Bad Apple by Elle Kennedy | Review

Publisher: self-pubbed
Release Date: August 13, 2019 (out now!)
Source of my copy: author
Series: standalone
My rating:

Synopsis
A flirty standalone novel* from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy!

One night with him will change her life...

Between her waitressing job, volunteer work, and college classes, there are never enough hours in Maggie Reilly’s day. Especially not for a relationship. Luckily, she’s got the perfect arrangement: a lover she meets three or four times a year. But when she shows up at the hotel expecting to hop into bed with one man, she accidentally ends up with another—Ben Barrett, Hollywood’s most notorious bad boy.

Ben, determined to lay low after another scandal, just wants some much-needed sleep. What he gets is a scorching make-out session with a gorgeous, naked redhead. He won’t accept her apology, but what he will accept is a place to hide out…and if there’s some hot, no-strings sex involved, why the heck not?

But Ben soon discovers that one week with his sassy, bed-hopping waitress is definitely not enough. He wants more. A lot more.

Now he needs to convince relationship-averse Maggie that a bad boy might be oh so good for her—and the best thing that’s ever happened to both of them.

*Previously published in 2008, Bad Apple (formerly Midnight Encounters) features almost entirely new content, including a point-of-view switch. Enjoy this new version of an old favorite!

When Bad Apple unexpectedly (but very much welcome) dropped in my Kindle, I did a little happy dance. A "new" Elle Kennedy book to tide me over while I wait for The Play? Yes, please!

I missed the first version of this book that was Midnight Encounters, so I was happy to pick up this new version of it. Now, I wasn't expecting Bad Apple to be in the same level of amazingness as Elle's Off Campus and Briar U books and it wasn't. However, Bad Apple was still a fun, quick read that will entertain you for an afternoon. I'm actually not even a fan of the celebrity romance trope and I ended up enjoying it and that's the magic of Elle Kennedy's writing and characters.

While I liked both Maggie, our over-worked waitress/college student, and Ben, our sexy movie star, I did warm up to Ben sooner than I did Maggie. Even though Ben was frustrated with all the paparazzi invading his privacy, he was an open and friendly guy while Maggie was more prickly and standoffish, though she had good reason for why she was the way she was. Ben and Maggie had really great chemistry though, and right from the start they were hot together. My favorite scene in the whole book was actually their first meeting when Maggie went in Ben's room by mistake and it was hot and heavy until they finally realized that there's been a mistake.

I like that we got both Maggie and Ben's POV--seeing their situation through both of their eyes added to the story and helped me understand their characters more. The book was fairly short, but well-paced and the ending was satisfying. If you're looking for a fun, sexy opposites-attract romance, look no further than Bad Apple.