Abby Abernathy has lead a rough life; living in her father’s
shadow and always to blame for his lack of luck. Her father was considered one
of the best poker players until her thirteenth birthday when he lost any good
luck he may have had and consequently after that night she was known for her
streak of good luck, thus giving her the name lucky thirteen. In an attempt to
get away from the gambling life and her father’s constant blame, she moves
across the country to attend college at Eastern University. In an attempt to
change her life around she starts over by becoming the typical good girl, she
starts wearing cardigans not swearing or drinking and avoiding any type of “bad
boys”. Until one night when she is dragged to an underground fight by her best
friend America, where she witnesses Travis “Mad Dog” Maddox in action and
realizes why every girl seems to be obsessed with him.
After a period of flirtation and getting to know each other,
they become close friends. However Abby is in serious denial when it comes to
the parameters of their relationship, because it quickly becomes noticeable
that Travis has deeper feelings for Abby than she believes. Abby cannot seem to
trust her feelings for Travis however because she moved across the country to
escape the life that he seems to be waist deep in, so once she realizes their
true feelings she does everything she can think of to prevent herself from
being hurt again.
This story is different than other stories by Jamie McGuire
since it is an adult romance novel, her other novels are typically in the young
adult category. McGuire created an amazing story full of romance, heartache,
and lust. The characters Abby and Travis have a magnetic romance that will have
you laughing at times and wanting to throw the book across the room at others
but no matter the ups and downs this book is impossible to put down.