Blog Tour: Seductive Chaos: A. Meredith Walters
Vivian Baily was a flaky, attention seeking drama queen.
Apart they were challenging…together they were complete and total chaos.
Cole and Vivian were two people who should never have been together.
Yet they crashed into each other at every turn.
Their relationship was anything but stable. But it was passionate. It was messy. It was hopelessly seductive. And it might possibly drive them both insane.
They fought. They made up. They screamed. They made love.
They hated and they loved in equal measure.
And now that Generation Rejects are starting to hit it big and the band is on the road, temptation and massive egos could very well spell the end of their roller coaster.
If only they could stay away from each other.
But Vivian has finally reached her breaking point. Tired of their endless cycle, she is ready to say goodbye to Cole for good.
Yet Cole isn’t one to go away quietly. Particularly when he is starting to realize exactly what he stands to lose if Vivian walks away.
As his world begins to turn upside down, Cole realizes that the one person who can hold him together is the girl who may no longer want him.
Love can be a comedy of errors, particularly for two people who never seem to get the timing right.
And in the crazy world of rock and roll, the hardest lessons to learn just might be the ones with the sweetest rewards.
"If we're a mess, then I'm ready to get dirty, baby."
Cole Brandt and Vivian Baily have been partaking in an anti-relationship for about two years. They thrive on anger, taunting, and wild passionate sex. And it works for them...usually...even though their friends are involved in real loving relationships and do not understand.
They're chaos, they're undeniable, they're destructive, and they push each other to the extreme. They are not supposed to feel, but they can only deny it so much and it is one big confusing mess. They pull together, combust, and blow apart. This is their pattern. They feed on anger, surprise, jealousy, and strong reactions. They are volatile and their sexual chemistry is off the charts. But how long can you go on a pattern like this before one or both of them start to feel something more?
All I could say is that my inner drama queen was drawn self-destructively to the only person who could give me the excitement I craved. A man who was just as dramatic and headstrong as I was.
"You and me are a roller coaster. So buckle up and get ready for one hell of a ride, sweetheart."
Vivian has been hanging out with Generation Rejects since her best friend started dating the band’s drummer. But it’s the lead singer who catches her eye and pushes her buttons. They’ve been hooking up whenever they are in the same town for the last two years. Together they were toxic and everyone around them watched, wondering when things would change for the better or the worse. Because for these two who both love to be the center of attention, there is no limit to the drama they will create to catch the other’s eye.
Bad Rep: Book 1
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“You don’t sound too happy about
that. Is the rock and roll lifestyle losing its luster,” she
teased. Shit, if she only knew.
I wanted to tell her about my
conversation with Jose. Of how he wanted me to leave the band. I
needed to get this great big pile of guilt off my chest. Because ever
since Jose had mentioned the possibilities out there for me this morning, I
couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was obsessing.
But I couldn’t tell Vivian.
Because I wasn’t ready to admit out loud how much I wanted to take Jose up on
his offer. Because that would be to admit how much of a traitorous ass I
really was.
I played the part of dick head
really well. I fucked chicks, I started fights. I spoke out of my ass and
pretended not to give a shit about consequences.
But it was just
that…pretending.
I had learned a long time ago that
being a jerk was easier than being someone people walked all over. That
it was better to hurt someone before they had the chance to hurt me.
It was fucked up. It was wrong. I
knew all of this. But I didn’t do heartache and pain very well. I was
actually a huge pussy about it.
And the thought of screwing over the
three people closest to me, while repulsive, was also entirely too appealing.
Particularly when I was poised to gain so much if I did.
And if I verbalized it, the asshole
thing wouldn’t be an act anymore.
It would be who I was. I would
feel it deep in my bones.
It would be all I knew.
“It’s just overwhelming sometimes,”
I said, feeling safe to admit that small truth.
Vivian’s sigh filled my ears and
made me feel better than I had all day.
“I’m sure. I can’t even
imagine. But you’ll be fine. You’re Cole Brandt. This is what
you do. You’ll get up on that stage tonight and you’ll become everyone’s
fantasy and you’ll love it.”
“Am I your fantasy?” I chuckled,
hoping to god she said yes.
Vivian’s soft laughter was like a
kick to the gut. I seriously loved her laugh.
“Some days,” she muttered.
“Only some day? What about
today?” I asked, grinning from ear to ear. I don’t think I had ever
smiled this wide in my entire life.
“I don’t know. There’s still
time for you to piss me off.”
Then we were both laughing and life
felt good again.
"If we're a mess, then I'm ready to get dirty, baby."Cole Brandt and Vivian Baily have been partaking in an anti-relationship for about two years. They thrive on anger, taunting, and wild passionate sex. And it works for them...usually...even though their friends are involved in real loving relationships and do not understand.
I was on my way to my own debauched version of happily ever after. And always on the side, just where I needed her to be, was Vivian Baily. She wasn't my girlfriend. She wasn't even my friend really. Most days I was convinced we could barely stand each other.
They're chaos, they're undeniable, they're destructive, and they push each other to the extreme. They are not supposed to feel, but they can only deny it so much and it is one big confusing mess. They pull together, combust, and blow apart. This is their pattern. They feed on anger, surprise, jealousy, and strong reactions. They are volatile and their sexual chemistry is off the charts. But how long can you go on a pattern like this before one or both of them start to feel something more?
Vivian is a former sorority girl princess with a wild side. She thrives on attention and is vain and emotional. Cole, the lead singer of Generation Rejects, is an attention whore too. He is funny, a bit obnoxious and clueless, but sexy, charismatic and talented. As much as they like to irritate and annoy each other, they also can't get enough of the other. And as they actually begin talking vs. just communicating with their bodies, it becomes more and more dangerous to their previous arrangement.
Cole's life is undergoing so many changes. The band has new opportunities, but that also brings along mistrust, jealousy, and infighting. The only people he's ever really had as a pseudo-family are now having trouble getting along and offering support. And in the midst of this,Vivian is also starting to be more confused and they have more difficulty seeing eye to eye. So just when it seems like Cole could be reaching for his dreams, he risks losing people that he didn't realize mattered to him so much. So it becomes a journey for him to discover who he is, where he wants to be, and who he wants along side of him. It is painful, heartbreaking, and difficult for him especially since he is a man that is not used to sharing his feelings and has not really ever had unconditional love. My heart just broke for him at times and it was hard to see the usual outgoing bad boy so vulnerable.
And Vivian is going through her own life changes. She is starting a career and she has new opportunities for growth and a more normal relationship. But there's something about the damaged bad boy rocker that keeps holding her back even though she knows it is not a good situation for her. But she knows that Cole has the ability to completely destroy her and she has to practice self-preservation in order to survive.
Can these two narcissistic, attention loving, stubborn, volatile, emotionally closed off people find a common ground? And if so, will it be before it destroys them both and of those around them?
We get to spend more time with the other characters in this series Maysie and Jordan (Bad Rep), Garrett and Riley (Perfect Regret) and Mitch and Gracie. I am already very intrigued by Mitch and Gracie since their story was teased in this one. There was all kinds of drama going on with these characters during this one and at times I wanted to shake several of them. But that is the nature of these complicated characters. They are often emotional, headstrong, and frustrating, but at the same time they are a group that has been through so much together good and bad.
This was told in both points of view which was very important because these two people's thought processes were right on point at times and at other times they were so far off that they couldn't even see the middle. But it was fun, feisty, snarky, passionate, romantic, and emotional. I really enjoyed this installment in the series and this couple.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was told in both points of view which was very important because these two people's thought processes were right on point at times and at other times they were so far off that they couldn't even see the middle. But it was fun, feisty, snarky, passionate, romantic, and emotional. I really enjoyed this installment in the series and this couple.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Cole was like a drug that I couldn’t stay away from. And no matter how many times he upset me. No matter how much he made me hate and despise him, the moment he touched me, it became dangerously easy to lose good sense.
Seductive Chaos was a wild, crazy, fiery ride. Boy did Cole and Vivian know how to push each other’s buttons and enjoy it. I went from wondering if I could find something between them to like to rooting for them to get past their hangups.
Our eyes clashed and I knew instantly that he was more than away of what he was doing. He was silently daring me to act. He wanted me to.
While on tour with the band, Cole starts to find himself gaining more recognition, more media attention, and more reasons to feed his ego. But he also can’t help pushing Viv’s buttons whenever she’s visiting, or when he finds himself back home.
Based on their actions towards each other in the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this. Cole purposely brings other women around when he knows Vivian will be there in order to make her angry and direct her attention at him. I was angered right alongside Vivian each time he flaunted another woman in front of her, and then I wanted to shake her when she reacted the same way each time.
“We’re a mess! We suck each other dry. We should end this now, once and for all, before there’s nothing left to walk away from.”
But as I continued reading and watched them each begin to discover what was hiding behind their actions (or inactions) I couldn’t help but be pulled in. There was so much more going on underneath the surface, especially for Cole, that until I dug into the story I hadn’t seen coming.
There was a lot of interaction between Cole and the rest of the band, as is to be expected in a series about a band on tour, and their manager. The extra pressure Cole was dealing with from the band only added to the mess that he needed to wade through to figure himself out. And while Vivian had the support of Maysie, Riley, and Gracie, they are all so caught up in the band’s drama and what’s going on with their men (with the exception of Gracie) that Vivan’s advisors are often limited to Grace’s opinion.
“I’d rather be a pile of ashes in your aftermath than whole and complete without you.”
By the time I finished reading, I couldn’t help the big smile on my face. This had the perfect ending for this volatile couple, and through the lessons they learn and the changes they make, they change enough to turn their toxic relationship into something healthy without losing the parts of themselves that are their defining traits. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next book, based on the hints dropped here.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Rep: Book 1 Add to Goodreads
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"Who gives a damn about their reputation? Oh, that would be me! Especially since mine had gone straight to hell in the span of thirty minutes".
Maysie Ardin is soaking up the summer before her junior year of college, shopping, hanging by the pool and shopping some more. But when her black belt in spending lands her in trouble with her parents, she is forced to take a second job at a local bar to dig herself out of a deep financial pit.
She thought she’d be miserable. But then Maysie didn’t count on Jordan Levitt, the hot, pierced and tattooed, drum playing bartender who also happens to be very interested in her. And the feelings are totally mutual.
It had the makings of the perfect romantic set up. Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Boy has girlfriend? Okay, maybe not.
But attraction is a hard thing to ignore and soon Jordan and Maysie find themselves in the middle of a gossip induced firestorm. Maysie has to learn whether she can set aside her fear of public disapproval in order to be with the one she wants. Or will she let the opinions of others dictate her life and her heart?
Perfect Regret: Book 2
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Riley Walker makes all the right decisions and knows exactly where her life is headed.
Riley Walker does not make mistakes.
Riley Walker certainly doesn’t make spontaneous decisions.
But then Riley Walker gets dumped.
Spectacularly, gut-wrenching, stomp all over her heart dumped. And she is feeling more than a little angry. And a whole lot bitter. And suddenly the girl who has always done everything right feels like doing something completely wrong.
Garrett Bellows, lead guitarist for the local band, Generation Rejects, is going through life without a plan. Trying not to think past the next gig or the next party, he has worked hard to not become too attached to anyone or anything. So he is shocked to find himself drawn to the snarky girl with a chip on her shoulder. She pisses him off and puts him down. He knows she’s nothing more than a self-entitled college brat who thinks she’s better than the townie boy without a future.Alcohol and a hefty dose of lust leads to a night both Riley and Garrett immediately regret. Her embarrassment, his pride and the weight of rumors and misconceptions convince Riley and Garrett that their one-time indiscretion will never be repeated. Particularly when their harshest critics are each other.
But how do you reconcile a head that wants to let go with a heart that keeps holding on?And what happens when your biggest regret begins to seem almost perfect?
A. Meredith Walters
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.
A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.
When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.
A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.
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