No? Excellent, let’t talk about it anyway. It’s a lil enemies-to-lovers-to-very-reluctant allies book. Which are the best kinds, if you ask me.
Bad Judgement is a standalone M/M book about Brogan Smith and Embry Ford. Its a crime drama, with nice doses of humor, but quite a bit of angst.
Brogan is a high-level security escort (former military man with occasional unresolved PTSD, we all know how this goes) who is assigned to guard a real jackass called Henninton, who may or may not be involved in illegal arms dealings. Henninton’s oh so loyal Executive Assistant is the incredibly cold and bitchy Embry Ford. Ford is 23, a whip-smart prickly little thing and captures the immediate curiosity of Brogan. Especially because there is clearly much more going on to the Ford/Henninton partnership than meets the eye.
What I loved about the book: It was written very well, it’s a violent mystery-esque book but its descriptions and way the pacing moves makes it seem like a movie or a mini-series. I also really like how it was broken up, when it comes to POV. A majority of the book is in Brogan’s point of view, which adds to the question marks about what’s actually going on behind the scenes of Henninton’s business. But once we learn a big piece of information about Embry-- the POV switches to him and we see how he got to the point that he’s at. Its very interesting. The sides characters were fantastic as well and made you care about them.
The relationship between Brogan and Embry is interesting and the beginning of it moves at a realistically slow-burn pace. Once they get together I kind of sigh because of how fast it goes, but then there are some major roadblocks.
A delightful quote from Embry:
“It was all Brogan’s fault that he felt like this, anyway, and somehow, in the world of irrational anger, it made perfect sense that Embry refused to take care of his hard-on to punish the asshole. If that made him spiteful and immature, well, that was on Brogan’s shoulders as well. By the time he climbed out, dried off, and dressed, he was halfway convinced that the Crusades and overpriced gasoline were also Brogan’s fault.“
What I didn’t love: Ok so this is weird, because while I enjoyed a great deal of the banter, some of it seemed off-tone for such a dark book. In quite a few scenes, when they’re sneaking around together with their lives on the line, there was too much. Especially Brogan.
Some of Embry’s later revealed skills were a little unbelievable. But its a dark romance novel, so I’m not expecting reality.
Its also a very long book.
Overall, if you’re looking to get into a dark an gritty MM romance novel with enemies to lovers, lots of gunfire and action, and a dark backstory-- try it out! Of course there is a happy ending, so we love to see how it gets there!
Hi pia so I read all of Sidney Bell's books and I kinda wanted to mention them to you cuz they're gr8!! ExcepT you may not enjoy the second book of the Woodbury Boys Trilogy.. However, I'm not sure. And also you might already know of their existence. BuT anywayS I hope ur having a lovely day full of nice things!!! <3
I’ve read all of Sidney Bell, follow her Patreon, and have recced her multiple times on here! I’m a huge fan. I liked all the Woodbury Boys books (the second is actually one of my faves - I love Church so much - though I like Ghost’s for the whump factor). :D
So glad you enjoyed them! I’ve been trying to get people into Sidney Bell for ages. I’d say the one I reread like 3 times a year is Bad Judgment, even though the character names make me want to cry (Brogan is just so close to the Australian ‘bogan’ that I nearly put the book down immediately, and I’m so glad I didn’t), the story is so good. Like, it’s almost like someone snuck into my brain, looked at the elements of whump / angst / sex etc. that I enjoy and went ‘right I’m going to turn that into a novel.’ AND THEN THEY DID.
I also have such an intense ‘I bet Sidney Bell writes fanfiction’ vibe and idk if she does, and maybe she doesn’t, but I just feel like she does. If she doesn’t, she certainly gets hurt/comfort in a way a lot of non-fanfiction m/m writers just don’t. :D Me with my gremlin brain is out here like ‘oh god what do I read I want to read something and I don’t know what to oh look I’m reading Sidney Bell again dsakjlfsd’
Back in the world of dark romance, we have Sidney Bell.
Bell has written a handful of books, and doesn’t seem to be working on anything new these days, but what she has written is top notch. The books in the little graphic are all romantic suspense, and there’s some dark stuff in there, so read your trigger warnings.
The Woodbury Boys is a trilogy that follows three guys whose lives have overlapped while in a residential treatment home, and their lives after they get out. Storygraph describes these books as emotional, tense, and mysterious. They’re also quite long, especially for romance novels, so you get a lot of story there.
Bad Judgment is a standalone novel. This book is also dark, emotional, and tense, and falls into the romantic suspense world. One thing I like about romantic suspense as a subgenre is that the romantic plot gets a lot of support from the suspense plot, so there’s a lot going on, and the problems the characters face are external as well as internal.
These books will probably hurt your feelings as you read them, but they’re definitely worth checking out.
A Deeper Connection THIS IS NOT THE END: A Review #Menage #Rock #Romance from @sidneybellbooks & @CarinaPress
Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a contemporary MMF menage romance from Sidney Bell. THIS IS NOT THE END features two bandmates who have more in common than they thought–especially when they begin sharing one’s wife.
About the book:
Zacary Trevor is the love of Anya Alexander’s life. Their sometimes tumultuous marriage has survived ups, downs, and all the in-betweens. With successful…
When I get overwhelmed/stressed/sad my main source of comfort and help is reading. I've been leaning hard on books this year, especially since March as my personal life and the world went through (and is still going through) a LOT. Recently I read all of Sidney Bell's books and found myself totally immersed in the stories and characters, staying up until past dawn because I couldn't stop reading. I started reading them for distraction and entertainment - and they delivered in a big way - but they also provided insight and healing with my own issues (religious trauma, family dynamics, feelings of failure/guilt for not being the "perfect" child, etc). I'm not out here looking for a relationship or happily ever after but damn do I enjoy reading about them! I recommend them if you are looking for books with extremely relatable characters, nuanced relationships, suspense, drama, second chances, and yes, romance ❤ The first three are in a trilogy about three boys who met in a correctional/rehab facility as teens and are now struggling to find their way as adults. The last one is a stand alone with twists that I did NOT see coming.
