Speculating on SpecFic

It's going to be hard to review this without repeating what I said about Beautiful Disaster. This companion novel, told from Travis' point of view, brings to light the side of Travis we never got to see in the previous book - his sensitivity and unique view on life.Travis has spent his whole life trying to live by the advice his mother gave him before he died, and he's always taken the edicts of his father and brothers to heart. He wants to be with the perfect woman one day, the one who's going to be everything to him, the one he can take home to his family, but right now he feels he's surrounded by women of loose character who aren't worth his time. If they let him 'bag' them on the first day, how can they be worthy of his time?Jamie McGuire has tried valiantly to make me like Travis, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. He's still violent and volatile, except now we know why. It doesn't help that he suffers from mind blanks and frequently has no idea how he ended up beating the crap out of someone who mildly annoyed him. He's instantly fascinated by Abby, becoming increasingly enamoured as she defies his expectations again and again. I hated how dependant he became on her once they finally got together. While his behaviour was frightening in Beautiful Disaster, in this book he bordered on pathetic, literally losing his ability to function without Abby by his side (not brushing his teeth for days? Yuck).While in Beautiful Disaster I was frequently throwing my hands in the air at Travis' actions, in this book I was doing the same because of Abby's reactions. Travis is so blissfully unaware that anything is wrong that it really throws him off when Abby leaves - and she leaves him multiple times without trying to talk to him or work anything out. It seemed so reasonable in the first book, but I found it frustrating and rude throughout this one. Walking Disaster throws light on exactly how dysfunctional this couple really is, and again, I am struck at the author's gritty view.I think it took a lot of guts to write a book like Beautiful Disaster, but it took something extra to write it from Travis' point of view. Walking Disaster dovetails well with the previous book, and the two, when taken together, tell and raw and unflinching story of a couple that really should have avoided one another like the plague, but somehow ended up with their own version of happy ever after.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.