Bad to the Bone by Nicki Bennett

Title: Bad to the Bone

Series: Dreamspun Desires 58

Author: Nicki Bennett

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (210 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (15th May 2018)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖 3 Hearts

Blurb: A second chance at first love—if he has the courage to take it.

Alex can’t think of himself as anything but a failure. In high school, he was on the fast track to a career in pro football when he forged an unlikely friendship with a half-Comanche boy from the wrong part of town, Ricky Lee Jennings. Their shared love of books could have grown into more—but a homophobic teammate attacked Ricky Lee, and Alex wouldn’t risk his scholarship to defend him. Ricky Lee was kicked out of school, and Alex never heard from him again.

Now Alex’s glory days are nothing but a memory. An injury ended his football aspirations, his marriage fell apart, and his dreams of making a difference as an environmental lobbyist are as dead as his fantasies of sports stardom.

But all that could change in one magical night, when Ricky Lee shows up at their high-school reunion.

ISBN: 978-1-64080-106-6

Product Link: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Nicki Bennett is not a new author to me. I’ve read and enjoyed a handful of her books, and while I wouldn’t rank Bad to the Bone as the best, it was certainly enjoyable.

Alex is something of a washed-up jock. He’s approximately 27/28, since he is about to attend his 10 year high school reunion, an injury ended his chances to be a pro footballer when he was in college.

He’s since moved back to his hometown, married a woman and divorced her, and now he runs his family’s store and is involved with the local library. Back in high school his best friend was Ricky-Lee, who was judged by some of the more horrible people of the town for his sexuality and his ethnicity (he’s half Comanche Indian). Ricky-Lee left after he and Alex were caught in a compromising position and Alex was unable to defend him. When Ricky-Lee comes back to town he’s grown up and although a little mysterious, there is nothing bad about this all-around good guy. Alex has to work through his own personal baggage before he and Ricky-Lee can begin to pick up the pieces of their friendship and make something more.

The story itself is fun and there is true chemistry between the two characters. However, I’m not totally happy with the development of the characters, or lack thereof, throughout the story. This is a book for those that want to read an easy romance of rekindling a lost love, and all of it taking place at a school reunion.