Blog Tour: The Bad Ones by Stylo Fantome

Happy Release Day to Stylo Fantome and her new book THE BAD ONES! Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card too - good luck! #ConnedIntoBeingBad

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Love isn't always bright and shiny.

Sometimes, it's dirty and wrong, buried six feet deep in a secret place where only wild things dare to go. Hidden behind a big black curtain that covers things no one should ever see.

Sometimes it happens between two people who should never be allowed to come together. One who is a match, and the other who just happens to be gasoline.

One strike is all it takes to burn the whole world down, and that's exactly what they plan on doing.

Even if it kills them.

warning: this book contains graphic sex, extremely brutal violence, bad language, and people repeatedly and knowingly breaking the law.

3.5 Stars

Review by Jen Hagen

It’s the quiet ones you need to worry about.  Dulcie is a junior in high school, keeps to herself, minding her own business capturing the beauty of sunlight hitting a tree a certain way (of course she was skipping class to capture the moment) when the all-star quarterback careens straight into her.  Constantine “Con” is the mayor’s son, lives a life of privilege, is the object of many women’s affection,  and has a hidden dark side.  Con loves to play with fire…literally.  Con and Dulcie do not spend a lot of time together…in fact it is just one kiss for a long span of time, but they manage to develop quite a bond for life.    Who would ever think the quiet and meek Dulcie would be a murderer?  And Con was the accomplice?

“I like that we did something like this together, before we even knew how far we could go.”

It appears that Dulcie is the fuel to Con’s fire and Dulcie has found a way to speak without using her voice.  The two of them together are very, very dangerous.  There is a time span in the story from when the incident occurs until Dulcie and Con are back to cause epic chaos together.  Con’s disappearing acts always left a gaping hole in Dulcie’s chest, but there is a reason why he kept leaving.

He’d stayed away because she brought out the darkness in him.  He needed to learn some self-control.  If he’d stayed home, or if he’d brought Dulcie with him, he would’ve spun out of control.

Glad it’s cleared up that he hasn’t yet spun completely out of control.  Con is CRAZY!  Put him and Dulcie together and they are certifiably insane.  I love Ms. Fantome’s writing.  Even though this story was not the jelly to my peanut butter, I was still mesmerized by her ability to write so detailed and be highly imaginative in where her story takes the reader. 

Con finally unlocked the doors and she hefted herself into the massive vehicle. They sat in silence for a while, their breath fogging up the glass. Then he opened his mouth. “Did he touch you?” Dulcie knew he wasn't asking about the homeless man. “Not in any way that counts,” she replied, turning to look at him. His hands had moved to grip the steering wheel. “So he has touched you.” “Jared was just an experiment, I wanted to see if -” “You let him fucking touch you.” “You fucking left me!” she was suddenly screaming. He didn't even flinch, just gripped the steering wheel harder. “You fucking left me in this fucking town, without a goddamn goodbye! Without a goddamn word! God, you have no idea what it's been like. That fucking camera, all those drawings. And there's all these people, and talking, and feeling this way, and all the blackness, and I don't even know what's wrong with me, and nothing. You come back, and it's like nothing to you. Oh hey, Dulcie. Where's your sketchbook, Dulcie. Come to a party, Dulcie. Let me just fuck this chick in the woods, Dulcie. So you know what? Yeah, he fucking touched me. I let him fucking touch me. And I hated every minute of it, and I would pretend it was you, and I would hate you, and I would hate myself, and I just let it happen.” Con lunged across the seat, and absurdly, her first thought was “wow, he's really fast” before his fingers wrapped around her throat. She wasn't fazed, though, and she pushed right back, slapping him across the face. This only caused him to clench both hands around her neck and he yanked her forward, dragging her to him so their faces were only inches apart. “Stupid little Dulcie,” he whispered, his breath hot against her lips. She held onto his wrists and glared at him, but didn't try to pull away. His fingers got tighter. “So scared of the big bad wolf.” “I'm not … scared of you,” she managed to gasp out, but then his grip grew so tight he completely cut off her oxygen. “Of course you aren't scared of me. I'm not the wolf. You are.” So that's what was hiding behind the curtain. I wish you'd told me sooner, Con. We could've reveled in our darkness together. It felt like a weight was lifted off her back. She'd been pretending for so long, and she hadn't even realized it. Had conditioned herself to do it. It was easier to believe Con was the darkness, and she was simply drawn to it. Basking in his wake. But it was all a lie – she was every bit as dark as him. They were the same animal. She'd just been better at deceiving herself. And now they'd evolved into something else, into a new, higher being. Her lungs were throbbing, screaming for oxygen. She could feel her pulse pounding behind her face. Her mouth was open, but she couldn't make a sound. Black spots danced in front of her eyes, yet still they stared at each other. Recognizing each other, maybe for the first time ever. Maybe for the last time. What a way to die, looking into the face of this beautiful boy. What a gift.  

Crazy woman living in an undisclosed location in Alaska (where the need for a creative mind is a necessity!), I have been writing since ..., forever? Yeah, that sounds about right. I have been told that I remind people of Lucille Ball - I also see shades of Jennifer Saunders, and Denis Leary. So basically, I laugh a lot, I'm clumsy a lot, and I say the F-word A LOT.

I like dogs more than I like most people, and I don't trust anyone who doesn't drink. No, I do not live in an igloo, and no, the sun does not set for six months out of the year, there's your Alaska lesson for the day. I have mermaid hair - both a curse and a blessing - and most of the time I talk so fast, even I can't understand me.

Yeah. I think that about sums me up.

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