Bad Boys Do

By Victoria Dahl

Just how good can a bad boy be?

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?

"Sparkling, special and oh so sexy–Victoria Dahl is a special treat!" –Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Apr 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781472014856

Victoria Dahl

Victoria Dahl lives with her family in a small town high in the mountains. Her first novel debuted in 2007, and she’s gone on to write seventeen books and novellas in historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance. Victoria's contemporary romance, Talk Me Down, was nominated for both a RWA Rita Award and the National Readers' Choice Award. Since then, her books have been nominated for two more Rita Awards, and she hit the USA Today Bestseller list with the anthology Midnight Kiss.

Reviews for Bad Boys Do

[capnrandm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh, these Donovans just break my heart (in the best of ways). Anyone who has lost a parent can relate to their grief and the aftershocks of growing up too fast, adding even more emotion to characters who are already wonderful. I can relate to Tessa's tension in GOOD GIRLS DON'T more, having read the fights between Jamie and Eric in BAD BOYS DO. These siblings love each other so much, but have realistic insecurities and habits that bring things down to earth. No one can get under your skin faster than a sibling, even when there isn't emotional landmines to worry about. As much weight as Dahl puts on the Donovan dynamic or Olivia's ex-husband, have no fear that she'll toy with reader emotions or take things too far. Every time I saw a hint of Olivia and Jamie's self-confidence issues colliding, I tensed for them to hurt each other in a classic Romance novel way, but Dahl doesn't go for the easy emotional jab. These characters have so much to love in them, and they have many more little triumphs than they do moments of drama.

Reread #1 (4/10/12): Started this as a "test" of my new Kindle, got swept away into reading the whole thing. Jamie's drama actually stands up to a re-read, and his relationship with Olivia was worth a page by page savor. I'm completely surprised that BAD BOYS DO held up for a more complete re-read than GOOD GIRLS DON'T, Tessa's anxiety was hard to revisit while Jamie's anger and insecurities weren't too heavy.

[librarydanielle_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

this is the second in the Donovan brewery series and I didn't much enjoy the first (which is about the little sister). this is about Jamie, the middle brother, and I thought it was miles better. Jamie isn't a conniving jerk like his sister (whom I still disliked in this one), he's stuck in his role as a troublemaker and doesn't know how to fix things. he actually has some emotional growth and works to fix things, rather than turning on tears and manipulating things. yeah, still don't like Tessa.

[kaetrin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Why I read it: I got an ARC from NetGalley and I really enjoy Dahl's contemporaries in particular.What it's about: Jamie Donovan is the "family screw-up" and he can't seem to break free from that label. Each time he tries, he's knocked down but he's determined to give it one more go. He has plans to turn Donovan Brothers Brewery into a brewpub - serving good food to complement the various beers instead of just the current pretzels and nuts on offer. He's taking classes at the university to help him put the proposal together before he takes it to siblings and co-owners, Eric and Tessa. Olivia Bishop is Jamie's instructor (but as she's 35 and he's 29 and the class is an ungraded community class, it's not the least bit icky) and there's instant chemistry between the two. Olivia has been divorced for a year from one of the professors at the uni and feels dull and boring and she thinks Jamie can help her learn to have fun. Turns out that Olivia actually is fun - it was her crappy ex-husband who had sucked all the fun out of her. Jamie does help her though, by taking out for some adventures but also by liking her just as she is. We also find out more about the Kendalls and in particular, what really happened the night Jamie took Monica Kendall home. Let me just say - what a cow!What worked for me: I really loved Jamie and I liked Olivia quite a bit too, but, for me, this was Jamie's story all the way. I found it quite compelling and I was a little bit heartbroken for Jamie in a few bits. Like most people are, Jamie is more than just one thing and he's far more than just a "screw-up". I really enjoyed him standing up for himself, the smart changes he made to his life and the way he was with Olivia. I devoured this one in a day and stayed up late to finish it. Also, there's hot tub sex. What didn't: I got tired of the fighting between Jamie and Eric. I gather that by the end of the series, the siblings will largely have made their peace with each other, but I would have liked to have seen more of that in this one. Really, Eric was a prize asshole in this book. Because of that, I didn't totally buy his turn around at the end - it was just a little quick for my belief-meter.Also, I did think that Olivia's continued belief that her relationship with Jamie was just a no strings "arrangement" was held a bit long; clearly Jamie was really into her. What else: I'm actually thinking that the prequel novella helped me quite a bit - if not for it, I would have been totally turned off Eric on account of his asshat behaviour in this book. However, as I got to know him just a little in the novella, I have enough sympathy for him to want him to get his HEA in Real Men Will (which I'm currently reading). Although, I am hoping that he stops with the asshattedness. Also, without reading the novella, I wouldn't have got the Eric jokes, so that's a plus.Overall: A very good, sexy (oh boy howdy was it sexy!) story with depth and a good man in a kilt. What's not to love? Grade: B

[jolzyn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book from the Donovan Brothers Brewery and tells the story of the younger donovan; Jamie who are the wild child among the three sibblings. Jamie determine to change his elder's brother's perception of him, hence he enrolled himself into a summer course. It was here that he met up with Olivia, a recently divorced lecturer and their relationship sparked.It is nice to see how a bad guy changed leave to a good one ;) From a wild child; who is involved in everything bad to someone who determine to establish and expand their business.. it was fun to read thru them. I like the intensity in their relationship as depicted by the author; but their reconciliation was a little too simple given the intensity of their relationship.

[cats57_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! If we are strictly talking “romance” novels this has to be the hottest book I have read in quite awhile. I swear this should have been categorized as erotica! This is the second book in the Donovan Brother’s Brewery trilogy ( and don’t forget the novella in “Just One Taste" in the February 15th anthology The Guy Next Door. )This book is about Jamie the happy go lucky, sexy, devil may care brother and a partner in the Donovan Brother’s Brewery and Olivia Bishop; a woman who is sure she is no fun. Or at least that‘s what her ex-husband made her think. One night Olivia is out with her ‘book-club’ when she meets Jamie and of course, a connection is made. Jamie has a plan for the brewery and decides to take a class to learn more about the business aspect of things…well guess who is teaching the class? Olivia wants to be a little more fun, Jamie needs help with his business plan and guess what they decide to do? Yep, they decide to help each other. This is a sexy, funny, fun book with well-written characters. The characters have realistically written feelings and reactions to outside circumstances. Out of the three full-length books, this one is my favorite. I laughed, cried and just had a heck of a lot of fun reading it!

[allureofbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl is second in the Donovan Brothers Brewery trilogy. I previously reviewed the first, Good Girls Don’t, here. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite live up to the fantastic chemistry of the first.This one centers around bad boy younger brother Jamie, who painted a less than impressive picture in Good Girl’s Don’t. His immaturity and spontaneity landed his family in a mess of trouble. In this book, he meets an introverted and straight-laced woman about six years older than him and they become involved. However, for me their connection lacked both the meaning and electricity I’ve come to expect from Victoria Dahl.It just seemed like the characters were so busy trying to fit into stereotypical molds (the “misunderstood” bad boy and the uptight inexperienced older woman) that they felt like puzzle pieces that didn’t quite click together. Victoria can pen a steamy scene with the best of them, however, so they did come together quite well in that respect (if you have read this, I have two words for you: mirror scene).I did really like both Jamie and Olivia though, so even though I wasn’t completely feeling them as a couple, I still enjoyed reading about them. Jamie, known as the screw-up of the family, has plans to improve and expand the Brewery. He is a nervous wreck about sharing them with his siblings, so Olivia works to help him develop and refine his ideas. Meanwhile, Jamie helps Olivia loosen up and learn how to have fun again after she has gone through a practical marriage and embarrassing divorce. They both have quite a bit of character development throughout the novel: that I can certainly appreciate!So, while I felt the book had some serious issues that held it back from being as good as the first of the series, I did still enjoy getting to know the characters overall. I am definitely still anticipating reading the last book of the trilogy!