BRIARI was infatuated with Asher Kelley the moment he came tumbling through my brother’s window five years ago. Even bruised and bloodied, he was the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen. We couldn’t ever be together.I was too young, and he was too untouchable. He was too troubled, and I was too naive. But the heart is rebellious, and mine decided it didn’t care about any of those things. As I got … of those things.
As I got older, harmless flirting turned to stolen moments in dark corners.
Until one day, he was gone without a trace.
Now, three years later, he’s back.
Callous and cruel.
He’s my brother’s best friend. My parents’ worst nightmare.
I should hate him.
But like a Bad Habit, I can’t quit him.
ASHER
I was drawn to Briar Vale from the first time she looked up at me with stars in her big, blue eyes.
She was just a kid, nothing but elbows and knees, but she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen.
We could never be together.
I was too old and she was too off limits.
She was too good and I was too fucked up.
Eventually, the temptation became too much to resist.
I risked everything for a kiss and she betrayed me.
Three years have passed and I’m forced to see her again, but now she’s all grown up.
She’s my best friend’s baby sister. My downfall.
I hate her for what she did.
But she’s always been my drug of choice
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his was a great angst love story about Briar and Asher. Asher came from an unstable home and Briar came from a wealthy home they were total opposites but fit so right together. I loved this book and even though Briar is a little young she is very mature and handles situations with such class and grace that you overlook her age (she’s 17 going on 18 and Asher is 21). I can’t wait to read the others stories.
I love this book like Drake loves big booty strippers. The thing is, I’ve been WAITING for this book for a while, so my expectations (especially after Savage People and Misbehaved) were HIGH. And they were met. And exceeded. Asher was the perfect flawed and fragile bad boy. Briar was sweet but oh so strong. They were so perfect together yet the obstacles between them seemed insurmountable. The best thing about insurmountable obstacles is the journey to overcome them (and the drama that ensues) and their journey was EPIC. Now, some may balk at the fact that she was 14 and he was 18 when they had their first “encounter,” but there was no penetration (sorry if that’s a spoiler, but it occurs in the first chapter or something like that so whatever) and let’s be real: if my nonexistent big brother’s bestie was a hot broody piece like Asher Kelly, I’d attempt to hump him too and my girlfriends would give me a standing ovation if I was successful and I ran with a relatively conservative bunch at that age. Plus I live in Georgia where the age of consent is 17, so as far as I’m concerned it was all kosher. And hot. So. Damn. Hot. Besides all that, the book is just pure awesomeness. The side characters are awesome and I fully expect a book for all of them (except for two people who I shall not name in the name of no spoilers – just know that he’s a tool and she can ride a tiny dck into an erupting volcano as far as I’m concerned). I also want an epilogue featuring Asher and Briar’s beautiful swimmer, snowboarding, succulent loving babies. So yeah… Awesomeness in book form from Charleigh Rose, which should come as no surprise. 5 out of 5 stars.
I loved this book so much!! I need an a Asher in my life STAT!
The bad boy who falls for the best friends little sister against his persistent trying not to fall. The good girl who desperately wants the heart of said bad boy. Their connection was palpable and passionate as understanding and compassion prevails. This was my first book from this author and her first person point of view writing had me hooked from the beginning. I loved all these characters and the structure of the plot. The bad boy unraveling and the sassy girl who loves him is a great combination and Charleigh Rose works it awesomely. I can’t wait to read the next.
WOW this was the first book I have read from this author and I am wondering why it took me sooooo long to do that.
I loved this story of Asher and Briar, love the names to. I think we all had a crush when we were young but not all lead into a forever later on in life. Those are once in a lifetime. With a secret looming between these too almost ruins it when it was a simple misunderstanding.
I am on to bk 2 and know it will be equally awesome!!!
This book was amazing!!! It definitely hooked me from the beginning and I could not put it down!! With a hot and sexy guy like Asher Kelley, why would you want to stop reading? And Briar Vale…..not your timid little sister. She knew what she wanted and put herself out there in ways not many girls would at that age. It didn’t quite work out for her, but sometimes there are circumstances beyond one’s control that forces life to go in a direction that they would not choose.
I seriously cannot say enough wonderful things about the story. Amazing characters (Adrian…..loved him!!), fantastic storyline, twists that I didn’t see coming….this book was just fantastic. Cannot wait to see what is next in this series!!
“This is pathetic. No matter how many times he burns me, I go back for more. I need him like a bad habit-one that I don’t want to kick.”
Addicted from word one, this was so much more than just a teenage crush on a brother’s best friend kind of story…this had depth, bite, and soul. Asher and Briar go to hell and back and couldn’t fight the pull even when they try their hardest. The perfect balance was struck between sinfully sweet and yelling at my kindle, Asher is my favorite love to hate type of character, and Briar is his brass balled equal in every way.
“How could anyone not want him? He’s perfection personified. The bad boy with a good heart. I know it’s there, even if he tries his best to hide it.”
The angst level goes through the roof, so much aiming their way, you think it’s hopeless over and over again…kept me riveted, and highly entertained by a host of supporting characters that I can’t wait to meet again someday. Their story hurt my heart, set my kindle ablaze, brought tears to my eyes, made me giggle, and all the feels in between, with a conclusion that pulled it all together perfectly! An absolute must read!!
“I knew I was playing with fire. I was bound to get burned. But rebellious hearts know no consequences. Bad habits are easy to make and impossible to break, and Asher was the worst addiction of them all.”
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
I just couldn’t put it down! I had to devour each page and take in as much of Asher and Briar as I could. The desire, the sadness, the love. You could feel it all. And the sexiness of the characters made it all burn!! I absolutely loved it and it made my chest feel from beginning to end!
I really loved Tell Me Pretty Lies by Charleigh Rose, and was feeling a good brothers best friend romance, and this book more than delivered. I read it within 24 hours – I could not put it down!!!
This story follows sweet and darling Briar, falling in love with her brother’s best friend, Asher.
Briar and her brother, Dash, grew up in a wealthy suburb in Arizona, with parents who were more committed to their careers than to their children. This made Briar & Dash more than close, with each other having their backs no matter what happened in and out of their family.
Asher is a lost soul. He lost his mum at a young age, and does not get along with his dad. He is welcomed by open arms into this wealthy house hold by Dash and his sister, Briar. He would do anything for them. What he didn’t expect is falling for Briar, who is 3 years younger than him.
When an unexpected incident occurs leaving Asher to leave Briar & Dash for 3 years, Asher returns hating on Briar and not wanting anything to do with her. This confuses Briar but she doesn’t give up on pushing her way into his heart even more, even if her brother would hate if they were together. Asher then finds himself letting go and letting Briar in once again, then the truth of the past is bought to light, leaving everyone in tears.
There was a lot of controversy in the review section in regards to Briar’s age. It is highlighted in the book that Briar was only 14 when they first hooked up, with Asher only being 17. They do not go further than kissing, as Asher knows she is too young. When they then hook up later in the book, they are 3+ years older, and the sex between them didn’t really concern me. It just showed how much they trusted each other.
I can’t wait to read more of this series! I am officially addicted not just to the author’s writing but to the characters.
So this is my first Charleigh Rose book and I’m not sure which Booktuber recommended this book but the cover design didn’t look promising so this was in my TBR since last year (2020).
Finally decided to give it a try and I have to say it was not too bad. No big background story or plot twists apart from the love story but this book didn’t completely disappoint me!
This is a stand-alone, enemies to lovers trope and comes with a few content warnings so if you have reservations you should check it out before diving in to this book.
So let’s talk about the good things first.
~ The female protagonist Briar, isn’t a complete door-mat. Only except when she’s with the main male character Asher. She’s got witty come-backs and knows how to stand up for herself and you gotta love that about a girl.
~ Even though the father of the male protagonist abused him in the past when he was just a child, the writer doesn’t paint the father’s character in complete jet black (if you know what I mean). Which is a pretty hard thing to do when writing because you can’t make a character hate and feel sorry for at the same time, which the writer has done in this book pretty well.
~ The father son relationship was emotional and gave a bit a “Dear John” vibe and his last letter brought tear to my eyes!
However there are a few things that the writer could have avoided in the book.
~ Asher’s uncle coming back to their house after 3 years asking for money which Asher stole (while the cops are looking for the said uncle) is a bit far fetched in my opinion. Writer must have done it to give that chapter of Asher’s life a closure but I hardly believe that did any good because I caught myself wondering what happened to that uncle after they kicked him out of the house, whether he’ll return and be a threat to them again etc.
~ I understand that Briar was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Asher but the story would have been solid if she stood up to him every now and then rather than melting at his feet every time he touches him.
~ Asher was mad at Briar throughout the book (at least 80% of the book) thinking that he had to leave the town because of something she did. And why he didn’t think that he could have just confronted her / talked to her and revealed the truth / sorted out whatever the issue is beyond me. After all they were childhood friends.
So to wrap it up, overall, this book floats between a 2.5 and 3.5 stars for me.
This book’s been released back in 2017 if I’m not mistaken. So I hope now her writing style, storylines and plots have been improved compared to her initial work. (At the end of the book the write claims that this is the first book she’s written without her co-author – Charleigh)
So I’m hoping to read one more new work from this author Charleigh Rose / Sunny before this year ends!
Let’s see how it goes!
Yours Truly,
Bookish Lankan – instagram.com/bookish_lankan
PS: I’ve voluntarily read and reviewed this book
3.5 bad habit stars
Ash and bri’s story is a brothers best friend / forbidden / second chance romance .
It has all the elements of these genres and plenty of angsty moments but
I’m a little torn on the rating for this one as there were parts of the story I liked a lot and others that made it feel like maybe I’d read it before .. though because I can’t pin point what I’ve read I’m not sure this happened so maybe it’s just that the ideas were similar to another story I’ve read .. but then as I kept reading it was u familiar and different and I still enjoyed it . So like I said mixed feelings .
The characters were likable and relatable and the world building was well written .
So overall a good read and I’m interesting in reading more of the interconnected books in This series .
This was my first read by Charleigh Rose and it won’t be my last. I can’t stop thinking about Briar and Asher’s story. It gave me all the feels. There is just something so appealing about a bad boy who can dirty talk like non other but is also sweet at the same time. The chemistry between these two was off the charts. I loved how their relationship was a little forbidden/enemies to lovers. Their whole relationship had many ups and downs but I was literally glued to my kindle and couldn’t put this book down. So Darn Good! Pick up this book today, you won’t regret it!
Brother’s best friend, bad boy, tragic home life- Asher is the older boy Briar should stay away from, but cannot. Asher is attracted to Briar, but she is far to young for him. After giving in to temptation one night Asher disappears without a word for 3 years. He returns home because his abusive, alcoholic father is dying. His heart is full of hate for Briar because her betrayal is what drove him away. Briar has just graduated from high school and is unsure what her future will hold. She is taken aback by Asher’s return and his cold shoulder. Circumstances continue to bring them together, their connection to one another still strong, they give in to their attraction again. Their network of friends is close and their past decisions keep finding a way into their developing relationship. This is a wonderfully written tragic love story, with well written steamy scenes and a swooney HEA.
Wise words from Asher’s dad:
I hope that when love finds you, and I suspect that it already has, you’re able to hold on to it forever. And if, for some god-forsaken reason you lose it, you don’t end up like me. Don’t let it break you. You’re stronger than that. Stronger than me. Second chances don’t come around very often. Third chances are even more rare. If you’re lucky enough to get one, don’t waste it. I hope that when you become a father, you forget everything you learned from me. Love like your mother. Love like Briar. Love like you.
Bad Habit is the first standalone full length novel in Charleigh’s new series called Bad Love. If you enjoy reading about a sister falling in love with her brother’s best friend, then I highly recommend this book.
In this we meet Briar and Ashley Kelly. One bad habit, Briar’s habit comes in the form of bad boy Ash, her brother’s best friend.
These two main characters contained a strong connection since the very first interaction. Bry is always attentive and there for Asher when needed. And Asher cannot suppress his lust for his best friend’s little sister. Then one day Asher is gone as a new day comes. Three years later both are face–to-face once again.
“It’s been three years. Three years since he walked out of my house and never came back. Three years since I’ve so much as heard his voice. Three years since I’ve been pining for a boy who was never even mine.”
Now back, the bond between these two is stronger than ever. However, now instead of love being in Asher’s eyes, lies hate but could all that be a mask?
Briar and Asher are an outstanding couple and I loved every moment of them together. Highly recommended reading Bad Habit!
From the instant her eyes landed on him Briar Vale fell hard for bad boy Asher Kelley, he was bold, handsome, and everything her parents despised. But he came with a few complications, ones that were too big to overlook. For one, he was her brother’s best friend, and for two he was a little too old for her fourteen year old self. But that didn’t deter her from dreaming that one day he would be hers.
And that day is about to happen now…
Bad Habit is a evocative and passionate forbidden love story that satisfies on all levels! The words were addictive and emotional, and the characters were easy to love and connect to. I really enjoyed this first time read it kept me engaged throughout, and left me just curious enough to come back for more! Highly recommend!
ReRead 4/26/18-4/27/18
ReRead Rating: STILL ALL OF THE STARS!
I remember devouring and loving this book but I wanted to do a reread before diving into Bad Intentions, even though I don’t think it’s necessary. And holy crap, was I not disappointed. This story reads so fast because I get so caught up in these characters and the angst! Oh my gosh! THE ANGST! There is not one word of this story that I can find fault with. The friendship, the drama, and the chemistry between Asher and Briar.. swoon! I am going to now go into Bad Intentions mostly blind because I cannot wait to see what Dare has in store for me! I HIGHLY recommend checking this book out!!
*****
OH MY GOSH! ALL OF THE STARS. I don’t think I’ve ever read over 45 books in a year so when I realized it was time for my 100th book of the year, I really wanted it to be a good one. I picked this book up about 10-11 hours ago and I just put it down to type this. Want to talk about sucked in by a story? I couldn’t have lapped this story up any faster if something handed me a spoon! There was angst, there were secrets, there was angst, there was getting with your brothers best friend, there was angst, there was family drama, there was angst!! Oh my gosh! I freaking loved every word of this book. There is absolutely ZERO to complain about or find issue with. And if someone says there is then they can physically fight me! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to hop on over to Amazon so I can order this author’s other book now. And if you haven’t read this book yet, then you have been missing out and should go correct your mistake right now.
For Briar Vale, it has always been him. Asher Kelley, the beautiful boy with the mismatched eyes, was off-limits. He is a certified bad boy, three years older than her, and best friends with her older brother – Dash. The last reason should have been more than enough to keep away from him.
Briar gives in to temptation one night when Asher sneaks in bruised and bloody. Asher tries to push her away, but he feels their connection too. Ecstatic, Briar feels like she finally broke through to Asher that night. But then he disappears without saying good-bye.
Three years. Asher has been gone for three years. It feels good to be back with Dash, but he isn’t looking forward to seeing Briar. He don’t know if he can ever forgive her for what she did…
I stumbled across this book when one of my friends reviewed it. And when I seen that L.J. Shen stood behind it, I knew I had to read it. She is the queen of the ‘enemies-to-lovers’ stories, so to see her rave about this book sold me. It didn’t disappoint in that department either. There was just enough background given on the characters and just enough mystery to make it work. The reader, along with Briar, doesn’t know why Asher just upped and disappeared. On top of that, when he reappears, he blames Briar. He cannot avoid her and that leads to some pretty intense scenes.
I must say this book was surprisingly steamy. I mean, it is super steamy. Briar and Asher have major chemistry. There was no denying their connection – even from that questionable first scene. Asher is just swoon-worthy. He goes from bad boy to alpha; he’s its super hot. I loved seeing him through Briar’s eyes. The love she has for him is clear, but the effect he has on her is just amazing.
This book is the first in the Bad Love series, but it is a standalone. I cannot wait to see who is the lead in book #2. I hope it is our sexy Mexi – Adrian. It would be interesting to see him break away from Dash since they like to get down and dirty together. Yup, you read that right. 😉
4 stars
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I loved this book! Asher and Briar were perfect! The storyline was a good quick pace and I couldn’t read fast enough to keep up with everything. There were secrets between all the characters that brought the angst level through the roof. And the heat in this book was scorching! I can’t wait for more from this world!
This is my first book by this author. After hearing several great things about her books (and the fact I’m attending a book event she’s signing at), I knew this was the perfect time to introduce myself to her stories…and Charleigh Rose did not disappoint!
The intensity of the story is palpable and the characters were very well developed.
I highly recommend this series!!
This is my first book that I’ve read by Charleigh. Asher and Briar are my new favorites. Asher is mysterious and brooding because of the way his childhood has been. His dominance is insanely sexy, he’s so intoxicating. He is without a doubt loyal until the end for people he loves. Briar loves unconditionally. She’s young but strong minded and knows what she wants for her life. This friends to lovers romance has stolen my heart. The angst was killing me. I couldn’t stop reading it. I was consumed by it. You can feel every last emotion completely in the way that she writes it. My heart ached so hard for these two that it just broke me. Loved it so much!