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cleo_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I’ve read all 6 books in this series and I keep thinking that I’m done with the series, but I keep coming back.
I had two big problems with this one. First - serious showing vs telling discrepancy. The book kept telling me how great the two protagonists were for each other, but I didn’t see a lot of evidence of that, aside from the scorching hot sex. In particular, people in Liam’s life were concerned about him getting back together with his volatile ex who a) punched him in the face when they first reconnected and b) kept getting fired for losing his temper at work. Liam’s reasons and excuses for why Scott was the one sounded like pretty textbook red flags. I was totally team Liam’s mom here. I don’t have a lot of confidence they’ll last as a couple.
Second (and this is my personal quirk) - TMI about everybody’s sex lives. Ugh. La la la, not listening. There are a lot of cameos and supporting roles by characters from other books and there’s more public discussion of some of their sex lives (in front of acquaintances not bffs) than I’m comfortable with.
I had two big problems with this one. First - serious showing vs telling discrepancy. The book kept telling me how great the two protagonists were for each other, but I didn’t see a lot of evidence of that, aside from the scorching hot sex. In particular, people in Liam’s life were concerned about him getting back together with his volatile ex who a) punched him in the face when they first reconnected and b) kept getting fired for losing his temper at work. Liam’s reasons and excuses for why Scott was the one sounded like pretty textbook red flags. I was totally team Liam’s mom here. I don’t have a lot of confidence they’ll last as a couple.
Second (and this is my personal quirk) - TMI about everybody’s sex lives. Ugh. La la la, not listening. There are a lot of cameos and supporting roles by characters from other books and there’s more public discussion of some of their sex lives (in front of acquaintances not bffs) than I’m comfortable with.
cadiva's review
4.0
Full review tomorrow.
Right, here we go. All the way through reading this book I had such a sense of deja vu but it's a new release so I think I must have just picked up more on the snippets of this story which K.A. dropped into the previous book because I felt like I knew Scott and Liam intimately!
While this book on the face of it, is hugely angsty, for me it actually felt way less angsty than a lot of the others in the series. In spite of their troubles, I knew Scott and Liam would make it, they'd be able to move through their traumas and find a way to start again.
I loved both characters, fundamentally flawed but so powerfully strong when they were together. There's also loads of guest appearances from the rest of this ragtag group of queer family and I loved seeing Eli bossing them all around.
Great addition to the series.
#ARC kindly received from the Publishers Dreamspinner Press in return for an honest and unbiased review
Right, here we go. All the way through reading this book I had such a sense of deja vu but it's a new release so I think I must have just picked up more on the snippets of this story which K.A. dropped into the previous book because I felt like I knew Scott and Liam intimately!
While this book on the face of it, is hugely angsty, for me it actually felt way less angsty than a lot of the others in the series. In spite of their troubles, I knew Scott and Liam would make it, they'd be able to move through their traumas and find a way to start again.
I loved both characters, fundamentally flawed but so powerfully strong when they were together. There's also loads of guest appearances from the rest of this ragtag group of queer family and I loved seeing Eli bossing them all around.
Great addition to the series.
#ARC kindly received from the Publishers Dreamspinner Press in return for an honest and unbiased review
walford's review against another edition
3.0
I love this series, but this book was hard for me to finish. This is my second recently with characters so damaged they can barely do a thing for one another. A good story but hard to take.
cadiva's review against another edition
4.0
Full review tomorrow.
Right, here we go. All the way through reading this book I had such a sense of deja vu but it's a new release so I think I must have just picked up more on the snippets of this story which K.A. dropped into the previous book because I felt like I knew Scott and Liam intimately!
While this book on the face of it, is hugely angsty, for me it actually felt way less angsty than a lot of the others in the series. In spite of their troubles, I knew Scott and Liam would make it, they'd be able to move through their traumas and find a way to start again.
I loved both characters, fundamentally flawed but so powerfully strong when they were together. There's also loads of guest appearances from the rest of this ragtag group of queer family and I loved seeing Eli bossing them all around.
Great addition to the series.
#ARC kindly received from the Publishers Dreamspinner Press in return for an honest and unbiased review
Right, here we go. All the way through reading this book I had such a sense of deja vu but it's a new release so I think I must have just picked up more on the snippets of this story which K.A. dropped into the previous book because I felt like I knew Scott and Liam intimately!
While this book on the face of it, is hugely angsty, for me it actually felt way less angsty than a lot of the others in the series. In spite of their troubles, I knew Scott and Liam would make it, they'd be able to move through their traumas and find a way to start again.
I loved both characters, fundamentally flawed but so powerfully strong when they were together. There's also loads of guest appearances from the rest of this ragtag group of queer family and I loved seeing Eli bossing them all around.
Great addition to the series.
#ARC kindly received from the Publishers Dreamspinner Press in return for an honest and unbiased review
karentje's review against another edition
4.0
This is a grittier second chance at love story than I’m used to reading, and at first rather higher on hurt than comfort, but I enjoyed it very much. Love certainly isn’t for the faint of heart in this story, but I loved how these characters ultimately found their way back to each other. It’s not just about finding love though, but also very much about following your own path in life and finding friends and a community.
Scott and Liam have both had a difficult childhood, part of it spent (or misspent) in the foster care system. Outwardly, Scott is the tough guy and asocial misfit, whereas Liam seems all charm and affability, so at first glance these two seem a very unlikely pair. Liam and Scott both have fears and insecurities to overcome, but as we get to know them better, Scott seemed to me to be the more vulnerable of the two. I can certainly understand his initial angry reaction upon seeing Liam again after all those years.
The bond between Scott and Liam is incredible intense, but laced with the pain of past mistakes. Their connection is really strong, tinged with inevitability even, and comes across the pages very clearly and powerfully even when a HEA seems impossible. They are obviously meant to be together, but can’t seem to figure out how to make their relationship work, how to let their guard down (again) or how to take a chance on love and trust in the possibility of a future together.
There’s an amazing moment in the book where the author captures the essence of their relationship in the lyrics of a song. That scene really got to me. Beautifully written and very emotional.
Scott is very caring and considerate toward Liam, trying to help him regain his independence, no strings attached. He’s such a sweetheart, though one with a temper and a very short fuse.
This book can be read as a standalone, though I would recommend you read the other books in the series first. Quite a few of the main characters from the previous books come along to lend our current heroes a hand or weigh in with an opinion, so it’s more fun if you’ve read the other books as well. Though perhaps it is merely a case of meeting new friends instead of reconnecting with old ones. Either way Scott and Liam are in awesome company!
This is a great addition to a wonderful series!
Scott and Liam have both had a difficult childhood, part of it spent (or misspent) in the foster care system. Outwardly, Scott is the tough guy and asocial misfit, whereas Liam seems all charm and affability, so at first glance these two seem a very unlikely pair. Liam and Scott both have fears and insecurities to overcome, but as we get to know them better, Scott seemed to me to be the more vulnerable of the two. I can certainly understand his initial angry reaction upon seeing Liam again after all those years.
The bond between Scott and Liam is incredible intense, but laced with the pain of past mistakes. Their connection is really strong, tinged with inevitability even, and comes across the pages very clearly and powerfully even when a HEA seems impossible. They are obviously meant to be together, but can’t seem to figure out how to make their relationship work, how to let their guard down (again) or how to take a chance on love and trust in the possibility of a future together.
There’s an amazing moment in the book where the author captures the essence of their relationship in the lyrics of a song. That scene really got to me. Beautifully written and very emotional.
Scott is very caring and considerate toward Liam, trying to help him regain his independence, no strings attached. He’s such a sweetheart, though one with a temper and a very short fuse.
This book can be read as a standalone, though I would recommend you read the other books in the series first. Quite a few of the main characters from the previous books come along to lend our current heroes a hand or weigh in with an opinion, so it’s more fun if you’ve read the other books as well. Though perhaps it is merely a case of meeting new friends instead of reconnecting with old ones. Either way Scott and Liam are in awesome company!
This is a great addition to a wonderful series!
frothy's review against another edition
4.0
Gritty. Complex characters. Only Mitchell could get me to emphasise with these guys.
shelbanuadh's review against another edition
2.0
Bad in Baltimore is a series that I find myself inexplicably coming back to. I think it's safe to say though, that after this book, I'm officially done.
I've found, for the most part, the books in this series tend to be about a 3-star rating for me. This one has been the least enjoyable one yet.
I don't like second-chance romances... so that right of the bat was a strike against this one. I don't like NA novels either, and while Scott and Liam are in their late twenties, I found that they come off as being in their early twenties... they both seem pretty immature and neither one has their shit together. I didn't like Liam. Scott was okay. I disliked the cameos of the characters from previous books in the series, but I suppose when you are introducing new characters six books in, you have to tie things in somehow.
Considering that sex was the only thing these two seemed to connect on, there wasn't a whole lot of it in the book. Other than that, I didn't really see why they were so great together, and I agree with other reviewers that it was just something we were repetitively told without ever being shown something to back it up.
And, I do agree with Liam's mother's concerns about their relationship. Their relationship wasn't the most stable thing in the past, and neither one seemed to have done anything to ameliorate their lives in a way that would make you believe things will be better this time around. I mean, Scott is living in a storeroom, working under the table after constantly getting fired for losing his temper. Liam is working a job that is ending soon, living with his parents, has no car, and is in a band that may or may not make it big, and he just got dumped. Maybe if they were a little more settled, I could buy into this relationship, but I suppose then K.A. Mitchell would have had to come up with a different title, because as it stands, their relationship does just come off as a bad habit.
The ending felt rushed. A lot of things seemed left up in the air. And yes, the homeless shelter is a wonderful thing, but I can see if becoming a point of annoyance in future books, much like Quinn & Eli's foster(ish) home.
So, it's been swell, but I'm out.
I've found, for the most part, the books in this series tend to be about a 3-star rating for me. This one has been the least enjoyable one yet.
I don't like second-chance romances... so that right of the bat was a strike against this one. I don't like NA novels either, and while Scott and Liam are in their late twenties, I found that they come off as being in their early twenties... they both seem pretty immature and neither one has their shit together. I didn't like Liam. Scott was okay. I disliked the cameos of the characters from previous books in the series, but I suppose when you are introducing new characters six books in, you have to tie things in somehow.
Considering that sex was the only thing these two seemed to connect on, there wasn't a whole lot of it in the book. Other than that, I didn't really see why they were so great together, and I agree with other reviewers that it was just something we were repetitively told without ever being shown something to back it up.
And, I do agree with Liam's mother's concerns about their relationship. Their relationship wasn't the most stable thing in the past, and neither one seemed to have done anything to ameliorate their lives in a way that would make you believe things will be better this time around. I mean, Scott is living in a storeroom, working under the table after constantly getting fired for losing his temper. Liam is working a job that is ending soon, living with his parents, has no car, and is in a band that may or may not make it big, and he just got dumped. Maybe if they were a little more settled, I could buy into this relationship, but I suppose then K.A. Mitchell would have had to come up with a different title, because as it stands, their relationship does just come off as a bad habit.
The ending felt rushed. A lot of things seemed left up in the air. And yes, the homeless shelter is a wonderful thing, but I can see if becoming a point of annoyance in future books, much like Quinn & Eli's foster(ish) home.
So, it's been swell, but I'm out.
anitalouise's review against another edition
4.0
Hmmm. This was a tough read for me and not entirely sure why. I am an avid KA Mitchell fan and have loved most of her books but struggled with this one. I think my issue was related to the fact that I read the other Bad in Baltimore books some years ago and forgot the characters. We are introduced to Scott and Liam and then several other guys who just seemed to pop up. I had to search my memory banks and go back to the books. My fault entirely for not doing so before I read this book. However, I did also struggle with Liam's and Scott's connection. I wasn't tethered to their relationship which sounds odd but if I don't connect with my MCs, I find I don't enjoy the book. Had trouble with Scott and his need to stay angry. But then I sort of understood. Also wondered about Liam and his mom and that dynamic. But given what he's been through, makes sense that it appeared he was regressing. Have to say that I hated Liam's mom. Sanctimonious hag! By the time I understood what was going on with these guys, I almost didn't care :(. Great writing, as always, which is why I gave it 4 stars but the fact that this took me so long to read underscores why I struggled. I usually inhale KA's books. Just not this one. But still love her writing!!
calila's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed being back in this world again. KAM was the first author I read in this genre and the one that got me hooked. Everything I loved is still there. I really liked the characters, Scott was such a grumpy ahole. Liam was a bit lighter, but even he still had depth. I love a good second chance romance and I liked how this played out. They're journey to reconnection and making up for past wrongs was great. It just felt like adults working through their issues together. I am really happy there will be more to come in this series.
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