Showing posts with label Beautiful Disaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beautiful Disaster. Show all posts

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

As many of you already know, Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire is one of my all time favorite books. It wasn't until just a moment ago that I realized I never posted my review.... so here it is!

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire




beautiful disaster review
Summary- Abby Abernathy arrives at Eastern University and gets settled into her new dorm with her best friend just as classes are about to begin. Running from a terrifying past, Abby is relieved to know that she can finally put it behind her and start a new chapter in her life. Being the good girl she is, Abby offers to be the designated driver and see everyone home from the first party of the year. Never did she imagine the horrifying predicament she would find herself in when walking to the parking lot alone.
Travis Maddox, on the other hand, is nothing like good girl Abby. Travis is a college bad boy covered in tattoos, in hangs with a rough crowd and is the campus charmer that has all the girls swooning over him. The two finally meet when they realize that Abby's best friend and roommate, is dating Travis's best friend and roommate. While Abby does not care for his lifestyle or bad boy charm, Travis is turned on by her resistance.

Hoping to finally get the point across that she is not interested, Abby agrees to a simple bet brought on by Travis. If Travis wins, Abby must live with him, in his apartment for a full month. If Abby wins, he must refrain from sexual contact with other girls for a month. Either way, one of them is going to be in for the longest month of their life. Travis has unknowingly me someone he can't beat, and someone who won't stand down in fear of his bad boy ways, and someone he can't intimidate.

My Review of Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Disaster is one of my favorite romance books. The story was well-written and the characters were amazing. One thing I really enjoyed about the book was the realistic characters. Travis and Abby were very life like, making it easier to 'put yourself in their shoes'. When you can relate to the characters in a 'real world' scenario, it makes the book much easier to relate to and enjoy. 

I love how Abby had the innocent 'good girl' lifestyle, but yet she wasn't whiny. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but some of the best books can be ruined by a whiny character. While she was simple and innocent, she had a way about her that made her strong and witty. Travis, no doubt, was my favorite character. Aside from his hot, bad boy charm, he was very sweet and nothing more than a big teddy bear at heart. That is, when he wasn't in the underground fighting ring. I loved how Travis called Abby 'Pigeon'. When he finally says why he calls her Pigeon, it will melt your heart. 

When I read the excerpt from the first two pages on Amazon I was kind of turned off by it. It sounded like a book with one of those dark, dreary plots that teeter on the edge of being a horror flick. Well, when I first began to read the book I was a little discouraged to find that was how the book started. I nearly put it down but continued on a few more chapters. I am so glad I did. Once I realized what was going on, it was not what I thought. It was a major part of the story that made great sense a few paragraphs down. My reason for telling you all of this? Because some of the sites offering the excerpt did a bad job of choosing a good for the book that portrays the true story of the book. It makes the book seem more like a horror flick with the darkness, screaming, chanting and everything else that would make you think you were reading about a mosh pit filled with an angry beast. 

Over all, I would have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Beautiful Disaster and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good romance novels with a great plot, a little drama, and lots of suspense!

Walking Disaster - Book #2

Walking Disaster is the second book in the Beautiful Series by Jamie McGuire. It picks up where Beautiful Disaster left off and tells the story in Travis' point of view. I personally, love the cover of this book and find it much more appealing than the cover of Beautiful Disaster, which- I almost didn't read because the cover made me think it was some fantasy, sci-fi, YA type of book that I wouldn't care for. I am so glad that I read the blurb and didn't judge the book by it's cover!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Top 5 Books Like Beautiful Disaster

    Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire is one of the most talked about books right now! Think along the lines of Fifty Shades of Grey but, in a much cleaner way. No erotica but plenty of bad-boy college romance to keep your heart pounding and your fingers turning the pages. If you haven't read it- it's a MUST-READ!

If you have read it, then you know how great it is! The only problem with finishing the book is that it is over. Well, temporarily- until Walking Disaster is released in early April. Meanwhile, what do you do while waiting for Travis' version of the story? Find another great book, of course!

But it is really possible to find another great book like Beautiful Disaster? It's a hard call, but yes, there are several more great books full of bad boys, college romance, and heart pounding love stories! When I first wrote this post it only included the Top 5 but since then, there have been several other great books I have read like Beautiful Disaster so I will continue to add to the list! 

So, without further hesitation, lets go over my favorite books like Beautiful Disaster. 


Stephanie's Favorite Top 5 Books Like Beautiful Disaster ... and then Some


#1. Seven Day Fiance, by Rachel Harris

Seven Day Fiance is likely to be the next Beautiful Disaster. You can check out my 5-star review of Seven Day Fiance to find out why it was so good! This is a fantastic bad-boy romance that is heart-felt, full of passion, and well-written, to say the least.

{Blurb}
Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning him at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem. 

  Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little fiancé game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.




#2 Easy, by Tammara Webber
  Many of you, already on the hunt for more great books like Beautiful Disaster may have already read this one. For those of you who haven't, it's a must!

{Blurb}
   The New York Times Bestseller by Tammara Webber

    Rescued by a stranger.Haunted by a secret. Sometimes, love isn't easy...


    He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior... The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he'd worked so hard to overcome, and the future she'd put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart. Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth - and find the unexpected power of love.A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.



  



#3. & #4Slammed Series, by Colleen Hoover


    Where are all the Colleen Hoover fans? :) These are the first two books I ever read by Colleen Hoover and have since become a loyal fan! I stumbled across Slammed while looking for books like Beautiful Disaster-  just before Point of Retreat was published. No doubt that after reading Slammed, I was hooked on the series and had to read Point of Retreat to get the hear the rest of the story, and from Will's perspective. A heart-wrenching tear jerker for sure!

{Slammed Blurb}

     Falling in love can feel like poetry. Or it can feel like a slam to the heart. Colleen Hoover s romantic, emotion-packed debut novel unforgettably captures all the magic and confusion of first love, as two young people forge an unlikely bond before discovering that fate has other plans for them. Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken becomes the rock for both her mother and younger brother. She appears resilient and tenacious, but inside, she's losing hope. Then she meets her new neighbor Will, a handsome twenty-one-year-old whose mere presence leaves her flustered and whose passion for poetry slams thrills her. Not long after a heart-stopping first date during which each recognizes something profound and familiar in the other, they are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery brings their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feeling...


    


{Point of Retreat Blurb}
     Sometimes two people have to fall apart to realize just how much they belong together. Colleen Hoover entranced readers everywhere with her bestselling novel Slammed, the book that introduced Layken and Will, a young couple whose love overcame devastating hardships to emerge stronger and more resilient than before. Now, as Layken and Will's emotion-packed story continues, a stunning and unforeseen revelation about Will s past leaves them questioning everything that they thought they knew about each other. With the foundation of their relationship at risk, they must decide whether they are willing to fight for a future together, or to retreat back into solitude and heartache. How far does Will have to go to prove to Layken his love for her will last forever? It will require something truly extraordinary to keep this couple together, and the decisions they make and the answers they find will change not only their lives, but the lives of everyone around them.

  
   


#5. Flat-Out  Love, by Jessica Park


     Still looking for more great college romance? Ahh, behold- you need to read Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. Another great romance that will keep your turning the pages wanting more!

{Blurb}

      He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy. So, that was Matt. Who Julie Seagle likes. A lot. But there is also Finn. Who she flat out loves.Complicated? Awkward? Completely.But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother's? This was all supposed to be temporary. Julie wasn't supposed to be important to the Watkins family, or to fall in love with one of the brothers. Especially the one she's never quite met. But what does that really matter? Finn gets her, like no one ever has before. They have connection.But here's the thing about love, in all its twisty, bumpy permutations it always throws you a few curves. And no one ever escapes unscathed.New York ...


  


#6. Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins


Okay, okay... So I haven't actually read this one for myself - but, it is on my must-read list due to all the hype and reviews about it being like Beautiful Disaster. After all, 4.5 stars on Amazon- out of hundreds of reviews must be a good thing, right?

{Blurb}

   Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris-until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all including a serious girlfriend.But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.

   


~*~  


     Now, for those of you who have NOT read Beautiful Disaster, I strongly suggest you do! It's fabulous! I can honestly say that it has to be my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE book ever written! Then it's finished off with Walking Disaster- 

     Just look at the cover! MmmMMM mmm! Delicious!

Do you have a list of favorite books like Beautiful Disaster?If so, please share it in a comment below! We would love to hear your thoughts, reviews and suggestions on the books listed above, as well!