Bad Boy

A Masters of Romance Novel

By: Emma Alcott

Narrated by: Michael Ferraiuolo

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Russ
They call me a bad boy, and 13 years ago, they would have been right.
I’ve done things I’m not proud of.
Served time.
Broken hearts and bones alike.
But I’m a changed man now. I don’t break the law for a living anymore; I write books about guys like me falling in love with other guys. It’s as close to a happily ever after as I think I’ll get....
Until Colton shows up in my remote cabin in the middle of a snowstorm, so timid and young and sweet.
I’ve given up my wicked ways, but damn if he doesn’t make me want to do bad, bad things....

Colton
I didn’t mean to get lost on my way to the big New Year’s Eve party, and I definitely didn’t mean to drive my car into a snowbank, but here I am in the middle of nowhere, stranded in front of a creepy cabin, about to freeze to death.
The only way I’ll make it through the night is if I go inside, but there’s no telling who might be in there. It very well could be a serial killer, or a horror movie monster....
Or a bearded, tattooed bad boy with a big secret who’ll steal my heart and make me never want to leave.

Bad Boy is the first book in the Masters of Romance series, where romance authors don’t just write about happily ever afters - they live them. Get ready for love, laughter, and some serious steam. No cheating and no love triangles, guaranteed. Bad Boy can be heard as a stand-alone, but it’s way more fun to binge them all. Which author are you most excited to see get his HEA?

©2021 Emma Alcott (P)2021 Emma Alcott

Not her best

I love Emma's small town series but this one is just not great. I finished it but I only did out of loyalty to Emma. It just wasn't a realistic story and there wasn't really much of a plot. The best part of it was the side characters. I don't know.. even the sexy bits weren't all that great. I don't know what happened with this book. Read her other ones.. they are excellent and give this one a pass.

Absolutely loved this!

I absolutely loved this sweet opposites attract romance.

The characters were likeable and well fleshed out and the writing style was engaging.

The storyline was interesting and the author's writing style appealed to me.

The narration was enjoyable and engaging as well

Great narrator

The story is really bad, I gave it far longer than I should have only because Michael Ferraiuolo is an amazing narrator, but there is no story line. Book starts off will a premise of one, but then is just nothing but unbelievable nonsense.

DNF 3 hours in, 10+ eyerolls per chapter

I loved the initial premise of this book, of someone getting lost in a snowstorm and needing a strangers help - which is what made me purchase it... but this was the quickest and worst case of instalove I've ever read. Most unrealistic relationship, and I read PNR and Mpreg lol. DNF, even after trying to go back and give it a second chance.

Disappointing

Minor spoiler ahead ⚠️

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At first I was very excited with the whole "lost boy in the snow, meets hot big cabin man" plot line, but when they skip all and any kind of introduction and move on to sex INSTANTLY I lost interest very fast. The cabin man doesn't even bother getting poor MC warm or anything. Straight to sex... I would have expected a bit more from an author I hear very good things about.

Michael Ferriuolo was amazing as always, but not even his gorgeous voice can distract from the lack of a good plot.

I have decided not to continue listening, and have returned the book, as I feel like it's a waste of a credit.

Facing Fears

This story is full of feels. There are so many strong emotions. I love how Russ helps Colton to grow. And I appreciate how they developed Colton's dad in the story as well. There are so many layers to this story and I can see the set up for some more wonderful stories in this series. It is hard to say much about this story without revealing too much. But I love this story.
I listened to the Audible version which was well done and a great listen.

A little long with slow pacing

The narration of this book was great! The single narrator really embraced all the different voices with such variety, making it a very enjoyable listening experience. I could easily tell Russ and Colton apart and that makes an audiobook so much better.

The story revolves around an age gap, as well as quite an experience gap. I particularly liked the snowed-in scenario and there were quite a few funny moments with Colton and his fearful nature. There is a lot of steam, but a little unrealistic feeling to it, especially with Colton being a virgin.

Overall, the story was just ok for me. The pacing was a bit slow after a good start. Because I am a fan of this author, I look forward to more of the books in the series about romance authors getting their HEAs.

Awesome story

Get this book it's an awesome story.
Michael as always out does himself.
Well worth the credit and your time to listen.

I wanted to like this more than I did

I’m a big fan of Emma Alcott and I adored the prequel to this series, so I was really looking forward to getting stuck into the first full book of the series. For me this book missed the mark though. I loved the start of the book, but then for me it started to feel like something was missing. Russ and Colton both knew they were in love and wanted the other almost immediately and seem to do nothing but hop into bed together. To be honest for me it very quickly started getting repetitive and it struggled to hold my attention. The highlight for me was Colton’s internal dialogue which was amusing. While I didn’t love this audiobook I’ll definitely read or listen to the next in the series as I usually love this author’s books.

I received an arc of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review

Wasn’t wowed.

started off loving this book, but about half way through I started to get bored. I felt like it was very long. I thought they were both nicely done and well thought out. But my main issue is, you have a virgin (Colton) who jumps into bed with a stranger and has marathon sex of 5-6 times in one night, then they continue having lots of sex. I understand it’s fiction, but something about that didn’t work for me.

I loved the characters, Russ and Colton. I thought Russ and his friends were great. And I liked Colton with his best friend. But the rest of the cast of characters just seemed off to me.

I’m going to give the second boom a chance because I didn’t like the characters, but I wasn’t wholly sold on this book.


*Listener Note: I received a free copy of this audiobook through Gay Romance Reviews (GRR) and this is my honest review.

DNF

The writing and performance were perfectly fine, there's just no story. Almost solidly sex for the couple of hours I got into it if that's what you're after.

Bad Boy & Sweet Boy

I love readind Piper Scott/ Emma Alcoott, but I have to say this is my least. I thoufht I would never write this, bit there can be to much 'sexy times' in a book. It seems like every other chapter is such a time. So I have to give it a 3,5 *. The narration was spot on as usual by Michael and gave this book more live. 5*

Loved Russ and Colton!

This book is just what I needed. Insta love, fun friends, great romance authors and lots of sexy plots. Colton trespassed Russ property looking for shelter. It’s forced proximity, age gap(small one), brooding loner, first time romance. I love when Ms Alcott has lots of characters that enrich the book and surround the MCs. Colton is so sweet and innocent while Russ is super protective and wants to keep him for himself. This series started with a bang. Can’t wait to listen to the rest. Mr Ferraiuolo narrates like a champ and brings all characters to life.

Another great Alcott Book

This book had me hooked from the first line. I loved Colton immediately. A young man afraid of his own shadow who finally finds enough guts to attend a New Year’s Eve party only to wind up in the wrong place. He gets stuck in a snowbank, and has no choice but to go into the cabin. Every moment he’s convinced he’s going to die. The big scary dog is going to maul him. The creatures in the woods are going to be his doom. The cabin is owned by a serial killer. I loved all the places his mind went to because I used to be that person (I hit my forties and have very much taken up the whatever happens mantra…)

When Russ finds a boy in his cabin, he’s a little surprised. He’s got himself set up in the middle of nowhere for a good reason – he’s hiding out. Not from anyone bad per se, just the world in general. He did some bad things in his youth, was appropriately punished, and has tried to move on. He even tried to move on with someone, but that ended disastrously, so he’s decided life is just fine on his own. He has everything he could possibly need.

Except that special someone.

Now, the whole let’s get down to business mere moments after we’ve met stretched credulity and my comfort level just a bit. To be clear – there were no consent violations. Also to be clear – things moved REALLY fast.

In the morning, though, Russ has some…regrets? Questions? He belongs to a group of male romance writers (some straight, some gay) who write romances (some straight, some gay). Anyway, pretty soon he and his buddies are trouble shooting his problems.

For those who’ve read the Piper Scott series Single Dad Support Group, this will all be very familiar except no mpreg. But the group of guys helping each other out with snide comments, witty remarks, and outrageous suggestions? Check, check, and check.

Colton decides Russ is worth risking the wrath of the local sheriff. He decides to stay until the snow melts. In northern Michigan in winter, that can be quite a wait. He slowly uncovers all of Russ’ secrets. Each revelation is more painful as Russ lays bare everything that has come before. But Colton’s made of pretty strong stuff. In a later scene, he even stands up for himself when facing someone from his past.

This is a lovely story, made all the more wonderful by Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration. If you’ve loved the other Emma Alcott books, you’ll sink right into this one. If you’re a Piper Scott fan, the snark will make you feel right at home. And if you’re new to all of this, it’ll warm your heart.

Swoony, steamy, and a ton of fun!

Russ and Colton's delightfully steamy romance gave me all the swoony feels without any angsty drama to ruin my day. Despite how ridiculously quickly these men hopped into bed together, I was actually kinda on board with their hot-as-fire first night together. Was it realistic for two total strangers to (1) be so perfectly compatible with each other (2) magically stumble across each other and (3) bone like bunnies until the snow melted? Maybe not, but holy heck was it incredible to listen to. Russ was every bit the growly alpha man in contrast to Colton's fragile innocence, and together they were absolutely insatiable. I thought my ears were going to burn off after listening to Michael Ferraiuolo narrate their steamy moments, and don't even get me started on how perfectly he brought each man to life. Their sex marathons may not have felt very true to life but I can't deny that they were addicting to devour. In between their moments of heated passion, it was really sweet to see Colton and Russ get to know each other as well. Every shared secret and story from the past made me feel closer to these men, and by the time a few days had gone by I already felt like they had known each other for months. In addition to the heartwarming romance, I also thought it was really interesting to read about the ins and outs of Russ's author struggles. This story did get a bit meta at times--an author writing a story about an author who writes the same kind of romances and has a habit of referring to his real-life romance as if it were part of the plot for his stories was a bit much to wrap my head around sometimes. I've always wondered about all the unnoticed things that authors have to take care of in the background though, and it was really cool to get a taste of how much more goes into releasing a book than meeting a word count. All of Russ's author friends were hilarious as well, and I have to say that their chat conversations were some of my favorite moments in this story. As if all of that wasn't enough, Russ and Colton each had some seriously empowering "stand up to the man" moments throughout this book that made me want to fist pump and cheer when they held fast to what they believed in. I really loved how Russ and Colton's relationship didn't just make them stronger when they were together, but also gave them confidence on their own. If anything could have made me buy into Russ and Colton's lightning-fast love connection, it was seeing how their love changed them for the better.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions. 

Bad Boy!

Story: Although overall enjoyable, I have to ask; was there really a story? It seems like it was just sexy times at every to every other chapter. I felt a bit concerned for a certain part of Colton's body especially since he was a virgin lol. There wasn't much of a plot. I did really enjoy most of the side characters and hope to get Will's story soon maybe even with a certain author. I will also be checking out Gavin's story in "Side Character" as he was also a great character.

Narration: Michael does a great job as usual which is what really kept my interest although I did speed it up a little bit.

Very hot and sweet!

Loved this book, and loved the audio! Colton and Russ are such a perfect couple. I loved how protective Russ was of Colton, and their general dynamic. I also loved that although Colton very much needed a Daddy-figure and someone to care for him, he does learn how to stand on his own two feet as well. As always, Michael Ferraiuolo does a fantastic job of narration - the voices he uses for chracters always fit my inner portrayal of the characters perfectly, and his audios are incredibly well-edited and high quality.

Absolute Kismet

I loved this story. Colton was so adorably sweet and lack of filter made for some hilarious situations.
Russ was so caring, loving and supportive of Colton and encouraging of his dreams, however big or small.
Some mild angst in the form of a past relationship and a "quote, unquote" family member not being accepting of their relationship due to Russ's past.
I thought it was resolved very well.
I really enjoyed the friendship between Russ and his fellow authors.
I can't wait to meet them all.
Kismet was such a cute and sweet boy.
Michael Ferraiuolo did an outstanding job.

Excellent! A Marvelous Performance by M Ferraiuolo

There's so much to love about Emma Alcott's Bad Boy! Wonderfully witty humor, marvelous characters, and of course that scintillating erotica that Emma Alcott writes so well. Russ and Colton have great chemistry, and from the moment they meet this opposites attract couple makes so much sense.

Once Colton makes it back to town, we get to meet his friend Gavin who is absolutely hilarious. (And if you want his story, Emma Alcott has recently released it as Side Character.)

Bad Boy is beautifully narrated by Michael Ferraiuolo. There are some truly spectacular love scenes in this one, plus so much humor, and Mr. Ferraiuolo delivers an excellent performance.

Great

I really enjoyed this audiobook.
It was such an entertaining listen.
Definitely a great addition to a great series.
I can't wait to listen to more.