Hope Scroggs has always been the sweetheart of Bramble Texas.  After leaving for five years, to pursue her Hollywood dream, Hope returns to Bramble with every intention of marrying Slate Calhoun, the handsome quarterback of Bramble and Hopes high school sweetheart.  Now that Hopes dreams of stardom have failed, she fully intends to return to Bramble and settle down with Slate, who is now the high school football coach.  What Hope doesn’t expect is a surprise twin sister who just happens to be marrying her man.  Hope is devastated to discover her back-up plan is shattered, leaving her to pick up the pieces while holding her head high and acting like the sweetheart she’s expected to be.  To make matters worse, a rumor has been started that she’s pregnant and the town has a PI bringing back random men from California, who are believed to be the father.  If things couldn’t get worse, Hope is forced to deal with Colt Lomax, the bad boy of Bramble and her hearts one true weakness.

Colt Lomax has always been the bad boy of Bramble.  Colt’s father died at a young age, leaving his mother to drown her sorrow in liquor.  Colt, who hid his mothers’ drunken state from most of the town, raised his younger sister and couldn’t wait to leave Bramble and its memories behind.  Especially since he’d always had a thing for Hope, though everyone knows the towns bad boy doesn’t get the sweetheart.  After coming to terms with his fate Colt leaves Bramble and its residents who believe he has been in prison the past three years.  When fate lands Colt back in Bramble, locked behind bars, it’s suddenly apparent his past is about to become part of his future, leaving him hopeless of ever escaping Bramble again.

Combine a feisty Texas sweetheart with its glorified bad boy and sparks are sure to fly.  This title along with its colorful and well developed characters was a pleasure to read.  Ms. Lane doesn’t miss a beat in this perfectly depicted town which boasts all things Texas.  Complete with small town charms, Texas accents, cowboy hunks, town gossips and of course, football.  Everything from trailer park treasure to big money luxury is in this delightful romance. 

I really enjoyed the dialogue in Make Mine a Bad Boy.  The author does a wonderful job keeping the quick pace of the story in tone with the witty dialogue.  I was able to picture all of the characters in my head as well as envision the town and other settings used over the course of the story.  The dialogue fits the setting, the characters and the tone of the book in perfect harmony.  Here’s a short example of what you can expect from this book.

“Your fangs are showin’, honey.” Her best friend, Shirlene, slipped into the folding chair next to her with a soft rustle of gold satin.
Since her daydream was already stomped to smithereens, Hope turned to Shirlene and lifted a brow at the mounds of flesh swelling over the top of her bridesmaid’s dress.

“Better than havin’ my boobs showin’,” Hope retorted.

Shirlene didn’t even attempt to tug up the strapless confection that put Hope’s grotesque purple maid-of-honor’s dress to shame. “Admit it. You’ve always been jealous of the girls.” Shirlene flashed a bright smile at Kenny and Twyla as they got up and headed for the dance floor.

“The girls?” Hope’s eyes widened. “Those aren’t girls, Shirl. Broads, maybe, but not girls.”

Shirlene laughed. “Okay, so you’ve always been jealous of the broads.”

Hope shrugged. “If you had my teacups, you’d be jealous too.”

“I don’t know about that. I get pretty tired of lugging these suckers around.”

“I’m sure Lyle doesn’t mind helping out with that.” She glanced around for Shirlene’s husband. “Where is Lyle, anyway?”

Aside from some formatting issues, due to it being an e-galley, this book was a pleasure to read.  I simply couldn’t put it down. The love scenes, though they were minimal, are well done. Ms. Lane teased and prodded, making each scene carry over to the next and heightening the sensations when everything finally falls into place.  I found myself laughing, cringing and in the end ready to find my own bad boy to charm.  If you’re looking for a romance true to its Texas setting this is the one for you.  The characters simply fit the humorous small town charm of Texas.  It was a great romance and I highly suggest it.

~ Tiffany