Filthy Foreign Exchange # 1

By S.E. Hall & Angela Graham

Synopsis

Echo Kelly is loyal to her studies, family, and aerial artistry. She has no time for or interest in anything else, and is heartbroken when her oldest brother, Sebastian, gets accepted to a study-abroad program— exchanging places with cocky, not-at-all-shy foreign exchange student Kingston Hawthorne.

Kingston Hawthorne had the life every twenty-year-old guy dreams of— endless cash, easy women, and fast cars— until his father ripped it all away, shipping him off to the States and placing him temptingly close to the underage virgin who fascinates him in the most challenging of ways.

With Kingston’s bedroom just a connecting bathroom away from Echo’s, the chemistry between them is even more enticing than the notes he leaves for her on the shower door.

How long can you pretend you’re just friends?

Review

Sometimes it’s nice to sit down with a book that you can just relax with and enjoy, and FILTHY FOREIGN EXCHANGE # 1 was that book. The story and its characters aren’t complex, and I didn’t have to worry about remembering every little detail for possible future reference. It was just a light and easy read.

Echo is a seventeen year old virgin who’s upset that her older brother, Sebastian, has left for England to study abroad for the twelve months. She’s even more upset that they’re getting an exchange student of their own and that he’ll be living with them. She wants to hate Kingston on principle, but after they “meet”, there’s something about him that calls to her. She tries to deny it, but that’s hard to do when he focuses all his charm directly at her. Echo is a loner and comes across as much older than her age most of the time. She’s intelligent and has a very quick wit that she uses against Kingston often. I don’t think we’re told Kingston’s age, but he is in college. He’s cheeky and very playful, and the biggest flirt you’ll ever meet. It’s his flirting that causes tension between them, but that’s just one of the many problems that keeps them apart.

FILTHY FOREIGN EXCHANGE # 1 is told in Echo’s POV only and is the first book in a duet about Kingston and Echo. I would classify this story as being YA. Despite the title, there is absolutely nothing filthy about what goes on in this book. What does that mean? That means there was no sex. Zero. Zilch. Nada. As an Australian, I had no problem deciphering Kingston’s slang, but I can imagine that not everyone would be able to follow it so easily. As I said before, this book was light and easy, which was not a good thing when it came to the cliffhanger, which I thought was a little weak. Will we find out why Kingston was set up and get a reasonable explanation as to why he was sent back to England so soon? I guess I’ll have to read book 2 to find out.