Bad Judgment by Sidney Bell – Book Review
A book so intense, I lost all sense of time while reading it. Talk about a book hangover.
Book Blurb:
Bad Judgment by Sidney Bell is an MM romantic thriller built on a premise that has no business being as emotionally devastating as it is. Embry Ford has reinvented himself in the shadows, working for a man he despises, willing to do almost anything to get the answers he needs. Brogan Smith is a bodyguard who knows better than to get distracted, and gets distracted anyway, badly, by the one person in the room most likely to get them both killed. What starts as vengeance versus survival becomes something neither of them planned for. I started reading this book with a random playlist running. “Secret” by Huntington came on in the first few pages and I hit repeat. It played the entire time I read this book, start to finish. I revisit it at least once a year. That should tell you everything.
Book Review
When I started reading Bad Judgment by Sidney Bell, I was listening to a random playlist. I think I was on the first few pages, but when I heard it, “Secret” by Huntington, and I hit repeat. It ended up playing the entire time I read this book. From start to finish. I was transported.
Bad Judgment is an M/M romantic thriller about obsession, vengeance, and what it costs to let someone in when you’ve built your entire life around keeping people out. The main characters are so deep. I was captivated by the way that Brogan was drawn to Embry, even when he knew that it was a dead-end relationship. Even when he knew that in the end, Embry would not choose him, he kept on. Loyal to the end. It was deep.
The tension between Brogan and Embry is where the book truly shines. I understood exactly why Brogan was obsessed — not just attracted, obsessed — and I understood why he kept pushing even when every sign pointed to this ending badly. That kind of emotional complexity is rare, and it’s what separates a good romance from one that actually stays with you. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it’s never just physical. Every interaction carries weight.
I must have been going through something at the time because the book spoke to me. When I reread it, I did not listen to the song, and it was like I was reading a slightly different story, which was just as good but with a new tone. Music really can shape the experience. I’ve read it again a few times since then, and every read has been worth it. I’ve sat on this review forever. 😅
Bad Judgment is not a light read. There is violence. There is pain. It sits firmly in dark romance territory, and it includes scenes of domestic abuse and attempted SA, so go in with that awareness. This is not a happy-go-lucky story, and the HEA is hard-won. If you need your romance warm and cozy, this is not your book. But if you’re okay sitting in discomfort for the payoff, it’s absolutely worth it.
This was Sidney Bell’s debut novel, but it read like the work of someone who had been doing this for years. Brogan and Embry broke something in me, in a very good way. I think about this book more than I care to admit and revisit it at least once a year. 5 well-deserved stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bad Judgment by Sydney Bell is now also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Have you ever had a song become so tied to a book that it changed how you experienced the story? Drop it in the comments – I’d love to know what other people have read with a soundtrack.
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