If my question and the ensuing discussion on Facebook about this often used plot line is any indication, I’m guessing Shelli Stevens knew exactly what she was doing when she penned this story! ~ Slick, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Falling for the bad boy is even more dangerous the second time around.
In high school Sarah fell for her best friend’s older brother—one of the sexy, Scottish McLaughlin boys. But a painful betrayal showed her she’d been a fool to give her heart to a bad boy. At least it made it easier to leave him and move halfway around the world when her Navy dad got stationed in Japan.
Eleven years later, the death of her grandmother has forced Sarah back to Whidbey Island for a month. It’s the length of time she must stay in her inherited house before she’s allowed to sell it, take the money and run. But when she sees Ian, bad as ever and still looking like sin on a stick, she can’t keep her mouth from watering.
One look at Sarah stirs up the regret lingering in Ian’s heart—and never-forgotten desire lingering in his body. He should walk away, especially since divorced single mothers aren’t his style. But when she starts showing up at his family’s pub, he can’t resist a little casual seduction for old time’s sake.
One thing quickly becomes clear, though. The heat between them is causing an avalanche of secrets and betrayal and nothing will ever be the same.
Product Warnings
A bad-boy hero who’s good with his hands, a heroine who’s trying to be good. Contains liberal consumption of Scotch whisky, a Highland Games competition, men in kilts wielding large poles, and a potential Sarah McLaughlin of the non-musical kind.
Review copy provided for an honest review
After I finished reading this book I posted a comment on Facebook about the plot line which 
opened up a huge discussion on both sides of the fence. So, I’m guessing Shelli Stevens knew exactly what she was doing when she penned Good Girl Gone Plaid. Having traveled Washington state extensively, I’ve spend a lot of time on the Washington ferries and on Whidbey Island so right away I was pretty enamored with this book. As for the plot, it’s not a favorite of mine however I really enjoyed this book, its characters, and the ending is pretty phenomenal as well. Not only that, this is the first in the series and as a huge series fan I’m already looking forward to the next book!
Returning to Whidbey Island was truly the last thing Sarah Rawlings ever wanted to do. She left as a teen with a broken heart and has spent the last 11 years trying to forget the bad boy who broke her heart and the heartache that followed when she married a jerk. She’s inherited her late grandmother’s house provided she follows the stipulation that she spend a month on the island. While she’s happy to reconnect with her best friend, Kenzie, seeing Kenzie’s big brother and the source of her teenage heartache, Ian McLaughlin, was not in her plan especially on her first day back.
Right away the animosity between Sarah and Ian is pretty evident, but so is the raw sexual energy swirling around them like a tornado. Even after all this time, Sarah is still hurt by what Ian did back when they were teens and Ian hasn’t forgiven Sarah for leaving town without saying goodbye. These two spend quite a bit of time playing what my hubby likes to call, “stay away from me, no wait come closer.” There is just this unexplainable pull between them so when they do finally succumb to their feelings, it’s frantic, intense, and sexy as hell.
I’d like to say their sexual reunion led to an immediate happily ever after, however we all know nothing is ever that easy. Sarah gets some unexpected company and soon secrets from the past come to light and things get very messy, very fast.
While I enjoyed the reunion between Sarah and Ian, it was hard not to fall in love with his large and in your face family. They were there for moral support, a shoulder to cry on, and to give both Ian and Sarah a pop upside the head when needed. I like that while they are intensely loyal to their brother, they are fair where Sarah is concerned.
This is one of those books that I couldn’t help but enjoy. The characters were outstanding and while the plot is often used and not one of my favorites, it didn’t affect my feelings for the book. Good Girl Gone Plaid is a well written and extremely likeable story that has me sold on The McLaughlin’s series and I’m very happy that Shelli Stevens has begun another series!
4.5 Stars
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