Bad Boy Bachelor Summer
by Ali Parker & Weston Parker
My review:
“Bad Boy Bachelor Summer” is the newest addition to the ‘Bad Boy Bachelor’ series by Ali Parker and Weston Parker. Once again, they’ve given us excellent characters in an entertaining story that will bring the heat of the summer to your fingertips no matter when you read it.
Andy is a woman who has her life together … or so she thinks. When two huge life changes devastate her and leave her questioning everything about her life and her future, she retreats to her family’s summer cabin seeking peace. Her attempt at therapeutic self-care seems like it’s working. Then her brother, his longtime girlfriend, and her brother’s best friend, Rick, show up at the cabin. She had a huge crush on Rick when she was a teenager, and now that her self-esteem is a mess, that lingering crush makes her feel incredibly awkward. Rick is an extremely successful real estate developer. He grew up as practically part of his best friend’s family and is certain that everyone will welcome the luxury housing project that he thinks will revitalize the small town where the summer cabin is located. Before he tells them about it, he starts to realize that it’s not something they welcome at all. Rick also realizes that the teenage crush he had on his best friend’s little sister is alive and well, and he’s more captivated by her than ever. From every angle, his situation is a mess and for one of the few times in his life, Rick doesn’t know what to do. So, he doesn’t do anything except enjoy himself, waiting for the right time to come along to deal with things. The problem is that problems don’t just magically go away, and sometimes the ‘right time’ is a myth. When everything blows up in his face, the damage caused seems insurmountable.
Compelling characters and authentic emotions immediately pulled me into this story. Even when different characters made terrible decisions, I absolutely understand the reasoning or motivation behind each one. The story is well-paced and kept me turning pages, anxious to see what would happen next. The major and minor secondary characters added depth and dimension to the story. (Sending a special shout out to Mabel!) There are some unexpected twists and turns, and I thought the ending was excellent.