Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Stealing Pretty
SERIES: Bad Boy Security #2
AUTHOR: R. Cayden
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 243 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2020
BLURB:
Sometimes, bad decisions felt really, really good.
And Gray knew a thing or two about bad decisions. He and his best friends had a bad habit, seeking revenge for innocent people by stealing luxury cars from the men who harmed them. Gray loved the hell out of a joyride, but he started on a different path the night his uncle came knocking, offering him a legitimate job as a bodyguard.
A bodyguard for the prettiest damn guy Gray had ever seen. Jameson had been a teen dream action star before he retired from showbusiness at age twenty. He needed a bodyguard like Gray to keep the paparazzi away, and his secrets out of the public eye.
And Jameson had a lot of pretty secrets.
Once Jameson pouted his lips, Gray couldn’t resist himself. He got another bad idea. One that started with a stolen motorcycle and ended in a motel bed.
Because Gray can give Jameson love on the run. But can he make it last?
Stealing Pretty is Book 2 in Bad Boy Security, a steamy M/M series with guaranteed HEAs and plenty of twists. It can be enjoyed as a standalone, but for maximum pleasure, the series should be read in order. Enjoy!
REVIEW:
Justin is an Emmy Award winning star, excellent at his job, but after becoming an action hero, he discovered that he didn’t enjoy acting, and retired. Other than his yearly reunions with the cast from his childhood series West Town, he doesn’t miss the limelight. Regardless, the world just won’t leave Justin Jameson Sweet alone. He grew up on TV. Justin values his privacy, wanting to have something that isn’t taken over by the public. After the paparazzi invade his grounds and get pictures of him relaxing in his own home, he has no choice but to hire personal security.
To encourage Gray to travel a more legal path in life, his uncle Declan offers him a job guarding the young retired actor, Justin Sweet. Under normal circumstances, there would be no problem. However, Gray has had a crush on Justin for a long time.
It seems like a match made in heaven. Justin needs to be protected from the papers and the public and is open to ideas. Gray uses the ingenuity born from a life of escaping dodgy circumstances to help a more than willing subject to regain his freedom. During the process love blooms, but given his background, Gray frets that he isn’t good enough for the retired star.
Uncle Declan is from book one in the series, where Grey’s and his men made their first appearance. Hailing from the same criminal family as his uncle, Gray aspires to be like Declan, and escape the clutches of his past. He’s not doing a bad job either. Gray and his friends take from the rich assholes of life to teach them a lesson. It’s a bit Robin Hood with a side of Dick Turpin.
Like book one of the series, I found this story to be a lovely read. The scene-setting and atmospherics are superb. Told from the viewpoints of Gray and Justin (who, in private, prefers the use of his middle name Jameson), the pages are full of deeds from loveable protective rogues. It’s a cast whose hearts are in the right place, even if their actions are more than suspect.
Stealing Pretty can be read as a standalone, but one gains a much better depth of story if book one has been read. There are some similarities to book one. The classic sparks fly when they touch moments. There’s an awesome best friend, Dee, who provides suggestions, alternative viewpoints, a willing ear etc.
On a couple of occasions, Gray refers to Jameson, as James. I don’t know if this is on purpose or not, but it made me stop and look twice as it felt like an error. Also dotted about are quite a few moments of doubt from Gray. I understand why they are there and given the circumstances they should be. But several are too fleeting, and repetitive to be of any real addition to the story. We’re talking along the lines of, a 180 happens almost the paragraph after. However, a couple of them are superbly timed and drawn out just enough for them to ring more authentic than the others.
So, if you are after a book where a rogue falls in love, lets some of his naughty ways rub off on his lover, and where a big-brother figure is lovingly breathing down his neck – then I think you will find Stealing Pretty up your street.
RATING: 
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