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.
Have you read the series that started it all? The Beautiful Series…Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster and A Beautiful Wedding – where we first get to meet the Maddox Boys…
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.
Read my review for Beautiful Disaster!
Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster.
Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.
In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.
Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.
Read my review for Walking Disaster!
You know that Abby Abernathy unexpectedly became Mrs. Maddox. But what do you really know?
Why did Abby pop the question?
What secrets were shared before the ceremony?
Where did they spend their wedding night?
Who else knew about it . . . and didn’t tell?Everything about Abby and Travis’s elopement was top-secret . . . until now. Fans of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster will get all of their questions answered in this whirlwind tale of the wedding day (and night!)—and as with all good stories, this one will definitely have been worth the wait.
Read my review for A Beautiful Wedding!
Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuireMy rating:4 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
4 “baby doll” “Spaceballs” “Chamomile” Kisses
Wow…yeah, there is just something about the Maddox boys…they are a force to be reckoned with and Trenton Maddox just about destroyed my ass. I was giddy about this book…there is no other way to describe it – you cannot hear about Thomas, Trent, Taylor and Tyler and not be a least a little curious, especially after the amazingness that is Travis Maddox. Do you need to read the Beautiful Series (Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster, and A Beautiful Wedding) before you read Beautiful Oblivion? Honestly…yeah, it would help – it’s not a completely lost cause if you don’t, but it does help things make a lot more sense. While Maddox Brothers is it’s own series, it’s a spin off of the Beautiful series…and you can’t ignore the Maddox boy who started it all. 😉 But enough about him…let’s talk about Trent. And don’t you think it’s a little ironic that I finished Beautiful Oblivion on Trent’s birthday, the Fourth of July? I think it’s fate… 😉
Camille Renee Camlin…oh Cami Cami Cami…Lord help the girl that captures the heart of a Maddox man. This poor girl never knew what hit her…but she truly proves that it takes a strong woman to handle the passionate, crazy, intenseness that is 100% Maddox. Cami is…her own force though…she’s totally different, she’s not a girly girl – she’s grown up with a crazy family, surrounded by brothers, and she knows how to handle herself. She knows how to work hard for what she wants…she’s a kick ass bartender at one of the best known bars in a small college town and she doesn’t take shit from any one. I loved her kick ass attitude…and that’s not to say that she’s hardened beyond repair but it’s going to take a special guy to break through to see the real Cami. A special guy with a unique attitude and a dimple that makes me weak…
‘Growing up with so many boys in the house, I’d had enough fighting to last a lifetime. They didn’t baby me. If I didn’t fight back, they’d just fight dirtier until I did. And I always did.’
Trenton Allen Maddox…where do I begin. Trent is like a more controlled, more tatt’d up version of Travis. He’s a little older, a little wiser and has a little more patience. But one thing that Travis and Trent do have in common is their heart. They have this incredible capability to love and to love wholly and completely and it’s absolutely breathtaking. I am addicted to the way these men just fall head over heals and never think twice about it. Trent is not perfect…but he more than makes up for every mistake. There were more than a few hints dropped about how he felt about Cami but once I heard it straight from his mouth…there was no convincing me of anything other than the fact that Trent is the man for her…there is no other choice. For the way he weaseled his way into her life…to the friendship they built…to his actions that just screamed how much he loved her…it all completely stole my heart.
‘Trenton pressed the power button, and punched in three numbers. The channel switched, and an NFL football game appaeared. “Is this okay?”
I shrugged. “I love the Forty-Niners, but they suck balls this year.” I looked over to Trenton when I realized he was staring at me. “What?”
“I was just thinking now was a good a time as any to acknowledge that you’re perfect and it wouldn’t suck if you fell madly in love with me anytime soon.”
“I have a boyfriend,” I reminded him.
He waved me away. “Speed bump.”’
It’s really hard not to compare Cami and Trent to Abby and Travis because…well, Trent and Travis are a lot alike and there are characteristics about Cami that are similar to Abby. That’s not a bad thing in my opinion because I loved Trent and Cami together just as much as I loved Travis and Abby together – so it worked for me. That being said…this is so not the same story. Cami’s upbringing is completely different from Abby…she’s just as independent as Abby but for a whole slew of different reasons. Plus the history and back story of Trent and Cami is what got me. I can’t help it…it’s my kryptonite! They grew up together and hearing Trent’s true feelings…after all these years…it just went straight to my heart. I loved it when he called her Chamomile…I loved it even more when he called her baby doll…and for whatever crazy reason, I loved that she let him tattoo her. I loved what they brought out in each other…they’re banter…they’re playfulness…the underlying sexual tension…all of it combined to create this fantasticly addictive feeling…I just couldn’t stop loving them.
‘A warm feeling pooled in my chest, and then began to spread, making it all the way down to my fingers and toes. He had the best worst effect on me. As if everything I was – and wasn’t – was desirable. I didn’t even have to try. Trenton’s unrepentant appreciation for everything he knew about me was addictive. I found myself wanting more, but I wasn’t sure if it was the way he made me feel that I liked so much, or the familiar feeling.’
I knew there was going to be a love triangle-ish aspect to this and there is a huge unknown factor in regards to that that was driving my absolutely bat shit crazy…until 63% when I finally figured it out and oh-em-gee, talk about a plot twist! I was almost mad at myself for figuring it out! And it’s a very well kept secret…if you don’t figure it out, you won’t until the very end – which…is honestly the best thing for the story. I truly would have liked a little…more, from the unveiling of it all, it wasn’t exactly the reactions I expected from everyone involved…but then again – when you’re talking about a Maddox, expect the unexpected! It just seemed a little too easy and anticlimactic and given any other characters in any other story line and you probably wouldn’t be able to pull this off…but for whatever reason, the Maddox boys can do that. (I feel like I’m using the ‘Maddox’ thing almost like a cop out – but really…a lot of rules don’t apply to them – they’re just special like that…)
‘Trenton rubbed his face, beyond frustrated. “What do you want from me? I keep telling you I don’t care about this secret. I’m telling you I want you. I don’t know what else to say to convince you.”
“You need to be the one to walk away. Tell me to fuck off, and end it. I’ll quit Skin Deep, you find a different bar. I can’t…you have to be the one.”
He hook his head. “I am the one Cami. I’m it for you. I know because you’re it for me.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Good!”’
Once again, the supporting cast was spec-freakin-tacular. Cami’s roomie and best friend Raegan practically stole the show with her own little love triangle thing going on…then you have Cami’s co-workers from the bar (for the record, Blia, one of the bartenders, is hands down hilarious) and Trent and Cami’s co-workers from Skin Deep Tattoo…these mish-mosh of characters came together and formed their own unique version of a family for Trent and Cami (and between both of them have 7 brothers combined!) and I really liked what those friendships added to the story. Speaking of family, we all know about the Maddox boys, well…we just got introduced to the Camlin boys…Chase, Clark and Coby (Cami’s brother’s) and their cousin, Collin. While there were times I wanted to throttle them…I am intrigued to see if we have another spin off on our hands because there is a particularly juicy story with the Camlin house…and if the boys are anything like their sister, we could be in for some awesomeness. Another character who stole the show and was an amazingly unexpected comedic relief…Olive. Could not love a 5 year old little girl more if I tried…she’s just fantastic especially when she said “Can we shayo?” , “Wok on!” and “Don’t patwonize me.” and I nearly died when she said “What’s an ust edie?” …I can’t spoil what it really is, but I was cracking up. Seriously…the only thing that can steal Trenton’s book is a pint sized blonde girl who loves Chicken Joe’s and says “pweety, pweety, pwease” …go figure.
“But I am so fucking in love with you, Cami,” he said, reaching for me. “I have been since we were kids. The first time I saw you on the playground, I knew what beauty was. The first time you ignored me was my first broken heart. I thought I was playing this right, from the moment I sat down at your table at the Red. No one has ever wanted someone as much as I want you.”
The other thing I loved that was similar between the Beautiful Series and Beautiful Oblivion….the emotions. The oh-so-fabulously-tortuous angst…the passion…the chemistry…the butterflies…the warm and fuzzy feelings…I had it all and I loved every second of it. Even when I though my heart couldn’t taken any more of the pain….or when I cried (yes…multiple times…I shed a few tears…they squeezed my poor little heart)…Jamie did a great job of making this book similar enough to connect the story lines, but unique enough to stay true to the characters – but the emotions were absolutely spot on. And of course, I loved seeing all the moments that happened in the Beautiful Series but from another person’s POV…seeing Travis, watching him with Abby….being able to recall those exact moments from BD, WD and ABW was…touching. There are no words to describe it, it just makes me smile.
“I don’t feel an ounce of guilt. You know why?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Because I’ve been in love with you since grade school, Chamomile. And everyone knew it. Everyone.”
“I’m still not sure I believe that.”
“You wore ponytails every day for years. They were perfect.” His smile faded. “And that sad look in your eyes. All I’ve ever wanted to do was make you smile. And then you were mine, and I could never get it right.”
“I’ve had a lifetime of wrong. You’re the only thing that’s right.”
The ending wrapped up pretty fast…like I was wondering at 90% how it was all going to happen and…luckily it did, but I do still have some unanswered questions, at least in regards to Cami’s family…so maybe that will be even more incentive for a spin off (a girl can dream…). I am super stoked for the rest of the Maddox boys…beyond stoked…I have yet to be disappointed when it comes to these men and I highly doubt Thomas, Taylor and Tyler will come through with anything less than pure Maddox gold.
Follow Jamie’s Blog Tour & Enter for a Chance to win a set of signed limited edition hardcovers by hashtagging #BeautifulOblivion. Click to get more info.
Jamie McGuire was born in Tulsa, OK. She attended the Northern Oklahoma College, the University of Central Oklahoma, and Autry Technology Center where she graduated with a degree in Radiography.
Her 2012 novel, Walking Disaster™ debuted at #1 on theNew York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. She has also written bestselling contemporary romance Beautiful Disaster™, and the Providence™ series. Her latest books include an apocalyptic thriller, Red Hill™ and a novella, A Beautiful Wedding™.
Jamie now lives on a ranch just outside Enid, OK with her three children and husband Jeff, who is a real, live cowboy. They share their 30 acres with six horses, three dogs, and Rooster the cat.
You hit the nail on the head with this review, Lisa! I just discovered the Beautiful series recently and I’m hooked. Oh those Maddox boys *sigh*. This book left me wanting more of Trenton! Perhaps a book in his POV but with a different timeline (i.e. What happened before the accident?). Thanks for the great review and looking forward to the next Maddox boy;)
I have not read this series but it is on my must read list 🙂