BOOK REVIEW - BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION by JAMIE MCGUIRE - THE MADDOX BROTHERS # 2 - CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Jamie McGuire
Published By: Jamie McGuire
Released : Available Now
Details: Paperback from Library, 260 Pages

RATING: 4 THOMAS STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

If A Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever. But what if he didn't love you, first?

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.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I LOVED Beautiful Disaster with a passion and I am so enjoying The Maddox Brothers series.

Thomas...be still my heart.

Speaking of hearts, my heart loves all the covers to this series, they are so beautiful. I can only but read all the books in this series.

Even though it has been noted already by other readers, I had no idea Thomas was so hooked on Cami, but he was. And so begins the tale of Thomas and his one night stand with Liis and his need to get over Cami...or not.

I’ve personally always had a bit of a thing for that darn fire in Beautiful Disaster and it raises its head again with Travis and the need for Thomas to get him off the charges by luring him into the FBI.

Now for me personally that whole FBI thing is not very bullet proof but I am running with it like a very bad jogger and letting it ride its wave. 

I mean who doesn't want to see Travis as a sexy FBI agent?

I'm also very addicted to watching more Maddox lads find their HEA.

Bring them on, I say.

Up next for me is Taylor, in Beautiful Sacrifice.

Giddy up!

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION by JAMIE McGUIRE - MADDOX BROTHERS # 1 - CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - SIMON & SCHUSTER

By: Jamie McGuire
Published By: Simon & Schuster
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from publisher for honest review, 320 Pages

RATING: 4.25 OBLIVIOUS STARS!

The Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster phenomenon continues in the first heart-pounding new adult romance in The Maddox Brothers series.

Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.

Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.

Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.

As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.

In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I LOVE Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster duology.

Period.

Loved it.

Trent had me all  giddy up girlie interested in Beautiful Disaster.

Period.

I love the title to this book... yup, I can chuckle, but I can’t spoil, so lips are zip locked tight.

MmmMmmmm. See nothing coming out of these lips.

I enjoyed this first installment in the Maddox Brothers.

I had a little trouble with Cami’s lad she has waiting in the wings, or she is waiting in the wings. There were things that just niggled at me the whole book.

Moving on.

I understand having the stunningly love addled Travis in the background, but it was distracting. Let’s face it, Travis Maddox is a very distracting character. I felt like he didn’t need to be there.

DID I JUST SAY THAT!!!

BLASPHEMY!!!

Somebody slap me upside the head.

I wanted to be more focused on Trenton Maddox. I understand it was setting a time frame in the story, parallel to Beautiful Disaster, but it got dang distracting, for me personally.

I don’t think I got surprises with Travis in the background popping up because I already knew that story line.

Now, I know that the blurb up top states experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again...well, it's not quite that, but, we did that in Walking Disaster from a different pov, kind of already.

I think that is fair to say?

Look, I'm not trying to be picky, but it is kind of what it says, but with Trent at the helm with Cami doing their thing.

I really liked Cami, but there was something there that I am confuzzed about and I can’t actually explain it, because that would be spoiling.

So I shall just suck on it.

There was a point of believability that didn’t quite connect with me, considering... well, I can’t say.

Trent is a beautiful Maddox brother, they stand out. It seemed like we got off on a different vibe from Trent BD with Trent in his own book. Maybe it was just me. 

But he does have that Maddox smart mouth.

“You can borrow me anytime. I’m perfect for sweater weather.”

“Be careful. I might hold you to that.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” He stopped in the middle of the aisle. “Wait. Really?”

I shrugged. “You were pretty comfortable today.”

“Comfortable? I’m fucking cashmere.”

Trenton has that Travis vulnerability. The quote below , really explains a lot about these brothers. It was the quote that really stood out for me in this book.

He laughed once. “You terrified me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A Maddox boy? Afraid?”

His faced compressed. “We’ve already lost the first woman we ever loved. The thought of going through that again scares the shit out of us.”


I am a HUGE fan of Jamie’s. I will read anything she writes regarding these lads. It was a definite whahhhh moment I got with a certain thing and due to already having read previous books, I can put two and two together with the thing, but, I am still scratching my head with sub characters and the other thing. But it was a definite POW moment.

Because ...well, I can’t say.

Which is frustrating me to no end.

I did chuckle at the way Jamie likes to use the letter C and T in her characters...

A great start to the Maddox Brothers series. I am very much looking forward to reading them all. Obviously Jamie has a vision for where her series is going so starting off parallel with Beautiful Disaster in time frame was a great spot for her to start.

Bring on the next lad!

Michelle