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The Geek and His Bad Boys
Can his tender heart handle their scorching passion?
Some people have to fight like hell for their love.
Striker and Dante? They come out swinging.
Frances:
I thought I was just going to get a tattoo.
It was so out of character. All of my gaymer friends thought I was going to chicken out because I’m afraid of needles.
But I was done being scared of things. I had spent enough of my life being scared.
Scared of bullies. Of my father.
Scared of every jerk who put me down.
The thing is, Striker and Dante? The tattoo artists?
They scare me.
They scare me because of how amazing it feels when I’m with them.
They scare me because, once we get together, I’m doing things I never thought I would do.
And most of all, they scare me because of how much they love each other.
Could I dare to be loved like that, too?
To be theirs?
The Geek and His Bad Boys is a 60,000+ word standalone MMM romance. It is a high heat novel, with loads of passion between our three men. Childhood bullies get faced down, a geek gets a spicy tattoo, and the story ends HEA for all three characters. Enjoy!
Some people have to fight like hell for their love.
Striker and Dante? They come out swinging.
Frances:
I thought I was just going to get a tattoo.
It was so out of character. All of my gaymer friends thought I was going to chicken out because I’m afraid of needles.
But I was done being scared of things. I had spent enough of my life being scared.
Scared of bullies. Of my father.
Scared of every jerk who put me down.
The thing is, Striker and Dante? The tattoo artists?
They scare me.
They scare me because of how amazing it feels when I’m with them.
They scare me because, once we get together, I’m doing things I never thought I would do.
And most of all, they scare me because of how much they love each other.
Could I dare to be loved like that, too?
To be theirs?
The Geek and His Bad Boys is a 60,000+ word standalone MMM romance. It is a high heat novel, with loads of passion between our three men. Childhood bullies get faced down, a geek gets a spicy tattoo, and the story ends HEA for all three characters. Enjoy!
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2019
346 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
R. Cayden
38 books311 followersR. Cayden writes steamy M/M romance and sweet, easy reads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
June 30, 2019
2.5 - 3 stars Striker - Dante - Frances
I started this because I love me some raw, tough, dirty mouthed tattooed guys.
Threesomes are risky, for me, the relationship has to be balanced, I’m really picky about that or I’ll quit halfway.
From my view, this story was not balanced and I had trouble to connect. It was hanging on the side of too much awkwardness. The geek Frances wasn’t really convincing. But I did change my mind and read further with other expectations and perceptions. Because hey, it is fiction! And the style of writing was nice.
Striker and Dante love each other, no doubt. But it seems, lately, they fight more. Both strong and dominant colliding more than once isn’t healthy for them and it shows.
Frances is a shy geek, bullied at school and in the neighborhood, and on top of that set aside by his father. Living on his own in a different town, he has fantasies.
First Dante and later Striker have their own dirty intermezzo with Frances. Dante finds them in their tattoo shop, when they just finished, shocked of being caught, they fight, yell and scream at each other and Frances is afraid and runs as hard as he can.
All three can’t seem to get each other out of their head. So Dante and Strike contrite.
A fast-paced story, slightly developed. At some level I like the story, I would have loved it if there was a clearer choice made of characters. Now the two guys were hanging between biting your head off and sugar sweet. There was too much extremity. Their exposed encounters at different places were nice done. The three together couldn’t convince me of their compatibility.
I do know when you are in for a fast-paced sexy dirty story, where dreams come true, you have to ignore my critical remarks because that’s me, and this is for you.
I started this because I love me some raw, tough, dirty mouthed tattooed guys.
Threesomes are risky, for me, the relationship has to be balanced, I’m really picky about that or I’ll quit halfway.
From my view, this story was not balanced and I had trouble to connect. It was hanging on the side of too much awkwardness. The geek Frances wasn’t really convincing. But I did change my mind and read further with other expectations and perceptions. Because hey, it is fiction! And the style of writing was nice.
Striker and Dante love each other, no doubt. But it seems, lately, they fight more. Both strong and dominant colliding more than once isn’t healthy for them and it shows.
Frances is a shy geek, bullied at school and in the neighborhood, and on top of that set aside by his father. Living on his own in a different town, he has fantasies.
First Dante and later Striker have their own dirty intermezzo with Frances. Dante finds them in their tattoo shop, when they just finished, shocked of being caught, they fight, yell and scream at each other and Frances is afraid and runs as hard as he can.
All three can’t seem to get each other out of their head. So Dante and Strike contrite.
A fast-paced story, slightly developed. At some level I like the story, I would have loved it if there was a clearer choice made of characters. Now the two guys were hanging between biting your head off and sugar sweet. There was too much extremity. Their exposed encounters at different places were nice done. The three together couldn’t convince me of their compatibility.
I do know when you are in for a fast-paced sexy dirty story, where dreams come true, you have to ignore my critical remarks because that’s me, and this is for you.
November 30, 2019
The above being said, I hated this book. I found it cringey from page one on. It was like the author, in all his like never met a geek and more than 2 or 3 tattoo artists. The whole book was based on stereoypical representations of both geeks and tattoo artists, with the geek being meek and kind of a shut in and the tattoo artists being people that suffered and were violent and burly, but had a heart of gold. Frances talks about how violent the tattoo displayed on the walls are (knives and skulls) and thinks about how dorky his tattoo idea is and I can't tell you how many tattoo artists I see daily on my Instagram feed that specialize in geek culture art and are very well recognized in the tattoo field, not only Brazilian artists (see disclaimer), but people from all over the world, I also know of a lot of tattoo artists that specialize in lettering, fine line and a lot delicate styles. So I have to say this book bothered me with all those stereotypes, a lot.
Aside from that, I did'nt really see the connection between the MCs. The book started slow, establishing background and gearing up for them to meet, then they meet, they have sex in separate configurations, they fight, they apologize, they all have sex together, they have more sex and then come the "I love yous" a booke week later. So I really didn't feel the develpoment of the relationship. I also felt that Dante and Striker sort of used Frances as a way to fix their own relationship, that was very unhealthy from the start (maybe we should go to couples therapy or something / nah, let's just bring a third person into our mess <- that's how this book felt like to me).
I powered through it just because I wanted to see how it would turn out (about 70% in I lost all hope of it getting any better) and I wasn't disappointed, but only because my expectations were extremely low.
July 25, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
I am a big fan of a geeky hero so this story called to me right away. My favorite part of the book is Frances’ progression from someone shy and unsure of himself to a man who is more confident in who he is, what he wants, and what he can accomplish. Frances has a lot of things he wants (particularly in the sex department), but he has not had the confidence to try for them. Deciding to get a tattoo is the first step, and meeting Dante and Striker helps move him forward even more. We see as his confidence grows in terms of their sexual connection, it also grows in other parts of his life. He begins to recognize that he has overcome a lot and that he can be proud of all he has managed to achieve. This confidence gives Frances the strength to stand up for himself in new ways and to try new things. So I really enjoyed his character growth and the way that even as Frances finds himself, he doesn’t change fundamentally who he is and still embraces his geeky side.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
I am a big fan of a geeky hero so this story called to me right away. My favorite part of the book is Frances’ progression from someone shy and unsure of himself to a man who is more confident in who he is, what he wants, and what he can accomplish. Frances has a lot of things he wants (particularly in the sex department), but he has not had the confidence to try for them. Deciding to get a tattoo is the first step, and meeting Dante and Striker helps move him forward even more. We see as his confidence grows in terms of their sexual connection, it also grows in other parts of his life. He begins to recognize that he has overcome a lot and that he can be proud of all he has managed to achieve. This confidence gives Frances the strength to stand up for himself in new ways and to try new things. So I really enjoyed his character growth and the way that even as Frances finds himself, he doesn’t change fundamentally who he is and still embraces his geeky side.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
July 7, 2019
*A copy was provided by the author for free in exchange for an honest review*
I didn't care a lot for the beginning of this book, but it got better as it progressed. I had a hard time with Striker and Dante and their anger and blowups. It wasn't appealing. It didn't add to the "bad" of the bad boy for me. It just seemed childish and like they need to see shrinks. But as I read, the anger is called out and they know it's not okay so it gets better (though I'm not sure actual steps are taken). I'm not sure I believe that Frances "smooths" those edges out enough and it's not really fair to put that on him. But I did like their relationship by the end so it's worth the journey (even if I wish it was a longer journey.) They all take care to be respectful and work on their issues. Striker and Dante work on their anger and Frances works on standing up for himself. It's good.
I didn't care a lot for the beginning of this book, but it got better as it progressed. I had a hard time with Striker and Dante and their anger and blowups. It wasn't appealing. It didn't add to the "bad" of the bad boy for me. It just seemed childish and like they need to see shrinks. But as I read, the anger is called out and they know it's not okay so it gets better (though I'm not sure actual steps are taken). I'm not sure I believe that Frances "smooths" those edges out enough and it's not really fair to put that on him. But I did like their relationship by the end so it's worth the journey (even if I wish it was a longer journey.) They all take care to be respectful and work on their issues. Striker and Dante work on their anger and Frances works on standing up for himself. It's good.
dnf
January 16, 2020Dnf 22%. Not for me. Someone I know liked it and it was free but not for me
June 29, 2019
2.5 Stars. There is a lot about this book I kinda liked but more I didn't really connect with. The out of character behaviour was surprising and maybe I could buy into it the first time in a penthouse forum kind of way (totally understand why his friends were skeptical of his story) for Frances and Dante but I didn't really buy it for Frances and Striker. There were parts of this book that were so awkward I cringed so hard. The early sex scenes and slutty behavior was fun and surprisingly hot but didn't really fit with any of the guys. Also, all the really hot sex just kinda stopped being explored and only mentioned at times which seemed to not be the point of this book.
The many coincidences and the BS with the stereotypical (right down to the flannel with the sleeves cut off) bigoted country boys were an unnecessary distraction, likewise with the one dimensional evil half brother. The out of character responses to both of those events were distracting as well.
If you don't like cheating, frankly, this very much skirted the line using a sort of "we were on a closed relationship break" mentality that I went with but I think some readers won't be so generous.
Finally, That decision undermined their relationship to me.
The many coincidences and the BS with the stereotypical (right down to the flannel with the sleeves cut off) bigoted country boys were an unnecessary distraction, likewise with the one dimensional evil half brother. The out of character responses to both of those events were distracting as well.
If you don't like cheating, frankly, this very much skirted the line using a sort of "we were on a closed relationship break" mentality that I went with but I think some readers won't be so generous.
Finally, That decision undermined their relationship to me.
June 28, 2019
*I voluntarily read this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's*
3 stars
Initially, I struggled to get into this book. Striker and Dante were two sexy alphas banging heads constantly. Their domestic squabbles became overly repetitive.
The chemistry between Striker and Dante was insane - It was hot, sweaty, rough and raw. These two loved hard but ultimately their relationship was toxic, volatile and rocky.
Frances, surprisingly had a back bone and I enjoyed the moments where he openly spoke his mind. The chemistry between Frances, Dante and Striker was explosive.
There were parts that were dry and things were slow picking up especially, in the beginning. Once the pace picked up, I got into the story and enjoyed it.
3 stars
Initially, I struggled to get into this book. Striker and Dante were two sexy alphas banging heads constantly. Their domestic squabbles became overly repetitive.
The chemistry between Striker and Dante was insane - It was hot, sweaty, rough and raw. These two loved hard but ultimately their relationship was toxic, volatile and rocky.
Frances, surprisingly had a back bone and I enjoyed the moments where he openly spoke his mind. The chemistry between Frances, Dante and Striker was explosive.
There were parts that were dry and things were slow picking up especially, in the beginning. Once the pace picked up, I got into the story and enjoyed it.
November 24, 2019
Gut Ansätze, leider nicht spannend genug.
February 28, 2022
Too short. Felt rushed.
July 4, 2019
Even Geeks have Kinks!😂
I received a free copy of this book via LesCourt and am voluntarily leaving a review.💋
Title: The Geek and the Bad Boys
Author: R. Cayden
Release Date: 6/25/2019
Genre(s): Gay Romance; MMM
Page Count: 224p.
Flames of Passion: 4/5🔥
Sharonica -Stars: 3✨
GoodReads AVG: 3.63🌟
Meet the "Bad Boys":
Dante and Striker
Meet the "Geek":
Frances
It has been a while since I read about a MMM throuple in a relationship. I was really looking forward to the Geek and His Bad Boys, but found myself wishing for more.
The book had all the elements there it needed to tell a good story, save one; solid emotional connection between the three guys. While we get the standard "I love yous" in the circle of guys and the HEA we readers demand from our authors, it lacked the chemistry and heart, it needed to have me buy into it.
The writing itself was well done. Like I said, all the elements were there. I just didn't believe in the guys enough to buy their HEA. I look forward to reading more of this author's kinky work though.
3 kink-filled-stars 🌟🌟🌟
I received a free copy of this book via LesCourt and am voluntarily leaving a review.💋
Title: The Geek and the Bad Boys
Author: R. Cayden
Release Date: 6/25/2019
Genre(s): Gay Romance; MMM
Page Count: 224p.
Flames of Passion: 4/5🔥
Sharonica -Stars: 3✨
GoodReads AVG: 3.63🌟
Meet the "Bad Boys":
Dante and Striker
Meet the "Geek":
Frances
It has been a while since I read about a MMM throuple in a relationship. I was really looking forward to the Geek and His Bad Boys, but found myself wishing for more.
The book had all the elements there it needed to tell a good story, save one; solid emotional connection between the three guys. While we get the standard "I love yous" in the circle of guys and the HEA we readers demand from our authors, it lacked the chemistry and heart, it needed to have me buy into it.
The writing itself was well done. Like I said, all the elements were there. I just didn't believe in the guys enough to buy their HEA. I look forward to reading more of this author's kinky work though.
3 kink-filled-stars 🌟🌟🌟
June 28, 2019
Striker and Dante have been a couple for a while. They share a business and a bed. Both volatile, fast to disagree, fast to make up, until they make a decision to see other people. Both jealous enough to have known that it probably wouldn’t work out well.
Then they met Frances, a sweet, timid gamer, mostly afraid of his own shadow. He brings these muscled, tattoo artists to their knees. Without really trying.
I would of liked to have more background on Striker and Dante. They weren’t really likable in the beginning and I think maybe knowing a bit more about them would have helped with that. Frances and his friends were funny, and even though he suffers from the same lack of background, he was very lovable. As the story went along there were more details about them all.
Cute story about two men who thought they knew what love was till a geek knocked them on their behinds.
I received an arc of this book.
Then they met Frances, a sweet, timid gamer, mostly afraid of his own shadow. He brings these muscled, tattoo artists to their knees. Without really trying.
I would of liked to have more background on Striker and Dante. They weren’t really likable in the beginning and I think maybe knowing a bit more about them would have helped with that. Frances and his friends were funny, and even though he suffers from the same lack of background, he was very lovable. As the story went along there were more details about them all.
Cute story about two men who thought they knew what love was till a geek knocked them on their behinds.
I received an arc of this book.
July 7, 2019
This book was good. I really love books where one character starts out super shy and self conscious but grows into themselves. I love the way Striker and Dante take care of Frances and make him comfortable enough to truely be himself. I also really love the kinky aspect. I definitely recommend this book.
September 20, 2019
Ooh, pretty bad. Two dimensional, predictable characters. Not at all believable. Explain to me, please, how two guys obviously into tough, rugged guys like themselves, suddenly fall for a skinny, meek and mild geek. It’s a cute premise and probably fulfills a lot of fantasies, but the story has to be believable. This is not. I just found the story silly. Nope, not a good book.
August 4, 2019
DNF @ 70%. Unbalanced menage relationship. Dante and Striker had a volatile relationship to begin with. They thought Frances would fix their issues. Frances was just a side piece.
January 21, 2021
I read this book expecting some fun, mindless, sexy crack. A quick read to enjoy on a relaxing holiday off work before diving back into the multiple series I’m juggling. Opposites attract and all that, but the premise of this book promised escapism, not a poignant commentary on the importance of healthy relationships.
Instead, this book was a fun, sexy, poignant commentary on the importance of healthy relationships. Some escapism and suspension of disbelief are still required, especially for Dante and Frances’ first hookup. Striker and Frances’ first time together is slightly more realistic but still relegated to sexy fun. However, instead of established partners agreeing to welcome Frances in and everyone riding into the sunset, this is when the trouble starts. Luckily, Dante and Striker are self-aware enough to recognize some of the communication problems they share and how their pasts affect their present coping mechanisms (or lack thereof) regarding stress. They also have a decent support system in loving family members written as more than cliches. Frances has one as well, and the way he refers to them as his “gaymer” group is perhaps the most stereotypical thing about them.
Frances might have lots of fantasies regarding his unexpected tattooed “biker” friends, but the reality is more complicated. The sexy bits that happen in this book are almost secondary to Dante and Striker’s attempts to foster a genuine friendship (and perhaps relationship) with their new favorite geek. In addition, adding Frances to their dynamic does not “solve” the problems between the other two men but instead gives them a brand-new outside perspective to consider.
So, looking for a fun, sexy read? This book will be right up your alley. But it’s certainly not mindless, and I ended up much more satisfied emotionally by this book than I would have from a mindless holiday novel.
Instead, this book was a fun, sexy, poignant commentary on the importance of healthy relationships. Some escapism and suspension of disbelief are still required, especially for Dante and Frances’ first hookup. Striker and Frances’ first time together is slightly more realistic but still relegated to sexy fun. However, instead of established partners agreeing to welcome Frances in and everyone riding into the sunset, this is when the trouble starts. Luckily, Dante and Striker are self-aware enough to recognize some of the communication problems they share and how their pasts affect their present coping mechanisms (or lack thereof) regarding stress. They also have a decent support system in loving family members written as more than cliches. Frances has one as well, and the way he refers to them as his “gaymer” group is perhaps the most stereotypical thing about them.
Frances might have lots of fantasies regarding his unexpected tattooed “biker” friends, but the reality is more complicated. The sexy bits that happen in this book are almost secondary to Dante and Striker’s attempts to foster a genuine friendship (and perhaps relationship) with their new favorite geek. In addition, adding Frances to their dynamic does not “solve” the problems between the other two men but instead gives them a brand-new outside perspective to consider.
So, looking for a fun, sexy read? This book will be right up your alley. But it’s certainly not mindless, and I ended up much more satisfied emotionally by this book than I would have from a mindless holiday novel.
September 19, 2022
Glad I went for it
I went back and forth on this sample for a loooooong time but really glad I went for it! I love this trope but so easily it can be superficial and feel temporary. Dante and striker had a messed up relationship, I wouldn't say it was QUITE toxic necessarily but it was close. They were both stubborn and volatile but you could truly sense the love between them. Frances desperately needed confidence in himself to not be afraid all the time.
These three came together really well. They all gave something to the relationship that the others needed. They all grew into stronger, better people together and that was brilliant.
There were technical issues and some pacing issues but honestly not bad enough to pull you out of the story. All in all I really enjoyed this story and will happily look into more from this author. Very much reccomend.
I went back and forth on this sample for a loooooong time but really glad I went for it! I love this trope but so easily it can be superficial and feel temporary. Dante and striker had a messed up relationship, I wouldn't say it was QUITE toxic necessarily but it was close. They were both stubborn and volatile but you could truly sense the love between them. Frances desperately needed confidence in himself to not be afraid all the time.
These three came together really well. They all gave something to the relationship that the others needed. They all grew into stronger, better people together and that was brilliant.
There were technical issues and some pacing issues but honestly not bad enough to pull you out of the story. All in all I really enjoyed this story and will happily look into more from this author. Very much reccomend.
May 31, 2020
Finding yourself and the love you never knew you needed
Frances was a geek. He had been since he was in school. However he wanted more. His passion was vintage postcards and his secret wish was for a tattoo - but what?
Dante and Striker were lovers and tattoo artists. Jealousy and raging tempers lead to a monumental fight with words that should not have been said and that were not meant.
When Frances meets Striker and Dante their worlds explodes and they find that their new normal becomes the glue that will hold them tighter than they ever knew possible.
Frances was a geek. He had been since he was in school. However he wanted more. His passion was vintage postcards and his secret wish was for a tattoo - but what?
Dante and Striker were lovers and tattoo artists. Jealousy and raging tempers lead to a monumental fight with words that should not have been said and that were not meant.
When Frances meets Striker and Dante their worlds explodes and they find that their new normal becomes the glue that will hold them tighter than they ever knew possible.
October 20, 2020
Unexpected
Sweet and plenty dirty about sums this up. Loved each of the characters and the way that they challenged stereotypes. Frances in particular was a fun character. So unpredictable but lovely. A couple of continuity errors stopped this being a 5 star. Nothing like getting into a scene then getting all confused over who was doing what. I would read stuff from this author again though
Sweet and plenty dirty about sums this up. Loved each of the characters and the way that they challenged stereotypes. Frances in particular was a fun character. So unpredictable but lovely. A couple of continuity errors stopped this being a 5 star. Nothing like getting into a scene then getting all confused over who was doing what. I would read stuff from this author again though
January 16, 2021
Good book, but gotta do research
I enjoyed the story. It was written well and the characters weren't 2D. But it's so disappointing when authors very obviously do not do research on their topic. Calling the machine tattooists use a gun is terrible, and a simple Google search will tell you that professionals really don't want to be associated with the negativity that comes with guns.
Looking forward to reading more by R Cayden, but hoping he does his research in the future!
I enjoyed the story. It was written well and the characters weren't 2D. But it's so disappointing when authors very obviously do not do research on their topic. Calling the machine tattooists use a gun is terrible, and a simple Google search will tell you that professionals really don't want to be associated with the negativity that comes with guns.
Looking forward to reading more by R Cayden, but hoping he does his research in the future!
June 29, 2021
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion. I know in the blurb you read that this is a M/M/M story with a lot of hot scenes, but really you'll find out that is just a cute, romantic story. The chemistry between Frances, Striker and Dante is endearing and you’ll enjoy the way their love and confidence grows at the same time that they learned to live and work together balancing each other out. Simply put, an amazing reading!!
March 16, 2023
I almost did not finish the book because it started off so aggressive. Also I like Frances but felt that his hookups were out of character and just saying “I never do this” was inadequate to make it believable. Once I kept reading I struggled with the imbalance between the characters. When they took Frances back to his hometown that would have been very triggering but Dante was supporting Striker and not Frances.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2020
Frances, Dante and Striker
I didn't think Dante and Striker would get it together enough to be in a relationship with Frances at first. While their chemistry was explosive so were their tempers but it seemed like all they needed was quiet and timid Frances to calm them both and find their happily ever after.
I didn't think Dante and Striker would get it together enough to be in a relationship with Frances at first. While their chemistry was explosive so were their tempers but it seemed like all they needed was quiet and timid Frances to calm them both and find their happily ever after.
May 5, 2020
Great idea and characterisation with sexy times but then super abrupt ending. The first 90% was a normal slow build then boom it ends with I love you. Poor decision on the author's part...another 10-20K and this would be a 5 star read.
May 14, 2021
I liked it, I did struggle a bit on feeling emotions for the triad. Didn't fully show the build up to the deepening of their relationship. I am truly a fan of this author's work, and will continue reading her books!
July 10, 2022
Soo much angst
This book was just so much angst and drama. This story and plotline was so hard to like and get into when it was all fighting, and jealously and drama. It didn't feel like like a romance or that there was even love.
This book was just so much angst and drama. This story and plotline was so hard to like and get into when it was all fighting, and jealously and drama. It didn't feel like like a romance or that there was even love.
February 26, 2020
Nice read. Not what I was expecting exactly but I liked it.
June 15, 2020
2.5 Not really onboard with the story for some reason.
August 1, 2020
Good read
I have only read a couple books writen by this author. Though i liked this book I was a little disapointed how it ended as i thought it was cut short
I have only read a couple books writen by this author. Though i liked this book I was a little disapointed how it ended as i thought it was cut short
August 31, 2020
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews