Summer Lovin Read-a-thon Day 6 - Bad Boys & Summer Flings

Today is day 6 of the Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon and we need to tell about our favorite bad boys of fiction - You know, those guys who make you so crazy, but you love them anyway?  I have to say that I only like a bad boy who isn't truly bad (for instance, Daemon really bothered me in Obsidian because he was just a plain jerk - it wasn't until Onyx that I actually started to like him!).  But there are definitely some bad boys who have made me swoon!

Bad Boys

My favorite (reformed) bad boy of all time has to be Adrian Ivashkov from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.  Sure he started out as a snarky partyer with no serious goals in life who enjoys the company of (many different) women.  But, then we got to know the Adrian who would do anything for the woman he loves.  Who is completely loyal and selfless and, oh yeah, SEXY (okay, he was that all along).  I was ready to kick Rose in the shins for how she treated Adrian and I was so glad that Mead gave us another series so that Adrian can get the love he deserves (hear that, Sydney - you better not mess this up!)  Yep, I'm Team Adrian all the way!!

So, I googled "Who should play Adrian Ivashkov to see the ideas that are out there and these are some of my favorites.  Problem is, I'm terrible at remembering actors' names, so I don't know who any of these people are (except Ian Somerhalder - I always pictured Adrian as being blonde, but Ian can get my vote to play just about any sexy leading man!)

    

Here are a few other honorable mentions:

Arik from Colour Wielders by Dawna Raver - (This book is NA, not YA) I read this book recently and had to fall for Arik.  As I said in my review he's pretty much the perfect bad boy in my opinion.  He's definitely a rebel and he has a very bad reputation, but he can't quite figure out if he wants to live down that reputation or live up to it!  Arik knows that he has to stay away from Quinn (the main character of the book), but he can't do it - and you don't want him to.  He's definitely swoon-worthy!

Travis Walker from Girls Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer (NA, not YA) - I know I just used this book for books that made me cry, but Travis Walker fit this category so well that I had to use him again.  At the beginning of the book, Travis is definitely a bit of a womanizer - a love 'em and leave 'em type.  He's the king of one-night-stands.  But, as the book goes on, you start to realize that Travis is really just trying hard to get through a nearly impossibly difficult life and the women in his life are his only release - the one thing he can control.  He doesn't want to get involved, mostly because he doesn't think he's worth a relationship.  It didn't take long for me to be completely in Travis' corner and I loved seeing him change.

Jack from Poison Princess by Kresley Cole - Jack is probably the baddest of the bad boys that I've listed here, but in this case bad was oh so good!  With his Cajun accent, sometimes rude and crude behavior and his sad backstory, he makes for the ultimate mix of naughty and nice.  Check out my review and you'll see that I was hooked!

Summer Fling

I've never been a fling kind of girl (I married my high school sweetheart after all and we've been happily married for 14 years - together for over 20), but a girl can still have a few fictional flings, right?  Since I just highlighted bad boys, I decided to go the "nice guys don't always finish last" route on this one.  I definitely had to choose Tucker from the Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand.  I mean, come on, the guy just about melted my heart with every interaction between him and Clara.  Seriously sweet and seriously hot.  Can't beat that!  The pictures of of Justin Deeley, who played Austin Tallridge on 90210 and I think he fits the bill quite nicely!

  

Progress on My Goals: 
Day 1: Finished reading Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki.
Completed Challenges (Introduction and Teaser Tidbit)
Day 2: Read 150 pages of The Copyeditor's Handbook (okay, it's not fiction and technically wasn't one of my goal books, but it's still reading!)
Completed Challenges (Must-Have Summer Reads and Cover Re-do)
Day 2: Finished The Copyeditor's Handbook
Read 152 pages of Slammed by Colleen Hoover
Completed Challenges (Favorite Female Character & Page 99 Test)

Day 4: Finished Slammed  by Colleen Hoover 

Read 60 pages of Matt Archer: Monster Hunter by Kendra C. Highley

Completed Challenges (Books that Made Me Cry & Book Spine Poetry)
Day 5: Finished Matt Archer: Monster Hunter by Kendra C. Highley
Completed Challenges (Goal Progress & Book Title Scramble)