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Title: Past Imperfect
Author: Alison G. Bailey
Release Date: February 15, 2014
Series: Perfect #2 (full reading order below)
Hosted by Wordsmith Publicity
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?
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I had a feeling Brad from Present Perfect was going to get his own book, and I’m glad he did! He was a real douchebag in Present Perfect, but he makes a huge 180 after a tragic event and is a completely different person now. I was so excited to see how Alison G. Bailey would make me NOT hate Brad anymore, and wow, I so don’t hate Brad anymore. He’s sexy, he’s charming, he’s in love now, and he’s so, so sweet. His and Mabry’s story is gutting and heart-wrenching, and although I didn’t fall in love with it, it’s definitely worth reading for fans of the first book.
“I’m sorry, Mabry. If I had known you were going to be in my future, I would have been a better man in my past.”
Brad was an epic jerk in Present Perfect, and he continues to be throughout college, until one day his cruelness causes something terrible to happen, and makes him reevaluate the kind of person he is. And for the years since that tragic event to the present, he’s been trying to make up for everything bad he’s done–and though he knows he won’t be able to make up for everything, he’s still going to make sure he never reverts to how he was before ever again.
People have told her I’m a player, that I lie and cheat my way through life and use women. I used to be like that, but I’m not anymore. I’ve worked hard to make amends for the pain I’ve caused and move past the mistakes I’ve made. I wish others would stop trying to pigeonhole me to the past.
Right now, Brad is in love with Mabry, but she’s the one who’s putting the brakes on having a relationship. She wants to keep everything casual, but Brad wants more. It’s heartwarming to see Brad in such a different light–he’s much more mature, but he’s also still got his boyish, cocky personality in him too. But my heart went out to Brad, because what he really wants more than anything is for Mabry to admit she loves him. And OH MY GOSH! I had no idea how loving and sweet and HOT Brad can be! I melted quite a bit because of the things he says. Just–swoon! And seriously, Past Imperfect is one hot read.
“Do you think it’s possible to love someone before you’ve met them? Because I think I’ve loved you my entire life.”
“I do. I’ve been waiting for you my entire life.”
The book is told through both Brad and Mabry’s POVs, and they alternate between the present and the past. We’d have a scene from the present in one chapter and a scene from the past in the next, but to be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of this style. I was bouncing back and forth between the Brad from the past and the Brad in the present that I never really was able to love him. I liked him well enough, but I wasn’t able to fully immerse myself in his story. And I had a hard time liking Mabry as well. She’s had a hard life–her mother committed suicide, and her father checked out after this–but she seemed very weak to me. I wanted her to be stronger, to embrace her love for Brad, and while she does eventually do this, it took longer than I liked.
For fans of Present Perfect, you should read Brad’s story! I liked that we get to see hidden depths to Brad, and him in love is something you definitely shouldn’t miss. I was hoping I’d love the story more, but overall, Past Imperfect was a sweet, emotional romance I enjoyed reading.
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
Reading Order: Perfect series
#1 ~ Present Perfect: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Past Imperfect: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Presently Perfect: Goodreads (Nov. 6, 2014)
Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. As a child she used her imagination to write additional scenes to TV shows and movies that she watched. She attended Winthrop University and graduating with a BA in Theater. While at Winthrop 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. On the advice of a friend, she started writing again. In January 2013, Alison sat down at her computer and began writing her first novel, Present Perfect.
Alison lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband, Jef, and their two furry children (dogs). She’s addicted to Diet Pepsi and anything with sugar.
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