Bad Girl Reputation: An Avalon Bay Novel

by Elle Kennedy

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A return to Avalon Bay, no matter the circumstances, proves that one CAN go home again. And sometimes, it’s better the second time.

*USA Today bestseller*

Bestselling author Elle Kennedy returns to Avalon Bay in this sexy second chance story about two exes who can't stay away from each other, Bad Girl Reputation.

When former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s prepared to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. Their history is rife with turbulence. And passion. A heck of a lot of passion...which she’s trying desperately to forget.

But it’s impossible not to run into Evan in the small coastal town where they once ran wild. And the moment she sees her gorgeous ex again, it’s clear to Gen that Evan is still as unruly, sexy, and irresistible as ever. This time around, however, she’s resolved to walk a new path. No more partying. No more foolish mistakes. Her plan is to temporarily remain in town to help her father run his business, but the second he finds somebody else, she’s out of there.

Evan has other ideas. He knows they can be good together, but he just has to convince Genevieve of that, even if it means turning over a new leaf himself. But can a bad reputation ever truly be shed? Do second chances really work? Genevieve and Evan are about to find out.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250796752
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Series:	Avalon Bay , #2
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	3,561
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, ELLE KENNEDY grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and is the author of more than 40 titles of romantic suspense and contemporary romance novels, including the international bestselling Off-Campus and Briar U series.

Editorial Reviews

08/22/2022

When former “bad girl” Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s tempted to fall back into her wayward ways in Kennedy’s delicious sequel to Good Girl Complex. Twenty-two-year-old Gen has turned over a new leaf in the year since she left Avalon Bay, quitting drinking and getting her life together. Most of the townspeople are willing to chalk up her former misbehavior as teen antics, but sheriff’s deputy Rusty Randall has reasons for not letting it go. During a drunken night out, he assaulted Gen, and, in retaliation, she blew up his marriage. Now that Gen’s back in town, Rusty’s out for revenge. But he’s not her main concern. That would be her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley, whom she abandoned without a word. Evan still loves Gen and hopes they can pick up where they left off—but Gen won’t let him lead her back down a bad path. To prove himself, Evan must reform. Evan’s growth from party boy to worthy romance hero is a joy to witness, especially as, along the way, he reminds Gen that having fun is not a crime. The duo’s unbreakable connection comes through on every page with palpable chemistry and an even stronger emotional connection. This will-they-won’t-they offers a fun balance of life lessons and steamy sex scenes. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"The duo’s unbreakable connection comes through on every page with palpable chemistry and an even stronger emotional connection. This will-they-won’t-they offers a fun balance of life lessons and steamy sex scenes." - Publishers Weekly

"Just the right amount of heartfelt and sexy... A steamy tale of first loves and second chances." - Kirkus

"Full of lusty scenes, Kennedy’s second “Avalon Bay” book (following Good Girl Complex) is a great read for fans of the series or as a stand-alone." - Library Journal

"This is sure to delight Kennedy’s many fans, as well as garner new ones." - Booklist

"Thanks to Kennedy’s easy, breezy dialogue, readers will feel like they’re elbow-to-elbow with Gen and Evan at the bar and the poker table in this vibrant, feel-good and fresh romance." - BookPage

"The depth of Kennedy's characters creates a bond that is hard to let go of when the novel ends." - Shelf Awareness

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From the Publisher

08/01/2022

Genevieve West is over her ex-boyfriend Evan Hartley—until she sees him on a trip back home to Avalon Bay for her mother's funeral. Gen is both emotionally and physically triggered by his presence alone, never mind actually speaking to him. She's brought back to their dating days, which were full of drinking, drugs, and intense passion, and she swears not to get involved with him again. However, when her father offers her a job at their family-owned business, she can't refuse, putting Evan in her orbit yet again. Evan, on the other hand, vows to get Gen back by being the good guy, walking a straight path, and doing all he can to woo her. Trying to make peace with the past, Gen and Evan exhibit a strong push and pull throughout the novel, leaving readers rooting for one or the other at any given time. But can they turn their bad reputations around and have a second chance at love? VERDICT Full of lusty scenes, Kennedy's second "Avalon Bay" book (following Good Girl Complex) is a great read for fans of the series or as a stand-alone.—Erin Holt

Library Journal

2022-07-27
Kennedy returns to Avalon Bay as a reformed bad girl and her bad-boy ex decide if they should follow the rules or chase the rush.

When former bad girl Genevieve West returns to Avalon Bay after spending a year in Charleston, she discovers that her mother is dying. Within the week, she’s attending Laurie’s funeral, and her plans to return to her new life are dashed when her father asks her to manage their family stone business while he sets their affairs in order. She soon realizes that not much has changed in the Bay since she left: Her friends still drunkenly party through the night, her five brothers still wreak havoc when they can, and her tattooed ex, Evan Hartley, is still as devastatingly handsome as she remembers. Years of passionate, jealous, and raucous on-and-off dating led them into more trouble than they could count—sometimes even with the law—and although it’s been a year since she left town without saying goodbye, Gen knows she can’t stay away from Evan for long. The problem is, Evan’s hot temper and bad-boy ways, along with looming threats of arrest from Deputy Rusty Randall, threaten to disturb her carefully curated sobriety, reminding her of the real reason she bid farewell to Avalon Bay. But when Evan begins to prove that he’s a changed man, Gen finds the energy between them harder and harder to resist, and she wonders whether she lost herself on the way to becoming good. Kennedy’s Avalon Bay sequel follows Good Girl Complex (2022), which tells the story of Evan’s hardened twin brother, Cooper, and his rich, out-of-towner girlfriend, Mackenzie. Kennedy takes the bad girl–bad boy trope a step further here by exploring what happens when they finally grow up (“I don’t know where my life took a turn off the misspent youth, coming-of-age CW drama and wound up stranded inside a Hallmark movie”), and she ends up with just the right amount of heartfelt and sexy.

A steamy tale of first loves and second chances.

Kirkus Reviews