Review: Codi Gary just keeps getting better!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2014
At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET, we are told:Two households, both alike in dignity…Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.From forth the fatal loins of these two foesA pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;Well, thankfully in BAD GIRLS DON’T MARRY MARINES by Codi Gary, our star-crossed lovers don’t kill themselves but this romance is every bit as angst-driven and tenuous as the love affair of Romeo and Juliet minus the sword fights and deaths. Valerie Willis has an overbearing father who like Juliet’s feels the need to rule her world, her life, and her love life. He chose Val’s ex-husband for her and that was a huge disaster yet the man feels he should choose her next one as well. When she was a teen, he discovered her dating the son of his enemy and sent her away to keep them apart and now that she’s back in town, he’s trying to do it again. This time Val is wiser and thankfully, tougher. She decides she’ll see whom she wishes, when she wishes, and only under blackmail does she give in – but only a little bit.Justin Silverton’s never forgotten Val Willis and the summer nights that left his heart attached to hers and he never understood why she just disappeared from town without even so much as a ‘get lost’. But now, she’s back and looking better than ever. He doesn’t believe all that ‘bad girl’ talk that follows her and when he discovers she’s going to a dating weekend in True Love, Nevada, he decides to go too, and win her over. What he discovers is that both are caught in a battle between their fathers and even though he’s willing to stand strong, Val isn’t and he’s determined to find out why and to break the hold her father has on her.BAD GIRLS DON’T MARRY MARINES, book three in the Rock Canyon Romance series by Codi Gary is all about falling in love, pursuing what you want, and not letting anyone deter you once you know exactly what you want. Both Justin and Val are caught by the determination of an interfering parent but they don’t let him stomp down their passion, determination, or love for each other and their families. Codi throws in plenty of tension between Edward Willis and his three daughters reminiscent of King Lear to round out the nearly forbidden Romeo and Juliet-esque romance. As always, Codi’s secondary characters round out the cast making it feel like home. This time it’s the wild and crazy little sister, Ellie, and the charming, want-to-know-him-better Everett, brother to Justin. Codi just keeps getting better and her characters continue to pull you deeper into this series. Besides, who really can resist a Joe Manganiello-type hero, right?I highly recommend the truly romance driven contemporary romance, BAD GIRLS DON’T MARRY MARINES by Codi Gary, to anyone who loves a love story with meddling parents, matchmakers, some nasty folks thrown in, and sisters and brothers who are pain in the butts just enough to make them lovable. Justin and Val are perfect for each other – so perfect that everyone’s pulling for them, even Gus the bulldog.***eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.