Title: Beautiful Oblivion
Author: Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Atria Books
Year of Release: 2014
ISBN: 9781476759586
Source: Purchased
Number of Pages: 320
Summary:
The Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster phenomenon continues in the first heart-pounding new adult romance in The Maddox Brothers series.
Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.
Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.
Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.
As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.
In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again.
These Maddox boys are just impossible to hate. Or ignore. They're so addictive, their characters, their stories, everything. I thought it would be impossible to like this book more than Beautiful Disaster, and while I was right, it was pretty close!
Trent and Cami. Their relationship is hinted at and mentioned briefly throughout the series, but we as readers never got an insight into how they started dating, why, or their relationship in general. In this book, all is revealed.
Trent is an amazing character though. He's hilarious and very easily likeable. Some of his commentary and wit is honestly laugh-out-loud funny! I loved that he was one of the main characters in this book and that his character was built upon so wonderfully.
This book is set in the same time period as Beautiful Disaster, and while that's great, it's starting to become very repetitive. Which becomes annoying. While it's from another character's POV, I think I would have enjoyed the book, and the series as a whole, much more if it was less repetitive.
Cami is a great character, however repetitiveness comes into play again with her. Apart from her personality differences to Abby, both protagonists are hiding something when they fall in love with their Maddox boy and try to distance themselves from them. They then fall into denial when they start to develop feelings for them.
As for their love interests, both Travis and Trent love their women fiercely. While I understand it's a family trait, it was repetitive.
Beautiful Oblivion felt a lot like I was reading Beautiful Disaster again, just with a new centre couple. It was annoying.
I really loved the ending though. The plot twist was brilliant and I really liked the way that it had been built upon throughout the novel, and not revealed until the very last page. Other than that and Trent's humour, there's not much else I really enjoyed about this book.
Definitely a must read though for Beautiful fans!
Title: A Beautiful Wedding
Author: Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Atria Books
Year of Release: 2013
ISBN: 1476759545
Source: Purchased
Number of Pages: 146
Summary:
You know that Abby Abernathy unexpectedly became Mrs. Maddox. But what do you really know?
Why did Abby pop the question?
What secrets were shared before the ceremony?
Where did they spend their wedding night?
Who else knew about it . . . and didn’t tell?
Everything about Abby and Travis’s elopement was top-secret . . . until now. Fans of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster will get all of their questions answered in this whirlwind tale of the wedding day (and night!)—and as with all good stories, this one will definitely have been worth the wait.
I wasn't expecting much from this book, considering both the length and the fact that it's a .5 book in the series. While I wouldn't say it blew me away, it was certainly a very good read!
This novella was short, sweet, and answered a lot of questions left open at the end of Beautiful/Walking Disaster. Definitely a must read for fans of this series! Don't expect too much from it, but it is a lovely book.
It picks up right where Beautiful/Walking Disaster left off, with Travis and Abby booking a flight to Vegas for their wedding. I was really annoyed at Abby in this one. Travis is so in love with her, and the main reason she's marrying him is so he'll have an alibi. Poor Travis. Either way though, these two are head over heels for each other.
The writing in this book felt a little rushed, like no effort had really gone into it. While the details of the wedding, both before, during and after were certainly there, the writing itself wasn't all up to scratch.
As for the details of the wedding night, well, let's just say it was detailed.
The very end of the book was beautiful though! It reminded me a little of the '19 years later' in Harry Potter. It was such a wonderful conclusion to the series and very well thought-out.
There's not much more I can say about this book, despite the negatives, it's definitely a book to read for fans of the series.
Title: Walking Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Atria Books
Year of Release: 2013
ISBN: 1476712980
Source: Gifted
Number of Pages: 433
Summary:
Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster.
Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.
In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.
Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.
It's like this. Once you get inside Travis' head, you never want to leave it.
He's an excellent narrator- incredibly funny and torturously saddening. If you liked Beautiful Disaster, then you'll love this! It's basically the same book, just from Travis' point of view. While that may make it sound repetitive, it's surprisingly different!
All the hype this series is receiving may be a little overrated though - it's excellent, but don't let high expectations allow these books to be a let down for you. Just appreciate them for what they are.
This is another well-written and well-structured book by McGuire. Travis is just so addictive! You'll be bringing this book with you everywhere, telling everyone about it, and you certainly won't be able to get it off your mind. If you are, let me know how the hell you managed it!
Walking Disaster is a phenomenal book, with amazingly well-written characters and a story line to die for. It's the perfect read when in need of a distraction, after a disastrous day, or after a disastrous relationship.
Just read Jamie McGuire! This author is one of the best romance writers on the shelves.
Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year of Release: 2011
ISBN: 9781476712048
Source: Gifted
Number of Pages: 416
Summary:
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
I'll start by saying what a brilliant romance writer McGuire is. I haven't read a romance/drama book in quite some time, and this book was the perfect way to re-introduce myself to it. I have only wonderful things to say about this spectacular piece of art.
While my first thoughts about this book was that it was kind of cliché, which it is, I still think it is an amazingly well-structured, written and executed book. The plot itself is brilliant and the characters are so well-written and easy to fall in love with.
Particularly Travis, who has been so accurately portrayed in pictures by the actor Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf, Arrow). Let me show you what I mean:
It's a little impossible to not fall completely in love with this character. And then there's Abby. Sweet, smart, beautiful Abby, known by everyone as the 'good girl'. Abby has a dark secret though, something that connects her to Travis in a way she doesn't want to accept.
This is a ridiculously addictive book, it's incredibly hard to stop reading it. Or thinking about it. Don't let the cliché factor turn you off! The writing is brilliant, the characters are brilliant, the plot is brilliant, and that's all there is to know!
Pick up a copy of this book and get reading guys, this one is definitely a must!
Questions:
What do you think will happen to Abby's father?
How did you feel about the ending?
Did you want to punch Megan in the face as much as I did?
