Title: Past Imperfect (Perfect 2) by Alison G. Bailey
Age group: NA/Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover designer:Robin Harper, Wicked by Design
Photography by Abigail Marie, NON`PA*REIL photography
Scheduled to release: February 2014
Tour organized by: WordSmith Publicity
Buy Links:
Book Description:
In Present Perfect, Brad Johnson was sexy, cocky, rich and a complete Smurff**ker. He could afford anything he wanted and could charm any girl he set his eyes on. Everything was laid out in front of him, all for the taking except the one thing he craved and needed. A tragic event forces him to reevaluate his life. When he tries to change, will the people in his life let him move on from his past or will they constantly hold him to the life altering mistakes he’s made?
Mabry Darnell is intelligent, ambitious, beautiful, and sassy. Secrets from her past haunt the present causing her to question her actions in order to shield her heart and protect her life.
From the moment Brad and Mabry met, their connection was strong, intense, and electrifying. Both knew they had found the one person who could satisfy what the other ached for. When their pasts collide with their present, will it prevent them from having a future together or will love be strong enough to conquer their demons?
1 kindle paperwhite, 5 signed paperbacks and a $25 Amazon gift card
About the Author:
Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. As a child she would create (write) additional scenes to TV shows and movies that she watched. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school she began writing one act plays which she later produced. Throughout the years she continued writing and producing several one act plays, but then life got in the way and she hung up her pen for a while. At the end of 2012 a very talented author friend convinced Alison to go back to writing and see what happens. So she did and fell back in love with it. Present Perfect will be Alison's first self-published book. A few personal facts, Alison loves anything sweet, especially frosting, and is addicted to Diet Pepsi. Alison's philosophy: Don't let your obstacles define you. At times life can get pretty overwhelming, but with a great support system and a lot of humor you can get through them. If you have humor in your life your spirit stays strong and you can tackle anything.
Christy's Review!
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
4.5 Imperfect Stars
We meet Brad Johnson in
Present Perfect. I like to refer to him as ‘Douchebag Brad’ or one of the terrible B’s. Brad has a past. A really crappy past, but he’s been through a lot. A lot of things have shaped him into the person he’s become. But one significant event changed him. He’s trying not to be the man he was. He’s changing. Now he’s in love. For the first time.
“Don’t get all flowers and hearts on me, Brad. You knew what this was when we started.”
“Yeah, I knew what it was when we started, but somewhere along the way things changed. I love you Mabry.”
The problem... Mabry, the girl he works with at his fathers law firm, doesn’t do relationships or love. She’s a sex only type of girl.
That would have been perfect for him a few years ago, but now, he wants more. Mabry can’t do more. She has had an even more traumatic past than Brad. She feels the same things he’s feeling, but she can’t admit them to him. She can’t go there.
I was stupid to have thought I could have something casual with him seeing as how he affects me, mind, body, and soul. There’s something between us, a deep connection, as if we were supposed to find each other in this life.
Mabry has some issues. They stem from one tragic thing that happened to her when she was younger. It’s the only way she knows how to cope. Mabry hurts herself, Brad knows he was a ‘mistake’, they are the definition of the word imperfect.
Not being wanted by someone you love is the worst feeling in the world. It makes you feel as if your very existence is pointless.
The story jumps from chapter to chapter, from the past to the present in both Mabry and Brad’s pov. I really love this authors writing style. I like going into the past, seeing what shaped these two into the people they’ve become. It was nice to see that Brad wasn’t quite as big of a douche in his past as I thought. Don’t get me wrong, he still did a lot of wrong, but his heart was sometimes in the right place. Mabry’s past is heartbreaking. Her story brought me to tears. I understand why she would want to stay away from relationships, but Brad is so different. It takes a long time, but he starts to chip away at her walls, little by little.
“I know you’re scared, so am I. But we can do this together. We’re not alone anymore. Now we have each other. I don’t know what the future holds. All I know is that I need you in mine.”
“Do you think it’s possible to love someone before you’ve met them? Because I think I’ve love you my entire life.”
“I do. I’ve been waiting for you my entire life.”
When things from the past come into the future, it changes everything. Especially when the one big thing that changed Brad happens to be something that connects directly with Mabry’s life. I would have never guessed they’d have this ‘connection’, but it makes Mabry reevaluate everything. All the changes she was starting to make, letting Brad in a little, everything stops. She shuts down. Brad doesn’t know what to do. His past has come right back and bit him. He regrets so much from his past, but there is nothing he can do to change it. Oh how he wishes he could...
“Do you think it’s possible to forget about the past and change into a completely different person?”
Mabry has to decide if she really feels that a person can change, if Brad has changed. If she can live with his imperfect past and move forward with him.
This book wasn’t anything like I was expecting it to be. That’s not a bad thing, it was just different. What I really loved was the back and forth from past to present. I think if it’s done right, it’s a great way to tell a story. Brad’s past really let you see why he was the way he was and why and how he changed and evolved. Mabry’s past did the same. Brad’s character was so much more lovable than I expected. I adored Brad throughout the book. Mabry was a different story. I liked her, but there were things about her that irked me. I hated how she pushed Brad away constantly. I understood why she did it, but still. Grrr. She was going through some serious stuff, so I tried to cut her some slack. This book has some serious subject matter. I teared up a few times, but I also laughed a good bit. Brad is a funny guy.
I enjoyed reading this. It was about two flawed characters and their beautiful love story. It wasn’t perfect, but thats okay with me. Sometimes, it’s the imperfect characters I love the most. Alison G. Baliey knows how to write, and I will definitely pick up more of her books in the future!
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“Thank you for saving mine, Sweetness.”
*ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
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