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A review by readers_together
Falling for the Bad Boy by Kennedy Fox
5.0
This was my first Kennedy Fox book, but I can assure you it won't be my last. I didn't really know what to expect. I figured it would be a sexy read, and it was, but it was also so much more. I wasn't expecting the emotional side of the story, that kinda hit me out of left field. It made the story so much more powerful than I ever anticipated, I'll be honest, I was shopping while listening and I shed a few tears. It's also funny, I laughed out loud more than a few times. I loved how Kennedy Fox wrote this book, the pacing was on point, not too fast, but also most definitely not a slow burn. If you love insta-lust stories that have heart, this is the book for you. I really liked the cover, I think it's a good representation of Ethan and the beginning of the story. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen the narrators noted on it as well.
I enjoyed these characters, they were such a joy to spend time with. This story had great supporting characters, Nora and Aunt Millie were wonderful additions. They really stood out and gave the story character. Ethan was a great male lead, he had it all; the sexiness, the gruff attitude, the swooniness, and of course, he was the damaged guy that only Vada could make whole, honestly, his backstory is heartbreaking. Thank heavens for Vada. His choice in bed partners before Vada was questionable, I'll admit at one point I was biting my lip hoping the reveal wasn't true...because that would suck, lucky Ethan wasn't a douche. Vava was awesome, I adored her. I wanted to go hang out with her and be her friend. I felt bad that she didn't really have anyone and the reasons for it. She was feisty and smart. She gave as good as she got, which I loved. I liked that she was a writer. She frustrated me a little, but I get she was protecting herself, so that made it alright. The animals were a big part of this story and they were brilliant.
I loved how Ethan and Vada's relationship started and progressed through the story. At times I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I thought the HEA was upon us and then realised the audiobook had over 2 hours to go, that was a WTF moment I can tell you, but, Kennedy Fox is a genius and it worked really well, I was hooked and wondering how and what was going to happen next. The sexy times, to which there are a good few, as you would expect for bedtime reading, were written incredibly well and worked with the story. None of them ever felt forced or out of place. My second WTF moment came when I heard the words 'One Year Later' seriously, I shouted the words, because why? Why would that happen? But, it did happen, and again it worked well for the story, so all is forgiven and I got my HEA. Praise the writing gods!
This dual narration was performed wonderfully by Joe Arden and CJ Bloom, it wasn't a particularly long book, however, I thought they both fit the parts really well and their voices complemented each other, better than I thought they would when I saw their names connected with the audiobook. It was a lovely surprise.
I think this might be my favourite CJ Bloom performance. She really brought Vada to life, she performed her in a way to make the listener connect with her on a level they may not have done while reading the book. Her feelings shone through during the performance and I loved that about it. I really enjoyed her portrayal of the accents and different characters, each one seemed unique and fitting for the character it was for. She also nailed both the sexy and emotional parts of the story.
Joe Arden was the embodiment of Ethan Rochester, at no point did I sit back and think, nope, this voice doesn't fit, he was the character. The inflections and accents used really enhanced the performance and gave each character a distinct sound. Although this book is hot on sexy times, the emotional aspects of this story really shone through and those were the standout moments of Joe's performance for me. Although don't get me wrong, the sexy times were performed, well... sexily, for lack of a better word. JA definitely doesn't disappoint. Lastly, I need to take a second to talk about Joe's southern drawl in this book...swoon, it was fantastic, to this Brit anyway. I'm a sucker for the southern drawl, I'm not gonna lie...the southern drawl is like the English accent to Americans. In other words, it's a swoonfest just waiting to happen. The production was great with no issues that I noted.
This audiobook was published by a new audiobook imprint called AudiOMG! You should definitely look into more of their titles.
I enjoyed these characters, they were such a joy to spend time with. This story had great supporting characters, Nora and Aunt Millie were wonderful additions. They really stood out and gave the story character. Ethan was a great male lead, he had it all; the sexiness, the gruff attitude, the swooniness, and of course, he was the damaged guy that only Vada could make whole, honestly, his backstory is heartbreaking. Thank heavens for Vada. His choice in bed partners before Vada was questionable, I'll admit at one point I was biting my lip hoping the reveal wasn't true...because that would suck, lucky Ethan wasn't a douche. Vava was awesome, I adored her. I wanted to go hang out with her and be her friend. I felt bad that she didn't really have anyone and the reasons for it. She was feisty and smart. She gave as good as she got, which I loved. I liked that she was a writer. She frustrated me a little, but I get she was protecting herself, so that made it alright. The animals were a big part of this story and they were brilliant.
I loved how Ethan and Vada's relationship started and progressed through the story. At times I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I thought the HEA was upon us and then realised the audiobook had over 2 hours to go, that was a WTF moment I can tell you, but, Kennedy Fox is a genius and it worked really well, I was hooked and wondering how and what was going to happen next. The sexy times, to which there are a good few, as you would expect for bedtime reading, were written incredibly well and worked with the story. None of them ever felt forced or out of place. My second WTF moment came when I heard the words 'One Year Later' seriously, I shouted the words, because why? Why would that happen? But, it did happen, and again it worked well for the story, so all is forgiven and I got my HEA. Praise the writing gods!
This dual narration was performed wonderfully by Joe Arden and CJ Bloom, it wasn't a particularly long book, however, I thought they both fit the parts really well and their voices complemented each other, better than I thought they would when I saw their names connected with the audiobook. It was a lovely surprise.
I think this might be my favourite CJ Bloom performance. She really brought Vada to life, she performed her in a way to make the listener connect with her on a level they may not have done while reading the book. Her feelings shone through during the performance and I loved that about it. I really enjoyed her portrayal of the accents and different characters, each one seemed unique and fitting for the character it was for. She also nailed both the sexy and emotional parts of the story.
Joe Arden was the embodiment of Ethan Rochester, at no point did I sit back and think, nope, this voice doesn't fit, he was the character. The inflections and accents used really enhanced the performance and gave each character a distinct sound. Although this book is hot on sexy times, the emotional aspects of this story really shone through and those were the standout moments of Joe's performance for me. Although don't get me wrong, the sexy times were performed, well... sexily, for lack of a better word. JA definitely doesn't disappoint. Lastly, I need to take a second to talk about Joe's southern drawl in this book...swoon, it was fantastic, to this Brit anyway. I'm a sucker for the southern drawl, I'm not gonna lie...the southern drawl is like the English accent to Americans. In other words, it's a swoonfest just waiting to happen. The production was great with no issues that I noted.
This audiobook was published by a new audiobook imprint called AudiOMG! You should definitely look into more of their titles.