Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl (Donovan Brothers Brewery #2)
September 27, 2011
Contemporary Romance
Paperback
HQN

Reviewed by Mandi and May

From Goodreads: Olivia Bishop is no fun. That’s what her ex-husband said. And that’s what her smart bob and glasses imply. So with her trademark determination, Olivia sets out to remake her life. She’s going to spend time with her girlfriends and not throw it all away for some man. But when an outing with her book club leads her to a brewery taproom, the dark-haired beauty realizes that trouble—in the form of sexy Jamie Donovan—may be too tempting to avoid.

Jamie Donovan doesn’t mean to be bad. Sure, the wild streak in his wicked green eyes has lured the ladies before. Now it’s time to grow up. He’s even ready for a serious romance. But how can that be when Olivia, the only right woman he has ever met, already has him pegged as wrong?

Highlights of the Good Times:

May:

– In book #1 Jamie is presented as a skirt chasing bartender, little more. I was delighted to meet the real Jamie Donovan – he was a sweetheart and I really liked him. I loved that Jamie had a very well thought out and solid plan to add food to the brewery. That he was smart about it, researched, and didn’t shy away from the help offered by a professional (Olivia) in getting a more formal proposal together to present.

  – The sexy time. No matter what else is going on in a Victoria Dahl book, you’re getting great sex scenes. The perfect balance of description and heat, and never boring.

– Jamie takes charge. It drove me bonkers in book #1 that Tessa (his sister) was tweeting stuff as if she was Jamie. The sexual harassment that she put him through (not to mention kilt wearing) showed her lack of respect for him, and I was so happy when he gave her a smack down and took charge.

– While I am appalled that the heroine lasted so long with her douche-bag ex, I really liked how she discovers that being “not fun” isn’t her problem – she just forgot who she really is and what she likes independent of her ex. I was glad to see her running with her dreams and cutting loose.

Mandi:

– I was surprised by how warm, fun and just a sweetheart Jamie turns out to be. Although he is set up to be the bad boy with his bed hopping in book one, you know pretty quickly that he really isn’t like that. His flirting in the beginning of the book was so cute. Totally endearing and I really like how his character turned out.

– Gwen, Olivia’s best friend was a big high point in this book for me. Her analysis of Olivia and Jamie’s relationship made me laugh out loud. At some points, I kind of wished she was the heroine.

– While Olivia was not always my favorite heroine, there are moments, especially when Jamie and her first move onto a physical relationship where her character shined more for me. The first sex scene with them in the hot tub (yes, I said hot tub smex) I thought was really well done. And super sexy.

Highlights of the Not so Great:

May:

– The heroine constantly thought of herself as so much older than Jamie. It was a 5-6yr difference (depending on bdays I suppose) – not a big deal. Also she is 35, and having lived a quiet life looks young for her age. So it really got under my nerves that she was always talking about this especially when she had married a much old man when she was very young. She took it past just an age difference, to the point of thinking of Jamie as no more than a college kid for most of the book.

– The lack of interesting plot really was a problem for me. I would have loved to get immersed in the building of Jamie’s new venture or Olivia’s for that matter. To be given something meaty and interesting to consider beyond these two’s obvious sexual compatibility.

– Chemistry and true love. I get that she’s cute and he is a hunk in a kilt. So? I didn’t really get why they were ever that into each other. The relationship. Excuse me, the “arrangement” these two have make their connection weak and shallow, so it was hard for me to buy that they are on their way to romance HEA.

– Tessa & Eric (Jamie’s brother and sister). I actually noted at one point “My god, these siblings HATE each other. Should sell biz and move far away” Their immaturity and lack of respect for each other is dysfunctional to say the least.

Mandi:

– I got sick of Olivia always thinking that she was so much older than Jamie. Hello, 35/29 is nothing! I get that she thinks her maturity level is much greater than his, but the constant reminder that he was “still in diapers” got annoying.

– Tessa’s behavior in this book gave me a headache. Actually, between her behavior and Eric and Jamie constantly fighting, I needed to take Advil. It was too much, and towards the end of the book I dreaded scenes between the three siblings. Enough – we get that you can’t get along. We saw it in book one. Too much in this one.

– I thought the conflict in this one is on the weaker side. Olivia’s ex-husband is on the scene jealous once he discovers she is dating. And then a few vague threats are made – and you don’t know if they are coming from him or someone else. Other than that, the conflict lies just with Olivia’s inability to move the relationship forward. I thought their sex scenes to be heavy and emotional, but then Olivia continuously refuses to admit there that there are any feelings between her and Jamie. That their “relationship” is just for fun. But that sentiment went totally against how they acted toward each other romantically.

Favorite Quotes

May:

“Please tell me he calls you Ms. Bishop while he licks you like a damn lollipop.”

“Do you have a French maid outfit just lying around?”

“No, it’s pressed and neatly folded.” He stood, picking her up as she threw her arms around his neck with a shriek. “Shhh. I’m just trying to liven up this boring sex for you.”

Mandi

“Ms. Bishop,” he said, a smile spreading across his face like a warm, melting treat. “Thanks for coming.”

Hopefully he’d be repeating that same phrase later.

Final thoughts:

May: While it was a good read, it lacked the humor and laugh out loud moments of the previous book in this series. The characters did not have much of a plot to roam, and I was frustrated or just not liking the story far too often. There was no one huge problem, but rather a collection of hairline fractures that made this book a C grade for me.

Mandi: I really enjoyed Jamie and by the end I liked his HEA with Olivia. I do wish there had been more “oomph” to the conflict in this one. And Olivia got a little tiring with her constant references to her age difference with Jamie. I also think the bickering between the siblings really brought this story down for me. But let me say – at the end of this book, Eric is still a mystery. We don’t learn much about him – and I want to uncover his secrets. I give this a C+.

Recent Reviews:
The Book Pushers – A
Book Lovers Inc – 5/5
Love to Read for Fun – C+
Badass Book Reviews – B
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