Once Upon a Bad Boy is the third book in Melonie Johnson's Sometimes in Love series. Sadie Gold, who is close friends with Cassie (Getting Hot with the Scot) and Bonnie (Smitten by the Brit) is a form soap star looking to prove her acting chops in an upcoming action film. Bo Ibarra is the stunt coordinator for Sadie's new film - he is also her childhood sweetheart. This story is a great second chance romance that shows us how two people can grow up, learn to forgive, and come together stronger than before. This was a bit heavier than the first two books but I loved it just as much. I have adored all three books in this series so far and I recommend them wholeheartedly. I am really hoping to get Ana and Delaney's stories soon!

I was provided an arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

This is my first book by this author, and Book 3 in the Sometimes in Love series. The books can be read as a stand alone. It would of been nice to have a little bit more of a back story knowing that it is a series of 5 friends.

Once Upon a Bad Boy is Sadie and Bo’s story. They have not seen each other for about ten years. Their time apart has only intensified the "heat" between them It is fun to watch the push and pull of these two. Can they learn from the past? The story is easy to read and an easy flow to it. Definitely a good pool or beach read. I will be picking up the first 2 books in the series.

I loved this book! Was this a deep book that will keep you thinking about it long after you've finished? No, but it will keep your attention and have you invested in the characters. You will root for Bo and Sadie's relationship and hope they find a way to make it work. Are there sexy bits? You bet, and they're pretty great. The book has just the right amount of sex scenes mingled with the romance of their relationship. Overall I thought this was a fun, quick read that will keep your attention. I will definitely put this on my recommendation list for bodice rippers.

I’m giving this book 3.5 stars. I didn’t love it as much as the first two in the series by this new-to-me author. It was a little slow moving for me, but I stuck with it and was rewarded with a sweet second chance romance.

I really liked this story, it was fast moving and it kept at an excellent pace right to the very end! The detail was just right for me and I thought that the characters were strong and gave you the urge to root for them to come out the other side together. Five stars from me for this one, very enjoyable and very highly recommended!!

* I was provided an arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

I’m giving this first love, second chance romance 4.5 stars.

This is my first book by this author, and Book 3 in the Sometimes in Love series. From what I can tell they can be read as standalones, with this group of 5 friends making appearances in each other’s books, which is something I love.

This book is Sadie and Bo’s story. They meet again after a decade apart and their desires bubble back up almost instantly. What I really liked is how natural and easy it was. It didn’t feel forced and despite the characters hesitations, they characters slid back into their past roles without letting the past swallow them. I genuinely enjoyed it and will be backtracking to read the first two of this series.

This book definitely “Grabbed the Gold!”

Between 4 and 4.5 stars

"Once upon a bad boy" is my second book by Melonie Johnson. The protagonist of the story is Sadie, that we saw in the previous book as one of Bonnie's best friends. Sadie is an actress. I won't say an "aspiring" actress because we know that she's already got a few roles but not that role that changes her life as an actor. Now we find that she's finally been casted as the main protagonist of a big movie, which is for Sadie the chance to become big in the environment, but also prove herself that she got where she is because she is a good actress and not because her family has connections. Since the movie is an action one, there is a stunt company that will help and provide stunt people that will partecipate in the filming. It would be ok for Sadie, if the main coordinator wouldn't be her first boyfriend Bo. He is in charge of the stunts and he'll help Sadie and her co-stars do the film well. But would she be alright with working with her ex?

Sadie is one of the characters that I eyed in the previous book because she looked fun and outgoing. She has this personality in this book as well, but we also see sides of her that perhaps were hidden because of her job. She is a strong woman and is excited to play a strong character for her breakout role, so when she finds out she has to work with Bo she panicks. Remembering her past with him could hinder her future career, but she manages it just fine when she and Bo cannot deny that there are still feelings of love and affection lingering between them.

For that matter, things between Bo and Sadie get hot quickly. I don't know why, but I would've liked for them to get closer again a bit later into the book. I wanted angst between them, but I didn't get it. This is one of the reasons why I am undecided. While I liked the book, there were details like this that disappointed me.

Another thing that got me mmmh about this book was the heritage of the male protagonist Bo. I guess that's an editing mistake, but his name was Bonifacio on some pages and Bonafacio on some others. What I can't understand is why his surname is Ibarra if he's supposed to have an Irish father and Mexican mother. Ibarra is a Spanish word that means "meadow", which is an important setting of this book, and could explain why the author chose it, but it doesn't match with the history of the character.

Besides this, another reason why I didn't give an extra star is that I don't know, between the 30% and 65% mark this book fell flat, and then it got my attention again during the last quarter with the other plots. Like I said above, I wished for more angst and development before the characters jumped on each other, but what I got seemed like fillers. It would've been better to add more drama and contrast in my opinion, to spice things up. The ending also felt abrupt. Don't get me wrong, the ending wraps up all the storylines of the book, but the last line seems open, as if a few more things wanted to be written but the author decided to delete it. An Epilogue would've been great as well, because I felt like the story ended too soon.

Despite everything, I liked Bo and Sadie. I just wished there would be more backstory and development of their love story in the present.

I loved this book. I was hooked from the first page until the last. The story is about second chance romance. The two main characters, Bo and Sadie are fabulous characters with great dialogue, drama, and sexy scenes. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I would recommend this read to anyone who loves a good romance. I received an advance copy for my honest review from NetGalley.

This is a fluff kind of second chance story that honestly bored me. K kept trying to get into it but it wouldn't hold my attention not enough to this story for me.

A second chance romance bringing two people who loved each other deeply as teenagers but allowed others opinions to fear them apart.

Sadie has never been without anything material. Growing up wealthy has had its advantages, however, when it comes to being taken seriously as an actress, most think she got to where she is because of that wealth.

Bo grew up on Sadie’s grandmothers ranch helping his father train the horses. He deeply loved Sadie, but thought that he wouldn’t be good for her. So he broke up with her at Prom (idiot).

Sadie and Bo reconnect on her new film. This being the film that could make her career, she needs to give this everything she has. Bo, her stunt coordinator, wants to make sure Sadie remains safe and wants her in his bed.

This was a good story and I liked their chemistry. I also liked Bo’s family and would love to get more about Luna and her story.

I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalkey for my honest review.

This is a sweet and poignant love story of a couple who found each other again. There were good parts and parts that were confusing to me, I still enjoyed the read.

This is a second chance romance. Bo and Sadie were high school sweethearts. She was rich and he was poor. There’s a little angst and some witty banter. It’s a fast read that I really enjoyed. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

The best thing about this second-chance romance was its well-developed characters. Both Bo and Sadie made some stupid decisions when they were younger, enough that if the book had centered around their first story, I probably wouldn't have finished it. But this book, about their growth and their second chance to make amends, was fun and heartwarming. Even though this is a third book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. I picked it up, mistakenly thinking it was the first book, but was hooked from the start! Now, I will move on to the first two books and am looking forward to more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am beyond honored this is the second time I've been invited to read a Melonie Johnson and Once Upon a Bad Boy did NOT disappoint. I adore second chance romances with all the feels Sadie & Bo were a couple when they were teens (first love <3) and reconnect when she lands a movie role & Bo is the stunt coordinator. Great storyline, character development another home run for Ms. Johnson!

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book from NetGalley because I saw that it was one of the three books available from this author. Realizing this is the third book in this series I made sure to read them in order. I really loved Cassie and Bonnie’s stories (Books 1 & 2), but I can only give this one 4 stars because it wasn’t as exciting as the others. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a good book because you get to see Sadie’s story- which shows us more than just her privileged movie star life.
Bo and Sadie have the perfect second chance romance but they have to be careful about letting those they work with find out about their relationship.
All of the girls from this series make an appearance in this book too.

*4.5 stars - Once Upon a Bad Boy by Melonie Johnson is a really enjoyable second chance romance!

Up-and-coming actress Sadie Gold hit her big break by landing the leading role in the new action movie Fair is Fair. There's just one problem: the stunt coordinator hired to help turn Sadie into a kick-ass heroine is her first love Bo Ibarra.

Bo dumped Sadie 11 years ago, on prom night no less, because he didn't think he could ever truly belong in Sadie's life. Sadie comes from a wealthy family and Bo comes from a working class family (his dad actually used to work for Sadie's grandmother), but working together on the movie gives them a second chance to see if their love really is strong enough to overcome their socioeconomic differences.

I was really excited to read Once Upon a Bad Boy after Sadie's relationship with Bo was teased in Smitten by the Brit (Sometimes in Love, #2) and Melonie Johnson did not disappoint. The chemistry between Sadie and Bo was off the charts from the first moment they reconnected at the table read to their beautiful HEA. I thought that their backstory was super sweet and that Melonie Johnson did a wonderful job of sprinkling new details about their relationship history throughout the novel.

My only complaint is that the novel feels a bit rushed and choppy at the end due to the time jumps. 80% of the novel is nicely spaced out between August and October, then there's an incident that separates Sadie and Bo in November, then we jump to a chapter in February before skipping to the end of the novel in May. It would have been nicer if the pacing stayed the same throughout the novel, but that's just a personal preference.

All in all, I recommend Once Upon a Bad Boy to anyone who loves second chance romances.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Melonie Johnson and NetGalley for the advance digital galley!



SPOILER

I really appreciated how Melonie Johnson handled Sadie's abortion. I loved that Sadie owned her decision on a very public scale - so brave and inspiring. I also loved that Bo came to the realization that it was entirely Sadie's decision to make, and that he had no reason to hold it against her. The scene where the reunite at the end was very touching.

The third book in the Sometimes in Love series, which can certainly be read as a stand-alone, contains all the juicy romance scenes found in the first two novels. There were a few things that bothered me about this book. It seemed to have no real connection to the first two in the series (the main character, Sadie, is briefly mentioned in the first two books, but that's about it). I wish there was a better buildup to this relationship in the previous books. Also, the romantic lead doesn't really come off as a bad boy. Other than doing stunts and riding a motorcycle, he is quite the nice guy. Despite these problems, I enjoyed reading the book, and look forward to reading more by this author. If you are looking for an uncomplicated romance that you can really get lost in, this book is for you.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Everyone loves a second chance romance, right? The lovers have grown up, gotten wiser, or perhaps in the case of Sadie and Bo, they just learned to hide their past truths. Sadie was a pampered little rich girl who grew up into an up and coming star, trying to make it on her own merit and Bo, the son of her family’s equine manager, now a movie stunt trainer, fell in love as children, went too far, gave too much and were not mature or secure enough to hang on to each other.

A decade later, they are back together and the sparks fly, the embers of love and lust reignited, but secrets from the past are still buried deep. Will those secrets tear them apart once again or are they finally ready to be adults in an adult relationship?

ONCE UPON A BAD BOY by Melonie Johnson has all of the elements for a romantic and sexy escape from reality and for the most part, it worked for me, but there was so much that didn’t. I didn’t feel a sense of freshness in this tale. Parts I wanted to know more about were glossed over, perhaps in favor of more sex?

I am a fan of Melonie Johnson’s Sometimes in Love series, but this one just missed the Five Star mark for me, in spite of likeable characters, an amazing grandma and a cute little boy.


I received a complimentary ARC edition from St. Martin's Paperbacks!

Series: Sometimes in Love - Book 3
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (June 25, 2019)
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Loved this so much. Couldn't stop reading it. I loved all the characters. Can't wait to see what will happen next!

Once Upon a Bad Boy is a sweet, charming romance and I devoured this book in one sitting! I love the premise of the novel- a richer girl and a man who grew up without all the finer things. These two are clearly opposites but the saying is true, opposites attract! I adored this one. And the cover? It's GORGEOUS! I look forward to reading more of the authors novels in the near future.