Royally Bad

Flite’s (Rock Me Deep) ridiculous contemporary series launch combines nonstop, over-the-top drama with steamy romance. Wedding dressmaker Sammy returns from New York to her Rhode Island hometown following her father’s mysterious death. She plans to launch a business and care for her ailing mother. Impetuous twins Frannie and Kain Badd soon descend upon her shop, demanding a wedding dress in two days and offering $20,000 for it. An instant crush on Kain spurs Sammy’s efforts to accommodate the family, which results in her serving as party planner and maid of honor. Then the police disrupt the festivities. After a brief stint in jail, she returns home and is attacked by a stranger; Kain rescues her and whisks her away to the luxurious Badd estate, where she drags him into bed and learns that his family are both royals (of some sort) and local crime lords. Charming leads and humorous action sequences offset the frequent need to suspend disbelief, as when Sammy uncomplainingly endures weeks of imprisonment chez Badd before discovering a subplot involving the Deep Shots, a rival gang. Flint introduces a number of brooding Badd siblings for future installments, though readers may not feel compelled to seek them out. Agent: Rebecca Friedman, Rebecca Friedman Literary. (Apr.)