GOOD TROUBLE
Series: Gator Bait MC #2
Author: Lani Lynn Vale
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: December 6th, 2022
Bain met Diana, a.k.a. Luce, the night before he was set to deploy to Afghanistan.
It’s not every day that you take your brother’s girlfriend to prom because he refuses to put out the effort.
That night was one of the best nights of his life and the next day, he leaves and doesn’t see her again.
But there are letters. Not many, but enough for them to form a connection.
Over the two-year deployment, they became great friends.
The best of friends—at least, as good of friends as you can be when it’s your brother’s wife.
Fast-forward six years and she still counts him as one of her greatest friends. Even going as far as to stick by him when he’s sent to prison because his own brother turned on him.
***
Luce had a crush on her then-boyfriend’s brother since way before she and Bain’s brother were married. From the moment he volunteered to take her to prom, she’d fallen.
Over the years, she’d tried to hide it. Tried to go on with her life and act like she loved her husband and only her husband. But as time went on and Braxton started to treat her more and more like crap, she realized the truth. Her husband wasn’t Bain. Her husband would never be him.
Hell, that’d been proven time and time again.
The smoking gun, though? The thing that made her realize it was time to leave?
When her husband stood by while she was assaulted, while the man she tried to act like was just a friend protected her. Then was sentenced to eight years in jail for it.
It was time to admit the truth.
Bain McDempsey was it for her. She just had to help him see it. Oh, and get him out of prison first.
3.5 ‘It’s Just Us’ Stars
Ahhhh, the family angst!!! I knew going in this one would be a doozy for me, but LLV managed to make me enjoy the hell out of it, that’s saying a LOT! Steamy, funny and with just the right amount of suspense, Good Trouble was a great addition to the Gator Bait MC!
Yes, the premise itself had some of my PERSONAL peeves, mainly that we have two characters that meet many years prior, instantly had a connection, recognised by both of them conscientiously, but still Diana went off and married Bain’s brother, Braxton – though I understand her reasoning in a little way – but there were plenty of men out there, besides the H’s brother, which raised the awkwardness level exponentially, and Bain, being the alpha he was, made no sense he didn’t take a stand way sooner, as there were plenty of years before his incarceration, to fight for what he wanted. There was also too many times, the brother not only being brought up between them, but all the drama residing in that was a bit off putting, imo, but wow, it sure amped up the angst, and I believe that was the intention.
The perfect man, for the imperfect woman.
Make your life something worth living.”
That behind said, and what ifs aside, I’m beyond happy Ms. Vale gave us their story in the ‘present’, starting our insight immediately after Bain’s release. This way we could enjoy their blossoming relationship well after Diana (aka Luce) and Braxton’s divorce. Bain, like all other Gator Bait MC, though being an ex con, so kind of a morally grey character, I loved his fierce protectiveness of Diana, and his moral compass.
Diana’s depression and her struggles really rang close to home, so I got her, in many ways, and was beyond sympathetic with her inner turmoils. That aside, there were plenty of times I laughed in their interactions, not only as couple but also as group, proof once again of Lani Lynn Vale’s addictive writing style. Can’t freaking wait for the rest of the gang to have their stories!!!
You’re everything and anything I could’ve ever wanted.
“This may not be easy, but nothing worth something is.”
ARC kindly provided by the author for an honest review
Lani Lynn Vale is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.