Rocky Road by Becky Wade

Goodreads: Rocky Road

Published: February 14, 2024

Series: Sons of Scandal

Genres: Adult, Romance, Christian

Pages: 392

Format: Library, print

Tropes

• Fake dating

• Opposites attract

Summary

This book is the second installment in Becky Wade's Sons of Scandal series. I really enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to this one. The story follows Jude, a FBI agent about to go undercover in a case involving Gemma's family perfume business. Her shady cousin is prepared to sell trade secrets and she agrees Jude should pose as her boyfriend to help collect evidence against cousin. FBI rules prohibit any romance between agents and cooperating witnesses like Gemma, so when sparks fly between them, what will straightlaced Jude decide? Will he pursue a relationship with Gemma or will he continue to follow the rules and uphold FBI policies?

Characters

Gemma is spunky; she's outgoing, loyal, and feisty. She has strong family ties and hates that her cousin's actions landed her father in prison. Her family's perfume recipe has been handed down orally for generations and she is not about to sit by and let her cousin get away with his selfish motives.

And when her great-grandma requests her help to locate her old journals, Gemma, her mom, and grandma set out on a fun sub-plot. I especially loved Gemma's interactions with these women; I thought they added great heart to the story and showed family loyalty (which was important considering she was trying to take down her cousin).

Meanwhile, Jude is a buy-the-book lawyer, turned FBI agent. He's always done the right thing and never met a rule he hasn't followed. I really wanted to like Jude, but I felt like his personality was exaggerated and overdone. He didn't really seem to have any sense of humour and was predictable and boring. It felt like Wade took every opportunity to remind the reader that Jude was uptight; even his family works together to force him to loosen up and it all just felt a bit much. Surely there are more sides to Jude!

The writing

Gemma and Jude have a great meet-cute (so original!) and Gemma is very witty and engaging. The prose did feel a bit forced at times but the pacing is great. Wade switches between Gemma, Jude, and Fiona's points-of-view (similar to the first Sons of Scandal book) and Fiona is only featured a few times. Honestly, Fiona is my least favourite character. I think she's selfish and immature, and she doesn't add anything to the Gemma/Jude story. A Jude-centered sub-plot would better serve the story and add depth to Jude's character.

Overall

This one fell flat for me. While I liked Gemma's character, her family sub-plot, and the meet-cute, Jude was dry and their chemistry felt forced. Not the book for me, but I will definitely be watching out for the final installment in the series, Uneasy Street, coming February 2025!