I liked the premise of the book but had a hard time liking it.

Ghost.had such a hard and sad life. I wasn't prepared to deal with the sexual horrors that he experienced I. His youth. By the description in the chapter his mother pimped him out as a child and forced to preform sexual acts.

Rook was overall a nice guy. His career has been on hold and is now at the ready to help Ghost.

The story was more of a suspense thriller than romance. I'm not opposed to it but I would have preferred more heat less horror.

I totally loved Ghost and Duncan. I was wary of going into this book without reading the first two but I must say I totally got into it after a few chapters. This is a slow burn romance with little-to-no sex. Ghost and Duncan are total opposites. Ghost has survived a horrific past and he is so strong and loyal and brave. Ghost is also very funny and snarky. I loved their banter.There were many times I laughed out loud. I love that we have both POVs and I loved being inside Ghost's head.I love him. Period. Ghost and Duncan are incredible together and they have something very special.
Trigger warning mentions of childhood sexual abuse
*ARC provided by the author via A Novel Take PR and Netgalley in exchange for honest review

Oh my goodness! I picked this up when I was in the mood for a light, quick romance read and instead got sucked into an epic, thrilling, romantic suspense story. The danger to our two heroes was palpable and had me wondering several times how the heck they were going to escape unscathed. I haven't had a bedtime reading book that had me saying "Just one more chapter..." like this in a long time. Highly recommended!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

This book kind of wrecked me and I don't know what to say that wouldn't be considered spoilery, so I'm just going to spout some gibberish about my feelings and hopefully there will be something useful amongst the gibberish.

Gibberish with copious graphics. Like I do.



Rough Trade picks up where Hard Line left off and we finally FINALLY get inside Ghost's head. He's on the run and the action plot line takes up quite a bit of this story. He and Duncan join forces to try to figure out how to extricate Ghost from this situation with minimal collateral damage and without breaking the law. Parts of their hiding out I did think dragged but when it picked up it was fun and kept me on the edge of my seat. However, throughout all of it Bell developed a relationship sturdy enough to withstand a Cat-5 hurricane.

Ghost, for me, has been largely enigmatic. I assumed some things about his past that contributed to shaping him and unfortunately I was right about those things. Ghost has survived his own personal hell. (Trigger for mentions of childhood sexual abuse.) That sort of upbringing necessitated a certain tenacity and a set of survival skills that make him somewhat unpredictable; they are second nature to him. Unlearning them is no easy feat. The complexity of Ghost cannot be overstated.



What blew me away... well, a bunch of things actually, but once Ghost starts dealing with his past, some of that dialogue is stunning and the insightfulness of it dazzled me. Ghost's honesty stole my breath a couple times. At one point I was even talking to my kindle! Like a nutbag.

It's no secret that I (along with many others) have been enamored with Ghost from the start but after being inside his head, it's official. I love him. I never ever expected him to be funny. What a surprise that was. I cackled repeatedly at his snarky and highlighted like a fiend. The banter between he and Duncan was a delight.



Honestly, I also never expected Ghost to fall for a cop who's a giant either. Were Duncan a different sort of person this thing between them would've never gotten off the ground, but Duncan is eerily intuitive when it comes to Ghost. How he just knew not to do certain things and to do others made me respect him. The way that subtly changes the longer they know each other is what made me love him, love them. He is a positive influence and a caretaker at heart but mostly importantly, he believes in Ghost which is exactly what Ghost needs making his size a source of comfort rather than a source of intimidation.



I read romance all the time and there are a lot of phenomenal writers out there who can convince me that their couple are soulmates or of their compatibility or of their longevity, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ghost and Duncan will never leave. Neither of them are built that way with Duncan being steadfast to the core coupled Ghost's loyalty and trust issues makes them rock solid in my mind. Maybe all their days won't be sunshine and daisies but they won't leave. They've fought too hard for each other for that to happen. This, I know. And as a romance reader, there's not a lot that beats that feeling. However, there is very little sex content. It just doesn't fit their narrative and I appreciate that Bell stayed true to that.



Instead we're treated to a multitude of quiet moments that meticulously construct a manifest intimacy between them that I found poignant. Slow burns aren't always my cup of tea but the way in which this particular relationship developed made them necessary to each other and that for a squishy marshmallow like me is what brings me back to the genre again and again.

I freely admit that I am biased when it comes to Sidney Bell simply because I feel a sort of kindredness with her writes. She is wordy. I am wordy. She seems to be fascinated with the human psyche as am I. Sometimes that sort of thing doesn't work for people but for me it does. All the words have a purpose: character development. She crawls inside her characters and turns them inside out, showing them warts and all. Neither Ghost nor Duncan are perfect. They make mistakes with each other, they have weaknesses and blind spots but there was never an instance wherein I didn't understand exactly why they chose to do what they did, both the good and the bad. Those choices are what made them fully realized characters, characters that will remain in my memory for the foreseeable future.



So, if you enjoy slow burn romances between protagonists who are polar opposites that are fantastically well developed by a highly talented writer, give this series a try. All the Woodbury boys have been terrific and Rough Trade is not a standalone.





ARCs were provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.

"<I>Hey, what's your sign? I want to read your horoscope.</I>"
"<b>You're pissing me off.</b>"
"<I>Scorpio, huh?</I>"

Of course I jumped right into this after HARD LINE. Sure, sometimes I put things off but once I'm in it.. I'm in it to win. I also have no chill.

"<I>Are you flirting with me by not murdering people?</I>"
"<b>Do you like it?</b>"
"<I>Jesus. No. No, I don't. That's not.. this is so fucked up. Conversations with you are like minefields.</I>"

There has been so much buildup to Ghost's story since he was first introduced in LOOSE CANNON and I'm not going to lie.. while I had absolute faith in Bell's abilities to see this through, you still have expectations as a reader, right? Big ones. But this didn't disappoint whatsoever.

"<I>For the record, working in retail is way more demeaning than hustling ever was. People are dicks when they think you won't stab them.</I>"

What was surprising, though, was how much humour there was here. I expected Ghost's book to be gritty and dark and painful -- and it definitely had moments of that (the scene with the therapist almost had me lose it, and if not for the fact that I was heading out the door I would not have choked back those tears) -- but this was also a journey of healing, of exploration, of moving forward and I liked that Bell focused on some of the lighter moments between this very different pair of personalities, and the awkward banter, the bitching, the lack of play.. it was hilarious and wonderful and kinda awful at times but I lived for it.

<I>He knew the filthy words, the porn-star poses, the right pressure and pace and angles. He didn't know how to make it good for <b>Duncan</b> specifically, though. And he didn't know how to make it good for himself. He felt abruptly young and lost and a little frightened.</I>

Considering all the sexy of the last book, and particularly considering Ghost's tendencies, this was the least sexy of all the <I>Woodbury Boys</I> books and it was so perfect. It fit. It was just.. oh man. Slowburn, yes, but more accurately it was a slow-trust. It was Ghost finally having the opportunity to discover who he was, what he liked, and gah the feels.

"<I>I have the flu.</I>"
"<b>No you don't. You have feelings. It's okay to have feelings.</b>"
"<I>It might be Ebola.</I>"

This was an easy four star right from the opening chapter and when I think about the journey I've been on with this series, and the amazing characters and the growth they had, the things they've overcome, there's nothing to do but award this all the stars. For all my nitpicking about the mafia-heavy plot at play in book one, I wonder how I would feel about it with a reread now that I've seen not only where but how those elements have played out. My guess is I would be a whole lot less bothered but who knows. Ultimately I was super happy with how it resolved, as you can see by that shiny five, and I was happy we had something of a reunion with all the Woodbury boys. Happy for them. Happy for me as a reader. And pleased as punch for Bell, too.

So looking forward to whatever this author does next (and she's teased it and it sounds amazing and I want it) and will no doubt happily reread this series, and BAD JUDGMENT, many many times. Definitely recommend.

4.5 "you gonna stab me? / not right now / fair enough" stars

Ghost, Ghost, Ghost.... J'ai tellement attendu son tome....

Ce dernier tome concerne le dernier de la bande des trois amis de Woodbury : Ghost. Ghost est un personnage très complexe. C'est un jeune homme que l'on n'arrive pas à cerner. On pense le comprendre, puis les élèvements du second tome m'ont fait douter. J'étais impatiente de découvrir son tome, son histoire en fait, où l'on poursuit également toute l'intrigue de fond débutée en début de saga concernant les fameux Russes. J'ai voulu absolument relire les premiers tomes pour me remettre dans le bain, reprendre toute l'intrigue depuis le début, me retrouver tout simplement dans l'ambiance si particulière de cette saga.
Si j'ai pu dévorer les deux premiers tomes à ma relecture, j'ai pris mon temps pour lire ce dernier volet...

Le début du roman m'a assez surprise au départ, on démarre sur les chapeaux de roues en quelque sorte. On reprend plus ou moins là où l'auteur a laissé Ghost à la fin du tome précédent. Ghost devait rencontrer un certain individu, sauf que tout ne se passe pas comme prévu et il va se retrouver avec une connaissance de cet homme : Duncan.
Ghost est très particulier, il n'a pas des relations que l'on peut qualifier de « normales » avec les gens. Ses meilleurs amis Church et surtout Tobias pensent ne pas vraiment le connaître. J'avais adoré les interrogations et réflexions de Tobias à ce propos dans Hard Line. L'entente et entraide entre Duncan et Ghost ne va pas être simple...

Je ne peux malheureusement pas en dire plus... Et en même temps, je ne sais pas quoi dire d'autre à part que j'ai adoré ce tome ! Sidney Bell n'est pas tombée dans la facilité et m'a présenté un Ghost parfaitement imparfait et tel qu'il devait l'être, pour moi en tout cas. C'est un personnage qui reste complexe et le sera toujours. J'ai aimé comment l'auteur a traité toute la psychologie de ce personnage. Ce qui se passe dans le roman devait se passer, et pas autrement, cela fait réel, authentique.
J'ai beaucoup aimé Duncan aussi. Il apparaît comme quelqu'un d'un peu brute de décoffrage, il ne parle pas pour ne rien dire aussi. D'un autre côté, il voit que Ghost est particulier et va agir en conséquence. On se doute qu'il va y avoir une romance ici aussi et c'est là aussi où je dis que Sidney Bell n'est pas tombée dans la facilité. Les deux personnages ont une relation atypique et rien n'est facile. La romance n'arrive pas de but en blanc, c'est avant tout une confiance qui va s'établir entre eux, pour évoluer vers autre chose, sans qu'aucun des deux ne s'en rende compte, en particulier Ghost bien sûr. La romance apparaît donc logiquement tardivement et est très lente.

Sidney Bell m'a surprise jusqu'à la dernière page... Là où je pensais qu'il me manquait un petit détail pour finir en beauté (bien que ce détail n'était pas indispensable tout compte fait en y réfléchissant) je vois ces quelques petits mots défiler sur ma liseuse...Puis je les relis en me demandant si j'ai bien compris ce que je lisais... J'étais toute émue.
Pour moi ce tome est parfait... J'ai adoré ces personnages, Ghost et Duncan. J'ai aimé la tension qui monte concernant l'intrigue. J'ai aimé la relation qu'il y a entre les deux personnages, tous les non-dits, car il est vrai qu'ils parlent assez peu, un simple moment de détente devant la télévision prend des proportions énormes.

J'ai beaucoup aimé cette saga, l'atmosphère et les héros si particuliers dont j'ai pu faire la connaissance, des personnages qui font très vrais...
Je crois que je suis devenue complètement fan du style et des histoires de Sidney Bell. J'en parle probablement mal, j'aimerais dire tellement plus de choses sur Ghost, sur les garçons du centre de Woodbury.... Merci Madame Bell et vivement votre prochain livre !!

The third title in Bell's Woodbury Boys series centers around Ghost, a prostitute with a terrible secret and an penchant for knives. On the run from both a Russian matriarch and a dirty cop, Ghost ends up in the company of Duncan Rook, a police officer and a good man. What follows is an adventure that takes place in the quite moments between car chases and gunfire.

In many ways, Rough Trade is about trauma and consent. Bell's writing isn't heavy-handed, nor does it veer into after-school-special territory; instead, she focuses on what makes a person good or evil, and if that affiliation can change. Much of Duncan and Ghost's interactions take place while one or another of them is healing from an injury. Physical injury is the least of what ails the protagonists, but it's a poignant story about trust.

WOW -- this book was tough to read! Definitely NOT a true romance, but does have an HEA.

Ghost is such a complex character. His pain is palpable as you learn more and more about it. I would have liked a little more back story on how it all came to pass -- we get snippets of HIM at the very end.

Duncan Rook is just all heart and 100 percent devoted from the first moment he meets Ghost. He is patient, supportive, protective, and ALL IN. You know he wants for Ghost to be free of all his demons and whole once again, even if that means it's without him.

The adventure to Ghost's safety and the demise of the Sheriff was filled with lots of craziness. The story moves quickly. The end result was worth the journey for sure.

I knew from the first book in this trilogy that when I got to Ghost's story, nothing would be easy. I was thrilled to get to read the eARC. And I was right. It is SO GOOD. Despite crappy ARC formatting, I could not stop reading it. I'm glad I've pre-ordered it. I'm looking forward to re-reading where the dialogue breaks are clear, but even more, the message of hope against all odds really hit me where I live. (There are a lot of messages in these books. You pick up the ones that speak to you. I look forward to finding more on my re-read some day.)

Ever since Ghost was introduced in book one I've been fascinated by him.Book two wasn't a massive hit for me so I went into this with some trepidation.After a shaky start I really liked this and it's definitely my favourite book in the series.


Who would be the man who finally tamed Ghost?


Turns out the Author created the perfect character in Duncan.Not someone I would have imagined Ghost with but this is Ghost so I really didn't know what to expect.


With the drama of Mama and Spratt unfolding around him,Ghost finds himself having to put his trust in a Cop.Their relationship is not conventional at all.There's no insta lust or love here.What there is,is a slow understanding of each other and their boundaries.Don't go into this expecting lots of dirty sex,which given Ghost's past might be a realistic expectation...


Ghost might have been a whore but sex did nothing for him apart from survival.His body might have been used but mentally he switched off every time,as a result this is an extremely slow burn which I didn't mind at all.In fact anything else here wouldn't have been believable here.Ghost learns a lot about himself from Duncan and he wants to be a better man for him.There is drama,there is angst but there are also some tender moments-watching old movies together and taking care of each other had me melting a little bit.


Duncan and Ghost turned out to be pretty damn special together


Recommended.

I skimmed most of the beginning of, Rough Trade. Even then Ghost is a young man. If he were older, closer to 30, I might have enjoyed it more. I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting.

<b>5 MASSIVE stars!</b>

Wow.

I've been waiting for for Ghost's story since the first book of this series and it didn't disappoint at all. What an amazing ride this book takes you on.

This book starts off with a few flashbacks with Ghost, including how he met what's-his-face, the dirty cop, Benjamin something - SPRATT! Right, him. But back in present day it's starts off basically where the second book left off.

Ghost is on the run with the old retired cop, and he's taking Ghost to stay with Duncan Rook, a good man if not a good cop, to help protect him from Spratt and Mama.

But when things go awry, Ghost is left injured and dependent on Duncan to help protect him. Not that Ghost can't take care of himself, but not even Ghost can take on all of Spratt's men himself.

What follows is these two on the run, and a pretty awesome slow burn.

See, Ghost has had a pretty shitty life, and he was <spoiler>sexually abused (although I don't know if this is much of a spoiler, but just in case) when he was young</spoiler> and anything to do with romance or sex is all an act for Ghost, because he doesn't actually like it or want it. But it does give him control he got taken away from him as a kid - control in that HE got to choose what he did with his body.

And Duncan, he really is a good man, and when Ghost tries to pull his hooker moves on him - all an act, but a way of control - Duncan isn't having it, especially when Ghost goes into a fugue state, basically a doll, protecting himself from what is happening. Duncan isn't a rapist, and he won't do anything with Ghost unless Ghost actually wants something too.

So in the weeks they're on the run from Spratt - and Mama too, really - they get to know each other, and there's just something about Duncan that gets to Ghost. Maybe how he's probably the first one to treat Ghost with respect and decency when it comes to sex. There's Tobias and Church, but they're his friends, and there's nothing sexual or romantic there. But Duncan is attracted to Ghost, and yet he still refuses to do anything Ghost doesn't want to do. It surprise Ghost and makes him off balance.

And maybe as well, it's just how damn truthful Duncan is. He's an honest, good man at his core and he doesn't take Ghost's bullshit - he sees it for the bullshit it is and calls him out on it - and he admits to being attracted to Ghost when most probably would have lied. It's obvious he wants Ghost, but he doesn't take advantage of Ghost's apparent willingness, because he can see it for what it is. He tells Ghost he's not a good person, when most would lie and say he is. But then he also says Ghost CAN be a good person. He doesn't say it's hopeless either, that Ghost can't make different choices.

He's also good at keeping emotion out of his voice, which makes him hard for Ghost to read, and that only frustrates him more.

But they also make each other laugh, and smile when they both so rarely do.

They watch old movies together and end up eventually cuddling, kind of, in bed. It's a thing they start to do, and it brings them both comfort, but especially Ghost.

I will say that, once Spratt and Mama are dealt with, it almost felt too easy - or well, over with quickly. But it felt authentic and real and not drawn out for drama's sake, or shortened because the author didn't know what to do. More that they were ended in the most realistic way possible, and sometimes that isn't in a long, drawn out way.

There is some smut, but not a lot. Don't expect much - and no penetrative sex - but there is still some, mostly at the end. But given Ghost's past and how he never even really wanted sex until Duncan, it makes sense that it took him time to get to a place that he'd be comfortable doing sexual things and wanting them, and being ready for them. I like to think that Ghost and Duncan got to penetrative sex eventually and it was awesome and beautiful, just like when they do get to smutty things, it's not just about the sex. It's about their feelings for each other, and how safe Duncan makes Ghost feel, and how much Ghost actually wants it when he's with Duncan.

I love where Ghost ends up by the end of this. Not only was getting his perspective awesome and amazing, but seeing where he ends up versus where he started out? Simply beautiful. Ghost actually chooses, at one point, to start going to therapy, and it helps him SO much. I was so proud of Ghost when he decided to go, because he so desperately needed it.

Also where Ghost and Duncan start out and where they end? Just as beautiful. Let's just say they start out with Ghost threatening to stab Duncan or somewhere along those lines if he got close to him, and by the end there is love - real, raw, honest love.

This is 470 pages of awesomeness, of getting to go on a journey with Ghost, who starts out this book - this series - so broken by what life has thrown at him, and getting to a happier, healthier place by the end of it. Never "fixed" or "cured" but better. Healing.

The ending made me so freaking happy, and the epilogue was just perfect for these two. I would have liked a little more with them in the epilogue, but in a way it was perfect for Ghost, who got closure in the best way, and had Duncan at his side in the end. And really, in the end Duncan, Tobias, and Church (and maybe their boyfriends...on occasion ;)) is all Ghost needs and wants in life. They're his family.

All I can really saw without given everything away is...yeah, read this. A lot of us were waiting for Ghost's story, and it was everything and more than I could have asked for. And maybe...maybe I'm just greedy, but a little short with just tad more of Ghost and Duncan wouldn't be asking for too much, would it? No? Darn ;)

Also, P.S. at the very end we find out what I assume is Ghost' real, legal name. :O I'll always think of him as Ghost, but it's super cool to know his real name, too.

Two massive, MASSIVE thumbs up - this is the best in the series, in my opinion. And my second favorite Sidney Bell story. Such a beautiful, amazing story, I loved it to pieces. I can't sing it's praises enough.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend!

This was a good book!

It wasn't great, and the writing often felt awkward. This is in terms of plot and dialogue. However, I did enjoy the characters' personalities and the setting is described well.

For M/M fans, this is a decent read!

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5* A perfect tale for the elusive Ghost, with his gentle giant, and a satisfying end to all the... loose ends from the previous tales.

Sidney Bell is an autobuy author, and I don't bother with the blurb with her books - I see her name and I go all grabby hands. This tale is the third and final in the Woodbury Boys series, at least for now, I think, and it's the best of the series. Book 1 was pretty great, book 2 was good, but this is perfection in every way.

These days, I'm finding myself turned off by tropes, authors jumping on the same bandwagon and MM being saturated with saturated with variations of the same old tale, but this is something very different. From a correctional unit to Russian mafia, corrupt cops, a mystery being solved and finally, a chance of peace for Tobias, Church and Ghost, and their guys, and the author did it in style.

This book picks up immediately where book 2 ends, with Ghost trying to fend off the Russians and trying to retrieve his USB and he ends up on the run, but it's a case of who can you trust, when you're not in the habit of trusting anyway, and the word 'trust' isn't even in your make-up, let alone when you can trust those who're meant to be the good guys. He ends up in the company of Duncan, a cop who's suffering from his own demons and betrayal, and they have to join forces with an almost unimaginable temporary ally. Temporary and danger being the name of the game played out whilst they're on the run.

There's a lot more to this tale, and I can't do it justice in a review. Duncan is the perfect foil to the prostitute that is Ghost, and I loved how gentle this giant of a man was, respecting Ghost's needs and feelings, and reading through his body language, his snark and sass, and seeing the real guy, William, beneath the facade that is Ghost.

There's very little sex in this tale, which is a plus - it'd have had to be a case of 'let's stop and get it on, despite my traumas and your issues, and the bad guys', which too many authors do too often in this type of tale, adding a brand of TSTL to their tales. This book got it right, and even when the leads had a chance to get it on, it was slow and perfect.

The book does end 4 years after all comes right, and it's great to know that the various leads are happy and that Ghost and Duncan have laid their ghosts to rest. This is one of my few 5* reads of 2018.

ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley for my reading pleasure.