4.5 SMOOCHES!
SYNOPSIS:
My son is my life. Nothing on earth matters but him.
Soon, I’ll have to send him out into society. The cruel machine that gnashes innocence and spits out the hollowed remains of a child’s imagination. It’s a place I know all too well, considering my past. I’ve worked hard to separate myself from it, but it looms in the back of my mind—waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
My son, Logan, wants to have birthday parties, make friends, play at the park—all the normal things that seven-year olds want to do. All the things I want to do with him.
I’ve put up walls around our life to shield us from danger. Giant barriers to ward off possible threats.
Cora Chapman crashes through them like a wrecking ball. She’s intelligent and hilarious with soft curves and a spark that ignites a flame deep inside of me.
There’s only one problem—she’s Logan’s teacher.
When my past wraps its tentacles around my throat and threatens to strangle the breath from my lungs, I’m given an option—fight for my family’s freedom, or die as they’re stripped away from me.
I can’t lose. I won’t lose.
My name is Landon Lane and I am a warrior.
REVIEW:
This is the third book I’ve read by Sloane Howell this year, and I am once again impressed by his ability to weave an interesting, intricate story. I loved both Bossed and Scored, his two connected yet standalone sports-themed romantic comedies. Howell’s writing truly captivated me in both of those books, and I was excited to get my hands on this one. Very different from his romcoms in both tone and delivery, Bad Dad was a fresh and unusual story that pulled me right in from the start and held my attention all the way through as I devoured it.
Bad Dad was a bit of a surprise in that it was not the romantic comedy I think I was expecting it to be. What it was, though, was an intense, action-packed MMA fighter story with a wildly creative twist. Howell is known for his sense of humor, and despite the more serious nature of this story, dry wit was woven brilliantly throughout the story. In fact, this book contains one of the funniest scenes I’ve read this year, and I practically roared with laughter as it played out on the page. Seeing as this is a single dad romance, I’m happy to say that I enjoyed the sweet father-son relationship in this book as much as I did the sexy romance between the hero and heroine.
I don’t want to spill too many details here since part of my enjoyment of this story was the fact that it took me by surprise at several points while reading it, and I believe other readers should have the chance to enjoy it the same way. What I will say is that Sloane created a complex hero in the socially awkward Landon Lane. He was alpha to the core, and he was driven, loyal, fierce and determined, but there was an almost cultivated sense of humanity about him that was attractive and endearing. It took a bit longer for me to warm up to Cora, though, and there were a few instances where I was legitimately annoyed with her—not enough to stop reading or anything like that, but enough that I was frustrated with her, her choices and her decisions. Again, not enough to stop me from reading or to even ruin the story, but enough that her character had to—and did—work hard to redeem herself to me. The romance between the two of them burned hot, but it was Landon’s unwavering faith in them that had me swooning on my sofa. A fantastic cast of side characters rounded out this story, enriching it with another level depth and detail that infused a bit of charm into this fascinating tale.
Bad Dad was multilayered and exciting with a suspenseful plot, a steamy romance and bursts of deadpan humor made this a different type of story than I typically read. It held my attention the whole way through, entertaining and amusing me with an underdog hero whom I couldn’t help but root for and a story unlike anything I’ve ever read from this author before. Bad Dad by Sloane Howell gets 4.5 smooches from me!
~ Danielle Palumbo
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