There is nothing sexier than a man who is focused on being a good father. Quinn Bravo is intent on making his daughter happy and keeping his business successful. Chloe has decided to start over in a different environment. Focus on work and rebuilding her life should keep her from repeating past mistakes. Then again, anything is possible when a Bravo is involved. I love the Bravo's. Have followed the series from the very beginning. Through different generations and branches of their family tree. What I like most about this family is that they are good people that bond together through good times and bad. And they aren't above a little matchmaking either. Christine Rimmer always writes stories that mix family, emotion and enchanting characters in all her workings.
I received an ARC of The Good Girl's second chance in exchange for an honest review. With this family I always come back for more. ( )

I love stories of second chances because of my oldest daughter. Abuse is wrong period. Men who abuse make excuses from what I've heard.
Chloe battles thinking she is free but then she isn't really. As her ex starts stalking her, she gets afraid.
Quinn was made fun of as a child because of a learning disability. He's fought his way through life in more than one way.
The real story of love is Quinn wanting to protect Chloe - not all the love making. ( )

The Good Girl's Second Chance – A Bravos of Justice Creek novel- by Christine Rimmer is a 2015 Harlequin Special Edition publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, Christine really added some red hot spices to the recipe in this one!

Quinn Bravo was the guy with a 'bad boy' reputation and Chloe was burdened with the 'good girl' image. Because of these perceptions and the expectations from others, Chloe kept her attraction to Quinn a secret while they were teenagers.

Now both Quinn and Chloe have returned home, Quinn as a single father, and Chloe is trying to put her life back in order after escaping an abusive marriage. One evening, they discovered they were neighbors and the sparks flew, leading to a heated night of passion. However, Chloe is determined to leave it as a one and done situation, but Quinn would like nothing more than to date Chloe properly and would not object to a long term relationship with her. But, even if he can talk Chloe into giving him a chance, outside forces seem determined to drive a wedge between them.

The chemistry between Chloe and Quinn is never in doubt. They went from zero to a hundred in no time flat! Usually, when this happens in a romance novel I'm a little let down. I'm one of those slow burn types who enjoy a titillating build up. It's part of what keeps me turning the pages, so when Chloe and Quinn hit the sheets in record time, I wondered what the author was thinking.

As it turns out, most of this story is centered around Chloe and her struggle to snatch control of her life away from her domineering and manipulative mother and ex-husband. On the surface, it would appear Chloe has everything a woman could want, but nothing could be further from the truth. Her mother likes to gloat and brag about how her daughter turned out, how well she had married, and what a charmed life she led. She was so entrenched in this make believe world, she couldn't accept that it wasn't the fairytale she made it out to be.

Now, Chloe is dating Quinn, a man who doesn't measure up to her mother's high standards. To complicate matters more, Chloe'e ex-husband, now re-married, has suddenly decided he wants to make contact with Chloe again. Obviously, the man is dangerous, so Quinn wants to step in and protect Chloe. This is the only real conflict between the couple, since Chloe would rather handle the situation with her ex on her own terms.

Quinn's character isn't as fleshed out and the back story with his daughter is glossed over a great deal. Still, it would seem Quinn's role here is to be a stable influence while Chloe's life is in all this turmoil. The couple is already committed to one another by the half way mark in the book, but they still have lots of sexy time moments, this being one of the steamiest novels from the author I have read in a while.

The author took a bit of an unconventional approach with this one, and I will admit to being a little taken aback by it initially. But, now that I've mulled it over a while, I think I understand what the author was trying to achieve. This book could very easily fall into the chick-lit or women's fiction genre, despite the explicit sex.
Although Chloe and her mother have a good long heart to heart, I think some real professional help would be in order, and that situation will not be an easy fix, even if some progress is made.

The most important thing, in the end ,though, was that Quinn and Chloe are together and will finally have their HEA.

Overall 3.5 rounded to 4 ( )

Very good book. Quinn and Chloe knew each other as kids, but Quinn was the bad boy and Chloe the good girl. They were interested in each other as teens, but expectations and reputations kept them apart. Now both have moved back to Justice Creek.

Quinn has a four year old daughter and a growing fitness business. He's not looking for a relationship right now, but he's drawn to his beautiful neighbor. Chloe came back home after divorcing her cheating and abusive husband. She has her own interior design business that is also starting to grow. She's not in any hurry to risk her heart again.

Late one night, when neither can sleep, they meet in the darkness. There is an instant attraction and connection that they see no reason to fight. Though the original plan was for one night, neither wants to give up on whatever it is they have. Though their physical relationship has a quick and hot start, that's not all they have together. I loved seeing the way that they talk together often and have shared pieces of their painful pasts with each other.

Quinn quickly realizes that he wants Chloe in his life permanently. He proposes marriage, then gives Chloe the time she needs to be sure of what she wants. Quinn is very protective of those he cares about, and when he discovers that Chloe is having issues with her ex, he wants to help. Chloe knows that she's fallen for Quinn and wants to be with him. But it has taken time for her to get her life together after her divorce, and to find her independence. When she was younger she had allowed her mother to have a lot of negative influence on her life and she's working to overcome that. When she starts getting creepy messages from her ex, she is determined to deal with it herself.

This causes some conflict between Quinn and Chloe. He wants to protect her and care for her, and he is extremely frustrated by her refusal to allow him to help. I could understand, because he was worried about her safety. I had a great deal of respect for Quinn, because though he didn't like it, he promised Chloe to stay out of it. There's still a part of Chloe that blames herself for her problems with Ted, and that part is determined to solve her problems herself, without leaning on Quinn. I liked seeing the way that she was confident enough in Quinn to ask him to honor her wishes. She knew what she was doing bothered him, but she really felt that she wouldn't deserve Quinn if she didn't take care of it herself. The ending was intense, but both Chloe and Quinn came through with flying colors.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters also. Quinn's daughter was a real sweetheart. Quinn's love for her was obvious and I loved seeing how he could be soft and tough with her at the same time. His worries about her are one of the things that brought he and Chloe together. Chloe fell for Annabelle almost as fast as she fell for Quinn. I really liked the way they connected over the fairy dress that Annabelle wanted. I liked Quinn's friend/helper Mannie and his part in pushing Quinn and Chloe together. It wasn't very subtle, but it was effective. I also liked seeing more of Quinn's family, especially his sister Nell. The face off she had with Chloe was pretty amusing, but it really showed the love and support that the Bravo family has for each other. The only character I didn't like (besides Ted) was Chloe's mother. She was a real piece of work and I hated the way she talked to Chloe. I loved seeing Chloe stand up to her and stand her ground. She redeemed herself a little bit at the end, so I hope she continues to improve.

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )