Blog Tour: PERFECT REGRET (Bad Rep #2) by Meredith A. Walters
Anticipated Release Date: September 13, 2013
Synopsis:
Riley Walker makes all the right decisions and knows exactly where her life is headed.
Riley Walker does not make mistakes.
Riley Walker certainly doesn’t make spontaneous decisions.
But then Riley Walker gets dumped.
Spectacularly, gut-wrenching, stomp all over her heart dumped. And she is feeling more than a little angry. And a whole lot bitter. And suddenly the girl who has always done everything right feels like doing something completely wrong.
Garrett Bellows, lead guitarist for the local band, Generation Rejects, is going through life without a plan. Trying not to think past the next gig or the next party, he has worked hard to not become too attached to anyone or anything. So he is shocked to find himself drawn to the snarky girl with a chip on her shoulder. She pisses him off and puts him down. He knows she’s nothing more than a self-entitled college brat who thinks she’s better than the townie boy without a future.
Alcohol and a hefty dose of lust leads to a night both Riley and Garrett immediately regret. Her embarrassment, his pride and the weight of rumors and misconceptions convince Riley and Garrett that their one-time indiscretion will never be repeated. Particularly when their harshest critics are each other.
But how do you reconcile a head that wants to let go with a heart that keeps holding on?
And what happens when your biggest regret begins to seem almost perfect?
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Excerpt
Garrett swept his mouth along the curve of my jaw. “My heart isn’t strong enough to survive you, Riley. You won’t just bend it, you have the power to shatter it to pieces,” he said quietly and with enough feeling to bring me low.
I pulled my head to the side, not able to look at him. “I don’t want to shatter your heart, Garrett. But I’m not sure I can promise that I won’t. I don’t know what happens from here. What all this means,” I told him honestly, knowing he deserved no less.
Garrett pulled my face back around so that I looked at him again. “Handle it with care, please. Because I want to give it to you. Completely,” he murmured, placing my hand on his chest.
My eyes hazed over with unshed tears and I felt way too emotional. I didn’t know what to do with all of these feelings. I felt choked up and downright sick to my stomach by the implications of his testament.
I had a feeling Garrett Bellows might actually love me. And that was a huge complication that I couldn’t face right now.
I started to pull away, ready to shut this down when Garrett held me firm. “Don’t you dare run away from this,” he said harshly. And then his mouth was on mine. Rough and unapologetically brutal. And given the emotional wreckage of my current situation, I needed this.
I threw myself into kissing him. Into touching him. Into immersing myself in him.
Abby’s Review, 3.75 stars
Riley is a fairly pretentious unlikable lead. At the beginning she is dealing with her feelings because her boyfriend of a year has broken up with her. She is wallowing in self pity. She has a snarky personality which seems like before she was loathing in “woe is me” she was entertaining to her friends. But it becomes clear that everyone including herself is starting to get a little sick of the snark.
Riley has always clashed with Garrett. Both of their personalities would make each other think that they were the least compatible people ever. However as a reader there is something that draws you to Garrett and you want Riley to be good enough for him. He is really sweet. I found there to be this injured, exposed side to him that had him vulnerable and guarded at the same time. I was rooting for Riley to be good enough for him, because lets face it, her snarkiness does not always portray her at her best.
As much as this is a love story, this is also a story about Riley’s personal growth. Riley has some things happen to her in the story that you feel for her. You also start to feel for Riley and connect with her. You want her to get to where she needs to be. Overall this is a sweet love story and a nice quick read.
Dawn’s Review 3.75 Stars
Riley has it all together, and then she doesn’t. She’s snarky with a sassy internal dialogue but she hides from her real emotions. In the beginning, she is dumped by Damien. He was part of her life plan which for Riley, that meant no upheavals. I really felt I was in her head, listening to her. At times, it was as if she was talking to me. I laughed out loud several times at the level of snark. But then I also felt all of the anguish Riley felt from her break-up, from the other pieces of her life that cause her pain, and from life spiraling out of control when she least expects it.
Garrett is the partying guitarist with Generation Rejects. There were so many unexpected sides to him that are revealed throughout the story. His apparent man-whoring ways and pot smoking were a turnoff for Riley and I can’t blame her. But there was something about him that could be seen peeking through during moments with her that was very intriguing. His vulnerability and his depth of character were definitely more than meets the eye.
I really loved the inclusion of Riley and Garrett’s friends (and some who wanted to be more than friends!). They all added to the story but not to the point where they take over. And it was easy to pick up where they all left off from Bad Rep, the first book with Maysie and Jordan.
A Meredith Walters builds a very real story of growing up and learning to look beyond the surface. As the story progressed, it was as if I was growing with Riley and feeling all of her feelings. Overall, I liked the ending but I also felt like there was much to be discovered and not quite finished – there are too many “what ifs?” for me. I won’t expand on them here as it could add some spoilers but maybe this means we will see a continuation of the story of the friends? Note: This was a standalone but also one that by reading in order with Bad Rep it will add to the story for you as a reader.
Review copy provided for honest review.
About the Author
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark series, Bad Rep and its upcoming sequel.
A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.
When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly 6 year old daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.
Where to Connect with A. Meredith Walters:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAMWalters
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Meredith Walters is a ‘new-to-me’ author so I haven’t read any of her books as yet. I looks like I have some catching up to do. All three of her series sound like very swoon worthy romances. Thanks for the ‘introduction’! 🙂