He is in it to win it…

But what is the ultimate prize?

Former bad boy Josh Riley is determined to become mayor of his small hometown, but that means campaigning against local sweetheart Shelby Cuthbert.

Gone is the shy girl from his childhood, replaced by a fierce beauty Josh doesn’t really want to battle.

Then Josh learns of a scandal that can redeem his reputation—but will it mean losing his chance with the girl next door?

Titles in the Matchmaker at Work series include — A Hero for the Holidays —♥— The Bad Boy’s Redemption —♥— A Merry Christmas Date —♥—

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few light kisses).

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Title:  The Bad Boy’s Redemption
Series:  Matchmaker at Work #2
Author:  Syndi Powell
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  April 1, 2021
Publisher:  Harlequin Heartwarming
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Bad Boy’s Redemption continues the Matchmaker at Work series with a delightful coming-home romance for a once bad boy… and I love a bad boy; even when they’ve redeemed themselves over time, there’s always that touch of bad boy surrounding them.

Josh has returned to his small hometown to care for his father years after leaving under, let’s say, extenuating circumstances.  He’s become successful, he’s lived his dream and done well at it, but now there’s a different challenge ahead of him — running for the mayor position.  This town has a long memory, and their memory of Josh isn’t the greatest by any means.  He has some hard work ahead of him if he’s to show people who he is today, not yesterday.  And the most important, and the most difficult person he needs to convince is Shelby, the town sweetheart, the woman expected to step into the mayor’s spot quite easily.

The last person Shelby expected to see back in town was Josh.  Oh, she’d had serious feelings for him back in high school.  When he left town, her heart was broken, and she was not about to give him the chance to do it all again.  But this Josh is different; oh, he still has bad boy vibes, yet she could so easily fall for him all over again.  And that’s the last thing she should even be thinking about since he’s going after the position that her family expects her to take… as the new mayor.  Life just got more complicated with Josh back in town.

I had fun with The Bad Boy’s Redemption.  I liked both Shelby and Josh for different reasons, and it’s obvious that they belong together.  I enjoyed watching them fall for each other (again) as adults while dealing with the issues right in front of them.  The truth eventually has a way of coming out, even if it takes years for that to happen.  Yeah, I really like these two.

If you love a well-written romance with believable, likable characters facing some challenges from the past, then you’d enjoy this one.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print or e-book