This book was one of those you don't want to put down. Ms. Gary was a recent find for me, having won her books in a giveaway. At first, honestly, I wasn't sure I was going to like them or even read them all. It appeared on the opening pages of Things Good Girls Don't Do that the heroine was weak, that she fell into the hero's arms at the drop of a hat, quickly abandoning all she'd been taught and believed in. Boy did the author prove me wrong. The further I delved into the story, I realized what I'd taken for weakness was simply the character's struggle to break out of her box, a box her mother and the town's people had put her in. In Good Girls Don't Marry Marines, it was Valerie' s father that had controlled her and her sisters all their lives to fulfill his own political ambitions. As a result, he'd alienated all three of his daughters. Even so he still managed to weave his influence into their lives. He's threatened to cut off Valerie' s younger sister unless Val goes to a matchmaker weekend in an attempt to repair her image. Never mind she's coming off a nasty divorce from a man her father deemed acceptable for her. The man destroyed her reputation by falsely accusing her of cheating on him. Oh, and there's the little issue of her feelings for Justin, someone her father considers beneath her, not to mention the fact he despises Justin's father for almost ruining him. When Justin turns up at the matchmaker weekend the two of them end up spending the time together and their feelings grow. However, they still have to deal with her meddling father, her rebellious younger sister, the town folk, and a couple of other problems I don't want to mention because it would spoil it for you. I loved these characters in spite of their flaws. Loved the romance between them and the fact that they fight for one another in the end. Love their families and hope to see more of them in the future. Just an all around entertaining read that left me sighing at the end. Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines is book #3 in author Codi Gary's Rock Canyon series. This is a stand alone contemporary read that was enjoyable and bright. I kind of wanted Valerie to be a little more... bad. I actually liked her a little more than I expected to initially from the title. I empathized with her and felt frustration in the way she was treated by those around her. Justin is the hero that never gives up. This guy has the patience of a saint and no matter how many times Val tries to pretend she's not interested he doesn't give up. In the words on Benjamin Franklin- "Energy and persistence conquer all things."Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines is well written and will definitely appeal to fans of a traditional contemporary romance. I think this series if could potentially go head to head with Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series. Rock Canyon has a unique plethora of residents that help give the story that sense of community that makes for a good series set in a small town.I became a Codi Gary fan after reading the first book in this series, Things Good Girls Don't Do and even more a fan after reading Good Girls Don't Date Rock stars. She is a relatively new author for me, but the start to this series has earned it a spot on my bookcase. I can't wait to see what else she has in store for Rock Canyon.
What do You think about Bad Girls Don't Marry (2014)?
I really enjoyed this book! I really enjoy Codi Gray's books so far. Looking forward to more.
—Elisabeth
