Cleopatra Paige hates one thing in this world – just one – and his name is Zachariah Prince. In grade school, he pulled at her pigtails. In middle school, he spread false rumors about her. And in high school, he ruined her prom. She hates that his smirks are unfairly sexy. And she definitely loathes that his dark eyes seem to follow her everywhere. Sometimes, even in her dreams. It doesn’t … in her dreams.
It doesn’t matter that he’s rich and popular or that he lives in a freaking mansion full of butlers and maids. He’s rude and arrogant, and she wants to stay as far away from him as possible.
But unfortunately for Cleo, she lives in the same freaking mansion as Zach.
Only he’s the prince and she’s the lowly maid who serves him.
NOTE: This is a STANDALONE, full length novel set in the world of St. Mary’s
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Holy shit on a cracker. This was hands down a great book. This was my first book by Saffron A. Kent and I feel like I’ll be scrambling to find more of her work now. This was just an amazing story and such a way to deliver it. I’ll be honest, at first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the writing. However, the more I read, the more I fell in love with Saffron’s writing style. The more she drew me in. Her writing style is more natural. Nothing felt forced.
The story line was amazing. It was almost a twist to a Cinderella story, really. The amount of angst and heart pulling emotions aren’t something I remember from Cinderella though. This book is like a scale of 10 on the angst. I don’t know why but I’m in love with angsty books and this definitely filled that hole. It was emotional, thought provoking, and full of back and forth angst between the characters. There are definitely some steamy scenes involved and I’m not complaining.
Even though Zach was a huge bully in this book – to the point of being cruel – I couldn’t help but fall in love with him. For me, he is a top notch book boyfriend. There were times I wanted to punch him myself but other times were so “awh” moments. I love that Saffron A. Kent can do that to her readers. That is some skill.
It goes without saying that you need to read this book. Just go buy it. Like now.
What can I day about Bad Boy Blues, huh? How about… I’M IN FREAKING LOVE!!
This book just shredded my heart to pieces whilst sewing it back together. My heart was in my throat reading this novel, and was so full of angst and drama and hotness (oh my, the steam!) that I simply could not put it down. Felt like a sin to.
This book also discusses something that was very important, which is personal to me too and probably many others as well; and the author does it well. Saffron A. Kent does a spectacular job at showing what bullying does and can do to people, and how it stems from both sides. Her book always deals with something that is personal to somebody in a way, and I loved that; but this… this book holds a special place in my heart.
As for Zach and Cleo, wow! There is a lot of angst between the two characters, and I loved the passion and the hotness; and trust me, there is a LOT where that came from However, I also loved seeing the vulnerable sides of the characters, getting to know them more. I loved seeing their layers. Made it easier to love them, and maybe hate them every now and again, but overall, it was love.
Bad Boy Blues has to be in the top ten of best reads of 2019 yet. It was written beautifully and was incredibly addictive. I would definitely recommend it!
So Saffron A. Kent is a relatively newer author for me, but I must say I have enjoyed every one of her stories I have read. In Bad Boy Blues we get an enemies-to-lovers story with all kinds of feels. This story was steamy, emotional and slow burning! And I devoured it! Could not put it down!
Cleopatra Paige and Zachariah Prince’s story will grab you from the start. They have known each other for years and throughout those years, Zach has bullied Cleo. She hates him, but when she takes a job in his family home, she feels safe. He has been gone for a years after all. But now he is back.
Zach and Cleo’s story was both sweet and heartbreaking, because there was so much more to it. Zach was not always a nice guy and could be cold, but there was so much more to him once you gave him a chance. Though Cleo went through so much, she was strong and caring. Bad Boy Blues was a great read and one I recommend!
Bad Boy Blues isn’t the first bully romance that I’ve read, and I doubt that it’ll be the last, but it is, however, one of the more extraordinary stories that I’ve come across in recent years. I’ve read every single one of Saffron A. Kent’s books, but this newest one she’s released? Well, it’s not only become my favorite from Kent, but it’s now one of my all-time favorites and sits atop my list of top bully romances. That’s saying something considering the book that used to occupy said top spot was my first-ever bully romance and it stayed up there for five years and nine months.
She was ten and he was twelve when they first met in detention, but theirs wasn’t the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Instead, everything has led to today: nineteen-year-old Cleopatra Marie Paige and twenty-one-year-old Zachariah Benjamin Prince–the bullied and her bully. She was the girl from the south side who had hardworking and loving parents; he was the boy from the north side born into privilege and pedigree. He tormented her for years with his nonchalance and indifference, then he disappears for three years. Now, he’s back, and this time, they aren’t students in the same school. Cleo is a maid in his mansion, The Pleiades, and Zach is its prodigal master.
Was Zach a bully? Yes, he was, but I think what superseded his bullying ways were all those times he stood idly by when his friends bullied Cleo and she looked to him with some semblance of hope that he would put a stop to it all. The thing is, there’s more to him than being a bully, and with every layer that’s peeled back, there’s a better understanding of how he’s become the person that he is. That doesn’t mean, however, that his bad behavior was excusable–nope, not in the least. His treatment of Cleo left a lot to be desired, BUT knowing his history does help see things from a different vantage point. And Cleo? She was a girl who stood her ground, refusing to play the victim, and as a kickass young woman, she came into her own more fully and refused to see other being victimized.
The development of the story and the evolution of Cleo and Zach’s relationship are just among the many highlights of this amazingly penned tale of love and absolution. I don’t want to go too much into the ins and outs of the story itself nor do I want to delve deeper into Cleo’s and Zach’s respective back stories. What I will say is that as adults, neither one of them were left unscathed by their experiences when they were younger, but their story is a reminder that you can either allow the wounds of the past to continue to fester or to bear the scars and learn from them. There were some significant supporting characters, but for all intents and purposes, this truly was Blue and her Dark Prince’s story to tell and Saffron Kent told it with heart, heat, humor, and humility. Don’t be surprised if you see Bad Boy Blues on my year-end list of top books. I’m glad I pre-ordered this fantastic novel. Five-plus stars.
I’m never quite sure why I read these books where they male characters are absolute jerks. I mean, if this were me, they’d be kicked in the junk and they’d see my backside as I’m walking away. However, the enjoyable thing about reading these stories is knowing that they aren’t real. Knowing that these men and situations were created for the reader’s enjoyment is what gets me through not hurling my Kindle or phone through the air!
I say this while thinking Saffron Kent created Zach with this tough exterior. He was a jerk. But once you break that outer shell, he grows on you and you find that he has a tenderness inside of him that will shock you. Cleo is a very strong female character. I’m relieved that she didn’t just take Zach’s abuse. I wouldn’t have been able to respect that character otherwise. She completely stands up for herself. There’s a perfect old saying for this book… “It’s a Thin Line Between Love and Hate.” Cleo and Zach really walk that thin line!
Miss Kent is a fantastic writer. She’s descriptive and thorough. The characters are ones you can’t help but also walk that love and hate line. The sexy times are where this book truly shined. I mean my lanta! Zach and Cleo have a crazy thick tension between them. I’m sure it’s due to the years they’ve spent fighting their attraction until they reached combustion! I’m thankful Cleo was a strong female to Zach’s arrogance and meanness. I’m not sure I could have tolerated it any other way!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
C’est Magnifique.
This author is known to take me on a ride when I read her work. I know there will be angst just like I know there will be characters that are out of this world. The specific choices that she utilizes; like style, tone, and setting all culminate into a tale that surpasses my brain comprehension. Her words are poetry in motion. They submerge me into the lives of Zach and Chleo/Blue. I felt everything with them, their vulnerability, their loneliness, their aspirations, dreams, setbacks and their unwavering connection with each other.
The author touched upon a couple of pretty serious topics and one that needs to be addressed and often isn’t given the attention that it deserves in today’s crazy chaos filled world. It was beautifully handled and gave me a better understanding of why these two amazing characters had the baggage that they did. There were a few moments of humor. The steamy times was well balanced in the story. That is not to say however that they were calm or tame. OH No, this author just wrote some of the best steam ever by her. So hot. Fire hot.
This story is poignant and sublime joy. This author is and will always be an automatic click for me. No two stories are the same. She switches things up and that makes me very happy because every book feels like Christmas morning and I am getting the best present under the tree.
Enemies to lovers is always one of my favorite tropes to read – and this one was truly memorable as I absolutely loved Bad Boy Blues!! Saffron A. Kent really did an amazing job with this story, as I was immediately drawn in to Zach and Cleo’s story. It’s just a wonderful, beautiful, heartbreaking, sexy story that truly gives you all the feels. And while Zach may have been a bully and continues in some way to treat Cleo how he did when they were in school together – you will feel such compassion and empathy towards him and why he acted that way. Doesn’t excuse his behavior by any means, but you realize that he wasn’t just doing it for sport.
Bad Boy Blues, for me, is easily the author’s best work to date…..and will definitely be one of my top reads of 2019.
*4,5-5 stars*
It was my first read from this author and honestly don’t know why it took me so long to read her ‘cuz I really enjoyed and loved this story. It actually took me a bit to get into it but the story took me by storm once it took off for me. I can’t really pin point where it was but after finishing it and reflecting on how the words affected me, it’s not only a story about ‘bullying’ and heartache but also one of finding a way to find love along the way…
I definitely could relate to how Cleo felt throughout the story ‘cuz I have been there myself and bullies never truly will know how deep words or actions can cut someone so deep. In some way I found a bit of a new perspective how the author was also telling the side of the bully in this story, even though somehow I’ll never understand how someone’s capable of purposely hurting someone and I don’t think I ever will. But true strength comes from the inside and it really can make or break you ‘cuz in a way you will never truly get over what happened….
Cleo has lost both her parents and is trying to do the best she can to take it one day at a time. She has found a cleaning job at the Prince’s mansion to also try and get her house back. But when one day the one boy that has hurt her so many times, that is now grown into a young man, comes back into town, all of the things he’s done comes back to her and she doesn’t know what to do. She tries to stay clear of him but it’s very hard to do when he’s the son of her boss. But some way she tries to plot her revenge but there’s something lingering between them that she doesn’t know what to do with and when she slowly begins to know more about Zach’s past, she’ll become to see him in a different light…
Zach never meant to come back to his hometown but he doesn’t have a choice and when he finds out Cleo is working at his house, things become even more interesting. Even though he regrets what he’s done in the past, there’s something about her that makes him keep a distance. But no matter what he does, that pull between them doesn’t disappear…
Will Cleo be able to break down his walls?… And will Cleo finally be able to let go of the past?…
I loved this book. Zach was such a butt at times, but I couldn’t help but love him all the same. Blue was badass — she had been dealt some pretty crappy cards and managed to keep one foot in front of the other. I loved the slow, slow burn this book offered. If you’re looking to dip your toes into the forbidden trope – this is a good place to start!
“In love, you bleed forever. I wonder if in hate, you bleed forever too.”
Let’s give Saffron A Kent a standing ovation. Bad Boy Blues is that kind of literary masterpiece that cut through your skin, grips your heart and settle in your bones. Zach and Cleo made me bleed and heal at the same time. The heartbreaking angst was unbearable and heavenly. It was too deep, too intense, too sensual and too perfect.
Saffron A Kent has never written conventional romance and Bad Boy Blues goes beyond anything you have ever read. I love and hate Zach with everything I can feel. The poster boy of spoiled rich arrogant rude brat has a vulnerable, broken and beautiful soul. And Cleo is his kryptonite. The maid, the blue haired girl, the orphan, the strong sad sassy girl with a heart bigger than sky. I absolutely in awe of this woman. Their love started with hate and they fought against their true feelings till it has to come out. The secrets were shocking and my heart was full of so many emotions. More than I can express. It was slow burn, enemies to lovers, life changing, earth shattering, all consuming, sensational kind of love story.
I won’t give you the plot summary. Because you need to go through the winding path yourself. Every corner will have shocking turns and the ending was totally unexpected. They hurt each other, they will tear each other into tiny pieces and then glue back the pieces together. The sex scenes are over the top hot. But they were more than body acts. They were melding of souls and expression of love. Saffron A Kent’s words are soulful and hypnotizing. I couldn’t help but fall under the spell. This story is about second chances. This story is about making mistakes, being brave and becoming strong. This story is about overcoming obstacles, believing in self and finding true soul mate.
Bad Boy Blues by Saffron A Kent will take you to unimaginable high with it’s sexy, angsty and heartbreaking emotions. The writing is highly addictive. The characters are some of the unforgettable ones I have ever read. Zach and Cleo has claimed my heart and marked me forever.
Received ARC for Honest Review
Bad Boy Blues deserves more than 5 stars! Saffron A Kent captures my heart once again.
Zachariah and Cleopatra’s story was passionate, tragic, heart wrenching and beautiful. What was built out hate morphs into a timeless love story.
Cleo is working at the family’s mansion as a maid. She wants to buy her childhood home and needs the money. Her life in high school was hell due to bullying by Zach and his friends. Zach is the prince and son come back after 3 years. How will things work out this time? A witty banter, full of emotion, fun and sad times. An enjoyable read.
Gah!!! Saffron Kent did it again. I can’t get enough of her words.
This book is filled with angst, anger, pain, loss, abuse, forgiveness, hope, love, and empowerment.
I love a great story about enemies to lovers. And Kent weaves a story that is so much more. This book had my stomach in my throat throughout the entire story. I could feel the pain that both Zach and Cleo were going through. It just bled off the pages. It was a beautifully written story about FOGIVENESS and learning to love ones self.
Kent always weaves so many deeper meanings within her stories. It has me flipping the pages and begging for more.
Big words? Enemy to lover is one of my favorite genre. Bad Boy Blues with the big Mansion and Dark Prince had me excited! Zach Prince, the little boy with the dark heart.. The shade of Blues Cleopatra Paige really shine the rainbow.. Each had struggle with their childhood.
The slow dance of emotions were perfect! Zach and Cleo were so hard with each other.. Saffron had brought an unique twist! I have felt the sadness within the connection. Zach wasnt an easy man to conquer!
I thought Zach and Cleo were fit for each other.. They had driven each other into the bonk! I love their connection.. the love wasnt sweet.. The sex was crazy hoot! It was created with acceptance and sadness… I think Cleo Blues is the key to Zach’s heart.. This love were pain and they had found love with each other.
Bad Boy Blues certainly lived up to its title. Zach was a very, very bad boy, at first in a very bad way, with his school days torture of Cleopatra, but he eventually made up for it in a very, very good way. It may have taken him a while, and let’s be honest, I needed that time to let him grow on me, because he made some pretty d*c*ish moves as a teenager and even as a grown up, he had a lot to learn… never mind make up for. Being a member of royalty is no excuse in my book for acting like a t@$t.
Of course, that in itself had its own problems, ones that Zach kept hidden for his own reasons. He’s gorgeous, brooding and oh, so sexy and doesn’t let anyone tell him what to do.
Cleo’s a beautiful, strong-willed, sassy young woman who just happened to be working as a maid where Zach used to live, never expecting to see him again.
Oh, how wrong she was.
This should have been a no-starter right from the moment they saw each other again, but fate works in mysterious ways it seems and it wanted these two together. This was quite an angsty, emotional story in the end. Two kinda broken people who find what they need in the one person they thought they hated. But, can true love comes from such a horrible past? Find out when you One-Click this little gem today.
Really enjoyed this!
Zack and Cleo are wonderful characters, both damaged. He’s the bully and she’s his target. He’s the beautiful rich bad boy and she’s the poor curvy girl from the other side of the tracks. Together they are explosive.
This book grabbed right from the beginning but lost me mid way. I found myself drifting with my thoughts but not for long. All of a sudden….wham! It picked back up and made me so happy I stayed with it. Maybe it was just me that got lost momentarily, I really hope so because I really did enjoy this read over all.
Really enjoyed this!
Zack and Cleo are wonderful characters, both damaged. He’s the bully and she’s his target. He’s the beautiful rich bad boy and she’s the poor curvy girl from the other side of the tracks. Together they are explosive.
This book grabbed right from the beginning but lost me mid way. I found myself drifting with my thoughts but not for long. All of a sudden….wham! It picked back up and made me so happy I stayed with it. Maybe it was just me that got lost momentarily, I really hope so because I really did enjoy this read over all.
* Review by Michelle
5 “Everything is BLUE” Stars!!!
Every time I finish reading a book by Saffron, I am overwhelmed with endless feeling. No matter what, I know I’m going to be emotionally punched and I know for a fact I’ll have to hold on for the up and down ride I know I’ll be taken on. And Bad Boy Blues is no different.
Cleopatra (Cleo) “Blue” Paige is tough as nails. She is everything fierce and sassy. Since a young age she’s had to develop a thick skin to deal with the constant bullying at school. She’s from the south side, though goes to school on the north side. And from the get-go it was evident she didn’t belong. Not only because they were rich and she was not, but they just point blank didn’t like her. And one specific boy was truly her dark and menacing nightmare. Zach made sure Cleo’s life was hell on earth and smiled through it all.
Zachariah Prince is more than meets the eye. Underneath his hard exterior and cruel ways lies a neglected little boy. And yes, there’s no excuses for what he put Cleo through, though getting answers to much needed questions, I understood where he was coming from, but it was still wrong. My heart broke time and time again for Zach. All I wanted was to crawl into the pages of my kindle and give Zach all the hugs and love he deserves but never received. He tries to keep his emotions in check, but still his feelings bleed onto every page.
Cleo and Zach were written in the stars. Cleo is the best thing to happen to Zach. She was able to peel away Zach’s hardened layers even when he didn’t want her to. And the way Cleo comforts and cares for Zach knowing she may get hurt in the process made me like her that much more. The things she went through because of him and is still there for him spoke volumes. Both Cleo and Zach have been through hell, but they’ve come to realize that together they can take on anything and everything.
Bad Boy Blues is a forbidden enemies to lovers romance filled with angst, angst, angst. But it is so much more than that. It’s strength and perseverance and facing adversity head-on. Ms. Kent took a sensitive subject and weaved it intricately throughout an unlikely romance, and she did it beautifully. From the very first page I was invested in Blue and her Dark Prince’s story. Every emotion I felt throughout this book I felt to my very core. Phenomenal, unputdownable and addicting. Highly, highly recommend!
Bad Boy Blues is a brilliantly crafted masterpiece by Saffron Kent! I was absolutely blown away by this forbidden, delicious, angst-filled, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance. The story focuses on two lost and lonely people filled with hurt that are able to find love despite all of the obstacles they had to overcome.
Cleo aka Blue has known Zach Prince since they were kids. He is from the rich north side of town and she is from the poor south side. They meet on the first day of school and from then on out, he makes her life hell. He and his group of friends are constantly bullying her, so when he leaves for college she feels relieved. She doesn’t have to watch her back anymore and can finally live her life. She ends up taking a job as a maid on his parent’s estate, hoping to save enough money to buy back her childhood home. For about three years things go well until Zach suddenly returns home.
I absolutely loved Cleo and Zach. They had both suffered so much in the past; hate, bullying and humiliation to name a few. She was an orphan with an uncertain future and he might as well have been too. His parents never really wanted him, so he was neglected his whole life. Everything that the two of them had to endure was absolutely heartbreaking. I wished that I could have hugged them and shown them the love that they deserved. Despite everything though, the two of them find solace in one another as they slowly fall in love.
All in all, Bad Boy Blues was an absolutely fantastic read! I was invested in Cleo and Zach right from the start and felt all of the emotions just as they felt them. This was a hauntingly beautiful romance that will get under your skin. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop. This is one of those stories that will stay with me forever. Please don’t think twice. Read this book.
I’ve read all the books that Saffron A. Kent has so far written, and was so anxious to get my copy of BAD BOY BLUES. This is a story of a young girl who was bullied and her love/hate relationship with her bully. Cleopatra Paige met Zachariah Prince when she was ten and he was twelve. They both were in detention after school. They both live in Princetown, but he lives on the north side in a palace-like mansion called The Pleiades. Whereas Cleo lives on the south side in a modest home. Their bitter relationship of the bully and the bullied continued through school until one day Zach was gone. The prince was suddenly gone without a trace of where or why.
Three years pass, and things have changed. Suddenly Zach has returned home. But unfortunately for Cleo she now lives in the same mansion as Zach. Only now he’s the prince and she’s the lowly maid who serves him. If there is one thing in this world that Cleopatra Paige hates, it is Zachariah Prince. Her parents have died, she has lost her home, and needs this job.
Opposites attract and with her blue hair and blue lipstick, she becomes his “Blue”!
He never wanted to return to this place. This place that made him feel: anger, hatred, and loneliness. Nothing is as it first seems and this unlikely couple have more in common then either of them knew.
This is a story of two lonely people, desperate and scared. Wanting to reach for love, but too afraid of getting hurt, and a heart broken. Cleo is such a brave and stubborn character. Even after all Zach has done to her, she wants to save him. He wants to be the one who catches her when she falls, but doesn’t believe he can. Two lonely people that belong to each other and no one else.
Saffron has written some of the hottest, erotic “LOVE” scenes, I have ever read. I was in a doctor’s office waiting room and reading one of the shower scenes and looked around to see if anyone could tell what I was reading. Put on your big girl panties and read this book now. Sometimes cruel things happen because you’re forcing your way into something wonderful. Cinderella saves the prince!