Unwrapping a Review of GOOD GIRLS DON'T DATE ROCK STARS by Codi Gary

Codi Gary wow’d me with her first Rock Canyon Romance, THINGS GOOD GIRLS DON’T DO, but when the galley came up for GOOD GIRLS DON’T DATE ROCK STARS, I heard there was not quite the same reception for book two so I made a point to read the galley and see for myself. I’m so glad I did!

***eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for GOOD GIRLS DON’T DATE ROCK STARS:

Gemma Carlson didn't plan on waking up married.

She also didn't count on running into her old flame—and her son's father-turned-country rock star—Travis Bowers, followed by a night of drunken dares. Apparently one of those involved a ring on her finger and a vow … neither of which she intends to keep. Now with a hangover from hell, this good-girl-gone-bad knows there's just one thing to do: run.

Travis has been all over the world, but Gemma has never been far from his thoughts. So when they had the chance to catch up over a few drinks, he didn't hesitate. Of course, he didn't expect it would lead to marriage, or a runaway bride! Travis finally has a second chance and doesn't plan on losing Gemma again—or the son he didn't know he had. He proposes, albeit belatedly, a date. Or rather, a few. If they can make this marriage work by starting over, he stays. If not …

Gemma's not interested; she's got a son to protect and a heart to heal. But having Travis around could make both a little easier. Still, good girls don't date rock stars . . . right?

*                  *                    *                     *                    *

Sometimes things don’t go as we plan or even as we’d like them to go but we make the most of what’s been handed us, and pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and move forward. This is exactly what Gemma Carlson did after learning at the age of seventeen that she was pregnant and then found the love of her life in a compromising situation that left her with no other choice but, to have her baby on her own. Now ten years later, she’s come face to face with the man who still claims her heart and is the father of the son who is her world. Even as she gives in to her desires, she hopes what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Travis Bowers is more than delighted when he comes across the woman who got away. The woman he’d given his heart to and who had, after believing he’d strayed, dumped him without trusting him, and left him to always wonder what if. After convincing her to go on a date with him in Vegas, a night of good times, too much drink and a dare, leave them married by morning. Travis awakens to find Gemma has once more left him with only a note of regret and a wedding ring. But this time, Travis doesn’t just accept the consequences, he decides to claim what’s his – his wife, and upon discovering the truth, his son.

GOOD GIRLS DON’T DATE ROCK STARS by Codi Gary is one of the best, realistic, gripping, angst-filled, down to earth, and emotional second chance romances to come along in a long time. Faced with mistakes of the past, protecting her son, and their privacy, Gemma realizes the pain she’s caused Travis by not telling him about her feelings, and his son. Now she journeys a path that makes her question every aspect of Travis’ reasoning for following her to Rock Canyon and wanting to be with her and making a go of the marriage that shouldn’t have happened. Does he truly want her or just the connection to his son? Will his lifestyle as a well-known country music star destroy the simple life she leads and her son’s chances of growing up normal?

Some may see Gemma as an angry, unlikable character who snarks at Travis every chance she gets, but I saw her as a woman with whom I could connect and understand her fear, her trepidation, and suspicions because she’d been forced to stand alone against the world to protect her son. Travis wants it all, he wants the family he never had, the unconditional love that only a child can give, and the woman who has always claimed his heart and his dreams. Gemma just has a hard time believing that what she’d always wanted for her life was truly happening, and with the only man she’s every loved.

Codi Gary has created a story about a teenage mother who has carried a secret for ten years always wishing and always wondering what might have been had she’d been brave enough to reveal it when the time was right. Now when the time is at its worst, she’s forced to reveal it and bear the consequences of the pain she causes for both, Travis and her son, as well as friends and herself. I loved this story. I connected with everyone in it, I loved the friendships that exist between Gemma, Gracie, and Mike of which Travis was once part and he now hopes to rekindle. I loved the way the town rallied around the star-crossed lovers and only saw the good in what Gemma thought was the worst. I loved that Travis never gave up hope even when he thought all was lost.

I highly recommend GOOD GIRLS DON’T DATE ROCK STARS by Codi Gary because it’s a story that could’ve happened to anyone - well, except maybe the country-rock star aspect - but for only by the grace of God, go you. If you want to fall in love with an emotional, snagged from the headlines, could’ve really happened, second chance romance, read GOOD GIRLS DON’T DATE ROCK STARS by Codi Gary.

Happy Reading Everyone!

GOOD GIRLS DON’T DATE ROCK STARS, a Rock Canyon Romance novel by Codi Gary, Avon Impulse, releasing April 22, 2014 and will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

***click on links or cover below for purchasing information