RESISTING THE BAD BOY by Violet Duke

The book that started it all. Book #1 of the Nice Girl trilogy, the acclaimed three-book serial that began the New York Times & USA Today bestselling CAN’T RESIST series.

Abby Bartlett is the quintessential nice girl. Between teaching, volunteering, completing her PhD, and helping her best friend raise his daughter, Abby never gets the chance to be anything but nice. That is, until the all-wrong-for-her man she’s only ever known from afar starts daring her to simply take that chance for herself. His sage advice? Try something wild and fast.

Preferably him.

An unbridled, hotshot attorney with a not-so-little black book, Connor Sullivan has earned himself quite the bad boy reputation. But in his defense, he’s a very conscientious one. He knows far too well that sometimes in life, love isn’t enough…or worse, not even a factor at all. To avoid that misery—and repel the drama—Connor always makes his one and only rule crystal clear right from the start. Absolutely nothing more than a month.

Turns out, a whole lot can happen in one month.

Note: This is NOT a standalone. This is the first book in a three-book serial.

~THE CAN’T RESIST SERIES~

This three-book serial is part of the CAN’T RESIST series. Books #1-3 (Abby’s story) must be read in order. While Books #4-6 are separate standalones, it is recommended that they be read after the trilogy. Books #1-3 are also available as a bundled boxed set.

BOOK 1: Resisting the Bad Boy
BOOK 2: Falling for the Good Guy
BOOK 3: Choosing the Right Man
BOOK 4: Finding the Right Girl*
BOOK 5: Keeping the Rebound Fling*
BOOK 6: Having the Real Thing*

*Also available as a three-book bundle in the Nice Girl trilogy boxed set

~EXCERPT FROM RESISTING THE BAD BOY~

“Doesn’t sound like you have that much time for yourself. What do you do for fun?”
She got up to grab them another two beers from the kitchen. “Honestly, I’m a homebody. Never got into the nightlife scene here. Plus, by the time I was twenty-one, I was basically babysitting Skylar all day every weekend, and nearly all my weeknights. Since that pretty much carried on clear until last year, I guess my idea of fun is hanging out with her. Lame, I know.”
He felt like he was talking to a martian. He hadn’t realized she’d spent even more time babysitting Skylar than he had. And he knew for a fact—from Brian’s complaints about it—that she hadn’t taken a single cent from them for babysitting.
For God’s sakes, she was just so nice.
“So you don’t do anything just for yourself? Just for fun?”
“Well, I have been privately executing my mission to learn how to cook the most beloved dishes from every country in the world,” she returned with a smile. “That’s fun.”
It was possible baby bluebirds helped her get dressed in the morning.
She was just that sweet.
“You’re driving me crazy.” He swept an arm around her waist and lifted her right up onto his lap.
“Connor!”
He slid a hand into her hair, rubbed a thumb over her heated cheekbone as he brought his lips to within inches of hers. “I shouldn’t want you this much. You’re everything I’m not, and I’m everything you couldn’t possibly want. I know I should leave you alone, but I just can’t. I can’t stop myself from wanting you.”
Her breathing had grown so erratic, he was actually starting to get concerned. “Say something, sweetheart. I’m baring my soul here.”
“I shouldn’t want you either,” she whispered, “but I do.”
His arms locked around her, instinctively staking a claim on her. Mine.
For now.
The two words were his only anchor keeping him in the reality he maintained for himself. He had to be brutally honest with her, with them both. “I meant what I said earlier, Abby. I’m never going to break my one-month rule.” Feeling like the lowest piece of scum, he hammered that last nail in, “Not for anyone. Not even you.”
She was silent for a long while, and Connor started preparing himself for the rejection to come.
“I know our fifteen minutes of friendship are up but can I ask you something as a friend? Will you answer me as one?”
He tensed. “I’ll try.”
She chuckled. “Again with the copout.” Raising her warm doe eyes up to his, she asked quietly, “If you weren’t trying to get in my pants, if you were just my friend and I asked you what one thing I could do to stop being ‘a nice girl’ for just a little while, what advice would you give me?”
That was easy. “I’d tell you to try something new. Something that excites you. Something that’ll take you from zero to sixty just as fast as it could take you back to zero whenever you were ready to return.”
“Something wild and fast…” She loosened her death grip on his shoulders, slid her hands down his back slowly. “That’s good advice.”
He saw her gaze travel down to his lips and it took everything he had not to kiss her right then and there.
“Are you volunteering, Connor? To be that something wild and fast for me to try?”
“No,” he replied raggedly, “I’m insisting. Requiring.” He dropped his forehead against hers. “Asking.”

~PRAISE FOR RESISTING THE BAD BOY~

“A heartfelt, fast-paced, and fun read!” — NYT Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely

“Emotionally charged with wonderful characters! Violet Duke made me laugh and cry in this incredible romance. One of the best I’ve read this year!” — NYT Bestselling Author J.S. Scott

“A sexy, emotional treat!” — NYT Bestselling Author Lexi Ryan

“A unique series that will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. I couldn’t put these books down!” — NYT Bestselling Author Carly Phillips

~BOOK LINKS~

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iBooks * Kobo * GooglePlay * Goodreads

~MY REVIEW~

Wow! Talk about nailing it first time out of the chute. Violet Duke’s Resisting the Bad Boy placed her solidly on my list of auto-buy authors. She engages you in the first paragraph and never lets your attention stray. Her characters are lively, fun, and snappy with their banter. I found myself smiling, chuckling, and laughing out loud throughout the book. The only thing I like more in my choice of reading material is a hot, sexy scene and she deftly fills the pages with plenty of those as well. She gives us an incredibly romantic story about Connor, an emotionally shut-off bad boy who is revealed to be a good, self-sacrificing man by Abby, the good girl who brings it all out when she shows him real affection without an ulterior motive. These two well-written characters are great together and have smokin’ hot chemistry. I could offer details of so many scenes to illustrate my views but I don’t want to spoil your chance to read and enjoy it for yourself just as I did. Twice. Now I’m just waiting for the second book in this wonderful series to come out!! But in the meantime, buy this fantastic read by new author Violet Duke. You won’t be sorry!

~AUTHOR BIO~

ABOUT VIOLET DUKE:
NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Violet Duke is a former professor of English Education who is ecstatic to now be on the other side of the page writing wickedly fun contemporary romance novels. Her books have been Top 10 bestsellers on Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble, and have been featured on IndieReader and GalleyCat as breakout hits. When she’s not writing or feeding her book-a-day reading addiction, Violet enjoys tackling reno projects with her power tools, trying pretty much anything without reading the directions first, and cooking ‘special edition’ dishes that laugh in the face of recipes. She lives in Hawai’i with her two cute kids (daughter Violet & son Duke) and similarly adorable husband.

~VIOLET’S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS~

WEBSITE * FACEBOOK PAGE * AMAZON AUTHOR’S PAGE

~ENTER TO WIN~

One Winner: Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Paperwhite (winner’s choice)
One Winner: $25 Gift Card
One Winner: Signed Paperbacks of all three books in the Nice Girl trilogy
(Resisting, Falling, Choosing)

Rafflecopter Giveaway