The Bad Son    by Linda Warren Order:  USA  Can Harlequin, 2006 (2006) Paperback     Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton In the latest in a series featuring the McCain brothers, The Bad Son is Beau McCain, a successful lawyer with a good heart. Growing up, his father used to call him a bad son, for taking his mother's side in a nasty divorce, while another brother chose to live with their father. All his life Beau has liked Macy Randall - as they grew older like turned into love. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to reciprocate. Beau hasn't had any success with long-term relationships - he can't get Macy out of his mind. Macy has a secret about her short-lived marriage but hasn't told anyone, including her best friend Beau. This secret has prevented her from forming close relationships. While she loves Beau and considers him her best friend, she refuses to get any closer to him. She's afraid that her secret will cause him unhappiness and that she will ultimately lose him. In the meantime, Beau has decided to move away, and is about to accept a job in Dallas, many hours away from Waco. This means leaving family and friends, all of whom depend on him for many things. He has always kept his family together, and has helped friends - especially Macy - in times of need. Will Beau move to start a new life away from family and friends, or will he continue to live next door to the girl he's always loved, knowing his love will never be reciprocated? While I enjoyed the story, the dialog was occasionally stilted, the characters seemed sometimes to act unnaturally, and I felt the drama at the end was a bit much. On the other hand, I did enjoy all the story lines that wove in and around the main plot, especially the one that revolved around Beau's mother and her recent marriage to a younger man. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews