BAD DEEDS

Third in a Dynasty-esque romance series revolving around a powerful family with criminal ties, the son who wants to go legit, and the woman on the run who falls for him.

Emily Stevens and Shane Brandon fell in lust in Hard Rules (2016) and realized they couldn’t stay apart in Damage Control (2017), no matter how dangerous their union is to each other and everyone around them. Shane is still trying to extricate Brandon Enterprises from drug-cartel control while battling his brother, Derek, for the title of CEO now that their father is too weakened by terminal illness to control the family business. Although Jones offers a helpful summary and character list, new readers should start from the beginning of this increasingly complicated series. An aura of menace punctuated by gun violence and rape attempts (the latter being the cartel’s weapon of choice) pervades. The focus on the Brandon brothers’ evolving relationship sidelines the romance except for one scene of light bondage. Shane, driven to criminality and violence to protect his family, wonders how he differs from his enemy. Emily doesn’t have much to do besides serve as a receptacle for Shane’s protectiveness—“I think she looks like an angel who doesn’t know she’s trapped in hell”—and his lust. At least her lot is no worse than those of the other women characters. Like the first two, this book ends with a cliffhanger.

High drama, luxury lifestyles, aggressive masculinity, and a large and interconnected cast of characters will please fans of this series.