Book Review: Good Girls Don’t by Victoria Dahl

Title: Good Girls Don’t
Series: Donovan Brothers Brewery, Book 1
Author: Victoria Dahl
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: August 3, 2011 by HQN Books

Too much of a good thing…

With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donovan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman;or a heart-breaker. Which may explain why Detective Luke Asher barely notices her when he arrives to investigate a break in at her family's brewery. He's got his own problems; starting with the fact that his partner, Simone, is pregnant and everyone thinks he's the father.

Tessa has her hands full, too. Her brother's playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tension could tear her tight knit family apart. In fact, the only thing that could unite the Donovan boys is seeing a man come after their baby sister. Especially a man like Luke Asher. But Tessa sees past the rumors to the man beneath. He's not who people think he is and neither is she.

Reviewed By: Babs

Why I Read This Book: I had OD’d on paranormal/urban fantasy, had this book on my to-read list for awhile, and saw Victoria Dahl at RT14. To the top of my reading list it went!

In a Nutshell: I enjoyed this story and glommed the trilogy over a weekend.

The Set Up: An attractive, conflicted detective (Luke) and a co-owner of a family-run brewery (Tessa) try to have a relationship amid drama in both their lives.

What I Liked: Brother’s friend/friend’s little sister is one of my favorite tropes!

I liked Luke. He was pretty up front with what he wanted and where he was coming from.

I appreciate Tessa’s ability to keep her brothers in the dark about parts of her life but also had some issues with her (see “What I didn’t like”).

I thought Tessa’s brothers were pretty volatile and Tessa was trying really hard to compensate for the tragedy they experienced when they were younger. She tried too hard to keep everything the same when it would never be the same.

I liked Luke and Tessa most of the story but the stand-out for me is Wallace, the growly, love-wherever-he-can-get-it brewer. He sounded yummy and I hope there’s more of him in the rest of the books.

I enjoyed the tease with the manager of the lingerie store—why was she scared of Tessa? I’m anxious to find out if she plays a role in the rest of the series.

What I Didn’t Like: I thought the finger-pointing at Jamie was a little too conveniently wrapped up to take some of the blame from him for a certain incident. He’s the hero of the next book so there has to be some redemption of him in this story but it was maybe a little too neatly done.

I didn’t like Tessa at some points in the story. It seemed like she tried a little too hard to be perfect at the expense of hiding so much of who she was and her feelings.

Overall Impression: Enjoyable read. I really like the author’s writing style.

Bab’s Rating:

Add to Goodreads  |  Buy on Amazon