Author: Jessica Lemmon
Publisher: Forever
Date of publication: April 2016
He's a mess...
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.
Return of the Bad Boy is the fourth book in this series and only the second that I have read. I read the first book, but somehow missed the ones in between. I'll have to remedy that soon. I will say that this did hold up well as a stand alone book. but I am sad that I missed seeing the other couples in the books get together. In this one, Gloria and Asher have circled each other for years and, finally, Asher is making his play to get her for good. Gloria is really resistant to let her heart go.
I remember Gloria and Asher from the first book and I was pleased to see that Asher had kind of grown up a lot. He now has a son from a one time hook-up and he wants to do right by him. I liked seeing him with Hawk. Seeing strong men with little kids can melt anyone's heart! I also loved how he plowed his way through Gloria's defenses. Becuase, she had some big walls he had to break down. This story was a bit angsty as Gloria really resisted the fall, but I was totally rooting for Asher to win her over in the end.
I definitely recommend this one. I know I enjoyed the first book, Bringing Home the Bad Boy, so I know the others in between will be great as well. Make sure to check out the excerpt below for a little taste of Asher and Gloria together!
Excerpt:
Gloria
nodded at Evan, and he and Brice made their way through the crowd—which hadn’t
thinned even a little despite the band leaving the stage—and walked in the direction
of the bar. Gloria figured they’d get back about the time the band took the
stage again, which left her with Asher in the interim.
“I didn’t
realize you were invited,” she said over the melee.
“I see
that.” The corners of his mouth turned down.
“Why did he
invite you?” she asked, curious.
“He wants
me,” Asher said, a bored expression on his face.
“No. He
wants me.” She pressed her fingers into her chest.
Asher leaned
closer to speak to her and it took everything in her not to back away a step.
Him close had a way of messing with her equilibrium...even more than the
whiskey.
“I meant he
wants to sign the band, Sarge. He’s probably buttering you up to get to me.”
“What?” she
asked, slightly offended. “How egotistical are you?”
“I’m not
being egotistical,” he said. “That’s a fact. And you’re welcome.”
Oh, he was
too much. “I’m welcome?”
“Yeah. Now
that I’m here, you won’t have to touch him. He won’t get within three feet of
you.” Stubble lined his jaw, fire burned in his eyes, and he stood close enough
that his body heat blanketed her. “Promise.”
“Listen,
Asher”—she cleared her throat and tore her eyes away from his biceps, which
were absolutely delicious and testing the limits of his T-shirt in the most
distracting way possible—“I don’t know what you think you’re doing—”
“No, you
listen.” He palmed her hip much like Brice had earlier, but unlike Brice, when
Asher touched her, her nipples perked up and every inch of her grew warm.
Asher’s nearness, one hand gripping her firmly as he looked down at her with
dark hunger in his eyes, was so hot she couldn’t think.
The crowd
milling around them were having loud, drunken conversations, so he lowered his
face to her ear to speak.
“I’m coming
for you, Sarge.” His hand moved from her hip to her lower back, his fingers
splaying wide and slipping beneath the material of her shirt. “Bet you’ve never
had anyone come for you, have you?” His nose moved along her ear, warm breath
tickling her skin. “Bet you were a rebellious teen with a nose ring and a bad
attitude and all you wanted was to feel good.”
No nose
ring, but the rest was scarily accurate.
“Well, guess
what, honey?” he continued, his fingertips sizzling on her bare skin. “I’m
going to make you feel good. I’m the only one who can.”
He pulled
his face away and she had to will her mouth to close. Her teeth clacked
together as her brain scrambled to figure out what part she should argue with
first. Wrenching a fist around his T-shirt, she tugged him close. A small smile
played on his mouth, and his hand went higher beneath her shirt. He was
anticipating a kiss, but she wasn’t going to kiss him.
“Listen up,
you arrogant bastard.” Anger vibrated through her arms and a charge shot from
her toes to the crown of her head. “You don’t get to claim me. I’m not your property.
I can do whatever I want.” Because she wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his
face, she added, “And I can do whomever I want.”
His lips
flinched, but he didn’t back away, stepping even closer and touching the tip of
her nose with his. Her vision was now swimming in dark hair, dark eyes, and the
sexiest smirk she’d ever seen.
It’s not
sexy. It’s stupid, remember?
But it
wasn’t. And the rest of her knew it. Her nipples tightened, her body tingled,
and the hand she’d wrapped around his shirt began to sweat . . .
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About the Author:
A former job-hopper, Jessica
Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in
graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she's not
writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay,
wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents
for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.
