Bad Influence

I listened to the Audible version. I love the narration and even though there is a whole host of characters I never felt lost in the narration. This story has some very dramatic moments. Silver is a strong survivor but you can feel the wall he has built around himself. Zeb really seems to put his foot in from the moment they meet again. He seems to be his own worse enemy at times. I really wondered how these two would ever manage to get past their hang ups and baggage. This story shows that the struggle can sometimes be very real and heartbreaking. It also shows that while everything can sometimes turn out okay the past will still leave a lasting mark.

This book was different than the previous books in this series in that we only get Silver's POV rather than Zeb's too. I usually want dual POVs but only getting Silver's POV worked perfectly for this book. There was a lot to unpack with Silver as a character. He had been through a lot from the time he was a teenager to when we see him in this book and I think it was important to learn all of those things through his eyes. Zeb was an easy character to pull for because he as so calm and kind. He was patient in his quest to be in Silver's life and I think that is really what helped to start breaking down the walls that Silver had put up.

I like how much these books are intertwined with each other. In this book, we obviously see a lot of Eli and Quinn and I think that is another important piece to Silver letting people in. Eli is a force all by himself and he sort of makes Silver act like a friend and be a friend.

This is a pretty slow-burn story with Silver and Zeb really not completely connecting until later on in the book. However, it really works for this story and for the MCs and their history together. It was true to their characters and their situation!

*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review*

I have just loved this series, and this was no disappointment. Mitchell has really tugged at the heartstrings this time. I loved how she deals with real-life situations that occur, but people like to pretend they don’t. Homophobia is real, HIV is real, Teen homelessness is real, and teen sex is very real. I know some people have issues with teen sex, but it was a 17-year-old. I was that age myself, and I was into older men myself. It was only a 5-year gap. That isn’t nothing. So, if these issues bother you, this is not the book for you.

Jordan, aka Silver, was brought up by a horrible family that sent him to a camp to take the gay out of him. Such a ridiculous notion. He was caught having an affair with his teacher. They really cared for each other. But it all came to a halt when his family sent him away. So he ran away and became a homeless teenager that sold himself to survive. Then one night at the club, he sees this teacher again and freaks out.

Zeb, aka teacher, sees Jordan in the dance club and follows him out when he ran out. There’s a confrontation and the homophobic cops show up and arrest them both. Zeb struggles with why Jordan treats him so badly. It’s like Zeb is to blame for everything that’s happened to him. When the truth is, he lied to Zeb about his age all those years earlier.

I really love how the characters from previous books come together to help Silver cope with everything going on including his HIV diagnosis. This book deals with a lot of issues but is wrapped up in a pretty red bow. Blood family isn’t always best for people. The family we hand-pick and surround ourselves with can be more of a family than the one we were born into. HIV isn’t like it used to be. I love how his friends support him and don’t treat it like a death sentence. It’s not a death sentence anymore. There’s good medicine to keep it bay, and you can live your life as anyone else. Safe sex should be an everyday practice, so why do people have to act horribly.

Zeb and Silver go through a lot, but their love is there and will get them through some of the roughest life choices. This book proves to me that no matter the situation, no matter the terrible family dynamics and no matter your past, life can be good. You just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
Fourth book in the Bad in Baltimore series, which I’m really enjoying, and the one I was really looking forward to! This is Silver's book. He's been a bit of a side character, a lost boy, an enigma. He's been into porn and for hire as a homeless runaway, and we know of him only previously as one of Eli's friends who skates on the peripheral of the main group.

I've been intrigued by his character so was very happy to get his story. This book was really good, and I really felt for Silver and his backstory. He overcame so much and crawled his way out of a bad situation to a real job and a place to live and then gets busted on a technicality of a fraudulent license. Silver finds he has real friends, people who really care what happens, and he starts to believe he's worth something! It was a great "coming to realize that not everyone is out to hurt you" story. All spurred on by the love of his young life popping back up as a friend of a friend.

Zeb is the one who turned his back on Silver in his greatest time of need. Silver was Zeb's first boyfriend, and Zeb still regrets how things went down and with Silver running away. He sees a second chance to prove himself to Silver. I even found I liked Zeb, who had his own reasons for what he felt he had to do when Silver needed him most. The two have a slow burn that leads up to some fevered trysts in bathrooms and garages that burn up the pages.

My only complaint on this book is the overuse of descriptors and purple prose. I understand the scene setting but felt it a bit too much to weed through at times. The story kept me riveted even while I skimmed through the mundane details. The next book is Beauchamp's and that should be interesting!

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Bad Influence (Bad in Baltimore #4) by K.A. Mitchell to read and review.

Reviewed by Jenn for Diverse Reader

Bad Influence is book four in K.A. Mitchell’s Bad in Baltimore series and I loved it! While reading the series, I’ve been so interested in learning more about Silver and this is his story and it was worth the wait!

Jordan Barnett died when his parents kicked him out at 17 for being gay and Silver was born. Jordan was sheltered and from a very religious and influential family. Silver is a kid who has to do whatever is necessary to survive the streets of Baltimore.

Zebadiah Harris was the young man Jordan loved and the man he feels betrayed him. When a relationship starts with lies, it’s only a matter of time till it blows up in your face. When lies come to light, things for these young lovers quickly go seriously wrong. Now Zeb is in Baltimore and comes face to face with Silver, a person he knows so well and not at all at the same time. These two have common friends and keep running into each other and are put in a situation where they need to deal with the past. The time has come for all the lies and misunderstandings to be put to rest.

This is a series that I really love, it doesn’t shy away from anything. It doesn’t paint a picture perfect romance, but instead real stories of love and relationships. This book is at times heartbreaking, it’s always so hard to read about parents throwing away their children. Silver is no one’s victim though, he is strong, smart and most of all, a survivor. I love the message of redemption and forgiveness while still keeping the attitude that I’ve come to expect from this series. We get to catch up with the guys from the previous books and those are some of my favorite scenes. This is one to check out, you can read it as a stand-alone, but the other books are so good too! I recommend reading from the beginning! This is a book/series with everything, a lot of heart, heat, friendship and snark! All things I love in a book.

I love this series