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A review by eesh25
Rough Trade by Sidney Bell
4.0
4.5 Stars
Rough Trade is probably the last book in this series; we haven't been introduced to any other boys from Woodbury and it ties up all the loose ends. And though it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the other two first; not only because they're both great books, but also because they'll increase your enjoyment of this one by slowly building up to Ghost's story.
Ghost was a prostitute. And if he hadn't been in the amount of danger that he is, he still would be a prostitute. But being wanted by a corrupt cop and a Russian crime family's gotta put a damper on your freedom.
Duncan Rook is a good cop who's on medical leave. Ghost comes into contact with Duncan via a man who claims that Duncan can always be trusted to do the right thing. So the plan is that they work together, in hiding, to expose the cop and then try to figure what to do with the crime family. Of course, plans tend to get disrupted in the best of cases. And with Ghost's trust issues and penchant for lying and most things illegal, and with Duncan's aversion to lying and all things illegal... working together is easier said than done.
If they want to get anywhere, they need to build trust. And that's a very large part of what this book is about. The romance between Ghost and Duncan is very slow going. Ghost has a history of sexual abuse and he and Duncan are very different people. I don't think Duncan would download a song illegally, while Ghost doesn't pay for anything unless he absolutely has to. Reaching a point of compromise is difficult and sex has nothing to do with it.
Yeah, this isn't a "steamy" novel. There are a couple of brief, intimate scenes but that's about it. It's focused on Ghost and Duncan getting to know each other, on Ghost trying to be a better person, and on finding a way to get out of their fucked up, a-lot-of-people-want-to-kill-us situation. And all of that is done really well. Yes, the relationship develops quite slowly but honestly, if it had been faster, it might not have felt as natural as it did. I loved the way things transpired between them, I loved how Ghost's character development was handled, and I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the book, which merged seamlessly with the romance.
Overall, this is a great book and a great way to end what's become one of my favourite series (I just checked, this is the last book). If you haven't read anything by the author, and if romantic suspense is a genre that you like, then you should definitely give her books a try.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rough Trade is probably the last book in this series; we haven't been introduced to any other boys from Woodbury and it ties up all the loose ends. And though it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the other two first; not only because they're both great books, but also because they'll increase your enjoyment of this one by slowly building up to Ghost's story.
Ghost was a prostitute. And if he hadn't been in the amount of danger that he is, he still would be a prostitute. But being wanted by a corrupt cop and a Russian crime family's gotta put a damper on your freedom.
Duncan Rook is a good cop who's on medical leave. Ghost comes into contact with Duncan via a man who claims that Duncan can always be trusted to do the right thing. So the plan is that they work together, in hiding, to expose the cop and then try to figure what to do with the crime family. Of course, plans tend to get disrupted in the best of cases. And with Ghost's trust issues and penchant for lying and most things illegal, and with Duncan's aversion to lying and all things illegal... working together is easier said than done.
If they want to get anywhere, they need to build trust. And that's a very large part of what this book is about. The romance between Ghost and Duncan is very slow going. Ghost has a history of sexual abuse and he and Duncan are very different people. I don't think Duncan would download a song illegally, while Ghost doesn't pay for anything unless he absolutely has to. Reaching a point of compromise is difficult and sex has nothing to do with it.
Yeah, this isn't a "steamy" novel. There are a couple of brief, intimate scenes but that's about it. It's focused on Ghost and Duncan getting to know each other, on Ghost trying to be a better person, and on finding a way to get out of their fucked up, a-lot-of-people-want-to-kill-us situation. And all of that is done really well. Yes, the relationship develops quite slowly but honestly, if it had been faster, it might not have felt as natural as it did. I loved the way things transpired between them, I loved how Ghost's character development was handled, and I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the book, which merged seamlessly with the romance.
Overall, this is a great book and a great way to end what's become one of my favourite series (I just checked, this is the last book). If you haven't read anything by the author, and if romantic suspense is a genre that you like, then you should definitely give her books a try.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.