Reviews

Rocky Road by Becky Wade

prupell's review

4.0

Rocky Road by Becky Wade is the second book in the Sons of Scandal series. I really enjoyed the first book and was glad to revisit the characters.

Though there were parts in the beginning that were a little slow, it picked up and I was totally invested. There was great banter, good family dynamic with both families, and a bit of a mystery, which I really enjoyed.

I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a good, clean romance. I am looking forward to the third book in the series.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Becky Wade for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

mama_chell's review

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

thelucindalife's review

2.0

Definitely cared about the characters in the first book far more. Their falling in love seemed more believable

emmeline7's review

hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

katnipreads's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

bellesmoma2021's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rocky Road by Becky Wade is my new favorite book. I adored every single second of this delightful read. What I enjoyed the most is the humor. Gemma is one of the funniest heroines I’ve read in a long time. She is so smart and intelligent and witty. I fully enjoyed her verbal sparring with Jude, and loved how quickly she could come up with the most outlandish stories. It really made the undercover/fake-dating scenarios some of the best scenes in the book. All of the characters in this story are super endearing, and I wanted to give most all of them a great big hug. The women in Gemma’s family are the BEST. Gracie, Gemma’s 102-year old great-grandmother, has a poignant and sweet, but very relatable, side story that added beautiful depth to the storyline. I enjoyed going on the journey with Gemma to solve Gracie’s romance mystery. Collette, Gemma’s feisty, bossy, and boozy grandmother is superb. What a spitfire! I loved her character so much. Then there is Simone, Gemma’s sweet but cowed-by-life mother. My heart hurt for Gemma’s mommy. What I loved so much about Gemma’s family is how supportive and accepting and loving they are of one another. They are always there for each other no matter what. Next up, Jude…best hero ever! He is so put together and smart and calm. He is the perfect cool-as-a-cucumber to Gemma’s bright-and-bubbly-but-slightly-spastic personality. What I love the best about Jude is his innate need to take care of others. Jude is a selfless protector who would literally jump in front of a bullet if it meant saving someone’s life. Jude is my favorite kind of swoony hero! In addition to the awesome humor and the great characters, I also really loved Wade’s discussion on fear. Fear stinks. It gets inside of you and tries to take over. It’s insidious. But fear is nothing. Sure, we need to be smart and thoughtful and cautious, but we shouldn’t let fear rule our lives. When it does, fear robs us of all the great and good things God has in store for us — friendships, romances, and memorable life experiences. My favorite moment in this story is when Gemma makes the decision to not let fear rule her life. It’s such a great moment!

Rocky Road is going down as one of my top-ten reads of 2024. I love this story so much, and highly, highly recommend it. If you’re a fan of excellently-written Contemporary Romances with heart and depth then this is the book for you!

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on February 13, 2024, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

setsandstories's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Issues writing/style wise, too many POVs & side stories, & a trope/element that I didn't realize would be included & I didn't care for.

emileereadsbooks's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Jude Camden is a straight laced FBI agent who doesn't only take his job seriously, but his life as well. So when he has to pose as Gemma Clare's boyfriend on an undercover operation, her bold exuberance and the way she embraces messiness throws him off kilter, even if he doesn't want to admit it. And as he's drawn to her, he has to keep reminding himself that the FBI takes a hard stance against romances on operations. But as much as Jude likes following rules, this one may be worth breaking.  
_____ 
What an excellent second edition to this series. Let's address the side characters first. I loved the continuation of storylines introduced in the first book, as well as the debut of new side characters and their stories. The way all the points of view are presented makes you immersed in every facet of everyone's story without you feeling overwhelmed.

Now the main story... Jude and Gemma are the sweetest match! Their differences play nicely together and they compliment and need each other. I loved how she teased out his playful side and he made her a bit more contemplative. Plus the way their relationship went from fake to real had me giggling and turning pages to see what happened next. 

I loved how faith played a bigger role in the plot of this one while still serving the story.

This book can be read as a stand alone, but I really recommend reading Memory Lane first because there are side storylines that are a continuation of those in the first book.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only rom com.

Content warnings: Alzheimer's, stroke, alcoholism, gun violence, incarcerated parent, infidelity, family strife

Thanks to Netgalley and Becky Wade for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

emmasbookdiary's review

medium-paced

4.0

This book was really fun and my favorite in the series so far! I really liked Jude’s character in Memory Lane so I was really excited to get his story!

Jude and Gemma were both really fun characters to get to know! I really liked both of them. I loved Gemma’s fun, spontaneous personality and Jude’s serious, uptight personality. They were really cute together.🥰 The meet-cute had me grinning so hard. I love a good meet-cute! Watching them become friends to more was really fun. 

The banter between Jude and Gemma was so good. Jude’s dry humor was the best and had me cracking up. 

It was so much fun to read about MC who creates perfume scents. That’s something I have never read about before! It was also really fun reading about a MC who works for the FBI. It was fun having that added suspense to the story!

I enjoyed the family dynamics in this book, especially with Gemma’s family! They were hilarious. It was fun to have the mystery surrounding her great-grandmother’s love story tied into the story as well. 

I also enjoyed the faith content, especially toward the end! I did feel like it was subtle and I would have liked a bit more, I enjoyed when it was present. 

While the characters do talk about their faith in God from time to time, I personally wouldn’t classify this book as Christian fiction but rather clean romance. 

As for content, the romance is clean although the kisses were a bit more detailed than I like. There’s mentions of affairs/infidelity, going to bars, and drinking. I wasn’t a fan of the drinking in this book but I know that’s a personal thing and I know everyone feels differently about that. As it was, it wasn’t mentioned very often. 

Another thing that bothered me was that I felt like Gemma played with Jude’s emotions a little bit when they working together, especially since she still had a boyfriend. I was really glad when she broke up with her boyfriend around halfway through before developing more of a relationship with Jude.  

Overall, I really enjoyed Rocky Road with its family dynamics, humor, suspense, and romance. I also enjoyed the subtle faith throughout. If you’re looking for a fun, clean romance, this was a good one! 

*Thank you to the author for sending me a complimentary copy! All opinions are my own. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Infidelity

sanja_knez's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

2.5… the premise was cute but the execution was just ok. Lil too much toxic mother in law energy for my liking.