It’s a little dusty in here, but I’m finally back in the Smut Vault, baby! Sarah Bailey put out the bat signal for another one of her Erotic Romance short novels, and here I am to give it a spin. Let’s get right back in the groove with some high intensity fornicatin’ (British style) y’all!
Dirty Judge by Sarah Bailey tells the story of Matilda Evans, soon to be known to us as Tilly, who is a legal court administrator beginning a new job at a new courthouse. Starting somewhere new can be a stressful circumstance for anyone, but there’s an extra layer to the drama that’s quickly discovered. Adrian Sanders, the boy next door during Matilda’s childhood (and a handful of years her senior), has become a District Judge and will be working directly with the poor girl going forward. Adrian rightly suppressed his potential feelings for Tilly all those years ago thanks to the age difference, but now that they’ve both reached adulthood, is there even the slightest chance this relationship could stay professional?
Fuck no.
With any Sarah Bailey romance, you know there’s going to be a level of depth, but for Dirty Judge it’s probably about as thin as this author is willing to take it. I know what that must sound like, as “thin” might not be a word you use when trying to describe something reverentially, but hear me out for a second. Tilly and Adrian built up a rapport over the years before this moment that could only be described as love. Certainly, it’s not the love that we understand through the sex and life building that takes place in the story, but the love the characters have for each other was already there. Over the last few writings I’ve received from this author, there’s been a priority on describing love before the people can fully understand what it means to them as adults. The childhood moments described between Tilly and Adrian while brief, are to my mind more touching than the expression they share as adults. With no need to build up the wild antics or hurdles that stand in the way of adult romance, the pages of Dirty Judge can be more for the celebration of finding that love that was thought to be lost and making up for lost time. For anyone lucky enough to remember a special person from their childhood that you know deep down could have been the real thing if everything worked out a certain way, this story is a monument to that special brand of “what if” love.
Verdict: Dirty Judge by Sarah Bailey is a special style of erotic romance that focuses on the celebration of an unlikely love story. The characters don’t need to question their feelings for one another, as they’ve been in love for longer than they can both remember. This is a love story where the characters are finally rewarded for doing the right thing. The physical intimacy itself is steamy, creative, and appropriately intense as years upon years of denial and frustration could be washed away by finding that love you always knew you deserved. The challenges of the adult relationship seem minor and fleeting and that’s perhaps by design. This love feels so strong that nothing could upset the proverbial apple cart, and isn’t that what we all want in the first place? Your honor I’d like to make a motion, and it’s to have more love stories like Dirty Judge in the future. Court adjourned!
Special thanks to Sarah Bailey for providing an advance review copy of Dirty Judge to TehBen.com. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Author’s Twitter: @sbaileyauthor
Purchase Link: Amazon
TEHBEN.COM 