Bad Influence

The last of the Bad Bachelors series and I couldn't put this one down. This is Annie and Joe's story. Annie is the creator of the Bad Bachelors app that took off after her long term relationship with Joe ended over her choosing to stay with her Mother after she was diagnosed with cancer and not going to Singapore with Joe. For Joe this was a non-negotiable. Soon after his arrival, she sees her engagement ring on the hand of another woman and that pushed Annie out her heartbreak slump into forming this Bad Bachelors app. As we know from the previous books, her tracks are covered well and no-one knows she's behind the app-except her two best friends who found out by default. It did cause some problems with them initially but things resolved. Joe returns home after his time in Singapore and sees Annie. Joe's main problem is he's the overachieving son who no matter what he does, will never measure up to his father's unrealistic and cruel expectations. The guy is a real horses backside and Joe does his best to avoid him. Yet Joe still struggles. There's a major curveball in the story and someone has found Annie out. She tells Joe and through some of his connections and his own skills try and track down who is threatening Annie and to expose her, and worse to expose Joe. The twists are turns in the story are so skillfully written, we have reuniting of Joe and Annie, Annie still keeping her secret until she is forced to tell Joe about the app and the underlying suspense of who might be after her and the threats. I couldn't put this one down and really loved Joe and Annie. Annie was a little stubborn at times, but that's who she was. I loved Joe. This is the kind of book that I thought about after I finished reading it. I don't run into those often. Bravo Stephanie! Fantastic story! I loved every single minute.

Annie Maxwell was living the dream. She had an amazing boyfriend, a loving family, and was planning on moving to Singapore with her “almost” fiancé. But life had other plans. When Annie’s mom is diagnosed with cancer, she feels as though she needs to stay behind and be with her family through this difficult time. So Annie makes the difficult decision to not follow her dreams or at the very least, put them on hold in order to support her mom through treatment. What she doesn’t do, is discuss possible options with Joe. Joe Preston, the only child of a wealthy family, has lived his life trying to prove himself. All he’s ever wanted was his father’s approval, his parent’s love. So Joe allows his dad to manipulate him into accepting the job in Singapore as a steppingstone to further his career. Without Annie by his side, Joe gets caught up in the parties and things that he despises in the corporate world. After three miserable years, Joe accepts a job as the youngest CIO for a major banking institution in NYC. Joe moves back to NYC with hopes of making things right with Annie and her family. He just didn’t expect to “run” into her so soon. Bad Influence is absolutely the best novel in the series! Although this novel can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading this series in order. After witnessing her best friends heartbreaks and experiencing her own devastating breakup, Annie decides to do something to help her fellow women. Annie anonymously designs The Bad Bachelor app where women can rate, review their dates. It was never meant to harm anyone, but it does. With a stalker claiming to reveal her identity, Annie contacts Joseph for help. Will Joe be able to keep Annie safe while trying to convince her he’s her One True Love? Loved it, loved it, loved it! This story is about forgiveness, setting your hurt aside and allowing yourself a chance at true love. It’s about second chances and redemption. It’s about best friends, who may not always agree with each other and go weeks without speaking to each other, but ultimately KNOW they have each other’s backs. Best ending ever! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

LOVED this book!!! This is the final novel in the series and in it, we finally learn Annie's story and why she created Bad Bachelors. When the catalyst for Bad Bachelors returns to NYC, Annie is forced to face their past and take a hard look at her life. When a threat increases her stress level, she turns to Joseph, the last man she should ever read out to.... I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found I couldn't put it down. I loved learning Annie's story and meeting her family, while also learning about Joseph. While I didn't care for Annie much in the prior books, I found that I loved her in this book and felt invested in her story. If you enjoy the genre, you will love this book. While it is part of a series, it is a stand alone novel, however, it's so good that you really owe to yourself to read them all. The author is on my must read authors' list.