What do you think?
Rate this book
The Bet #1
Beautiful Disaster
They created the game but eighteen year old Nicholas Grayson mastered the rules.
They are young and entitled and utterly bored with their lives, so they play games to entertain themselves. They call it the “bet” and new girl Ellie Holbrook is their latest target. Ellie is not the kind of girl Nicholas dates, but she is pretty enough to be his next conquest and so he sets out to seduce her and claim a nice little prize at the end. But her seduction proves difficult when she openly rejects his advances. In his dogged pursuit of her he slowly finds himself in her small circle of trusted friends and meets her two year old daughter, Sophie.
Life takes a startling turn for Nicholas when he realizes his happiness now lies with the young mother and her daughter. Falling in love with Ellie isn’t something Nicholas ever thought could happen to him and he’s completely frightened at how fiercely she makes him feel. But before he can further examine those emotions and clearly process them, enemies from Nicholas’s personal circle of friends conspire to tear them apart and he must now decide whether their love is worth saving or allow his friends to take away the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him.
They are young and entitled and utterly bored with their lives, so they play games to entertain themselves. They call it the “bet” and new girl Ellie Holbrook is their latest target. Ellie is not the kind of girl Nicholas dates, but she is pretty enough to be his next conquest and so he sets out to seduce her and claim a nice little prize at the end. But her seduction proves difficult when she openly rejects his advances. In his dogged pursuit of her he slowly finds himself in her small circle of trusted friends and meets her two year old daughter, Sophie.
Life takes a startling turn for Nicholas when he realizes his happiness now lies with the young mother and her daughter. Falling in love with Ellie isn’t something Nicholas ever thought could happen to him and he’s completely frightened at how fiercely she makes him feel. But before he can further examine those emotions and clearly process them, enemies from Nicholas’s personal circle of friends conspire to tear them apart and he must now decide whether their love is worth saving or allow his friends to take away the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2012
122 people are currently reading
5533 people want to read
About the author
Francette Phal
12 books1,302 followersFrancette lives in Massachusetts with her amazingly supportive husband of ten years and her darling two year old son. Reading amazing books has led her to writing and she’s dabbled in fan-fiction before self-publishing her own works. She’s constantly thinking up new stories to write and does her best work when music is playing in the background. Romance is where she’s most comfortable but she hopes to one day venture in mystery novels. She has a weakness for coffee ice cream, tropical fruits and a good glass of wine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
June 21, 2014
4 MINDF***ING STARS
I apologize in advance for the number of gifs in this review... I have lost the ability to form coherent sentences...
Alternate titles:
Well my body was ready...
but apparently...
A dark and twisted story about teenagers (I'm forced to write this word, in no way I can picture these people as teenagers) and their extreme life-style.
I swear half the kids in this story are the secret love-child of
and
and maybe these two aren't evil enough to justify their kids' actions.
A book about bastards. Lying bastards, sadistic bastards, arrogant bastards, miserable and cowardly bastards. Did I mention bastards?
Ellie Holbrook, is a sweet and abused girl. She is raising her daughter alone, her parents kicked her out when they found out she was pregnant. She made some bad choices in the past; evil boyfriend, heroine addiction, but she is strong and determined to move past all these.
Nicholas Grayson. OMG, where to start???
Daddy-issues, mother-issues, all kind of issues this kid has it all. Entitled rich boy that he is, he has a standing bet with his friends, to sleep with every girl at school. His new mark is Ellie but her sunshine and sweetheart of daughter, frees his tormented soul.
By the end I was sure that somewhere hell froze over
and everything would turn out PERFECT. But in an epic twist, all hell broke loose
and we got the mother of all cliffhangers....
I'm angry, I'm furious, I want to break something, oh so bad, and I swear Nicholas
Teenage pregnancies (the girls were maybe some long-forgotten-Godesses of fertility or something and the boys had super sperm...), Addiction, Abuse, Homosexuality. This books pulls no punches, it steals your breath and shoots you through the heart.
I'm dreading the next book... If these people behaved this way as teenagers, what are they gonna do as adults? Enslave the known universe??
I apologize in advance for the number of gifs in this review... I have lost the ability to form coherent sentences...
Alternate titles:
Beautiful Bastards
Hot Mess
Well my body was ready...
but apparently...
A dark and twisted story about teenagers (I'm forced to write this word, in no way I can picture these people as teenagers) and their extreme life-style.
I swear half the kids in this story are the secret love-child of
and
and maybe these two aren't evil enough to justify their kids' actions.
A book about bastards. Lying bastards, sadistic bastards, arrogant bastards, miserable and cowardly bastards. Did I mention bastards?
Ellie Holbrook, is a sweet and abused girl. She is raising her daughter alone, her parents kicked her out when they found out she was pregnant. She made some bad choices in the past; evil boyfriend, heroine addiction, but she is strong and determined to move past all these.
Nicholas Grayson. OMG, where to start???
Daddy-issues, mother-issues, all kind of issues this kid has it all. Entitled rich boy that he is, he has a standing bet with his friends, to sleep with every girl at school. His new mark is Ellie but her sunshine and sweetheart of daughter, frees his tormented soul.
By the end I was sure that somewhere hell froze over
and everything would turn out PERFECT. But in an epic twist, all hell broke loose
and we got the mother of all cliffhangers....
I'm angry, I'm furious, I want to break something, oh so bad, and I swear Nicholas
Teenage pregnancies (the girls were maybe some long-forgotten-Godesses of fertility or something and the boys had super sperm...), Addiction, Abuse, Homosexuality. This books pulls no punches, it steals your breath and shoots you through the heart.
I'm dreading the next book... If these people behaved this way as teenagers, what are they gonna do as adults? Enslave the known universe??
September 3, 2013
Read This People.
Love books which get me all high and buzzed and happy after reading it, I'm so high on this book.
HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT.
I don't know why I read dark, emotionally hurtful books! I guess they make me feel some real shit! :S
Hell, this book is something! Found a hidden gem it seems like.. hehe.
The book starts off with Nicky winning the bet and a lot of money by getting some proof.. Matt is his best friend whom he plays this game with. Enters Ellie, befriends Maddie who is madly in love with Nicky and then the story begins with a NEW bet and how it follows and how it ends is one hell of a ride. A mad ass crazy full of twist n turns ride.
I seriously need the second book. Like NOW.
Nicholas Grayson, Nicky.. I don't know whether to kiss the hell out of you, or beat the shit out of you.
Arrogant, hot and he knows it, head strong, stupid, rich, idiot, so loving and the biggest jerk eva!
Eleanor Holbrook, 'Ellie' Her past is soooooo bloody dark! x_x She is so strong, loving and innocent. Girl, you are like a breath of fresh air.
Gabe, Hahah, you really are something, so loving and protective. I loved you so muchh!!!
Sophie, Such a good good good kid who loves her ice-creaml! :D
Maddie, I swear to God she was totally crazy! She so should be in a mental institute! She is one crazy bitch, Didn't like her one bit.
Tony, I got no words for you, you S.O.B! Die you crazy monster.
Matt, I want to bitch slap you, hard and break some bones.
Love books which get me all high and buzzed and happy after reading it, I'm so high on this book.
HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT.
I don't know why I read dark, emotionally hurtful books! I guess they make me feel some real shit! :S
Hell, this book is something! Found a hidden gem it seems like.. hehe.
The book starts off with Nicky winning the bet and a lot of money by getting some proof.. Matt is his best friend whom he plays this game with. Enters Ellie, befriends Maddie who is madly in love with Nicky and then the story begins with a NEW bet and how it follows and how it ends is one hell of a ride. A mad ass crazy full of twist n turns ride.
I seriously need the second book. Like NOW.
Nicholas Grayson, Nicky.. I don't know whether to kiss the hell out of you, or beat the shit out of you.
Arrogant, hot and he knows it, head strong, stupid, rich, idiot, so loving and the biggest jerk eva!
Eleanor Holbrook, 'Ellie' Her past is soooooo bloody dark! x_x She is so strong, loving and innocent. Girl, you are like a breath of fresh air.
Gabe, Hahah, you really are something, so loving and protective. I loved you so muchh!!!
Sophie, Such a good good good kid who loves her ice-creaml! :D
Maddie, I swear to God she was totally crazy! She so should be in a mental institute! She is one crazy bitch, Didn't like her one bit.
Tony, I got no words for you, you S.O.B! Die you crazy monster.
Matt, I want to bitch slap you, hard and break some bones.
June 22, 2014
If you're planning on reading Beautiful Disaster by Francette Phal get ready to have your guts chewed up and then handed to you at the end of this book. It took me five days to finish this book, and it isn't a very long book either. Why? Every page is filled with intense angst and just when you think things are taking a turn for the better, someone or something tries to sabotage Nicholas and Ellie's relationship!
I loved Ellie's character from the very beginning of the story, she wasn't a perfect person. She'd made some very bad decisions but picked herself up again and is trying to live a better life with her daughter, Sophie.
Pregnant Ellie Holbrook, was given an ultimatum by her religious parents. She would either abort her unborn baby or her she could leave the only home she's even known. She chooses to leave and thankfully her godfather Gabe, takes her in. Sophie, Ellie's daughter is now a toddler and Ellie decides it's time she goes back to high school. And on her first day one of the people she meets is Nicholas Grayson, he hasn't got the best reputation but Ellie isn't the type to judge someone on what she hears from others.
Nicholas, is a spoiled rich boy. The freedom he has because of his father's neglect has allowed him to experience life without the guidance of parenting. He's bored, him and his group of equally entitled friends made up a game to pass their time. The Bet, it's Nicholas' goal to sleep and break every girl in their school's heart, and have it all on tape for his friends to see.
His next victim being, Ellie. But as he gets to know her things change. Nicholas, changes and realises that he doesn't want to play this cruel game anymore.
This book was gut wrenching, I can't tell you how many times I felt overwhelmed and wanted to give up. Every time you turn a page, something new happens, I literally became bipolar while reading this book. The scenes between Nicholas and Ellie were heartwarming, hot and heartbreaking. Nicholas was such an intense character, and even though he's done so many horrible things and hurt so many girls I fell for him almost immediately.
Nicholas and Ellies relationship was quite frankly a whirlwind romance, but the things they have to put up with. There were so many people trying to destroy their connection, Ellie's past is a huge factor and Nicholas' father played a huge part.
This book is written in third person and mainly in Nicholas and Ellie's POV. But there were secondary character's and we're given their POV's as well which made the story more enjoyable.
If you're planning on reading this book, be prepared for heart wrenching drama, intense angst and an unexpected ending.
ARC provided by author in return for an honest review
July 10, 2014
3.5 Stars
High school senior Ellie Halbrook is a recovering drug addict and mother to a 2 year old.
Nicholas Grayson is a self entitled spoiled brat.
Nicholas being the self entitled dick that he is takes a bet that he can fuck Ellie and get video proof of them in the act. Ellie sees straight through Nicholas bull crap and turns him down…repeatedly.
Now what do guys like…the chase.
This book…
I mean really…everyone…except maybe Ellie.
This book is very hard for me to rate for a few reasons.
First there are editing issues…for example Sophie, Ellie’s child, age jumped from 2 to 3 years old in the same scene. Some scenes started out on couch and changed to bed in description…things like that. Not a huge deal but for this OCD reader I had to go back and check if I read it wrong the first time.
The writing is very basic and in third person. I typically like third person writing, but this felt “jumpy.” Sorry I can’t think of a better way to describe it.
Lastly and the biggest reason I am having difficulties rating this book, is this is one train wreck after another. I am not even sure how I feel about it. I know I am hooked into this mess and want to know the outcome.
High school senior Ellie Halbrook is a recovering drug addict and mother to a 2 year old.
Nicholas Grayson is a self entitled spoiled brat.
Nicholas being the self entitled dick that he is takes a bet that he can fuck Ellie and get video proof of them in the act. Ellie sees straight through Nicholas bull crap and turns him down…repeatedly.
Now what do guys like…the chase.
This book…
I mean really…everyone…except maybe Ellie.
This book is very hard for me to rate for a few reasons.
First there are editing issues…for example Sophie, Ellie’s child, age jumped from 2 to 3 years old in the same scene. Some scenes started out on couch and changed to bed in description…things like that. Not a huge deal but for this OCD reader I had to go back and check if I read it wrong the first time.
The writing is very basic and in third person. I typically like third person writing, but this felt “jumpy.” Sorry I can’t think of a better way to describe it.
Lastly and the biggest reason I am having difficulties rating this book, is this is one train wreck after another. I am not even sure how I feel about it. I know I am hooked into this mess and want to know the outcome.
January 3, 2013
Uh, really?
This should be named "How many teenagers can get knocked up in one book".
I read through this one fairly quickly and even though I was warned about the editing errors, that warning didn't prepare me for what I found.
This read like a rough draft: grammar errors, spelling errors and so on. Please, please, please edit this book!!
Let's start with the narrating... Quite a few times I questioned my intelligence because I was lost as to what was happening, why it was happening and what person was telling it. Coupled with the terrible editing there were many places when it wasn't clear anymore about whom the narrator was talking. - or maybe I do suffer from a low IQ after all.
The characters, ah well. I cold quite easily rename them all from stupid 1 to stupid 10. Because that's all I felt for these characters. Whores, drug addicts, backstabbers and even a psychic (right there I seriously lost my shit, luckily it was towards the end of the book).
So despite all the mistakes and errors, I read through it very quickly, some places had me even curious but I also might've caught brain damage from rolling my eyes to hard and I definitely won't be reading the second installment.
Read this at your own risk.
This should be named "How many teenagers can get knocked up in one book".
I read through this one fairly quickly and even though I was warned about the editing errors, that warning didn't prepare me for what I found.
This read like a rough draft: grammar errors, spelling errors and so on. Please, please, please edit this book!!
Let's start with the narrating... Quite a few times I questioned my intelligence because I was lost as to what was happening, why it was happening and what person was telling it. Coupled with the terrible editing there were many places when it wasn't clear anymore about whom the narrator was talking. - or maybe I do suffer from a low IQ after all.
The characters, ah well. I cold quite easily rename them all from stupid 1 to stupid 10. Because that's all I felt for these characters. Whores, drug addicts, backstabbers and even a psychic (right there I seriously lost my shit, luckily it was towards the end of the book).
So despite all the mistakes and errors, I read through it very quickly, some places had me even curious but I also might've caught brain damage from rolling my eyes to hard and I definitely won't be reading the second installment.
Read this at your own risk.
November 27, 2012
*Please note, as you read this book, you will need to pretend the characters are not High School students, or it will just wig you out. They don't behave or talk like 18 year olds.
This book. Gah!
This is the story of a dung pile. A really big, very stinky dung pile. And from that dung pile, grows an amazingly beautiful flower. It is one of the most beautiful flowers ever. And then the floods come, and the freezing weather, but still this beautiful flower keeps growing, and only seems to become more hardy because of all the adversity. I loved that flower. I had complete faith in that damn flower, and then, the freaking thing gets pruned all to hell.
Nicholas starts the story an utterly unredeemable reprobate.
"Nicholas Grayson wasn't a nice person. In fact one could call him an asshole and he wouldn't dispute it. He was as jaded as they come, eighteen years old, with a moral compass fixed permanently on diabolical. ... His goals in life were to piss off his parents, break a few laws and generally screw his way through life."
Ellie, is amazing. She is about the strongest heroine I've ever seen. The absolute hell that she has been though, and pulled herself out of, while still being an incredibly compassionate, level headed, loving person is inspiring.
Ellie transforms Nicholas, who I was sure I could never like, into a new person.
"Ellie's silent strength pulled Nicholas from his madness, grounding him where he belonged."
Their relationship blossoms despite and insane amount of crap being thrown at them. Seriously crazy ex's, drugs, insane friends, beatings, sex tapes, attempted murder and pretty much anything you could imagine. It gets rocky at points, but they always seem to pull through, stronger then ever. They have one of those really beautiful, epic kinds of love.
"You're like air to me, Ellie." He said quietly. "A necessity I can't do without."
And then, it just all goes to crap. They finally buckle under the pressure...and I was left..
I NEED the next book. This needs to be fixed. NOW!
This book. Gah!
This is the story of a dung pile. A really big, very stinky dung pile. And from that dung pile, grows an amazingly beautiful flower. It is one of the most beautiful flowers ever. And then the floods come, and the freezing weather, but still this beautiful flower keeps growing, and only seems to become more hardy because of all the adversity. I loved that flower. I had complete faith in that damn flower, and then, the freaking thing gets pruned all to hell.
Nicholas starts the story an utterly unredeemable reprobate.
"Nicholas Grayson wasn't a nice person. In fact one could call him an asshole and he wouldn't dispute it. He was as jaded as they come, eighteen years old, with a moral compass fixed permanently on diabolical. ... His goals in life were to piss off his parents, break a few laws and generally screw his way through life."
Ellie, is amazing. She is about the strongest heroine I've ever seen. The absolute hell that she has been though, and pulled herself out of, while still being an incredibly compassionate, level headed, loving person is inspiring.
Ellie transforms Nicholas, who I was sure I could never like, into a new person.
"Ellie's silent strength pulled Nicholas from his madness, grounding him where he belonged."
Their relationship blossoms despite and insane amount of crap being thrown at them. Seriously crazy ex's, drugs, insane friends, beatings, sex tapes, attempted murder and pretty much anything you could imagine. It gets rocky at points, but they always seem to pull through, stronger then ever. They have one of those really beautiful, epic kinds of love.
"You're like air to me, Ellie." He said quietly. "A necessity I can't do without."
And then, it just all goes to crap. They finally buckle under the pressure...and I was left..
I NEED the next book. This needs to be fixed. NOW!
August 15, 2017
★★★★! Book 1 & 2 of 2.
There have been some great, in depths reviews already, for example by my GR friend Vikki. I will just second her and add below to help you get started. Books should be read together.
BOOK 1 – 10 years prior to book 2
Nicholas Grayson: 18 years/student-tattoo artist/$$$/black hair/silver-light blue eyes.
Ellie: 18 years/student/African American/tawny hair/hazel eyes.
I loooved Nicholas in this book, just like Ms. Phal initially described him:
“Nicholas Grayson wasn’t a nice person. In fact one could call him an asshole and he wouldn’t dispute it. He was as jaded as they come, eighteen years old, with a moral compass fixed permanently on diabolical…”
BOOK 2 – 10 years after book 1
Nicholas Grayson: 28 years/mogul/$$$$/black hair/silver-light blue eyes.
Ellie: 28 years/teacher/African American/tawny hair/hazel eyes.
I might have liked book 1 just a little more. But you will need to read both to get the whole love story. Enjoy!
***
Hero rating: 5 stars
Heroine rating: 4 stars
Story line rating: 3.5 stars
******************************
Overall rating: 4 stars
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Maybe later.
There have been some great, in depths reviews already, for example by my GR friend Vikki. I will just second her and add below to help you get started. Books should be read together.
BOOK 1 – 10 years prior to book 2
Nicholas Grayson: 18 years/student-tattoo artist/$$$/black hair/silver-light blue eyes.
Ellie: 18 years/student/African American/tawny hair/hazel eyes.
I loooved Nicholas in this book, just like Ms. Phal initially described him:
“Nicholas Grayson wasn’t a nice person. In fact one could call him an asshole and he wouldn’t dispute it. He was as jaded as they come, eighteen years old, with a moral compass fixed permanently on diabolical…”
BOOK 2 – 10 years after book 1
Nicholas Grayson: 28 years/mogul/$$$$/black hair/silver-light blue eyes.
Ellie: 28 years/teacher/African American/tawny hair/hazel eyes.
I might have liked book 1 just a little more. But you will need to read both to get the whole love story. Enjoy!
***
Hero rating: 5 stars
Heroine rating: 4 stars
Story line rating: 3.5 stars
******************************
Overall rating: 4 stars
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Maybe later.
avoid
September 1, 2023Self note
Avoid!
Not safe
- h is a single mom(H not the father), and a recovering alcohol & drug addict. She used to have sex for drugs.
- H not celibate after meeting the h.
- H gets ow preg
- H gets h preg too
- H breaks her heart at the end. H ends up sleeping with the ow at the end of book 1. Cheating? He might’ve broken up with the h before. Who cares, don’t waste your time on this book.
- bi-racial romance. BW/WM
- Book 2 starts 10 years later.🙄
- h is raising his secret babies. She had twins. 🙄
- both not celibate
- H is a manwhore, she’s engage to om.
Avoid!
Not safe
- h is a single mom(H not the father), and a recovering alcohol & drug addict. She used to have sex for drugs.
- H not celibate after meeting the h.
- H gets ow preg
- H gets h preg too
- H breaks her heart at the end. H ends up sleeping with the ow at the end of book 1. Cheating? He might’ve broken up with the h before. Who cares, don’t waste your time on this book.
- bi-racial romance. BW/WM
- Book 2 starts 10 years later.🙄
- h is raising his secret babies. She had twins. 🙄
- both not celibate
- H is a manwhore, she’s engage to om.
January 14, 2013
WOW this book is hard to review or even really to rate. This is because it is the literary equivalent of watching a train wreck in slow motion. Except there is some masochistic part of you (well of me anyway) that is enjoying every moment!
Seriously. It was just one mind fuck after another but no matter how twisted it got there was NO WAY I was putting it down!
Nicholas or Nicky (HATED! the nick name) the "hero" is without a doubt one of the most unlikable characters I have ever read. Thankfully Ellie, despite her truly disturbing past, is a strong and compassionate heroin. And without her this book would have had very few characters in it who weren't complete and utter bastards!
I don't really want to go into the plot because I feel like anything I say would be a spoiler but lets just say it is incredibly fast paced and you can never predict where it will go next!
Although I thought this book was fundamentally well written I do think the editing left much to be desired. And I also had some serious trouble believing that these characters were high school students. I think the whole premise of the book and the maturity of the characters would have been a lot more believable had they been in college.
But all in all if you have the stomach for a roller coaster ride and you like an emotional and angsty love story then give this book a try. I really liked it. I think....
Seriously. It was just one mind fuck after another but no matter how twisted it got there was NO WAY I was putting it down!
Nicholas or Nicky (HATED! the nick name) the "hero" is without a doubt one of the most unlikable characters I have ever read. Thankfully Ellie, despite her truly disturbing past, is a strong and compassionate heroin. And without her this book would have had very few characters in it who weren't complete and utter bastards!
I don't really want to go into the plot because I feel like anything I say would be a spoiler but lets just say it is incredibly fast paced and you can never predict where it will go next!
Although I thought this book was fundamentally well written I do think the editing left much to be desired. And I also had some serious trouble believing that these characters were high school students. I think the whole premise of the book and the maturity of the characters would have been a lot more believable had they been in college.
But all in all if you have the stomach for a roller coaster ride and you like an emotional and angsty love story then give this book a try. I really liked it. I think....
March 5, 2019
They created their own form of amusement with “The Bet” a game played by a master - eighteen year old Nicholas Grayson a young man with his own moral compass, an emotional cripple whose wanted to pay back his parents for their lack of support and love.
They were young, spoiled, and their goals in life were to break a few laws, screw their way through life and stave off boredom with their own form of entertainment “the bet”.
Nicholas Grayson was up for it and Ellie Holbrook was his next “bird” of prey. Cock sure that he would win the bet Nicholas sets out to seduce her and claim his prize. Easy she wasn’t and Nicholas realize that all bets were off when Ellie challenged him “Seeing as how you are so fond on my ass, feel free to kiss it while I walk away” Game on”
This story deals with a number of complex issues and the reader may find it a bit disjointed due to the amount of issues there are but it will keep you sucked in right up until the last page. It is raw, gritty and downright nasty at times and I am sure (like me) you will want to throttle Nicholas and his friends.
Francette Phal delivers a well written and fluid writing style. It is not suitable for under 18’s as it deals with drug and alcohol abuse and extreme sexual situations.
So will Nicholas and Ellie overcome their demons and find the strength to leave their troubled past behind? Or will Nicholas finally win his bet and conspire with his friends to tear them apart?
Straight onto “Redemption”.
They were young, spoiled, and their goals in life were to break a few laws, screw their way through life and stave off boredom with their own form of entertainment “the bet”.
Nicholas Grayson was up for it and Ellie Holbrook was his next “bird” of prey. Cock sure that he would win the bet Nicholas sets out to seduce her and claim his prize. Easy she wasn’t and Nicholas realize that all bets were off when Ellie challenged him “Seeing as how you are so fond on my ass, feel free to kiss it while I walk away” Game on”
This story deals with a number of complex issues and the reader may find it a bit disjointed due to the amount of issues there are but it will keep you sucked in right up until the last page. It is raw, gritty and downright nasty at times and I am sure (like me) you will want to throttle Nicholas and his friends.
Francette Phal delivers a well written and fluid writing style. It is not suitable for under 18’s as it deals with drug and alcohol abuse and extreme sexual situations.
So will Nicholas and Ellie overcome their demons and find the strength to leave their troubled past behind? Or will Nicholas finally win his bet and conspire with his friends to tear them apart?
Straight onto “Redemption”.
November 3, 2012
**spoiler alert**
This book has all the elements to be a good read. There is the typical bad guy that needs to be saved, the girl with an awful past and the required drama. But the book just didn't do the job for me and I ended up with a really bad mood.
At first Ellie had my uttermost respect. The way she's raising a child, basically still a child herself is admirable. The way her feelings developed for Nicholas was realistic and believable. Although she was attracted to him from the start, she kept her distance and managed to build up a sweet friendship. BUT then she makes a huge mistake when they finally get together and she loses a big part from my respect. I just don't get how she can make a mistake like that, given her past and I wanted to yell at her and smack her head against the wall...
Normally, "bad" guys who have the potential to change get to me. I don't know why cause it is not that I have experience with that in my life. Nicholas was ok, but he didn't blew me of my feet. For an egocentric, egoistical and superficial jerk he decided pretty fast after meeting Ellie that he wanted to change (I think it was already after 2 weeks). But he really was on his good behavior, I have to admit that, not pushing Ellie at all. And the way he acted around Sophie was adorable. He also scored points with me by telling Ellie about the bet himself. Usually, stories like this are rather cliché and the girl always finds out from someone else. So I'm glad Nicky manned up and came out of it as an honest man. But then the condom thing happened (or better: the lack of) and that undid the points he scored... Cause he might have changed into less of a jerk (for some while; still don't get the end) but he surely didn't became smarter.
Apart from the 2 main characters, the major thing that got me annoyed was the writing style. I like to read more perspectives but the author chose for so many perspectives it was just too much. It is true that sometimes less is more. And it could've worked if there was some kind of structure but there was no logical interaction between the perspectives. It was messy and chaotic.
Although there was already enough stuff to royally piss me of at this point, I would still have rounded up the rating to 2 stars, until the end... What is up with that?! I admit, I do prefer a happy ending, but I can live with an unhappy one IF it makes sense!!. The sudden twist doesn't make sense at all to me! And it is not a -wow I didn't saw that one coming-, no it is a -wtf is happening, is there something wrong with my book cause I must be missing some pages here!!!-
If you think I'm frustrated right now, then think again. I'm beyond frustration! The ending gives room for a sequel but I don't think I will read it. I might be a masochist, but even I have my limits.
This book has all the elements to be a good read. There is the typical bad guy that needs to be saved, the girl with an awful past and the required drama. But the book just didn't do the job for me and I ended up with a really bad mood.
At first Ellie had my uttermost respect. The way she's raising a child, basically still a child herself is admirable. The way her feelings developed for Nicholas was realistic and believable. Although she was attracted to him from the start, she kept her distance and managed to build up a sweet friendship. BUT then she makes a huge mistake when they finally get together and she loses a big part from my respect. I just don't get how she can make a mistake like that, given her past and I wanted to yell at her and smack her head against the wall...
Normally, "bad" guys who have the potential to change get to me. I don't know why cause it is not that I have experience with that in my life. Nicholas was ok, but he didn't blew me of my feet. For an egocentric, egoistical and superficial jerk he decided pretty fast after meeting Ellie that he wanted to change (I think it was already after 2 weeks). But he really was on his good behavior, I have to admit that, not pushing Ellie at all. And the way he acted around Sophie was adorable. He also scored points with me by telling Ellie about the bet himself. Usually, stories like this are rather cliché and the girl always finds out from someone else. So I'm glad Nicky manned up and came out of it as an honest man. But then the condom thing happened (or better: the lack of) and that undid the points he scored... Cause he might have changed into less of a jerk (for some while; still don't get the end) but he surely didn't became smarter.
Apart from the 2 main characters, the major thing that got me annoyed was the writing style. I like to read more perspectives but the author chose for so many perspectives it was just too much. It is true that sometimes less is more. And it could've worked if there was some kind of structure but there was no logical interaction between the perspectives. It was messy and chaotic.
Although there was already enough stuff to royally piss me of at this point, I would still have rounded up the rating to 2 stars, until the end... What is up with that?! I admit, I do prefer a happy ending, but I can live with an unhappy one IF it makes sense!!. The sudden twist doesn't make sense at all to me! And it is not a -wow I didn't saw that one coming-, no it is a -wtf is happening, is there something wrong with my book cause I must be missing some pages here!!!-
If you think I'm frustrated right now, then think again. I'm beyond frustration! The ending gives room for a sequel but I don't think I will read it. I might be a masochist, but even I have my limits.
December 19, 2012
If you searched beautiful disaster and got this book, I'm guessing you really wanted the one by Jamie McGuire. GET THAT ONE!!! What a stupid f'in book. I read the whole flipping thing thinking there may be some redeeming qualities. Rarely do I hate a book so much. The issues: SPOILERS.
1. I can get over that they are all whores ( men and women alike), because I like a good sex scene as much as the next person, but seriously not one mention of protection especially when this is geared towards the very impressionable YA. (Sorry if I'm showing my 34 year old age) Ellie has already been knocked up once and Nicholas is a total man whore, but one redeeming quality could have been that he never didn't not use protection.
2. The nickname Nicky for someone who is supposed to be a gorgeous sex god. Kept thinking it was a cats name. Enough said
3. SOOOOO many grammatical errors and missing words.
4. There was an entire chapter that the author meant to have as a "flashback" near the end that was done so bad it just appeared to be put in the book in the wrong place. if anyone had done any sort of editing job before it was released this things would have been picked up on.
5. I honestly don't know the authors name because I don't even care enough to look, but I was trying to determine if he/she was from the states or not. Parts were so American and tried for "big words to sound smart"' yet there is a line that Ronnie (a 100% completely unnecessary character, along with Terran who were both introduced more than half way through the book) said about not being able to wait to take Gabe's surname. WTF???
6. The ending. Seriously I had to read this whole thing only to find out Ellie is knocked up again (once again no protection) and "NICKY" didn't have one redeeming quality with no apparent reason at all. Wasn't friends with Matt again, yes hooked up with Evey, no closure on what happened to Tony. Even when his uncle and mom could have made it the book so much better with he destruction of his dad.
7. If there is a sequel DO NOT BUY IT. The book could have ended as is, but then had an epilogue of like 6 months later he goes to restaurant because he has to see her and sees she's pregnant. With a lot of groveling he could have said he snapped with death of daughter, now getting second chance, been there for the delivery, asked her to marry him, etc. end of book
Sorry for the vent. I only write lenghty reviews when I LOVE a book or absolutely DETEST a book. Guess which bucket ths falls into.
1. I can get over that they are all whores ( men and women alike), because I like a good sex scene as much as the next person, but seriously not one mention of protection especially when this is geared towards the very impressionable YA. (Sorry if I'm showing my 34 year old age) Ellie has already been knocked up once and Nicholas is a total man whore, but one redeeming quality could have been that he never didn't not use protection.
2. The nickname Nicky for someone who is supposed to be a gorgeous sex god. Kept thinking it was a cats name. Enough said
3. SOOOOO many grammatical errors and missing words.
4. There was an entire chapter that the author meant to have as a "flashback" near the end that was done so bad it just appeared to be put in the book in the wrong place. if anyone had done any sort of editing job before it was released this things would have been picked up on.
5. I honestly don't know the authors name because I don't even care enough to look, but I was trying to determine if he/she was from the states or not. Parts were so American and tried for "big words to sound smart"' yet there is a line that Ronnie (a 100% completely unnecessary character, along with Terran who were both introduced more than half way through the book) said about not being able to wait to take Gabe's surname. WTF???
6. The ending. Seriously I had to read this whole thing only to find out Ellie is knocked up again (once again no protection) and "NICKY" didn't have one redeeming quality with no apparent reason at all. Wasn't friends with Matt again, yes hooked up with Evey, no closure on what happened to Tony. Even when his uncle and mom could have made it the book so much better with he destruction of his dad.
7. If there is a sequel DO NOT BUY IT. The book could have ended as is, but then had an epilogue of like 6 months later he goes to restaurant because he has to see her and sees she's pregnant. With a lot of groveling he could have said he snapped with death of daughter, now getting second chance, been there for the delivery, asked her to marry him, etc. end of book
Sorry for the vent. I only write lenghty reviews when I LOVE a book or absolutely DETEST a book. Guess which bucket ths falls into.
January 27, 2013
3.5 stars
This was an interesting read. Not even sure how to rate it to be perfectly honest.
I still can't decide if I liked it or not.
I'll say this, the author has a beautiful and interesting writing style. There were a lot of grammatical errors, but the writing is JUST good enough to take away from that, so I didn't get irritated with it too much. Plus, to me, it just comes with the territory of indie books, so I deal with it.
Now, as for the story, it reminded me a lot of Cruel Intentions...like A LOT.
The story is focused on a clique of rich, bored, drug using, over-sexed highschoolers that get off on causing others pain?
At the center of this group is Nicholas.
He's rich, he's hot, he's f*cked practically every girl on campus, and to top it off he's a masochist with a broken moral compass. Hmmm...
Then he meets Ellie...(after being bet that he can't get her to sleep with him) and things start to change
The story is interesting, but extremely unrealistic. Now I fully comprehend that I'm reading fiction. I also read as a form of escapism. However, there are so many things in this book that just didn't make a lick of sense to me.
There was just SO much going on here aside from the story of the main 2 characters, and practically all of them had a POV. I'm not sure that was necessary, and it was almost distracting at times.
There were stalkers, crazy exes, and a love story mixed in between.
There is a crazy cliff hanger in the end. Thankfully I waited to read this book until the second one was already out. Otherwise that ending would have drove me nuts.
So if you're looking for a super angsty dark read, you might enjoy this book. I was somewhere in the middle. so it gets a 3.5 star rating from me.
This was an interesting read. Not even sure how to rate it to be perfectly honest.
I still can't decide if I liked it or not.
I'll say this, the author has a beautiful and interesting writing style. There were a lot of grammatical errors, but the writing is JUST good enough to take away from that, so I didn't get irritated with it too much. Plus, to me, it just comes with the territory of indie books, so I deal with it.
Now, as for the story, it reminded me a lot of Cruel Intentions...like A LOT.
The story is focused on a clique of rich, bored, drug using, over-sexed highschoolers that get off on causing others pain?
At the center of this group is Nicholas.
He's rich, he's hot, he's f*cked practically every girl on campus, and to top it off he's a masochist with a broken moral compass. Hmmm...Then he meets Ellie...(after being bet that he can't get her to sleep with him) and things start to change
The story is interesting, but extremely unrealistic. Now I fully comprehend that I'm reading fiction. I also read as a form of escapism. However, there are so many things in this book that just didn't make a lick of sense to me.
There was just SO much going on here aside from the story of the main 2 characters, and practically all of them had a POV. I'm not sure that was necessary, and it was almost distracting at times.
There were stalkers, crazy exes, and a love story mixed in between.
There is a crazy cliff hanger in the end. Thankfully I waited to read this book until the second one was already out. Otherwise that ending would have drove me nuts.
So if you're looking for a super angsty dark read, you might enjoy this book. I was somewhere in the middle. so it gets a 3.5 star rating from me.
January 25, 2017
My Review of this series
I loved this, despite hitting triggers, the author pulls it off in a way where the love is profound and the emotions are so RAW that I couldn't not fall for both MCs!
Nicholas ... I literally despised him in the beginning. Truly. I didn't think I could grow to genuinely love him, but my God I fell for him!!!!!!
What I loved is how much I felt within this book. How I couldn't put it down. And how much raw passion I honestly felt between these 2.
I love how open Nicholas is, how emotional when it comes to his Ellie. How truly, she changed him completely and she became his everything. I can't explain to you the amount of feels I got in this book!
And I HATED the ending! But I understood it in a way, when someone gets to that stage, self destruction is a true mechanism to deal with everything. I hated what Nicholas did, but this author is brilliant. In other books where heroes do something like this (if you read the book you know what I mean), I never felt sorry for the H. Ever. But here, from his POV, his depression is crazy scary, he's a different person and I FELT for him. Did I hate him? Yes I did. But my God was he in pain.
For my safety gals, it's not safe. But if you know me, I hate asshole irredeemable heroes and doormat heroines but this wasn't the case at all. In the beginning before meeting the h, there are scenes with OW, not descriptive but they were important to showcase how the hero truly was before the h. Also, once he meets the h, he's not all perfect and celibate. He was a damaged character and they weren't even friends at the time only spoken to her once or so and he's with another woman. But for such a messed up character, i wouldn't have believed it had e been celibate from the second he met her. Yes I like safety, but I like more realistic stuff in books. I wouldn't have believed in his character as much had he been perfect from day 1.
Rest assured, it takes a LONG time for Ellie and Nicholas to get together but there was no boredom or dragging times what so ever! In fact they fall inlove slowly in this time and their passion is evident.
I think the reason why I'm giving this book a 5 stars is truly because I felt pain when the characters did, I felt Ellie's pain in the end and I was furious at Nicholas with her.
I don't want to give too much away, but feel free to PM me if you're hesitating to read this book and need answers :)
The following part is MAJOR spoiler about the ending!!!! Pls do not read if you haven't read the book.
Reading from Nick's POV in the end, i understand he's done with Ellie, with happiness, his anger and depression palpable, but I HATED that he was with OW... you read some from his POV and you feel his disgust and all but I would have wished it had taken hkm a lot longer to be physically able to be with another woman :/
I explained this part a bit when I said I hated the ending but here I understood it because ... even then you know how much he loves Ellie. But I hated it. Truly.
I loved this, despite hitting triggers, the author pulls it off in a way where the love is profound and the emotions are so RAW that I couldn't not fall for both MCs!
Nicholas ... I literally despised him in the beginning. Truly. I didn't think I could grow to genuinely love him, but my God I fell for him!!!!!!
What I loved is how much I felt within this book. How I couldn't put it down. And how much raw passion I honestly felt between these 2.
I love how open Nicholas is, how emotional when it comes to his Ellie. How truly, she changed him completely and she became his everything. I can't explain to you the amount of feels I got in this book!
And I HATED the ending! But I understood it in a way, when someone gets to that stage, self destruction is a true mechanism to deal with everything. I hated what Nicholas did, but this author is brilliant. In other books where heroes do something like this (if you read the book you know what I mean), I never felt sorry for the H. Ever. But here, from his POV, his depression is crazy scary, he's a different person and I FELT for him. Did I hate him? Yes I did. But my God was he in pain.
For my safety gals, it's not safe. But if you know me, I hate asshole irredeemable heroes and doormat heroines but this wasn't the case at all. In the beginning before meeting the h, there are scenes with OW, not descriptive but they were important to showcase how the hero truly was before the h. Also, once he meets the h, he's not all perfect and celibate. He was a damaged character and they weren't even friends at the time only spoken to her once or so and he's with another woman. But for such a messed up character, i wouldn't have believed it had e been celibate from the second he met her. Yes I like safety, but I like more realistic stuff in books. I wouldn't have believed in his character as much had he been perfect from day 1.
Rest assured, it takes a LONG time for Ellie and Nicholas to get together but there was no boredom or dragging times what so ever! In fact they fall inlove slowly in this time and their passion is evident.
I think the reason why I'm giving this book a 5 stars is truly because I felt pain when the characters did, I felt Ellie's pain in the end and I was furious at Nicholas with her.
I don't want to give too much away, but feel free to PM me if you're hesitating to read this book and need answers :)
The following part is MAJOR spoiler about the ending!!!! Pls do not read if you haven't read the book.
Reading from Nick's POV in the end, i understand he's done with Ellie, with happiness, his anger and depression palpable, but I HATED that he was with OW... you read some from his POV and you feel his disgust and all but I would have wished it had taken hkm a lot longer to be physically able to be with another woman :/
I explained this part a bit when I said I hated the ending but here I understood it because ... even then you know how much he loves Ellie. But I hated it. Truly.
January 21, 2013
4 SOLID STARS
Would you call it (un)fortunate to have this book share a title, genre and plot detail (the other Beautiful Disaster ALSO involves a bet) with another? For me, I don't care as I DNF-ed the other and loved this one far far more.
Right. This one had serious editing issues. Mostly in the latter parts because the early chapters had me raving (in my little brain) how well the author was conveying the story she wanted to tell at a brisk but detailed pace. Bt then somewhere down the middle typos were everywhere. It throws you off these little things because they were scattered in moments that were pretty intense. But in the grand scheme of things the story was told and it was a powerful one.
So powerful that sometimes certain scenes got a wee bit over the top . There were also moments of predictability that would've been annoying out of it being cliched and all, but somehow worked here. Mostly because I think this book was unapologetic for all its drama and intensity, never ridiculing what it has already put out to say a few lines after. The shifts in POVs didn't bother me as much but it got a bit ludicrous when .
This book's biggest assets are its characters. Can I just say how terrified I am of pissing off this author? She can really think of fucked up shits, no? Like punch-a-near-term-pregnant-woman-in-the-stomach levels of evil.
Otherwise I might be forced to play doctor and prematurely remove that bag of cells from your womb while your lovely Gran watches.
Who imagines that kind of a threat?! Seriously! But that's what makes this book work. The bad people are REALLY twisted and the strong characters are STRONG. I LOVED Nicholas Grayson. He's all over the place in terms of angst and EMOTIONS but he rang true to me. There was a point towards the end when I cannot make sense of his evolution as a character but thankfully the author explained it (though in not-so-few words) eventually. But I think I'm in love with Ellie more. She was such a strong, likable character that when you learn her back story early in the pages, you can't help but feel reassured that she's gonna be okay in the end.
She was a goddamn fighter and she would surpass this. This was nothing. She had gotten through worse things and this would be no different... What was the agony of a heartbreak if not another wound that would eventually heal?
When I grow up, I wanna be like Ellie Holbrook.
Would you call it (un)fortunate to have this book share a title, genre and plot detail (the other Beautiful Disaster ALSO involves a bet) with another? For me, I don't care as I DNF-ed the other and loved this one far far more.
Right. This one had serious editing issues. Mostly in the latter parts because the early chapters had me raving (in my little brain) how well the author was conveying the story she wanted to tell at a brisk but detailed pace. Bt then somewhere down the middle typos were everywhere. It throws you off these little things because they were scattered in moments that were pretty intense. But in the grand scheme of things the story was told and it was a powerful one.
So powerful that sometimes certain scenes got a wee bit over the top . There were also moments of predictability that would've been annoying out of it being cliched and all, but somehow worked here. Mostly because I think this book was unapologetic for all its drama and intensity, never ridiculing what it has already put out to say a few lines after. The shifts in POVs didn't bother me as much but it got a bit ludicrous when .
This book's biggest assets are its characters. Can I just say how terrified I am of pissing off this author? She can really think of fucked up shits, no? Like punch-a-near-term-pregnant-woman-in-the-stomach levels of evil.
Otherwise I might be forced to play doctor and prematurely remove that bag of cells from your womb while your lovely Gran watches.
Who imagines that kind of a threat?! Seriously! But that's what makes this book work. The bad people are REALLY twisted and the strong characters are STRONG. I LOVED Nicholas Grayson. He's all over the place in terms of angst and EMOTIONS but he rang true to me. There was a point towards the end when I cannot make sense of his evolution as a character but thankfully the author explained it (though in not-so-few words) eventually. But I think I'm in love with Ellie more. She was such a strong, likable character that when you learn her back story early in the pages, you can't help but feel reassured that she's gonna be okay in the end.
She was a goddamn fighter and she would surpass this. This was nothing. She had gotten through worse things and this would be no different... What was the agony of a heartbreak if not another wound that would eventually heal?
When I grow up, I wanna be like Ellie Holbrook.
January 5, 2013
No, joke! This is how I felt throughout the book
Don't call a grown man "Nicky", especially when your suppose to be having buck wild sex ..eawwwww...or any other time for that matter. Every now and then the story seemed to pick up only to disappointment. There were so many scenes that just didn't make sense. Too many subplots, too many characters, not enough detail in certain areas and too much in others. My good book run had to end sometime. I don't know , it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Want to read
November 27, 2012Can't wait to start this tonight with my buddy reading girls
May 30, 2013
This book is all sorts of FUCKED UP! but i mean that in a good way. I cant believe how deep and dark it was, pretty much if you can think of anything bad... it happened in this one. I don't like to get in too much details when i review but i can say the characters were damaged... ALOT!
My Nicky and Ellie
When it comes to Nicholas,
there's not enough swear words that i can describe this ASS but he IS a piece of work. I can safely say the most arrogant piece of shit that i've read to date and that's saying something because i've read about some real ASSHOLES!. He's a rich spoilt brat who toys with girls emotions and has fun doing it. I honestly despised him, i had times where i wanted slap him through the book and knee him in the balls.
Everything changed for him when he met Ellie.
Ellie is a beautiful girl who had to grow up way too soon. She's also got demons of her own and when her crazy ex makes his way back in to her life, SHIT HITS THE FAN! The bet brings them together and they both can see that they change each other for the better, but obviously it's not going to be easy for them. The way he treated Ellie had me screaming
I'm not gonna lie, this one is a hard one to read because the bad things that happen are so detailed, made me cringe at times, but if a book can make me cry
ITS A MUST READ
My Nicky and Ellie
When it comes to Nicholas,
there's not enough swear words that i can describe this ASS but he IS a piece of work. I can safely say the most arrogant piece of shit that i've read to date and that's saying something because i've read about some real ASSHOLES!. He's a rich spoilt brat who toys with girls emotions and has fun doing it. I honestly despised him, i had times where i wanted slap him through the book and knee him in the balls.
Everything changed for him when he met Ellie.
Ellie is a beautiful girl who had to grow up way too soon. She's also got demons of her own and when her crazy ex makes his way back in to her life, SHIT HITS THE FAN! The bet brings them together and they both can see that they change each other for the better, but obviously it's not going to be easy for them. The way he treated Ellie had me screaming
I'm not gonna lie, this one is a hard one to read because the bad things that happen are so detailed, made me cringe at times, but if a book can make me cry
ITS A MUST READ
October 18, 2014
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS PRESENT WITHIN REVIEW***
Oh no no no no no!!! It just can’t end like that!!! What happens to Nicholas and Ellie???? I hope I don’t have to wait long to find out! This was such a good book with a really serious cliffhanger. I have to know what happens...
Badboy, and I mean Baaadboy, Nicholas Grayson hits the girls where it hurts the most – lead them on with his allusive charm, and then take away their self-worth without batting an eye. By self-worth, I mean bed the chick and then leave them wanting more when they know it’s a one-time thing and he couldn’t care less about them. Nice guy – huh? He’ll make them beg for more until their constant presence makes him disgusted. His latest victim being Maddie Tate. “Fatty Maddie” is well aware of his abuse when she bears witness to the catcalls and the name calling from his little degrading circle of friends. She loves Nicky, but the relationship will never stand a chance. The stellar silver-eyed James Dean lookalike thinks he’s “all that” until he meets new student, Ellie Holbrook. She’s on to his game when witnessing his treatment of Maddie. And now, let the games begin!! Or, should I say, let “the bet” be waged?? What bet? The bet between Nicholas and best friend, Matt – where this time the bet is sweetened to include Matt’s Ducati Desmosedici RR, which is Matt’s pride and joy. With Matt’s addition of the Desmo, it only leads Nicholas to believe that he had already lost the deal. Both boys from wealthy families, had no family life with parental supervision or support. So morals and money meant nothing to either of them – especially when it came to the two pairing up with their degrading betting antics against unsuspecting girls. So along comes new girl Ellie, the picture of perfection and honesty with her carmel-colored skin and dark hair that just reeks of that holier-than-thou persona. Ellie, however, is no stranger to his kind. She knows what it’s like to be abused and hurt in the process. He pegs her to be his next victim to bed and then discard like trash. Only Ellie is not so easy to sway into his web of demeaning destruction. Ellie, who on her initial encounter with Nicholas, is disgusted with his treatment of other girls and realizes that he’s a “player”. Cautiously, though, she is willing to give him a chance when he insists that all he’s after is her friendship. As time goes by, she eventually caves, but still insists to him that it will not go any further than friendship. She can’t afford to be involved with anyone because of an abusive past that she encountered which resulted in the birth of her daughter along with countless circumstances that concluded with the loss of her parents’ love and support. Circumstances that she will never allow to invade her daughter’s happiness and well-being.
It was nice to see how Nicholas slowly changes and realizes his past mistakes when his feelings for Ellie grow. He honestly is disgusted with his former behavior. I believe, however, that his parents had a huge impact in his demise when it came to his relationships with other people. Other than his uncle, he was never treated with any compassion or understanding. Let’s face it, he came from a pretty horrible family life. Not to make excuses for him, but he was slowly learning what it was like to be part of a family when he was around Ellie and Sophie. They made him a better person – at least for a while they did.
I thought the tattoo scene was really intimate. It was one of the first times that Ellie started trusting Nicholas. And, it was when he truly shined in her eyes. It pictured something that was truly important to him and showed his passionate side. Nice addition to the story...
Even though this novel was written as a Young Adult fiction taking place in high school, it is way more than just your simple first-time romantic trysts amongst teenagers. The actions of the characters in this book were far advanced in maturity than most. It read more like a college-age romance when faced with different facets of each character’s obstacles. In my opinion, this novel is not for the young high-school student. There are many references to sexual situations, graphic language, violence, and illegal sexual exploitations. With so many situations going on at one time, the main plot plus several different sub-plots, it was a wonder that the author could give ample attention to each tiny twist and turn that she created. To my pleasure, so far she has done an exceedingly superb job in keeping the reader’s interest in each character – constantly delving in and out of everyone’s storyline. Of course, it remains to be seen as to what will happen to the main characters’ lives when the second book is released. What will happen to Ellie and Maddie's friendship? Will Ellie and Nicholas find their way back to each other? Will Nicholas find out about Ellie’s little surprise at the end of this book? What about Nicholas’ friend, Matt? Will Nicholas realize how deep Matt’s feelings for him really go? And what about the destruction that Nicholas has created for himself now? Will he really stick with his plan or realize that he’s been kidding himself all along when it comes to Ellie and her child, Sophie? I just can’t wait to see what happens!!! Great debut by author, Francette Phal!! Looking forward to reading Part 2!!!
Oh no no no no no!!! It just can’t end like that!!! What happens to Nicholas and Ellie???? I hope I don’t have to wait long to find out! This was such a good book with a really serious cliffhanger. I have to know what happens...
Badboy, and I mean Baaadboy, Nicholas Grayson hits the girls where it hurts the most – lead them on with his allusive charm, and then take away their self-worth without batting an eye. By self-worth, I mean bed the chick and then leave them wanting more when they know it’s a one-time thing and he couldn’t care less about them. Nice guy – huh? He’ll make them beg for more until their constant presence makes him disgusted. His latest victim being Maddie Tate. “Fatty Maddie” is well aware of his abuse when she bears witness to the catcalls and the name calling from his little degrading circle of friends. She loves Nicky, but the relationship will never stand a chance. The stellar silver-eyed James Dean lookalike thinks he’s “all that” until he meets new student, Ellie Holbrook. She’s on to his game when witnessing his treatment of Maddie. And now, let the games begin!! Or, should I say, let “the bet” be waged?? What bet? The bet between Nicholas and best friend, Matt – where this time the bet is sweetened to include Matt’s Ducati Desmosedici RR, which is Matt’s pride and joy. With Matt’s addition of the Desmo, it only leads Nicholas to believe that he had already lost the deal. Both boys from wealthy families, had no family life with parental supervision or support. So morals and money meant nothing to either of them – especially when it came to the two pairing up with their degrading betting antics against unsuspecting girls. So along comes new girl Ellie, the picture of perfection and honesty with her carmel-colored skin and dark hair that just reeks of that holier-than-thou persona. Ellie, however, is no stranger to his kind. She knows what it’s like to be abused and hurt in the process. He pegs her to be his next victim to bed and then discard like trash. Only Ellie is not so easy to sway into his web of demeaning destruction. Ellie, who on her initial encounter with Nicholas, is disgusted with his treatment of other girls and realizes that he’s a “player”. Cautiously, though, she is willing to give him a chance when he insists that all he’s after is her friendship. As time goes by, she eventually caves, but still insists to him that it will not go any further than friendship. She can’t afford to be involved with anyone because of an abusive past that she encountered which resulted in the birth of her daughter along with countless circumstances that concluded with the loss of her parents’ love and support. Circumstances that she will never allow to invade her daughter’s happiness and well-being.
It was nice to see how Nicholas slowly changes and realizes his past mistakes when his feelings for Ellie grow. He honestly is disgusted with his former behavior. I believe, however, that his parents had a huge impact in his demise when it came to his relationships with other people. Other than his uncle, he was never treated with any compassion or understanding. Let’s face it, he came from a pretty horrible family life. Not to make excuses for him, but he was slowly learning what it was like to be part of a family when he was around Ellie and Sophie. They made him a better person – at least for a while they did.
I thought the tattoo scene was really intimate. It was one of the first times that Ellie started trusting Nicholas. And, it was when he truly shined in her eyes. It pictured something that was truly important to him and showed his passionate side. Nice addition to the story...
Even though this novel was written as a Young Adult fiction taking place in high school, it is way more than just your simple first-time romantic trysts amongst teenagers. The actions of the characters in this book were far advanced in maturity than most. It read more like a college-age romance when faced with different facets of each character’s obstacles. In my opinion, this novel is not for the young high-school student. There are many references to sexual situations, graphic language, violence, and illegal sexual exploitations. With so many situations going on at one time, the main plot plus several different sub-plots, it was a wonder that the author could give ample attention to each tiny twist and turn that she created. To my pleasure, so far she has done an exceedingly superb job in keeping the reader’s interest in each character – constantly delving in and out of everyone’s storyline. Of course, it remains to be seen as to what will happen to the main characters’ lives when the second book is released. What will happen to Ellie and Maddie's friendship? Will Ellie and Nicholas find their way back to each other? Will Nicholas find out about Ellie’s little surprise at the end of this book? What about Nicholas’ friend, Matt? Will Nicholas realize how deep Matt’s feelings for him really go? And what about the destruction that Nicholas has created for himself now? Will he really stick with his plan or realize that he’s been kidding himself all along when it comes to Ellie and her child, Sophie? I just can’t wait to see what happens!!! Great debut by author, Francette Phal!! Looking forward to reading Part 2!!!
July 10, 2013
With the new release of Francette Phal's Undone, I had to go back and re-read Beautiful Disaster and the sequel Redemption. And Holy Shit! I knew they were good, and they are always the first books I recommend when someone asks for a real, raw, so damn good it's sick read. But freaking hell! I can't believe it, but I'd forgotten just how fucking good these two books are!!!! Let me put it this way, when I started my blog, I started it for Beautiful Disaster. No one knew about this book, oh yeah they knew about the other BD, however anyone I talked to hadn't heard of this BD. So, that's when I started out on my quest, to get the books that new authors, Indie authors, self publishing authors, authors no one had heard of, and I wanted (even if it was whispers among the screams of the other blogs) I wanted to get the word out, spread it as far as I could. With that being said, most of the review you are about to read is from my baby reviewing days, lol. Redemption's review is one I wrote today.... Here ya go:
Kimmi's Review from back in the day......
Um..... The best book I read all year! Ok, so I'm not gonna give you the whole book summary thing, what I will tell you is I spend more than $200 a month by clicking that damn buy now with just 1 click button, (meaning I read A LOT!) I read YA books every now and then and this is what I thought I was walking into, however, this is not that book! This is no where near that book.
First of all the lead character in this book Elle evokes more emotion than any other character I have ever read, her story is a devastating, heart breaking, gut twisting story, yet she grows and turns something that could be ugly into something beautiful and strong. Ohhh, and my Nicholas.
Nicholas, is the male lead character, and in this book Nicholas is, I shit you not, the hottest damn alpha male I've EVER read, like hotter than Deuce in Undeniable, he's more complicated than Christian in 50, Nicholas is a perfect DNA formula of Nick from "The Devil's Eyes", and Deuce from "Undeniable", and Christian Grey from "50" all mixed together (- thank u, I'll have 2 please) and the crazy part here is he is only freakin' 18! Between Ellie's POV, and Nicholas's POV, this book had me laughing, smirking, cheering, sobbing, saying "oh hell, I'll be damned that is HOT!", then I'm cheering again, then jaw to the damn floor: WTFH?, then my mouth in an 0 shape, screaming SERIOUSLY?!?!?!, and then more sobbing, then crying silently and talking to Ellie like she can here me, (it happens sometimes when the book evokes it, ok?) Anyway, don't do what I did,(buy the book and let it sit on the Kindle backburner) this is a buy now! RIGHT NOW w/ 1 click ;) and read it NOW, inhale it, devour it, eat that shit up with a serving spoon! I'm so jealous of you dear reader of reviews, I remember what it was like not knowing. And I'll never forget what it felt like opening this treasure page by page. (yes I am absolutely crazy, this is what great books do to me, dammit don't judge!)
Beautiful Disaster easily gets
5-Melrose Place on crack cocaine-Kimmi Stars!
- See more at: http://lipsmackingoodbooks.blogspot.c...
Kimmi's Review from back in the day......
Um..... The best book I read all year! Ok, so I'm not gonna give you the whole book summary thing, what I will tell you is I spend more than $200 a month by clicking that damn buy now with just 1 click button, (meaning I read A LOT!) I read YA books every now and then and this is what I thought I was walking into, however, this is not that book! This is no where near that book.
First of all the lead character in this book Elle evokes more emotion than any other character I have ever read, her story is a devastating, heart breaking, gut twisting story, yet she grows and turns something that could be ugly into something beautiful and strong. Ohhh, and my Nicholas.
Nicholas, is the male lead character, and in this book Nicholas is, I shit you not, the hottest damn alpha male I've EVER read, like hotter than Deuce in Undeniable, he's more complicated than Christian in 50, Nicholas is a perfect DNA formula of Nick from "The Devil's Eyes", and Deuce from "Undeniable", and Christian Grey from "50" all mixed together (- thank u, I'll have 2 please) and the crazy part here is he is only freakin' 18! Between Ellie's POV, and Nicholas's POV, this book had me laughing, smirking, cheering, sobbing, saying "oh hell, I'll be damned that is HOT!", then I'm cheering again, then jaw to the damn floor: WTFH?, then my mouth in an 0 shape, screaming SERIOUSLY?!?!?!, and then more sobbing, then crying silently and talking to Ellie like she can here me, (it happens sometimes when the book evokes it, ok?) Anyway, don't do what I did,(buy the book and let it sit on the Kindle backburner) this is a buy now! RIGHT NOW w/ 1 click ;) and read it NOW, inhale it, devour it, eat that shit up with a serving spoon! I'm so jealous of you dear reader of reviews, I remember what it was like not knowing. And I'll never forget what it felt like opening this treasure page by page. (yes I am absolutely crazy, this is what great books do to me, dammit don't judge!)
Beautiful Disaster easily gets
5-Melrose Place on crack cocaine-Kimmi Stars!
- See more at: http://lipsmackingoodbooks.blogspot.c...
February 3, 2013
GRIPPING
Ellie Holbrook's life has not been easy. At just seventeen years old she's already a single parent. With a two year old daughter. Estranged from her parents, she has been living with her godfather Gabe, her life is slowly gaining some order and normality. After being home schooled, she's going to attend high school for her senior year.
Nicholas Grayson is a sorry excuse for a human being, rich, spoilt and cold. Caring nothing for the feelings of others. He and his cronies belittle and destroy others with the least provocation and reason. A long running bet between Nicholas and his friend Matt, sees Nicholas seducing any and every girl, whilst filming the whole scene. Ellie has just become the latest target of the bet.
This is a powerful story, dealing with some serious issues. The characters are very well fleshed out, the story is fast paced and dramatic. Not always easy reading but addictive.
The author knows how to tell a story. I might have given this five stars if it had been properly edited. There were many mistakes in this. But I will definitely be reading the next book.
Ellie Holbrook's life has not been easy. At just seventeen years old she's already a single parent. With a two year old daughter. Estranged from her parents, she has been living with her godfather Gabe, her life is slowly gaining some order and normality. After being home schooled, she's going to attend high school for her senior year.
Nicholas Grayson is a sorry excuse for a human being, rich, spoilt and cold. Caring nothing for the feelings of others. He and his cronies belittle and destroy others with the least provocation and reason. A long running bet between Nicholas and his friend Matt, sees Nicholas seducing any and every girl, whilst filming the whole scene. Ellie has just become the latest target of the bet.
This is a powerful story, dealing with some serious issues. The characters are very well fleshed out, the story is fast paced and dramatic. Not always easy reading but addictive.
The author knows how to tell a story. I might have given this five stars if it had been properly edited. There were many mistakes in this. But I will definitely be reading the next book.
February 19, 2013
I liked the story as a whole, but the beginning was the best. It completely reminded me of Cruel Intentions, which may contain one of the hottest sex scenes ever! In fact, I'm making a note to re-watch it again soon...real soon.
In case you need a refresher the scene of which I speak is contained in:
http://youtu.be/qR8d0OQe84M
But back to the book... The middle meandered a bit and there were so many developments my head was spinning. But I did want to continue to see what happened, so that was good. And then the end!!! Grrrr... Guess I will have to check out book two to see if we get a HEA. *sigh*
In case you need a refresher the scene of which I speak is contained in:
http://youtu.be/qR8d0OQe84M
But back to the book... The middle meandered a bit and there were so many developments my head was spinning. But I did want to continue to see what happened, so that was good. And then the end!!! Grrrr... Guess I will have to check out book two to see if we get a HEA. *sigh*
January 8, 2013
WOW!! this book was great!! it was a little crazy at times but I loved every minute of it. It reminded me of cruel intentions and a little bit of gossip girl. Kids with money and games they like to play. excited to see what happens next!
April 26, 2017
Yikes! I almost couldn't finish this book. Between the grammar errors, the outrageous storyline, the poorly developed characters and the points of view changing so frequently this book left my head spinning. Needless to say, I won't be continuing the series.
October 20, 2018
DNF at 26%. Not holding my interest.
May 9, 2023
You know, the title perfectly describes the book: a beautiful disaster, because the cover is stunning in my opinion, but what’s inside is just a mess.
June 11, 2014
WARNING: THIS BOOK MAY CAUSE A MAJOR BOOK HANGOVER!
I cannot express in words how much I loved this book and I really really need to read the next instalment. I can also tell you categorically that this review will not express exactly how I feel, because I'm actually at a loss for words right now. I'm also beginning to wonder if it's possible for a book to cause a reader to stop breathing, as there were times I felt that happened due to the intense emotion I felt.
Firstly we have Ellie who at the age of eighteen has already endured enough torment and heartache for anyone, let alone someone so young. Already she's a mother and a recovering heroin addict, which makes her seem much older than she actually is.
When we initially meet Nicholas, he really doesn't have many redeeming qualities. At first glance he appears to have led a very privileged life and gets his kicks from making bets with his equally privileged group of friends, and I use that term loosely. His latest bet being that he must try to lure Ellie to sleep with him. Ellie is having none of it and the turning point for Nicholas is when he meets Ellie's daughter Sophie.
Very quickly I warmed to Nicholas and Ellie definitely doesnt make it easy for him as she's adamant they remain just friends. Sadly the couple's relationship isn't welcomed by everybody and some even make it their mission to make sure they don't have a future together.
Theres not much more I can say without giving away major spoilers, but I must mention that the story deals with the topics of drug addiction, rape and other actions some readers may find disturbing, but personally I loved the rawness of the story. The characters, although in their senior year of high school, didn't come across as such and for anyone who tends to steer clear of reads with characters of this age, I urge you to overlook that fact. Because let me tell you, this is one hell of an emotional, amazing read.
I cannot express in words how much I loved this book and I really really need to read the next instalment. I can also tell you categorically that this review will not express exactly how I feel, because I'm actually at a loss for words right now. I'm also beginning to wonder if it's possible for a book to cause a reader to stop breathing, as there were times I felt that happened due to the intense emotion I felt.
Firstly we have Ellie who at the age of eighteen has already endured enough torment and heartache for anyone, let alone someone so young. Already she's a mother and a recovering heroin addict, which makes her seem much older than she actually is.
When we initially meet Nicholas, he really doesn't have many redeeming qualities. At first glance he appears to have led a very privileged life and gets his kicks from making bets with his equally privileged group of friends, and I use that term loosely. His latest bet being that he must try to lure Ellie to sleep with him. Ellie is having none of it and the turning point for Nicholas is when he meets Ellie's daughter Sophie.
Very quickly I warmed to Nicholas and Ellie definitely doesnt make it easy for him as she's adamant they remain just friends. Sadly the couple's relationship isn't welcomed by everybody and some even make it their mission to make sure they don't have a future together.
Theres not much more I can say without giving away major spoilers, but I must mention that the story deals with the topics of drug addiction, rape and other actions some readers may find disturbing, but personally I loved the rawness of the story. The characters, although in their senior year of high school, didn't come across as such and for anyone who tends to steer clear of reads with characters of this age, I urge you to overlook that fact. Because let me tell you, this is one hell of an emotional, amazing read.
October 23, 2021
2.00 Stars. (BW/WM). Kindle Edition e-book. Grammatical errors run amok. Loveless story. Unbelievable. Too many points of view. The hero, Nicholas Grayson, is a 17-year-old starting his senior year of high school. Nicholas is wealthy, handsome, a tattoo artist, a heavy consumer of drugs and alcohol and if Nicholas finds a wager desirable, he will film his unprotected sex acts with female schoolmates. The heroine, Ellie Holbrook, is a 17-year-old single parent who wants to have the high school experience in her senior year. Ellie works 2 part time jobs , she’s a recovering alcohol and drug addict and for a couple of years, she had sex for drugs; however, Ellie is in her third year of celibacy. On the promise of winning an expensive motorcycle, Nicholas accepts the bet and initiates interactions with Ellie that will lead to his being able to film he and Ellie having sex. After a few times of hanging out, Ellie and Nicholas start developing romantic feeling for each-per the author. The story is full of teens using drugs and alcohol, having unprotected sex, backstabbing drama and physical fights with bats and guns. In addition to the points-of-view of Nicholas and Ellie, there's the POV of Maddie, one of Nicholas' conquest, and Matthew, Nicholas' best friend, and Gabe, Ellie's godfather and adoptive uncle, to name a few. The author tells as opposed to showing the development of romantic love between Ellie and Nicholas; also, the use of nearly ever possible human condition as drama to drive the story and plot..in a bad unbelievable way. Can't continue this series. 3.99
October 18, 2016
4.5 stars
I am not sure why I hadn't ever read this book, but I am disappointed that I hadn't until now. This is another one of those books that is universal, yet so unique that you cannot help but to just love it!
Nicholas. He is rich and entitled and uses woman like they are disposable diapers. The end game is to get off and move on. And he isn't nice about it at all.
Ellie. Single mom. Home-schooled, but now entering high school for her senior year. She has a shaky past at a young age. She wants to experience life as a real teenager. What she is about to get is nothing she could ever have imagined!
As you probably would guess, Nicholas begins to fall for her. But it doesn't end there. Between Ellie's situation with having a kid, Nicolas's "game" haunting him and people from the outside trying to sweep in and ruin what they are building.
This book is so freaking good, that I couldn't put it down. I wasn't ready for it to end. I am definitely going to be finishing this series.
I am not sure why I hadn't ever read this book, but I am disappointed that I hadn't until now. This is another one of those books that is universal, yet so unique that you cannot help but to just love it!
Nicholas. He is rich and entitled and uses woman like they are disposable diapers. The end game is to get off and move on. And he isn't nice about it at all.
Ellie. Single mom. Home-schooled, but now entering high school for her senior year. She has a shaky past at a young age. She wants to experience life as a real teenager. What she is about to get is nothing she could ever have imagined!
As you probably would guess, Nicholas begins to fall for her. But it doesn't end there. Between Ellie's situation with having a kid, Nicolas's "game" haunting him and people from the outside trying to sweep in and ruin what they are building.
This book is so freaking good, that I couldn't put it down. I wasn't ready for it to end. I am definitely going to be finishing this series.
May 10, 2015
WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Reading this book was like sitting in the front car of a roller coaster. The angst was entirely too intense. I just wanted to throw my kindle on numerous occasions. I just couldn't take it. These characters were amazing and I connected with every one of them. Even the deranged Matt and Maddie...smh. Those two needed a prescription. This was an angst filled read, with beautiful, tear jerking moments in between. Now for part 2. Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews