Good Girls Don’t by Victoria Dahl
Published by Harlequin
Release Date: August 30th 2011
Rating: 4/5
Source: The publisher via NetGalley, thank you!
Summary:

With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donovan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman – or a heartbreaker. 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. The last thing he needs is a nice girl like Tessa getting under his skin.

Tessa has her hands full, too. Her brother’s playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tensions 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.

Within the walls of a family owned business Tessa and her brothers, Jamie & Eric, there can sometimes be more secrets than you’d imagine. After the passing of their parents Eric took over not only the family brewery business, but the parenting as well. Years later when Tessa is old enough to strike out on her own it comes as no surprise that both her older brothers are a bit protective, but is it too much? And when she’s suddenly in a relationship with Luke, a friend of Jamie’s from his high school and college years, her brothers become even more concerned about her choices. Tessa, sure of herself presses forward and only time will tell if Luke Asher is being honest with her.

This was my first experience reading anything written by Victoria Dahl, primarily because the majority of her other books leaned too far toward the “romance” side for me. With a new contemporary chick lit novel, a great synopsis and a fabulous cover I was willing to take a chance…and I’m so glad I did! Dahl’s writing was excellent. Good Girls Don’t was the perfect read for a lazy afternoon because of how quickly you get caught up in the stories of these fun true-to-life characters. There was nothing outlandish about them except for perhaps the more steamy scenes, which were definitely steamy! In all honesty though, Dahl is certainly a writer who’s books I’d pick up again especially if I’m in need of a quick getaway.

As I mentioned, I loved the characters! Anyone who reads this new series will most likely agree that there’s something incredibly illusive about Eric, the oldest brother, that makes you want to pick up the next two novels just to find out more about him. With Jamie I wasn’t so incredibly charmed, even though it’s mentioned in the book that he’s quite the catch, there was something about his attitude that really turned me away from him. I’m definitely wondering what the second book will be like since it’s primarily focused around him I believe. As for the remaining two main characters, both Luke and Tessa were great. There romantic interest in each other seemed a bit over the top at times, but other than that I loved them both. And Luke’s mysterious past certainly made me flip through the pages quickly to hopefully figure out exactly who he was.

Victoria Dahl is a welcome addition to the world of Chick Lit and one that I’m certainly looking forward to reading more from. Her characters are based in reality which makes them easy to connect with and easy to get attached to. For Dahl’s past readers, I’m positive they won’t be disappointed with the romance between Luke & Tessa and I for one am interested to see how their relationship continues throughout the Donovan Brothers Brewery series. Tessa is exactly the type of strong leading lady I love to read about in Chick Lit and with a bit of mystery as well as a great romance Good Girls Don’t is a fantastic start to a promising new series!

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