REVIEW: 'Bad Boyfriend' by K.A. Mitchell
Title: Bad Boyfriend
Series: Bad in Baltimore #2
Author: K.A. Mitchell
Published: February 20, 2018 - 2nd Edition
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Kanaxa/Kanaxa Designs
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance
Length: 272 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Standalone; Family Drama; HEA; May/December; Opposites Attract; Kink: Daddy Kink, Spanking
About Bad Boyfriend
Causing trouble has never been more fun.
Eli Wright doesn’t follow anyone’s rules. When he was seventeen, his parents threw him out of the house for being gay. He’s been making his own way for the past five years and he’s not about to change himself for anyone’s expectations. For now, romance can wait. There are plenty of hot guys to keep him entertained until he finds someone special.
Quinn Maloney kept the peace and his closeted boyfriend’s secrets for ten years. One morning he got a hell of a wake-up along with his coffee. Not only did the boyfriend cheat on him, but he’s marrying the girl he knocked up. Inviting Quinn to the baby’s baptism is the last straw. Quinn’s had enough of gritting his teeth to play nice. His former boyfriend is in for a rude awakening, because Quinn’s not going to sit quietly on the sidelines. In fact, he has the perfect scheme, and he just needs to convince the much younger, eyeliner-wearing guy who winks at him in a bar to help him out.
Eli’s deception is a little too good, and soon he has everyone believing they’re madly in love. In fact, he’s almost got Quinn believing it himself….
First Edition published by Samhain Publishers Inc., December 2011.
4 HEART READ
REVIEW:
K.A. Mitchell’s Bad Boyfriend is simply on point, each step of the way. It’s an easy read to watch two hearts slowly melt, bubble, froth, and combine. And, though it’s part of the Bad in Baltimore series, it’s a standalone.
Quinn Maloney spent 10 years with his closeted boyfriend, Peter Laurent. In exchange, Quinn was adopted by Peter’s adoring family, who pretended they were merely friends. Then Peter cheated with a woman, impregnated her, left Quinn, and married her. Still, Quinn swallowed his pride, acting as best man, all to remain in the family.
Now Peter wants him to act as godfather to the child. And Quinn plans to make a statement by bringing a date to the christening; a mesh and eyeliner clad clubby who winked at him.
Quinn recognizes the younger man has awakened an unexpected verve for life.
Eli, thrown out of his family when he came out, is barely surviving financially. But, with the help of a couple of friends, he’s tough as nails emotionally.
After an incendiary one-night-stand, Eli agrees to accompany Quinn to the christening, not knowing Quinn’s history with the Laurent's. But Eli is far more perceptive and charming than expected.
Quinn recognizes the younger man has awakened an unexpected verve for life. “He should have been scared, and he was, but those feelings were taking a backseat to an overwhelming sense of gratitude-floating on a fresh wave of joy-like being caught in a gentle summer rain that rinsed away the weight of heat and humidity,” Mitchell tells us of Quinn.
Can staid Quinn woo the skittish Eli? Is he man enough to handle his own life, out and proud?
I love the men’s exchanges. For example, Eli tells Quinn, “’You make a good shield, but I can handle my own battles.’” Quinn answers, “’Don’t turn your back on valuable resources. I got top grades in military history and strategy.’”
Their more personal exchanges are even hotter. Phew! Talk about melting!
The very strengths that have kept these men functional through lifetimes of disappointment, must now be surrendered.
And yet, it is the men’s personalities that wowed me most. When Eli thinks about Quinn, “he decided a glacier would meet its match in Mount Quinn.” Of course, Eli might as well be discussing himself.
The very strengths that have kept these men functional through lifetimes of disappointment, must now be surrendered. Only an excellent writer and credible psychologist could concoct the perfect circumstances to make the surrenders absolutely flawless.
Have I said I absolutely loved reading Bad Boyfriend? Thanks, Dreamspinner, for re-releasing this gem!
A copy of Bad Boyfriend was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Dreamspinner Press, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Don't miss K.A.'s Guest Post with the Banter where she chats about how revisiting Bad Boyfriend highlighted for her what a difference a few years have made in LGBTQ rights.
Meet the Author
K.A. Mitchell discovered the magic of writing at an early age when she learned that a carefully crayoned note of apology sent to the kitchen in a toy truck would earn her a reprieve from banishment to her room. Her career as a spin-control artist was cut short when her family moved to a two-story house, and her trucks would not roll safely down the stairs. Around the same time, she decided that Chip and Ken made a much cuter couple than Ken and Barbie and was perplexed when invitations to play Barbie dropped off. She never stopped making stuff up, though, and was surprised to find out that people would pay her to do it. Although the men in her stories usually carry more emotional baggage than even LAX can lose in a year, she guarantees they always find their sexy way to a happy ending.
For more from K.A. be sure and visit her website!
