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B.D.E: Falling Hard For A BBW

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Ghost lived like his name…unseen, unheard, and deadly. A contract killer with no attachments, no weakness, and no second chances. You only saw him once… and that was seconds before your last breath. But even ghosts can bleed. When a routine hit goes sideways, Ghost is left wounded and alone, set up and ambushed by someone who knew his every move. Desperate and dying, he breaks into the first unlocked door he a quiet little book café that smells like cinnamon, old novels. He thinks he’s hallucinating when he sees her.
Ivy Monroe, thick, brown-skinned, and soft in all the right places. A quiet BBW with a sharp tongue, sad eyes, and a secret addiction to the kind of filthy urban erotica she keeps hidden under her mattress. She's been surviving in silence since her parents died, burying herself in books and late-night shelf restocks just to feel normal again. She never expected her fantasy to come crashing through the back door, bleeding out across her café floor.
She should’ve screamed. Should’ve run. Instead, she stayed, bandaged him up and looked him in the eye like she wasn’t afraid of the monster staring back.
But Ghost’s wounds run deeper than a bullet. As he heals under Ivy’s roof, he uncovers the the one man he trusted, the only person he ever called family, was the one who ordered the hit to take him out. Now it’s not just survival. It’s vengeance, and the woman who’s holding him together might be the one who shatters him when it’s all said and done.
This is not your average love story. It’s bullets and betrayal. Heat and heartbreak. One man trying to disappear. One woman who refuses to let him vanish.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2025

277 people are currently reading
101 people want to read

About the author

Andi A. Brooks

7 books25 followers

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5 stars
475 (61%)
4 stars
194 (24%)
3 stars
92 (11%)
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14 (1%)
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3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
Profile Image for Goddess’ Smut Library &#x1fa77;.
555 reviews30 followers
September 29, 2025
1.75⭐️🌶️🌶️ This book has the potential to be great, but there are so many grammatical errors. The book did not flow very well. I felt like it was fragmented and it jumped around a lot, and then some chapters were basically like a repeat of the previous chapter, and the storyline was there, it just wasn’t delivered very well.
Profile Image for Selena Nicole.
259 reviews13 followers
August 28, 2025
Ghost & Specs, two lonely souls, came together in unusual circumstances and found the person that understood them. As unconventional as it was.

I do wish there was more action during the revenge plot. Everything was wrapped up concisely, and relatively easily when it seemed there would be more bloodshed/drama. The plot line with Ivy’s best friend and new suitor was OK. They had a few POVs/mentions then oh we’re happy.

There was a nice amount of typos in the pages but overall I liked this story.
905 reviews5 followers
September 9, 2025
Ghost and Ivy

Ok so I most definitely felt the BDE from the start with Ghost and clearly so did Ivy. The one thing I loved most was how accepting they were of each other. It just balances out their relationship though. Overall definitely a reader for sure!!!
Profile Image for BookedandBizzie .
126 reviews5 followers
September 15, 2025
B.D.E: Falling Hard for a BBW

Let me cut to the chase. I loved it. When Ghost broke into Ivy’s bookstore, they both got more than they bargained for. Was it instant love? I don’t know. You have to read it to find out. I will say this…when hearts collide…there is nothing or no one that will stop the inevitable from happening. Great read!
Profile Image for KaTina J.
89 reviews
Did Not Finish
March 30, 2026
(DNF @ 8%)

Let me go ahead and say this… I tried. I really did 😭
I made it to about 8% (chapter 2) and had to respectfully clock out.

Now listen, I love a little fictional delusion. That’s my lane. That’s my ministry. But this?? This was testing my faith.

We have a man literally bleeding out, fighting for his life, barely conscious… and somehow this man opens his eyes, looks at this girl, and clocks that she’s a virgin AND decides to keep that as a secret??? Then it instantly switches to him thinking about what lead him there. I was whiplashed 😖

Sir.
Be serious.
You are actively dying 😭

And don’t even get me started on the FMC being turned on while this man is laid out on her floor after breaking into her store. Like I SEE the vision, I do… but it needed more build-up, more walk me through it, not just throw me into chaos and expect me to go with it immediately.
It felt very much like:

“Here’s the plot, just accept it.”

And I needed a little more convincing before I could fully lean into the delusion.

Because again, I’m here for unhinged romance. But it has to be believable within its own world.

Unfortunately, this one lost me early
Profile Image for Lynette.
208 reviews10 followers
November 23, 2025
typos

There were a ton of typos in this draft (kindle unlimited) it was like the editor quit somewhere around chapter 5. Ghost was a very well written character. I liked him ALOT. Ivy in the other hand…I was ready to smack her upside the head a few times. Overall this was an okay read. I found myself skipping paragraphs and pages toward the end of the book simply because I was ready for it to be over and the typos were becoming annoying.
Profile Image for Kyndal J.
41 reviews
December 26, 2025
We have Ghost — no parents, raised as a weapon, forced to be a protector.
Then there’s Ivy, a sweet, reserved book café owner with full lover-girl energy 🥺📖.

Tori, the best friend we ALL need, supporting Ivy through everything.
And Marcus — fighting for his father’s love, stuck in a shadow he can’t escape.

Speaking of his father… Gideon.
The man who took Ghost in, turned him into a weapon… and then turned on him.

Secrets get exposed.
Love is tested.
Two completely different worlds collide.
13 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2025
Good storyline 👏🏾

This was a very good story line. The only thing was there were a lot of errors in this book. It was kind of to the point some of the errors overpowered the story.

Other than that it was a good read.
Profile Image for Sabrina.
167 reviews2 followers
September 19, 2025
A waste of my time tbh.

I have nothing positive to say.

Oh I lied.

I have 1 good thing to say.

It was a short read.

Profile Image for Brooklyn Simpson-Crowder.
129 reviews21 followers
January 14, 2026
Star level: 4 stars Spice level: 3/5 🌶️
Trope:, forbidden romance, instant attraction, virgin FMC, alpha male,
Trigger warnings:, violence, death, betrayal, death of parents
Fav quotes: “Look at her again like that and you gone catch a shot of lead to yo’ chest nigga,” Ghost voice
“Next time a nigga try you like that, you better check they ass Specs, cause if you don’t I promise I will and that shit won’t be pretty. Your whole little bookstore will be decorated in their blood.”
““He was always about brotherhood an believe the ones that were broken with scars, where usually the ones worth listening to.”
About the book: Ghost is a pain hitman who just been set up when he breaks into Ivy bookstore to hideout while he recovers. What he didn’t know was that he would meet the women that would charge his world upside down while trying to find the person that set him up. You would think the moment Ivy found out a random man broke into her shop she would be scared and call the cops. But no she took him in and helped bandage him up. It was like they had an instant connection to each other even though they are total opposites. Ghost a train kill Ivy a quiet bookworm but you know they always say opposites always attract. As their love story starts to build danger starts to grow. Ghost does the one thing knows, protect and kill and that what he does. Him and Ivy hide out grow in more ways, and end everything once and for all. It’s sad the one person he trusted is the one that betrayed him but it’s good to him get his revenge but also him and Marcus getting close and clearing the air between the two.
Profile Image for BlackMeetsBooks.
88 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2026
Damn, papa, you a rare breed, no comparing
And it's motherfuckin' scary
Tryna keep him 'cause I found him
Let a ho know I ain't motherfuckin' sharing
I could take you to the parents, then to Paris
Plan a motherfuckin' wedding
You the type I wanna marry and keep you merry
I'll put the ring on when you ready

(Dojacat x Streets)
This was a 'Specs & Book Recs' pick.
Well, I mean this book was kind meta lol it was giving us all the book girlfriend and book boyfriend realness. Here you have Ivy living her normal mundane life and reading about all the wild freaky things she herself has never done...and may never do? I mean honestly where would one find one of the dangerous, rough, sexy man that she reads about in those urban fiction books she reads?
Ghost is just what his name says. He is the thing that goes bump in the night. The one that is always there and always listening. Trained to be a weapon and that's it because "feelings could get you killed" so love didn't stand a chance in his world. At All!
How do two people that seem to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum cross paths? Easy, a botched hit against one of the most lethal "kill for hire" assasins you know. With nowhere else to run Ghost found himself breaking into a small book store and bakery in this rando town he was sent to. Hurt and having nowhere else to turn to the store owner decides that if he was desperate enough to break in he must have needed help. What they both didn't plan on was this turning into something neither of them saw coming or even expected. This was such a fun read and I cant wait to have the chance to ask the author a few question about 'Specs' and 'Ghost' because baby this was one hell of a ride to the end. It was well worth it tho! I would def recommend this book for a nice quick read.
Thanks for sharing your art!
-Fairy
84 reviews2 followers
March 10, 2026
Just Like Her Books

Okay, Andi A.Brooks wanted to know what I thought! Let me say you had be at gun shots! I love how you gave this woman her dream man, if all of us were so lucky! You built everything up so well, the way Ghost was trained. Actually I thought Gideon watched him walk into that alley and went o see what was going on. I also wanted to know about the part of the will Marcus was talking about. We have Tori wearing a ring and Ivy still waiting? Tell me more! Oh, I found a few errors in wording, I had to read the sentence a couple of times because it didn’t understand what you typed. I figured you were writing while tired. You did a great job! If you do an audible with this please talk to Midnight Mike, or Winston James and Joniece Abbott-Pratt or Teri Taylor. Mike has a southern accent that comes out at different times!
Profile Image for She Reads What She Wants.
439 reviews23 followers
March 29, 2026
Okay, so Ghost…

His backstory? Definitely one that pulls at your heartstrings. I’m always here for a MMC who has to learn how to love when life never really prepared him for it and Ghost gave exactly that.

Now Ivy? Baby, she was green green 😂 living her quiet life, minding her business, deep in her erotic romance books… until one night this fine chocolate man stumbles into her shop, broken and bloodied. And her body said, “Yeah… HIM.” 😮‍💨

Their relationship wasn’t perfect by any means, but the way they loved each other? It worked for them. It was raw, it was real, and it showed how much they truly meant to one another.

But with Ghost fighting a war he never asked for, danger was always lurking and one thing about him? He was going to do whatever it took to keep his girl (Specs 😭) safe.

This one had emotion, tension, and just enough spice to keep you locked in. Definitely give it a chance, I think you’ll enjoy the ride. 📚🔥
Profile Image for JMonique.
148 reviews21 followers
August 30, 2025
Ghost was ruthless! Not looking for love or commitment!
Gideon trained him to be a contract killer. No feelings, detached from the world until he stumbled into Ivy’s coffee shop after being shot!

Ivy was a good girl saving herself for the fairytale love she read about in books. Ghost came into her life unexpectedly & even though she should’ve been afraid curiosity got the best of her! He was everything she didn’t know she needed. The peace she brought him pulled a side out of him that he didn’t even know existed!

This book definitely lived up to its name!! Ghost very much gave BDE!! 😏 This was such a good read! Get into it!
Profile Image for Jody.
52 reviews1 follower
October 19, 2025
Ghost

I really enjoyed reading about Ghost and Ivy. It was good to watch grow from savage to man. He just wanted love and I’m glad he did take that need out on Ivy. Sometimes these men want love and instead of trying, they run their woman into the dirt. Ghost didn’t do that. He realized, quickly, that he needed Specs. I also appreciate that Specs was sweet, naive, but not an idiot. She held her ground too. The supporting characters were cute too. Side note: this book was spicey af. Ghost definitely backed up that BDE. I know Specs wanted to just crawl into a ball and take a nap. 😂
182 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2026
Great feel-good story to a Great HEA!

I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end! I didn't always understand every phrase but I got the gist of it! I loved Ivy's character! I loved the shy woman she was to others, but read erotica when nobody was looking!
Ghost's history and how he changed because of having met Ivy was beautifully done. How he became the man he was at the end of the book was because of her showing him what love was! I just loved their love story in the middle of Ghost's mission to find out the whole truth.
Just a great read with an amazing love story!
Profile Image for La Shay.
49 reviews
April 17, 2026
DNF @ 31%
Didn't hold my attention, when I kept reading hoping for more, Ivy's point of view would ruin it. I'm all for a green, virgin anything but she was too delusional too soon. To the point that it was so unrealistic. He's bleeding out on your floor and you're instantly lusting over him smelling all cinnamony and bookish. We JUST read about him hunching somebody that doesn't know what he looks like but he's so in love with Ivy... where's the buildup? I didn't feel anything about why he'd instantly love her while reading so it didn't land. The grammatical errors were annoying but I don't feel like the plot was executed in a good, thorough way. I couldn't continue.
Profile Image for delente.deette.
10 reviews
September 16, 2025
I stayed for the plot!

I was tuned in for the whole book! I was excited to read the pov’s because with this story line, they were needed. However, I am big on grammatical errors, and there’s more than a few in here. The plot was strong enough to keep me reading, and my comprehension skills kept me from going off the deep end! There are books I DNF because of these types of errors, but again, the plot is why I stayed 💘 I enjoyed reading about Ivy & Ghost’s growth and love story.
Profile Image for Ashleigh Barbee.
206 reviews
September 20, 2025
Specs was just minding her little bookstore cafe business when Ghost broke in with a bullet wound and bleeding out all over her store. For whatever reason she wasn't afraid of him even though she most definietly should have been! Gideon needed to go sit on somebody’s couch because his logic made no sense. This was a nice a quick easy read with a couple twists and turns. I was so made at Tori because I thought she was going to get Ghost sold out ot Gideon. Luckily the brothers were able to talk and realize they had more in common than they thought.
13 reviews
February 9, 2026
This was the perfect book

Ghost my baby Ghost… he deserved Ivy man. He deserved that love, goodness & sweetness Ivy had waiting for him. Ivy reminds me of myself sooooo much, love to bake & read. Love LOVE & always waiting for my perfect book husband. It was like reading an alternate reality version of myself. This is definitely a favorite. The perfect amount of back stories, a perfect plot line, the SEX 😩, the emotions omg I loved it. On to the next book by this author cause she’s seriously up there in my favorite black authors now
1,757 reviews7 followers
September 27, 2025
🔥🔥🔥

I enjoy reading this book so much. I love the main and supporting characters. The betrayal, the want, the sex, and the getting back were epic. I'm not going to give anything else away. Ghost was best at his craft. Ivy is living her quiet, book-filled life with no idea that her life is about to have a dramatic change. This book is wonderfully written. The author did an amazing job. It was a pleasure reading your book 🥰.
Profile Image for ReaderGirly❤️.
422 reviews9 followers
Read
February 25, 2026
"...so when I saw him bleeding on my floor, I didn't see an intruder breaking in or a man holding a gun that could possibly kill me. All I saw was someone who needed help. Someone that no one had helped before and that's what haunted me."

I was like, girl you bout dumb as hell, anddddd I knew this was unfortunately not the book for me. Because what do you mean a man busted in your store after being shot, and he's holding a gun, and your first thought is how big his dick is and helping him get back on his feet? Ivy's reaction was unrealistic and desperate, and I found the entire story unrealistic up until the point I DNFd. Roman, or "Ghost" has been trained as a killer, and detests emotion so much, he pays money for random girls to meet him at hotels so he can fuck them, and they go for it despite not being allowed to see or touch him. What women you know is going to show up to a hotel, and have sex with a man blindfolded, who've they've never met, and they won't ever get to see? Makes no sense, nor did it make sense that he claimed to have kidnapped the woman who does his braids, and after holding her hostage to do his hair, her first thought is to get down on her knees and suck his dick. I can suspend belief for a lot when it comes to fiction, but no ma'am. This story was doing a bit too much for me, and don't get me started on the grammatical errors because there were PLENTY and I was annoyed
Profile Image for Johnne Johnson.
142 reviews12 followers
August 22, 2025
loved!

I loved this book. Ghost was everything you want in the main male character. I loved that he didn’t run from what he felt for Ivy. I loved the name Specs that he gave her. I loved that even though everything between him and ivy was new to him, he was honest with her and protected her. Gideon reasons for his action made no sense to me.
Profile Image for Ieshia P..
Author 1 book1 follower
August 24, 2025
💗🔥🔥

Everytime I read something by this author it has my full attention. I love this story between Ghost and specs to me it was like a lot of us readers like want something like that to happen but if does in real life will you help that stranger or call the police. It was a lot of trauma but the author did great by showing character development and the reason behind the trauma.
Profile Image for CourtneyKe99.
14 reviews
August 24, 2025
Good read

This was my first time reading a book by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing pulled me in right away, and the story kept me engaged throughout. Ghost and Specs complimented each other well. I would highly recommend this one as a great pick for any book club!
Profile Image for Shunita O.
258 reviews5 followers
August 26, 2025
What a good read

This book was really good, I saw the author post this book in a Facebook group I belong to. Ghost was a tortured soul who love from someone who saw him and the killer he was groomed to be. Ivy aka Specs, got her real life book bae with BDE and as unhinged as a mutha. This is well written and 5 star read
543 reviews4 followers
September 12, 2025
B.D.E: Falling Hard For A BBW

This is the first book that I've read by this author, and I truly enjoyed it.

Ghost was a total badass and Ivy was sweet as pie. It is always beautiful when the characters balance each other out.

Gideon was something else. He manipulated Ghost and Marcus. Ghost had the final say though.
Profile Image for Iyanna.
51 reviews
September 21, 2025
Ghost and Specs. Two lonely souls who had no idea that crashing into a café would lead them down a wild path of love and togetherness. This story was perfect. From the plot to the spice, everything was paced beautifully, described vividly, and had me itching to turn the next page! A solid 10/10—I definitely need a part two, Ms. ANDIIIIII!
10 reviews
September 26, 2025
Description, kinda misleading

This was a very good read, although when I read the description, I kind of skipped over it the first time because I didn’t wanna read a book about a girl who betrayed the main male character, but that’s not what happened at all. This was a very, very good read, but the description I don’t know maybe I missunderstood it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews