhaps there are others that work better, like accessible, relatable, insightful? Okay, maybe not 100% of the time, but as a reader I was there with our main character Noah every second and drawn into his story and struggle.

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As for the young man, Jeremy, who falls into his life there were a few issues with him as the catalyst to the story. He is being followed by a former lover who would like to recruit him to work the street corner. That is when the “Angel” steps in. Noah and Jeremy have a believable attraction – though I might have been happier if the younger half of the couple had a few more years on him. You can be 20 and still look young. But his age worked for the story, and to stop the city pimp from bothering Jeremy, it forces Noah back into the lions den to see HIS former lover.

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Which brings me to the elusive Billy Cordell/Willie Carnell. I do NOT want him to be elusive. I loved the snap shots we see in flashback of Noah and the then called Billy as lovers. If there was one disappointment with the book it was that there was not enough interaction between Noah and the now called Willie. Their dynamic was the most interesting element of the whole tale. That was an area I would have explored happily in the story. Oh, and is Willie really an intimidating enough name for a bad ass pimp? Who is afraid of the big, bad, Willie?

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The story is one I could not put down, plan to re-read, and would recommend to any reader who enjoys M/M and is willing to look into the darker side. I really can not call it a happy story, but it is uplifting in its own way. It is easy to fall in love with Noah. It is also hard NOT to fall a little in love with Billy, and even Willie. What can I say? I am a sucker for a man who pines for his lost love. Adore the book, and I will be searching for more by this author.

- Missy