What do you think?
Rate this book
The Maddox Brothers #2
Beautiful Redemption
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Romance (2015)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.
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.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2015
About the author
Jamie McGuire
45 books42.6k followersJamie McGuire was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended Northern Oklahoma College, the University of Central Oklahoma, and Autry Technology Center where she graduated with a degree in Radiography.
Jamie paved the way for the New Adult genre with the international bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Her follow-up novel, Walking Disaster, debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists in all four categories. Beautiful Oblivion, book one of the Maddox Brothers series, also topped the New York Times bestseller list, debuting at #1. In 2015, books two and three of the Maddox Brothers series, Beautiful Redemption and Beautiful Sacrifice, respectively, also topped the New York Times, as well as a Beautiful series novella, Something Beautiful. In 2016, Beautiful Burn made an appearance on the New York Times and USA Today, and was also named iBooks' Romance Book of the Year. The same year, A Beautiful Funeral also topped the New York Times bestseller list.
Novels also written by Jamie McGuire include: apocalyptic thriller and 2014 UtopYA Best Dystopian Book of the Year, Red Hill; the Providence series, a young adult paranormal romance trilogy; Apolonia, a dark sci-fi romance; and several novellas, including A Beautiful Wedding, Among Monsters, Happenstance: A Novella Series, and Sins of the Innocent.
Jamie is the first indie author in history to strike a print deal with retail giant Wal-Mart. Her self-published novel, Beautiful Redemption hit Wal-Mart shelves in September, 2015.
Jamie lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with her husband, Jeff, and their three children.
Find Jamie at www.jamiemcguire.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Instagram.
Jamie paved the way for the New Adult genre with the international bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Her follow-up novel, Walking Disaster, debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists in all four categories. Beautiful Oblivion, book one of the Maddox Brothers series, also topped the New York Times bestseller list, debuting at #1. In 2015, books two and three of the Maddox Brothers series, Beautiful Redemption and Beautiful Sacrifice, respectively, also topped the New York Times, as well as a Beautiful series novella, Something Beautiful. In 2016, Beautiful Burn made an appearance on the New York Times and USA Today, and was also named iBooks' Romance Book of the Year. The same year, A Beautiful Funeral also topped the New York Times bestseller list.
Novels also written by Jamie McGuire include: apocalyptic thriller and 2014 UtopYA Best Dystopian Book of the Year, Red Hill; the Providence series, a young adult paranormal romance trilogy; Apolonia, a dark sci-fi romance; and several novellas, including A Beautiful Wedding, Among Monsters, Happenstance: A Novella Series, and Sins of the Innocent.
Jamie is the first indie author in history to strike a print deal with retail giant Wal-Mart. Her self-published novel, Beautiful Redemption hit Wal-Mart shelves in September, 2015.
Jamie lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with her husband, Jeff, and their three children.
Find Jamie at www.jamiemcguire.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Instagram.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,275 reviews
April 6, 2017
Right now it's FREE on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2ocbgNx 4/5/17
2 stars
Beautiful Disaster was my first ever New Adult novel. It's the reason I started reading romance books and not just young adult books. I read it all in one sitting and stayed up until 4 am trying to finish it. The appeal of the first book was its ability to suck you in and make you root for these characters who don't seem good for each other. Beautiful Redemption does not fit in the same category as its predecessor.
Liis has left behind her job and her fiance in Chicago when she tranfers to the FBI office in San Diego. On her first night there she has the best sex of her life with a beautiful stranger. Liis goes into work the next day and surprise surprise, her one night stand is in fact her new boss. Agent Thomas Maddox had his heart ripped out by the girl he loved, who left him for his brother Trent. Now he and Liis must go undercover in order to recruit Travis into the FBI.
WARNING!!!
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, yeah. This isn't Jamie McGuire's best work. I was super excited to read this when I got my paperback in the mail, especially when I saw it was self-published. Her other books are published by Atria. I was excited because I assumed, wrongly, that because it was self-published, the author would take risks and do something new. Yeah, nope.
First things first, when I was reading Beautiful Oblivion, I never really got the impression that Thomas was super in love with Camille. Sure he liked her and they were dating, but I didn't see the birds singing and forest animals cleaning. So imagine my shock over the fact that he just could not let Cami go in this book. Yet oddly, he still actively pursued Liis knowing that he was just as emotionally unavailable as she was.
The suspension of disbelief of the FBI plot was too damn high. I find it very hard to believe that all FBI agents are in the same age range and all attractive, and that they talk more about each others relationships than they're own jobs. Plus, the whole "we're recruiting Travis because it's the only way to save him" plot was very unbelievable to me. Even with a brother with connections, there's just no way.
This was me reading those parts:
The middle of the book I considered DNFing out of sheer boredom. I ended up skimming a bit in the hopes that the book would get better. It only mildly did.
Lastly, that ending? Come on!!!
Be more original with the next book please!!!!
And for those of you that would say this is a mean review, remember that I rated Beautiful Disaster a 5 and Beautiful Oblivion a 4. So obviously, this book just didn't work for me like the other ones did.
2 stars
Beautiful Disaster was my first ever New Adult novel. It's the reason I started reading romance books and not just young adult books. I read it all in one sitting and stayed up until 4 am trying to finish it. The appeal of the first book was its ability to suck you in and make you root for these characters who don't seem good for each other. Beautiful Redemption does not fit in the same category as its predecessor.
Liis has left behind her job and her fiance in Chicago when she tranfers to the FBI office in San Diego. On her first night there she has the best sex of her life with a beautiful stranger. Liis goes into work the next day and surprise surprise, her one night stand is in fact her new boss. Agent Thomas Maddox had his heart ripped out by the girl he loved, who left him for his brother Trent. Now he and Liis must go undercover in order to recruit Travis into the FBI.
WARNING!!!
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, yeah. This isn't Jamie McGuire's best work. I was super excited to read this when I got my paperback in the mail, especially when I saw it was self-published. Her other books are published by Atria. I was excited because I assumed, wrongly, that because it was self-published, the author would take risks and do something new. Yeah, nope.
First things first, when I was reading Beautiful Oblivion, I never really got the impression that Thomas was super in love with Camille. Sure he liked her and they were dating, but I didn't see the birds singing and forest animals cleaning. So imagine my shock over the fact that he just could not let Cami go in this book. Yet oddly, he still actively pursued Liis knowing that he was just as emotionally unavailable as she was.
The suspension of disbelief of the FBI plot was too damn high. I find it very hard to believe that all FBI agents are in the same age range and all attractive, and that they talk more about each others relationships than they're own jobs. Plus, the whole "we're recruiting Travis because it's the only way to save him" plot was very unbelievable to me. Even with a brother with connections, there's just no way.
This was me reading those parts:
The middle of the book I considered DNFing out of sheer boredom. I ended up skimming a bit in the hopes that the book would get better. It only mildly did.
Lastly, that ending? Come on!!!
Be more original with the next book please!!!!
And for those of you that would say this is a mean review, remember that I rated Beautiful Disaster a 5 and Beautiful Oblivion a 4. So obviously, this book just didn't work for me like the other ones did.
February 1, 2015
*****2.75 STARS*****
{BR with Mel, Sharon, and Tiffany}
I'm very sad.
I wanted to love this story, there was a point at the 70% mark that I started to have hope, things were starting to get good, but then the main characters kept pulling the same crap, and I was over it.
Liis Lindy has just moved to San Diego from Chicago, where she left behind an ex fiance. She doesn't do complicated and most definitely avoids anything that can cause her heartache. On her first night in town, at a local bar, she meets a gorgeous stranger and ends up having a hot one night stand with him. The stranger turns out to be Thomas Maddox, who is her upstairs neighbor and her new boss! I thought it was kind of crazy that she barely spoke to him for more than 5 minutes and she was taking a complete stranger back to her place. Oh and I mentioned that they had hot sex, but I am only assuming that this happened since we don't get a really steamy description of the sex.
The entire book, these two are hot and cold. Liis has her intimacy issues but then acts like a jealous girlfriend whenever the subject of Camille comes up. I totally get that she was jealous of Thomas' feelings for Cami, but at some point I was hoping she'd stop being completely clueless and see that Thomas was really crazy in love with her.
The whole insta-love deal bothered me too. AND, don't get me started on how irritated I was with how many times Cami is mentioned in this book.
I loved Thomas and the moments he shared with his brothers were really touching. This man deserved someone better than Liis, and he sure as hell deserved a much better story than this!
I wish Jamie could go back and ask for a "do over". I would have told her to leave the whole deal with the Yakuza out because it was unnecessary and did nothing but confuse me. Actually there were a couple of times I had no idea what was going on and I did reread some passages a few times to try and decipher what the hell was happening. Also the the whole love triangle between the other FBI agents, was just plain old BORING and added little to no value to the plot.
Hopefully the next book will be fabulous, but honestly I don't think any will top "Beautiful Disaster". That, to me, was Jamie McGuire's best work by far!
{BR with Mel, Sharon, and Tiffany}
I'm very sad.
I wanted to love this story, there was a point at the 70% mark that I started to have hope, things were starting to get good, but then the main characters kept pulling the same crap, and I was over it.
Liis Lindy has just moved to San Diego from Chicago, where she left behind an ex fiance. She doesn't do complicated and most definitely avoids anything that can cause her heartache. On her first night in town, at a local bar, she meets a gorgeous stranger and ends up having a hot one night stand with him. The stranger turns out to be Thomas Maddox, who is her upstairs neighbor and her new boss! I thought it was kind of crazy that she barely spoke to him for more than 5 minutes and she was taking a complete stranger back to her place. Oh and I mentioned that they had hot sex, but I am only assuming that this happened since we don't get a really steamy description of the sex.
The entire book, these two are hot and cold. Liis has her intimacy issues but then acts like a jealous girlfriend whenever the subject of Camille comes up. I totally get that she was jealous of Thomas' feelings for Cami, but at some point I was hoping she'd stop being completely clueless and see that Thomas was really crazy in love with her.
The whole insta-love deal bothered me too. AND, don't get me started on how irritated I was with how many times Cami is mentioned in this book.
I loved Thomas and the moments he shared with his brothers were really touching. This man deserved someone better than Liis, and he sure as hell deserved a much better story than this!
I wish Jamie could go back and ask for a "do over". I would have told her to leave the whole deal with the Yakuza out because it was unnecessary and did nothing but confuse me. Actually there were a couple of times I had no idea what was going on and I did reread some passages a few times to try and decipher what the hell was happening. Also the the whole love triangle between the other FBI agents, was just plain old BORING and added little to no value to the plot.
Hopefully the next book will be fabulous, but honestly I don't think any will top "Beautiful Disaster". That, to me, was Jamie McGuire's best work by far!
February 3, 2015
3 Redeeming Stars.
Thomas Maddox and Liis met one night under ... special circumstances. Only to Thomas find out the next day that she is the new FBI agent so he’s technically her boss. They decide to keep it professional but their wills are being tested. Until Thomas is forced to recruit Travis to the FBI… or get him arrested for is involvement on the fire (if you read BD, you know what I’m talking about.) and ask Liis to go with him, to pretend to be his girlfriend so they don’t ruin their cover as undercover agents. The problem is that Thomas ex-girlfriend is there. (Again, if you read the previous book you know what I’m talking about.) And if the lines were blurred before, now they disappeared. And how does a person that promised not to give her heart again, ends up giving it for a man who doesn't know how to give his own?
I gave this review a lot of thinking, for one side I really loved all of this series before and this one was engaging, sweet, and amazingly written, like Jamie McGuire got us used to.
For another side, I had a lot of trouble with the main couple. For full disclosure, I don’t have a problem when the hero or the heroine loved someone else before: people can fall in and out of love more than one time and it doesn’t mean they love less because it isn’t the first. But what I do have a problem with, is the couple spending a great deal of the book unsure about their feelings, while the hero previous relationship is still very alive in the equation. I couldn't fully connect with the development of their relationship, or their love, because ghost of girlfriend’s past decided it was haunting season. In a few occasions felt like the heroine took second place on the relationship and I'm sorry, but that doesn't work for me. And after we spent so much time frustrated with them, when they finally see the light, everything is rushed and… boom, a couple of pages later it ends. If there’s one thing I REALLY don’t like is waiting a whole book for the protagonists to come to their senses only to have a rushed end. I can’t give it more than three stars, because when in a romance book the romance part doesn’t quite work… well, there’s something I can’t overlook.
Rating: 3 Stars.
Characters Development: Liis was good and I liked how she stood up for herself, but towards the end she was just plain stubborn and it was quite annoying. Thomas was good… after he finally had grown a backbone. He frustrated me for a great deal of the book and I just can’t ignore that. As always, it was great to see the Maddox brothers all together.
Steam: Some hot moments.
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
Thomas Maddox and Liis met one night under ... special circumstances. Only to Thomas find out the next day that she is the new FBI agent so he’s technically her boss. They decide to keep it professional but their wills are being tested. Until Thomas is forced to recruit Travis to the FBI… or get him arrested for is involvement on the fire (if you read BD, you know what I’m talking about.) and ask Liis to go with him, to pretend to be his girlfriend so they don’t ruin their cover as undercover agents. The problem is that Thomas ex-girlfriend is there. (Again, if you read the previous book you know what I’m talking about.) And if the lines were blurred before, now they disappeared. And how does a person that promised not to give her heart again, ends up giving it for a man who doesn't know how to give his own?
I gave this review a lot of thinking, for one side I really loved all of this series before and this one was engaging, sweet, and amazingly written, like Jamie McGuire got us used to.
For another side, I had a lot of trouble with the main couple. For full disclosure, I don’t have a problem when the hero or the heroine loved someone else before: people can fall in and out of love more than one time and it doesn’t mean they love less because it isn’t the first. But what I do have a problem with, is the couple spending a great deal of the book unsure about their feelings, while the hero previous relationship is still very alive in the equation. I couldn't fully connect with the development of their relationship, or their love, because ghost of girlfriend’s past decided it was haunting season. In a few occasions felt like the heroine took second place on the relationship and I'm sorry, but that doesn't work for me. And after we spent so much time frustrated with them, when they finally see the light, everything is rushed and… boom, a couple of pages later it ends. If there’s one thing I REALLY don’t like is waiting a whole book for the protagonists to come to their senses only to have a rushed end. I can’t give it more than three stars, because when in a romance book the romance part doesn’t quite work… well, there’s something I can’t overlook.
Rating: 3 Stars.
Characters Development: Liis was good and I liked how she stood up for herself, but towards the end she was just plain stubborn and it was quite annoying. Thomas was good… after he finally had grown a backbone. He frustrated me for a great deal of the book and I just can’t ignore that. As always, it was great to see the Maddox brothers all together.
Steam: Some hot moments.
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
September 3, 2020
Changed my rating coz I’m petty.
4 stars!
For those who don't like a hero who was in love with another girl in the previous book, this book might not be for you.
For those who like their heroine to be first in everything, this book might not be for you.
For those like to have a clear assurance coupled with a grand gesture to show the hero's love and devotion, this book might not be for you.
Now for those you who have no problem with those statements above or at least would like to try, then this book is for you.
Full disclosure. I didn't read Beautiful Oblivion and A Beautiful Wedding, so I was a little apprehensive going into this. Turns out, I was okay. I didn't get lost in the details.
Beautiful Redemption is the book which ties everything together starting from Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster, Beautiful Oblivion and A Beautiful Wedding. This filled the holes that those two books have left behind. I have to say kudos to Jamie McGuire for deftly handling the intricate details of the plot and giving the reader the whole picture of the events after that tragic fire.
Liis Lindy is an upcoming special agent of the FBI who recently got transferred from Chicago to San Diego. The night before she starts her new job, she meets a handsome man and slept with him. Turns out this man was none other than Thomas Maddox. He also happens to be her boss.
Thomas Maddox came back to San Diego after the events in BO a different man. He's broken and he's becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. Aside from his personal problems, Thomas is also increasingly under pressure to get Travis recruited to the FBI in order to save him from possible prison time.
Liis was the first woman Thomas opened up to after Cami. They have red-hot chemistry. Liis started out as being emotionally unavailable but as she and Thomas spend more time together, she starts to thaw. The only hiccup was Liis knows Thomas was still in love with Cami. And yes, Thomas admitted this in one of their more emotional scenes.
But even as Thomas admits to Liis about his lingering feelings for Cami, he is also becoming more and more emotionally attached to Liis. In fact, I personally thought he was starting to fall for her and did fall for her. Thomas wanted Liis to take a chance with him but Liis fears that he might be using her to get over Cami. This conflict was the pretty much the biggest source of angst in the book.
Arrrghhhh!! It was frustrating to read sometimes. But Liis isn't blameless either. She's paralyzed by fear. She fell out of love with a guy she's been with for seven years so she doesn't think she's capable of committing to someone. Of course, her actions contradicts her words because she's also falling for Thomas. So you basically have two people who have all the reasons not to commit to the person that they are attracted to.
I personally liked the conflict because it was all internal. It was basically both of them overcoming their fears. I did get annoyed with Cami. I'm seriously glad I didn't read BO because I would have hated her.
This could have been an easy 5 stars for me had not been for a couple of issues. One, I needed Thomas' POV. Do you hear me, Jamie McGuire?? I need to know his thoughts on certain pivotal scenes in the book. I liked Liis' POV but there are moments where I would have given anything to read something from Thomas' POV.
Another quibble was minor one but I couldn't help but roll my eyes at some of the antics of Liis and Thomas' co-workers. I had to mentally slap myself in order to remember that these are FBI agents because most of the time, they act like the cast of The Housewives of Atlanta with their yapping and their relationship drama. Yap, yap, yap, yap!
Despite my issues, I really enjoyed this book. I really do believe Liis is it for Thomas although there is still much room for their relationship to grow. And no, I don't think Cami is a threat to their relationship. I believed it when he said she's in the past.
I also actually liked that their HEA wasn't wrapped in a pretty bow. There's an epilogue years down the line, which convinced me that Thomas indeed loves Liis and Liis alone. I actually liked the epilogue because it was realistic and stayed true to both of their characters.
June 15, 2018
4.5 Stars
Oh, Thomas!! You have been such an elusive character in this fabulous series, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you!
And I must say, when you aren’t being a ruthless tyrant as an FBI boss, you are quite the charmer and ooze pure sex appeal. You truly are drunkin’ silly gorgeous!
Thomas is also a man with a lot of conflicts to deal with. He is keeping a big secret from his family, he has news to tell his brother, Travis, which will be devastating, and he is still in love with his other brother’s fiancé, Camille.
Luckily, Liis comes into his life. She is also an FBI agent who helps him solve cases as well as helps Thomas work through his struggles in more ways than one. I gotta give it to Liis. She is one patient cookie.
For those of you who read “ Beautiful Disaster” and are curious about how Travis stayed out of jail after the fire .... well, question answered! Just sayin’, cause I got me some more Travis insight ;)
"Tell me the truth ... What is your objective? Taking Benny down or keeping Travis out of prison?"
"One is entangled with the other."
"Pick one."
"I practically raised him."
"That's not an answer."
Thomas took a deep breath and exhaled, his shoulders sagging as if the answer were weighing down on him. "I'd trade my life to save his."
And there you have it folks, another swoony Maddox brother, doing what they do best, protecting their own!! But will he ever be able to get over his loss of Camille?
Looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Taylor Maddox gets himself into next!
Want to read
July 13, 2014 Woohoo!!! This is the next Maddox Brothers book and it's Thomas Maddox's story (oldest brother)!!! ♥
::: BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION ::: will be about the "loves and loss of Thomas Maddox, the eldest Maddox brother, told from the point-of-view of Liis Lindy, a no-nonsense agent of the FBI."
Also, the series will have a total of 4 novels "chronicling the exciting, romantic, and sometimes volatile road to love" of the Maddox brothers."
No release date yet.
::: BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION ::: will be about the "loves and loss of Thomas Maddox, the eldest Maddox brother, told from the point-of-view of Liis Lindy, a no-nonsense agent of the FBI."
Also, the series will have a total of 4 novels "chronicling the exciting, romantic, and sometimes volatile road to love" of the Maddox brothers."
No release date yet.
May 23, 2015
3.5 Stars
You know those books that you love and can read over and over again? Well Beautiful Disaster is one of those stories for me. I absolutely adore Travis Maddox. So when I see a book about the Maddox Brothers I have to dive right in.
While I did enjoy certain aspects of this story, I didn't love it. The story between Liis and Thomas became tired after a while. Mainly because when you think of a Maddox boy this line comes to mind: "And when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever.”
This is not that kind of story. Thomas is not over the top like Travis and Trent, he has other goals and priorities in his life. Not to mention he isn't sure in his feelings and Liis has the Abby complex where she isn't sure she should even be in a relationship.
"But you and I can make this work. it makes complete sense for us to be together."
Of course the story is well written and I enjoyed it, but IMO it didn't have that it factor that the other Beautiful/Maddox books had. I do recommend if you are fan of the series and I do plan to continue reading them as well.
You know those books that you love and can read over and over again? Well Beautiful Disaster is one of those stories for me. I absolutely adore Travis Maddox. So when I see a book about the Maddox Brothers I have to dive right in.
While I did enjoy certain aspects of this story, I didn't love it. The story between Liis and Thomas became tired after a while. Mainly because when you think of a Maddox boy this line comes to mind: "And when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever.”
This is not that kind of story. Thomas is not over the top like Travis and Trent, he has other goals and priorities in his life. Not to mention he isn't sure in his feelings and Liis has the Abby complex where she isn't sure she should even be in a relationship.
"But you and I can make this work. it makes complete sense for us to be together."
Of course the story is well written and I enjoyed it, but IMO it didn't have that it factor that the other Beautiful/Maddox books had. I do recommend if you are fan of the series and I do plan to continue reading them as well.
June 11, 2015
Pre-read reaction: *sighs* I might as well... =/
This is weird, though. It's like this is listed under two different series (#4 in the Beautiful Disaster series, #2 in the Maddox Brothers series), and I haven't really seen very many books that have that kind of measure. I'm guessing it's listed like this for continuity's sake, but it's still weird to me.
Post-read reaction: Probably not a surprise to anyone who's followed my "following" of this series, but you might be surprised as to why I didn't like this novel. I feel like the quality of JM's writing is just getting worse with each book, and more implausible with the storyline. The worst part of it is, I think this book is trying to backtrack to tie threads to "Walking Disaster" and "Beautiful Oblivion," along with making more diversified strides (lead character is Japanese heritage), but it's singing the same old song as her other narratives with threadbare conflict and characterization. There's just not a lot of effort here.
Full review:
"You looked through me like an open door
Do I exist to you anymore?
'Cause when I'm talking to you
There's someone else that you're hearing.
I gave you all the love I had,
And I almost gave you one more chance,
Then you put one in the chamber
And shot my heart of glass
This time will be the last."
- from "The Chamber" by Lenny Kravitz, from the album "Strut"
Starting off this review with this set of lyrics, because 1. These lyrics do have something to do with the themes in this book - I'll get to that shortly; 2. I'm fairly certain Lenny Kravitz has more sensuality in his pinky finger than anything this book could ever have; and 3. I sometimes wonder why the heck I keep reading JM's narratives after all this time when I keep feeling like I want to bang my head against the wall. But usually it always comes back to the fact that my curious mind keeps reeling me back in. Plus, if it keeps other people from spending $6 a pop (for the e-book!) for this ridiculous, formulaic, offensive piece, I think I'll be saving people time, money, and headaches.
(I'm not censoring my frustration in this review, in case you're wondering.)
So, um, you guys know how much I like Japanese culture, right? (The Face Your Manga avatar I have might be one indication, but seriously, there's far more signs than that.) You'd probably think I'd gobble up this book considering it features a part-Japanese heroine. But instead of saying "Finally! McGuire actually featured a POC in the reins of one of her stories!", my first thought was "Oh crap, this is another culture she's going to royally screw over."
(I point to "Apolonia" as Exhibit A. Seriously, that whole book was just made of wrong.)
*brandishes her harisen*
This is going to be a long review, so I'll have to break this up into subsections to make the read easier for those of you following along.
Part I: In which a Japanese/Irish heroine isn't enough to keep her from being pretty much like any other character JM has ever written (plus *STEREOTYPES*)
So this book is written from the perspective of Liis Lindy, a part Japanese, part Irish heroine who just moved away from her husband and is starting fresh in an assignment with the FBI. I had a feeling that McGuire chose a generic name for Liis's character for a couple of reasons:
1. This was meant to emphasize Liis's "exoticness", because she's Japanese-Irish, her name has to sound as such so that it can bring attention to the fact that people can know she's Asian and *something else*. When you take the time to emphasize people pronouncing her name as "geese, but with an L" and focus on how many people get her name wrong (including the supposed swoon-worthy hero), you've got serious issues portraying diverse characters.
Plus, for the name Liis, I'm pretty sure has Danish origins. It's not a common name, but honestly - Google could pull this up within a matter of seconds. I don't think McGuire did that search to suggest otherwise...
2. The letter "L" does not exist in the Japanese alphabet. And Lindy is actually Italian, Spanish and Latin origin for the name, IIRC. Google can confirm that in a few places, but there may be other uses for the name. Lindy means "pretty"/"beautiful". I guess this character has special snowflake written all over it. *sighs*
But you know what, that's probably nit-picking because if you think about it: Liis, regardless of her heritage, still comes across as an aggressive female lead who could very well be Abby Abernathy 3.0. She ends up meeting a Maddox boy who hits on her, with a line about her knowing "Kung-Fu" (she does address this as being possibly racist) and the comment:
"I just recently read about Asian female peace leaders being honored. I'm guessing you weren't one of them."
Many people would be telling this dude to screw off, but no, the heroine is somehow charmed and can't resist him, in lines like this:
"My little game was over. He'd won."
"The stranger’s shirt was off, his torso a combination of impressive genes and several years of an intensive daily workout regimen that had sculpted the perfection in front of me."
"When I nodded, he kissed me once and then left quickly to fish a square package from his wallet. When he returned, he ripped it open with his teeth. I was glad he’d brought his own. Even if I had thought to purchase condoms, I wouldn’t have had the foresight or optimism to buy any in his size."
"...even though I’d only just met this man above me, I would miss those longing kisses once he ducked out of my condo in the early hours of the morning—if he even waited that long."
Anyone want to throw tables yet?
Liis has a one-night stand with this dude, a guy who just so happens to live the floor above her. But push comes to shove when she reports to work the next day and, ooh la la, the man she slept with happens to be the infamous Thomas Maddox - her new boss.
From then on, it's a bit of a slog getting through the narrative because of a number of different things, but Liis is a weak narrator because she's so derivative. She's headstrong (like Abby), lacks proper motivation for her actions (like Abby), and while she finds the Maddox boy problematic and gets jealous of his relations at the drop of a hat (like Abby), she still can't stay away from the dude, even when she thinks he might be having another one-night stand at one point.
Don't get me wrong, Thomas is not much better. Matter in point, he's worse in a different way.
That's right guys, Thomas/T.J. is the same guy from the revelation of the last book. That's where things get pretty sticky.
Part II: Where's the Plot, dangnabit? Thomas Maddox, the lover who can't let go, and the FBI sting/recruitment that makes no lick of sense
So I'll address this part of the book two fold. This book seeks to explain plot threads that were left dangling in "Walking Diaster" (specifically the weird epilogue) and "Beautiful Oblivion," in terms of the so called "twist" ending. With the explanation provided in this book, I feel like McGuire made things ten times worse on the reflection of the narrative, because it's utterly ridiculous.
First plot point: Thomas can't get over his former love, Cami. This is a running theme through the novel, and hence why I reference Kravitz's lyrics in the beginning of this review. Since his brother, Trent, supposedly loved Cami first and the relationship fell apart, Thomas still pines for her and it's to blame for his hard demeanor towards everyone (except he's really not that alpha, despite some tendencies - his personality is really bland, and I don't say that just because he's not alpha. He's a single dimensioned character). But somehow Liis shows up and breaks down all his defenses - and EVERYBODY notices the change. It's too convenient. The relationship seems a forgone conclusion before it even truly begins.
Liis is insta-jealous of this former relationship (and no, she and Thomas hadn't even had a relationship for a month yet). Even when she has to pretend to be his girlfriend when meeting his family (Hello recycled plot point, Batman), she can't help doing the whole comparison game with Cami. And it's further complicated as they attend a party in which Trent plans to propose to Cami. Doesn't help that at one point in the work, But I think you guys probably saw that one coming.
Second plot point: The idea that Thomas is trying to keep his little brother Travis Maddox out of jail. It's emphasized many times, but the idea is that the FBI is trying to manipulate Travis into getting Abby's father apprehended (alongside dealing with dangerous Yakuza - this is never really explained). They are even trying to recruit Travis to the FBI (even though the dude doesn't have a lick of experience.) Thomas has to convince Travis to keep all this from Abby and stick to the plan. Only the plan is so threadbare, you could pull apart the holes. Liis's role in it isn't that clear cut, because she's slated as a translator who can speak Japanese, but is she really needed? (Answer's no, but she's there anyway.)
I still feel like this is pretty much the Travis and Abby show since their mentions and personas overtake the newer characters with ease. McGuire does do quite a bit of summarizing of the events of "Beautiful Wedding" among others in the context of the narrative, and provides (for the first time) Abby's motivations in context of the shotgun wedding. And McGuire even makes the reveal that Travis has to come to terms with the events of the fire and his role in that. He pretty much says he has to "think about it" when it comes to his cooperation and it's pretty annoying how all that's summed up in the context of the novel. But things go as you would expect them to for the operation to begin.
I don't think the FBI context in the novel is that strong, nor that well researched (despite McGuire saying that she consulted someone who's married to an FBI agent). Promotions are not given that frequently (as Thomas does to Liis towards the beginning of the novel. Conflict of interest relationships and power pulls are not that rampant, and certainly FBI agents aren't recruited so readily especially considering people with volatile histories (a.k.a. Travis Maddox).
I felt like the ending was far too convenient, rushed and telegraphed: At least it wasn't a cruel cliffhanger like the last book, but I still did many mental facepalms at the sequence of events and explanations behind them.
My end thoughts are that this novel was far too unrealistic, implausible, underdeveloped, and formulaic to work. And the whole diversity address is just a front because Thomas and Liis were weakly drawn characters, cookie cutter imitations, and really set-pieces for a plot that was essentially backtracking to cover weakly drawn plot points in former novels of this series. I'm not confident that other novels in this respective series won't just be for wish fulfillment purposes rather than being a showcase of the actual main characters contained within, with palpable issues, problems, struggles, and things that would otherwise develop them and bring them full circle. McGuire just doesn't know how to handle these things well in the work.
In the end, not recommended. I may read the last two novels to see where they begin and if they do anything to improve upon this and the previous novel in this respective branch of the Beautiful Disaster series. But I have no confidence. None whatsoever.
Overall score: 0.5/5 stars.
This is weird, though. It's like this is listed under two different series (#4 in the Beautiful Disaster series, #2 in the Maddox Brothers series), and I haven't really seen very many books that have that kind of measure. I'm guessing it's listed like this for continuity's sake, but it's still weird to me.
Post-read reaction: Probably not a surprise to anyone who's followed my "following" of this series, but you might be surprised as to why I didn't like this novel. I feel like the quality of JM's writing is just getting worse with each book, and more implausible with the storyline. The worst part of it is, I think this book is trying to backtrack to tie threads to "Walking Disaster" and "Beautiful Oblivion," along with making more diversified strides (lead character is Japanese heritage), but it's singing the same old song as her other narratives with threadbare conflict and characterization. There's just not a lot of effort here.
Full review:
"You looked through me like an open door
Do I exist to you anymore?
'Cause when I'm talking to you
There's someone else that you're hearing.
I gave you all the love I had,
And I almost gave you one more chance,
Then you put one in the chamber
And shot my heart of glass
This time will be the last."
- from "The Chamber" by Lenny Kravitz, from the album "Strut"
Starting off this review with this set of lyrics, because 1. These lyrics do have something to do with the themes in this book - I'll get to that shortly; 2. I'm fairly certain Lenny Kravitz has more sensuality in his pinky finger than anything this book could ever have; and 3. I sometimes wonder why the heck I keep reading JM's narratives after all this time when I keep feeling like I want to bang my head against the wall. But usually it always comes back to the fact that my curious mind keeps reeling me back in. Plus, if it keeps other people from spending $6 a pop (for the e-book!) for this ridiculous, formulaic, offensive piece, I think I'll be saving people time, money, and headaches.
(I'm not censoring my frustration in this review, in case you're wondering.)
So, um, you guys know how much I like Japanese culture, right? (The Face Your Manga avatar I have might be one indication, but seriously, there's far more signs than that.) You'd probably think I'd gobble up this book considering it features a part-Japanese heroine. But instead of saying "Finally! McGuire actually featured a POC in the reins of one of her stories!", my first thought was "Oh crap, this is another culture she's going to royally screw over."
(I point to "Apolonia" as Exhibit A. Seriously, that whole book was just made of wrong.)
*brandishes her harisen*
This is going to be a long review, so I'll have to break this up into subsections to make the read easier for those of you following along.
Part I: In which a Japanese/Irish heroine isn't enough to keep her from being pretty much like any other character JM has ever written (plus *STEREOTYPES*)
So this book is written from the perspective of Liis Lindy, a part Japanese, part Irish heroine who just moved away from her husband and is starting fresh in an assignment with the FBI. I had a feeling that McGuire chose a generic name for Liis's character for a couple of reasons:
1. This was meant to emphasize Liis's "exoticness", because she's Japanese-Irish, her name has to sound as such so that it can bring attention to the fact that people can know she's Asian and *something else*. When you take the time to emphasize people pronouncing her name as "geese, but with an L" and focus on how many people get her name wrong (including the supposed swoon-worthy hero), you've got serious issues portraying diverse characters.
Plus, for the name Liis, I'm pretty sure has Danish origins. It's not a common name, but honestly - Google could pull this up within a matter of seconds. I don't think McGuire did that search to suggest otherwise...
2. The letter "L" does not exist in the Japanese alphabet. And Lindy is actually Italian, Spanish and Latin origin for the name, IIRC. Google can confirm that in a few places, but there may be other uses for the name. Lindy means "pretty"/"beautiful". I guess this character has special snowflake written all over it. *sighs*
But you know what, that's probably nit-picking because if you think about it: Liis, regardless of her heritage, still comes across as an aggressive female lead who could very well be Abby Abernathy 3.0. She ends up meeting a Maddox boy who hits on her, with a line about her knowing "Kung-Fu" (she does address this as being possibly racist) and the comment:
"I just recently read about Asian female peace leaders being honored. I'm guessing you weren't one of them."
Many people would be telling this dude to screw off, but no, the heroine is somehow charmed and can't resist him, in lines like this:
"My little game was over. He'd won."
"The stranger’s shirt was off, his torso a combination of impressive genes and several years of an intensive daily workout regimen that had sculpted the perfection in front of me."
"When I nodded, he kissed me once and then left quickly to fish a square package from his wallet. When he returned, he ripped it open with his teeth. I was glad he’d brought his own. Even if I had thought to purchase condoms, I wouldn’t have had the foresight or optimism to buy any in his size."
"...even though I’d only just met this man above me, I would miss those longing kisses once he ducked out of my condo in the early hours of the morning—if he even waited that long."
Anyone want to throw tables yet?
Liis has a one-night stand with this dude, a guy who just so happens to live the floor above her. But push comes to shove when she reports to work the next day and, ooh la la, the man she slept with happens to be the infamous Thomas Maddox - her new boss.
From then on, it's a bit of a slog getting through the narrative because of a number of different things, but Liis is a weak narrator because she's so derivative. She's headstrong (like Abby), lacks proper motivation for her actions (like Abby), and while she finds the Maddox boy problematic and gets jealous of his relations at the drop of a hat (like Abby), she still can't stay away from the dude, even when she thinks he might be having another one-night stand at one point.
Don't get me wrong, Thomas is not much better. Matter in point, he's worse in a different way.
That's right guys, Thomas/T.J. is the same guy from the revelation of the last book. That's where things get pretty sticky.
Part II: Where's the Plot, dangnabit? Thomas Maddox, the lover who can't let go, and the FBI sting/recruitment that makes no lick of sense
So I'll address this part of the book two fold. This book seeks to explain plot threads that were left dangling in "Walking Diaster" (specifically the weird epilogue) and "Beautiful Oblivion," in terms of the so called "twist" ending. With the explanation provided in this book, I feel like McGuire made things ten times worse on the reflection of the narrative, because it's utterly ridiculous.
First plot point: Thomas can't get over his former love, Cami. This is a running theme through the novel, and hence why I reference Kravitz's lyrics in the beginning of this review. Since his brother, Trent, supposedly loved Cami first and the relationship fell apart, Thomas still pines for her and it's to blame for his hard demeanor towards everyone (except he's really not that alpha, despite some tendencies - his personality is really bland, and I don't say that just because he's not alpha. He's a single dimensioned character). But somehow Liis shows up and breaks down all his defenses - and EVERYBODY notices the change. It's too convenient. The relationship seems a forgone conclusion before it even truly begins.
Liis is insta-jealous of this former relationship (and no, she and Thomas hadn't even had a relationship for a month yet). Even when she has to pretend to be his girlfriend when meeting his family (Hello recycled plot point, Batman), she can't help doing the whole comparison game with Cami. And it's further complicated as they attend a party in which Trent plans to propose to Cami. Doesn't help that at one point in the work, But I think you guys probably saw that one coming.
Second plot point: The idea that Thomas is trying to keep his little brother Travis Maddox out of jail. It's emphasized many times, but the idea is that the FBI is trying to manipulate Travis into getting Abby's father apprehended (alongside dealing with dangerous Yakuza - this is never really explained). They are even trying to recruit Travis to the FBI (even though the dude doesn't have a lick of experience.) Thomas has to convince Travis to keep all this from Abby and stick to the plan. Only the plan is so threadbare, you could pull apart the holes. Liis's role in it isn't that clear cut, because she's slated as a translator who can speak Japanese, but is she really needed? (Answer's no, but she's there anyway.)
I still feel like this is pretty much the Travis and Abby show since their mentions and personas overtake the newer characters with ease. McGuire does do quite a bit of summarizing of the events of "Beautiful Wedding" among others in the context of the narrative, and provides (for the first time) Abby's motivations in context of the shotgun wedding. And McGuire even makes the reveal that Travis has to come to terms with the events of the fire and his role in that. He pretty much says he has to "think about it" when it comes to his cooperation and it's pretty annoying how all that's summed up in the context of the novel. But things go as you would expect them to for the operation to begin.
I don't think the FBI context in the novel is that strong, nor that well researched (despite McGuire saying that she consulted someone who's married to an FBI agent). Promotions are not given that frequently (as Thomas does to Liis towards the beginning of the novel. Conflict of interest relationships and power pulls are not that rampant, and certainly FBI agents aren't recruited so readily especially considering people with volatile histories (a.k.a. Travis Maddox).
I felt like the ending was far too convenient, rushed and telegraphed: At least it wasn't a cruel cliffhanger like the last book, but I still did many mental facepalms at the sequence of events and explanations behind them.
My end thoughts are that this novel was far too unrealistic, implausible, underdeveloped, and formulaic to work. And the whole diversity address is just a front because Thomas and Liis were weakly drawn characters, cookie cutter imitations, and really set-pieces for a plot that was essentially backtracking to cover weakly drawn plot points in former novels of this series. I'm not confident that other novels in this respective series won't just be for wish fulfillment purposes rather than being a showcase of the actual main characters contained within, with palpable issues, problems, struggles, and things that would otherwise develop them and bring them full circle. McGuire just doesn't know how to handle these things well in the work.
In the end, not recommended. I may read the last two novels to see where they begin and if they do anything to improve upon this and the previous novel in this respective branch of the Beautiful Disaster series. But I have no confidence. None whatsoever.
Overall score: 0.5/5 stars.
November 3, 2015
This probably Jamie McGuire's strongest novel that I've read. I really enjoyed it, and I love the characters.
February 4, 2015
Title: Beautiuful Redemption
Series: The Maddox Brothers #2
Author: Jamie McGuire
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Cliffhanger:. No
HEA:
Jamie McGuire and her Maddox boys… oh don’t they all make me tremble!
Travis made me batshit crazy and feeling hangover. Trenton made me swoon and laugh. Thomas was definitely sexy, demanding and love worthy. Every brother is different and very complex character; it’s hard not to fall in love with them. Yet somehow, I found myself not completely head over heels on love with Beautiful Redemption. It was good, I did enjoyed it, but it was not insane, thrill ride I craved so much. In some way, I am feeling all kinds of disappointed that it was so usual and typical.
First of all, I was a little angry at the insta - love route. I am just so over it. Then, I kind of felt like one thing was on the repeat through all book.
Beautiful Redemption turned out to be one of those books you read to nicely pass the time while waiting for the ‘awesome’ books to come out. It was nice and well written but not much more. Sometimes it just happens. You like the book but no matter how much you wish you had you don’t love it with all your heart. Something is just missing.
Who knows, maybe we will never get another Beautiful Disaster worthy story from Jamie McGuire. However, I am still looking forward to another books in the Maddox Brothers series. I am really curious how they’ll turn out.
FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:
August 7, 2018
4 Too new love ★'s
If A Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever. But what if he didn't love you, first?
“If I were going to give you my future, I’d need you to move on from the past.”
This book is Thomas's, he is the oldest of the Maddox brothers. I really enjoyed Thomas Maddox's book better than Trenton's but not by much. Thomas has been kind of a mystery thus far and the more I learned about him the more I loved him! Thomas is a total badass but oh so sweet and very swoon-worthy and he melted my heart. These boys are intense as hell and there love is even more so. Travis is still my favorite and I can't imagine that changing. Still, I'm finding the women in these books to be so frustrating! They really annoy the crap outta me!! Liss got on my nerves but for completely different reasons, then Cami did in Beautiful Oblivion. It was nerve-racking that Liss kept trying to keep her emotions for Thomas in check and all of her insecurities about Thomas’s ex was a bit too much. But at the same time, I get it. I will say this about Liss she is one strong woman and I love tough heroines :) So far Abby is still my top girl and honestly, I don't think any of these new heroines can top her. Beautiful Redemption was thoroughly charming and it’s what you'd expect a Maddox story to be. It was very entertaining and alluring and addictive too. Again I recommend this beautiful book to everyone!!
“I loved her first,” Thomas said. “But you, Liis…you are the last woman I will ever love.”
“We’d had to find each other to finally understand that love could not be controlled. Predictions, assumptions, and absolutes were illusions. My love for him was volatile, uncontrollable, and overpowering, but…that was love. Love was real.”
“Thomas loved me. He needed me. Maybe I wasn’t the first woman he’d loved, and maybe the kind of love a Maddox man felt lasted forever, but I needed him, too. I wasn’t the first, but I would be the last. That didn’t make me the second prize. It made me his forever.”
If A Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever. But what if he didn't love you, first?
“If I were going to give you my future, I’d need you to move on from the past.”
This book is Thomas's, he is the oldest of the Maddox brothers. I really enjoyed Thomas Maddox's book better than Trenton's but not by much. Thomas has been kind of a mystery thus far and the more I learned about him the more I loved him! Thomas is a total badass but oh so sweet and very swoon-worthy and he melted my heart. These boys are intense as hell and there love is even more so. Travis is still my favorite and I can't imagine that changing. Still, I'm finding the women in these books to be so frustrating! They really annoy the crap outta me!! Liss got on my nerves but for completely different reasons, then Cami did in Beautiful Oblivion. It was nerve-racking that Liss kept trying to keep her emotions for Thomas in check and all of her insecurities about Thomas’s ex was a bit too much. But at the same time, I get it. I will say this about Liss she is one strong woman and I love tough heroines :) So far Abby is still my top girl and honestly, I don't think any of these new heroines can top her. Beautiful Redemption was thoroughly charming and it’s what you'd expect a Maddox story to be. It was very entertaining and alluring and addictive too. Again I recommend this beautiful book to everyone!!
“I loved her first,” Thomas said. “But you, Liis…you are the last woman I will ever love.”
“We’d had to find each other to finally understand that love could not be controlled. Predictions, assumptions, and absolutes were illusions. My love for him was volatile, uncontrollable, and overpowering, but…that was love. Love was real.”
“Thomas loved me. He needed me. Maybe I wasn’t the first woman he’d loved, and maybe the kind of love a Maddox man felt lasted forever, but I needed him, too. I wasn’t the first, but I would be the last. That didn’t make me the second prize. It made me his forever.”
November 11, 2022
2.5-move-on-already-stars
Short?
It was okay, but main female character was so damn annoying.
Longer version? Here we go...
I was probably among first hundred people who read and loved Beautiful Disaster, before whole "new adult wave" and x-number of Travis Maddox rip-offs. Yes, I did read all sequels because, let's be honest here - all of us have that one series we keep reading no matter the fact that it's not good as the "original" story. Jamie McGuire and her Maddox Brothers are that for me.
So, what happened with Beautiful Redemption?
At first, I was excited because, finally, setting of the story is not college or underground fighting circles, characters are older and it looked as if it would have more suspense elements.
Um... No!
It is, after all, Jamie McGuire who, along with S.C. Stephens, writes the most annoying female characters you can imagine. But seriously, they are begging you to hate them.
Liis Lindy is an agent of the FBI and she is supposed to be this tough, bad-ass girl who takes down bad guys with her mad skills. Well, for someone who is "the best in her field of work", she acts like immature teenage girl who throws tamper tantrums because shade of her nail polish doesn't match her current mood.
Whole book is rinse and repeat of following:
1. Let's have sex.
2. Let's ignore the fact that we had sex.
3. Act like a jealous girlfriend/boyfriend even though we agreed we won't do relationship.
4. Let's have sex again. But just because our super important, secret mission. Yeah, that's the reason... And when can we repeat it again?
5. I know that I said that we will not be couple, but let me be complete bitch because you still haven't gotten over your ex-girlfriend.
6. Repeat number 3.
7. Repeat number 4.
8. Repeat number 5.
9. Again number 5.
10. Repeat... okay you get the point.
Considering all alpha male melodrama that follows every Maddox brother, Thomas is quite tame compared to his brothers. That is probably one of the rare good things in Beautiful Redemption. We finally get a different character. Premise of the story was really good, but I have to admit that I couldn't follow many FBI related details. It was confusing and rushed. Especially in the end.
I did enjoy reading this novel - as I said, I just can't resist Maddox clan and I can rant until the end of the world, but I will still read every new sequel. Beautiful Redemption had potential to be the best so far, but sadly it failed.
Short?
It was okay, but main female character was so damn annoying.
Longer version? Here we go...
I was probably among first hundred people who read and loved Beautiful Disaster, before whole "new adult wave" and x-number of Travis Maddox rip-offs. Yes, I did read all sequels because, let's be honest here - all of us have that one series we keep reading no matter the fact that it's not good as the "original" story. Jamie McGuire and her Maddox Brothers are that for me.
So, what happened with Beautiful Redemption?
At first, I was excited because, finally, setting of the story is not college or underground fighting circles, characters are older and it looked as if it would have more suspense elements.
Um... No!
It is, after all, Jamie McGuire who, along with S.C. Stephens, writes the most annoying female characters you can imagine. But seriously, they are begging you to hate them.
Liis Lindy is an agent of the FBI and she is supposed to be this tough, bad-ass girl who takes down bad guys with her mad skills. Well, for someone who is "the best in her field of work", she acts like immature teenage girl who throws tamper tantrums because shade of her nail polish doesn't match her current mood.
Whole book is rinse and repeat of following:
1. Let's have sex.
2. Let's ignore the fact that we had sex.
3. Act like a jealous girlfriend/boyfriend even though we agreed we won't do relationship.
4. Let's have sex again. But just because our super important, secret mission. Yeah, that's the reason... And when can we repeat it again?
5. I know that I said that we will not be couple, but let me be complete bitch because you still haven't gotten over your ex-girlfriend.
6. Repeat number 3.
7. Repeat number 4.
8. Repeat number 5.
9. Again number 5.
10. Repeat... okay you get the point.
Considering all alpha male melodrama that follows every Maddox brother, Thomas is quite tame compared to his brothers. That is probably one of the rare good things in Beautiful Redemption. We finally get a different character. Premise of the story was really good, but I have to admit that I couldn't follow many FBI related details. It was confusing and rushed. Especially in the end.
I did enjoy reading this novel - as I said, I just can't resist Maddox clan and I can rant until the end of the world, but I will still read every new sequel. Beautiful Redemption had potential to be the best so far, but sadly it failed.
Want to read
July 22, 2014YESSS! Bring it already!
And this would better answer those questions left unanswered in Beautiful Oblivion. Or else.
And this would better answer those questions left unanswered in Beautiful Oblivion. Or else.
April 2, 2017
♦ ETA: kindle freebie 4/2/17
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Rede...
3.5 ★'s
Two FBI agents, each wanting something else. One thinking it's her job, the other thinking it's something more.
Let me just start out saying that I like Thomas, I really do...how can you not? His heart is broken but when he sees his chance for something more, he goes after it...full throttle. Unfortunately, maybe a little too soon and a little too much.
I just wanted to shake Liis and hug her at the same time. I felt bad for what she had to go through with Thomas. And ugh, gross Jackson...did anybody really think he was a winner? And she stayed with him for SEVEN years....why?? That has to do something to a person. I would be "emotionally unavailable" too!
There is a whole lot of sexual tension with these two. Of course, they stuck their toes in it right from the start and they both want more. But there's problems...
If you read Beautiful Oblivion, you know what the problem is. And if you haven't, it's not too hard to figure out. But I was shocked!! I had no idea things were still so intense for Thomas but that's probably since we didn't get his POV. And thankfully, we didn't get his in this one either...I don't think I could've taken it!
Anyway, I can understand it and I don't really mind it except it took the whole damn book to resolve! WTH?? It was overkill... plain and simple. I mean, I love angst but this was too dragged out. And then they had to get mean about it...why?? And the resolution was a bit too contrived but at least it ended well and had a nice epilogue.
We did get a bit of Travis and Abby but separately and definitely not enough. And we get some of the other brothers. I'm guessing Taylor's book is next since he was the more featured brother but we'll see.
Oh and I can't forget to mention Liis' friend and fellow agent, Val, she was amazing!
Favorite quotes:
♥ “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Not interested.”
“That’s a terrible name.”
♥ "Feds don't chase. They hunt."
♥ “It’s somewhere in the unforeseen when the best, most important moments of our lives seem to happen.”
♦ BR w/Melissa, Patty & Tiff!
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Rede...
3.5 ★'s
Two FBI agents, each wanting something else. One thinking it's her job, the other thinking it's something more.
Let me just start out saying that I like Thomas, I really do...how can you not? His heart is broken but when he sees his chance for something more, he goes after it...full throttle. Unfortunately, maybe a little too soon and a little too much.
I just wanted to shake Liis and hug her at the same time. I felt bad for what she had to go through with Thomas. And ugh, gross Jackson...did anybody really think he was a winner? And she stayed with him for SEVEN years....why?? That has to do something to a person. I would be "emotionally unavailable" too!
There is a whole lot of sexual tension with these two. Of course, they stuck their toes in it right from the start and they both want more. But there's problems...
If you read Beautiful Oblivion, you know what the problem is. And if you haven't, it's not too hard to figure out. But I was shocked!! I had no idea things were still so intense for Thomas but that's probably since we didn't get his POV. And thankfully, we didn't get his in this one either...I don't think I could've taken it!
Anyway, I can understand it and I don't really mind it except it took the whole damn book to resolve! WTH?? It was overkill... plain and simple. I mean, I love angst but this was too dragged out. And then they had to get mean about it...why?? And the resolution was a bit too contrived but at least it ended well and had a nice epilogue.
We did get a bit of Travis and Abby but separately and definitely not enough. And we get some of the other brothers. I'm guessing Taylor's book is next since he was the more featured brother but we'll see.
Oh and I can't forget to mention Liis' friend and fellow agent, Val, she was amazing!
Favorite quotes:
♥ “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Not interested.”
“That’s a terrible name.”
♥ "Feds don't chase. They hunt."
♥ “It’s somewhere in the unforeseen when the best, most important moments of our lives seem to happen.”
♦ BR w/Melissa, Patty & Tiff!
July 4, 2018
This is the second book in the Maddox brothers series. I did enjoy Thomas Maddox ‘s book better than Trenton’s but I’m finding the heroines in this series to really annoy me. In this story, Liis really got on my every last nerve. Her trying to keep her emotions out of the relationship between Thomas and herself drove me nuts. It got old fast, and her constant insecurities regarding Thomas’s ex was tiresome too. I find that all the Maddox guys are so sweet but their taste in women needs major work!
I would have loved to see more interaction with the brothers as that is where this series could really shine. I fell in love with the Maddox family loyalty in Travis’s book and I crave to have more of that in this spin off series! Hopefully book three will have a way better heroine!!!
I would have loved to see more interaction with the brothers as that is where this series could really shine. I fell in love with the Maddox family loyalty in Travis’s book and I crave to have more of that in this spin off series! Hopefully book three will have a way better heroine!!!
February 7, 2015
3.5-4 Stars!
(BR With Sharon, Patty & Tiffany)
Liis Lindy is a beautiful Irish/Japanese woman wanting to start over. After breaking off her engagement, Liis moves thousands of miles away from home to Midtown in San Diego. Wanting a fresh start, Liis jumps at the chance to relocate from Chicago. Liis is a language expert/intelligence analyst for the FBI.
Needing a break from unpacking, Liis heads out to a local bar called Cutter's Pub to relax & unwind. She meets a sexy stranger, & has a no strings one night stand. It is the best sex of her life, & then he leaves, giving her just what she wanted, sex with no complications or expectations. Well...not exactly.
When Liis reports for her first day on the job, she is stunned to find her new boss is none other than the man currently staring in all her dirtiest fantasies, her yummy one night stand. Suddenly things are very complicated. Her new hard ass boss is Thomas Maddox. She tries to be professional & put thoughts of him from the night before out of her head.
Liis's job is her life, so she works really hard to forget about her amazing night with Thomas, but Thomas doesn't make it easy for her. Thomas had sworn off women after being hurt by his ex Camille, but he can't help how bad he wants Liis. There's just something about her, & he feels an intense connection & is drawn to her.
When Thomas's brother Travis is in trouble, they work together to save his brother. They pose as a couple in St. Thomas in front of Thomas's family. Things suddenly become more real between them.
-We haven't known each other for that long. Why do I have such strong feelings for him?
-"Love isn't about predictions or behavioral markers. It just happens, and you have no control."
So I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the other Maddox brothers books. I loved sexy delicious Thomas. My issues were it took Liis too long to come around, & I felt too much of book was devoted to Camille. I can't wait for Tyler & Taylor's books! :D
-"You don't want to get hurt." "Does anyone?" "You have to weigh the joy against the risk."
-I'd finally found the kind of love that was worth risking a broken heart.
-"I've done a lot of things wrong, Liis. Being with you isn't one of them."
-"You're falling for me?" "Already at the bottom. Splat." I quietly giggled, and the green in his hazel eyes sparked.
(BR With Sharon, Patty & Tiffany)
Liis Lindy is a beautiful Irish/Japanese woman wanting to start over. After breaking off her engagement, Liis moves thousands of miles away from home to Midtown in San Diego. Wanting a fresh start, Liis jumps at the chance to relocate from Chicago. Liis is a language expert/intelligence analyst for the FBI.
Needing a break from unpacking, Liis heads out to a local bar called Cutter's Pub to relax & unwind. She meets a sexy stranger, & has a no strings one night stand. It is the best sex of her life, & then he leaves, giving her just what she wanted, sex with no complications or expectations. Well...not exactly.
When Liis reports for her first day on the job, she is stunned to find her new boss is none other than the man currently staring in all her dirtiest fantasies, her yummy one night stand. Suddenly things are very complicated. Her new hard ass boss is Thomas Maddox. She tries to be professional & put thoughts of him from the night before out of her head.
Liis's job is her life, so she works really hard to forget about her amazing night with Thomas, but Thomas doesn't make it easy for her. Thomas had sworn off women after being hurt by his ex Camille, but he can't help how bad he wants Liis. There's just something about her, & he feels an intense connection & is drawn to her.
When Thomas's brother Travis is in trouble, they work together to save his brother. They pose as a couple in St. Thomas in front of Thomas's family. Things suddenly become more real between them.
-We haven't known each other for that long. Why do I have such strong feelings for him?
-"Love isn't about predictions or behavioral markers. It just happens, and you have no control."
So I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the other Maddox brothers books. I loved sexy delicious Thomas. My issues were it took Liis too long to come around, & I felt too much of book was devoted to Camille. I can't wait for Tyler & Taylor's books! :D
-"You don't want to get hurt." "Does anyone?" "You have to weigh the joy against the risk."
-I'd finally found the kind of love that was worth risking a broken heart.
-"I've done a lot of things wrong, Liis. Being with you isn't one of them."
-"You're falling for me?" "Already at the bottom. Splat." I quietly giggled, and the green in his hazel eyes sparked.
Want to read
April 10, 2017
FREE on Amazon US today (4/8/2017)
Stand-alone book 2.
FREE: https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Rede...
BLURB:
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.
FREEBIES are often good for MORE than one day. I have gathered all my FREEBIES on a special shelf: Kindle-freebies (currently over 600 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Want to read
January 25, 2015YAY!! It's T.J. or Thomas Maddox's story!! Woohoo!!
January 23, 2015
Ever since Jamie McGuire first announced she planned on doing a Maddox Brothers spinoff series, I wanted Thomas. From the very start I saw something there, something intangible. In Beautiful Disaster, you could almost sense “it”, hiding beneath the surface, something so much more than just a solemn and cynical nature. He intrigued me. I wanted to know more because I knew there was more.
I even remember voting on Jamie’s Facebook page (way back when) for which Maddox brother she should do first. (Pretend I inappropriately capitalized on the perfect double entendre of “which Maddox brother to do first”). No surprise, I voted Thomas, but then we got Trent. At first I was bummed on a cracker, but after reading Beautiful Oblivion all was forgiven, and I patiently waited for what I hoped would come next.
It came!
It came!
IT. CAME.
This was the missing link. So far, each story has been its own individual beautifully crafted puzzle piece. Each one printed with a unique depiction. But obviously they all came from the same puzzle, the same picture. Beautiful Redemption flawlessly connected them all together; it formed one complete image. Each piece perfectly linked by this story.
I found this fascinating.
The author intricately wove, and seamlessly connected Beautiful Redemption with the entire Beautiful Disaster/Maddox Brothers series. I believe here in America we call that talent. I think here in the literary world we call that Jamie McGuire.
Well done.
Liis is an extremely strong female character coming out of a failed relationship, realizing that her profession will continue to prevent any new love in the future. She’s okay with this, prefers it even, or so she thinks.
(Enters Thomas)
I think Thomas’s character may be the most compound of all the Maddox brothers. He possesses a heartwarming sensitivity that he constantly shields with a rough and strong exterior, a defense mechanism used to guard his vulnerability. There is something so attractive about an asshole with heart. His loyalty and absolute need to protect those he cares about is just one of the many complex layers of this perfectly complicated character. God I love him!
What I also loved about this book was the almost painful progression of the story. Painful in the most amazing way. Jamie McGuire knows how to write tension; it ‘s something that bleeds from every single page, of every book she writes. In Beautiful Redemption, she instantly gratifies us in the very first chapter, but strategically takes it away with a predictable yet entertaining twist in order to build the sexual tension she’s most famous for.
Though I loved the delicious tension, the push and pull may have been carried out a bit too long which may have robbed from other aspects of the story that I selfishly wanted more of. Though the bad guy drama ends with a bang, I was hoping for a little more of it to be part of the plot, perhaps some more action to compliment the relationship aspect of the book. The ending is great and it escalates to an Everest-like peak, but it was too quick. It wrapped up too fast. Maybe I just wanted more.
I always want more!
But the great part about wanting more is that by my count, we’ve got two brothers to go. I can’t wait!!
READ ON! <3
I even remember voting on Jamie’s Facebook page (way back when) for which Maddox brother she should do first. (Pretend I inappropriately capitalized on the perfect double entendre of “which Maddox brother to do first”). No surprise, I voted Thomas, but then we got Trent. At first I was bummed on a cracker, but after reading Beautiful Oblivion all was forgiven, and I patiently waited for what I hoped would come next.
It came!
It came!
IT. CAME.
This was the missing link. So far, each story has been its own individual beautifully crafted puzzle piece. Each one printed with a unique depiction. But obviously they all came from the same puzzle, the same picture. Beautiful Redemption flawlessly connected them all together; it formed one complete image. Each piece perfectly linked by this story.
I found this fascinating.
The author intricately wove, and seamlessly connected Beautiful Redemption with the entire Beautiful Disaster/Maddox Brothers series. I believe here in America we call that talent. I think here in the literary world we call that Jamie McGuire.
Well done.
Liis is an extremely strong female character coming out of a failed relationship, realizing that her profession will continue to prevent any new love in the future. She’s okay with this, prefers it even, or so she thinks.
(Enters Thomas)
I think Thomas’s character may be the most compound of all the Maddox brothers. He possesses a heartwarming sensitivity that he constantly shields with a rough and strong exterior, a defense mechanism used to guard his vulnerability. There is something so attractive about an asshole with heart. His loyalty and absolute need to protect those he cares about is just one of the many complex layers of this perfectly complicated character. God I love him!
What I also loved about this book was the almost painful progression of the story. Painful in the most amazing way. Jamie McGuire knows how to write tension; it ‘s something that bleeds from every single page, of every book she writes. In Beautiful Redemption, she instantly gratifies us in the very first chapter, but strategically takes it away with a predictable yet entertaining twist in order to build the sexual tension she’s most famous for.
Though I loved the delicious tension, the push and pull may have been carried out a bit too long which may have robbed from other aspects of the story that I selfishly wanted more of. Though the bad guy drama ends with a bang, I was hoping for a little more of it to be part of the plot, perhaps some more action to compliment the relationship aspect of the book. The ending is great and it escalates to an Everest-like peak, but it was too quick. It wrapped up too fast. Maybe I just wanted more.
I always want more!
But the great part about wanting more is that by my count, we’ve got two brothers to go. I can’t wait!!
READ ON! <3
January 29, 2015
♥ ♥ ♥ THOMAS MADDOX - FBI ♥ ♥ ♥
Ok - I was really looking forward to reading this book. And I really liked it - but... hm - the whole book - or rather the whole story was basically about Travis - but Travis was only in it for a second and this whole mob and criminal stuff...totally weird. We're in an FBI office for 80% of the book and that should make this a bit of a romantic suspence thing at least - but there was nothing suspensy about it - maybe the last few pages. I don't know what to think about the whole thing with Travis being undercover for almost 10 years and not telling his wife? Ridiculous. I loved Thomas and Liis and I liked that Jamie was a bit more adventurous in her sexiness.
It was an ok story - I read it in one night - I really liked it - but just like with Trent's book, I was expecting something more :/
November 10, 2015
Another Hot Maddox Brother!
When Liis transfers to San Diego from the Chicago field office, she isn't looking for a relationship. Leaving behind her former fiancé and a seven year relationship that had grown stale long ago, the last thing she wants is to tie herself down again. She's married to her work and won't let a relationship distract her from her career aspirations.
Looking for a distraction, Liis takes a handsome stranger home from her new neighborhood bar for a single night of mind-blowing sex. She never imagined that she'd be looking into the eyes of that sexy stranger when she reported to her new job the next day. Yep! She bagged the boss, Assistant Special Agent In Charge, Thomas Maddox.
What follows is a fun, angsty and entertaining love story. The back and forth banter between these two was funny. Yet, the emotional hang-ups of Thomas and Liis added enough drama and turmoil to keep the story interesting.
Work and personal lives blend when an assignment requires them to pose as a couple, forcing these two to deal with their desires. Family drama, past loves and insecurities rise to the surface. We're reunited with the rest of the Maddox clan, as Thomas and Liis work to keep Travis out of jail.
The supporting characters were great as well. They were entertaining and added another layer to the story. I especially loved Val, the feisty tough girl who can spot a lie from a mile away.
All in all, it was a cute and entertaining read!
When Liis transfers to San Diego from the Chicago field office, she isn't looking for a relationship. Leaving behind her former fiancé and a seven year relationship that had grown stale long ago, the last thing she wants is to tie herself down again. She's married to her work and won't let a relationship distract her from her career aspirations.
Looking for a distraction, Liis takes a handsome stranger home from her new neighborhood bar for a single night of mind-blowing sex. She never imagined that she'd be looking into the eyes of that sexy stranger when she reported to her new job the next day. Yep! She bagged the boss, Assistant Special Agent In Charge, Thomas Maddox.
What follows is a fun, angsty and entertaining love story. The back and forth banter between these two was funny. Yet, the emotional hang-ups of Thomas and Liis added enough drama and turmoil to keep the story interesting.
Work and personal lives blend when an assignment requires them to pose as a couple, forcing these two to deal with their desires. Family drama, past loves and insecurities rise to the surface. We're reunited with the rest of the Maddox clan, as Thomas and Liis work to keep Travis out of jail.
The supporting characters were great as well. They were entertaining and added another layer to the story. I especially loved Val, the feisty tough girl who can spot a lie from a mile away.
All in all, it was a cute and entertaining read!
January 24, 2016
Love isn’t about predictions or behavioural markers. It just happens, and you have no control.
Here we have Thomas, the oldest of the Maddox brothers. We meet him first in Beautiful Oblivion It has been about a year since the end of Beautiful Oblivion and Thomas has been keeping a secret from his family. He is an FBI agent in San Diego, not in marketing like they all believe. Now he is tasked with keeping Travis safe in an investigation being performed about he fire at the college. Liis Lindy is the new girl in town, just hired and transferring from her office in Chicago to join the team in San Diego. She is married to the job and has recently broken off an engagement to focus on her promotion in another city. When Thomas and Liis meet their type A personalities start to clash.
You have to weigh the joy against the risk.
Well it seems these are starting to go down hill. I love Thomas, I really wanted to read his story of redemption after Beautiful Oblivion, but I really did not like Liis very much. She was annoying to me most of the time. And maybe it wasn't all her, but I swear they had the same conversation about Camille at least 50 times and it just got really old.
“I loved her first,” Thomas said. “But you, Liis…you are the last woman I will ever love.”
They didn't have the best chemistry between them. Thomas is still trying to get over his first love and Liis seems to be struggling with insecurities. I did like their little competitions between them. They are pretty similar characters and belong together in the end. It was just getting there that was painful. To me, this wasn't enjoyable angst, just annoying angst.
Maybe, but we're the same, Liis. That's why it didn't work out with other people. I'm not going to let you run away, and you're not going to put up with my shit.
Here we have Thomas, the oldest of the Maddox brothers. We meet him first in Beautiful Oblivion It has been about a year since the end of Beautiful Oblivion and Thomas has been keeping a secret from his family. He is an FBI agent in San Diego, not in marketing like they all believe. Now he is tasked with keeping Travis safe in an investigation being performed about he fire at the college. Liis Lindy is the new girl in town, just hired and transferring from her office in Chicago to join the team in San Diego. She is married to the job and has recently broken off an engagement to focus on her promotion in another city. When Thomas and Liis meet their type A personalities start to clash.
You have to weigh the joy against the risk.
Well it seems these are starting to go down hill. I love Thomas, I really wanted to read his story of redemption after Beautiful Oblivion, but I really did not like Liis very much. She was annoying to me most of the time. And maybe it wasn't all her, but I swear they had the same conversation about Camille at least 50 times and it just got really old.
“I loved her first,” Thomas said. “But you, Liis…you are the last woman I will ever love.”
They didn't have the best chemistry between them. Thomas is still trying to get over his first love and Liis seems to be struggling with insecurities. I did like their little competitions between them. They are pretty similar characters and belong together in the end. It was just getting there that was painful. To me, this wasn't enjoyable angst, just annoying angst.
Maybe, but we're the same, Liis. That's why it didn't work out with other people. I'm not going to let you run away, and you're not going to put up with my shit.
January 30, 2015
2 stars for me. I LOVED Beautiful Disaster...it was one of my all time favorite reads. But BR did not hold any of the same magic. My issues stem from the fact that I was so severely tainted with Trent and dreadful Cami's story, it ruined the whole "beautiful" experience. Cami is a constant presence throughout this story. I dislike her, tremendously. I was hoping BR would move beyond and give this series a fresh start and Thomas his own love story. That was not the case and unfortunately, Thomas repeatedly admits he's still in love with her throughout all of this read. There was just no convincing me that he had moved beyond the hurt, the love and his desire for Cami. It seemed he just made due with Liis - and that really turned me off. Did not feel these two characters shared any love or romance or tender moments. Disappointed in feeling this way, but the upside was seeing (briefly) more Travis.
February 4, 2015
Hola, me llamó Gliré y soy adicta a los libros malos.
*todos responden*: ¡Hola, Gliré!
Sé que aceptar que tengo un problema es el primer paso, así que aquí estoy hoy, ante ustedes, para admitir que he lastimado a muchas personas por culpa de esta adicción:
- A mis amigos, cuyas recomendaciones de libros dejo de lado para dedicar más tiempo a leer libros malos.
- A mi familia, de quien me he alejado porque cada vez que me preguntan “¿qué lees?" tengo que mentirles, porque siento vergüenza.
- A mi misma, desperdiciando el poco tiempo libre que tengo para leer en esta clase de libros.
Mi masoquismo no tiene limites y no sé como arreglarlo.
Yo sabía que este libro iba a ser malo, lo sabía. ¿Pero acaso eso me detuvo? No, claro que no. No importa cuanto tratara de razonar conmigo misma, cuanto tratara de recordarme lo terrible que había sido el libro anterior, igualmente cedí ante la tentación.
Sí, sí. Se que tengo que tratar de concentrarme en las cosas buenas. Pero son tan pocas:
1.-Thomas no es tan idiota como Trenton.
2.-Hay insta-lust pero al menos no insta-love.
3.-A pesar del insta-lust la historia no se concentra tanto en el sexo, sino que, ¡sorpresa!, tiene una trama. No es profunda, ni interesante, pero al menos existe: Thomas está tratando de ayudar a Travis para que no vaya a la cárcel por el incendio, mientras que al mismo tiempo trata de conciliar lo que siente por Camille con lo que siente por Liis.
4.-El discurso de Shepley en la renovación de votos de Abby y Travis:
"Even though I might not have always been their biggest cheerleader, Travis didn't need me to be. From the beginning, he knew that he belonged to Abby and that she belonged to him. Their marriage has reinforced what I've always thought and lived by—that stalking, harassment, and inflicting general misery on a woman will eventually pay off."
Burlarte de la relación de Abby y Travis fue un movimiento inteligente, Jamie Mcguire.
TODO lo demás fue tan aburrido y tan repetitivo. Y a pesar de todo no creo que pueda salir de este vicio, pero no me juzguen amigos, recuerden...
January 31, 2015
I love it, but….
Yes, I love it, I mean, it’s a Maddox, it’s a Jamie’s book, it’s a REDEMPTION - Now I understand the name of Beautiful Oblivion and of course the name of Beautiful Redemption -, but….
I was expecting this book eagerly. Thomas was a total mystery to me after reading Beautiful Oblivion, and I needed to know his story, why he did what he did and I wanted his HEA so badly! And I got it. This book, Beautiful Redemption, was awesome but it didn't give me everything I needed of Thomas. I fell hard for him, from the moment I read about his hazel eyes and his dominant presence, I was head over heels crazy over Thomas, but I’m sure there is more of Thomas to give. From the Maddox’s brothers that I have met so far, he'd be in second place - Travis is #1 -, but I'm sure if Jamie McGuire would have written this book as a dual POV, I am pretty sure I'd love him more than I love Travis.
Liis Lindy was a great character. She’s strong, stubborn - Oh My God So F***ing stubborn - and the perfect match for Thomas. They are equals. I wonder what would have happened if Thomas would have met first Liis before dating Camille?
This book is more mature than the other books of the series. The plot is more mature, so as the characters - despite their stubbornness of Thomas and Liis, ugh, that was frustrating - but there are so many blanks in this story. Things happens without explanation, and sometimes the pace of the storyline was fast forwarded. I feel like I’m missing something from this book.
The secondary characters were great. Val, Sawyer and Marks were very good friends to Liis and Thomas. Their - Val’s, Sawyer’s and Marks’ - weird relationship was very entertaining, it had me laughing out loud. From the Maddox family, I loved reading Jim’s parts and Travis was as explosive as ever - love love love love love it -. Sadly, after reading this book, I ended up hating Camille, I just can't help but to be in Thomas' side. I love Thomas! Period!
I will recommend this book always, it’s really good, I love it, but I have to be honest: Jamie McGuire could have done better for Thomas and Liis’s story.
May 25, 2017
I really really liked this book. Which makes me very happy because I did not like Beautiful Oblivion much at all. I thought Trent was very boring. But Thomas? OMG I can't believe I'm about to say this but I almost like him more than Travis!! I thought Liis was a great love for Thomas but she started to annoy me when she CONSTANTLY accused Thomas of still loving his ex. I'm so excited to love Jaime McGuire's books again and can't wait to start reading Beautiful Sacrifice!
April 22, 2019
Translation widget on The blog!!!
Abia am așteptat povestea lui Thomas si nu am fost dezamăgită. Am avut parte de o lectura intensa si plină de suspans. Cu doua personaje captivante, încăpățânate și care au nevoie de dragoste. O carte plină de situații neașteptate, scrisă cu sensibilitate, o lectura pe care nu o vei uita.
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
Abia am așteptat povestea lui Thomas si nu am fost dezamăgită. Am avut parte de o lectura intensa si plină de suspans. Cu doua personaje captivante, încăpățânate și care au nevoie de dragoste. O carte plină de situații neașteptate, scrisă cu sensibilitate, o lectura pe care nu o vei uita.
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
November 10, 2015
La cura di mantenimento per il mio cuore romantico inizia con la M e finisce con la X. Ora ne sono pienamente convinta e consapevole! Io adoro tutto ciò che la McGuire scrive perché continua sempre a sorprendermi nel migliore dei modi. Finora non mi ha mai deluso,anzi, grazie ai miei adorati fratelli Maddox, il mio cuore è volato in alto fino alle stelle e ancora non si degna di tornare sulla Terra e lo capisco, lo capisco molto bene!
Nuovo libro, nuova avventura, nuovo Maddox! E che Maddox! È il Maddox che mi incuriosiva di più, quello di cui si è parlato di meno in tutta la serie, quello che mi aveva lasciato a bocca aperta nel volume precedente.
Thomas Maddox. Il fratello maggiore, che prende il posto della madre e le promette di prendersi cura dei suoi fratelli. Thomas, da vero Maddox, lo fa alla lettera: accompagna i più piccoli a scuola, li segue, li protegge, li ama (i capitoli dove ci viene concesso uno sguardo sul passato della famiglia sono veramente fantastici, brevi ma toccanti!). Ma ora Thomas non è più un ragazzo, è un uomo, un uomo che per ragioni di lavoro ha lasciato alle spalle il suo paese natale, ma ha la sua famiglia sempre nel cuore. Thomas è ai vertici dell’FBI, lavora sotto copertura, in gran segreto e ha il cuore spaccato in mille pezzi… Sarà Liis, l’esotica nuova agente del Bureau a doverci fare i conti…
La McGiure ha scritto una storia lineare, semplice ma come sempre fantastica. Per una volta, sono rimasta colpita pure dalla controparte femminile. La ragazza ha le balls e si fa valere, questo mi è piaciuto molto. Inutile dire che ho amato Thomas. Il ragazzo è stato temprato dalle diverse difficoltà della vita ma ha mantenuto la dolcezza, il senso di protezione e quel carattere marcato che fa parte dell’impronta genetica della famiglia Maddox. E da Maddox, basta una sola parola sussurrata per far volare il mio cuore alle stelle!
Come sempre l’autrice gestisce perfettamente la parte romance, mai volgare, ne banale, ne scontata. In questo caso entrambi i protagonisti dovranno affrontare un problema sentimentale serio, e lo faranno con estrema umanità, parlando e confrontandosi a vicenda. Adoro questa serie anche per il fatto che l’autrice è riuscita a far risaltare in ogni libro il carattere differente di ogni fratello finora conosciuto. Di fatto i Maddox sono Maddox al 100%, ma per diversi aspetti soprattutto caratteriali e personali non si somigliano affatto e questo è un enorme pregio! Certo, magari avere i POV alternati e poter capire veramente i pensieri e le emozioni dal punto di vista di Thomas avrebbe fatto aumentare di sicuro il mio rating… ma tranquilla, McGuire, mi sento soddisfatta anche così!
Non vedo l’ora di conoscere Taylor!
Nuovo libro, nuova avventura, nuovo Maddox! E che Maddox! È il Maddox che mi incuriosiva di più, quello di cui si è parlato di meno in tutta la serie, quello che mi aveva lasciato a bocca aperta nel volume precedente.
Thomas Maddox. Il fratello maggiore, che prende il posto della madre e le promette di prendersi cura dei suoi fratelli. Thomas, da vero Maddox, lo fa alla lettera: accompagna i più piccoli a scuola, li segue, li protegge, li ama (i capitoli dove ci viene concesso uno sguardo sul passato della famiglia sono veramente fantastici, brevi ma toccanti!). Ma ora Thomas non è più un ragazzo, è un uomo, un uomo che per ragioni di lavoro ha lasciato alle spalle il suo paese natale, ma ha la sua famiglia sempre nel cuore. Thomas è ai vertici dell’FBI, lavora sotto copertura, in gran segreto e ha il cuore spaccato in mille pezzi… Sarà Liis, l’esotica nuova agente del Bureau a doverci fare i conti…
La McGiure ha scritto una storia lineare, semplice ma come sempre fantastica. Per una volta, sono rimasta colpita pure dalla controparte femminile. La ragazza ha le balls e si fa valere, questo mi è piaciuto molto. Inutile dire che ho amato Thomas. Il ragazzo è stato temprato dalle diverse difficoltà della vita ma ha mantenuto la dolcezza, il senso di protezione e quel carattere marcato che fa parte dell’impronta genetica della famiglia Maddox. E da Maddox, basta una sola parola sussurrata per far volare il mio cuore alle stelle!
Come sempre l’autrice gestisce perfettamente la parte romance, mai volgare, ne banale, ne scontata. In questo caso entrambi i protagonisti dovranno affrontare un problema sentimentale serio, e lo faranno con estrema umanità, parlando e confrontandosi a vicenda. Adoro questa serie anche per il fatto che l’autrice è riuscita a far risaltare in ogni libro il carattere differente di ogni fratello finora conosciuto. Di fatto i Maddox sono Maddox al 100%, ma per diversi aspetti soprattutto caratteriali e personali non si somigliano affatto e questo è un enorme pregio! Certo, magari avere i POV alternati e poter capire veramente i pensieri e le emozioni dal punto di vista di Thomas avrebbe fatto aumentare di sicuro il mio rating… ma tranquilla, McGuire, mi sento soddisfatta anche così!
Non vedo l’ora di conoscere Taylor!
December 29, 2015
While I enjoyed this immensely, I didn't fall head over heels in love it like I did with Beautiful Disaster.
Liis Lindy is an FBI agent who has just transferred Chicago to San Diego in hopes of leaving her past, including her ex fiancé. She's married to the job. While at a bar she meets a stranger, after relatively half an hour of knowing each other they go back to her place and have a mind-blowing one night stand.
What Liis doesn't expect is for that stranger to end up being Thomas Maddox, the special agent in charge. Aka her boss.
I want to start off by saying that I loved all these characters, Liis Lindy, for one, ISN'T WHITE. She's of Japanese heritage and I fell in love with her immediately. She puts up with no nonsense and has no hesitation when it comes to proving her worth and speaking her mind.
Thomas Maddox, is tall, sexy, and the arrogant, ruthless boss who's previously had his heart broken. I loved him so much more than I did Travis Maddox, something about a vulnerable male who's had his heartbroken and happens to be a sexy man compels me.
Not only was he beautiful, but he had a GIANT COCK. And a body that I would love to be embraced In. He has my heart, and he's never losing it.
Sawyer is the asshole everyone's mean to and I love him. He's actually hugely likable and I also happen to have a thing for assholes so yeah.
And then there's Val. VAL. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She's the fiercely sassy friend everyone wants to have and it's impossible not to want befriend her.
This story was full angst, heated moments that made me fan myself because all of a sudden it got hot in here, whew. The plot of the story was straight to the point and beautifully written, The pages didn't just fly by, they soared. The moment characters from Beautiful Disaster such as Abby, And America were brought in was probably the greatest reunion of all time.
I'm devastated this wasn't longer, more Thomas PLEASE. I just want to be held by Thomas and make him forget all about the one who broke his heart and love him and kiss him and love him some more. I'll never forget you Thomas!!! You'll always be my # 1!!!
Liis Lindy is an FBI agent who has just transferred Chicago to San Diego in hopes of leaving her past, including her ex fiancé. She's married to the job. While at a bar she meets a stranger, after relatively half an hour of knowing each other they go back to her place and have a mind-blowing one night stand.
What Liis doesn't expect is for that stranger to end up being Thomas Maddox, the special agent in charge. Aka her boss.
I want to start off by saying that I loved all these characters, Liis Lindy, for one, ISN'T WHITE. She's of Japanese heritage and I fell in love with her immediately. She puts up with no nonsense and has no hesitation when it comes to proving her worth and speaking her mind.
Thomas Maddox, is tall, sexy, and the arrogant, ruthless boss who's previously had his heart broken. I loved him so much more than I did Travis Maddox, something about a vulnerable male who's had his heartbroken and happens to be a sexy man compels me.
Not only was he beautiful, but he had a GIANT COCK. And a body that I would love to be embraced In. He has my heart, and he's never losing it.
Sawyer is the asshole everyone's mean to and I love him. He's actually hugely likable and I also happen to have a thing for assholes so yeah.
And then there's Val. VAL. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She's the fiercely sassy friend everyone wants to have and it's impossible not to want befriend her.
This story was full angst, heated moments that made me fan myself because all of a sudden it got hot in here, whew. The plot of the story was straight to the point and beautifully written, The pages didn't just fly by, they soared. The moment characters from Beautiful Disaster such as Abby, And America were brought in was probably the greatest reunion of all time.
I'm devastated this wasn't longer, more Thomas PLEASE. I just want to be held by Thomas and make him forget all about the one who broke his heart and love him and kiss him and love him some more. I'll never forget you Thomas!!! You'll always be my # 1!!!
February 2, 2015
I will assume everyone here read "A Beautiful Wedding" and "Beautiful Disaster", if not, why are you here? Spoilers...
It's not a secret around here that i'm not a huge fan of... any of this. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Travis. And only Travis in this whole series. Beautiful Oblivion was a HUGE mess for me. I hated it. Hated the style. The plot line was very stupid -in my opinion.
And honestly when i started reading Beautiful Redemption my hopes weren't that high. But i was pleasantly surprised. Not beautiful disaster material. But it was pretty okay since i was expecting a huge fail, like the previous book.
I love Thomas so much. He's such a Maddox haha! I liked him so much more than Trenton. But unfortunately -no surprise there- i didn't like Liis one bit!! she got on my nerves the ENTIRE TIME!!! Such a horrible character.
Through reading those books about the Maddox's brothers, i couldn't help but notice how HORRIBLE the girls they love are! i mean Abby isn't half as bad, but still! you could at least create more loveable women to the most adored boys in the fiction world!! This makes me very curious about their mother.
I'm going to give you an example:
The With Me in Seattle series. It is not the best series out there. Style, originality wise. However, I gave all 8 BOOKS of them high ratings. Why? because the characters are awesome. The guys and their girls are awesome and SO loveable.
Side note: I'm not comparing.
There are so many things that i didn't like in the story. But most of all how stupid and annoying both Liis, and Cammi were!!
I like Val so much, and Sawyer as will. Hell, i liked everyone expect for Liis.
But the most thing that i like about this series is the covers. i LOVE them.
What did you guys think? :)
It's not a secret around here that i'm not a huge fan of... any of this. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Travis. And only Travis in this whole series. Beautiful Oblivion was a HUGE mess for me. I hated it. Hated the style. The plot line was very stupid -in my opinion.
And honestly when i started reading Beautiful Redemption my hopes weren't that high. But i was pleasantly surprised. Not beautiful disaster material. But it was pretty okay since i was expecting a huge fail, like the previous book.
I love Thomas so much. He's such a Maddox haha! I liked him so much more than Trenton. But unfortunately -no surprise there- i didn't like Liis one bit!! she got on my nerves the ENTIRE TIME!!! Such a horrible character.
Through reading those books about the Maddox's brothers, i couldn't help but notice how HORRIBLE the girls they love are! i mean Abby isn't half as bad, but still! you could at least create more loveable women to the most adored boys in the fiction world!! This makes me very curious about their mother.
I'm going to give you an example:
The With Me in Seattle series. It is not the best series out there. Style, originality wise. However, I gave all 8 BOOKS of them high ratings. Why? because the characters are awesome. The guys and their girls are awesome and SO loveable.
Side note: I'm not comparing.
There are so many things that i didn't like in the story. But most of all how stupid and annoying both Liis, and Cammi were!!
I like Val so much, and Sawyer as will. Hell, i liked everyone expect for Liis.
But the most thing that i like about this series is the covers. i LOVE them.
What did you guys think? :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,275 reviews