Review: Bad Things by R.K. Lilley

AMAZON | KINDLE

Bad Things (Tristan & Danika #1) by R.K. Lilley
Erotica
R.K. Lilley (June 11, 2013)

Rating: B+
Heat: Hot

Heroine: Danika – Dancer, Nanny 
Hero: Tristan Vega – Club Promoter, Lead Singer

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Danika hasn’t had an easy life. Being insanely attracted to bad boys has never helped make it easier.

One look at Tristan, and every brain cell she possessed went up in smoke. This man was trouble with a capital T. It was a given. She knew better. Bad boys were bad. Especially for her. Considering her history, it was crazy to think otherwise. So why did crazy have to feel so damn fine?

For as long as she could remember, Danika had been focused on the future with single-minded purpose. Tristan came along and taught her everything there was to know about letting go, and living in the present. She fell, hard and deep. Of course, that only made her impact with the ground that much more devastating.

Bad Things is about Tristan and Danika, and their train wreck of a love story. This series can be read as a standalone, or with the Up in the Air series.

Review:

I love a bad boy hero. So, of course, my interest to read this story was piqued immediately when I read in the blurb, “This man was trouble with a capital T.” Tristan IS trouble and sexy and everything else I love in a hero. Bad Things rocked my emotions and my libido -- mix in some drama and angst that will twist your insides and you have a fierce love story that will leave you craving more page time with Tristan and Danika.

“I had the strangest premonition rock my body the first time I heard Tristan’s voice.”

Danika is a live-in nanny, dog walker, cook, and sometimes she cleans for a family that has become like her own family. She survived a harsh childhood that has given her low self-esteem and a penchant for clinging to love. It’s also the reason she ends up dating the kind of guys that are all wrong for her. When Jerry, the father of the children, brings Tristan Vega home to stay until his apartment is ready to move into, Danika knows she must stay away from Tristan. He’s the epitome of everything she’s always been attracted to and everything she needs to stay away from.

Tristan, being a club promoter, wants to show Danika his world. He tells her she needs to have fun beyond her every day responsibilities. Let her hair down and be free. So, he takes her out dancing and drinking every night. Slowly, as they spend more and more time together, they become inseparable best friends. With all the time they spend together though, it’s hard to deny the hot chemistry that simmers between them. But Danika doesn't do casual and Tristan only does hook-ups. Anything more would be dangerous and hurtful to their friendship.

Keeping the friendship on a platonic level proves to be difficult when the chemistry starts to boil between them. They eventually break all their rules and hook up. Then one hook up leads to lots of passionate naked time together - which makes things between them complicated when feelings are developed.

Tristan is every woman’s wet dream. He’s smoldering hot, charming, tattooed, and very bossy in and out of bed. Not only is he a club promoter, but he's also the lead singer for his band, The Escapists. Oh, and the man bakes. Swoon. I absolutely adore Tristan, even if he is broody and overly jealous at times. But he does have a soft side to him that made my heart melt. His infatuation with Danika was obvious right from the beginning. This woman turns him on with her sassy mouth and sexy dancing. She’s also the kind of girl that didn’t just throw herself at him and that’s a refreshing challenge for him, since women are always throwing themselves at Tristan.

Danika thought she knew what love was before meeting Tristan, but what she feels for Tristan is strong and all-consuming. He makes her feel alive and happy. But Tristan is so strongly shaped by his past he's afraid to care for Danika, for fear she doesn't reciprocate his feelings. Trust was hard for him. He didn’t want to go beyond the ‘friends with benefits’ relationship they’ve developed. When things start to become hot and heavy and intense feelings are revealed, Tristan doesn’t know what to do. He’s conflicted by his feelings for Danika. He wants her but doesn’t know how to take the next step to be with her. And, because of this, Tristan makes some extremely irrational mistakes that are very hurtful. Oh boy, does he ever screw up. But Tristan does eventually come around and realize that he’s been a dumbass. He wants Danika in his life and is willing to do anything to keep her there.

Tristan and Danika… are intense. They fight with passion. They make up with passionate sex. And, sweet Jesus, as if the sexual tension wasn't enough, the sex scenes burned up the pages…

“I'm going to fuck you hard on the hood of this car, in the pouring rain. And. You. Are. Not. Going. To. Forget. It.”

Although, no matter how good the sex is between them, they have lots of issues to work through. They are crazy, madly in love with each other, but overly protective and jealous... and highly irrational. Their relationship is beautiful and reckless at the same time. It’s intense and emotional. The relationship is a hot mess that I can't seem to get enough of. And this is just the beginning with these two. I foresee an even rockier road ahead of them, especially since Tristan is an up and coming rock star. I can only imagine what Danika is going to have deal with when he becomes famous. Ahem... slutty groupies. Things are going to get even uglier and dark for these two, I'm sure of it.

Bad Things is my kind of book. The writing is exceptional. The emotions are tumultuous. The storyline is addictive. The secondary characters are great. And now I'm anxiously awaiting the next book. It's official... I'm a fan of this author. This is a MUST read.