[review] Jamie McGuire - Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1)

Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Series: Beautiful, #1
Publisher: Atria
Format: e-ARC
Source: Netgalley
Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Summary (via Goodreads):

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and 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 needs—and wants—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.

(This review will contain spoilers.)

Where to begin?

It's been a few days since I finished this, but I needed time to digest it. Because, gosh, this was really disturbing. I was warned; I prepared myself; I tried suspending my disbelief... and I was still horrified by what went on here.

This is another self-published success that got picked up by a major publisher, and this is being marketed as yet another Fifty Shades of Grey successor. To which I ask: why? The only similarities between the two books are that: a) they were self-published, and then bestsellers; b) the male protagonists are controlling, manipulative, and generally terrible people.

The story opens with Abby watching Travis at a fight. When he punches his opponent, blood splatters on Abby's sweater. Travis cleans her up and dubs her, "Pigeon," a nickname that persists throughout the entire story. When they meet again, Abby determines for him not to be attracted to her, and fends off his advances whenever possible. At the next fight, they place a bet: if his opponent lands a blow on him, he'll abstain from sex for an entire month. If he wins without a scratch, Abby has to live in his apartment for a month. Abby loses.

At the beginning, I was totally on board with Travis. When he was introduced as just a guy with tattoos who fights, I went "whatever"; when he offered to tutor Abby, even my heart fluttered. But then the real ugliness came out. He outright disrespects women. For example, when a girl on his lap insults Abby and her friends, he stands up, letting her fall to the floor. When he's at a bar with Abby, he's chatting with another woman and buys two drinks; when the woman takes one, he says "Uhh, not for you," and grabs it out of her hand. What's really infuriating is that, without fail, the women who aren't Abby or America are treated as stupid bimbos all vying for Travis's attention. I'm tired of this stereotype -- that men can have whoever they want, no strings attached, and get away with it, yet women are vilified for the same thing (or portrayed as weak-minded for wanting someone that much).

Then, there was his behavior towards Abby. When Abby goes back to her own dormitory after sleeping with him for the first time (which happened to be the last night of their "bet), he goes berserk and tears up his apartment, almost punching his cousin in the face. He constantly lashes out at Abby. It gets to the point where he starts beating up any guy who so much as looks at her. He goes to events that she attends, even when she's trying to get away from him. Even during periods where they're broken up, he threatens men who try to be friendly to her; at one point, he and Shepley attend a dance and drag away every man who dances with her or America. It's really horrible.

But the characters weren't my only problem with the book. I found the setting to be terribly crafted -- it was supposed to be a college environment, but it read and felt like high school. When Abby's holding hands with Travis, she's convinced that everybody's staring at them. There is a cafeteria sing-a-long. Travis disrupts classes, and there are secret "fight clubs", yet security is mysteriously absent! 

I'm trying to understand the appeal of this. I know most people like a bad boy, and there is a certain appeal to wanting two broken people to have a happy ending (which I thought Bared to You covered rather well), but by the end, what changed? Travis stopped womanizing after getting together with Abby, but his controlling behavior remained. Whenever he transgressed, Abby forgave him time and time again. Although there were times when Abby exhibited spine, there was very little compromise. The story ends with them getting married in Vegas, with Abby getting a "Mrs. Maddox" tattoo. I shudder to think of their future.

Overall: An unconvincing love story with an awful message. Is this really what publishers think women want?

[review] Sylvia Day - Bared to You (Crossfire, #1)

Title: Bared to You
Author: Sylvia Day
Series: Crossfire, #1
Publisher: Berkley
Format: Paperback
Source: Giveaway win
Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookdepository
Summary (via Goodreads):

Our journey began in fire... Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness-beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily... Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private wounds... and desires. The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart...

Random paragraph: "I recognized myself in the description Cary had just given. I ran when the going got tough, because I was so sure it was all going to end badly. The only control I had was to be the one who left, instead of the one who was left behind." (p. 211, paperback edition)

I started writing this up a while ago, but I spent the week thinking of what exactly to write. This gave me a lot to think about.

Originally self-published by Day in April, this was picked up by Berkley, given a new cover, and released to a wider audience in June. It's being heavily marketed as "for fans of Fifty Shades" as a sort of withdrawal treatment. And on the surface, I can see why. This follows the story of college graduate Eva Trammell trying to carve her own way through New York City. While exploring her workplace the day before her official start, she literally bumps into Gideon Cross while helping somebody pick up her change. She feels an immediate attraction to him. Later, she finds out that he's a young billionaire and CEO of Crossfire, which owns several properties scattered throughout the city. She also has to deal with Cary, her troublesome roommate, and her overprotective parents (her mother has a tendency to track her cell phone).

I'll be honest: I didn't like FSoG at all. But I did like this.

Sylvia Day is a seasoned writer. "Slick" and "polished" are two adjectives I keep seeing to describe her prose, and I agree -- it glides. And after the initial clumsiness, I didn't find Eva anything like Ana. For one thing, Eva's not horribly sexually inexperienced; while fending off one of Gideon's advances, she even jokes about preferring her B.O.B. Eva's able to stand up for herself, and while Gideon seems predatory at the beginning, he definitely calms down and listens to Eva.

These are two characters with a lot of problems, who acknowledge that they're flawed. Eva has jealousy issues and runs away from conflict. Gideon's dominating and possessive. Both are abuse survivors. But when they realize after an erotic encounter that they feel something for each other, they strive to make their relationship work. At one point, Gideon said that he scheduled couples' therapy for them, and I wanted to stand up and applaud.

In many ways, this is a pretty standard romance novel -- there are sex scenes everywhere, Gideon has some unrealistic features, everyone's beautiful and wealthy, etc. But I found the characters engrossing. I wanted to see where they were headed, and how they'd make things work. I will definitely read Reflected in You when it comes out in October.

Overall: Good, if you want a contemporary read with characters who'll break your heart and put it back together.

Saturday Bites (1): Susanna Kearsley - The Rose Garden

Welcome to the first edition of Saturday Bites! This'll be a feature where I cover a) some of the books I read recently that I cannot provide a full review of, for whatever reason, or b) books I read before starting the blog that I want to talk about.

This week, I'm going to talk about The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley.

The Rose Garden is a historical fiction-time travel romance by Susanna Kearsley. It's not my usual genre, which is why I'm not giving it a full review, but I have to say that I really loved this. The main character, Eva, travels to Cornwall, England, to scatter her sister's ashes after her death. However, strange things begin to happen in her family's homestead; she finds herself slipping back in time to 1715, falling in with smugglers and inadvertently getting caught up in treason.

There's an element of nostalgia that pervades the entire book -- Eva re-bonds with old friends and family. Her family reaches out to her, and she returns the favor, helping them install a tea room for tourists in order to prevent the house from going under. The setting is vivid, and I could perfectly imagine myself on a rocky beach on the seaside, listening to gulls. And while I was skeptical at first, the romance was my favorite aspect of the book. Eva's relationship with Daniel Butler blooms slowly, with no declarations until at least halfway through the book.

I've seen it described as Outlander meets The Time Traveler's Wife, and while I can see similarities to both books, I enjoyed this more than either of those. Kearsley's prose, characters, and atmosphere totally enraptured me, and I can't wait to read more by her.

Memorable Quotes: "The tide was out. Along the closer edges of the harbor all the smaller boats lay drunkenly tipped over on their hulls in the wet mud, still at their moorings while they waited for the sea's return."

"'You are glad that you came,' he said. 'You, who have seen and done things I can scarcely imagine; you, who have freedoms in your time the women of mine cannot contemplate. Doubtless you thought that this voyage would be an adventure, and yet you have spent this day shut in a cabin alone and in fear for your life, and you say you are glad that you came. You'll forgive me,' he said, 'if I do not believe you.'"

Verdict: 4 stars. Recommended for those who want a comfort read, even if they're not usually fans of this particular genre. 

[review] Sarah Diemer - The Dark Wife

Title: The Dark Wife
Author: Sarah Diemer
Source: Personal collection
Format read: Ebook
Buy from: Amazon | Smashwords
(Note: Also available for download on the author's website, with a suggestion of a donation afterward if you enjoyed the book.)
Summary (via Goodreads):  

Three thousand years ago, a god told a lie. Now, only a goddess can tell the truth.

Persephone has everything a daughter of Zeus could want--except for freedom. She lives on the green earth with her mother, Demeter, growing up beneath the ever-watchful eyes of the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. But when Persephone meets the enigmatic Hades, she experiences something new: choice.

Zeus calls Hades "lord" of the dead as a joke. In truth, Hades is the goddess of the underworld, and no friend of Zeus. She offers Persephone sanctuary in her land of the dead, so the young goddess may escape her Olympian destiny.

But Persephone finds more than freedom in the underworld. She finds love, and herself.

The Dark Wife is a YA novel, a lesbian revisionist retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth.

Random paragraph: "'You know, you're very pretty when you pout.' He was floating above the ground, winged sandals fluttering, and he bent forward to brush a kiss on my cheek. 'You must enter the Underworld alone, Persephone. A symbolic journey, if you will.'"

This is a wonderful love story.

[review] Josephine Angelini - Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1)

Title: Starcrossed
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed, #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format read: ebook
Source: Personal collection, purchased from Sony Reader store
Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Sony | Bookdepository
Additional note: Special $0.99 ebook edition with bonus material (extended author's note, four chapters of the upcoming sequel). It's going to be available for only a limited time, so if you're curious about it and don't mind plunking down a dollar, now's the time to get it!
Summary (via Goodreads):

Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention.

Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?

Random paragraph: "As she watched the sand turn gray, then pink, then coral with the rising sun, Helen thought that this was the second dawn she had seen in as many days. Of the two, she much preferred this one. She was in far more pain, but she was also alive and completely free from anger. Helen hadn't realized how heavy the burden of hate had been until she was allowed to put it down."  (p. 76, ebook edition as displayed on Sony Reader)

I've always been curious about this one, and when I won a giveaway for an ARC of the sequel, it encouraged me to finally get to it. I requested an inter-library loan, but the very next day, it went on sale at ebook retailers for $0.99. I picked it up immediately -- maybe there's still a way to cancel that loan request...

This seems to be polarizing among the YA blogging community, which made me extra curious about it. Thankfully, I wound up really enjoying it.

[review] Sherrilyn Kenyon - Acheron (Dark-Hunter, #15)

Title: Acheron
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Dark-Hunter, #15
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format read: Hardcover
Source: Personal collection
Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookdepository
Summary (via Goodreads): 

The most anticipated story in the blockbuster Dark-Hunter series. The never-before-revealed story of the Dark-Hunter leader, Acheron.  He was made human in order to escape death, but in death he was reborn a god. . .

 Eleven thousand years ago a god was born. Cursed into the body of a human, Acheron spent a lifetime of shame. However, his human death unleashed an unspeakable horror that almost destroyed the earth. Then, brought back against his will, Acheron became the sole defender of mankind.
Only it was never that simple. For centuries, he has fought for our survival and hidden a past he’ll do anything to keep concealed. Until a lone woman who refuses to be intimidated by him threatens his very existence.
Now his survival, and ours, hinges on hers and old enemies reawaken and unite to kill them both.
War has never been more deadly... or more fun. 

Random paragraph: "She started to leave, then stopped and reversed course before she raked him with a scathing glare that was only a pittance of the hatred she felt stinging her every molecule for this man. 'You punk asshole. What was this? A game for you? This is my life's work you just annihilated and for what? Shits and giggles? Or was this nothing more than a fraternity prank? Please tell me that you didn't just ruin my integrity to get some kind of drinking points. This is something I've been working for since before you were born. How dare you make a mockery of me. I hope to God that one day someone degrades you like this so that you'll know, just once in your spoiled pompous life, what humiliation feels like.'" (pgs. 440-441, hardcover edition)

In short: I tried, but I don't think Sherrilyn Kenyon's books are for me.

[review] E L James - Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)

Title: Fifty Shades of Grey
Author: E L James
Series: Fifty Shades Trilogy, #1
Publisher: Vintage
Format read: Paperback
Source: Loan from Mom
Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookdepository
Summary (via Goodreads):

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

Random paragraph:  "And then this evening, he actually hit me. I've never been hit in my life. What have I gotten myself into? Very slowly, my tears, halted by Kate's arrival, begin to slide down the side of my face and into my ears. I have fallen for someone who's so emotionally shut down, I will only get hurt--deep down I know this--someone who by his own admission is completely fucked up. Why is he so fucked up? It must be awful to be as affected as he is, and the thought that as a toddler he suffered some unbearable cruelty makes me cry harder. Perhaps if he was more normal he wouldn't want you, my subconscious contributes snidely to my musings ... and in my heart of hearts I know this is true. I turn into my pillow and the sluice gates open ... and for the first time in years, I am sobbing uncontrollably into my pillow." (p. 285, paperback edition)

You see that paragraph up there? This is after Christian spanked Ana, supposedly within the confines of an informed, consensual relationship. (Also, this is gonna be explicit and possibly NSFW -- just a warning before you click the jump.)

[review] Thea Harrison - Dragon Bound (Elder Races, #1)

Title: Dragon Bound
Author: Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races, #1
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Format read: Mass market paperback
Source: Personal collection
Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookdepository
Summary (via Goodreads):

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder races. 

Random paragraph:  "She turned her back to him and knelt at the stream, already consumed with the thought of scouring the Goblin stink off her body. Self-consciousness tried to take over as she stripped off her ruined T-shirt and filthy bra, but she squashed it. At least it wasn't broad daylight. He had no doubt seen thousands of naked women before. (Thousands? No, definitely not the time to go there.) Nothing mattered more than getting that stink off her." (p. 127, mass market paperback edition)

Thoughts: I've seen this recommended often to fantasy fans who want to try out paranormal romance, and this was so. much. fun.