Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Rough Trade

SERIES: Woodbury Boy #3

AUTHOR: Sidney Bell

PUBLISHER: Carina Press

LENGTH: 496 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 24, 2018

BLURB:

Quick-witted hustler Ghost is no stranger to living dangerously; survival has always been the name of the game.

He’s just always gone it alone.

Now he’s got the wrong people breathing down his neck, and the only way out demands placing his trust in the unlikeliest of heroes: Duncan Rook, a gruff cop whose ethics are as solid as his body.

Cozying up to a criminal is hardly what Duncan’s reputation on the force needs—especially when that criminal is temptation personified. Ghost is Duncan’s polar opposite, and the last person he expected to fall for.

So then why does every imaginable scenario for taking down their common enemy end with Ghost in his arms?

REVIEW:

Triggers! Rape, abuse, murder, torture, and stuff of that nature.

This was the story I was waiting for. I love Church and Tobias, but I wanted to know Ghost. What made him tick, what made him lie the way he did, or act the way he did. There are so many complexities to Ghost and you never quite know what is the real Ghost or who is fake. You want so much for him to be loved, but he never lets anyone close. He let’s Church and Tobias to a point, but even then it’s only so far.

Ghost has been hustling for sex for years. He manipulates, lies and does anything he can to survive. But what he never does is let anyone close. But during one of his stints at Woodbury, Church and Tobias wormed their way in. Despite him trying to keep them at bay. But at the end of the day, he really does love them and is loyal to them, which is why he’s in the trouble he’s in. In order to save Church and his man, Ghost had to make a deal with the devil, so to speak. He’s avoided Mama for years, but he has no choice but to step in and do a favor for her this time. Well, he has a choice, but the outcome would be severe. He got what was wanted, though. Blackmail material on a cop he’s known for years. Someone he thought was good. But is very, very dirty. After being rescued by Tobias and his boyfriend, Sullivan, he’s on the run. But his protector and he were ambushed. He made it to the contact, but by the skin of his teeth. Almost dying wasn’t in his plans. And now he knows for sure, he’s going to die for real. The dirty cop is looking for him, with his goons, for escaping and other things, and Mama for not handing over the blackmail material. His contact, Duncan, is determined to protect him at all costs, though. And the costs are going to be their lives. Because it’s seems like every time they breathe, someone is there to get them. And just at a time when Ghost is finally, possibly able to let go enough to trust and care for someone.

With Ghost’s cocky ass attitude, his bold flirtiness, and that whole in your face thing going on, you just want to smack him sometimes. But when you see the glimpses of what’s underneath, you know there’s more going on than meets the eye. He very rarely shows any glimpse of vulnerability, but sometimes things trigger him and it seeps through. And you want to do nothing but hug him. What I love about the whole situation though, is as much trouble as they are in, Ghost was finally starting to trust someone and let them in. And boy, did he fight that as hard as he could. It’s a scary thing, when you have the past he does.

But what made it even better, was Duncan. Oh man, did Ghost frustrate the hell out of him! In every way possible. But like with anyone else, something about Ghost just pulled him in. But as frustrated as Ghost made him, he was patient with him. Even when he knew Ghost was trying to manipulate him, even when he knew things were changing and was starting to let his guard down, he was patient. He let Ghost set things at his pace. He let Ghost know in his way, that he could be trusted to take care of Ghost.

This series is a hard read. This book especially. You deal with some harsh stuff when it comes to Ghost, but man is it worth it. It’s an amazing read and an amazing series. I’m just happy to see that some things for Ghost finally got settled.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

amazon

carinapress