Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Goodreads
319 pages, NA Contemporary Romance
Beautiful #1
My rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

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.

My 2 cents

A friend of mine said that this title couldn't be more aptly named, and she is right! Beautiful Disaster is a story of two people who are disasters themselves trying to make a relationship work. I was completely hooked with this book after 20 pages. Its like a train wreck--you can't stop watching it!

Travis Maddox is the University's hot young stud. Famous for his first rate fights and his one night stands, he's the type of guy who makes every girl around him swoon. The exact type of guy Abby Abernathy swears to avoid! Abby is the daughter of a train wreck of a man herself, and has sworn off that lifestyle for good. When Travis fails to impress her, and she doesn't throw herself at him, he is intrigued, and a weird sort of friendship forms. 

The characters are what really made this book for me. Even though I disagreed with just about everything that Travis and Abby did, they were awesome to read about! The supporting characters were great, too. Shepley is Travis's cousin and roommate, and his girlfriend, Mare (America) is also Abby's best friend. Shepley was actually the guy that I loved in the story--he was stupid at times, but basically a good guy, and very loyal to his friends. Mare was the best friend you would ever ask for--in fact, she was a good enough of a friend to place her friend before Shepley's needs many times. There is also Finch, a really good gay friend of Mare and Abby's. He was a bit of comic relief so badly needed in a deep, dark story.

I absolutely loved this story, but I did knock it down half a star to make my rating 4.5. Why? Mainly because I really didn't like Travis's dark, possessive, jealous, and sometimes violent, side. I think Abby deals with it appropriately, but I just don't like the message it sends. I could sit back and enjoy the story for what it was, but I fear lots of young girls might not understand the mixed messages. For the record, Travis is a guy I would probably never even go near. I don't even think I could be friends with him. He's just not for me. 

But that's just my opinion, and I still think the story is awesome, and take it for what you will. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

The Goddess Blog Tour

About The Goddess

205 pages | May 12, 2013 | Idol Series #1

http://robyngrady.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17834354-the-goddess

http://www.amazon.com/The-Goddess-ebook/dp/B00CGFEILO/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-goddess-robyn-grady/1115161570?ean=9781622661152

"Robyn Grady creates compelling stories with believable characters you'll love!" -- New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery

After college graduation, Helene Masters is excited to land a job in a picturesque Aegean kingdom. Tasked with sprucing up the Prince's villa, she inadvertently finds herself trapped on the island with the sexiest man alive. Of course she has to fall for a man who is destined to only marry royalty.

Darius Vasily, Prince of Teirenias, can't figure out what pretty, but accident-prone, Helene is doing at his private estate. After dousing him in paint, she disappears inside the secret cave holding the royal family treasure--a fertility statue, but a cave-in traps them both. Now Darius has to figure out how to save them before he kills her for getting them into this mess in the first place--or gives into their amazing chemistry.

My 2 cents

My Rating: 4 stars

The story started out rather predictable.  Hot, stud of a man meets hot, cute naive girl that his below his station.  Hot guy can't get cute girl out of his head, and eventually he must have her!  

But the story turned into so much more than that.  The first half of the story was a beautiful romance between this couple on a secluded island in the Mediterranean.  The romance was perfect, and the setting was beautiful.  The sex scenes were hot, and things were actually pretty believable.

The second half of the story is where I got hooked and had to stay up late finishing the story!  I don't want to give away any spoilers, but things happen out of the couples control, and pretty soon, Helene finds herself staying with Darius at his palace!  At the same time, she finds some old papers that tell a story of another princess 100 years ago, and the tragedy that befell her.  What I loved about this story was the old fashioned kingdom concept with a little bit of a historical aspect.  At the same time, the story still felt current and modern.

I loved Helene best of the entire cast of characters.  Darius was a hunk, but also kind of stupid at times.  Helene was very intellligent, and very good with people.  I actually felt like she was born for royalty as Darius seemed to be stumbling around with decision making a bit.  

The ending of the story was beautiful and all I had hoped for.  This is a great romantic story about two people trying to balance love with old fashioned ideals!