Welcome
To Rock Canyon: SPOTLIGHT POST
I
always say I would love to have the power to jump into any book and interact
with the people. There are always books I wish I could visit but recently I was
introduced to a new town. Rock Canyon, Idaho. A small town where everyone knows
everyone and nothing is a secret for long. This town has your older matriarchs
who try to remind the young folk what is proper and right. These are also the
busybodies that will eventually know all your business and spread it at the beauty
parlor. You have the twenty and thirty somethings looking for the love they see
their parents or friends parents have. The town is a bustle of people,
drama, love, new comers, small business owners and those that have lived there
all their lives. Come meet some of the town that captured me and had me reading
non stop for a week.
The
Trouble with Sexy
We
start out meeting quiet shy Ryan Ashton, she was raised by a mother who taught
her daughter to always dress fully covered. Telling her that future mother in
laws didn’t like seeing their sons with scantily clad women. She never wore
make-up, had no idea how to dress other than business attire. On the surface
sure she looked as though she had it all together, but underneath she was
screaming for one man in particular to see her. Ryan wanted to be more
confident in her looks, herself awareness and stop being so closed off. Enter one
of my favorite people, Gracie McAllister, the local barista. Gracie helps Ryan
find her inner lioness and let her roar; attracting not only the man she wanted
Gregg Phillips, but others as well. This book takes you full force into the
lives of Rock Canyon’s fun family and friends. Through Ryan we meet a good amount
of people you see in future books; some start out not in the best light.
However just like most people you have to give them a closer look to see there
is more than just what they show on the outside. That’s the problem with small
towns, people you grown up with only see you as you were, or as you want them
too. In The Trouble with Sexy, we get to watch Ryan come out of her shell and
become the women she was always meant to be. Does she get Gregg or find out
there is another man for her? Why don’t you read the book (novella) and find
out.
Things
Good Girls Don’t Do
We all
had someone in our lives that said at one time or another “Good girls don’t…” I know I did. My mom
raised me to be proper, polite, and dress for the occasion. It was how she was
raised so it passed down; I even catch myself doing the same with my girls. It’s
not a completely bad thing, unless you use it as a mantra. In The second book
we meet Katie Conners, her mother always taught her to be kind, good, never
raise your voice, don’t say something you might regret later, and the golden
rule. Katie is known as the good girl, she will do anything for anyone even if
she really can’t stand the person. When we first meet Katie she is in a
relationship that has lasted years. She expects a proposal and has done
everything according to her plan, yet none of it is good enough. She gets
dumped, but in true Katie fashion she makes lemonade out of lemons, she is the
proud small business owner of K.C.’s Salon. She has worked hard to keep her
dignity and reputation in check, yet something is still missing…
We meet
a new guy in town Case Trepasso in The Trouble with Sexy, and he is looking at
Katie in a whole new light after she stands up for him to the busybody Mrs.
Andrews. Mrs. Andrews you will hear a lot in these books, she is an acquired
taste as you will see. Chase knows Katie is a good girl, and he is no saint.
Good girls want the whole white picket fence, two point five kids, doting
husband, and etcetera. Chase wants to have a good time, work at his tattoo shop
and live life a day at a time. However no matter how many times he tells
himself to stay away he just can’t. When Katie decides being good isn’t working
for her anymore, Case steps in to show her how much fun being bad can be. Read their
story to see why Chase hates commitment of any kind, and why Katie has a hard
time being true to who she wants to be…
Good
Girls Don’t Date Rock Stars
A lot
of small towns have local stars that make it big. Rock Canyon is no exception;
their star is country singer Travis Bowers. He didn’t spend his whole life in
Rock Canyon but he did spend enough of his teen years there to make friends and
fall for Gemma Carlson. Gemma was quiet, shy, and a book worm, she was shocked
when Travis wanted to date her in High school and fell pretty hard for him.
They were doing great until one day disaster struck and they parted ways. Gemma
moved back to her small town home and is the proud owner of Chloe’s Book Nook. Whereas
Travis became a country rock star who never came back to Rock Canyon, and never
found out that he and Gemma had a son.
I know
it is a lot to take in, but wait, another non-spoiler for you since it’s in the
book description. Gemma and Travis run into each other out of the blue, one
thing leads to another and a good deal of alcohol later they are MARRIED!! Ha
Ha, that’s right, our sweet Gemma who we get to know in the other two books
gets drunk and makes a rash decision… or does she? Could there still be
passion, a connection, between these two? Or will Travis find out about the
secret Gemma kept and not want anything to do with her? So many questions in
this book alone! Reading kept me guessing, hoping for the two to come together,
and then wondering if they really should. It was worth the frustration though you will
LOVE Gemma and Travis. Getting to know Gemma opens the door to getting to know
her friends better as well, which helps in future books in this series…
Valerie Willis is one of “those Willis girls” Val is the middle child. She grew up under a microscope and yet couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble. The town sees her as trouble, she doesn’t want the attention but when her divorce goes viral she heads home for some peace and quite. For most people a small town of people who know you is a good place to lick your wounds and move on, unless your past with said town is less then stellar. Val is good at ignoring people and not a ton of remarks are made, at least to her face. She likes her solitude, however this is not the easiest when Val’s younger sister is heading down a dangerous path. Seeing her little sister making a lot of the same mistakes she herself made, Val tries to help. Elle however doesn’t want it and decides to turn the tables on her ‘no fun’ sister.
Justin Silverton is an ex-marine, farmer that has tried to find the love his best friend and his wife have. He knows it’s real, that feeling of connection and has even felt it once in his past. There were a few problems back then though, one the women was slightly ‘jail bait’, her father hated him, and she up and disappeared on him. That is until many years later, they are both back home. Valerie Willis is no longer too young, yes her father still hates him, but this time he plans to not let her disappear.
This book lets you get to know newcomer Val gradually and yet you feel as though she has been a part of the town all along. Justine is mentioned from time to time in other books so I was curious about his story, plus I am a sucker for military men. Justine and Val can avoid each other alright in the town, but when they both end up at a singles retreat, that’s when the fun begins. Justine decides to win his long time fantasy women and Val tries to avoid the one man she doesn’t want to hurt with her past. Both are so stubborn that it was fun to read and to see how their happy ever after would end. This was one of my top three fav’s in this series I hope you will give it a chance and love it too!
Return of the Bad Girl
If after reading Bad Girls Don’t Marines you thought Valerie’s past was ‘bad’ just wait. Caroline Willis the oldest and first to leave Rock Canyon will blow your mine. I for one liked Caroline, she is strong, and loyal to those she loves, and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Coming back to Rock Canyon was not in her plans; she hated the small town that branded her bad to the core. No one cared that she had been a teenager when she did those things; even then no one thought to ask her why she had done them. She had gotten good grades, tried to please her father, and keep her sisters close. Then something happened to change all that, her father forced her to leave. There is a lot more to the story however, but I don’t do spoilers, so you will have to read more.
What every Bad girl needs is someone who will not care about who she was, but about the pain in the butt she is now. Gabe Moriarty has just moved to Rock Canyon and he thinks he found the perfect place to live. Then again so does Caroline, the problem is that it is the same two bedroom apartment above the cozy bookstore in town. What are the two going to do? LOL Well shares it of course, and makes sure things stay strictly platonic at all times! Gabe’s past is very sketchy and he wants to keep it private, no one can find out or they will never order their custom crotch rockets from him. No one trusted people with a past like his; this is also why he can’t get close to Caroling no matter how tempting that thought is. Gabe and Caroline are both hiding parts of themselves, and when that happens there is always tension in the ranks.
Part of what makes this story so compelling is we do find out what each is hiding and you want them to talk to each other. You want them to let down their walls and just help one another with their past pain. However that would be too easy, Gabe and Caroling decide they are going to fight, argue, and try to avoid the hot sexual vibes they both feel. Read this one and you will be laughing at some of the behavior, crying as truth is reveled, and scared as there is a villain looking for revenge.
Bad For Me
Callie Jacobsen we hear her name from time to time, but more as a background character. I was curious about her because she has a big dog that she is never far away from. This for me sent up a red flag that she had some past issues that I wanted to know. Callie is an accomplished woman who works at the local country station as a DJ. She hasn’t lived in Rock Canyon her whole life but she does like the small town. Gossipy old bitties and all. She is friends with the whole cast of character we have met so far. She I started to like in Return of the Bad Girl because she befriends Caroline no questions asked. Her voice and calm attitude on the air attracts attention from yet another person we don’t hear of enough for my taste, another ex-marine and the big brother to Justine Silverton.
Everett Silverton is the local hero, people talk about him in honored soft tones, but the man himself doesn’t want any of it. He served his country, lost people, has is face scared, and had his wife leave him. He wants to be left alone, except for Callie, who he has called every morning for so long he doesn’t know how not to. Something changes in his last call that makes him want more. He is tired of being alone and wants more out of life, his PTSD is a lot better and it’s time to start living.
Everett and Callie are two complex people; they have survived horrors no person should ever have to face. They both live with their scars and yet want to try to live life again. The problem is, the past can be scarier than a pit bull that has locked its jaw. (disclaimer: I love all dogs and pits can be sweethearts, this is just an example.) No matter how much a person wants to move on sometimes they need help first. I loved this book because Codi Gary doesn’t gloss over the pain, or say true love will fix it. She shows that sometimes in order to be in a relationship both people have to be healthy mentally as individuals before they can be a ‘we’. This is very true and adds a reality element to this fictional story. Don’t miss this great story of overcoming the world’s crappy odds!
The Trouble With Attraction
This is a must read novella if you want to know the back store and a few hidden scenes between Eric Henderson and Gracie McAllister. After reading this one I felt ready to read Good Girls don’t Kiss and Tell. You get to know both Eric and Gracie a good deal more in the pages. That’s why this review is so small compared to others I write. If I say much more I will give information away that needs to be discovered by you the reader. So don’t skip this one, buy it and Good Girls Don’t Kiss and Tell so you can read one right after the other!
This is a must read novella if you want to know the back store and a few hidden scenes between Eric Henderson and Gracie McAllister. After reading this one I felt ready to read Good Girls don’t Kiss and Tell. You get to know both Eric and Gracie a good deal more in the pages. That’s why this review is so small compared to others I write. If I say much more I will give information away that needs to be discovered by you the reader. So don’t skip this one, buy it and Good Girls Don’t Kiss and Tell so you can read one right after the other!
AUTHOR BIO:
An obsessive bookworm, Codi Gary likes to write sexy contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy moments. When she's not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives in Idaho with her family.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: http://www.codigarysb
Newsletter: http://www.codigar
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/C
Facebook: http://www.facebook.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.co
Pinterest: https://www.pintere
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