Review: Bad Girl by Vonne B

A compelling rich-romance drama, Bad Girl by Vonne B offers a surprisingly multifaceted novel set in the dual cut-throat worlds of strip clubs and the law.

Protagonist Abigail has managed to pull off a gig at one of the best strip joints in town, Secrets, working as a thick-bodied exotic dancer to provide for her little brother after her drug-addled mother made off leaving them to fend for themselves at a young age. A wealthy regular, Jones, has taken a shine to her, and she’s dancing for him privately one night a week to bring home the dough.

Meanwhile, Jones is doing the grind himself in his downtown office where he works as an attorney, and shares his reasons for visiting Secrets. When their lives start to bleed into each other’s as Abigail needs legal help, new boundaries will have to be set on both turfs.

Told in a two-hand confessional style, each character is well-rounded with a structured and individual voice. Each character’s motivations are believable, and intriguingly similar, as they’re both pushed into harsh decisions in their respective dog-eat-dog professions. Vonne B is especially adept at building credible detail into the seemingly disparate worlds of white-collar Jones and sex-worker Abigail. Importantly, this work of romance doesn’t only focus on the lascivious nature of one setting, but fully fleshes out each character and their unique perspectives.

Gender games are a big relevant subject for today, and here it’s present as the power shifts between the two characters. What Jones sees as flirtation may just be Abigail trying to relate, showing how signals can be misread and misinterpreted. Despite the novel leaning toward being a general romance/erotica novel, there’s plenty more here than may be expected, illustrating what happens when two completely different worlds collide and entwine, challenging ideals of social status and our preconceptions of each other.

There’s also enough power-play sex here for fans of wealthy romance, with plenty of steamy scenes in corporate settings, as well as in the club. Soon, we’re in a “will they won’t they fall in love?” situation, which will tantalize any romance reader. There’s going to be some comparison to the Grey series, and some resonance with Colleen Hoover’s writing (Slammed for example), but Vonne B takes it a step further. It feels more visceral here – rough around the edges, but to good effect, as both our heroine and her love interest seem more human and sympathetic.

All this said, the book does need another editing pass, as there are some typos in the book – characters’ names shift in spelling even from the first page, and there are sentences with awkward phrasing. The cover, as well, though effective in its way, seems fairly thrown together, and doesn’t convey the level of nuance in the book, while it could also mislead those looking for pure erotica.

On the whole, Vonne B’s writing talent shines through, presenting a smart but satisfyingly sexy romance that will win readers’ hearts, and leave them wanting more.