Beautiful Failure Tour Stop!!

If you're looking for a heartwarming story about a girl who falls deeply in love with a troubled boy who changes her life--a sob story with pretty metaphors and a million ways that'll tell you how "broken" she is, STOP. Don't read another word of this.

I'm not that type of girl.

My name is Emerald Anderson and I'm not going to bullshit you: I flunked out of college after my sophomore year, I've been fired from every job I've ever taken, and I've never had a fully functioning relationship in my life.

I wish I could say that I had a cheerleader in my corner, someone who says, "No, Emerald--You're great and you are good at something!" but I don't. My grandparents are completely oblivious to my life, and my mother's dying words to me were "You're going to end up just like me one day. A beautiful nothing."

She was right.
As I decide to start my life over and take two jobs that will forever change me--one from the inside, and one from the outside, I keep my mother's words close to my heart so I can keep the sexy and mysterious Carter Black away.

He's the first man who's ever pursued me, the first man who seems bent on finding out why I am the way I am, but he's wasting his time.

I'm not broken. I don't need to be fixed. I'm perfectly fine being a beautiful failure...

This is one of those rare books with an anti-heroine.  You get a lot of anti-heroes in this genre, but very few anti-heroines.  And let me tell you, you will really dislike Emerald.  In every sense of the word, it will be difficult at first to want good things for her.  But hang in there, dear reader…hang in there!

Emerald has had a very sad and unconventional life.  Raised by a mother who was a drug addict, she has a difficult time forming relationships with people.  She never has really thought that she was worth more than what she had to offer people on the outside.  When tragedy strikes and she goes to live with her grandparents, she has a hard time coping.  Her coping mechanisms are…not the best.  As her life begins to change, and she meets new people that attempt to help her break old patterns and somehow, she begins to see herself differently.

You know a book is going to be good when it starts out with “My mother is a whore”.  Mental note to self: do not let my daughters read this book, lest they form some ideas about me.  Anyway, it pretty much grabs you from the get-go.  And the characters are new and fresh, I think.  Emerald, as I said, is just not a very good person.  I mean, one part of me felt bad for her because she’s had a crappy life, but the other part of me just thought she was a straight up bitch.  Carter Black…he was enigmatic.  A mystery, wrapped in a puzzle, shrouded in a conundrum.  Carter is hot, mysterious and he wants Emerald.  And Carter gets what he wants.

I really liked the chemistry between Carter and Emerald.  She’s a challenge, that’s for sure, and it was fun to read about.  Overall, though, this is really a story about growth.  You see Emerald go through a lot of changes through the course of the story, and it’s honestly a really interesting and emotional metamorphosis.  She won me over by the end; I bet she’ll win you too.

The writing in this book is good; the plot – while not incredibly original – was well paced and interesting to follow.  I liked this book, and I give it 4 stars.

“You have a very beautiful name, Emerald.” Carter sits down again and hands me two brownies.

“Thank you.”

“I take it that buying you brownies doesn’t make me any less of a stranger?”

“Excellent guess.”

“Hmmm.” He watches me take small bites. “Do you like your job here?”

“No.”

“That’s good. I don’t think customer service is for you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Someone like you should never be allowed to work directly with people—or any breathing organisms for that matter.” He’s grinning, and I want to laugh but I keep it inside. “How old are you?” His voice is serious all of a sudden.

“How old do you want me to be?”

“Legal.”

“Do I look like a minor?”

“No, but it’s always good to double check.”

“Young girls have been a problem for you in the past?”

He laughs. “You have a very smart mouth.”

“Pay me enough and I’ll show you what I can really do with it.”

He raises his eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

I don’t back down. That’s one of Leah’s old lines—it used to net her an easy four hundred bucks, and I’ve often wondered what would happen if I ever used it.

“Are you propositioning me to pay you for a blowjob?”

“Is that what it sounds like?”

“It does.” He smirks. “It also sounds like you’re full of it.”

I blink, and then I burst into laughter. “It was a joke.”

“So you are a child?”

I roll my eyes and stand up. “Whatever. Enjoy your coffee.” I walk away without letting him get another word out.

Sexy as hell or not, I don’t need an unnecessary distraction; I need to focus on getting out of this city.

Mariah Cole is a Starbucks addict (hazelnut shots please!), New Adult author, and an incessant daydreamer. Known for pushing the envelope, she’s an avid reader of indie books and is always looking to chat with readers and authors alike.

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