Married to the Bad Boy by Letty Scott

Married to the Bad Boy by Letty Scott

I didn't marry him out of love, nor because I liked him.  I didn't marry him for his family money or wealth, or for popularity.  Truth be told, I could care less about this guy and who he was.  I Married the Bad Boy for protection.

Kami Van always stayed to herself at school and not very many people knew who she was.  She was scared to let anyone close to her and feared going home to an abusive stepfather who used her as a punching bag daily.  That was until the bad boy found out and stepped in.  He took her away from it all, but it only brought more danger into her life.

Holy drama, Batman!  This book reads like a really bad soap opera--the one that everyone makes fun of but are also secretly watching because it is so bad it's good.  This book needs therapy--or maybe I do for reading it.  Either way, something needs to give.  Here are the pertinent bits (by the by, this is incredibly spoiler-ific!): 

1. Kami Van gets beaten daily by her stepfather while her mother laughs and her stepsister eggs it on.
2. Brandon, the school bad boy, sees Kami's bruises one day and decides he will save her by beating up her abuser; this leads to relentless nagging, bullying of school staff to get his schedule changed to match hers, making an announcement on the intercom for everyone to back off of his "girlfriend", and other girls insulting Kami for taking the epitome of male perfection away from them.
3. Kami's stepsister spies on her at school, sees Brandon helping her, rats her out to the stepfather; stepfather decides he needs to show Kami who is boss by raping her; stepsister assists with tying Kami up before advising her stepfather to enjoy himself.
4. Brandon arrives in the nick of time, beats stepfather unconscious, locks stepsister in the closet and removes Kami from the household of hell.
5. Upon passing a chapel, Brandon decides to marry Kami because Kami needs to graduate from high school in order to inherit money from her grandmother and get away from her family.  Obviously marrying Brandon would be the perfect reason for Kami to live with him and not have to return home--every reader is probably thinking it!

And that is the first 25%.  What happens from 25% to 50%?  I am so glad you asked...

1. Kami is hesitant to tell Brandon's parents they are married because...well, even she realizes this plot is insane!  Brandon goes all he-man, his parents throw a hissy for a few sentences, see Kami's bruises and are staunch supporters of their son's nuptials and new bride.  
2. Kami reassures Brandon she realizes she is nothing compared to the girls he usually goes for and gives him permission to continue to sleep around; Brandon manfully declines in order to better protect Kami;  they head down for dinner.
3. Brandon insists they share a bed (even though the house is huge with lots of guest rooms) so Kami can feel protected.  Kami (frequently abused physically and hours out from sexual abuse) climbs right into bed with him.  
4. The following sentence occurs, "I watched as Brandon gets up from the bed and walk over to me..." are there three different tense issues there?  
5. Kami insists on space--she doesn't want to get attached to Brandon.  Brandon agrees with the following caveat: that he always be right by her side.
6. A super-popular girl corners Kami at school saying she knows why Brandon married Kami as Brandon told her while having sex with her in the custodian's closet...Kami believes her and faints out of despair.  Kami finds out that--gasp--popular girl was lying.  
7. Kami joins Brandon and his parents for his godmother's wedding--the groom is a mysterious guy none of them have met.  He's also Kami's biological father--you know, the one who abandoned her to her mother and abusive step-father?  Who immediately recognizes Kami even though he hasn't seen her since she was ten...Kami cries and runs away.  Brandon decks him.  They then return to the reception;  after all, leaving would be rude!  But not as rude as the way Kami publicly shames her father when he requests a dance from her at his own wedding...a dance she gives to Brandon along with their first kiss.  
8. What better to follow an altercation with your long-lost father at his wedding than a walk on the beach?  And who should they run into but Kami's stepfather.  And Brandon's biological dad.  Who was also abusive.  And who both demand Kami be turned over to them immediately so she can be taken to...their master?!?

Yikes!  Okay...50% - 75%, here we come!

1. Brandon tries to fight both men, gets hit in the head with a rock and is out for the count.  Kami runs but is caught.  She blacks out and wakes up in a hospital with amnesia about the event that put her there.  Kami and Brandon both demand to be taken to their spouses immediately!
2. Daddy dearest (who apparently has stone cold eyes) shows up and threatens the lovebirds with lawyers and annulments.
3. Brandon can't remember who attacked them either (or can he? Kami notes his shifty eyes...)
4. Kami's father (and new bride) come over for dinner rather than leave on their honeymoon; Kami calls him out for abandoning her which is apparently news to the new Mrs.
5. We get this wonderful sentence: As the weeks went by, so did the first month.  
6. Some street racing commences.  Jasmine's there and commences with the bitchiness but is put in her place by the married lovebirds.  Brandon punishes her by making out with Kami in front of her.   Brandon wants sexy times after his win but settles for getting drunk instead.
7. Brandon's parents send them on a honeymoon as school is out for the week.  On the plane Brandon is blatantly propositioned, just in case the reader has forgotten how irresistible he is to ALL girls.  Brandon makes out with Kami to punish mean-girl (notice a pattern?)  Also, a random man from the plane ride says threatening remark about Brandon to Kami...mental spazzing on her part commences (or continues, she mentally freaks a lot).  Guy and gal from plane are heard arguing about "the plan" by Kami...who says nothing at all about it to Brandon.
8. Brandon professes his love and confesses to being under Kami's spell since they were in elementary school--a quick back story to make this plausible is explained.    Kami tries to tell Brandon she loves him but he won't let her; so she says it while he is asleep, except he isn't.  Sexy times commence.

We're in the home stretch kids--75% to the end: 

1. Crazy plane guy and gal show up and an altercation commences at the beach.  Brandon and Kami decide to Jet Ski, they are followed by the crazy couple and another altercation commences.  Except this altercation involved lots of men with guns...including Kami's father.  
2. Kami blacks out (of course) and wakes up tied hand and foot, alone in a shack.  Haley (crazy plane girl) taunts Kami about getting Brandon.  Later, Kami's father shows up with the "Story of Why He Hates Kami and Must Ruin Her Life." Summary: Kami's mother died having her, her father paid another woman and her family to raise Kami (although how that works with Kami's father not leaving until she was ten I can't figure out), Kami's grandmother (psycho dad's mother) left everything to Kami giving Daddy the driving need to kill her to reclaim what was rightfully his--and also to punish Kami for "killing" her mother.  
3. Gunshots sound.  Dad starts choking Kami.  More gunshots as someone starts fighting Kami's dad.  Kami (once again) blacks out just after a body falls lifelessly near her.  
4. Kami (once again) wakes up in a hospital.  Apparently she has just woken up from a coma.  No Brandon to be seen (or heard).   Instead some random girl that Kami recalls seeing around Brandon at times who turns out to be his cousin April.  Brandon is in ICU with life threatening gun shot wounds and is getting worse instead of better.
5. Kami blames herself.  
6. While sitting at Brandon's side, his mother reveals that her father's new wife just happened to be an FBI agent who sensed something off about hew new husband's behavior and followed him (to the Dominican Republic!!), found out his devious plan and called for back-up.  She saved Brandon during a gun fight among the gang members, found Emily being choked and fatally shot her new hubby (but not before he shot Brandon).
7. There is this sentence, "...knowing she had to kill him is most likely eating at her."  Gee, you think??
8. Brandon wakes up, they return home, Kami moves into the guest room (completely second-guessing everything from Brandon's feelings for her to his motives for marrying her), and blames herself for everything that happened.  
9. Kami asks for a divorce; Brandon agrees but vows to get her back.
10. They graduate.  They sign divorce papers.  Kami inherits.  Brandon informs her he will be attending her college and asks her to be his girlfriend.  She agrees, knowing he loves her and that she loves him.  She hopes to marry him some day...The End.

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