Bad to be Good Bad to be Good Book one
MM Romance
Dreamspinner Press
November 10, 2020
200
Longboat Key, Florida, is about as far from the streets of Detroit as a group of gay former mobsters can get, but threats from within their own organization forced them into witness protection—and a new life.
Richard Marsden is making the best of his second chance, tending bar and learning who he is outside of organized crime… and flirting with the cute single dad, Daniel, who comes in every Wednesday. But much like Richard, Daniel hides dark secrets that could get him killed. When Daniel’s past as a hacker catches up to him, Richard has the skills to help Daniel out, but not without raising some serious questions and risking his own new identity and the friends who went into hiding with him.
Solving problems like Daniel’s is what Richard does best—and what he’s trying to escape. But finding a way to keep Daniel and his son safe without sacrificing the person he’s becoming will take some imagination, and the stakes have never been higher. This time it’s not just lives on the line—it’s his heart….
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Richard, Gerome and Terrance grew up together on the streets of Detroit where they did whatever it took to survive. As they got older they joined the Garvic Organization, Italian Mafia run by Harold Garvic Sr. Richard, Gerome and Terrance ran the gay operations and brought in alot of money for themselves and for the organization until Sr. died. When junior took over the first thing he wanted to do was get rid of anything that was in any way related to being gay and the three friends were on the chopping block.
To save themselves they gave state’s evidence and were put into Witness Protection but even from a jail cell junior has given orders for them to pay for what they did. Longboat Key, Florida is where they were relocated to, Richard works at a bar, Gerome at a gift shop and Terrance at a hardware store. The one bright spot in an otherwise drab life was when Daniel Upton would come into the bar, the one thing that made Richard’s night.
Richard wants to get to know Daniel in spite of the fact that a relationship would come with a whole lot of baggage. Richard can’t reveal who he really is what he has done in the past and if he is once again relocated it could mean nothing but danger to Daniel if they become an item. In addition Richard is shocked to discover that there is a little four year old boy involved, Daniel’s son Coby.
Daniel works at home doing computer design and web integration so that he is always with Coby, it is on Wednesday evenings that his sister Renee gives him time to himself and that time he spends at the bar flirting with Richard. All three former gangsters realize that they can’t go back and they can’t continue doing things the way they used to. If a customer annoys them there is no taking him back in the alley and leaving him with bruises and Terrance the muscle man is the one having the most difficulty with that.
Being involved in illegal matters has made the three of them very observant when it comes to seeing when things are not right but correcting the situation would take finesse and would have to keep them way out of it. It is a boat ride with all three and Daniel and little Coby that turns the tide for them because this little boy is beyond loveable and these three tough guys are putty in his hands.
The relationship with Daniel grows and Richard feels guilty he can’t reveal who he is but revealing it would also put his best friends in danger. It is only when Daniel is threatened to do some illegal hacking with threats of danger to Coby that he and Richard put their heads together to see what they can do to catch the ones responsible. Once again it all has to be done with no involvement from Richard, Gerome or Terrance.
This book really gave me a look into what it is like in Witness Protection, giving up everything including your name, always being in fear of being seen and being a prisoner to the whims of the Marshalls. One wrong move could uproot them from a place they are beginning to call home. All three of them have to put their bad guy personas away for good and learn to live according to the rules and that in itself is a major change of life.
This book had it all, amazing characters, suspense and an absolutely adorable little boy.