Falling In Fall: Return of the Bad Girl by Codi Gary Review + Giveaway

~*SYNOPSIS*~

Bad girls don't forgive.
Bad girls don't forget.
Bad girls don't fall in love.

Caroline Willis may be known for causing trouble, but she is NOT about to become homeless. So when she learns that her perfect apartment has been double-booked—to a dangerously hot bad boy—Caroline's bad-girl reputation comes out in full force. He may be sexy as sin, but she's not afraid of him … or his panty-melting smile.

Rock Canyon's got room for only one bad attitude—and Gabe Moriarty was here first. Still, starting over means playing it smart, so while sharing his new apartment is less than ideal, it's worth getting his dream business off the ground. Not to mention that it means shacking up with a sexy wild child. Caroline may be giving him the cold shoulder, but Gabe always was good at starting fires …

Caroline vows to keep things professional with Gabe, but as close quarters begin to ignite the sizzling chemistry between them, she's left wondering: Bad boy plus bad girl equals nothing but trouble … right?

~*PLAYLIST*~
Music has always been a huge part of my writing process, and can inspire a scene or an action from one of my characters. For The Trouble with Sexy, Gloriana’s Kiss You Goodnight was a HUGE inspiration. Whitney Duncan was a serious factor in Things Good Girls Don’t Do and Lady Antebellum helped create the back story for Travis and Gemma of Good Girls Don’t Date Rock Stars. Jacob’s Ladder by Mark Wills was the centric theme for Bad Girls Don’t Marry Marines, so it was really no surprise that as I wrote Return of the Bad Girl, I was pulling songs from the radio to make up my playlist.
Take You Home by Thomas Rhett
Wake Up Lovin’ You by Craig Morgan
Everything Changes by Staind
People Know You by Your First Name by Dean Brody
When the Right One Comes Along from the Nashville Soundtrack
Sunshine and Whiskey by Frankie Ballard
Love by Jana Kramer
Speakers by Sam Hunt
Girl in a Country Song by Maddie and Tae
Break Up in a Small Town
Gonna Wanna Tonight by Chase Rice
Dirt by Florida Georgia Line
Show You Off by Dana and Shay
Something Bad by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
Follow Your Arrow by Kacey Musgraves
Mean to Me by Brett Eldredge
Enough is Enough by Eli Young Band.

So, several of the songs on this playlist (I.E. 4 and 10) set up the back ground and gossip running rampant about Gabe and Caroline, in part thanks to Miss Know It All. Sometimes the attitudes and antics of the towns people surprise even me, but they are oh, so fun! Especially the dreaded Mrs. Andrews. (Shudder). Then there are the angsty ones like 2, 3, 5, and 17. These songs help me through Caroline and Gabe fighting their feelings and the inevitable screw up by both of them, because true love never did run smooth, right? The fun/funny songs like 6, 9, and 14, helped me during character development and those funny interactions between friends and the h/h that make me smile and sometimes even laugh out loud. (Caroline is the anti-girl in a country song and if you’ve never seen the video, you have to check it out!) Show You Off #13 inspired one of my favorite lines in the book, but I won’t give away what it was.
But my favorite song on this playlist is Jana Kramer’s Love (#7). Caroline is a cynic who has never been in love and Gabe believes he doesn’t deserve it. This song gave me the inspiration for their Happily Ever After (because they have to end up together right?)
I hope you enjoy my Return of the Bad Girl Spodify Playlist!

~*REVIEW BY ELYSSA*~

Fallers, I didn't really know what I was getting into when I started Return of the Bad Girl. I'd picked it randomly out of a list of books, and it's part of a longer series (the Rock Canyon series, for those who are interested). Luckily, this book is totally stand-alone (I honestly wouldn't have known it was part of a series if I hadn't looked it up), and it was completely awesome! I'm giving Return of the Bad Girl four and a half leaves!

Caroline and Gabe are basically a match made in heaven. She's the town's former bad-girl, eventually leaving home before graduating high school to strike out on her own. Gabe's recently out of a jail due to a horrible accident in his past.... and both are now stuck together in the same apartment. Necessity brings people together, and I could tell the minute they met that Caroline and Gabe were in for a bumpy (but incredibly fun and really hot) ride. One of the things that struck me about this book was the absolutely incredibly, admirable growth both characters went through. They've both had really rough pasts, but both are working incredibly hard to put it behind them, start fresh, and try to improve themselves.

And they do. You can see it in their actions, the way they interact with one another and with other people. They're not always successful, but they both realize when they make mistakes, and both do their best to remedy them. That's the focus of this book for me--two people who are trying to better themselves for themselves, and also realizing that just because they had a bad past doesn't mean they don't deserve each other--deserve love--in their future.

I loved Gabe and Caroline. Both were witty, smart, and completely devoted to one another. The ride was a little choppy, but definitely check this one out, Fallers!

~*ABOUT THE AUTHOR*~
From the time I could put a Disney Book cassette into my little stereo,and read along, books have held a fantastic distraction. When I was eleven, I decided I wanted to be one of those magical people that brought stories to life. Devouring a book a day sometimes, my first romance novel stuck with me. I've always been a sucker for a happy ending (and the great romantic gesture)and that's what I try to put into my stories. I am so honored to be a part of Avon, and am so excited to have my own dreams coming true.

~*SOCIAL & BUY LINKS*~