Asher Knight has three constants in his life; music, beautiful women, and a bottle of Jack. He lives for the next gig, the next city, and dreams only of a life spent in front of an arena full of screaming fans. But Asher's nomad ways come to a sudden stop when he learns he's the father of a three-year-old from a past relationship and suddenly this rock star bad boy is forced to put down roots.
Only She Can Clean Up
Gloria Shields is no one's fool. Sure, the sexual chemistry between her and Asher has always been intense, but she'd never risk giving her heart to a man who has a perfect record for breaking them. Except the man desperate to make things right with his newfound son is nothing like the rock god she's guarded her heart against for years. And it isn't long before she starts to wonder if life with this bad boy might be the best thing that's ever happened to her.
* * * * * * REVIEW * * * * * *
Yay! Asher and Gloria's story is finally here! I've been wanting to read Return of the Bad Boy for a while now. Probably since the end of the first book in the Second Chance series, Bringing Home the Bad Boy ended. This book certainly proves the old adage "Good things come to those who wait" true.
Asher is a bad boy rock star who certainly enjoys the fringe benefits of celebrity until he is faced with the prospect of fatherhood. A previous one-night stand, Jordan, has had his son and takes well over a year to tell Asher the good news. [Side note: Asher & Jordan's hook-up is a plot point in Bringing Home the Bad Boy. ] This hook-up drove a wedge in Gloria and Asher's relationship that has played out over the series and was one of the road-blocks the couple had to face over the course of the series.
The rock star takes to fatherhood like, pardon the pun, a rock star. That is, when Jordan and her mother allow Asher to. I struggled to find any sympathy for Jordan because she so clearly was struggling with motherhood and yet turned down and turned away from Asher's offers of help. She was clearly still a petulant child in this situation. The best part of this difficult situation is watching Gloria, reluctantly at first, support Asher in his efforts to be a father to his son.
Gloria Shields is a gem. She has a rough exterior, understandable given all she's been through. Asher and what he means, rocks her world. She's so used to being alone that it's easier for her to go it alone rather than let someone in to love her or to be her friend. She kind of reminds me in a way of another fictional character I love: Veronica Mars. Such a rough exterior--nothing will stop her. But such a gooey-soft center under that exterior. I just really wanted to hug Gloria all through the book, but I don't think Gloria would want that. Lol...
Gloria and Asher have an explosive chemistry (always have!) throughout the book. Seriously, the sex scenes are so hot you might have to hold the book with oven-mitts when you're reading the love scenes. The chemistry/sex was never their problem. Gloria and Asher have struggled with how to open up to each other and be truly intimate with each other. Ms. Lemmon does a beautiful job taking characters who are closed off and moving them to a place where they are open with each other and truly intimate with each other.
I'm a big fan of Jessica Lemmon and her books. There honestly isn't a bad one in the bunch. She is a master of hot chemistry and delicious stories, and Return of the Bad Boy is another example of this. Gloria and Asher are believable, their chemistry hot and their supporting cast is well done. If you're looking for a good read this summer (or any time of the year) I highly recommend this book and series.
XOXO,
Teresa
Rating: 4 out of 4 stars. I highly recommend the book and the series to readers looking for a well-written spicy romance. It is perfect for beach reading as well!
Book Facts:
RETURN OF THE BAD BOY (Second Chances #4--last in the series) by Jessica Lemmon
Forever Romance | May 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4555-6650-1
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Connect with Jessica on: Facebook | Twitter
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UP NEXT FOR JESSICA LEMMON:The Billionaire Bad Boys Series
Book One: The Billionaire Bachelor (July 2016)
An all-new, sexy series about three hotel magnate brothers and the women who take them to their knees.
Reese Crane has a problem. His father has been grooming Reese to take
over as the CEO of the infamous Crane Hotel brand when he’s ready to
retire and that day has finally come. Too bad the Board of Directors
isn’t on-board. Reese’s past as a manwhore has been splashed all over
the tabloids and gossip columns and the last thing the Board wants is a
pleasure-seeking playboy to sully the company name. But Reese isn’t
giving up so easily. They want a settled man to lead the company? Then that’s exactly what he’ll give them.
Merina Van Heusen will do anything to keep her parents’ funky and
historic boutique hotel in business—even marry cold-as-ice but
sexy-as-hell billionaire bachelor Reese Crane to do it. It’s a simple
business contract—six months of “marriage”, absolute secrecy, and the
Van Heusen is all hers again. But nothing is ever that simple.
Now married and appearing together publicly, Merina has no problem
putting on a show for the cameras, but what she doesn’t expect is to be
as wildly attracted to Reese behind closed doors as he is for her. With
sparks flying and tempers flaring, they give into the volatile
attraction more than once and Merina finds herself faced with her worst
nightmare: falling in love with her husband.
