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Bad Boyfriends #1-3
Bad Boyfriends Box Set
Curling Iron (Book 1):
Thomas Kane runs a fitness center by day, helping clients pump iron, but by night he dons Armani and oversees a small empire catering to clients with very special interests and tastes. High on his list is recruiting suitable companions. David Black, a pole dancer at a friend’s club, hits all the bullet points.
When Kane decides to make an offer, he finds it difficult to set aside his own attraction to the ripped dancer. To his surprise, David makes an intriguing counter offer. Faced with unanticipated choices, Kane knows one thing for sure … neither of them is taking no for an answer.
Pumping Iron (Book 2):
What does it take to bring a slow simmer to a rolling boil?
Mike Douglas is the silent partner, the man who prefers his solitude, out of the public eye. Sean Rourke is the very high profile, in-demand star of Bad Boyfriends escort service. A joint project brings them together and ignites a long simmering attraction.
It takes threats to both the business and Sean to convince the reclusive Douglas
to put aside his past and stake his claim to what he wants most.
Jerking Iron (Book 3):
With his business empire under fire and ready to collapse, Kane and his partners turn to unlikely sources for help.
Nick Lopez is a wounded warrior, an undercover major crimes cop caught in the crossfire when he brokers a deal between competing rival Miami crime families. When his best friend, David Black, calls him for advice, Nick sees it as an omen. Sometimes it’s better to get out of Dodge and live, so he quits the force and heads north.
Jace McClune has seen and done too much as a vice cop. His last undercover assignment was his undoing, leaving him with an intervention but no resolution. Thomas Kane has friends in high places and when he hints the mob’s fingerprints are all over the attempts to take over his business, the precinct brass see this as a good way for Jace to get his head on straight with a babysitting job.
Jace and Nick pair up for a simple sting operation, but they soon discover that under the layers of betrayal and lies runs the threat of a new operation—one that takes the skin trade to new levels of perversion. Neither man is prepared for the mutual attraction that simmers to a rolling boil as it becomes clear that the only way they can cut to the truth is to allow Jace to sink once more into the dangerous underbelly of the city.
They’re about to find out why a man you can’t break is a man worth breaking…
Thomas Kane runs a fitness center by day, helping clients pump iron, but by night he dons Armani and oversees a small empire catering to clients with very special interests and tastes. High on his list is recruiting suitable companions. David Black, a pole dancer at a friend’s club, hits all the bullet points.
When Kane decides to make an offer, he finds it difficult to set aside his own attraction to the ripped dancer. To his surprise, David makes an intriguing counter offer. Faced with unanticipated choices, Kane knows one thing for sure … neither of them is taking no for an answer.
Pumping Iron (Book 2):
What does it take to bring a slow simmer to a rolling boil?
Mike Douglas is the silent partner, the man who prefers his solitude, out of the public eye. Sean Rourke is the very high profile, in-demand star of Bad Boyfriends escort service. A joint project brings them together and ignites a long simmering attraction.
It takes threats to both the business and Sean to convince the reclusive Douglas
to put aside his past and stake his claim to what he wants most.
Jerking Iron (Book 3):
With his business empire under fire and ready to collapse, Kane and his partners turn to unlikely sources for help.
Nick Lopez is a wounded warrior, an undercover major crimes cop caught in the crossfire when he brokers a deal between competing rival Miami crime families. When his best friend, David Black, calls him for advice, Nick sees it as an omen. Sometimes it’s better to get out of Dodge and live, so he quits the force and heads north.
Jace McClune has seen and done too much as a vice cop. His last undercover assignment was his undoing, leaving him with an intervention but no resolution. Thomas Kane has friends in high places and when he hints the mob’s fingerprints are all over the attempts to take over his business, the precinct brass see this as a good way for Jace to get his head on straight with a babysitting job.
Jace and Nick pair up for a simple sting operation, but they soon discover that under the layers of betrayal and lies runs the threat of a new operation—one that takes the skin trade to new levels of perversion. Neither man is prepared for the mutual attraction that simmers to a rolling boil as it becomes clear that the only way they can cut to the truth is to allow Jace to sink once more into the dangerous underbelly of the city.
They’re about to find out why a man you can’t break is a man worth breaking…
- GenresM M RomanceAudiobook
494 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Nya Rawlyns
54 books42 followersNya Rawlyns cut her teeth on sports-themed romantic comedies and historical romances. She found her true calling writing about the wilderness areas she has visited but calls home—in that place that counts the most, the heart.
She has lived in the country and on a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay, earned more than 1000 miles in competitive trail and endurance racing, taught Political Science to unwilling freshmen, and found an avocation in materials science.
When she isn’t tending to her garden or the horses, the cats, or three pervert parakeets, she can be found day dreaming and listening to the voices in her head.
She has lived in the country and on a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay, earned more than 1000 miles in competitive trail and endurance racing, taught Political Science to unwilling freshmen, and found an avocation in materials science.
When she isn’t tending to her garden or the horses, the cats, or three pervert parakeets, she can be found day dreaming and listening to the voices in her head.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
dnf
July 5, 2019I made it to 46% of book 1 and quit. The story wasn't holding my interest at all.
February 15, 2024
The box set is composed of a trilogy anchored around three main alphas, each with a newly acquired crush, totally believable in many instances and respects even though a bit off-the-wall in plot twists.
CURLING IRON
Curling Iron, the first in the set is where we meet the two main characters that reappear in the other two renditions, David Black and Thomas Kane. Kane owns a gym and a high-class escort service called "Bad Boyfriends". The agency meets the very special and particular needs of the mostly gay clientele. All is well and good until Kane’s ex, Marshall, decides to ruin him by hiring away all the talent for his rival service. Kane needs to find more workers, and quickly. Into the story comes David. His day job is being downsized, leaving him with only his part-time work at a bar to try to make ends meet in NYC. When the chance comes for David to get out from behind the bar and hit the stage as a pole dancer, that part was really funny, but it catches Kane’s interest in ways that don’t precisely fit the employer-employee mold...but then little of these episodes do...at least not any that anyone I know has ever encountered. Good start to the series.
PUMPING IRON
Marshall ups the stakes, and Kane’s friend and manager of the gym, Mike Douglas, and escort Sean Rourke are called on to babysit a client for a Boston lawyer whose taste borders on the wrong side of the barely legal. His shenanigans threatens the reputation of his firm. Marshall isn’t the only one willing to use underhanded means to achieve his goals, and Mike and Sean have their hands, and other things, full keeping the client and "Bad Boyfriends" out of jail and worse. This was the one that I liked the least.
JERKING IRON
Nick Lopez is an ex-cop that has been wounded in the line of duty. Jace Mcclune, is a New York City cop that works vice. Both have seen and done too much for too long. Thomas Kane puts out a call for help, and Nick and Jace answer it, joining forces for what should have been a simple sting operation. They're about to find out why "a man you can't break is a man worth breaking". This one is darker and more suspenseful. I think of the three I liked the characters in this one the most...but the story seemed rushed.
All three stories have characters that are sometimes way beyond flawed, and the situations that are truly unmerciful and not for the faint of heart. I'm glad I did the audio as I'm not sure I would have finished a text version. Michael Ferraiuolo did a fantastic job on all the different voices.
CURLING IRON
Curling Iron, the first in the set is where we meet the two main characters that reappear in the other two renditions, David Black and Thomas Kane. Kane owns a gym and a high-class escort service called "Bad Boyfriends". The agency meets the very special and particular needs of the mostly gay clientele. All is well and good until Kane’s ex, Marshall, decides to ruin him by hiring away all the talent for his rival service. Kane needs to find more workers, and quickly. Into the story comes David. His day job is being downsized, leaving him with only his part-time work at a bar to try to make ends meet in NYC. When the chance comes for David to get out from behind the bar and hit the stage as a pole dancer, that part was really funny, but it catches Kane’s interest in ways that don’t precisely fit the employer-employee mold...but then little of these episodes do...at least not any that anyone I know has ever encountered. Good start to the series.
PUMPING IRON
Marshall ups the stakes, and Kane’s friend and manager of the gym, Mike Douglas, and escort Sean Rourke are called on to babysit a client for a Boston lawyer whose taste borders on the wrong side of the barely legal. His shenanigans threatens the reputation of his firm. Marshall isn’t the only one willing to use underhanded means to achieve his goals, and Mike and Sean have their hands, and other things, full keeping the client and "Bad Boyfriends" out of jail and worse. This was the one that I liked the least.
JERKING IRON
Nick Lopez is an ex-cop that has been wounded in the line of duty. Jace Mcclune, is a New York City cop that works vice. Both have seen and done too much for too long. Thomas Kane puts out a call for help, and Nick and Jace answer it, joining forces for what should have been a simple sting operation. They're about to find out why "a man you can't break is a man worth breaking". This one is darker and more suspenseful. I think of the three I liked the characters in this one the most...but the story seemed rushed.
All three stories have characters that are sometimes way beyond flawed, and the situations that are truly unmerciful and not for the faint of heart. I'm glad I did the audio as I'm not sure I would have finished a text version. Michael Ferraiuolo did a fantastic job on all the different voices.
May 18, 2015
Tinkers to Evans to Chance--What a Triple Play!
Remember the early 1900's baseball triple-play combination (see headline here)? Well, here's a trilogy anchored around three main alphas, each with a newly acquired crush, totally believable in many instances and respects even though a bit off-the-wall in plot twists.
I purchased the box set because it saved me money, but I would strongly recommend that anyone interested could also buy them separately, and I will post this review on them as well. Please read the short blurbs for each book, they are correct and each book cover is perfect (except for the second which does not feature both MCs, but is critical in showcasing the real star of the series).
In "Curling Iron," our seemingly cold and ultra-alpha Tom Kane is totally consumed by his ex-boyfriend's revenge campaign and the exceptionally handsome, athletic and versatile pole dancer who falls into his life, heart, and business, which is on one hand a gym and on the other hand an escort service. Their adventures start off the series on a solid, methodical pace, picking up speed toward the end, dovetailing perfectly into the second book.
In "Pumping Iron," cover man Mike Douglas' gruff exterior and personal approach to relationships seems to come completely apart when a Bad Boyfriends escort, Sean Rourke, gets thrown into his life by Tom Kane on a mission that could financially straighten out the business--and almost instantly changes their lives.
Unfortunately, they have to play babysitter to an eclectic, love sick middle aged lawyer, "Junior" Lovett, whose family law firm in Boston wants him out of the way for a while. Out of the way is in the Hamptons, where Lovett worms his way into the "family," and winds up introducing us to another major player, the cute twink-cum-lifeguard-cum-porn star Dax.
The adventures of this foursome rival and then rout the escapades in the first book, taking us deeper into the escort trade and beyond. The character of Mike Douglas becomes dominant here, but Lovett becomes pivotal, and Sean is the one who keeps Mike heading in the right direction.
That direction is back to Manhattan where in "Jerking Iron" Tom Kane has been roped into a sting operation by the local authorities and FBI that promises to go a long way in helping Bad Boyfriends stay solvent and put their vengeful competitor out of business. To that end, David Black recruits his best friend from childhood, Nick Lopez, a hulking ex-cop from Miami with plenty of experience in the kind of work Bad Boyfriends and the authorities need. But his life and the mission become complicated when the New York police pair him up with Jace McClune, a gruff, almost grungy undercover detective whose experience, and proclivities, prove crucial to the adventure.
This book is the longest, strongest, fastest-moving and most intricately plotted of the three, and involves all three couples plus the uncanny Junior Lovett and sweet boy Dax. There is some BDSM here, some serious violence here and there, but in the end, there is more credence to the entire three-book escapade than one might have expected.
These characters are memorable from the start, and except for Sean who is somewhat ignored in the third book, they are all crucial to the outcome. The wonderful thing here is that author Rawlyns creates a situation in each book where the two MCs are instantly attracted to each other through lust, and almost immediately join at the hip for other reasons.
And the sex? The sex is phenomenal. You would be hard-pressed to find a better all-encompassing series than this one which needs absolutely no sequel to keep you interested. You are satisfied, if not totally out of breath.
Remember the early 1900's baseball triple-play combination (see headline here)? Well, here's a trilogy anchored around three main alphas, each with a newly acquired crush, totally believable in many instances and respects even though a bit off-the-wall in plot twists.
I purchased the box set because it saved me money, but I would strongly recommend that anyone interested could also buy them separately, and I will post this review on them as well. Please read the short blurbs for each book, they are correct and each book cover is perfect (except for the second which does not feature both MCs, but is critical in showcasing the real star of the series).
In "Curling Iron," our seemingly cold and ultra-alpha Tom Kane is totally consumed by his ex-boyfriend's revenge campaign and the exceptionally handsome, athletic and versatile pole dancer who falls into his life, heart, and business, which is on one hand a gym and on the other hand an escort service. Their adventures start off the series on a solid, methodical pace, picking up speed toward the end, dovetailing perfectly into the second book.
In "Pumping Iron," cover man Mike Douglas' gruff exterior and personal approach to relationships seems to come completely apart when a Bad Boyfriends escort, Sean Rourke, gets thrown into his life by Tom Kane on a mission that could financially straighten out the business--and almost instantly changes their lives.
Unfortunately, they have to play babysitter to an eclectic, love sick middle aged lawyer, "Junior" Lovett, whose family law firm in Boston wants him out of the way for a while. Out of the way is in the Hamptons, where Lovett worms his way into the "family," and winds up introducing us to another major player, the cute twink-cum-lifeguard-cum-porn star Dax.
The adventures of this foursome rival and then rout the escapades in the first book, taking us deeper into the escort trade and beyond. The character of Mike Douglas becomes dominant here, but Lovett becomes pivotal, and Sean is the one who keeps Mike heading in the right direction.
That direction is back to Manhattan where in "Jerking Iron" Tom Kane has been roped into a sting operation by the local authorities and FBI that promises to go a long way in helping Bad Boyfriends stay solvent and put their vengeful competitor out of business. To that end, David Black recruits his best friend from childhood, Nick Lopez, a hulking ex-cop from Miami with plenty of experience in the kind of work Bad Boyfriends and the authorities need. But his life and the mission become complicated when the New York police pair him up with Jace McClune, a gruff, almost grungy undercover detective whose experience, and proclivities, prove crucial to the adventure.
This book is the longest, strongest, fastest-moving and most intricately plotted of the three, and involves all three couples plus the uncanny Junior Lovett and sweet boy Dax. There is some BDSM here, some serious violence here and there, but in the end, there is more credence to the entire three-book escapade than one might have expected.
These characters are memorable from the start, and except for Sean who is somewhat ignored in the third book, they are all crucial to the outcome. The wonderful thing here is that author Rawlyns creates a situation in each book where the two MCs are instantly attracted to each other through lust, and almost immediately join at the hip for other reasons.
And the sex? The sex is phenomenal. You would be hard-pressed to find a better all-encompassing series than this one which needs absolutely no sequel to keep you interested. You are satisfied, if not totally out of breath.
January 27, 2022
This series had a lot of missed potential. Many times I was left confused like pages were skipped, especially in the first story. The second story was the best, the plot was interesting, decent character development, and it flowed nicely. Strangely enough, once we got to the third story, this one seemed to drag on and on, where it seemed that there were unnecessary scenes that didn’t move the story along. Overall I did enjoy the story and the audiobook narration by Michael Ferraiuolo was wonderful. Pretty much anything he narrates is amazing.
February 6, 2024
Audio Review
Only listen to the first book. Concept good and the narrator was decent...but I got lost a couple of times with the communication between the two MCs. Several times they weren't on the same page...I enjoyed what I could...I do intend to finish the other 2 books...hopefully they are not as disjointed as the first.
Only listen to the first book. Concept good and the narrator was decent...but I got lost a couple of times with the communication between the two MCs. Several times they weren't on the same page...I enjoyed what I could...I do intend to finish the other 2 books...hopefully they are not as disjointed as the first.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews