Scan barcode
A review by golem
Bad Judgment by Sidney Bell
4.25
This was fun (and violent). It's a kind of dry run for Rough Trade--an action/suspense romance between a strong softie and a guy who's brittle and damaged as hell (my favourite kind of romance!), plus lots of high-wire shenanigans while trying not to get murdered/arrested, and some hot sex.
Be warned: everyone is white and cis except for the Latinx guy (the description of his heritage is a massive fail), the gay people have no gay friends, and there is a brief but devastating mention of transphobia. The book also treats Brogan's total inability to respect Embry's boundaries, plus his unreasonable jealousy (say it with me: you are not allowed to be mad at your new boyfriend for consenting to sex with his violent/scary primary partner), as cute/romantic, two boner-killing romance tropes that this author does away with in later books, but there is a lot to enjoy here otherwise.
Be warned: everyone is white and cis except for the Latinx guy (the description of his heritage is a massive fail), the gay people have no gay friends, and there is a brief but devastating mention of transphobia. The book also treats Brogan's total inability to respect Embry's boundaries, plus his unreasonable jealousy (say it with me: you are not allowed to be mad at your new boyfriend for consenting to sex with his violent/scary primary partner), as cute/romantic, two boner-killing romance tropes that this author does away with in later books, but there is a lot to enjoy here otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Torture and Transphobia