Ain't Misbehaving

Everson, Texas #1

by Molly Cannon

Sometimes even good girls need to be a little bad . . .

Marla Jean Bandy might be down, but she's not out. Even though her no-good ex-husband left her for another woman-a Bookmobile-driving librarian twenty years her senior-Marla Jean won't settle for another lonely night. She's not ready for Mr. Right, but why not have a little fun with Mr. Right Now? The only wrench in her plan is her childhood crush, Jake-and the memory of the one toe-curling kiss they shared on a hot summer night years ago . . .

One look at Marla Jean is enough to make any red-blooded man sit up and take notice-especially the kind of man nice girls should avoid. Jake knows he should let her make her own mistakes, but he owes it to her brother to look after her. Trouble is, the harder he tries to do the right thing, the harder it is to resist Marla Jean. She needs a man to make her believe love will last, and for once in his life, Jake wonders if that could be him.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Humor, Friends To Lovers

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 26, 2012

About the author

Molly lives a charmed life in Texas with her husband, Mr. Wonderful and her extremely large cat Nelson. When she's not writing, she spends her days reading, taking dance classes with MW, and watching every kind of sporting event imaginable. Molly has three grown children, all married to terrific people and two wonderful grandchildren. Life is good!

Reviews

[Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun.

There were some things that would elicit anger, but Molly Cannon would construct a funny scene around it to keep it light.

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

DiDi's review posted on Guilty Pleasures

Excellent summer read!

Marla Jean is still reeling from her divorce, a divorce made worse because not only does she live in a small town, her ex cheated on her with the town librarian who is older than him. Marla Jean is ready to kick up her heels and have some fun. Linc, Marla Jean’s older brother, asked Jake to keep an eye on Marla Jean while he is away on his honeymoon. When Jake happens to see Marla Jean out on the town with all the single men sniffing around her, he realizes he has to step in and save her from herself. Little did Jake know, his long buried feelings for Marla Jean would surface and test the limits of his lifelong friendship and heart.

Marla Jean is reinventing herself, moving on from the embarrassment of her divorce and tired of receiving nothing but pitying looks from everyone in town. When Jake comes charging in while she is with the town man-whore Donny Joe, she realizes her feelings for Jake are no longer the simple school girl crush, she has 100% adult lustful feelings for him. All Marla Jean wants is meaningless sex because she isn’t ready for more, thinking that is what every man wants she decides to make a move on Jake, which sends Jake running for the hills. The story that unfolds is full of uh-ohs, passion, laughter and a comedy of errors for Marla Jean which has the small town gossip in running wild with rumors that Marla Jean is turning into a drinking, bar hopping bully with plots to destroy her ex-husband’s new woman.

Marla Jean is a sassy, smart mouth small town girl, determined to make it on her own. The banter between Marla Jean and Jake is priceless. I absolutely LOVE Jake, he is 100% corn fed, country boy, with a healthy dose of mama’s boy thrown in. The conversations and teasing between Jake and his mama had me cracking up. Ain’t Misbehaving isn’t all laughs though, there are some heartbreaking and tender scenes. Jake’s evolving relationship with his younger brother was sweet and painful.

There are so many funny parts in this book, I don’t want to go into detail or quote, because I believe they are best experienced as you read them…but to whet your curiosity here are a few clues:

* A TEXAS size homecoming mum
* A bathroom door, Marla Jean and her ex’s new woman
* Dreams, pain killers, a man waking you up, and a feisty female’s fist
* A sexy country boy who names his vehicles
* Donuts, ex-husbands, protective brother-like friends, and single suitors

A couple more my favorite scenes involve a country boy having his hair shampooed in a barber shop by the women he is lusting after and the moment while making love that said country boy realizes he has fallen in love.
Make my heart melt quote:
“He kissed her, knowing his heart would almost certainly be broken before they were done with each other. But for now, he kissed her, placing his pitiful heart in her hands.”

If you are looking for a light hearted book, full of small town charm, laughs and passion, you won’t want to miss Ain’t Misbehaving! Molly Cannon is a new author and is one who to watch for. I cannot wait for Donny Joe’s book and I am hoping that Theo gets his own book. I have seen early reviews that say if you like Kristin Higgins and Susan Elizabeth Phillips you will like Ain’t Misbehaving. I agree, I also feel that Molly Cannon’s style will also appeal to fans of Christie Craig, Robin Kaye and Rachel Gibson.

[Tori Macallister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ain't Misbehaving by Molly Cannon (Grand Central Publishing, June 26, 2012)

Sweet, small-town romances are a hot seller (interestingly right alongside erotica which is also reaching new heights with the ebook market). I'm sure we could analyze this to death - people want a connection with others, in a tough economy a small town represents caring for each other, the trend of returning to rural roots, etc. With all these reasons in mind, I predict audiences are going to love Ain't Misbehaving , a sweet debut offering by new author Molly Cannon.

The book sucks you in with a great opening. Recent divorcee and hair stylist Marly Jean Bandy is in the truck of local handsome bachelor-about-town trying to work up the enthusiasm to have sex, but it's just not happening for her. Her spirit was crushed when her husband left her, and not for the cuter, younger secretary. Oh no, he left her for the older, dowdier bookmobile-driving librarian in town and they are now passionately in love. Ouch.

Marly Jean's self-esteem has certainly taken a hit, but even she realizes she hasn't been in love with her husband for a while, and something more physical seems like a good way to ease back into the dating scene. But no sooner does she start telling her non-erotic partner that tonight will not be his lucky night that her brother's best friend, Jake, practically wrenches the door off its hinges.

She's had a crush on Jake for years, but as her brother's best friend Marly Jean knows she's practically radioactive to him. To say nothing of the fact that Jake's father left him with severe emotional scars and as a result, Jake changes out bed partners like a manicurist changes nail polish. Yet all the time Marly Jean is dipping her toe in the dating waters, Jake is thwarting her at every turn. Even hot kissing doesn't change his mind. What is up with him?

This was a delight to read. Great humor and a fresh approach to small-town romance always make for a book that puts a smile on your face while you read it. I always fall for the good friend trope and Jake is a good friend, just one with a lot of emotional baggage. The small town atmosphere is extremely well done, demonstrating how everyone knows everyone's business, and how you end up having to live with people even after they hurt you, so respect and honesty are important. I appreciated how Cannon handled the ex-husband and his lover; no one was a villain here, just normal, basically nice people occasionally making selfish decisions for good reasons.

Even though the hero and heroine don't have sex (making this a sweet romance), there is sexual tension like you wouldn't believe and all that angst was very gratifying. Any author who can make a massive make out session in a bed hot while one of the characters is wearing a walking boot on their foot and on painkillers gets my hat doffed to them. *doffs hat*

If I have any complaint to make, it's that Cannon's website and blog mention that this book is part of a series, yet no indication of that series name or when the next book is to be published can be found on amazon or Goodreads. This is a big no-no; there are readers who won't touch a book that's not part of a series and I think that Molly Cannon should trumpet those facts to the hills to get a bigger readership. Ain't Misbehaving deserves it!

This review originally published on http://www.torimacallister.com

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ain't Misbehaving was a cute and funny contemporary romance. It had good, likeable characters who had plenty of baggage to overcome. The storyline was interesting, and I loved the small town setting and all of the secondary characters with their foibles. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Marla Jean Bandy's self confidence took a hit when her husband left her for a woman twenty years her senior. She is ready for a little romance, but backs out when she finds herself in a clinch with a local bachelor. She is rescued from her embarrassing situation by her brother's best friend, Jake. Jake has promised to look after her while her brother is out of town. Jake is very drawn to Marla Jean, but he doesn't feel that he is capable of a relationship and is convinced he's not good enough for Marla. As Jake and Marla, who have known one another for years, start to develop romantic feelings for one another, the story is both touching and funny.

I found Marla and Jake to be sympathetic characters who were easy to like. I thought they were good for one another and enjoyed watching their relationship develop. I look forward to read about other characters in their town. I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley.

[Jerrie Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy a fresh voice, laugh out loud sense of humor, and characters you can learn to love then you'll enjoy this new book. I liked Marla Jean, rooted for Jake, and the brother Linc reminded me of my own overprotective sibling!

I won't detail the story but will say the industry needed another author who could tell a great story and brighten your day at the same time.

I was delighted to discover her next release is about one of my favorite characters in the book. Glad he gets his own happy ending!

[Sue Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book. Marla Jean gets into some interesting situations. She really didn't mean to hit her ex-husbands fiancé in the face with a door! Then she breaks her toes and in comes Jake to the rescue. I think you can figure the rest out for yourselves. But I did enjoy this book and would suggest you read it too.

[Jacquie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!, best fun I've had reading a book in a long time. It was funny, sweet and sexy, can't wait for the second instalment

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really cute. I enjoyed the small-town setting. Jake knows what he wants, and he's set his sights on Marla Jean. Perfect for an afternoon of sitting outside.

[Julie Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marla Jean has not had a good year. She has had a rocky marriage and now has been divorced for a year. To make matters worse the husband who had professed to have loved hear for years had been cheating on her with the women who ran the bookmobile Ms Compton.A women who was 20 yrs Marla Jean's senior. In this small town everyone knows everybody and she is tired of hearing poor Marla Jean. So she is hurt over the lost relationship, her ego has been hit and to top it off she is lonely. So we start off with Marla Jean at a bar (Lu Lu's). She really just wants to get back in the saddle, if you know what I mean. So after dancing and flirting with all the eligible guys in town, finding herself in a car about to do something that she hadn't in a long while. Jake, is Marla's brothers (Lincoln) best friend. She has known him her whole life and has had a crush on him for all of her teenage years and here he is pulling her out of Donnie's truck. She is relieved (wasn't truly wanting Donnie), but is mad that he is just "watching" her for her big brother. The book is basically about these two characters fighting their attractions to each other. Marla Jean, not thinking she wants anything serious and just wanting some meaningless sex. Jake is very attracted to Marla but she is also very off limits being his best friends little sister. Evan though she is an adult and can make her own decisions. So they go through the story fighting their attractions tooth and nail. Marla Jean fighting with her EX, dealing with a business, dealing with ex's new girl friend who also just happens to be Jake's Aunt. It makes for some very comical situations.

The book starts off a little slow. Learning about the town, what and who the characters are. They are well developed and Marla Jean is very likable. She is shown in the wrong lite to the town and is constantly either hurting herself or someone else. Never out of malice but is all ways shown as the jilted wife and is humiliated. You feel very sorry for her ex specially when she is constantly being interrupted by family, when all she wants is a little nookie! Her ex, is very self absorbed and now that he is divorced has nothing to do with Marla Jean unless it is to but in were not wanted. The story is very cute. Lots of comedy, situational mostly. I will a admit I even shed a couple tears. My only complaint if I was was to have any at all, would be the sex scene was a little under whelming. You know the 2 main characters are going to get together and should. When they do the sex is is quick when I was waiting for hot and steamy. So if you are looking for a hot and steamy..this is not it. There is tons of sexual tension and lots of wanting! Not my favorite book but very good overall. I would defiantly read this author again and it is defiantly worth the read.

[Sherri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads so I felt compeled to finish it although I found it difficult at times to keep trudging through. I found myself rolling my eyes and getting annoyed every time the author wanted to explain an emotion or feeling (i.e. "The vision of Bradley keeping his aunt warm at night made him feel queasy -- like he'd swallowed a spoonful of warm grease."). Everything seemed a little over-explained. It kind of reminded me of when I had to write a 3 page book report, but when I finished I only had 1 page....I would just keep adding words here and there until I made it. This book is like that. An 'okay' first book for a new author, but probably not 'okay' enough to compel me to read a second.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a light enjoyable and entertaining read. It had the right amount of romance and humor in it. It had a nice down home southern flavor to it completed with a town full of two name monikers. The story was about a man attached to being a bachelor, Jake, and a woman, Marla Jean, suddenly finding herself single once again and decides to fling herself into the single and ready to mingle lifestyle. Things are also a little more complicated since Marla is the younger sister of Jake's best friend. Some truly hilarious and tender romantic moments follow their story. I plan to search for more works by author Molly Cannon. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the story itself wasn't bad, this book fell out of the cliche tree and hit every branch on the way down: character names were SOOOO southern; epithets uttered by our heroine when she got frustrated were even funkier than "well butter my biscuit and call me patsy" (or other such silly epithets); her Mama's southern cooking was mentioned too many times to count.... EVERY time the Hero came through the door, the Heroine waxed poetic about his long denim-covered legs and his cowboy hat..... OY! Enough already!

Silly read, probably won't be looking for another by this author. But, it wasn't awful either.

[Katreniah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! Usually with romance novels this size, I'm ready for the story to end long before the final page. In this case, I was entertained, amused, and even moved throughout the entire story.

[KarenH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, great narrator!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! My first book by Molly Cannon and definitely not my last!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by Molly Cannon and now I want to finish the series.
This book revolves around a small town and the gossip about Marla Jean being dumped by her husband, for Libby, an older woman, who happened to be related to Jake.
I felt bad for Marla, because all the people, in the small town, wouldn't stop talking about what happened. And her ex-husband was a little mean to her. Marla didn't feel like her old self; it was hard for her to cope, being that she knew Libby. And it was hard because Bradley, her ex, and Libby also lived in the same town. I love that she got to tell her Bradley off.
And then there was Jake. He's Marla's brother's best friend. Lincoln asked Jake to watch his sister, make sure she didn't do anything rash. Along the way, Jake fell in love with Marla, but he sworn off relationships and marriage. He felt that he would be like his old man.
But, Marla Jean won him.

[Lori Tremain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marla is trying to live with the fact that her husband left her for an older woman. She tries to go out, have meaningless sex but doesn't feel any passion. Jake a friend of her brothers, and the guy she had secretly has had a crush on, rescues her on more then one occasion as she is constantly finding herself in trouble. Jake believes love is overrated and is not interested. The two deal with their problems and come to know each other in a different way. The story takes place in Texas but not trait a cowboy book.

[Cher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really adored this book. It's sweet, adorable and I will be rereading this again.

[jill hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect love story!!!! A new Author for me I look forward to more by this Author.

[Nessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring but ok. There is nothing special or exciting about this book but it was still a decent read. This book has a basic plot. It’s a quick mindless read that is enjoyable.

[Stephanie Clapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

[Dee Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fun Ride

If you are looking for a few giggles and a fun read this is your choice. A small little towns comics

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing special, just a cute small town romance 🤠💖 brothers best friend, small town cowboys, minimal conflict, and HEA 🫶🏼 read it in a couple hours and it was fun

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ho-hum. Not a great deal of passion or heart. Likeable characters, but forgettable.

[Nikki Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anyone thinks small towns aren't exciting, they don't live in Marla Jean Bandy's town...though I can't imagine she'd think the situation is exciting. No, for Marla Jean, it's quite infuriating, humiliating, and down right messed up.

One could say Marla Jean is a woman scorned. It's not easy living in the same town with her ex husband and new girlfriend. With mixed up emotions, Marla Jean gets herself into some not so great situations. She doesn't expect any saving, yet there is her brother's good friend, Jake, coming to her rescue it seems, at every turn. Marla Jean cracks me up! I can't imagine what she's going through, but she sure seems to keep her chin up, even though there's feelings buried within her that are just aching to explode. She's a strong heroine, one that I admire and really rooted for. She deserves a break after the things she's endured. Come on, Marla Jean for the win!

Jake doesn't even know what he's getting into. He's keeping an eye out on Marla Jean, which is...well, not the easiest thing to do at the moment. She's bound and determined to have her a little fun, and get into some trouble too. Can anyone blame her? I admire Jake for being there for her. Marla Jean and her divorce are quite the profilic news in town, and people are taking sides.

I love the talk in this book! There's words used such as "tarnation" and other words that cracked me up. This book is light and funny, but it's also a story about love, second chances, forgiving, and moving on. The characters jump out and are not easily going to be forgotten. Marla Jean and Jake both grow as characters in the book, and reading their unfolding love story led me on an adventure of happy smiles and a few tears, too. Molly Cannon's Ain't Misbehavin' is a sparkling sensation. The writing is witty, smooth and fantastic. I eagerly anticipate more from this author. Ain't Misbehaving is a charming debut! I highly recommend this book!

Originally posted at Storm Goddess Book Reviews & more

[Christi Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review:

Marla Jean is tired of staying home and feeling sorry for herself after her high school sweetheart and husband of 6 years suddenly fell in love with the 50 something town librarian. In this small town, it's hard to escape that humiliation, but Marla Jean is determined. That and she wants to have sex again. She's not looking for anything deep. She had deep and look at what that got her. At this point, she just wants to have a good time.

But standing in her way is Jake, her brother's best friend and the guy that he left in charge to "watch over her". Unfortunately, he's taking that job way to seriously which is making waves with her renewed possibility of a sex life. Plus, as the one guy who's always been the object of her teenage crush, he's making unwanted waves with her heart too.

For Jake, he never plans to be "that guy" for any girl, although if anyone could tempt him, it would be Marla Jean. His parents had a really awful marriage and he knows how badly his mother was hurt because of that. He never wants to subject another woman to that type of pain. As a result, he's resolved himself to a life of meaningless affairs.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable small town contemporary romance. I'd highly recommend you add it to your summer reading if you enjoy contemporary reading. There are lots of small-town quirks in this one and a slew of fun characters. I really liked both Jake and Marla Jean. They were a fun couple even if they were pretty stubborn about the ability for their romance to survive.

I definitely will be reading more of Molly's books and cannot wait for Donny Joe's book, Pillow Talk.

[Sharon Redfern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marla Jean is determined to move on with her life after her husband ditches her for the town librarian- a woman 20 years older. She goes out and decides she is going to have fun with local Lothario Donnie Joe, only to have her hot and heavy make out session interrupted by her childhood crush, Jake. Jake is also her brother Linc's best friend and has committed to keeping Marla Jean safe while Linc is away. Both Marla Jean and Jake fight their obvious attraction through most of the book with occasional sexy lapses.

Being a librarian of a certain age, I have to admit I was intrigued by the premise of the book but disturbed by the way it seemed that the whole town had just forgiven the two cheaters and left Marla Jean with virtually nothing- both financially and in terms of her self respect. The issue does get addressed later in the story in a way that is satisfactory for the reader. Jake is in a double bind having feelings for Marla Jean and being the nephew of the librarian. It was interesting to read a book where you had some sympathy for the other woman because you saw her through her family's eyes.

Jake is a genuinely nice guy who takes his friendship with Marla Jean seriously and Marla Jean is a sweetie who has had a rough time and deserves someone sexy like Jake to make her see that there is still a life out there for her.

I especially enjoyed some of Marla Jean’s creative cursing. How often do you hear a character say “ poop faced son of a dodo bird”. This was a fun read with a nice romance and a happy ending all the way around. (Just a note- Donny Joe has his own book coming out in April 2013 and from the excerpt it looks pretty good!)

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the Hachette Book Group through a First Reads giveaway, thank you!

The best description I can give this book is that it's a more mature (if you know what I mean), Texas style, Nicholas Sparks-esque romance!

From the description, I really thought this book was going to be full of one night stands before the main character got to her man. Based on what I could see from the cover, I was really on the fence about whether or not I was going to like it. That will teach me to judge a book by it's cover! I loved this book!

Everything about this book was great. The main character is a sweet woman, there's sexual tension, the sex isn't so graphic you'd be ashamed to read it, there's romance... heck, I darn near fell in love with the main man myself! I even felt like I had been immersed deep in the heart of Texas. Every bit of the language sounded just like my family from there (which isn't a surprise, seeing as the author lives there). I'll definitely be checking out more books by this author in the future :)

Note, the book is advertised as part of a series, the next being Crazy Little Thing Called Love. After reading this book and the description of the next I don't know that you'd really call it a series but rather a spin-off. Donny Joe of Crazy Little Thing Called Love is a character in Ain't Misbehaving but not a main character. I felt Ain't Misbehaving was wrapped up quite nicely and could be read just fine on it's own.

[Aislynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things for Marla Jean have not been going her way. Her husband has left her for an older woman and she’s had to move home with her parents. Can she pick up the pieces of her life and back on her feet? Is she willing to open up her heart again and potentially get hurt? When Jake, the boy she was head over heels as a child comes back on her radar; everything changes.

Jake has decided to take on the ‘big brother’ role while Marla’s own brother is out of town. While attempting to kibosh a potentially bad situation, Jake gets an earful from Marla. Who would rather he just back off! She has a brother and doesn’t need another one. Which made for some entertaining banter between those two.

This was a really cute, fun, quick read. I liked the interaction between Marla and Jake, who are fighting with how they feel about one another. I really felt for Marla Jean, who is going through a really bad divorce and seeing her ex with his new lady love all around town. Who also can’t seem to get over the fact that Marla wants to move on with her life.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, it’s a book you could pick up on a rainy cold night for a light read. The characters are fun, easy to connect with and the writing flows really well. Would I read more by Molly? Most definitely! I love quick, easy, fun, light hearted book. It’s great to have a few tucked on my shelf for the right moment.

[Jo Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, and honestly, I think this was an okay book. Marla Jean Bandy, the main character, is recovering from her recent divorce from her ex-husband, Bradley, who left her for a librarian, Libby, who is 54-years-old. Then, there's Abel Jacobson (Jake), her brother's best friend, and he always seems to play her Knight in shining armor. At times, I thought the book moved kind of slow and took awhile to get into the action, but when it did get to the good stuff, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Marla Jean is a unique woman; she wants everyone to stop feeling sorry for her and the divorce, but she's entitled to feel sorry for herself, and that's what it felt like throughout the first part of the novel. My most favorite part of this book were the relationships that Cannon established; for example, Marla and Lincoln (her brother), Marla and Dinah (her sister-in-law), and even Marla and Jake. I also loved how the divorce seemed realistic in this book; I like how she had Bradley "worried" about who Marla Jean was hanging out with. To me, the book was slow at times, but overall, I thought it was a cute book and I really enjoyed its outcome.

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