Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Price: $24.99 CAD
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781998206063
Meet Julia, a confident and empowered middle-aged single mother gracefully balancing her professional life as the sought-after escort, “Just Julia”, a nod to Pretty Woman. She enjoys the lucrative work; however, faced with the shifting sands of parenthood, she has decided to exit her “under the covers” business and turn to a full-time teaching career, stepping away from the escort business for good.
On her final day, Julia finds herself more than enjoying the company of her last client—a handsome man named Alex, who she soon recognizes as the husband of a friend with whom she had spent a turbulent summer au pairing in the South of France 25 years earlier. Julia is bewildered as she realizes that she has undeniably strong feelings for a man for the first time in her life. Can love at first sight really be true? As Julia falls deeper in love (and lust) with Alex, she can’t help but dream that maybe—just maybe—he will reciprocate her feelings.
When Alex asks (and pays) for Julia and her daughter to go to France, where he’ll be vacationing with his family, including his wife, Julia can’t say no, no matter how risky it is for everyone. Mostly, Julia wonders if and how it’s possible she can get Alex to leave his marriage for her. Alternating between past and present day, Julia reflects on her escorting experiences and explores the seven reasons why many men are reluctant to leave their marriages and choose to pay for intimacy instead. Will Julia be the exception?
Praise for Wife by the Hour
“If you like stories where strong, independent women make their way in the world, you’ll love Wife By The Hour. A wonderfully descriptive novel that whisks you to the south of France and immerses you in the taste and smell of lavender and sunshine.”
— Rebecca Mardon, author of The Work Boyfriend
“Gail Treasure skilfully intertwines past and present passions into a sensuous, complicated search for forbidden love.”
— James Dewar, author of Strychnine Blues & The Garden in the Machine
“Julia knows what she wants and where she’s going, and [she] is not afraid of the bumps and bruises she acquires on the way. But this isn’t just a story about how one woman conquers all; it’s a story about a woman who’s self-aware, curious, loving, and fiercely protective of her daughter—as well as her own space—in a world dominated by men’s desires and needs. A love story where loving someone means doing what’s right for them and not necessarily what’s right for you. That takes courage.”
— Jan Field, author & editor
About the Author: Gail Treasure:
Gail Treasure is a retired school teacher who supply teaches occasionally. She attended York University, where she majored in French and Italian. Gail has always loved to write, has taken countless writing courses, and attended numerous writing workshops. She is currently writing a novel for pre-teens. Gail is happily married and has two scientist daughters. Gail grew up in Toronto, but now resides in the beautiful town of Uxbridge, Ontario. Wife by the Hour was inspired by her many trips to France, her fascination with peeling back layers of the institution of marriage, and her desire to shed some light on the issue of the rights of sex workers in modern society in a fictional way.
Gail is available for interviews. Discussion points include:
- You can’t judge a book by its cover. You’re a former teacher writing romance/erotica. How does that happen?
- What prompted your fascination with the escorting and the rights of sex workers? In other words, why did you write about this theme?
- The protagonist is not ashamed to be an escort. It’s lucrative. Why did you make Julia not be ashamed?
- What kind of research did you do for the book?
- Can you share a fun anecdote from your own experiences travelling or teaching that might have inspired a scene or character in the book?
- If Julia were to give relationship advice based on her experience as an escort, what do you think she’d say in just a sentence?
- Wife by the Hour explores seven reasons men pay for intimacy. Can you give us a sneak peek into the quirkiest reason Julia encounters?
- Julia falls in love with what would be her very last client. Does this happen often (i.e. escorts falling for clients and possibly marrying them)?
- Only about one-third of sex workers who have experienced client violence have reported it to the police. Do you think this career can be dangerous? Why or why not? And do any scenes in the book comment on this?
- Phenomenon of stay-at-home girlfriends
- Why do men seek out escorts and what is the going rate?
- With the rise of Only Fans, there isn’t as much shame in being a high-class escort anymore. What’s your take on Only Fans?
- The 10 most popular content creators on Onlyfans include cosplayers, fitness buffs, wives, mothers, and women with extravagant piercings and tattoos. In Wife by the Hour, Julia plays the “stay-at-home homemaker wife you want to come home to”. What do you think is the allure of this persona she created? And then stats to add about escorts. And sex trafficking
- Her last client who the character falls in love with, happens to be the husband of one of her old girlfriends. Did she cross girl code?
- Do you have any friends who escort or who have escorted?
About RE:BOOKS:
RE:BOOKS, a prominent independent publishing house in Toronto, was established by renowned 10x bestselling author, Rebecca Eckler. With a mission to champion the idea that “what’s good is read and what’s read is good,” RE:BOOKS is dedicated to delivering captivating stories that even Eckler herself would love to devour. No book snobs allowed!
RE:BOOKS helps women get their books published—from the big idea to the bestsellers’ list. No excuses. No sugarcoating. By curating the most exciting titles in Canadian publishing, they continue to inspire readers, offering a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction titles.
WEBSITE:https://rebooks.ca/
INSTAGRAM: @inspiredbyrebooks
