Ms. Jamison knows how to create a heartthrob. I received an ARC of Heart of the Bad Boy by Sugar Jamison in exchange for an honest review. The King brothers are worthy of some serious salivating. Tough on the outside but marshmallows on the inside. What woman wouldn't love that?Add the complicated history between these alpha men and their hometown of Destiny, you get stories of redemption and triumph. Heart of a Bad Boy is baby brother Levi's story. With the many upsets in his life Levi's sense of stability was almost non-existent. Family tragedy, physical abuse and prejudice were abundant fixtures within his childhood. There was a bright spot though. His best friend Shelly who looked beyond the renegade and saw the heart of a lost boy. Circumstances separated them but the ingenuity of a shrewd old woman and the pull of family bonds make for a love story that proves to be a combination sweet and salty good time. Have a soft spot for those bad boys and Sugar Jamison delivers. ( )

This is a story of first times and Levi’s desire to give quite a few firsts to his best friend, Shelly.

Levi, Duke and Cole were taken in by their Aunt Lolly when their father abandoned them. When they are called and told she is in ICU they head home to see her. Lolly has an agenda for each of them that is revealed in the Destiny trilogy. I have not read Duke’s story (book 1) or Cole’s (book 2) but Levi’s story is complete in and of itself without having to read them.

Levi has been friends with Shelly, Lolly’s next door neighbor, since childhood. Her father works as a prison guard and is a very religious man…as is she. Her mother dying when she was young has left her feeling she must be perfect and reflect well on her parents. Levi left 13 years before this story begins and has kept in touch with Shelly through mail, e-mail, phone calls and gifts he sends on holidays and her birthday. When he gets home she is no longer 15 and is quite a bit different looking than his memories of her. With her father away they are freer to explore one another - in more ways than one. Shelly develops a bucket list for their summer month together – and what a list it is – thus the firsts that are sprinkled through the book.

Levi and Shelly are interesting together. Both have known childish love and have cared for one another for many years. Their move from friends to lovers is appropriate and the story well told. More fantasy than reality in some ways with three down and out brothers becoming multi-millionaires BUT what is a good romance without some fantasy?

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ( )