ARC Review: ‘A Real Good Bad Thing’ by Lauren Blakely
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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A Real Good Bad Thing
by Lauren BlakelyPublished by Self-Published on November 16, 2023
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eArc
Source: the author
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Enemies turn to lovers, but can they trust each other as they chase the same prize? A sexy romantic comedy adventure from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely…
I live my life by three simple rules. Don’t mix business with pleasure. Always work solo. And family comes first.
But when I head to the tropics for a quick job and meet a fiery woman who makes my pulse roar, I can’t resist bending the first rule for her.
Trouble is, after we spend a scorching night together on the beach, I discover she’s my new enemy. The quick-witted and clever beauty is on a treasure hunt for the same damn prize – beating me in a race to find millions in stolen diamonds.
See you later, sexy stranger.
Too bad I keep bumping into my gorgeous rival all over this tropical paradise as we chase clues.
Maybe it’s better to partner up. But the more time we spend together sneaking into nightclubs and art galleries, the harder it is to keep my hands off her. And soon, I'm not just sleeping with my very irresistible enemy.
I’m starting to give her my heart.
That breaks my biggest rule of all. Don’t ever fall in love. Because it always screws you over.
Note: A Real Good Bad Thing is a complete rewrite of the 2016 two-book duet The Jewel Series. The two-book storyline has been rewritten from 3rd person to 1st person, presented now in a complete standalone, and with entirely new characterizations, motivations and dialogue for the MCs, as well as a new location. In short, it's a new story, inspired by one that is now off sale completely.
A Real Good Bad Thing may be familiar to some readers who read Lauren Blakely’s The Jewel series, which was released in 2016. Lauren has completely rewritten and made the book from a duet to a standalone written in the first person instead of the third person. I never got a chance to read the duet, so this book was new to me.
I adored both characters in this one, Ruby and Jake, who unexpectedly have a cute meet moment that leads to an instant attraction between the two. The only issue is that they have no clue both are after the same thing, which is to recover diamonds that were stolen, but for different reasons. Jake is a recovery expert and has been hired to find the diamonds, while Ruby is doing it to help her mother. It becomes an adventure between the two on who could recover the diamonds first until they realize they may not be the only ones after them, while the MCs also try not to fall for one another.
The book is described as being an Enemies to Lovers, but it’s not really there until towards the end of the book, but that didn’t bother me because I was fully invested in the storyline of retrieving the diamonds and the chemistry between the characters. There was one thing that irked me, and it happened towards the end. I felt a certain MC should have groveled more for what they did to the other MC.
This was definitely an entertaining, fun read that took this reader on an action-packed adventure with the main characters to recover diamonds. One thing I did enjoy about this book was how short the chapters were and how fast-paced it read when I was reading it. It reminded me of all the treasure-hunting movies I watched in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoyed those types of movies.
If you haven’t read Lauren Blakely’s books before, this book is a must-read for Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy readers.
Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Steam/Spice: 🌶🌶.5
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Contemporary Romance | Romantic Comedy
Trope(s)/Element(s): Adventure/Action-packed | Enemies to Lovers | Instant Love/Lust | Forced Proximity | Beach Romance | Mystery/Suspense | Treasure Hunting
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. It will help sponsor future giveaways but costs you nothing extra. You can read the full disclosure underneath the Privacy Policy.
About Lauren Blakely
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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