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Rock Canyon, Idaho #1
Things Good Girls Don't Do
Good girls don't steal.
Good girls don't visit sex shops.
Good girls don't have one-night stands.
For Katie Conners, being a good girl just isn't worth it anymore. It used to mean getting the life she always wanted. But that was before she got dumped and her ex got engaged to his rebound. So, after a bad day and one too many mojitos, Katie starts making a list of things a girl like her would never do, not in a million years . . .
As a tattoo artist with a monster motorcycle, Chase Trepasso isn't the kind of guy you bring home to mom and dad.
And when he finds Katie's list in a bar, he's more than happy to help her check off a few items. Especially the ones on the naughtier side . . .
Katie's more than tempted by Chase's offer, as long as they keep things uncomplicated. But as they spend more time together, she may just wind up breaking the most important rule of all: Good girls don't fall in love with bad boys.
Good girls don't visit sex shops.
Good girls don't have one-night stands.
For Katie Conners, being a good girl just isn't worth it anymore. It used to mean getting the life she always wanted. But that was before she got dumped and her ex got engaged to his rebound. So, after a bad day and one too many mojitos, Katie starts making a list of things a girl like her would never do, not in a million years . . .
As a tattoo artist with a monster motorcycle, Chase Trepasso isn't the kind of guy you bring home to mom and dad.
And when he finds Katie's list in a bar, he's more than happy to help her check off a few items. Especially the ones on the naughtier side . . .
Katie's more than tempted by Chase's offer, as long as they keep things uncomplicated. But as they spend more time together, she may just wind up breaking the most important rule of all: Good girls don't fall in love with bad boys.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2013
141 people are currently reading
2042 people want to read
About the author
Codi Gary
32 books980 followersFrom the time I could put a Disney Book cassette into my little stereo,and read along, books have held a fantastic distraction. When I was eleven, I decided I wanted to be one of those magical people that brought stories to life. Devouring a book a day sometimes, my first romance novel stuck with me. I've always been a sucker for a happy ending (and the great romantic gesture)and that's what I try to put into my stories. I am so honored to be a part of Avon, and am so excited to have my own dreams coming true.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
November 20, 2015
Check out my Release Day Blog Tour post where you can read the entire first chapter and order the book! http://blithelybookish.blogspot.com/2...
Things Good Girls Don’t Do is a fun, sexy, romantic story about living life on your own terms, even if it means disappointing those around you.
The Story:
Katie Connors has spent her entire life living up to everyone else’s expectations of what being a “good girl” means: Good girls don’t steal. Good girls don’t visit sex shops. Good girls don’t have one-night stands. They practice good decorum, never make a scene in public, never talk back to their elders… in Katie’s world, the list of what she can do is far shorter than the list of what she can’t. Even now that her mother has passed away, Katie continues living by the standards that were instilled in her, practically from birth, but after being dumped by her longtime, cheating, lying boyfriend, she starts to wonder if all the effort she’s put into being good has been worth it.
Enter Chase Trepasso.
Chase has a reputation totally the opposite of Katie’s. He owns a tattoo shop, rides a motorcycle, dresses in jeans and t-shirts, and is considered by the small town and its small-minded people to be nothing but trouble. He knows Katie’s a good girl, not at all someone who would be interested in a guy like him, but there something about her that draws him in. When he runs into her at a local bar and finds her making a list of all the things a good girl like her would never, ever do, he can’t stop himself from offering to help check each item off of her list.
Katie knows she should run the other way, but Chase’s teasing and tempting offer set something off inside her. A need to prove that she can break rules, that she can be naughty. Sometimes. And as long as she can keep her heart out of it, everything will be just fine.
And we all know how that’ll work out, right?
My Thoughts:
This is such a fun, sassy, sexy, romantic story! I’m a fan of small-town romances, and this one has the elements I most enjoy – close friends, people you’ve grown up with, quaint traditions… but there’s also the less appealing side of small town life. Busy bodies, people who know everyone’s business – or want to – and think it’s their job to keep everyone in line and, honestly, I do wish there had been a bit less of the confrontations between Katie and Mrs. Andrews. That said, watching Chase and Katie 'do their own thing,’ despite the interference from well meaning friends, was at times beautiful, at times funny, and at other times, very hot.
The Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of Contemporary Romances set in small towns, and if you want characters you can fall in love with and happily ever afters you can believe in, you’ll definitely want to give this story a read. It’s not too light, not too angsty, just a comfortable, feel good story.
Note: I’m not sure if this is book 1 or 1.5 in a series, but there was a short story in the Kiss Me anthology directly connected to this book. That said, both are wonderful stories and work well on their own.
Update from the author: "It's technically not a series, they are stand alones based in the same town, but you can call them Rock Canyon Romances. :)"
My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2020
I like Miss Gary's books. Out of curiosity, I pick up this book. And I am so disappointed. Really I am.
The plot is flat, boring and one dimensional. The characters do not have any chemistry. Its even weird seeing they end up in love with each other. I think Miss Gary tries to bring out opposite atrract trope into the story but ends up really poorly.
I do not like Kathy. She is very very annoying. Chase is very confusing, weak character instead of being bad boy as promised.
Overall I am disappointed.
2 stars
The plot is flat, boring and one dimensional. The characters do not have any chemistry. Its even weird seeing they end up in love with each other. I think Miss Gary tries to bring out opposite atrract trope into the story but ends up really poorly.
I do not like Kathy. She is very very annoying. Chase is very confusing, weak character instead of being bad boy as promised.
Overall I am disappointed.
2 stars
September 16, 2013
Check out this review and others at Badass Book Reviews.
Things Good Girls Don't Do was entertaining if unoriginal. First I thought it was going to be 'New Adult' (the woman in the cover looks young) but it turned out the heroine was in her 30s. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing - New Adult is a hit and miss for me - but the behavior of the heroine didn't seem to match her age. She was so hung up on what her mother wanted for her instead of thinking for herself that she seemed a person in the cusp of adulthood instead of a grown woman.
Katie has been a good girl all her life. Her mother had Victorian ideas as to the way a lady should behave and being a good daughter, Katie always tries to follow her precepts. This means that she's always respectful of her elders - no matter how out of line they are - and pretty much lets people walk all over her. After she loses the man she's been dating for 7-years, Katie makes a list of things 'good girls don't do.' Chase - our tattooed bad boy - finds the list and offers Katie some help with checking some of the items.
Chase and Katie go about checking the items in a nonchalant way, which robbed the book of some of its spiciness. After the first one, the love scenes were all fade to black including some of the items in the list - why have a list in a book if you're not going to have the main characters check the items? The plot became more of a 'close minded town people gang up on tattooed bad boy' which was so stereotyped and trite. Definitely nothing I haven't seen better done in dozens of other books.
I would have liked to know more about Chase's life as a comic artist but that was barely glossed over. I also would have liked if Katie's mother had been alive - I like characters that decide to live their lives instead of just changing when their mother is not around to disapprove.
Overall, not a completely waste of time but the romance lacked some depth. Picked it up only if you want something light to pass an afternoon.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Avon Impulse for providing a review copy of this book!
Things Good Girls Don't Do was entertaining if unoriginal. First I thought it was going to be 'New Adult' (the woman in the cover looks young) but it turned out the heroine was in her 30s. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing - New Adult is a hit and miss for me - but the behavior of the heroine didn't seem to match her age. She was so hung up on what her mother wanted for her instead of thinking for herself that she seemed a person in the cusp of adulthood instead of a grown woman.
Katie has been a good girl all her life. Her mother had Victorian ideas as to the way a lady should behave and being a good daughter, Katie always tries to follow her precepts. This means that she's always respectful of her elders - no matter how out of line they are - and pretty much lets people walk all over her. After she loses the man she's been dating for 7-years, Katie makes a list of things 'good girls don't do.' Chase - our tattooed bad boy - finds the list and offers Katie some help with checking some of the items.
Chase and Katie go about checking the items in a nonchalant way, which robbed the book of some of its spiciness. After the first one, the love scenes were all fade to black including some of the items in the list - why have a list in a book if you're not going to have the main characters check the items? The plot became more of a 'close minded town people gang up on tattooed bad boy' which was so stereotyped and trite. Definitely nothing I haven't seen better done in dozens of other books.
I would have liked to know more about Chase's life as a comic artist but that was barely glossed over. I also would have liked if Katie's mother had been alive - I like characters that decide to live their lives instead of just changing when their mother is not around to disapprove.
Overall, not a completely waste of time but the romance lacked some depth. Picked it up only if you want something light to pass an afternoon.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Avon Impulse for providing a review copy of this book!
December 26, 2013
Loved this book and the whole idea of the list of things that "good girls don't do". I could relate to Katie and the expectations in her life and Chase is very swoon worthy. I was rooting for them the whole time and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if they could get past their differences.
June 2, 2020
I thought that this book was good and it was fast paced
September 25, 2013
I simply loved this book. Codi Gary delivers an unexpected hero who made me smile and laugh all the way through, a fun heroine I cheered on, and a perfect cast of characters. I absolutely fell in love with Chase and Katie. Add me to the Codi Gary Fan Club. I can't wait for more!
August 17, 2013
Katie is a good girl; polite, respectful and she feels a little like a doormat. When she gets a wedding invitation to her ex-boyfriend’s nuptials she decides enough is enough and makes a list of all the things she wanted to do growing up that her mother said good girls didn’t do. When a sexy tattoo artist gets his hands on the list he decides that he is more than up for the job of helping this good girl take a walk on the wild side.
When we first meet Katie I must say, I didn’t like her. In fact after about 30 pages I still wasn’t a big fan of hers and put the book down for a bit before I went back to read more and I am really glad I did. Katie is such a good girl that (in the beginning of the book) she would never lose her temper, didn’t stand up for herself, let people treat her poorly and seemed a little weak willed. However, once Chase talks her into following through with some of the items on her list she starts to become stronger and is more fun to read about. At first she gets a little out of hand as she starts spouting whatever she is thinking but she learns to balance politeness and assertiveness to grow into a strong young woman.
Chase is also a lot of fun. While his wallowing in the ‘I’m not good enough for her’ camp did become annoying I could see where he would feel that way. My main issue with that was that he and Katie never address it. He talks about his concerns with his step-father but he never really opens up to Katie about why he acts the way he does. I would have loved a heart to heart between them really talking about their insecurities.
While it isn’t listed as being part of a series there was a novella printed before this one featuring the location and some of the characters in this book. I haven’t read it so I don’t think they need to be read in order to make sense but if you like to start at the very beginning, know it’s out there. I do hope there are many more written about the characters in this town. The location itself was almost like a character as it is such a small town that everyone is in everyone’s business and secrets are hard to keep. We were dropped little bread crumbs about an anonymous gossip writer for the paper as well as several characters that need their own HEA. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.
When we first meet Katie I must say, I didn’t like her. In fact after about 30 pages I still wasn’t a big fan of hers and put the book down for a bit before I went back to read more and I am really glad I did. Katie is such a good girl that (in the beginning of the book) she would never lose her temper, didn’t stand up for herself, let people treat her poorly and seemed a little weak willed. However, once Chase talks her into following through with some of the items on her list she starts to become stronger and is more fun to read about. At first she gets a little out of hand as she starts spouting whatever she is thinking but she learns to balance politeness and assertiveness to grow into a strong young woman.
Chase is also a lot of fun. While his wallowing in the ‘I’m not good enough for her’ camp did become annoying I could see where he would feel that way. My main issue with that was that he and Katie never address it. He talks about his concerns with his step-father but he never really opens up to Katie about why he acts the way he does. I would have loved a heart to heart between them really talking about their insecurities.
While it isn’t listed as being part of a series there was a novella printed before this one featuring the location and some of the characters in this book. I haven’t read it so I don’t think they need to be read in order to make sense but if you like to start at the very beginning, know it’s out there. I do hope there are many more written about the characters in this town. The location itself was almost like a character as it is such a small town that everyone is in everyone’s business and secrets are hard to keep. We were dropped little bread crumbs about an anonymous gossip writer for the paper as well as several characters that need their own HEA. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.
June 27, 2025
A totally predictable, but cute, RomCom.
Katie Connors (30, hairdresser) is her small town’s resident “good girl” who never strays outside the proper lines her strict mother set for her. Now she’s fresh out of a seven-year relationship, and ready to start doing all the things she shouldn’t do. Insert the town’s most vanilla “bad boy” to ever exist, Chase Trepasso (33, owns tattoo parlor, drives a motorcycle). Chase offers to help Katie shed some of her wholesome reputation and they start a sweet little fling that both agree is just casual. Things are pretty cookie cutter from there.
The town accuses Chase of corrupting Katie, the town judges Katie for dating him, Katie doubts herself and their relationship, Chase doesn’t think he’s good enough, the ex wants Katie back, someone pushes the other away, a death, and then reconciliation for a HEA.
So – there are things I enjoyed about it. One of them is the FMC!!!!
KATIE: Surprisingly, Katie had moments of badassery. I know!!! I’m just as shocked as you are. Every time one of the predictable moments would happen, she would stand her ground and speak up for herself immediately, without having the whole, "maybe they’re right" self-doubt. I loved her new attitude.
CHASE: Like I said – he’s the most vanilla bad boy I’ve ever read. Besides having tattoos and riding a motorcycle, he was a perfect gentleman. He's pretty damn sweet, too.
SEX: As with most of these RomCom fics, there isn't any filthy sex. It’s what I would consider G rated, everyone else would say PG-13. First time at 44% and the second time was at 68%. Both were basically two pumps and done. Everything else was off page, including the handcuff scene we were teased with.
WHAT I LIKED: I loved the fact that I didn't hate the FMC. Yes, there was a lot of predictability, Katie would constantly recall her mother's judgy words, but then she would always stand her ground and make the right decision. I also liked the fact that both MCs are in their 30s. That's a rarity. Katie also didn't have big self-conscious moments. She didn't think she was too fat or not sexy enough. I think Katie is what I appreciated the most and why I gave this 3 stars.
OW/OM DRAMA: Katie’s ex does keep coming back, but she never once gives him the time of day and always puts him firmly in his place. Katie does get a little jealous a few times just by seeing another woman in Chase’s vicinity, but the situations are quickly clarified and resolved without any issues. Chase has no other love interests or exes.
DEATH: I don't know why author's like to put death in the books. It's totally unnecessary.
AUDIO: The audio is really freaking good!!!! Nina Alvamar narrates both parts and her guy voice kind of sexy! If you’re going to take this on, I definitely recommend the audio.
“Well, don’t you have something you want to say to me?”
With a wicked smile, she said, “Hey baby, do you wanna do this thing?”
Swinging her up into his arms with a loud laugh, he said, “Yes. Let’s do this thing.”
Katie Connors (30, hairdresser) is her small town’s resident “good girl” who never strays outside the proper lines her strict mother set for her. Now she’s fresh out of a seven-year relationship, and ready to start doing all the things she shouldn’t do. Insert the town’s most vanilla “bad boy” to ever exist, Chase Trepasso (33, owns tattoo parlor, drives a motorcycle). Chase offers to help Katie shed some of her wholesome reputation and they start a sweet little fling that both agree is just casual. Things are pretty cookie cutter from there.
The town accuses Chase of corrupting Katie, the town judges Katie for dating him, Katie doubts herself and their relationship, Chase doesn’t think he’s good enough, the ex wants Katie back, someone pushes the other away, a death, and then reconciliation for a HEA.
So – there are things I enjoyed about it. One of them is the FMC!!!!
KATIE: Surprisingly, Katie had moments of badassery. I know!!! I’m just as shocked as you are. Every time one of the predictable moments would happen, she would stand her ground and speak up for herself immediately, without having the whole, "maybe they’re right" self-doubt. I loved her new attitude.
CHASE: Like I said – he’s the most vanilla bad boy I’ve ever read. Besides having tattoos and riding a motorcycle, he was a perfect gentleman. He's pretty damn sweet, too.
SEX: As with most of these RomCom fics, there isn't any filthy sex. It’s what I would consider G rated, everyone else would say PG-13. First time at 44% and the second time was at 68%. Both were basically two pumps and done. Everything else was off page, including the handcuff scene we were teased with.
WHAT I LIKED: I loved the fact that I didn't hate the FMC. Yes, there was a lot of predictability, Katie would constantly recall her mother's judgy words, but then she would always stand her ground and make the right decision. I also liked the fact that both MCs are in their 30s. That's a rarity. Katie also didn't have big self-conscious moments. She didn't think she was too fat or not sexy enough. I think Katie is what I appreciated the most and why I gave this 3 stars.
OW/OM DRAMA: Katie’s ex does keep coming back, but she never once gives him the time of day and always puts him firmly in his place. Katie does get a little jealous a few times just by seeing another woman in Chase’s vicinity, but the situations are quickly clarified and resolved without any issues. Chase has no other love interests or exes.
DEATH: I don't know why author's like to put death in the books. It's totally unnecessary.
AUDIO: The audio is really freaking good!!!! Nina Alvamar narrates both parts and her guy voice kind of sexy! If you’re going to take this on, I definitely recommend the audio.
August 19, 2013
Small town romance that has humor, interesting characters and pulls at your heart strings.
Katie has always been a good girl, the residents of Rock Canyon, Idaho can always count on her to do the right thing, put aside anything she was doing to make sure others were taken care of. Several months ago her boyfriend of seven years left her and she feels she has not moved on so she is reevaluating her life, making a list of ten things she wants to do but has always been afraid that she will disappoint others.
Chase Trepasso moved here from Nevada five months ago, he opened a tattoo parlor much to the dismay of some of the town elders, yet he likes living life on his own terms and although he appears to not care what others think of him, he does get angry when they make assumptions, the fact that he writes and illustrates a comic book series that he created before he went to college never gets mentioned by those same people that look down on him.
The first time they meet, Chase knows she is too good for him, yet she intrigues him, he starts calling her Firecracker, especially when he gets a look at her list, he thinks it would be fun to help her cross off some of the items. Their relationship is a push and pull, with him doing most of the pulling back, not only is he is easily offended; he is a little shy of commitment. When his mother gets sick, he takes off, leaving Katie confused and hurt.
This is simply a wonderful engaging story, I thoroughly enjoyed. The chemistry between Katie and Chase works well; they both need something they could give each other, a change in their life. I liked the fact that once Katie made up her mind, she did not let others push her around again, holding her ground and that Chase was not as much of a bad boy as people thought.
Ms. Gary is from Idaho and I enjoyed that the setting of the book is local. I highly recommend for those looking for a small town romance with heart.
Copy provided by publisher through Edelweiss
Katie has always been a good girl, the residents of Rock Canyon, Idaho can always count on her to do the right thing, put aside anything she was doing to make sure others were taken care of. Several months ago her boyfriend of seven years left her and she feels she has not moved on so she is reevaluating her life, making a list of ten things she wants to do but has always been afraid that she will disappoint others.
Chase Trepasso moved here from Nevada five months ago, he opened a tattoo parlor much to the dismay of some of the town elders, yet he likes living life on his own terms and although he appears to not care what others think of him, he does get angry when they make assumptions, the fact that he writes and illustrates a comic book series that he created before he went to college never gets mentioned by those same people that look down on him.
The first time they meet, Chase knows she is too good for him, yet she intrigues him, he starts calling her Firecracker, especially when he gets a look at her list, he thinks it would be fun to help her cross off some of the items. Their relationship is a push and pull, with him doing most of the pulling back, not only is he is easily offended; he is a little shy of commitment. When his mother gets sick, he takes off, leaving Katie confused and hurt.
This is simply a wonderful engaging story, I thoroughly enjoyed. The chemistry between Katie and Chase works well; they both need something they could give each other, a change in their life. I liked the fact that once Katie made up her mind, she did not let others push her around again, holding her ground and that Chase was not as much of a bad boy as people thought.
Ms. Gary is from Idaho and I enjoyed that the setting of the book is local. I highly recommend for those looking for a small town romance with heart.
Copy provided by publisher through Edelweiss
July 30, 2019
THIS BOOK DOES NOT CONTAIN A GOOD GIRL – SPOILERS AHEAD
This week I plucked off of my shelf a particularly bad romance by the name of Things Good Girls Don’t Do. Our esteemed author is none other than Codi Gary who seems to have a slew of these types of books, all based on the premise that a good, sweet, innocent girl goes for a “bad” boy. While I can’t speak about the others in this series, I can tell you for a fact that the bad boy in this book was never at all bad and is truly pretty boring and the girl in it is at best polite, but in no way good.
Let me start by summarizing the premise so we all know where we are starting here. Good girl Katie Connors has been dumped by her jerk-face boyfriend of seven years. We know he is a jerk-face because 1. he cheated on her, 2. he then invites Katie to his wedding with the girl he cheated on her with and 3. and most importantly, Jimmy is short and stocky. This point is repeatedly made in this book, that Jimmy is short and stocky. So for those of you who are not sure, short and stocky equals a jerk-face. This is one of those things that just makes me crazy with romance books. The body image problems here are nuts. What’s wrong with being short and stocky? Do all the short and stocky guys depicted in romance books have to be jerk-faces? Name one romance book where the short and stocky guy is the main love interest. Anyway, I got off on a tangent there.
So Katie’s heart is broken still seven months later when she is getting ready for this festival that they are going to have in the small town of Rock Canyon, Idaho. Katie speaks with the guy who we know she will fall in love with, local “bad boy” (I use quotes here because he is anything but bad, more like a moron) Chase Trepasso. We know he’s the one for Katie because 1. he is not short nor stocky, 2. he gets a cool name like Chase instead of a basic name like Jimmy, and 3. most importantly, he has steel-grey eyes. That point is repeated over and over in this book. Take a moment and think about how many people you know. Now think about how many of them have steel-grey eyes. My guess is you know one at maximum. If I saw someone with steel-grey eyes, I would think they had come from a cosplay contest and had just forgotten to take the contacts out.
Before I get further into the summary of the plot, let me take a moment to tell you why Chase is the bad boy and Katie is the good girl. Um… Chase runs a tattoo parlor. Ok, maybe not that conventional, but he owns the place and makes a good business so uh, where’s the bad boy part? Katie is the good girl because she dresses conservatively, enters and wins beauty queen contests and doesn’t really swear in public. I gotta say, in small town Idaho, that doesn’t make you much different than most women. We’ll get back to this whole good bad thing in a bit but there’s the basis for it.
So Katie, feeling rather mopey one day, goes to the local bar. This book being full of really bad puns, it’s called Buck’s Shot Bar. Yeah, I groaned too and I am known for making bad puns. Katie drinks too many mojitos and gets a bit tipsy. She writes down stuff she’s never done, like dye her hair with purple streaks, shoplift, and have a one night stand. So of course, fake bad boy and super hot hunk of meat Chase Trepasso does the thing that makes third graders bad and steals a girl’s note. Yeah, he takes it from her and I guess that means he’s a rebel and not, you know, a jerk-face. Let’s remember that Chase is not short nor stocky, so it’s fine.
Chase, being the rebel he is reads the note and sees all these mildly rebellious things written on it and realizes he should give the note back. So he pretty much harasses Katie into letting him “help her” to complete them, one night stand included. Cause that’s not creepy or weird at all.
I imagine you can guess how this goes, Katie does a few wild things, Chase is there, they hook up, so on and so on, pretty standard stuff. We learn over and over how bad Chase is and how good Katie is. Only Katie’s not good anymore because she speaks her mind when she wants to now. It’s a little weird how it took her being with a guy to be able to do that but ok sure. Chase is bad because he helps Katie to uh… go skinny dipping, gives her a tattoo and kind of generally hangs out with her. So, giving Katie a ride on his motorcycle is supposed to up his street cred I guess, but the author pointedly doesn’t mention any helmets being placed on Katie’s head until like the third time she rides, so to me Chase is not bad, just a moron who’s okay with a girl he likes potentially getting her brains splattered on the pavement. Also, while he gives Katie this tattoo, to dull the pain, he hands her a flask of scotch. Now, I’m no health code or ethical expert, but I’m thinking that there are some regulations about intoxicating your clients while performing your tattoo duties. This seems especially stupid to me considering how Katie had already proven herself to be a lightweight drinker more than once in the book.
Chase gets to know Katie and they start to develop mutual feelings for each other. There’s this whole side plot with the festival going on where Katie has to ride on a float and pass her beauty queen crown on to the next winner. So in the course of this side plot, we find out that Katie is 30 and the girls competing in the contest are like 15-25 usually but Katie did the contest last year cause jerk-faced short man Jimmy wanted her to. So she does it and wins. And she keeps thinking to herself how she doesn’t look like those fifteen year old girls anymore. What?? Yeah, so first of all, I got the impression from the book that Katie had the emotional maturity of a seventeen year old at best but I was pegging her at around twenty-three. I’ve got news for anyone who is thirty, male or female, comparing yourself to a fifteen year old is not a good comparison. Why would you do that? I sure as heck hope you don’t still look like you are fifteen when you are thirty cause if you do, there’s a problem.
To find out more about how bad of a guy Chase is, we find out that he draws graphic novels and is known for one he called Destructo-boy. I think our author pulled out of a hat what they thought a comic book title should sound like and went with it. We also find out that Chase is college educated and went to Berkeley on a scholarship. Katie’s reaction to that news was amazement. She was amazed that he got a scholarship, not that he went to Berkeley. I mean, not everyone gets a scholarship but Katie was like “That’s really hard to get” as if he was a Rhodes Scholar. The dude drew some graphic novels and won a scholarship. All due respect to graphic novels (I particularly love them) but doing art and then getting a scholarship to do art happens to people and it’s not that big of a thing. The final bit of evidence that Chase is a bad guy is that he has tattoos and piercings. His piercings are vaguely described and the one and only tattoo on Chase that is described is that of a sun. Why do we find out he had a tattoo of a sun on his chest? So that we can find out he has mommy issues and the sun on his chest reminds him of his mother singing “You are my sunshine” to him. Oh, the rebel. Keep that guy off the streets or he’ll sing nursery rhymes at you.
Ok, so furthering the plot along, Chase falls deeper for Katie but can’t, you know, man up and say it out loud. At this festival thing, there are these fireworks and jerk-face Jimmy shows up with his buddies and starts harassing Katie. Chase and his friends get into it and a fight ensues. During the whole fight, Chase is freaking out internally because Katie called him her boyfriend. Long story short, Chase gets his butt kicked pretty hard in what amounts to an unfair fight, then the newly liberated Katie decides on some property damage and busts Jimmy’s headlights.
After the fight Katie is like, you need to go to the hospital, Chase and he’s like, I’ll be fine. This dude who probably has cracked or broken ribs gets on his motorcycle (or maybe he was driving his truck at this point, can’t quite remember) but drives home. On the way, his stepfather calls him and tells him his mother is in the hospital potentially dying of liver failure. So Chase does what any reasonable bad boy would do and goes to try and donate his liver and save his mother. He writes Katie a note saying they will talk when he gets back and he had a family emergency. So this is important here, I want you to remember how Katie sees Chase last in these moments. He’s injured to the point where she thinks he needs a hospital, then she finds a note saying he had this family emergency and they will talk in a couple days after the weekend when he gets back. You have to remember this because this is how we can see that Katie is a truly awful, horrible person and not good in any way.
Chase gets to know his mom a little bit before she dies. They had a strained relationship earlier. He’s not a good match for her on the liver donation so he stays a while longer than expected. He gets surprised by the fact that his mother cared about him more than he thought. I just tell you this so you know what Chase is up to while Katie does her thing.
Katie mopes around for like a week because she thinks Chase just up and abandoned her. She doesn’t call, doesn’t text, doesn’t do anything to find out where he went or what his family emergency was. She is mad because he doesn’t call or text her. She doesn’t seem to think, hey, the guy who drove away with potentially broken ribs might be hurt or have been in accident and maybe I should file a missing person report. Nope, never occurs to her. Her friends convince her that the best thing for her to do is to have an un-bachelorette party. Basically they go to bars pretending that Katie is getting married so they can get guys to buy them free drinks. Katie doesn’t do anything worse than talk to guys but I think it’s a bad look when your boyfriend seems to have gone missing with very little explanation. But maybe I’m just old fashioned that way. One thing I have to point out is the conversation that Katie has with some of these guys in one of these bars. She comments on how muscular they all are. They tell her that they are part of the Boise Grizzlies football team. So Katie thinks to herself how she doesn’t follow professional football. Her not following football seems perfectly reasonable to me. But the athletes specifically say they are football players, so they should know what sport they play. Apparently they don’t though, and neither does the author because A. there is no professional Idaho football team and B. There is a picture taken from the website of the actual Boise Grizzlies and they are baseball players.
Finally Chase is done wrapping things up with his mom and stepdad, funeral is over etc and he goes back to Rock Canyon, Idaho. At this point Katie is EXPECTING AN APOLOGY. Sorry for the caps there but duuuuuuuuude. She expects an apology? She didn’t text or checkup on the guy in any way, was out partying and he was, you know, at his mother’s funeral. I’m no fan of non-stocky, sunshine tattooed, steel-grey eyed Chase, but even I felt bad for him at this point. But instead of Chase ditching this crazy woman, he asks how he can make it up to her. HIS mom died. Not hers but he has to apologize? Ughh, romance books. Anyway, he makes a list of his own, basically a list of nice things he has never done for a woman. He buys her flowers, feeds her chocolate covered strawberries, you get the idea. Katie, though, being. you know, a horrible person, isn’t swayed so easily. She really wants him back but can’t admit that so she asks her friends what to do. They come up with the idiotic plan of having an actual bachelorette party for a woman that Chase knows that is getting married for real. Nothing wrong with having a party like that but Katie gives Chase the distinct impression that she is going with another guy (why a guy is at a bachelorette party I don’t know) to make him jealous.
Chase rushes over there in a mad rage and finds Katie dancing on top of the bar. Now, in a sane world, this guy would be like, this woman didn’t care where I was for days on end, didn’t check up on me even though I was injured, ignored all my romantic advances and decided to go out partying without me. I am out of here. Noooooope. Chase confesses he will love her and never wants to leave her. We jump to an epilogue where they have been married long enough to have had a kid but of course they’re still hot for each other and not, you know, exhausted parents of an infant. It’s freaking ridiculous.
So that’s the book. I don’t recommend reading it unless you are stuck in one of these dungeon rooms like I am. But before I sign off on this post, let me provide you with a few more items from this book that annoyed or confused me.
The name of the coffee shop is “The Local Bean”
The name of the clothing store/adult toy store is “Sweet Tarts”
Chase makes Katie a mix CD with both AC/DC (good call) and The Back Street Boys (not a good call) on it. What? This is the bad boy in town?? Um ok sure.
Katie is depicted as being good because one time she helps an old lady cross a street. I call that common decency but whatevs.
Katie is constantly popping her mouth off as the new Katie but every time she does, it just reads to me like she is being a jerk-face herself although admittedly some of the people she is talking to had it coming.
Here is a sampling of the romantic dialogue that comes out of Chase’s mouth: “I’d kiss you if you ate dog s**t and barfed fish guts.”
Here is sampling of the romantic dialogue that comes out of Katie’s mouth: “I think your kisses are like crack.”
More from Chase: “Now that is a sexy noise. You sound like a hyena/pig hybrid.”
Chase is such a bad boy that he hires the High School Glee Club to sing to Katie. James Dean watch out.
Katie’s response to Chase saying he loves her is, “Hey baby, do you wanna do this thing?” This is supposed to be a sweet throwback to an earlier conversation they had but if I was Chase, I would have dropped Katie right then and there and been like, you are never going to grow up and good luck finding a guy.
I’ll leave you with this thought. Next time you see a steel-grey eyed man walk into your small Idaho town, stop pretending he is bad and you are good and just save us all an awful read ok?
If you liked this review, check out my blog at Slick Dungeon's Dusty Tomes and Terrible Films where I review books that I'd rather not read and review films that no one should see.
This week I plucked off of my shelf a particularly bad romance by the name of Things Good Girls Don’t Do. Our esteemed author is none other than Codi Gary who seems to have a slew of these types of books, all based on the premise that a good, sweet, innocent girl goes for a “bad” boy. While I can’t speak about the others in this series, I can tell you for a fact that the bad boy in this book was never at all bad and is truly pretty boring and the girl in it is at best polite, but in no way good.
Let me start by summarizing the premise so we all know where we are starting here. Good girl Katie Connors has been dumped by her jerk-face boyfriend of seven years. We know he is a jerk-face because 1. he cheated on her, 2. he then invites Katie to his wedding with the girl he cheated on her with and 3. and most importantly, Jimmy is short and stocky. This point is repeatedly made in this book, that Jimmy is short and stocky. So for those of you who are not sure, short and stocky equals a jerk-face. This is one of those things that just makes me crazy with romance books. The body image problems here are nuts. What’s wrong with being short and stocky? Do all the short and stocky guys depicted in romance books have to be jerk-faces? Name one romance book where the short and stocky guy is the main love interest. Anyway, I got off on a tangent there.
So Katie’s heart is broken still seven months later when she is getting ready for this festival that they are going to have in the small town of Rock Canyon, Idaho. Katie speaks with the guy who we know she will fall in love with, local “bad boy” (I use quotes here because he is anything but bad, more like a moron) Chase Trepasso. We know he’s the one for Katie because 1. he is not short nor stocky, 2. he gets a cool name like Chase instead of a basic name like Jimmy, and 3. most importantly, he has steel-grey eyes. That point is repeated over and over in this book. Take a moment and think about how many people you know. Now think about how many of them have steel-grey eyes. My guess is you know one at maximum. If I saw someone with steel-grey eyes, I would think they had come from a cosplay contest and had just forgotten to take the contacts out.
Before I get further into the summary of the plot, let me take a moment to tell you why Chase is the bad boy and Katie is the good girl. Um… Chase runs a tattoo parlor. Ok, maybe not that conventional, but he owns the place and makes a good business so uh, where’s the bad boy part? Katie is the good girl because she dresses conservatively, enters and wins beauty queen contests and doesn’t really swear in public. I gotta say, in small town Idaho, that doesn’t make you much different than most women. We’ll get back to this whole good bad thing in a bit but there’s the basis for it.
So Katie, feeling rather mopey one day, goes to the local bar. This book being full of really bad puns, it’s called Buck’s Shot Bar. Yeah, I groaned too and I am known for making bad puns. Katie drinks too many mojitos and gets a bit tipsy. She writes down stuff she’s never done, like dye her hair with purple streaks, shoplift, and have a one night stand. So of course, fake bad boy and super hot hunk of meat Chase Trepasso does the thing that makes third graders bad and steals a girl’s note. Yeah, he takes it from her and I guess that means he’s a rebel and not, you know, a jerk-face. Let’s remember that Chase is not short nor stocky, so it’s fine.
Chase, being the rebel he is reads the note and sees all these mildly rebellious things written on it and realizes he should give the note back. So he pretty much harasses Katie into letting him “help her” to complete them, one night stand included. Cause that’s not creepy or weird at all.
I imagine you can guess how this goes, Katie does a few wild things, Chase is there, they hook up, so on and so on, pretty standard stuff. We learn over and over how bad Chase is and how good Katie is. Only Katie’s not good anymore because she speaks her mind when she wants to now. It’s a little weird how it took her being with a guy to be able to do that but ok sure. Chase is bad because he helps Katie to uh… go skinny dipping, gives her a tattoo and kind of generally hangs out with her. So, giving Katie a ride on his motorcycle is supposed to up his street cred I guess, but the author pointedly doesn’t mention any helmets being placed on Katie’s head until like the third time she rides, so to me Chase is not bad, just a moron who’s okay with a girl he likes potentially getting her brains splattered on the pavement. Also, while he gives Katie this tattoo, to dull the pain, he hands her a flask of scotch. Now, I’m no health code or ethical expert, but I’m thinking that there are some regulations about intoxicating your clients while performing your tattoo duties. This seems especially stupid to me considering how Katie had already proven herself to be a lightweight drinker more than once in the book.
Chase gets to know Katie and they start to develop mutual feelings for each other. There’s this whole side plot with the festival going on where Katie has to ride on a float and pass her beauty queen crown on to the next winner. So in the course of this side plot, we find out that Katie is 30 and the girls competing in the contest are like 15-25 usually but Katie did the contest last year cause jerk-faced short man Jimmy wanted her to. So she does it and wins. And she keeps thinking to herself how she doesn’t look like those fifteen year old girls anymore. What?? Yeah, so first of all, I got the impression from the book that Katie had the emotional maturity of a seventeen year old at best but I was pegging her at around twenty-three. I’ve got news for anyone who is thirty, male or female, comparing yourself to a fifteen year old is not a good comparison. Why would you do that? I sure as heck hope you don’t still look like you are fifteen when you are thirty cause if you do, there’s a problem.
To find out more about how bad of a guy Chase is, we find out that he draws graphic novels and is known for one he called Destructo-boy. I think our author pulled out of a hat what they thought a comic book title should sound like and went with it. We also find out that Chase is college educated and went to Berkeley on a scholarship. Katie’s reaction to that news was amazement. She was amazed that he got a scholarship, not that he went to Berkeley. I mean, not everyone gets a scholarship but Katie was like “That’s really hard to get” as if he was a Rhodes Scholar. The dude drew some graphic novels and won a scholarship. All due respect to graphic novels (I particularly love them) but doing art and then getting a scholarship to do art happens to people and it’s not that big of a thing. The final bit of evidence that Chase is a bad guy is that he has tattoos and piercings. His piercings are vaguely described and the one and only tattoo on Chase that is described is that of a sun. Why do we find out he had a tattoo of a sun on his chest? So that we can find out he has mommy issues and the sun on his chest reminds him of his mother singing “You are my sunshine” to him. Oh, the rebel. Keep that guy off the streets or he’ll sing nursery rhymes at you.
Ok, so furthering the plot along, Chase falls deeper for Katie but can’t, you know, man up and say it out loud. At this festival thing, there are these fireworks and jerk-face Jimmy shows up with his buddies and starts harassing Katie. Chase and his friends get into it and a fight ensues. During the whole fight, Chase is freaking out internally because Katie called him her boyfriend. Long story short, Chase gets his butt kicked pretty hard in what amounts to an unfair fight, then the newly liberated Katie decides on some property damage and busts Jimmy’s headlights.
After the fight Katie is like, you need to go to the hospital, Chase and he’s like, I’ll be fine. This dude who probably has cracked or broken ribs gets on his motorcycle (or maybe he was driving his truck at this point, can’t quite remember) but drives home. On the way, his stepfather calls him and tells him his mother is in the hospital potentially dying of liver failure. So Chase does what any reasonable bad boy would do and goes to try and donate his liver and save his mother. He writes Katie a note saying they will talk when he gets back and he had a family emergency. So this is important here, I want you to remember how Katie sees Chase last in these moments. He’s injured to the point where she thinks he needs a hospital, then she finds a note saying he had this family emergency and they will talk in a couple days after the weekend when he gets back. You have to remember this because this is how we can see that Katie is a truly awful, horrible person and not good in any way.
Chase gets to know his mom a little bit before she dies. They had a strained relationship earlier. He’s not a good match for her on the liver donation so he stays a while longer than expected. He gets surprised by the fact that his mother cared about him more than he thought. I just tell you this so you know what Chase is up to while Katie does her thing.
Katie mopes around for like a week because she thinks Chase just up and abandoned her. She doesn’t call, doesn’t text, doesn’t do anything to find out where he went or what his family emergency was. She is mad because he doesn’t call or text her. She doesn’t seem to think, hey, the guy who drove away with potentially broken ribs might be hurt or have been in accident and maybe I should file a missing person report. Nope, never occurs to her. Her friends convince her that the best thing for her to do is to have an un-bachelorette party. Basically they go to bars pretending that Katie is getting married so they can get guys to buy them free drinks. Katie doesn’t do anything worse than talk to guys but I think it’s a bad look when your boyfriend seems to have gone missing with very little explanation. But maybe I’m just old fashioned that way. One thing I have to point out is the conversation that Katie has with some of these guys in one of these bars. She comments on how muscular they all are. They tell her that they are part of the Boise Grizzlies football team. So Katie thinks to herself how she doesn’t follow professional football. Her not following football seems perfectly reasonable to me. But the athletes specifically say they are football players, so they should know what sport they play. Apparently they don’t though, and neither does the author because A. there is no professional Idaho football team and B. There is a picture taken from the website of the actual Boise Grizzlies and they are baseball players.
Finally Chase is done wrapping things up with his mom and stepdad, funeral is over etc and he goes back to Rock Canyon, Idaho. At this point Katie is EXPECTING AN APOLOGY. Sorry for the caps there but duuuuuuuuude. She expects an apology? She didn’t text or checkup on the guy in any way, was out partying and he was, you know, at his mother’s funeral. I’m no fan of non-stocky, sunshine tattooed, steel-grey eyed Chase, but even I felt bad for him at this point. But instead of Chase ditching this crazy woman, he asks how he can make it up to her. HIS mom died. Not hers but he has to apologize? Ughh, romance books. Anyway, he makes a list of his own, basically a list of nice things he has never done for a woman. He buys her flowers, feeds her chocolate covered strawberries, you get the idea. Katie, though, being. you know, a horrible person, isn’t swayed so easily. She really wants him back but can’t admit that so she asks her friends what to do. They come up with the idiotic plan of having an actual bachelorette party for a woman that Chase knows that is getting married for real. Nothing wrong with having a party like that but Katie gives Chase the distinct impression that she is going with another guy (why a guy is at a bachelorette party I don’t know) to make him jealous.
Chase rushes over there in a mad rage and finds Katie dancing on top of the bar. Now, in a sane world, this guy would be like, this woman didn’t care where I was for days on end, didn’t check up on me even though I was injured, ignored all my romantic advances and decided to go out partying without me. I am out of here. Noooooope. Chase confesses he will love her and never wants to leave her. We jump to an epilogue where they have been married long enough to have had a kid but of course they’re still hot for each other and not, you know, exhausted parents of an infant. It’s freaking ridiculous.
So that’s the book. I don’t recommend reading it unless you are stuck in one of these dungeon rooms like I am. But before I sign off on this post, let me provide you with a few more items from this book that annoyed or confused me.
The name of the coffee shop is “The Local Bean”
The name of the clothing store/adult toy store is “Sweet Tarts”
Chase makes Katie a mix CD with both AC/DC (good call) and The Back Street Boys (not a good call) on it. What? This is the bad boy in town?? Um ok sure.
Katie is depicted as being good because one time she helps an old lady cross a street. I call that common decency but whatevs.
Katie is constantly popping her mouth off as the new Katie but every time she does, it just reads to me like she is being a jerk-face herself although admittedly some of the people she is talking to had it coming.
Here is a sampling of the romantic dialogue that comes out of Chase’s mouth: “I’d kiss you if you ate dog s**t and barfed fish guts.”
Here is sampling of the romantic dialogue that comes out of Katie’s mouth: “I think your kisses are like crack.”
More from Chase: “Now that is a sexy noise. You sound like a hyena/pig hybrid.”
Chase is such a bad boy that he hires the High School Glee Club to sing to Katie. James Dean watch out.
Katie’s response to Chase saying he loves her is, “Hey baby, do you wanna do this thing?” This is supposed to be a sweet throwback to an earlier conversation they had but if I was Chase, I would have dropped Katie right then and there and been like, you are never going to grow up and good luck finding a guy.
I’ll leave you with this thought. Next time you see a steel-grey eyed man walk into your small Idaho town, stop pretending he is bad and you are good and just save us all an awful read ok?
If you liked this review, check out my blog at Slick Dungeon's Dusty Tomes and Terrible Films where I review books that I'd rather not read and review films that no one should see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2013
The cover of Codi Gary's Things Good Girls Don't Do suggests that this is going to be another "good girl gone wild" erotic story, but it turns out to be a small town story instead. It is a story of a good girl wanting to go wild, but while such stories are usually a display of non-stop stupidity, this one is actually enjoyable. A big reason for this is the believable heroine and the author's wise decision to keep things down to earth and low key.
Katie Conners is living out her own country song. Eight months ago, her live-in now ex-boyfriend Jimmy ditched her for a younger woman. They had been together for seven years - seven years - and Katie's blood boils each time she thinks of how much she has done for that SOB. When she receives the wedding invitation to the wedding of Jamie and his new girlfriend, something inside her snaps. What does that woman have that she doesn't, to get Jamie to marry her in eight months when Katie couldn't do that in seven freaking years? And... and... all her life of following the dictates of her mother to be all lady-like and nice leads to this point in her life. Is it worth it?
So Katie decides to make a list of the things she wants to do but never dared to in the past. Luckily for her, quite a number of items on that list can be fulfilled by Chase Trepasso, the bad boy in town whose tattoo parlor is already creating a bit of a stir among the more conservative folks in town. Won't they be in for some surprise when the nicest gal in town starts skipping out with the new bad boy on the block?
While there is nothing out of the ordinary here, the story goes down a familiar route with a cheery bounce that is infectious. The author does almost everything right here. The small town secondary characters are not over the top intrusive or creepy, instead they fit in nicely with the rest of the story. More importantly, Katie and Chase have some fine romance going on here. Despite his "Look at me, I'm a tattooed nice guy cliché" exterior, he is an interesting character with some family issues that are dealt with nicely here, balancing his nice guy personality perfectly. As I've mentioned earlier, I find Katie's behavior here understandable and I love following how she lets her hair down and falls in love in the process.
The author inserts plenty of humor here, and she smartly chooses to make her characters believable instead of over the top crazy, so I find myself laughing with these people, instead of at them. But there are some heavier issues there, especially when it comes to Chase's relationship with his mother, that are dealt with in a mature manner. These characters have a good sense of self-awareness. Smart and sensible, just the way I like them.
Things Good Girls Don't Do make me laugh, develop of fondness for these characters, and sigh at some of the more emotional moments. I don't get a feeling that this is one small town that is populated by creepy people one machete short of The Hills Have Eyes, like I usually do with romances set in small towns. Sure, I've read this story before, many times, but this is definitely one of the better stories made from that particular mold.
Katie Conners is living out her own country song. Eight months ago, her live-in now ex-boyfriend Jimmy ditched her for a younger woman. They had been together for seven years - seven years - and Katie's blood boils each time she thinks of how much she has done for that SOB. When she receives the wedding invitation to the wedding of Jamie and his new girlfriend, something inside her snaps. What does that woman have that she doesn't, to get Jamie to marry her in eight months when Katie couldn't do that in seven freaking years? And... and... all her life of following the dictates of her mother to be all lady-like and nice leads to this point in her life. Is it worth it?
So Katie decides to make a list of the things she wants to do but never dared to in the past. Luckily for her, quite a number of items on that list can be fulfilled by Chase Trepasso, the bad boy in town whose tattoo parlor is already creating a bit of a stir among the more conservative folks in town. Won't they be in for some surprise when the nicest gal in town starts skipping out with the new bad boy on the block?
While there is nothing out of the ordinary here, the story goes down a familiar route with a cheery bounce that is infectious. The author does almost everything right here. The small town secondary characters are not over the top intrusive or creepy, instead they fit in nicely with the rest of the story. More importantly, Katie and Chase have some fine romance going on here. Despite his "Look at me, I'm a tattooed nice guy cliché" exterior, he is an interesting character with some family issues that are dealt with nicely here, balancing his nice guy personality perfectly. As I've mentioned earlier, I find Katie's behavior here understandable and I love following how she lets her hair down and falls in love in the process.
The author inserts plenty of humor here, and she smartly chooses to make her characters believable instead of over the top crazy, so I find myself laughing with these people, instead of at them. But there are some heavier issues there, especially when it comes to Chase's relationship with his mother, that are dealt with in a mature manner. These characters have a good sense of self-awareness. Smart and sensible, just the way I like them.
Things Good Girls Don't Do make me laugh, develop of fondness for these characters, and sigh at some of the more emotional moments. I don't get a feeling that this is one small town that is populated by creepy people one machete short of The Hills Have Eyes, like I usually do with romances set in small towns. Sure, I've read this story before, many times, but this is definitely one of the better stories made from that particular mold.
February 20, 2017
This book picks up shortly after the events of the prequel story and features several cameos from those characters. Katie drove me crazy with all her harping about her mother's teachings. I get that she was raised to be a lady, but jeez, being a lady does not equal being a doormat, and that's how far she was taking it! Granted, this story was about her breaking out of that shell, and Chase helping her do that, but Katie ended up doing a lot of projecting that made it hard for Chase to get close to her. Chase also was easily dissuaded from falling in love with Katie, making me think that he wasn't a true hero. Eventually, things resolved, but I wasn't that impressed with the journey between these two characters to each other. What I enjoyed the most was the supporting characters, and I can't wait to read each of their stories!
August 27, 2013
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I absolutely positively loved this book. Reminding me of an early Rachel Gibson, Codi Gary has created a lovely town filled with quirky characters, a great romance, hot sex and pure funny. The second in the series, Things Good Girls Don’t Do will make you smile, laugh out loud, and cheer on that bad boy fighting for the so-called good girl.
Katie Conners is wanting to break out of her shell. Her mother has passed away, her boyfriend of seven years has left her, and she doesn’t see change on the horizon. So she decides to write a list about how to be a bad girl. She is surprised and somewhat delighted may I add when Chase Trepasso, local tattoo artist and new guy in town, sees the list and decides to help her out a bit with her naughty list.
Chase isn’t just the resident bad ass - he is a Berkeley graduate, author, artist, and responsible adult. Yet the residents in town just want to see him as a rebel and he is more than willing to live up to their expectations. Until Katie, who isn’t that wild rebel, he finds he wants to make himself more respectable in the eyes of the town and good enough for the shy hairdresser he is slowly falling in love with.
Chase and Katie find themselves thrown together in this totally unexpected romance. Almost complete opposites, they immediately click which both find alarming. Neither expected to fall for the other, so needless to say there is quite a bit of adjustment on both their parts. I think I loved both of these characters so much because in the beginning, I actually didn’t like either one of them. Katie seemed like a goody two shoes and Chase was the stereotypical didn’t have a care in the world guy. Yet as the novel continued, you found their influences and meanings and came to love them at their cores.
Things Good Girls Don’t Do is a fantastic read that I absolutely adored. Filled with wonderful characters, a great town atmosphere, adorably quirky neighbors and hot, hot sex scenes. The book is incredibly funny, sweet and endearing. I found myself smiling as I was reading it just because it was so dang cute. There is a scene with a sex aid that will make you snort with laughter. Can’t wait for the next one, its on the MUST read list for sure!
August 27, 2013
Here are the benefits to reading Things Good Girls Don’t Do (and Codi Gary):
The premise. Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a good girl. The book title made me nervous. The book description made me excited (what good girl doesn’t make a list like that at some point). The story, as it played out, made me absolutely fall in love with Chase and the idea that at some point I might be humiliated into sharing my Things-Good-Girls-Don’t-Do list with the Bad-Boy-With-A-Heart-Of-Gold crush. Like I told Codi when I read her back cover, how can I NOT read this book? More importantly? It delivers on the promise of good girl living it up joy. There’s pretty much all the fun you expect to find inside these super fun pages.
The hero. Can I say it? I think I can. I said it on Twitter already…I love Chase. I do. He meets all of the bad boy criterion: tattoo artist, rides a big motorcycle, wears smexy bad boy clothes, and generally compels the hearts (and other parts) of all the women in a two-mile radius to go haywire. He also meets all of the subliminal bad boy of our heart criterion: highly educated, protects women, respects women, not afraid to listen to a woman (there’s a theme here), and full of his own fears and dreams about family and relationships. More than that…oh yes, there’s more…Chase managed to do something unique as a hero that I don’t often see. He was utterly crush-worthy as an alpha hero while also deferring to the wishes and hopes of his love interest. One of the best moments of the book for me (and there were a lot) was when Chase questioned Katie about whether or not she wanted something over his own preferences and desires. Holy crap on a cracker…just kill me now. That was it for me. He gets better throughout the book, but…caught! Hook, line, and sinker.
The heroine. She’s divinely realistic. One thing I often hate when reading about “good girls” is that they usually turn out to be abused girls or weak girls or some variation of that theme. What I like about Katie is that she’s relatively normal. Yes, she’s a good girl. Yes, she’s sometimes shy. Yes, she changes throughout the book. But…she’s still a good girl at the end of the book. She’s still sometimes shy. And, guess what, she doesn’t change that much. Even better is that Chase isn’t exactly the one who changes her. Tell me again how romance novels aren’t feminist? Katie is a fantastic heroine to follow because while she recognizes crap when she sees it and sometimes calls it out, she also recognizes the value of being a good girl in her community. More than that, Katie generally likes who she is. She’s a good girl doing things good girls don’t do, but in the end she’s really proving that the only thing good girls don’t do is lock themselves away behind the perceptions of others.
The humor. Codi Gary is one funny woman. She’s cheeky and cute. She’s saucy and subtle. She’s adorable and audacious. It comes out in her writing. I laughed in at least three different ways reading her book, and it was one of the most pleasant reads I’ve had in a while because, even though there were moments of extreme depth and drama, the ability to laugh frequently carried the book through with ease and a, frankly, realistic quality. Not to mention her side-characters are some of the funniest I’ve ever read.
*Disclaimer: An ARC Copy was provided, but no compensation.
The premise. Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a good girl. The book title made me nervous. The book description made me excited (what good girl doesn’t make a list like that at some point). The story, as it played out, made me absolutely fall in love with Chase and the idea that at some point I might be humiliated into sharing my Things-Good-Girls-Don’t-Do list with the Bad-Boy-With-A-Heart-Of-Gold crush. Like I told Codi when I read her back cover, how can I NOT read this book? More importantly? It delivers on the promise of good girl living it up joy. There’s pretty much all the fun you expect to find inside these super fun pages.
The hero. Can I say it? I think I can. I said it on Twitter already…I love Chase. I do. He meets all of the bad boy criterion: tattoo artist, rides a big motorcycle, wears smexy bad boy clothes, and generally compels the hearts (and other parts) of all the women in a two-mile radius to go haywire. He also meets all of the subliminal bad boy of our heart criterion: highly educated, protects women, respects women, not afraid to listen to a woman (there’s a theme here), and full of his own fears and dreams about family and relationships. More than that…oh yes, there’s more…Chase managed to do something unique as a hero that I don’t often see. He was utterly crush-worthy as an alpha hero while also deferring to the wishes and hopes of his love interest. One of the best moments of the book for me (and there were a lot) was when Chase questioned Katie about whether or not she wanted something over his own preferences and desires. Holy crap on a cracker…just kill me now. That was it for me. He gets better throughout the book, but…caught! Hook, line, and sinker.
The heroine. She’s divinely realistic. One thing I often hate when reading about “good girls” is that they usually turn out to be abused girls or weak girls or some variation of that theme. What I like about Katie is that she’s relatively normal. Yes, she’s a good girl. Yes, she’s sometimes shy. Yes, she changes throughout the book. But…she’s still a good girl at the end of the book. She’s still sometimes shy. And, guess what, she doesn’t change that much. Even better is that Chase isn’t exactly the one who changes her. Tell me again how romance novels aren’t feminist? Katie is a fantastic heroine to follow because while she recognizes crap when she sees it and sometimes calls it out, she also recognizes the value of being a good girl in her community. More than that, Katie generally likes who she is. She’s a good girl doing things good girls don’t do, but in the end she’s really proving that the only thing good girls don’t do is lock themselves away behind the perceptions of others.
The humor. Codi Gary is one funny woman. She’s cheeky and cute. She’s saucy and subtle. She’s adorable and audacious. It comes out in her writing. I laughed in at least three different ways reading her book, and it was one of the most pleasant reads I’ve had in a while because, even though there were moments of extreme depth and drama, the ability to laugh frequently carried the book through with ease and a, frankly, realistic quality. Not to mention her side-characters are some of the funniest I’ve ever read.
*Disclaimer: An ARC Copy was provided, but no compensation.
August 26, 2013
Slick‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Review copy provided for an honest review
3.5 STARS
Sometimes you read a book and it brings back memories good and/or bad. Such is the case with Things Good Girls Don’t Do. Growing up as a middle child, my older sister was pretty wild and my younger brother wasn’t much better and because he was a boy he got away with a lot. I was the “good girl” stuck in the middle or so most people thought, thing was I was probably wilder than both of them but I was just smart enough to keep quiet and not get caught…not once, ever. So I did hear myself referred to often as the “good girl” which I’ll admit I secretly snickered about quietly to myself as did my partners in crime who held the same label. I respect my parents and rightfully so, but once I was an adult I no longer let them dictate how I should live my life. So, while I understand the plight of the heroine in this story I found it a little odd that at almost 30 she was still allowing herself to be cast in this role. Bad enough she let her mother continue it until her death but she allows the whole town and honestly, I had a hard time respecting her character because it took her so long to grow a backbone and she didn’t do it until the town’s bad boy looked her way. Thankfully our hero more than made up for my distaste of the heroine and the story was entertaining which salvaged this book.
It’s easy to feel the attraction between Katie and Chase early on in this book, but Katie is constantly reminding herself of her mother’s “teachings” and the fact that her last relationship blew up in her face. She refuses to see Chase as anything but a heart breaker and a tattoo artist and while she shows moments of admiration for him she turns around and tells herself he’s no good. She’s kind of all over the place which drove me somewhat nuts. Chase on the other hand shows there is way more to him than meets the eye, and most of all we come to realize that while everyone might judge him on sight, he chooses to judge people by their actions not their words.
Their relationship was complicated with the town constantly interfering including Katie’s best friend who should have had her back but instead was a judgmental bitch. Thankfully Katie had another friend in town that made her realize she has a right to do what makes her happy. After an incident with Katie’s ex, Chase has a family emergency that draws him away straining their already perilous relationship.
While there were a few aspects of this story that bothered me, there were many more that I enjoyed. Things Good Girls Don’t Do while not perfect is a satisfying story with a hero that is guaranteed to melt hearts, supporting characters you’ll want to know more about, and an enjoyable ending.
Review copy provided for an honest review
3.5 STARS
Sometimes you read a book and it brings back memories good and/or bad. Such is the case with Things Good Girls Don’t Do. Growing up as a middle child, my older sister was pretty wild and my younger brother wasn’t much better and because he was a boy he got away with a lot. I was the “good girl” stuck in the middle or so most people thought, thing was I was probably wilder than both of them but I was just smart enough to keep quiet and not get caught…not once, ever. So I did hear myself referred to often as the “good girl” which I’ll admit I secretly snickered about quietly to myself as did my partners in crime who held the same label. I respect my parents and rightfully so, but once I was an adult I no longer let them dictate how I should live my life. So, while I understand the plight of the heroine in this story I found it a little odd that at almost 30 she was still allowing herself to be cast in this role. Bad enough she let her mother continue it until her death but she allows the whole town and honestly, I had a hard time respecting her character because it took her so long to grow a backbone and she didn’t do it until the town’s bad boy looked her way. Thankfully our hero more than made up for my distaste of the heroine and the story was entertaining which salvaged this book.
It’s easy to feel the attraction between Katie and Chase early on in this book, but Katie is constantly reminding herself of her mother’s “teachings” and the fact that her last relationship blew up in her face. She refuses to see Chase as anything but a heart breaker and a tattoo artist and while she shows moments of admiration for him she turns around and tells herself he’s no good. She’s kind of all over the place which drove me somewhat nuts. Chase on the other hand shows there is way more to him than meets the eye, and most of all we come to realize that while everyone might judge him on sight, he chooses to judge people by their actions not their words.
Their relationship was complicated with the town constantly interfering including Katie’s best friend who should have had her back but instead was a judgmental bitch. Thankfully Katie had another friend in town that made her realize she has a right to do what makes her happy. After an incident with Katie’s ex, Chase has a family emergency that draws him away straining their already perilous relationship.
While there were a few aspects of this story that bothered me, there were many more that I enjoyed. Things Good Girls Don’t Do while not perfect is a satisfying story with a hero that is guaranteed to melt hearts, supporting characters you’ll want to know more about, and an enjoyable ending.
December 31, 2014
Katie is a good girl. Her mother drilled those qualities into her. But after her boyfriend of 7 years dumps her and is going to marry the girl he cheated on her with Katie makes a list of all the "bad things" (according to her mother's rules)she wants to do. When Chase the new owner of the town tattoo shop gets his hands on it he offers to help her out with the list. Katie takes him up on his offer. Will the Good Girl and the Bad Boy find they are each other's perfect match?
I loved Katie. Her personality was of someone I could easily be friends with. She loves country music,chocolate,her cat,and Klaus from the Vampire Dairies. My kinda heroine. I do feel in some ways her mother smothered her personality and tried to make her into what her mother thought was the perfect women. I loved seeing Katie spread her wings and become her own person and not who her mother wanted her to be. Chase really helps bring out that side of Katie she has repressed for so long.
I love Chase. He acts like he is a tough guy who doesn't care about what others think but he does. Lots of people in Chase's life have told me he was good for nothing riff raff because he was poor,lived in trailer park,and became a tattoo artist. I lot of people have judged him and treated him badly. But Katie doesn't see any of that just Chase. Chase and Katie were both very real characters that you feel you could meet in real life.
Chase and Katie's sexual chemistry is so hot. Perfect amount of hot sex to story scenes. Some books have a struggle with that but this book didn't. That Kissing Booth Scene made me swoon and fall head over heels for Chase. He is my new book boyfriend. I couldn't put this book down and almost fell asleep on my kindle. Twice. I was very taken with the secondary characters and can't wait to read their books. I loved the scene with everyone in Katie's Salon. It had me laughing. OMG that ending was so romantic and perfect. This was my first book by this author and it will not be my last.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Heat Rating: Hot
Content Rating: Mature 17+
Keeper: YES!
I loved Katie. Her personality was of someone I could easily be friends with. She loves country music,chocolate,her cat,and Klaus from the Vampire Dairies. My kinda heroine. I do feel in some ways her mother smothered her personality and tried to make her into what her mother thought was the perfect women. I loved seeing Katie spread her wings and become her own person and not who her mother wanted her to be. Chase really helps bring out that side of Katie she has repressed for so long.
I love Chase. He acts like he is a tough guy who doesn't care about what others think but he does. Lots of people in Chase's life have told me he was good for nothing riff raff because he was poor,lived in trailer park,and became a tattoo artist. I lot of people have judged him and treated him badly. But Katie doesn't see any of that just Chase. Chase and Katie were both very real characters that you feel you could meet in real life.
Chase and Katie's sexual chemistry is so hot. Perfect amount of hot sex to story scenes. Some books have a struggle with that but this book didn't. That Kissing Booth Scene made me swoon and fall head over heels for Chase. He is my new book boyfriend. I couldn't put this book down and almost fell asleep on my kindle. Twice. I was very taken with the secondary characters and can't wait to read their books. I loved the scene with everyone in Katie's Salon. It had me laughing. OMG that ending was so romantic and perfect. This was my first book by this author and it will not be my last.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Heat Rating: Hot
Content Rating: Mature 17+
Keeper: YES!
August 25, 2013
There were a couple issues with this book for me. A lot of them had to do with expectations
-Cover Mismatch leads to expectations - This cover says erotic romance to me, yet the heat level wasn't there
-Characters lead to expectations - maybe I'm stereotyping, but I expected our tattoo artist hero to swear more than he did. And I can accept that our good girl heroine doesn't like to swear, but for her to change career paths because of it? That just made me think she was wierd.
On the other hand, there were some good things about this book, too.
-Katie's transformation from good girl to bad girl was more of a transformation from doormat to assertive. And there's discussion about the difference between bad girl and assertive (not in those words). This is a good thing.
-The list idea was cute and well done.
-The friendships in the story were nice
Back to the first hand, though... The book just didn't catch me. And I considered DNFing it. Not because it was bad, but because I was coming off a GREAT read, and I wanted to be captivated by the story, and I just wasn't.
-Cover Mismatch leads to expectations - This cover says erotic romance to me, yet the heat level wasn't there
-Characters lead to expectations - maybe I'm stereotyping, but I expected our tattoo artist hero to swear more than he did. And I can accept that our good girl heroine doesn't like to swear, but for her to change career paths because of it? That just made me think she was wierd.
On the other hand, there were some good things about this book, too.
-Katie's transformation from good girl to bad girl was more of a transformation from doormat to assertive. And there's discussion about the difference between bad girl and assertive (not in those words). This is a good thing.
-The list idea was cute and well done.
-The friendships in the story were nice
Back to the first hand, though... The book just didn't catch me. And I considered DNFing it. Not because it was bad, but because I was coming off a GREAT read, and I wanted to be captivated by the story, and I just wasn't.
January 11, 2014
Every girl should read this. Lol
January 14, 2014
Excellent! Fun and sexy and I especially liked that Katie was just an ordinary kind of girl.
Codi Gary is on my radar!
Codi Gary is on my radar!
September 1, 2016
Super cute! Gary did a great job of creating multi-faceted characters that you could love an appreciate.
January 20, 2014
Love Chase as the bad boy with a heart
February 2, 2014
Thank you to my girl Teri for getting this book for me :) I loved it!!
December 23, 2013
loved it and loved Chase!
November 10, 2022
Loved this bad boy meets good girl who's ready to stretch her bad girl legs, but in good ways.
They were awesome for each other.
Grab this if you love opposites attract, hero with not-good-enough baggage, heroine with mommy issues, small town awesomeness, and two people who find themselves and each other in the process.
They were awesome for each other.
Grab this if you love opposites attract, hero with not-good-enough baggage, heroine with mommy issues, small town awesomeness, and two people who find themselves and each other in the process.
June 2, 2016
While the premise was interesting I felt Gary a) relied on the repetition of Katie being a pushover and Chase having inferiority issues to push too much contrived obstacles and b) it was filled with one note secondary characters.
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I wanted to like this book so much more then I did. Good Girl meets Bad Boy (or at least Tarnished Boy) is a well honed and loved trope for me. However Chase and Katie didn't feel genuine, passionate or interesting. What started as something intriguing--Katie writes up a list of things to do that her mom told her "Good Girls" don't do, which Chase finds and offers pointers on what would and wouldn't be a good idea--devolves into an angst fest.
Katie has issues ranging from inferiority to depression. Her boyfriend of more then half a decade dumps her, her best friend has started to become more like her mother, the townspeople alternate between pitying her for what happened and chiding her for not living up to her mother's sterling image and her prospects for a boyfriend never mind a husband aren't likely in her small town.
Chase meanwhile has issues even bigger. He definitely feels inferior (though doesn't admit that), is surly about how folk have always looked down on him for living in a trailer, strained relations with his mother due to a childhood of neglect, a poke the snake instinct when it comes to dealing with disdainful townspeople and a longing to belong that he won't admit to under pain of death.
The two together shouldn't have worked the way that the author wanted them to. But this is romance so they completed each other and made the others' darkness fade away. :rolls eyes:
I did like that Gary made it clear from the get-go that Chase needed Katie far more then she needed him. Katie was content, if not overwhelmingly happy, with her life. Likely in a year or two, after the sting of her ex's idiocy finally faded, she'd've moved on and found someone. Chase...well. He grows because of the protectiveness he feels for Katie. He's interested in her development and as such begins to see the dark spots he needs to fix in his own life. Regardless of what Katie's ex did she wasn't a moping violet. Chase helped her open up--because she liked seeing him glowing with approval at her actions--but it wasn't anything she wouldn't have found on her own one day.
I also found it amusing that when they got to the 'one night stand' portion of her life Katie told Chase that he couldn't be her one night stand because its supposed to be between strangers. Love'em and leave'em in other words, which apparently was Chase's MO, but which he got grumpy about when Katie told him it was best for them.
---
I wanted to like this book so much more then I did. Good Girl meets Bad Boy (or at least Tarnished Boy) is a well honed and loved trope for me. However Chase and Katie didn't feel genuine, passionate or interesting. What started as something intriguing--Katie writes up a list of things to do that her mom told her "Good Girls" don't do, which Chase finds and offers pointers on what would and wouldn't be a good idea--devolves into an angst fest.
Katie has issues ranging from inferiority to depression. Her boyfriend of more then half a decade dumps her, her best friend has started to become more like her mother, the townspeople alternate between pitying her for what happened and chiding her for not living up to her mother's sterling image and her prospects for a boyfriend never mind a husband aren't likely in her small town.
Chase meanwhile has issues even bigger. He definitely feels inferior (though doesn't admit that), is surly about how folk have always looked down on him for living in a trailer, strained relations with his mother due to a childhood of neglect, a poke the snake instinct when it comes to dealing with disdainful townspeople and a longing to belong that he won't admit to under pain of death.
The two together shouldn't have worked the way that the author wanted them to. But this is romance so they completed each other and made the others' darkness fade away. :rolls eyes:
I did like that Gary made it clear from the get-go that Chase needed Katie far more then she needed him. Katie was content, if not overwhelmingly happy, with her life. Likely in a year or two, after the sting of her ex's idiocy finally faded, she'd've moved on and found someone. Chase...well. He grows because of the protectiveness he feels for Katie. He's interested in her development and as such begins to see the dark spots he needs to fix in his own life. Regardless of what Katie's ex did she wasn't a moping violet. Chase helped her open up--because she liked seeing him glowing with approval at her actions--but it wasn't anything she wouldn't have found on her own one day.
I also found it amusing that when they got to the 'one night stand' portion of her life Katie told Chase that he couldn't be her one night stand because its supposed to be between strangers. Love'em and leave'em in other words, which apparently was Chase's MO, but which he got grumpy about when Katie told him it was best for them.
January 18, 2014
4 1/2 star love story that made me envious of Katie!
Katie Conners is a good girl. At least that’s the way everyone in town sees her. Because she’s such a sweet, good girl, it’s easy for everyone to take advantage of her, including her ex-boyfriend. But that’s all about to change. That is if Katie has anything to say about it – maybe.
Enter Chase Trepasso, monster motorcycle riding, sexy tattoo artist who seems to be the exact opposite of Katie. She’s noticed him but never imagines that he’s noticed her until the night, she drinks too much and makes a list of things that her mother never would have approved. Chase snatches up her list and mortified, she runs off. The next day with a bit more bravado, she decides to tell him off only to have him offer up to help her check off the items on her list.
With Chase’s willing help as well as that of another newcomer to town, Becca Easter, Katie starts checking off her list of THINGS GOOD GIRLS DON’T DO. Becca is the owner of Sweet Tart’s Boutique, which boasts adorable sexy clothes, intimate apparel, as well as a black-curtained area in the back of the store that has all of the women intrigued including the prudish and overbearing bane in Katie’s backside – Mrs. Andrews. Becca fast became one of my favorite characters.
THINGS GOOD GIRLS DON’T DO by Codi Gary is an absolute delight from beginning to end with an absolutely, cheer-worthy scene in the middle where Katie wields a baseball bat and a truck plays the victim. Codi creates a town filled with typical characters but they play out so life-like that you’ll definitely recognize each one from somewhere in your life. Chase is a sexy bad boy hero but we quickly uncover the softer, more sensitive, and certainly more intelligent side of him. By the end of this sensational contemporary romance about small town life and gossipy neighbors, you’ll fall completely in love with this sexy, monster motorcycle riding, tattoo artist who shows Katie he’s got a romantic side that would melt the shorts off the toughest reader.
I highly recommend THINGS GOOD GIRLS DON’T DO by Codi Gary to anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone, who loves a truly wonderful love story with a modicum of steam but a whole lot of fun, cheers, and romance.
***Bought this one for my own personal reading but just had to share my honest and unscripted review with you.
Katie Conners is a good girl. At least that’s the way everyone in town sees her. Because she’s such a sweet, good girl, it’s easy for everyone to take advantage of her, including her ex-boyfriend. But that’s all about to change. That is if Katie has anything to say about it – maybe.
Enter Chase Trepasso, monster motorcycle riding, sexy tattoo artist who seems to be the exact opposite of Katie. She’s noticed him but never imagines that he’s noticed her until the night, she drinks too much and makes a list of things that her mother never would have approved. Chase snatches up her list and mortified, she runs off. The next day with a bit more bravado, she decides to tell him off only to have him offer up to help her check off the items on her list.
With Chase’s willing help as well as that of another newcomer to town, Becca Easter, Katie starts checking off her list of THINGS GOOD GIRLS DON’T DO. Becca is the owner of Sweet Tart’s Boutique, which boasts adorable sexy clothes, intimate apparel, as well as a black-curtained area in the back of the store that has all of the women intrigued including the prudish and overbearing bane in Katie’s backside – Mrs. Andrews. Becca fast became one of my favorite characters.
THINGS GOOD GIRLS DON’T DO by Codi Gary is an absolute delight from beginning to end with an absolutely, cheer-worthy scene in the middle where Katie wields a baseball bat and a truck plays the victim. Codi creates a town filled with typical characters but they play out so life-like that you’ll definitely recognize each one from somewhere in your life. Chase is a sexy bad boy hero but we quickly uncover the softer, more sensitive, and certainly more intelligent side of him. By the end of this sensational contemporary romance about small town life and gossipy neighbors, you’ll fall completely in love with this sexy, monster motorcycle riding, tattoo artist who shows Katie he’s got a romantic side that would melt the shorts off the toughest reader.
I highly recommend THINGS GOOD GIRLS DON’T DO by Codi Gary to anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone, who loves a truly wonderful love story with a modicum of steam but a whole lot of fun, cheers, and romance.
***Bought this one for my own personal reading but just had to share my honest and unscripted review with you.
February 24, 2015
3.5/5
Katie is a really sweet person, although that seems like a bland and boring description of her personality. She is one of those people whose innate kindness and compassion are like the beam from a lighthouse guiding people towards her. It also helps that she is absolutely gorgeous without being vain.
Katie has lived her life following the rules her domineering mother laid out for her, always trying to please others rather than herself. However, she gets a dramatic wake-up call when she receives a wedding invitation from her cheating scumbag of an ex. Prompting her to make a list of rebellious regrets.
Chase has always seen himself as the stereotypical bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Lack of maternal nurturing has left an emotional void in his life, he has been burned to many times to trust that he can be viewed as anything more than a good time. He doesn’t see his own value, although he is an accomplished tattoo artist and comic book author. His emotional barriers prevent him from forming a deep connection as he doesn’t feel good enough, especially for Katie – the town golden girl.
Catching Katie in a vulnerable moment while creating her rebellious regrets list draws Katie and Chase together. As Katie embarks on a journey of self-discovery (although slightly unwittingly) Chase becomes her rock. Neither expects the depth of feeling that quickly develops – the soul-mate principle ;) Unfortunately, both Katie and Chase are too nervous and scared of rejection to voice their feelings adding to the angst within the narrative.
Although the romance is a large part of the story, it is Katie’s character development that is the focus of the plot. I loved seeing her blossom into the woman she should be rather than the one people expect her to be. At no point does she lose her compassion and kindness but she does gain the ability to be assertive.
I have got to mention the amazing fashion (rockabilly style that I completely adore) and female bonding that weaves its way through the narrative adding to the enjoyment of the story as a whole.
Another aspect that stood out was the way in which Codi Gary portrayed the pros and cons of life in a small community; the lack of privacy versus the strong support system.
On the whole Things Good Girls Don’t Do is a light, feel-good romance with charismatic characters fueled by girl-power.
Katie is a really sweet person, although that seems like a bland and boring description of her personality. She is one of those people whose innate kindness and compassion are like the beam from a lighthouse guiding people towards her. It also helps that she is absolutely gorgeous without being vain.
Katie has lived her life following the rules her domineering mother laid out for her, always trying to please others rather than herself. However, she gets a dramatic wake-up call when she receives a wedding invitation from her cheating scumbag of an ex. Prompting her to make a list of rebellious regrets.
Chase has always seen himself as the stereotypical bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Lack of maternal nurturing has left an emotional void in his life, he has been burned to many times to trust that he can be viewed as anything more than a good time. He doesn’t see his own value, although he is an accomplished tattoo artist and comic book author. His emotional barriers prevent him from forming a deep connection as he doesn’t feel good enough, especially for Katie – the town golden girl.
Catching Katie in a vulnerable moment while creating her rebellious regrets list draws Katie and Chase together. As Katie embarks on a journey of self-discovery (although slightly unwittingly) Chase becomes her rock. Neither expects the depth of feeling that quickly develops – the soul-mate principle ;) Unfortunately, both Katie and Chase are too nervous and scared of rejection to voice their feelings adding to the angst within the narrative.
Although the romance is a large part of the story, it is Katie’s character development that is the focus of the plot. I loved seeing her blossom into the woman she should be rather than the one people expect her to be. At no point does she lose her compassion and kindness but she does gain the ability to be assertive.
I have got to mention the amazing fashion (rockabilly style that I completely adore) and female bonding that weaves its way through the narrative adding to the enjoyment of the story as a whole.
Another aspect that stood out was the way in which Codi Gary portrayed the pros and cons of life in a small community; the lack of privacy versus the strong support system.
On the whole Things Good Girls Don’t Do is a light, feel-good romance with charismatic characters fueled by girl-power.
March 5, 2014
Such a cute story. I could see Hallmark Channel making a movie out of it because it is right up their alley.
Good girl Katie always says and does the right thing. Raised in a small town by a prim and proper mother, she is the epitome of what every parent wants and the idol every person in town wants to be. But when you are polite 24x7, you also become the mat that everyone walks all over. After receiving a spiteful invitation to her ex-boyfriends wedding to the girl he cheated on her with, Katie makes a list of all the things she wishes she could do, but never had the guts or approval of.
In walks Chace, the bad boy tattoo parlor owner who everyone makes assumptions about. But the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks that everyone seems to think he is, is actually a college scholarship graduate, who loves art and made himself into a successful business man. Always having the hots for Katie, he never felt he was good enough for her standards, but when an opportunity presents itself, how can he resist taking the shot.
I love that when these two characters have concerns with what the other is thinking or feeling, they ask the questions and address it immediately. They just warmed my heart and are an adorable couple. But how they put up with the gossip and constant eyes would have me jumping off the nearest bridge oy vey.
I will give Katie credit, when Chance comes back to town after his mother's death, I think I would have forgave him instantly. The pain he went through, she losing her own mother should have understood and I would have predicted her to cave as I would understanding that same kind of pain. But she didn't and the way she handled herself at the bar when he got p'ed off I could envision clearly and hear her voice out loud. Kuddos!!
Totally loved the epilogue and I can see my heart still glowing with awe for these two. Easy read, relaxing, funny, and a good ole rainy day read or maybe one day movie.
Good girl Katie always says and does the right thing. Raised in a small town by a prim and proper mother, she is the epitome of what every parent wants and the idol every person in town wants to be. But when you are polite 24x7, you also become the mat that everyone walks all over. After receiving a spiteful invitation to her ex-boyfriends wedding to the girl he cheated on her with, Katie makes a list of all the things she wishes she could do, but never had the guts or approval of.
In walks Chace, the bad boy tattoo parlor owner who everyone makes assumptions about. But the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks that everyone seems to think he is, is actually a college scholarship graduate, who loves art and made himself into a successful business man. Always having the hots for Katie, he never felt he was good enough for her standards, but when an opportunity presents itself, how can he resist taking the shot.
I love that when these two characters have concerns with what the other is thinking or feeling, they ask the questions and address it immediately. They just warmed my heart and are an adorable couple. But how they put up with the gossip and constant eyes would have me jumping off the nearest bridge oy vey.
I will give Katie credit, when Chance comes back to town after his mother's death, I think I would have forgave him instantly. The pain he went through, she losing her own mother should have understood and I would have predicted her to cave as I would understanding that same kind of pain. But she didn't and the way she handled herself at the bar when he got p'ed off I could envision clearly and hear her voice out loud. Kuddos!!
Totally loved the epilogue and I can see my heart still glowing with awe for these two. Easy read, relaxing, funny, and a good ole rainy day read or maybe one day movie.
January 2, 2015
I just recently discovered this author on Fresh Fiction. This is the first book I've read by her, and let me tell you, I am SO glad that I did! Reading it kept me up until 3:45 am to finish.
Katie is a good girl. She's well respected, always helps out a friend in need, and does the right thing. She's become tired of always biting her tongue and taking the high road. One evening she makes a list of all the things she wants to do if she could just step out of her good girl persona. Her mother raised her right, so she's afraid to break that mold.
Roaring into town on his chopper is the bad boy Chase. He's the bachelor tattoo artist and subject of the small town gossip mill. He knows how people regard him, but he doesn't let it bring him down. He's too busy chasing a more racy kind of woman, and knows he probably shouldn't waste his time on a good two shoes like Katie.
Everything changes when he sees Katie sitting alone at a bar completely lost in thought and jotting down a list on a napkin. Chase snatches it up and decides that he needs to help Katie check off a few items on her list of 'things that good girls shouldn't do.' Can Katie throw aside everything she was taught by her rigid mother and let loose just a little? Chase sure wants to help her try, because he see more clearly into who she really is. Chase isn't really the bad guy that people make him out to be, and Katie helps to show that people shouldn't judge a person based on appearances and preconceived notions.
I liked the character development in Katie. She grows so much as a person as she strengthens her back bone. I like the transformation in Chase as helps Katie come out of her shell. The plot line flows well, and the cast is very relatable. I really like some of the characters that have smaller roles and would enjoy seeing them have their story told, as well. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
Katie is a good girl. She's well respected, always helps out a friend in need, and does the right thing. She's become tired of always biting her tongue and taking the high road. One evening she makes a list of all the things she wants to do if she could just step out of her good girl persona. Her mother raised her right, so she's afraid to break that mold.
Roaring into town on his chopper is the bad boy Chase. He's the bachelor tattoo artist and subject of the small town gossip mill. He knows how people regard him, but he doesn't let it bring him down. He's too busy chasing a more racy kind of woman, and knows he probably shouldn't waste his time on a good two shoes like Katie.
Everything changes when he sees Katie sitting alone at a bar completely lost in thought and jotting down a list on a napkin. Chase snatches it up and decides that he needs to help Katie check off a few items on her list of 'things that good girls shouldn't do.' Can Katie throw aside everything she was taught by her rigid mother and let loose just a little? Chase sure wants to help her try, because he see more clearly into who she really is. Chase isn't really the bad guy that people make him out to be, and Katie helps to show that people shouldn't judge a person based on appearances and preconceived notions.
I liked the character development in Katie. She grows so much as a person as she strengthens her back bone. I like the transformation in Chase as helps Katie come out of her shell. The plot line flows well, and the cast is very relatable. I really like some of the characters that have smaller roles and would enjoy seeing them have their story told, as well. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
April 16, 2014
“GOOD GIRL GONE BAD?”
Katie Conner has lived in Rock Canyon all her life. She was raised by her single mother after her father left and never came back. Katie’s mom instilled morals, politeness and respect in her making Katie the town’s good girl. After her boyfriend of seven years leaves her for another woman, Katie makes a list of all the things she’s wanted to do, but didn’t because good girls don’t do such things such as get a tattoo or streaks in her hair.
“I have done what other people wanted my whole life. Why can’t I, just once, do what I want? Be happy and not constantly worry about what other people think!”
Chase Trepasso never stays in one place or the same woman for long. He’s had a hard life, raised by a single mother after his father left them. Mom didn’t have a lot of time for him so he was on his own from a young age and people always looked down on him, never thinking he was good enough. Now Chase is a college graduate and a successful business owner of a tattoo parlor.
“’I plan on doing all kinds of things to you.” “What kind of thing?” she asked. He pushed the wooden door open and said, “The kind of things good girl’s don’t do. Unless they happen to be at the mercy of a very, very bad boy.’”
What I loved about this book. The characters are believable, they seem real and I truly felt for them and the things they have gone and are going through. Although there is drama in this story, it’s not the typical drama of most romance books. It is a nice change from the same old same old. It takes place in a small town where everybody knows everybody else AND their business. I lived in a small town for a number of years and this book brought me back to that time in my life with fond memories.
I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars with 2 hands down the pants.
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