Calendar Girl – Series Thoughts!

CALENDAR GIRL SERIES (JANUARY – DECEMBER)

Written by Audrey Carlan

Published by Waterhouse Press

My star rating: 5 stars

THE SYNOPSIS:

It’s really simple. I needed money. A lot of money. One million dollars to be exact. The amount didn’t matter. All that mattered is that at the end of that price tag held my father’s life. No money. No life.

The time limit was one year. On January 1st I had to pay up or my Father was going to be killed. When you’re faced with an ultimatum like this, you do whatever you have to do. And that’s exactly what I did.

The job…Exquisite Escorts. My role, serve as high priced arm candy to anyone that can afford the $100,000 price tag for a month of my company. Sex is optional (for me) and a 20% increase on the price.

Mia Saunders just barely escaped a paltry life back home in Las Vegas until she gets the call that her Father has been beaten to within an inch of his life for not paying his gambling debt. Problem is, the lone shark is her lousy, ruthless ex-boyfriend. Another guy in a long line of men she’d fallen head over heels for. Not anymore. Mia’s mission is simple. Serve as a high-priced escort for her Aunt’s company and pay monthly against her Father’s bad debt. A month with a rich man who she doesn’t have to sleep with if she doesn’t want to? Easy money. At least that’s the way it was supposed to go. Find it on Goodreads

MY REVIEW:

I’m doing this review a little differently. There are 12 books in this series that range from 100-200 pages. So I believe that these would be considered novella’s. I’ve read the whole series and I feel the need to speak about the series as a whole. Like the image states above, this will be spoiler free! There are just so many positive things about this series that I need to talk about!

This series was recommended to me by a friend. Before I even considered it, I judged it by its cover and its synopsis. I assumed that this would be nothing but 12 books of a girl going to a new man each month and falling in love. I was SO wrong! What ended up happening were 12 absolutely beautiful novels filled with love and personal growth and discovery. While she did meet many men, she didn’t form a romantic relationship with all of them. They ended up leaving an impact, but not in a romantic way.

Like the synopsis states, Mia is hit with the brutal news that her dad is in the hospital and in a coma. Not only did he leave her a million dollar debt, but there are also medical bills, living expenses, and a younger sister to take care of. Rather than admit defeat, Mia is willing to sacrifice her own happiness to care for her father and sister. The job description is this – each month she is hired as an escort for whatever reason her client requests. In turn, she will receive a 100,000 pay cheque, which will knock down her fathers debt, and give her some money for living expenses and her sisters schooling. Just because she’s an escort DOESN’T mean that she needs to have sexual relations with the client. it does, however, give her a bonus if she does.

Throughout the book she’s hired by many men, mainly to pose as a girlfriend, but also to be a model, a muse, a sister, a dancer, and more. While some of these relationships do take a romantic turn, they don’t all go in that direction. Regardless of their sexual relations, each man ends up teaching her something about herself. She starts off in this series as a lost woman who is living her life to help others. But as she goes on this 12 month adventure, she finally realizes that she has her own wants and desires, and slowly starts to take a life in the direction that she chooses for herself. She finds a way to finally love herself. But, most importantly, she finds that she doesn’t need to sacrifice everything she is to help others. It’s ok to let others find their own way. And, even taking care of yourself is a help to others. Each of these books ended up teaching me something about myself and how I should love myself for what I am – both strengths and weaknesses alike.

Even though I loved the romantic relationships in this series, it was the relationships that didn’t end in sex that I liked the most. She ended up gaining some really meaningful friendships that were even close to brotherhood. These people stayed in contact and played an active role in being there for her always. They were an emotional support that she didn’t know was possible. I just can’t boast about the relationships enough!!!

Be warned, this series is graphic. I mean really sexually graphic. This is one of the furthest from a young adult series i’ve ever read! Not that I’m complaining! Let me tell you that these scenes were HOT! I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy this aspect! But if graphic sex scenes aren’t your thing – stay away!

This series was downright incredible. It was so empowering and had some of the best body image and girl power messages I’ve ever read. Mia was always described as an absolute beauty. Not a perfect stick thin runway model, but a woman with some curves and chunk. It took her a while to own it but, once she did, her confidence only made her more attractive. Seeing her struggle with her own weaknesses and deal with her insecurities was really eye opening. This series helped me realize that we aren’t all the same but we are all beautiful in our own unique way!!

I can’t recommend this series enough! I will be doing a reread of these starting in January and reading them all in the months they were meant to be. I can’t wait to relive her adventure!! If you’ve read this series please let me know. I would love to fangirl over it with you!

Until next time, happy reading!