A review by lucyp21
Rough Trade by Sidney Bell

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

 

This is an ARC I've had for ages and didn't get around to because it was third in the series and so I thought I had to read the first two in the series before reading this. But thankfully it is one of those books which is better if you read it in order but every book is a standalone. I found this a definite surprise, mostly because the focus was definitely on the thriller/suspense plot and the romance was more of a subplot. 

This book is around a cop on medical leave (after something went drastically wrong at work) who is called in to help a friend with a favour. A sex worker is escaping from the dirty cop and the criminal gang leader he was stuck between and needs somewhere to hide out and plan his next move. Ghost and Duncan meet each other. 

This was a far more suspenseful/thriller book than I thought it was going to be and there was a lot more focus on that plot than I thought there was going to be. There was no perfect ending for everyone and there was a lot of conflict between Duncan and Ghost as they want to handle it in different ways, both of them coming at it from different POVs. I loved the conflict as well as the growing romance between the two, as they have to deal with their different pasts but also how they came to be in the situation in the first place. I appreciated the dedication given to Ghost's trauma and the betrayal Duncan experienced and how it impacted them going forward. 

This book was just a complete surprise to me and I found I loved it more than I thought I would. This is third in the series but can be read as a standalone, though now I want to read the others in the series and more by this author. 

4.5 stars!