Illicit Illustration

Masked Men of Sage Springs, Book 2

De: E. L. Koslo

Narrado por: Madison Mitts, Theodore Zephyr

Hatching Hazel

Being wildly attracted to my best friend’s little sister was kind of a nightmare. Especially when she knew every vivid detail of my very active sex life. When her best friend offered the opportunity to get to know her through a blind dating experiment where she won’t know who she’s talking to for two weeks, I didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity to show her who I was beyond all the miscommunication.

Resisting Reid

Having a secret crush on your older brother’s best friend may be fun in middle school, but in real life, it kind of sucked. Especially when he used the bar I work at as a hunting ground for his next conquest. But when I needed his help for a special illustration project, he might be the only man I could trust. It was too bad I was already falling for someone else’s words, or was I?

Illicit Illustration is a sweet yet spicy interconnected stand-alone novel with a charming, seductive, dirty mouthed golden retriever and his best friend’s little sister who isn’t as shy as she seems.

©2025 E. L. Koslo (P)2025 E. L. Koslo

7+14

The dedication was fantastic and so very accurate. Perfect opening and scene setter.
I love how unashamed and expressive Haze was about her work & sexuality. I love how supportive she and her friends are of the whole booktok world. Her friends are so encouraging to her and of her talents. I love how she pushes herself both personally and professionally
Charley is a girls girlfriend. She wants what is best for her friends. She’s honest. She’s knows when to own up and when to push her friend. I definitely plan to go back and read her book.
Even though this was the second book, I didn’t feel like I missed anything. I felt like the author did a great job focusing on the main characters and their story. It didn’t need a lot of background.
I’m not sure how I feel about Hazel brother, Hudson. He loves both the Hazel & Reid, but his reactions and judgements made me hesitate.
I respect and commend Reid on wanting to change. He’s ready to go after what he really wants. He doesn’t want to be judged for his past. There was nothing wrong with what he did either. He just wants to do things differently right now and be taken seriously. He doesn’t push Hazel and is patient. He won’t mince words either though.
I loved the book so much. The only reason I don’t rate it five out of five stars, was because the ending deviated from the pacing of the rest of the story. I felt like the big moments were a little rushed. We waited and yearned. We went through all the will they/won’t they. We went through all of the thought processes and emotional journeys. We built it up and prepared for it, and I just felt like we didn’t give it its due.
I do hope the author expands the series even more. There is so much more about this town I wanna know! I think there are a few more couples there too.
If you are an audio fan, then you definitely wanna grab this book! I think these narrators quickly became my favorite. The control they wielded was top notch. The male had that old school country love song breath control. I was enraptured. It’s an amazing listen.

Suggested reading order to date:
1. Accidental Abduction
2. Illicit Illustration
3. Smokin' Situation
4. Skiing is Believing
5. Uphill Battle
6. Mistletoe Miscommunication
7. TBD Match Made in Butterfly Ridge #3

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Tasty Treat

The author & narrators' styles are perfect for my tastes! Both titles in this stand-alones series are delightful! Can't wait for book 3

Loved this

I really loved the first book and was super excited to read their story next. Absolutely loved this one two! Both the first and this are definitely a reread for me!!

Blah

I was kind of disappointed with this book. I really like book 1, but with this book, I just couldn't like it. This could have been wrapped up in 5 hours, The mmc was ok, but the fmc was VERY annoying and immature. I'm sure I would have liked the fmc if it was a different female narrator. I've listened to the narrator before and liked her but she sounded very whiny and nasally which really made me not like the fmc. The male narrator should stick to dark romance books to narrate because these contemporary books doesn't fit his voice with the characters. I probably won't get the 3rd book in this series.