The Bad Girl and the Baby (Cutting Loose) Nina Croft struck gold with her Cutting Loose series. The message behind the series is a powerful one. We all make mistakes, but it's not the mistake that shapes us but the lessons we learn from them. Out of desperation, these women have made some hard choices and pay the price for them. Will their lives ever be normal again. The Bad Girl and The Baby is Darcy's turn to reveal her truth. Struggling with sorrow, guilt and determination, she is ready to take back her life and find her only living relative. The problem is Matt Peterson keeps getting in the way. How is an ex -con supposed to redeem herself in the eyes of the man that holds her future in his hands? Give him her heart and trust him to do the right thing. Darcy and Matt are as gritty as they come with a lot of baggage standing in the way of a happy ending, but the thrill is hoping they make it to the other side. ( )

I read this for the SBTB reading challenge’s 'least liked subgenre' category, which for me is exactly ‘military hero romance with ex-con heroine forced proximity because of plot moppet orphan in the family.’ To clarify, no disrespect to men and women in the military. Only, I dislike the use of the ‘military hero/heroine’ character in an unrealistic, overly-sanguine manner designed mainly for titillation. That life is not shiny and golden, people.

So what is behind this gloriously purple cover and risible title?

The story is set in England, with an incredibly and unapologetically badass heroine, a hero in the military, and an orphaned niece. The main characters are connected through their siblings’ marriage. Heroine Darcy’s younger sister married Hero Matt’s brother. Alas, Matt’s brother was a abusive, and Darcy was sent to prison for injuring him while protecting her sister. Darcy has now finished her sentence, and unfortunately the abusive drunk hubby and sad sister have died (he drove drunk and killed both himself and his wife in an accident), and their daughter Lulu has been orphaned.

Darcy wants to be involved with her niece. Matt has full custody. Since they have not met, both believe the worst about each other. Matt’s asshat of a brother had created an exaggerated and embellished picture of Darcy’s character as unstable and violent. Matt is refusing to allow any contact between Darcy and Lulu. Darcy despises Matt’s physical resemblance to his brother, and worries that the brothers’ personalities might also be similarly abusive. So, there are some obstacles to overcome.

The initial insta-attraction between them is balanced nicely by mutual adversity. They recognize that they are attracted to each other, but there are many things to work out. Darcy is hesitant to get attached, because she has lost her entire family except for Lulu. Matt has a strong protective instinct, which at times almost goes into jealously possessive. He recognizes it, realizes that behavior is dangerous, and Darcy does not let him get away with any excessive behavior. I believe that Matt was stronger than his brother, who was unable to control himself and went fully to the dark side. Abusers/batterers usually are weak people. But he works towards being a decent man, and respects Darcy.

The story is fast-paced, and the POV changed effectively between the main characters; there was no confusion about whose brain we were inside. Darcy is a MMA fighter, but there is no graphically described violence. There are very detailed sexy times, and very little angst considering the subject matter.

I liked the conflict and resolution between the characters. Things were talked about, and after they met, they worked maturely through the initial ‘big misunderstanding.’

The only downside is that I generally dislike orphans as a plot motivator in romance.

Overall, a nice quick read with characters that I respected and real-life complications.

*eARC Netgalley*
( )

This was the third in the series. We had met Darcy in the past 2 books, and if you haven't read them I am going to encourage you to. Darcy was trying to meet with Matt who was her niece's uncle who had custody of her. Darcy has just recently gotten out of jail for attacking Matt's brother. We come to find out how horrible and abusive this guy was. Matt had only heard bad things about Darcy so he did not want her around Lulu. When they meet their is instant attraction that they both try to fight because it is not a good idea...Boy does that change..I always enjoy reading of past characters..I wont tell you more so that you can read for yourself..Enjoy! ( )

The Bad Girl and the Baby is a sweet (and sexy!) story about family, redemption, and finding love. It's the last in the Cutting Loose series, but definitely works as a standalone (how did I not know of this series before? I must go back and read Regan and Summer's stories!)

Even though this is the second book in a row I've read with a military guy taking over the guardianship of his young niece (and it's hard not to see the appeal of a big, strong man a bit over his head caring for a little girl, amirite?) this book has a totally different premise, with a heroine--the baby's aunt--still on parole after nearly three years in prison for beating up that same baby's abusive father. I liked that Darcy didn't make any excuses for her past--even though she technically did "do the crime" there were definitely extenuating circumstances there--and that Matt was so open to looking into the truth of what happened, once he actually sat down and had a conversation with her.

I loved that both of them were so determined to do what was best for LuLu, and the whole opposites attract aspect of their relationship made every scene between them that much more delicious. Ms. Croft did a fantastic job of showing that the two of them couldn't possibly be together, yet allowing them to find a way to achieve the impossible in the end.

Happy sigh! (Or maybe I should give a quiet "woof!" instead? ;))

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )

Just released from Prison, Darcy Butler has one goal in mind; to seek out her niece Lulu to insure she is well taken care of and happy. Railroaded and incarcerated for three years for trying to protect her sister from an abusive husband has left her broken. Guilt shadows every day for her because while she was away her sister was killed while a passenger in a car driven by her drunk husband Stephen. Although Lulu lost both of her parents she has adjusted to a life with her uncle Captain Matt Peterson. Croft has created strong characters in Matt and Darcy along with a unique and different romantic plot. Enjoyed this author's skill. "A copy of this book was provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." ( )