Review and Giveaway: "Walking Disaster" by Jamie McGuire

Set in the same time-frame as Beautiful Disaster, now we hear the story from Travis' point of view.

Travis lost his mother at a very young age, but before she died she taught him two important rules... Love hard. Fight harder.

Growing up in a family of men who like to gamble and fight, Travis Maddox is a tough guy. Known for his bad reputation with women, and feared for his incredible fighting skills, all the boys want to be him, while the girls simply want him.

Abby Abernathy is the first girl to treat him the way he feels he should be treated, with dislike and disinterest. It is her lack of interest that sparks his determination to win her.

Will the invincible Travis 'Mad Dog' Maddox be defeated by a girl?
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     When I first heard that Jamie McGuire was planning an entire novel written from Travis' point of view, I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the idea.  While I absolutely loved Beautiful Disaster, I was concerned about whether there would be enough original content to warrant a whole book.  I have to say that it was pulled off brilliantly!  Not only did we get to know Travis more but we also got to find out more about what was going on between the scenes with Abby and why he acting the way he did at certain points in the story.

     Walking Disaster gives a deeper look into who Travis Maddox really is.  While there was no doubt that he had a softer side before, we had mostly seen his tough guy exterior.  This novel lets us in on Travis' inner thoughts and insecurities as well as a real look at just how much he really loves Abby.  You see that there really are two totally different prospectives on how and why things happened the way they did when you see it from each of their points of view.  Travis seems like he is the emotionally damaged one in the relationship but Abby was just as much to blame for their relationship woes... okay, well almost.  The only way Travis and Abby's relationship works is that they really are amazing friends.  They are always there for each other and accept one another as they are.  

     Jamie McGuire has created such well developed characters that it's hard not to feel like you're on an emotional rollercoaster ride throughout this book.  Not only with Abby and Travis, but also with their families and friends too.  The characters have such a real feel to them that we don't get very often in romance books.  I do have to say though that I was completely caught off guard by the epilogue which gives us a bigger glimpse into their future.  I'm going to keep my thoughts to myself on that part until you've read it because, frankly...  well, I don't want to give anything away.  So, if you haven't read Beautiful Disaster yet, now's your chance. Walking Disaster will be out April 2nd and you really must read that first.  Then next up, Jamie McGuire will be giving us stories from a couple of the other Maddox brothers plus there are rumors that a Beautiful Disaster movie is in the works... yes that was my fan girl scream you hear.  This is definitely going to be one of my top books of the year!

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Review: "Beautiful Disaster" by Jamie McGuire

"Beautiful Disaster" is the first book in Jamie McGuire's new series, Beautiful.

     Abby Abernathy is trying to get a fresh start by starting college far away from home in an attempt to escape her troubled past.   She gets off to a good start when her and her best friend move into the dorms at Eastern University.  Things take a turn when she meets the ultimate bad-ass, king of one night stands.  She refuses to my sucked in by his charms and way of life but quickly finds out he has a softer side too.  Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox is a champion underground fighter and everyone at school knows all to well what a loose cannon he can be.  It doesn't stop all the women from falling all over him just to get a few hours alone with him.  Travis is immediately drawn to Abby and the fact that she seems resistant to his charms.  With one lost bet, however, Abby is required to move in with him for one month.  Will that be enough time for Travis to convince her that she means more to him than a one night stand?

     The story between Travis and Abby was certainly an emotional rollercoaster ride.  If Travis is the king of one night stands then Abby must be the queen of holding out.  There's a ton of sexual tension between these two to the point that I just wanted to shake some sense into Abby.  I get that Travis is quite flawed but come on, she knows she likes him so I wish she would just stop torturing him.  Abby seems like the typical angst ridden teenage girl which gets a bit tedious after a while, but certainly didn't stop me from enjoying the book.  I can't even place my finger on exactly why I liked this book so much but it was one of those that I just couldn't put down.  I stayed up late and could barely drag myself away from my book to go to work.  There are so many ups and downs that I think I felt about every emotion throughout this book.  Abby comes to learn that not only is Travis the tattoo covered fighter/biker but he's also a straight A student.  There's was definitely a lot going on below the surface with him and I enjoyed getting to know the real Travis and Abby as the story progressed.  A couple of the names where hard for me to get over, I mean come on... America, Brazil, Finch?!  There's one area that felt a little out of place and that was the initial trip they take.  I can't really say why without giving anything away but it just felt a little forced to me, like the author was trying to add more suspense to the story when it didn't really need it.  I did love that the author managed to make sure that Travis always treated Abby with respect even with his bad reputation.  A lot of times the bad boys in these stories treat the women like jerks but then realize they love them and turn it all around.  Short of a couple small things, he always put her on a pedestal and looked out for her best interest.  Travis and Abby's story is wrapped up in this book but there are plans to have a book out in April 2013 from Travis' point of view called "Walking Disaster" and then another with a story of one of Travis' brothers.  This is a definite recommended read if you don't mind a little teen angst.