If you like your romance dark, your heroes broody, and your heroines beautifully broken—but still ready to throw hands—then Bad Intentions is your next obsession. Charleigh Rose delivers a gritty, emotionally charged story that’s equal parts angst, heat, and heart.
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🖤 Plot Summary: Welcome to River’s Edge, Where Healing Hurts
Logan “Lo” Silver is running—from a drug-addicted mother, a manipulative ex, and a past that’s left her bruised but not broken. She arrives in River’s Edge with her younger brother in tow, hoping to give him the stability she never had. Her plan? Lay low, find a job, and avoid drama.
Enter Dare Nichols: tattoo artist, local legend, and walking emotional landmine. He’s got a routine—eat, work, sleep, repeat—and a heart wrapped in barbed wire. When Lo stumbles into his shop looking for work, sparks fly… and not the good kind. Their first meeting is all snarls and eye rolls, but underneath the tension is a magnetic pull neither of them can resist.
As Lo and Dare navigate their trauma, their chemistry becomes impossible to ignore. But falling for someone with bad intentions? That’s asking for heartache.
“I want to be the reason you come undone. I want to be the one who ruins you for anyone else.”
🔥 Character Summaries: Damaged, Delicious, and Deep
Lo Silver is a survivor. She’s sarcastic, fiercely protective of her brother, and determined to rebuild her life. Her vulnerability is raw, but she never lets it define her. She’s not afraid to challenge Dare, even when he’s at his most guarded.
Dare Nichols is the quintessential tortured hero: tattooed, emotionally unavailable, and secretly soft. He’s built walls so high even he can’t see over them. But Lo? She’s the wrecking ball he never saw coming. Dare’s internal monologue is a masterclass in emotional repression, and watching him unravel is half the fun.
Their dynamic is explosive—equal parts push and pull, pain and pleasure. They fight, they flirt, they fall hard.
“She’s chaos. And I’ve always been a sucker for destruction.”
🎯 Tropes That Hit Like a Punch to the Gut
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Grumpy/Sunshine: Dare is the human embodiment of a thundercloud. Lo? She’s the lightning.
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Found Family: Lo and her brother find unexpected support in River’s Edge.
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Workplace Romance: Tattoo shop tension? Yes, please.
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Damaged Hero: Dare’s past is a minefield, and Lo walks right into it.
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Slow Burn with Explosive Payoff: The build-up is deliciously painful, and the release? Worth every second.
Charleigh Rose doesn’t just use tropes—she weaponizes them. Each one adds depth, tension, and emotional stakes that keep you hooked.
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
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Substance abuse (parental)
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Emotional manipulation
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Mental health struggles
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Explicit sexual content
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Verbal aggression
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Toxic relationships (past)
Rose handles these themes with sensitivity, but they’re front and center. This isn’t a light read—it’s a cathartic one.
💬 Favorite Quotes That Slap
“I’ve spent years making sure I didn’t repeat the mistakes of my past, forming an impenetrable layer of ice around my heart. Then Logan showed up in my town, in my tattoo shop, and melted it with a single look.”
“I don’t want to be your savior, Lo. I want to be your equal. Your partner. The one who stands beside you when the world tries to knock you down.”
These lines aren’t just swoon-worthy—they’re soul-punching. Rose knows how to write dialogue that lingers long after the page turns.
🔥 Smut Score: 11/10 Would Get Tattooed for Him
Let’s talk spice. The sex scenes in Bad Intentions are intense, emotional, and unapologetically filthy. Dare is dominant, dirty, and devastatingly tender. Lo gives as good as she gets, and their physical connection is a reflection of their emotional chaos.
Rose doesn’t shy away from graphic detail, but it’s never gratuitous. Every scene serves the story, deepening the bond between the characters and peeling back their layers.
🧠 Critique: Not Without Its Bruises
While Bad Intentions delivers on angst and heat, some readers may find the pacing uneven. The emotional whiplash is real, and Dare’s hot-and-cold behavior can be frustrating. Secondary characters are intriguing but underdeveloped, leaving you wanting more from the world of River’s Edge.
Still, the emotional payoff is worth the turbulence. This is a story about healing, about choosing love even when it terrifies you.
🎁 Final Verdict: A Tattooed Love Story That Leaves a Mark
Bad Intentions is a gritty, gorgeous romance that doesn’t flinch from pain—and doesn’t apologize for pleasure. If you love broken characters who fight for each other, dirty talk that makes you blush, and emotional arcs that feel earned, this book is your next favorite.
It’s messy, sexy, and deeply human. Charleigh Rose proves that sometimes, the worst intentions lead to the best kind of love.
Rating: 4/5 tattoo needles and emotional breakdowns.
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