The Pretty Boy vs. The Bad Boy by Nicole Dykes: My Review
Nicole Dykes begins a new series with The Pretty Boy vs. The Bad Boy. Check out my review to see what I thought of the first book in the On The Track M/M racing romance series.
Disclaimer – This blog contains affiliate links from Amazon Associates. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. These commissions help support the maintenance of this blog and allow me to continue bringing you content. I only recommend products and books that I personally believe in and have enjoyed. Your support through these links is greatly appreciated.
The Pretty Boy vs. The Bad Boy – Summary
Sebastian
I’m the good one, the pretty one.
The one who follows the rules and always takes the high road.
I’ve hidden my true self for so long, I barely know who I am anymore.
But I don’t know if I can do it much longer.
I love the race, but I’m tired of sacrificing my soul to do what I love.
Axel
I’m the rebel, the bad one.
I follow no rules on the track or anywhere else. I’m the obnoxious bad boy the fans secretly root for.
I don’t mind playing my role. I’m good at it, and it pays to be the dark to his light.
Until the good boy starts to get to me.
I’m confused and unsure of what I want when it was all so clear before.
They say good always wins, but is that truly the case?
In the race between the far too pretty good boy and the angry bad boy, who will actually win?
Only time will tell.
The Pretty Boy vs. The Bad Boy – My Review
I liked this story! I am a fan of Nicole Dykes, and this felt very similar to her previous work. The bad boy/pretty boy trope really worked for me. Both characters were interesting and believable. While this wasn’t the deepest book I’ve ever read, I still enjoyed the character development over the course of the story.
The Pretty Boy vs. The Bad Boy starts by establishing the relationship between these two men. There is Axel Lennon, the bad boy, and Sebastian Harris, the pretty boy. (The names were a little silly to me at first, but they really helped me keep track of Axel being the ruffian and Sebastian being every Disney prince come to life.) These two men are rival racecar drivers and opposites in every way.
That part sucked. I hate to lose, but I hate him winning more. The pretty boy. The good one. The angel to my devil. Sebastian fucking Harris.
I enjoyed the dual POV Dykes used here. She did a great job of establishing the two very different character voices. I always knew whose point of view I was reading from.
The book did have some interesting pacing. The first few chapters of the story are all time jumps. Then, once the book got started, there were still month long time jumps periodically. I do think it was done well, but I was caught off guard and it definitely left me slightly disoriented at the beginning. That being said, all of the actual relationship development happens on page.
These two getting together was hot. Anytime two main characters jump into semi-convenient hate sex, I am going to enjoy the story. I was almost reminded of Rachel Reid‘s Heated Rivalry (one of the greatest M/M romance books of all time).
"Just once." I smirk and pop open the button on his jeans. "Nah. This is going to happen many, many times.
Axel and Sebastian were forced together as (they believe) they are the only gay men in the car racing industry. The fact that both men were closeted and thought that they had to be in order to be successful in their industry felt very believable. The sport world is homophobic as a whole, but I would say that racing is notoriously conservative and anti-LGBTQ+. This is what initially connects the two. Along with falling in love with each other, these two men had to work on loving and accepting themselves. Axel, in particular, with his background in the foster care system had a lot of growing to do.
Overall, I liked the story. The tension was believable given the situation and the characters were very likeable and fun to read about. Axel and Sebastian were a great couple and the heat was real. I will definitely check out the next book in the series.
Have you read this one yet? If you have, let me know in the comments below what you thought of it! I would love to chat.
Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
1 thought on “The Pretty Boy vs The Bad Boy By Nicole Dykes – My Review”
Pingback: Best New Release M/M Romance Books in October 2023 | Girl Reads Guy on Guy