Thursday, September 18, 2014

Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) & Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie McGuire

























Summary:

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 wants—and needs—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.
(Via Goodreads.com)


Pages: 416


Release Date: May 26th, 2011


My Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

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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. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 433


Release Date: April 2nd, 2013


My Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars


Reviews:

     Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster are two New Adult companion novels. Beautiful Disaster is in Abby's perspective and Walking Disaster is the same story but told in Travis' perspective (you do get an epilogue in Walking Disaster though). You can read the books in either order but I recommend going in order and starting with Beautiful Disaster
     One of my friends had praised these books so I had high expectations that were almost met. Out of the two, I loved Walking Disaster more. Walking Disaster was perfect, I loved Travis and his story. He is such an amazing character and I never knew how much he struggled with life until Walking Disaster. Abby wasn't my favorite character but she still was a good character/narrator. I liked that she had a darker past than Travis did, since he is the 'bad boy'. At times, I did get a little annoyed with Abby, but it could have been much worse. 
     Overall, I would recommend these two books for someone who is looking for a rough around the edges contemporary romance. I am excited to hopefully read Beautiful Oblivion soon. Beautiful Oblivion is the story of Cami and Trent (one of Travis' older brothers). I am also excited that I will be meeting Jamie McGuire at ApollyCon next year! For more information on ApollyCon: http://www.tdevents.net/p/apollycon.html.



*Spoiler Section*



     Abby's roommate, Kara, was right when she called Abby and Travis' relationship a disaster. I loved them together but they could have made their relationship a lot less complicated. They tended to have a lack of communication with one another. They could have skipped a long, torturous break up had Abby told Travis that she wanted him back at Thanksgiving. It took me a while to finish Waking Disaster because I refused to pick it up. I did not want to see Travis suffer through their separation. 
     One reason I disliked Abby at times, was because she could be selfish. We all have times when we are self-centered, but I felt Abby had more than usual. I understand she spaced herself from Travis to protect herself because Travis shared many similarities with her father. But, Travis proved so many times that he was a genuinely nice guy. I thought it was interesting in Walking Disaster that Travis pointed out that when he held a door open for Abby she never noticed. Although, when Parker held a door open for her, she noticed. That had never occurred to me, but I thought back to Beautiful Disaster and it was true.
    Abby's horrible past really made the story unique. In most books, the main male character has a dark and mysterious past, rarely does the female. Travis did have struggles growing up, especially with his mother's death when he was three. But, Abby had the worst past out of the two. It was interesting to see the gambling, the mafia (Mob), Vegas, etc. all tied into Beautiful Disaster
     I loved that at the end of Walking Disaster we got an epilogue. In a million years I never would have thought that Thomas was a part of the FBI. One we discovered that, I am glad that Travis got to work along side his brother. It was interesting that they ended up killing Benny and are now after Abby's dad, Mick. Not only that but I am glad Abby figured out Travis was a part of the FBI and is supplying him with information to take Mick down. It is so cute that Abby is a math teacher at their children's school. It is amazing how much Jessica is like Travis and how much James is like Abby. I wonder what they are going to name their third baby? I am assuming it will start with a J. 
     Overall I really enjoyed these books and I am excited to read Beautiful Oblivion (Cami and Trent's story) and Beautiful Wedding (a novella that is about Abby and Travis' wedding in Las Vegas). Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster were two quick, romantic reads that left me in a puddle of emotions.  
~Casey 

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