Good Girls Do
Cathie Linz
Berkley, Jan 2006, $7.99, 336 pp.
ISBN: 0425208486

After a wild hippie like childhood, librarian Julia Wright moved to Serenity Falls, Pennsylvania to live a straight lifestyle. Three years later she has succeeded at getting away from the New Age zaniness of her mother and sister. However, her idyllic time in a quiet controlled town implodes over six new arrivals.

First town bad boy Luke Maguire has come home to run his late father's bar; this surprises the locals as Luke failed to even return for his dad's funeral. However except for one person no one realizes that Luke's highly regarded father abused him. He cannot resist stealing kisses from Julia.

Next her mom, sis, and niece arrived accompanied by two llamas move in with Julia. She hides her pop tarts that she needs to get through their insanity, which includes encouraging her to sleep with Luke, who she already cannot resist even without the urging of the cheerleaders.

This is a fun contemporary romance in which Julia has never felt comfortable with the antics of her mom and sis, and now her four year old niece who is an expert on vaginas and lets everyone know it. Though Julia and Luke are the stars, the ensemble support cast enhances the tale with their escapades that aggravate the heroine and amuse (for the most part) her beloved. Though mom's secret seems anticlimactic, fans of You Can't Take It With You like romantic romps will enjoy this funny family tale.

Harriet Klausner