Sometimes you can tell when a book is carefully crafted with superb attention to details. I’ve seen it in this author’s other books, but the nuances are especially apparent in this title. Hard Line is the second book in Miss Bell’s Woodbury Boys series. Although it does feature a new main couple and could be read as a standalone, the continued story arcs from the previous book would make it difficult to follow some of the plotlines. Hard Line picks up 8 months after the end of Loose Cannon and details Tobias’s story. Once again I was bowled over by the depth of the characters, backstories, and current plots and conflicts. There were a lot of details to follow but I was glued to my e-reader and I really appreciated how the books tied together.

Miss Bell always does complex characters well, but Tobias and Sullivan surprised me a few times with their depth and some hidden aspects to their personalities and histories. The romance between these two ignited fairly quickly, but the substantial amount of development within the relationship and for Tobias as an individual ensured it never felt rushed, shallow, or hinted at insta-love. I definitely hadn’t anticipated the BDSM element, and while I generally don’t read within that trope, the author wrote those scenes with such emphasis on the characters that I never felt a tinge of disinterest or out of my depth. In fact, the chemistry between Tobias and Sullivan ignited my e-reader more than a couple times.

Beyond the romance, Hard Line is a complex, suspense-driven plot involving the enigmatic secondary character, Ghost. There were multiple twists that kept me guessing and trying to connect the dots, good action scenes, and a satisfying resolution. Featuring a measured, but intense pace, this book made for a great read that was incredibly addicting. I think fans of hurt-comfort or slow-build romantic suspense books will really enjoy this title and series. And after the few more glimpses we got of Ghost in this story, I’m definitely eager to see what the author has in store for the Woodbury Boys next.

This a worthy follow-up to an amazing series. I would definitely to read the first book before this one but it could stand on its own if you are focused solely on the romance and not the mystery. But the romance AND the mystery are what make this book so great. This is the story of Tobias and Sullivan(trust me, they are not as stodgy as their names would lead you to believe) who begin to work together to solve a connected series of missing person cases. Tobias is the quintessential goody two shoes and tries to project an image of perfection while on the inside he is cracking under the weight of the pressure it takes to try to always be what other people want. Sullivan, on the other hand, is a man that projects a Devil may care attitude but on the inside is secretly craving love and acceptance.

Despite there being initial conflict between the MCs, they gradually begin a BDSM relationship that is very fulfilling for the both of them. It provides the release from being “perfect” for Tobias and the acceptance that Sullivan is seeking. This was probably the best BDSM book I’ve read because it really highlighted how kink can further add to a caring and rewarding relationship. But the BDSM was just one aspect of their relationship and in my opinion, it helped them be more open with each other outside the bedroom, which is what made them fall for each other.

One thing to consider is that, it might be difficult to fully grasp the complexity of the missing person’s cases they are investigating without reading the first book. In the first book you learn about the organized crime family that have been orchestrating the crimes being investigated here. You also met Church and Ghost who are important to Tobias but are not thoroughly explored in this book. Because Ghost is the next character to get a book, I appreciated him being further fleshed out.

Overall this story was amazing. The action was heart stopping, the sex was scorching, the romance was sweet and the mystery was…well mysterious. I’m pretty sure that no one could have seen the big twist coming but at the same time it wasn’t out of left field. It had been established in the first book but I completely overlooked it. Which just goes to show how amazing of an author that Sidney Bell is. I am waiting with bated breath for the continuation of this series because I know the next book will blow my mind as well.

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hard Line is book 2 of The Woodbury Boys series and I don't think you should read this as a standalone. Could you? Sure. But I think if you skip book 1 you are going to miss out on a lot of back story and other relevant information that is discussed in Hard Line. At the end of book 1 we know that Ghost has promised to do "Mama" a favor in exchange for helping Church. Hard Line is predominantly about Tobias searching for Ghost who been "missing" for a long time. I have to say, after reading Loose Cannon, I was not expecting to see this side of Tobias. During his search he runs across Sullivan, a PI who is working on a cold case about a missing girl from 1992. I was very much impressed with how these two seemingly unrelated cases did in fact converge and tie together thru Ghost and Mama. I wasn't expecting any of the drama that unfolded for the case. Be warned that the mystery of Sullivan's missing girl is solved, but there is another element to this who thing that isn't solved and I believe the next book in this series (Ghost's story) will be about tying up those loose ends.

As for the relationship between Sullivan and Tobias, that came out of left field for me but it totally worked - for me. Tobias has always been uptight and repressed and despite his one outburst that sent him to Woodbury he's been good, does what he's told and what his parents expect. All that pressure and rebellion has been building up - Tobias is like a pressure cooker just waiting to explode. And when Ghost disappears and when Tobias finds a letter from his birth mother in the trash, the explosion is huge! Tobias runs away from his family (but not far), and thru Sullivan, Tobias finds a release for his emotions. Submitting to Sullivan and finding subspace is heaven for Tobias. They are a lucky match because how likely is it for two strangers to meet under those circumstances and be exactly what the other needs? Despite the improbability of this I still liked it and was totally absorbed in those moments between Sullivan and Tobias.

Once Tobias got his head on straight and knew what he wanted, which was Sullivan and all that a relationship between them would entail - he 100% went after it. He told Sullivan exactly what he wanted (and I kind of enjoyed Sullivan's freak out at the end :) ) and then he also sat down with his parents and explained what was going on with him and why he reacted the way he did when he saw they had thrown out his birth mother's letter without telling him.

Back to the mystery of this book related to Ghost and the missing girl - whew! That is so detailed and you do have to pay attention. I have no idea what Ghost was really thinking during his time "away." I don't want to give away any spoilers so I need to keep this vague. Ghost's actions (which Sullivan and Tobias spied on thru an open window doing PI stuff) were not in any way something I could believe were true, but on the other hand, I just don't know. Ghost is an odd one and I don't think he shows his true self to anyone [except he does care about Tobias because when Ghost sees bruises on Tobias's wrist from some rough sex play, Ghost gets the wrong idea and attacks Sullivan. This shows that Ghost is really capable of love and caring, otherwise he wouldn't have attacked Sullivan (hide spoiler)]. I can't wait for his story! The mystery element is still open as I've mentioned, so don't expect everything to be tied up in a neat little bow. Things between Sullivan and Tobias are great, and we get an epilogue 18 months in the future which is awww-suumm!

I give this one 5 stars and am on pins and needles thinking what Ghost's story could possibly be like/about.

Voilà presque huit mois que Church et Tobias ont aucune nouvelle de leur ami Ghost. Après les événements de la fin du tome précédent, ils craignent le pire...
Tobias décide alors de prendre les choses en main et met tout en œuvre pour retrouver son ami.
C'est là qu'il tombe par hasard sur un détective privé, Sullivan, qu'il décide plus ou moins de faire chanter pour obtenir son aide.

Les deux personnages vont alors devoir faire équipe. Comme on s'en doute, un certain rapprochement va avoir lieu entre eux. C'est lent, on y va progressivement mais c'est aussi très intense et lorsque cela pète, ça explose. C'est vraiment propre au style de cette auteure, dont je suis vraiment fan maintenant.
J'aimais beaucoup Tobias dans le premier tome, on le voit comme un homme fragile qui aime profondément ses deux amis et fait son maximum pour les conseiller afin de les garder dans le droit chemin. J'ai complètement fondu pour ce personnage, je suis tombée amoureuse de lui. On en apprend plus sur son histoire, sur sa famille adoptive haïtienne, sur son arrivée à Woodbury. La relation avec ses frères et sœurs est tellement touchante... Et puis ses parents... L'amour qu'ils se portent est si beau. Il y avait de si beaux passages, surtout avec sa mère. Et puis, les quelques phrases en créole haïtien rajoutent plus de profondeur et d'intensité.
Sullivan est un personnage mystérieux au début, et petit à petit on le voit se prendre d'affection pour Tobias. Il a d'ailleurs peur de la nature des sentiments de ce dernier, peur qu'au final ce ne soit rien de plus qu'une aventure, ou bien qu'il ne l'utilise uniquement dans le but de retrouver Ghost. Mais c'est bien plus que ça bien évidemment, Sullivan représente tellement plus que ça pour Tobias...

La relation entre Sullivan et Tobias est très particulière et je ne m'attendais absolument pas à cela et plus encore, je ne m'attendais pas à comprendre et autant apprécier. Il est en effet question de dominance/soumission, de bdsm. Mais l'auteure y va petit à petit, ses explications nous font toujours vraiment ressentir les émotions des personnages. Je comprenais progressivement les besoins de Sullivan mais plus que tout, je comprenais les réactions de Tobias, ce besoin de lâcher prise, entres autres. J'ai particulièrement aimé les passages où Sullivan s'explique, les moments où il parle de sa précédente relation... Plus on avance, et plus leur relation gagne en intensité. Honnêtement, j'ai été la première surprise à vraiment apprécier car en temps normal, je ne suis absolument pas attirée par le bdsm.
J'aimais tellement leurs moments de complicité, leurs moments intimes, leurs discussions... Et puis, Sullivan m'a fait complètement craquer à un moment donné vers la fin ^^ Ahhhh

En parallèle, nous avons bien sûr l'intrigue de fond que l'on poursuit. J'aime vraiment cette intrigue, plus on avance et plus on découvre des choses sur les russes, sur cette Mama que tout le monde craint. Plus on en apprend aussi sur Ghost, c'est un personnages assez atypique, très mystérieux et que l'on a vraiment du mal à cerner. Même Tobias, qui pensait bien le connaître, est le premier surpris.

Comme je le disais, j'aime vraiment le style de l'auteure, je prends un réel plaisir à prendre vraiment mon temps dans la lecture de ses livres... J'aime sa façon de tout détailler, de s'attarder sur les ressentis des personnages, sur leurs pensées à l'instant  « t ».

Ces personnages m'ont vraiment touchée. J'adore Tobias, j'ai eu un gros coup de cœur pour lui, et j'ai vraiment aimé Sullivan. Leur relation est tellement particulière, ils se complètent à la perfection.
J'adore les personnages de cette série, les principaux comme les secondaires, j'adore cette histoire... J'ai tellement hâte de lire la suite qui va portée sur Ghost.. Vu ce que l'on sait sur lui déjà, ça va déménager ! Que l'attente va être longue, très longue...

Onto my all-time favorite shelf you go!

There are just some stories that resonate deeper for me—ones that I’m not going to forget any time soon—and Sidney Bell’s Hard Line is one of those reads.

Tobias Benton offered all the squishes! He was adopted into a big family, and he’s definitely a people pleaser. Now, however? He’s tired of feeling the pressure and when his best friend goes missing, Tobias wants to join in the search.

Enter PI Sullivan Tate. He’s working another case when it leads him directly into Tobias’s search for his missing friend. And then there’s the whole Tobias blackmailing Sullivan thing…

Not that it made this read die-hard addicting or anything.

The pace of this book was just intense.

Sullivan has this flirty and sarcastic and curious side that just draws in a more hesitant Tobias. I also kept picturing this dude’s awesome hair. OMG. Anwho…Sullivan has a lot on his plate, and this is his chance to break out from delivering subpoenas and advance his career. He doesn’t know what to make of Tobias, especially when their urges start to coincide. And, ya’ll…like WHOA.

And Tobias has his own journey that just tugged at my heart. He’s figuring out self-love and self-acceptance, and I didn’t realize how hard I needed this book until I was reading it.

The emotion was palpable, the danger was real, and the tension was thick. I’ve been on a bit of a BDSM kick, and I really appreciated the whole atmosphere of this one, too. There’s no past trauma that BDSM fits in with. Instead, it just is. It’s a part of these two, and the sex and kink positivity thrilled me to the core! Communication? No problem! Consent? All times and absolutely!

Everything I want in a read is packed into these fast-as-hell pages with thick tension and scintillating suspense. It kept me on my toes, and I want to read it again and again. I’m going to be one-clicking everything this author writes.

5 Stars!

This turned out to be a long and rambling review so I'm going to add a bulleted highlight up here for those most of you who'd rather not spend precious reading time on a review.

❇️Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

❇️This is book 2, read Loose Cannon first. It's also five stars.

❇️This one is about Tobias. Holy crap! Who knew?!

❇️Ghost (from book 1) goes missing. Ghost 💔

❇️Tobias meets PI Sullivan. Sullivan you're my hero!

❇️Sullivan helps Tobias discover many things about himself. 😳😳😳 There is a well done BDSM theme in this romance story.

And now, on to my ramblings.

I'm a romantic at heart. I love reading about two people finding "the one" in each other. It doesn't matter to me in what form the connection is made. As long as it's mutual and gratifying for both, it puts a smile on my face.

All that to say that while I normally don't like reading BDSM because the power exchange in a Dom/sub relationship makes me a little angry, when the trope is written correctly within a romance plot, it works even for me. Sidney Bell writes wonderful stories!

Hard Line is book 2 in the The Woodbury Boys Series. It can be read as a stand alone but you'd get a much fuller picture of the plot if you read Loose Cannon first. This one focuses on Tobias, one of the three friends we met previously. Excuse me for a moment while I have myself a short freakout.

Tobias! Holy crap child. I had no idea!!!

Alright, I'm back. Where was I? Oh yeah...We watch Tobias through an identity crisis. Fate is on his side when he accidentally meets PI Sullivan. Tobias throws caution to the wind and engages tatted, mohawked Sullivan to help find a missing friend.

It's the gutsiest, first illegal thing that sweet, mild natured Tobias has ever done. This one, single, crazy move changes Tobias' life forever.

What follows is a beautiful story of self-discovery.

Sullivan couldn't be more perfect IMHO. He's smart and cute and funny and exactly what Tobias needs. Come to find out that Tobias is exactly what Sullivan needs too.

That's the main focus of the story. But there is so much more here. Ghost is missing. Is he in trouble or did he leave voluntarily? Oh, Ghost 😢 If you've read book 1, Loose Cannon, you know he's mixed up with (view spoiler).

I like longer novels and though this one is the shortest I've read by Bell, it's plenty long enough to allow me to submerge myself into the lives of the characters. Hard Line is more character driven than the previous ones. While there is still a wonderful plot, the focus is on the development and growth of the MCs.

Unfortunately, there's again an issue with the unannounced changing POVs. Both MCs will talk without any indication there's been a change in who is speaking. To be blunt, it's annoying. An editor should easily pick up on this issue and have it corrected. I read an ARC so there are still some typos and formatting issues but I'm sure those will be fixed before this book is published.

If my long ramble hasn't made it clear yet, I highly recommend not only this book, but the entire series.

Overall, I give it 4.5 stars, even though GR is not cooperating on the star ratings and I have to round up to five.

We met Church, Tobias, and Ghost in Loose Cannon, the first book of the Woodbury Boys. Woodbury is a residential treatment facility. Tobias was there because he injured himself when his life overwhelmed him. Ghost saved him from bullies and the three boys developed a strange friendship. The first book, Church’s story, really should be read to have a full understanding of the dynamics of these three boys.

Tobias is a good, quiet son, devoted to his adoptive parents and siblings. Doing what is expected of him even though it is destroying his soul. Once again overwhelmed, he moves out of his parents house to try and take control of his life. He desperately wants to talk to Ghost but can't find him.

While looking for Ghost he meets Sullivan, a private detective. Sullivan is investigating a missing persons case that is 20 years old. Ghost’s apartment has a connection to his case. Both men are in the process of breaking into the apartment when they meet. Tobias threatens to go to the police and say Sullivan broke in unless he helps him find Ghost. Given no other choice he accepts Tobias as a client and allows him to tag along on the investigation.

Tobias is intrigued, infuriated and needing something from the tattooed, mohawk wearing man. Sullivan senses the submissiveness buried in Tobias and though he knows it will cost him everything, he can't resist the pull. Their search for Ghost becomes a journey of discovery for both of them. Along the way they uncover long buried secrets and possibly a future together.

The BDSM aspect was a surprise. Not hardcore, but an important element to the story, and does take center stage.

This was a satisfying book that I would recommend. Both books in the series fell like a prologue to Ghost’s story.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I stumbled upon the first book int his series last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I've been keeping my eye out for the next Woodbury Boys book. I can honestly say that while I was hoping for Ghost to be next I knew that it wouldn't work out that way. From meeting these three boys in Loose Cannon, Tobias hadn't done anything spectacular that made me really want to read his book. His character there was just sort of there. That was just part of his personality.

"But there's a difference between breaking down and breaking out."

I found it impossible not to like Sullivan. He's straight forward and honest. Yeah he has something going on that has left him on unbalanced territory in one aspect of his life but for the most part he is put together. He knows what he wants where his job is concerned. He's not scared to do a little bargaining to get his to the next phase with his career. That other one little thing in his life will eventually work out or something, hopefully. The unexpected is Tobias, the breaking to his entering.

Again there was nothing special about Tobais in the previous book. He's just going along in life doing what he thinks is expected of him. He's not even really happy. Bell gave him his own book and he started shining a bit. Put him in regular close proximity (nothing wrong with a little blackmail to get what you want) with a sexy PI, a twenty year old cold case crime, and some back bone and he turns into a character that you want to see grow and mature, and keep on enjoying those little things he's discovering about himself.

I don't read many Ds books. This one worked for me because of how it worked for Sullivan and Tobias. There wasn't a necessary means behind it. It was simply what they enjoyed sexually. I liked that.

I can only imagine how many fans of this series are dying to get their hands on Ghost's book. He's such a complex person. He has perfected acting a part so well that one has to wonder if he even knows who he is.

Tobias was always a good boy,eager to please.When he was young he announced he was going to be a doctor so he could spend all his days with his Papa....
What he hadn't expected was that,when he got older,it would be a given that he would follow in his Papa's footsteps and go into the medical profession.The pressure of expectations proves too much for him and his actions cause him to be admitted to The Woodbury Centre where he meets Church and Ghost who along with Tobias were introduced in book one.

After his treatment and back at home,life is still a struggle for Tobias.When he discovers a secret his adoptive parents have been keeping and when Ghost goes missing he moves out....he's determined to find Ghost whatever it takes.

Sullivan is a PI,working on a case when their paths cross.Could his case and Tobias's search for his friend be linked? And can these two men give each other what they need?


I found the plot quite complex at times and had to go back and read a few scenes more than once.I was terrified I was going to miss something vitally important.

Sullivan likes to dominate,something his previous partner wasn't really into to and Tobias didn't seem to know he had submissive tendacies until he met Sullivan.
Unfortunately,I didn't feel the connection between them as regards to the D/s relationship and some of the sex scenes seemed too clinical for me...I wasn't getting any real emotions.In fact I enjoyed their relationship away from sex more.


Overall,it was ok and I'll definitely continue with the series because I absolutely adore Ghost....I simply cannot wait to meet the man who will tame him.

I'm going to state right off that my review is not going to mention the kink, mainly because I don't know enough to say whether or not it was done well.
I really enjoyed the story and how Sullivan and Tobias interacted. Their relationship was fun and sweet and believable. The mystery and the resolution of such was intriguing and I never felt like the story was dragging.

So, I guess I should have looked into this book a little more before requesting it because I didn't know it was also classified as Erotica, not exactly a bad thing, I just didn't expect it.

Because I hadn't read the first book before reading this one, there were some things that I feel like I missed. The characters were fine, but I feel that if I had read the first book, even though it's technically a companion series, I would have had a better understanding of them.

While most erotica/BDSM books lack some amount of substance in "storytelling", I would have liked a little more in parts of this book. The parts that did have substance seemed to really take a back seat to the erotica stuff, which for me, made those parts less interesting to read. Steamy as they were.

Sidney Bell never disappoints and she brought her A-game with Hard Line. I LOVE m/m romances with kink/BDSM elements and both came in spades in this title. Would 10/10 read again.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one and i was pleasantly surprised. The Author did a good job of balancing the mystery and the romance aspects of the story line without taking away from wither one. I am hoping to see more because i would like to know what happened to the rest of the characters in a later book.

Hard Line, (The Woodbury Boys 2), Sidney Bell


Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: LBGTQIA, Romance

I hadn't read book one, and maybe I'd have got more from this if I had. I liked it, but it wasn't a book I loved.

I struggled a bit with the romance, I could feel the change from antagonistic dislike to lust, and after all you can feel lust while still actively disliking someone. I didn't feel any real romance though and I wanted that.
I did like Sullivan, he seemed a very genuine guy, with just that right amount of quirk to make him intriguing. I really felt for him when his kink desires lost him his best friends and it such a nasty way. I understood why he was so careful with Tobias when he realised he was a natural sub and Sullivan felt his Dom instincts stir. Just needed to feel real romance developing and TBH I didn't. That's me though, doesn't bother everyone but I need to feel that connection.
The kink part was intriguing, linking Tobias emotional/mental issues with sexual desires, and its something that always amazes me. I can't imagine enjoying sex linking to having someone determining everything, even down to orgasm timing, and the wanting to be hurt, partly for himself, partly to please Sullivan is something I can't imagine ever feeling. What I find intriguing is the whys, why do people need this, is it ingrained or is it a product of upbringing? In Tobias case it did seem to be linked with his need to please everyone, which was putting intense pressure on him.
I didn't feel he acted 24, and his parents certainly didn't treat him as an adult of several years – I'd have been equally furious at their actions.
It's a story I liked parts of, but the connection to book one, the Russians, the murders, the kidnapping, all kind of overtook those parts and left me floundering a bit.
Again, maybe I'd have understood more if I'd read book one but as it was I found myself putting this aside, picking up a couple of days later, then dropping it again for something else.

Stars: Three, I liked parts but felt overall it was a bit of a muddled book for me. .

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

I really thoroughly enjoyed book one in this series. I can't say I felt the same about book 2. It was very slow for me.

Ghost goes missing and Tobias, ever the good boy of the group seeks to find him after catching Sullivan (a P.I) hanging around Ghost's house.

I had thought that there would be more of Church in this one, but he only shows up via text. Anyway, this entire thing reads more like a suspense mystery with a sprinkle of MM romance. I tend to like my stories where the relationship is the focus. That's not really the case here because, as I said it is slow. Sullivan and Tobias have a lot of sexual tension, and that's obvious from the start, but at the same time for the type of dynamic they have, it starts of really slow. Sullivan's job to find Ghost and therefore the information about his case, makes their relationship kind of antagonistic and not in the hot kind. It's kinda weird how they fall for each other.

I think I like Sulilvan more in this because he's the solid practical guy, and the Dom. Tobias is very much a mess. I was hoping to see a bit, more, I'm not sure what. They stay in a hotel and a house, or a car so much that it just gets boring and slow. It would have been different if this was more of an undercover story, I think. It was good, and had a few steamy bits, but not my fave compared to the first.

Two things I love: new to me authors and books that blow me away. Sidney Bell (new to me author) did it in the first chapter. Our introduction to Tobias left me stunned. So much so that I went back to the blurb to see if I missed the big neon sign that said “this author will rip your heart out on page one.”

But before I get too deep into Tobias, I need to talk about Sullivan. Aspiring PI, he’s starving for information, input, puzzles, anything to keep his overactive brain busy. College is out because how can he pick just one thing to learn when he wants to know everything? And what goes in, must come out in some delightful ‘monologuing’ throughout the story. Private investigative work would be perfect because every case has puzzle potential, if he could work his way up from serving subpoenas. All he needs is one impossible-to-solve case to prove his worth and when it comes, he doesn’t hesitate.

Where others have tried and failed, that ever-inquisitive brain will put Sullivan on the right path, both to find a missing girl long after the trails gone cold and to collide with Tobias, who is searching for another missing person. I think I smiled through their whole meet and didn’t stop until I hit the end.

Now, not gonna lie, Tobias is going to keep taking jabs at your heart. He tries so hard to be whatever he thinks everyone else wants and created unrealistic, impossible expectations for himself. When he meets Sullivan, the angst that’s been on low rolling simmer surfaces. Sullivan is a stranger, no one, and that makes him the safest person to stand up to because he isn’t someone Tobias fears hurting. At least, in the beginning.

The journey from colluding on a little B&E to the end was glorious. A fully balanced story of Tobias and Sullivan individually, their respective missing person and how they were connected, and their burgeoning relationship. And because life isn’t neatly packaged into chapters, every scene is written to illustrate how it all goes together in the big picture that becomes Tobias and Sullivan together.

And boy do they ever. Their chemistry was off the charts and the BDSM was...real. I don’t want to get into a lot of detail here because the story needs to be experienced, but Sullivan isn’t your stereotypical fiction Dom anymore than Tobias is your simpering sub. The intimate side of their relationship is a discovery for both of them, it’s more than just sex, kink or otherwise, more than just pain play and scenes. It’s natural and necessary and sometimes awkward as they learn to communicate and that affects every other aspect of their lives together.

If I have one complaint, it’s the conclusion of the missing person’s case. On the one hand, there is the symbolism of Tobias choosing to help Sullivan. It’s important, though you’ll have to read the book to find out why. On the other, my little bloodthirsty heart wanted to see on-page justice.

For me, this was a brilliant read and I savored every word. Sidney Bell is on my go-to list now and Hard Line will take its place in my reread pile.

I'm going to try not to gush. Let's see how that goes. But when you find an author whose words speak to you... the struggle is real. You should see how many highlights I made in this thing. I think the highlighting feature gave me the bird at one point. Sassy kindle.

I jumped on the Sidney Bell bandwagon when I saw everyone adding Loose Cannon. I was on NetGalley, it was on NetGalley so why not? That was the best decision I've made in awhile because she turned out to be my breakout author of 2017. Hard Line has now bumped her into auto-buy territory and I will buy this once it comes out so I can see the cover and read it in a non-wonky PDF conversion form.

Enough of that, let's get down to (hopefully) some non-spoilery bidness.

Hard Line is Tobias' book and in the beginning I figured this would be the placeholder to get to Ghost's book. Wrong. Tobias surprised me. I didn't think he had it in him and I'm delighted to have been wrong. If you've read Loose Cannon you probably have a decent grasp of who Tobias is, Tobias is the good one. Earnest, kind, polite. He's come to a crossroads in his life so expect some angst as this is his journey of self-discovery but who he fundamentally is doesn't change. He does become a better, more confident version of himself and that is due in part to his relationship with Sullivan.

Things between them progress naturally but quickly so fans of the slow burn may have trouble with this one. I like a slow burn as much as the next but when you stir kink into the mix it doesn't work as well for me, especially when the sub is a newb like Tobias, so if you're kink averse, this is probably going to be a miss for you.




The kink is mostly D/s but Tobias does like pain. Bless him. Edging, a little humiliation, some bondage, spanking/paddling, begging, dirty talk and no high-protocol stuff. Praise be! It's also very focused on the headspace of both Tobias and Sullivan which is another thing I tend to gravitate towards in my kinky reads. There is a fine line between kink being used as cure-all for mental illness and needing to get out of a certain headspace. Bell deftly straddled that line. These characters have enough "stuff" to make them interesting and require some conversations, because trust is paramount to do what they do which should appeal to hurt/comfort fans, though this is on the lighter side. Their kinks are how they connect but that connection soon morphs into something more.

"...he felt helpless here, overwhelmed and stupid and shocked, and all he could do was keep kissing Tobias, keep kissing him as if they would never stop, not until the sun expanded and the world went up in flames. It still might not be enough"

Sidney Bell is a wordy author but here's the thing, all those words have meaning. They either drive the plot forward, flesh out characters or establish a connection between protagonists, so they're not misspent or superfluous to my mind. Here she uses them to bring both Tobias and Sullivan to vivid life. I know them and understand them through their inner dialogues, their adorable banter and their edifying conversations. These two communicate. They use their words and do very little assuming, so none of that push/pull thing that can drive some readers to DNF.



Hard Line is character driven with the focus being on these two but there is a subplot that carries over from Loose Cannon that is Ghost heavy. Fans of Ghost will not be disappointed! He plays a fairly large role in Part 2 which has ramped up my excite to impossible levels for his book. With Sullivan being a PI, Tobias hires him to find Ghost then decides he's going to help. Nothing like an experienced and emotionally invested "helper" when there are dangerous, mobbed up whackadoodles involved. Some may find the daily grind of PI-ing boring but that brought a certain authenticity to the narrative, in my opinion.

The epilogue was sublime and if these two aren't more happy than not for all the days to come, there's something bad wrong with the world.

I would not recommend Hard Line be read as a stand alone but I would recommend this series to all the peoples!

Sorry. I think I failed on that non-gushing thing. Oops.




An ARC was provided by NetGalley.

4* - This was a 3* read until about 2/3 of the way through, mainly because of the BDSM, but then it got interesting.

SB is an autoread author for me, and I grabbed the book as soon as I saw her name, not knowing anything about it. This was a bit of a mistake as about 8 pages in, I began to remember little things from a previous book and went and checked, and yes, it turns out that this is the second book in the Woodbury Boys series. I *would* recommend reading them in order, and reading them in close succession, as the characters from book 1 get a few mentions here, and the storyline continues-ish. Not outright continues, just ish, and as the tale progresses, the baddies from book 1 seem that they'll be coming back in book 3, full force, so yeah, the books need to be read without too much of a break.

So, the sex that I mentioned? Well, despite the author's notes that she'd taken pains not to equate BDSM with curing trauma, the sex made me eye-roll at things such as, 'it hurts so good', because, yeah, that's cliche and tired. And so was the sex - sorry, but it made me skip quite a few chunks of the book, because pain and welts and begging someone to hurt you during sex are not my kink, but each to their own. It'll be interesting to see if any readers in D/s relationships comment positively on the sex that was in this book.

So, the tale was kind of plodding along and a little boring, tbh, and I hadn't made any real connection with the leads - until this point, I got that Sullivan was Caucasiana PI with his own set of morals and had his hair in a mohawk (I think) and that Tobias was the adopted Caucasian son of Haitian doctor immigrants, and that he wanted to drop out of college. Their conversations kind of seemed a little banal in their argumentative side of things, given that Sullivan was in charge, as Tobias had no experience in going after his missing friend, Ghost (whom he'd met in Woodbury, with Church, the co-lead of book 1), and though a set of ground rules got laid out, Tobias argued like the immature 23yo that he was. And, I couldn't really buy, without any back-telling, that he knew that such a young age that he needed a D/s relationship. So, yeah, I skipped the sex, which did nothing for me at all.

But, around this time, things began to get interesting, when the leads got a break in their surveillance and the tale morphed more into one that had elements of suspense and danger, and then it kind of seemed to be on a roller coaster until the end. It ended in what's a clear intro to Ghost's tale, though we've not met his lead yet, and I somehow wonder if a baddie on whom the focus seemed to rest a time or few, is going to end up redeeming himself and being his co-lead. If so, it'll be pretty interesting to pit Russian mafia guy after Russian mafia boss lady.

The epilogue a year later clearly worked for the leads, and I did think that they'd grown closer, but I don't think that Tobias had matured enough or worked out his issues. I can't say that I got to know or care about the leads in this book, so even if the tale had only ended in a HFN, it'd have worked for me. And, sadly, that's what unmakes a tale for me, i.e. when I don't know or like the leads enough to be invested in their HEA.

Still, I'll read the next, but this author's Bad Judgment remains a 5*+ tale, and one of the very best MM books that I've ever read.

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

***ARC received for an honest review***

<b>"'With some people, you can't not love them.'"</b>

Tobias is a college student with this need to please everyone. It's making him crazy - literally. Sullivan is a PI whose kink recently got his heartbroken. Tobias sort of goes off the rails and forces Sullivan to help him find a missing friend. There's blackmail and antagonism - and then a dom/sub thing. Tobias is kind of an idiot - vacillating between uptight goody-goody and total jerk. The goal is to show Tobias breaking out of his shell - but it mostly made him seem like an immature twit.

<b>"'Oh. Yeah. Well, maybe people who live in glass houses full of blackmail shouldn't throw stones at a little casual potato chip theft.'"</b>

There's a lot of real packed in this book. Sullivan and Tobias both have to overcome themselves, learn to trust and grow as people. Plus there's a realistic Dom/Sub relationship that they're navigating as they go from bickering to kissing and back. I felt like the author gave us a stark, arms's-length view of mild mental-illness, kink and what it takes to overcome and love.

On the other hand - there's a kidnapping plot that ties the story together, but also seems superfluous.

This book kept my attention. I felt like I was reading something fresh, intelligent about the topics, and insightful. But I also wanted to smack Tobias like 98% of the time. He was childlike (read immature), and it was disappointing when Sullivan lost his edge and catered to the Boy Wonder.

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Thank you Netgalley/Carina Press for an advanced copy of this book

4.5 stars.

I gotta admit I was really worried going into this book cause for some reason BDSM and I we dont have that great of a relationship. Reading, watching, it just isn't my thing.
But I was so pleasantly surprised with the amount of love I had for the 2 MCs and their lovely relationship.

SULLIVAN! Gosh he made my heart patter hard.

Toby was good too but SULLIVAN stole the show for me and of course Ghost. I CANT WAIT TO GET HIS STORY! WHEN DO WE GET HIS STORY??????????????????

I had a really hard time putting this book down and adulting.

It was fast paced, frenzied and a bit weird.

Also Spoiler [ it ended in a bit of a cliffhanger and I hope I dont have to wait a year to see how it end