No-nonsense Liis Lindy is an agent of the FBI. Deciding she is married only to her job, she breaks off her engagement and transfers from Chicago to the field office in San Diego. She loves her desk. She is committed to her laptop. She dreams of promotions and shaking hands with the director after cracking an impossible case.
Special Agent in Charge Thomas Maddox is arrogant, unforgiving, and ruthless. He is tasked with putting away some of the world’s toughest criminals, and he is one of the best the Bureau has to offer. Though, as many lives as he’s saved, there is one that is beyond his reach. Younger brother Travis is faced with prison time for his involvement in a basement fire that killed dozens of college students, and the media want a conviction. Travis’s only savior is his unusual tie to the mob. In a deal that will spare his brother, Thomas has agreed to recruit Travis into the FBI.
Liis is stubborn, defiant, and yet somehow softens Thomas’s rough edges, making her the perfect agent to accompany him to the ceremony. Posing as a couple, they must travel to Travis & Abby’s beach vow renewal and give him the news, but when the pretending ends, she finds herself wondering if they were pretending at all.
In the second installment of the Maddox Brothers books, experience firsthand the mysterious world of the elusive Thomas Maddox, and how good love can be when you’re not the first, but the last. (Via Goodreads.com)
Pages: 253
Release Date: January 27th, 2015
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Review:
I was blown away when I read the first book in The Maddox Brother series, Beautiful Oblivion, a couple months ago. It instantly became one of my favorite books and it made the next book in the series, Beautiful Redemption, one of my five most highly anticipated books of 2015. I knew it was going to be hard for Beautiful Redemption to measure up to Beautiful Oblivion, but I should not have expected anything less from Jamie McGuire. Each installment of the series unravels new characters we have yet to properly understand or meet.
I love how each book in the series is like a piece of a Russian Nesting Doll. Each book fits into one another perfectly but if you miss reading a book, it does not take away from the story. My new addiction is not only the New Adult genre but companion series. Companion series allow you to not only jump around in the same world and meet new characters; but, it allows you to check in with your favorite characters and see them through the eyes of other people. It is such a unique perspective and it allows you to move on from past characters but, at the same time, you have visitation rights with them.
I am still unsure which Maddox brother is my favorite. I loved Travis in Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster but then Trent came swooping in on Beautiful Oblivion. I thought I had my mind set on Trent but then Thomas came barging in on Beautiful Redemption. I feel like this is going to be a reoccurring pattern for the next two novels in The Maddox Brothers series. I think it is impossible to pick a favorite Maddox brother because they each have their own problems and you can't begin to compare them to one another.
I was able to attend ApollyCon in Philadelphia this past weekend and two of the authors that attended were Jamie McGuire and her daughter, Eden Fierce. It was amazing to be able to meet Jamie because she is such a phenomenal author and I absolutely adore her books. Also, her fifteen year old daughter, Eden Fierce, is only a year older than I am and has already self-published her own novel, Eyes of the Woods, and I have heard really good things about it. They were both gorgeous ladies and Jamie told me she loved my hair, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I am happy to now have my collection of Jamie McGuire books signed and my very own Property of Travis Maddox t-shirt that I picked up at Jamie's booth during ApollyCon.
Not only does the story and writing get better in each installment of the series, so do the covers. All of the covers are beautiful and I want to display them on my wall for everyone to see. They are not only beautiful to look at but they usually tie into the story.
I really enjoyed reading Beautiful Redemption and I originally rated it a five out of five stars, but I have recently changed it to a four and a half out of five stars because I could not overlook something Liis did that really irritated me. However, Beautiful Redemption features a romance that has you cheering for it from page one and it leaves you in a pile of mush by the last page. I am so excited to see all the couples yet again and read Taylor's story in Beautiful Sacrifice, which does not have a set release date that I am aware of. I am so excited to see where the series takes us next and to see what other books Jamie McGuire has in the works.
Whenever I read Beautiful Oblivion, it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out that T.J. was actually Thomas. But, it did spark my curiosity why Thomas dated Cami after Trent laid claim on her. The Maddox brothers are nothing if not loyal. That question was not really answered in Beautiful Redemption but it was nice to see that Thomas genuinely loved Cami. In Beautiful Oblivion, Cami was the narrator and it seemed as though Thomas did not have any feelings for her. I thought Thomas was stringing Cami along the whole time. But, we could see Thomas' struggle to let Cami go in Beautiful Redemption.
That lead to my major problem I mentioned above about Liis. I hated the lack of compassion Liis showed towards Thomas and Cami's relationship. I understand she had never been in in love with anyone, but that did not justify her being so rude to Thomas because he was unable to get over Cami quick enough. Cami was Thomas' first love and he has to spend a lot of time around her when all of his family gets together, and that is something Liis has to deal with. Cami obviously loves Trent, and Thomas loves Liis, there is nothing going on between Cami and Thomas.
I really sympathized for Thomas because, all of a sudden, Cami gets engaged to Trent, then Travis hates Thomas because he has lie to Abby in order to stay out of jail, and then Liis starts ignoring Thomas because he is struggling to let Cami go. Poor Thomas already lives in solitude and the people he cares the most for were throwing an I Hate Thomas, Let's Make His Life More Miserable party.
Although Thomas and Liis had to battle many internal and external forces to have their ever-so-deserving relationship, I am happy it all worked out in the end. I just hope that Liis is able to cut Thomas more slack in the future. I like that Liis' character is serious and strong, but at times, that makes her seem extremely heart-less. Thomas is a fantastic guy with many problems. He can't always be perfect and he is going to slip up here and there. Liis needs to understand and accept that.
Jamie McGuire has done it again. Beautiful Redemption was an extremely addicting read that had me flipping the pages faster than I possibly could. She delivers a romantic story with plenty of action and drama to satisfy your needs. I am so excited to meet a new couple and be reunited with older couples in the next book in The Maddox Brother series, Beautiful Sacrifice.
- Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) & Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie McGuire
- Beautiful Oblivion (The Maddox Brothers #1) by Jamie McGuire
- My 5 Most Anticipated Books of 2015
- Event Review: ApollyCon 2015
(Eden Fierce, Me, Jamie McGuire)
Photo Taken at ApollyCon
Hi I just finished beautiful redemption. Finally Travis knows about Abby marrying him for an alibi. Will we see Travis confront Abby about it in later books?
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