~Review: Bad Son Rising by Julie A. Richman~

People think I'm a douche.

And maybe I am.

I use most people.

It's what I know.

But if I love you,

I'd die for you.

I just don't know that I'm worth loving.

Handsome, privileged bad boy Zac Moore has always played by his own rules - at school, in business, with women. He's rewritten the rules to suit his own needs and his needs are all that matter.

Serious and focused family friend Liliana Castillo has one goal. Leave the pre-Med program at Yale to help people in developing nations.

As their paths cross and uncross, a tale of love, agony, betrayal and growth is woven, transforming two people who've hidden from relationships and love.

This is a stand-alone novel.

Overall Rating:  4.5 Rockin’ ★★★★☆

When I read the title of the book and I thought this book will be about some really bad guy!  Then I started reading the book and again my impression was this about a really bad boy that can’t help himself when it comes to being responsible and staying out of trouble.  He also has a reputation with the ladies of being a one night stand man with no attachments or girlfriends allowed. However, as the story unfolds my first impression is proved to be totally wrong and a new respect begins to evolve for this ‘Bad Son’ that is deserves another look!

Zac was the golden boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth and everything a boy could want was his for the asking!   Everything changed for Zac at the age of thirteen when one of his mother’s friends decided that he would make a good boy toy and set about using him for sex.  Confused, feeling used and not good for anything else, Zac became a user.  He used women for sex while keeping them at arm’s length, until the night of his father’s wedding when he found the one woman that he could not live without, Lilly Castillo.   The only problem was that Lilly wouldn’t give him the time of day and walked away from him without looking back.

Zac has been kicked out of college and is at a loss to know where to go next.  The disappointment on his father’s face is crushing him and gives him the determination to prove that he is more than a mess up.  When Lilianna’s father visits and expresses his concern about the work she is doing in the Congo, Zac listens intently.  Zac’s father suggest that it would be a good thing if he took off some time from school and went to work with Lilly on the same project.  He would be able to protect her and keep her safe.  Zac agrees to this because he really wants to be near her and it also involves using his area of study, engineering.  Will he finally be able to show Lilly that he is the man for her?

Lilly Castillo knows what she wants out of life.  She is attending Yale with a goal to study medicine at John Hopkins when she graduates.  There is no place for a beautiful, trouble maker named Zac Moore.  Regardless of how he makes her feel or how much she wants to get to know him, Zac is not for her.  Two years later when she encounters Zac in the Congo working on the same project that she is her heart once again reaching for him. Is Zac interested in her?  Does he want a relationship with her?  When tragedy strikes will it destroy what could have been?  Has Zac really changed or is he just using her like all the others?

Hero: Zac Moore 4.5 stars
Heroine: Liliana Castillo 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Steam level: 4.5 stars
Cliffhanger: No

Would I recommend this book:  Yes! This book will make you laugh, cry and yet reaffirm that true love really does exists for those that look for it!  A fantastic read for everyone that loves a bad boy that turns into a hero for a good girl.

Would I recommend this author:  Yes!  Julie A. Richland writes books that enrich the soul while touching the heart with promise.  Beautifully written stories by a great author!

***Received an ARC of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review***