Forty-something divorce Dora Ashworth does not feel like a cougar and is not even sure she wants to. Truth be known, the only cubs she has room for in her life are the five who call her mamauntil fate leads her to rescue a man down on his luck. After she invites Jean Claude to put his handyman skills to work to help her around her house, Dora soon discovers that he is more than just a nice guy with a troubled soul: he is someone she can trust. As Dora continues to muddle her way through the challenging middle-aged dating scene peppered with men with whom she has no chemistry, she has no idea that Jean Claude is harboring a dark secret that will change everything for both of them. The Whipping Boyfriend is a story of love, hope, and renewal as a divorced single mother attempts to move past a broken heart with help from an unlikely stranger. Edward Reed resides in North Carolina. The Whipping Boyfriend is his debut novel.