Two driven reporters. One weekend. Infinite heat! Jack Galloway has the brilliant mind, chiseled jaw, and deep blue eyes that light me on fire. He’s an award-winning journalist and a star at The Examiner. Oh, and I hate his arrogant guts.He told my boss that I can’t hack it as a reporter, that it was a mistake to hire me. But I just landed a story that will launch my career and prove him forever … story that will launch my career and prove him forever wrong. Yeah, it steps on Jack’s beat a little. Okay, a lot.
So our boss is making us report it together. At a gorgeous oceanfront villa for an entire weekend.
Jack brings out my insecurities. He makes me doubt my instincts. And ignites a desire in me that I haven’t felt before.
But there’s something he’s not telling me. I know I’m risking something by pursuing this story.
And if I have to choose, will it be the story? Or him? Is it true love? Or is he just bad news?
**A stand-alone enemies-to-lovers workplace romance**
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This was just an okay for me. Total slow burn, but don’t feel the chemistry as much I hoped. There’s not much “hate” shown in this one. It’s just that they’re too competitive of each other that’s shown more. Jack’s a little arrogant and judgmental in my opinion, while Linden’s a little presumptuous. It takes a little bit for them to really get to know each other and lose those assumptions they have of each other.
“Bad News” by Stacy Travis was a fast-paced workplace romance, featuring likeable main characters who must fake a relationship in order to investigate a big story for the newspaper where they both work. I’m a fan of workplace romances in general and thought this one was particularly well-crafted, with a fun enemies-to-lovers vibe and lots of witty banter as the relationship between lead characters Linden Sandoval and Jack Galloway slowly evolved into a real romance.
Linden and Jack had a lot of misconceptions about each other at first, but when they were forced into working together, they discovered that they had more in common than they realized. They were both very driven, ambitious, and focused on their careers at the expense of their personal lives, but their reporting styles were very different, which is what led to a lot of their conflict. Once they were able to figure out each other’s quirks and learn better ways of communicating, not only did their working relationship improve, they began to see each other in a whole new light on a personal level.
In addition to the central romantic relationship between Jack and Linden, I really enjoyed this book’s behind-the-scenes glimpse into newspaper journalism. I’ve read stories set behind the scenes of magazines and TV news programs, but can’t specifically remember having come across anything about a newspaper before. The author really seems to have done her research into what goes on in a newsroom, or maybe has worked for a newspaper herself, and I found it to be fascinating.
Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend “Bad News” for all fans of contemporary romance. I will plan to check out more books by Stacy Travis in the future.
*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
When Linden and Jack are paired together for a work assignment, it’s with the understanding that whatever relationship they have to fake, it’s just that – FAKE. Except feelings (lust, like, sparks) are catching fire and neither Linden nor Jack can quite wrap their heads around whatever is going on.
For her part, Linden knows that she’s never been able to balance her job with a relationship, her job always suffers for the relationship. So she’s not about to blow her first big assignment because she’s developing *something* for her rival. Plus, she knows something Jack doesn’t – women tend to come out on the shit end of the stick anytime an office relationship is in question. Jack should know, considering the big story he blew open last, but he doesn’t because he’s a man. So Linden’s mind is made up – no relationship with anyone, her job is the most important thing.
Except those pesky feelings can’t seem to be stopped. Will Linden and Jack’s relationship make it past their assignment and into the real world at the newspaper offices? Or will Linden’s insistence be something Jack cannot overcome?
I have to say something first – Stacy Travis’ writing has come a long way since her first novel, French Kiss. Jack and Linden, for one, have chemistry obvious from their very first meeting, chemistry that was not shown in Travis’ first novel. Bad News is altogether more well developed, more organic feeling, and the subject is very timely. I felt this time as if Travis were in love with her couple and her story, rather than with her setting. Whereas, in French Kiss the best part, and obviously Travis’ passion, was her setting – Paris. I liked how here in Bad News, Jack’s character shed his cocky jackass out layer and showed what a genuinely sweet guy he was once he admitted how he felt about Linden. I saw the potential in Travis’ writing last time, and am glad to say she more than lived up to that potential in her second novel.
So I have to say this is the 2nd book I’ve read by Stacy Travis (subsequently I do believe it is her second book as well) I liked French Kiss a lot. It was a good friend to lovers and slow burn much like Bad News. I like a slow burn because you really get the chance to get a feel for the relationship (much like in real life)
Unlike French Kiss, Bad News is an enemies to lovers although it is evident that there is a lot of chemistry between Jack and Linden from the start. Chemistry but also rivalry. Jack is a hot shot journalist while Linden is an ambitious junior reporter looking to get where Jack is.
Now I must say this is where the flaw in Linden’s character comes in, and yes all humans have flaws but this made her a little difficult to like. Linden came across jealous and judgmental of Jack which, like she was determined to hate him no matter what and Jack was a likable guy from the start. There were many times in the book that Linden really got under my nerves. That being said it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. It was a well written book with very well developed characters that seemed very real. The story was good and I always like a good enemies to lovers. It is the definition of slow burn much like French Kiss was so if you love those this is the book for you. All and all a very solid 4 stars for Bad News!
I was generous provided with an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**
4 star Review Bad News by Stacy Travis
Stacy Travis is a relatively new author to me and I found Bad News to be well written and entertaining.
Initially I wasn’t overly keen on Jack Galloway, he seemed just a little too judgemental and arrogant, but Ms.Travis managed to change my mind and I was soon captivated by him. Whilst Linden Sandoval frustrated me at times, I liked and admired her determination to get on as a reporter.
Can two work colleagues who don’t get on come together to work on an assignment or are they destined to lose the story? Will secrets and a focused determination to get the story tear them apart or will they both learn that there is more to life than work?
One click and find out.
Overall Grade: 1/2
This review will be a bit different than my other reviews because to fully understand the reason why you should read Stacy Travis’s Bad News it resides in her growth as a writer between her first book, French Kiss, and her newest book. I know people might say that that shouldn’t be a criterion for reading a book, but if you’re like me, you look at other reviews of books by the author to make a determination about choice. It is really only a small picture of why you should read this book.
When I read French Kiss, I saw Travis’s potential as a storyteller. She has the amazing ability to bring in a description to set the scene for her romances. You feel as though you are there when you read the book. This is also the case with Bad News. You can see these places and people clearly in your mind, and she does this with just the right balance. As a storyteller, it’s important to create this type of balance, so that the reader remains engaged without being bored by over detailing everything. In Bad News, Travis has found this balance.
In French Kiss, I struggled with feeling the chemistry of her hero and heroine. There are reasons for this that complicate the story. In Bad News, the chemistry is clear. Travis is writing an enemies-to-lovers story with this book. There, I think, is an assumption that the chemistry writes itself with this trope. However, I’ve read plenty of romances where that is not the case. Jack and Linden can’t even help themselves. Travis crafts their building fire page by page, drawing you further into their story. When the complications hit, that chemistry still burns, but it becomes dangerous as it seems as though it can be extinguished. This was not the case with French Kiss; Jack and Linden’s couplehood is a decidedly impressive improvement in this sophomore book.
In her first book, I wrote in my review that French Kiss seemed like a romance between the author and Paris. It’s clear that Travis loves Paris. With Bad News, the story is the centerpiece. Between Jack and Linden’s complicated relationship and burgeoning romance and the underlying plot (reporters working together and finding a heady news story), you feel compelled to read to the last page of her book. Additionally, underlying the romance and the intrigue of the story lies a message about workplace politics. This is the gravity of Travis’s Bad News. Through the possible storyline that Linden and Jack follow and the potential relationship between these two, Travis reminds us that women often receive the burden of consequences in any workplace incident. It’s a reminder that, even in 2020, situations in the workplace are not yet equitable. Travis makes us believe that we need to be vigilant and aware, as her romance plays out on the page. This depth of message was one of the missing components in her first story.
I love to “see” growth in writing. It is my favorite part of teaching writing in college. Stacy Travis’s second book, Bad News, is a revelation in her ability to improve and offer up sexy, thoughtful romance. Jack and Linden are characters that intrigue you. Their story feels relevant and insightful, and their happy ending is a happy ending for right now. If you love enemies-to-lovers, newsroom romance, then Bad News should be on your Kindle for this weekend.
This was a good enemies to lovers story, I really liked it and I read it in one sitting!