Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron

I participated in the blog tour hosted by Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours 

Title: Deeper We Fall

Author: Chelsea M. Cameron
Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Release Date: January 24th, 2013

Publisher: DRC Publishing 

Pages: 280

Format: Electronic Copy

Acquired: From Author 

Interest: Series

Age Group: Young Adult

Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart.

Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie's face.

Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can't help but listen.

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie's discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.

 Acceptance. Forgiveness. Love. Redemption.

This novel really took me by surprise. It was interesting reading it, after not reading for what feels like a long time. It was a "wake up" call, in a sense, because I almost forgot what it was like to read something so well written with characters that take you in right away. This novel swept me away from the beginning and I was happy to get the chance to review it.

Lottie's life is all about moving on and forgetting, ever since a car accident that left her best friend with a traumatic brain injury. She feels like college is just the escape that she needs, until the men responsible for the car accident reappear in her life. One who enjoys to bring back the cruel past that Lottie thought she could leave behind, and the other who she finds herself attracted to.

But is two years enough to forgive? And if not, is there ever a chance for such a thing? These are the questions that Lottie is facing as she realizes that there are two roads ahead of her: One that would involve running from her past or the other that would open the doors to those that have hurt her.

This novel opened up a lot of questions and the way that Cameron drove these characters I felt was great. I loved them all (Zack only because he lived up to his reputation), and Cameron didn't make the choice that Lottie had to face very obvious; the readers were kept at the edge of their seat the whole time.

I would recommend this book heavily.

The Reason for Being Absent

This semester I have been more absent than usual and pretty much not doing any type of reviews. And if I did review it was for a blog tour or something, and even that I was lacking in terribly. The only reason, though, that I have been so absent is for a good reason. Or at least I think it was a good reason.

Even though I know I don't own anyone here any explanations, I just really want to share this with everyone because I am super excited and super proud of all that I've done.

I'm number three, by the way. I decided to pledge for a sorority and I'm glad to say that I made it to the end of the line with these three women by my side. The reason I don't reply to emails or update is because half of my time I spent with these women and my process and the other half was dedicated to school.

Hopefully now that I'm done I'll have more time to dedicate to blogging much more than usual. I have been reading, I have some twenty books that are overdue for a review. So, I want to get through it as soon as possible and catch up.

Thank you for bearing with me!

Surface by Tiffany Daune

I participated in the blog tour hosted by Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours

Title: Surface
Author: Tiffany Daune
Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Release Date: February 1st, 2013
Publisher: Noble Young Adult
Pages: 252
Acquired: For Review
Format: Electronic Copy
Age Group: Young Adult

Bound to the water bound to land, a Siren’s soul will never be safe on either side of the ocean’s surface. Hidden beneath the rolling waves lies the secret to Theia’s past and as she unveils each haunting truth, she realizes the last seventeen years of her life have been a lie. Now, drawn into a mysterious new world and with nowhere to turn, Theia must place her trust in Luc, a beautiful boy who stops her heart with each dazzling smile, but even his unearthly charm can’t hide the truth—he has secrets— dark secrets binding him to his world—an underwater world where Theia will never belong—a world determined to destroy her soul.

I have to say, I don't read many books on sirens but when I do, I am rarely disappointed. This book was no exception to the fact.

When Theia is kidnapped by strangers, unsure of why or what they will do to her, they throw her into the water, and she's saved by Luc, the main love interest. Soon, Theia discovers that not everything is what it seems.

The novel took me in right away. I'm a huge fan of various points of views because, while I am a fan of first person, there's a lot more that goes on with different versions. The changes helped the story a lot and for the most part I felt pulled it together nicely.

I was a fan of Theia. She grew on me rather quickly and I liked seeing the different stages she went through and it helped me a lot, as the reader, understanding her. Daune takes the time to develop her beautifully.

Another thing I am a huge fan of is the mythologies that each author takes the time to develop. I love it even more when they do it right and not confuse the reader. It was a great addition to the tale and cleaned up a lot of questions.

If you aren't a mermaid fan, I recommend you read this because you may just change your opinion on the mermaid mythology. I'm surprised this genre hasn't blown up yet!

Cover Reveal: Control by Kim Curran

Goodreads


Release Date: August 6th, 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Scott Tyler is not like other teenagers. With a single thought he can alter reality around him. And he can stop anyone else from doing the same.

That's why he's so important to ARES, the secret government agency that regulates other kids like him: Shifters.

They've sent him on a mission. To track down the enigmatic Frank Anderson. An ex-Shifter who runs a project for unusual kids - as if the ability to change your every decision wasn't unusual enough. But Anderson and the kids have a dark secret. One that Scott is determined to discover.

As his obsession with discovering the truth takes him further away from anyone he cares about, his grip on reality starts to weaken. Scott realises if he can't control his choices, they'll control him

I don't know about anyone here, but I am absolutely ecstatic for this book! I loved the first one and now the story continues!

Love's Forbidden Flower by Diane Rinella

 

I participated in the blog tour hosted by Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours

Title: Love's Forbidden Flower
Author: Diane Rinella
Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Release Date: November 28th, 2012
Publisher: Midnight to six
Pages: 309
Format: Electronic
Acquired: From Author; Blog Tour
Interest: Series
Age Group: Young Adult

The heart cares not what society forbids.

Lily nurtures a secret love for a flawless man—the one who is her soul mate. Donovan is gorgeous, charismatic, and delights in all of Lily’s talents and quirks. Their innate knowledge of each other is almost telepathic. Together they interlock like fine threads creating luxurious silk.

But society dictates this picture-perfect adoration is the ghastliest of all possibilities.

As Lily embarks on a quest for the romance the heavens intended, her suitor turns reluctant. Desperate to uncover why Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hiding decayed from a tender-hearted gentleman into a ferociously self-serving, cocky bastard, Lily is prepared for battle when it comes to the salvation of her soul mate. However, Donovan traps Lily in a mental game of chess, leaving her to question his sanity. When Lily’s revelations about Donovan’s destructive alter ego lead to an inconceivable truth, can she help Donovan survive fate’s cruel joke?

Impassioned, witty, and deeply moving, Love’s Forbidden Flower is filled with stunning controversies that will forever haunt your heart

I honestly don't even know how to start this review or even what to say in general.

To me, Rinella presented a wonderfully crafted tale that you expect to be just a simple ride and are instead blown into another world of love. And her writing! I'm in love. The way she wrote and showed Lily's murky thoughts put me straight into Lily's shoes.

There was a lot to take in: Sadness, happiness, romance, depression, confusion, patience - a whirlwind of other emotions that I started to question my own sanity.

When Lily gets trapped into a vicious game for the sake of her mind and the man she loves, how far will she go to get back what belongs to her? I wasn't sure how this story would play out and I had my doubts about even finishing it, because the confusion that I was sure would come. It's not easy to write a novel that leaves the reader trying to follow into the confusing haze that the characters live in, but when an author can do it, they can present a wonderful book.

Rinella takes the reader into a mind-playing game and the ending. Goosebumps. There really isn't much I can say, except to be prepared, I guess is the best way I can put it. Take it all in and just be prepared for anything because this book is not what it seems.

The Kings of Charleston by Kat H. Clayton

I participated in the blog tour hosted by Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours

Title: The Kings of Charleston
Author: Kat H. Clayton
Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Release Date: July 10th, 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 348
Format: Electronic Copy
Acquired: From Author
Interest: Series
Age Group: Young Adult

Casper Whitley is forced to move to Charleston, South Carolina where she’ll be the new kid her senior year of high school. Casper’s upset about the move until she meets the Roman family’s gorgeous son, Cal, but there’s a problem. A mystery surrounds him which can be summed up in one word…Kythera. Never heard of it? Neither has Casper until she finds the word tattooed on cars, paintings and all her new friends.

After Casper’s life is threatened, someone is forced to tell the truth about her parents, the Romans and Kythera’s motives for her being in Charleston. Once the truth is revealed, she must decide whether to protect her family and Kythera’s secrets or walk away from everything she has ever known

A fun mixture of romance and mystery all thrown together into one big novel, where a central theme keeps asking the same question and wondering what is going on.

When Casper moves to Charleston, South Carolina she finds more there than what she had originally anticipated, especially when it comes to Cal and his family. And when it comes to the town as a whole and the one mysterious word: Kythera.

Why I liked the mystery aspect of this so well is that Clayton didn't say that 2+ blank = 5. She gave an entire equation into the mystery instead of laying it out for the reader to see, and that added to the tangled mystery and how it worked to the benefit of the story as a whole.

Her writing, on top of that, was amazing. The words connected and drew the readers in from page one. The one thing that kept going was on what Kythera meant, and just who was Casper herself.

And of course the story between Casper and Cal - well, I'm always a sucker for a good romance. 

While there were a lot of great aspects to the story, some parts left me a little shaky. One of them had to deal with the characters. Her writing was well, but sometimes I kept going back to the characters and seeing that there wasn't much development at all. While resolutions may have happened, I didn't see the growth that I would have liked.

And I think what set my teeth on edge a little was what happened in the end. I know this is a series, especially since book 2 is about to be released, so I wasn't expecting the wrap up that happened in this book until the last one or at least to let it hang over into the second novel. Yet, Clayton closed up like that was the final and even beginning a new plot, or at least from where I stood that's how it felt like.

Despite these moments, I still found the book enjoyable enough to make it to the end and even anticipate the second book.

Fraction of Stone by Kelley Lynn

I participated in the blog tour hosted by Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours

Title: Fraction of Stone
Author: Kelley Lynn
Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Release Date: March 21st, 2013
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Pages: 293
Format: Electronic Copy
Acquired: From Author
Interest: Series
Age Group: Young Adult

Wind tunnels, torrential rains and earthquakes tear apart Casden. The cause of the world’s imbalance is unknown, but the mounting occurrences suggest there’s little time before life ceases to exist.

Rydan Gale and Akara Nazreth are the only humans with the ability to wield magic. The tattoo on their necks and the discovery of an ancient book, dictate they are the key to the world’s survival.

But the greatest obstacle for saving mankind isn’t the bizarre creatures, extreme betrayals and magic-fearing men hunting them.

It’s that Akara doesn’t believe the world is worth saving

I have to say, I don't know what I loved more about this novel. The romance between Akara and Rydan or the plot that just take the reader away into another place.

Lynn really had me impressed me from the gripping beginning when Rydan finds Akara in jail, and the moment he sees her he knows that he has to take her with him. After Rydan takes Akara to his instructor, they both try to find answers to who they are: magic welding Namaqua people, the last two, actually, remaining in the world.

When they find out that they have the ability to save the world, Akara is not interested. The girl has had a rough life and doesn't want to save a world that has abused her greatly.

And the journey and adventure that they take throughout the tale, facing crazy whether and evil Faris, who have been angered by Rydan's action in taking Akara in the first place.

The world made is wonderful and full of such imagination, I really want to know where Lynn got all this from.

This story sweeps you away in another place that you never been before and it is just wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!