To Be Published November 26, 2013 by Harlequin Teen

Source: Netgalley with permission from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand. Previously titled Masked.

I really enjoyed Ms. Carter's The Goddess Test series, so when I saw that she was going to write a dystopian series, I was so there!!

With all the dystopians coming out recently, I really, really felt that Ms. Carter did a wonderful job for creating a unique and intriguing story. Upon their seventeenth birthday, they have to take a test to determine how they will be categorized for job placement and basically social status. Lily had always dreamed of becoming a VI, but when she takes her test and runs out of time, she is left being a III. III's are in the lower social classes and she would be moved to Denver soon to start her job. Away from the only mother she has ever known and the most important person in her life, her boyfriend, Benjy. She hatches a plan and although it is risky, she needs to stay close to Benjy. What she doesn't know is that the choices she makes will change her life forever.

This book really kept me guessing. I could never tell or imagine what would happen next. Ms. Carter did a great job with surprising the reader with so many twists and turns. There literally were times that I had to stop and take a breath because I could not believe that had just happened. Some points in this book were down right heartbraking but I literally could not stop myself from reading it.

I enjoyed all of the characters but Knox would have to be my favorite. I liked that he stuck by Kitty's side and was determined to keep her safe. I really think that they have a special spark and although I would feel really sorry for Benjy, I really hope that Knox and Kitty will end up together.

I am really having a hard time putting into words how much this book was thoroughly enjoyable. It made me put faith back into the world of dystopians and want to go search for my next great read! Ms. Carter created a unique world where the guards are trigger happy and hunting the elderly has become a sport. I am telling you, you have to read it!!! You will be left breathless as well!

*This was book one of my Netgalley November reads:)

My first thought was "Wow, this author is so brave to write a book about such a taboo subject!" Once I got into the guts of the book itself, my next thought was "holy crap! This author really gets into specifics!" My final thought after reading the book in it's entirety was "I hope this author will be writing a sequel?"

Fault Line is not for the faint at heart! If you are not interested in hearing gory details regarding a rape victim, then maybe this is not the book for you. Ms. Desir did not hold back and I really loved that aspect of the book. I enjoyed feeling the different emotions, gasping in shock and tearing up right along with the characters. Ben could basically have any girl he wants, but as soon as he meets Ani, his mind is made up. Ani is literally a free spirit. She has no filter and tells it exactly like it is. The beginning of the book is all about their relationship and how happy they seemed to have made each other. Disaster strikes one evening at a party and Ben tries his hardest to bring his old Ani back to him.

Let's talk Ani...I personally loved her but had such a hard time picturing someone so strong in personality turning into the mess she was by the end of the book. By the end, I was astonished at some of the things that she was doing. I literally had my mouth hanging open and my eyes were bugging out!

On the topic of Ben...The whole book is from Ben's POV. This was an extremely unique concept to write a book about how the boyfriend deals with what he is going through when his girlfriend is sexually assaulted. I loved Ben. He seemed to be written like perfect boyfriend material. He literally stuck with Ani through thick and thin.

The ending kind of through me for a loop! The story just sort of stopped and the writer has an extremly good explanation for why she had done this. The build up at the end was heart wrenching and just came to an abrupt hault! Even with an ending like that, I still really enjoyed the book. I had started this book immediately upon getting it in the mail and finished it in one sitting. There was no putting it down once I started. I would not have been able to sleep if I had to wonder what would happen with these characters.

The cover is interesting in itself and if you end up reading the book, you will find out why it fits perfectly.

If you can get past the content and really focus on the story and what can and does happen every day. I guarentee that you will love this book too!

And now, It is with great pleasure that I welcome Ms. Christa Desir to the blog! Christa was nice enough to answer some questions for me and I really wanted to share them here with you!

NR- I love the character of Ben. I also love the idea of a story from the boyfriend's POV. Was this your plan from the beginning when writing this book or did it just sort of come to fruition like that?

Christa- Yes, it was always from a boyfriend’s POV. I’ve had many good guys in my life, I’ve known many good teen guys, I wanted to write a book about sexual assault where they could identify with someone who wasn’t the perpetrator. That even the stupid things Ben did, they could think, “Yeah, he’s doing stupid things, but he really does have good intentions.” I think having a rape book in the YA cannon that boys can read and talk about and not feel vilified by is integral to starting real conversations between all teens.  

NR- I know that you had previously worked with rape victims, how did you get involved in that capacity?

Christa- When I got out of college, I volunteered on a D/V hotline. After about a year of doing that, I wanted to be more on the front lines of helping people so I started working as a rape victim advocate in hospital ERs. I did that for almost ten years. I saw lots of things, horrible things that make you question people’s humanity and beautiful that make you realize that there are angels in this world in the form of doctors and nurses and friends and partners who care deeply and want to do the right thing for survivors. Ben & Ani’s story is fiction, but I say all the time, it is sort of everyone’s story, everyone who has experienced rape themselves or in a person they love.

NR- Any advice for a family member/friend of someone that has been sexually assaulted?

Christa- My advice always starts with saying “I believe you and I’m sorry this happened.” We forget that rape victims aren’t required to tell us their stories. If they want to share, then listen and hold their hand if they want. But don’t insist they share. Do everything you can to re-empower them. To me, this is giving them as many choices as you possibly can. Also, I think anyone who is touched by this either as a friend/family person of someone assaulted or the victim her/himself should reach out to talk to someone on the RAINN hotline (1-800-656-HOPE). But again, never force a survivor to do this. Allow them the space to make decisions on their own, regain some of the power that was taken away from them.

NR- I know that you must have received a lot of emails/messages about the ending of the book. What was your reason to leave it so open ended?

Christa- I actually wrote a whole blog about this. (http://christaramblesandwrites.blogspot.com/2013/10/on-open-ending-in-fault-line.html). I stand by what I say in that blog. Rape isn’t tidy. It isn’t over after the half hour. Mine occurred over 30 years ago and I’m still living with it. This story was always about Ben figuring out what he could and could not do to help Ani. It was about Ben learning that you can’t force healing on a survivor, you can’t dictate the timeline. For me, the ending was Ben’s ending because he finally understood what we the reader knew all along.

NR- I also know that there are a lot of people that would love to see a follow up to this book. Me, Me!!! Would there be any chance of a sequel from Ani's point of view while in recovery?

Christa- To be really honest, I don’t think I could ever write this story from Ani’s POV. With Ben, I was able to find a little personal distance. But being inside Ani’s head, having to battle shame and doubt and culpability, I think it would break me a little. My story is not Ani’s, but I live with my own shame and culpability every day. When I was younger, that was around me getting into a stranger’s car when I knew I shouldn’t have. As I’ve gotten older, my shame is around the fact that I didn’t tell anyone what happened to me for almost ten years and there’s a very good chance that the perpetrator did it again. I’ve had a long road of trying to reconcile this, but I think I’d always be too close to the rawness of Ani’s feelings to do her story justice.  

This or That:

Ice Cream or Cake? Cheese (sorry, I’m salty more than sweetJ)  

Hard Cover or E book? Hard Cover (I read manuscript submissions on my e-reader for my day job so I avoid e-books)

Dog or Cat? I have a dog, I wish I had a cat but my son is allergic. I love my dog, but I had a superhero cat that was the best animal ever.  

Summer or Winter? Summer  

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate  

One last question,

NR- What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Christa- Well, pretty soon ARCs will be available for my second book BLEED LIKE ME which comes out in Fall 2014. I have several other projects in the fire at varying degrees of completion. I’m NaNoing a book with no swears that is sort of sentimental and sweet (I like challengesJ). I’ve completed an even darker book than FAULT LINE about a sexual predator, but I’m sitting on it for a while because I don’t think I’m ready to put it out in the world. I have a collaboration with Jolene Perry that I completely love (news on this one soon!). I have a girl-girl love story that is half-written. I have a crazy YA American Psycho-type horror novel that needs to be revised. I’m a mess of projects, honestly.

Thank you Christa for taking the time to answer my questions! Also, thanks to Simon Pulse fo the hardcover review copy!! You rock:)

I am starting to feel like I am always looking for a new partner?

When Di, Lacey & Lisa were with me, we made an awesome team! But unfortuantely, life gets in the way and everyone needs to figure out their priorities. I know that I have lacked a few times with the blog over the last two years but always find myself coming back:)

I love blogging, reviewing and reading and am looking for someone that feels the same!

I only have a few requests:

1. MUST enjoy YA fiction or Adult Romance/Erotica.

2. MUST be willing to obtain their own ARCs/Review copies. I am not saying that I will never send this person books. As long as they live in the US. (I actually have a few books that need reviewing and I am ready to send out) But, we would need to work out a system for obtaining ARCs. Willing to sign up for Netgalley & Edelweis.

3. MUST want to be a full fledge partner with equal rights to the blog. I am looking for someone that wants to make the blog better and has lots of ideas and brings them to the table. I would also like to find someone that has a compatible personality as mine. I really am fun loving but tend to be a little type A. Especially with the blog. But, I like to have fun with it!!!

4. MUST WANT TO HAVE FUN!!!!!

If you are or you know someone whom may be interested, Please send them my way!!!

I can be emailed at hyouse@hotmail.com

Also, if you could PLEASE cross post this, that would be great:)

This was the first novel that I had read by Mr. Wells. Going in, I had no idea of what I was in store for. The blurb didn’t really give away much information, but it intrigued me enough to REALLY want to read this book! Also, the cover is kind of amazing. Just the fact that the book is about a virus, well, of course I wanted it!

There were many different POVs in this story. Mr. Wells did a fine job with allowing us to see things from many character’s perspective all while allowing the reader to differentiate whom we were with at the time. I had read many other books that had so many POVs that it would get a little confusing as to whom was speaking or thinking. I DID NOT HAVE THAT WITH THIS BOOK! Which was wonderful because I love to get inside the heads of the many different characters.

The storyline was awesomesauce! It kind of reminded me of X-Men. I enjoyed the fact that no two characters had the same powers! And there were a lot! Alec can place thoughts into people’s minds, Laura is VERY strong & Fast, Dan can split concrete with his mind, Aubrey can become invisible and Jack, well…I do not want to give any spoilers!!  Just know that this book is full of action! It was fast paced and will keep you on your toes:-)

There was a little bit of romance in this first installment. Not too much mushy gushy, but I am curious as to what will become of the two love birds. You all know how much I love me some romance in my books!

The ending was wrapped up pretty good and did not leave the reader on too much of a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what becomes of all these characters and I am excited to actually meet more like this! I love the super powers aspect of this book!

Published June 25, 2013 by HarperTeen Source:

Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts

I had read this book a while back and am really unsure why I did not post a review???

If you enjoy a good zombie apocolypse story, than you will enjoy this book! The author tweaked the version of zombies that we are very accustomed to. She made them move really fast and with very sensitive hearing. This made for an even better read since the characters could not just run through a group of flesh eaters and come out unscathed.

The book starts off with poor Amy awaiting her parent's arrival home from work. She is watching the news on TV and sees that the rest of the world is devastated. She is fearful for herself and her parents and is faithful that they will be arriving home soon and everything would be okay. Hours turn into days and days turn into weeks before Amy truly realizes that her parents are NOT coming home. The cable has gone out, as well as the radio and her cell. She realizes that she must leave the house in search of food or she will surly die herself. She has studied the zombies over time and knows exactly when to leave and how to handle herself.

I loved reading about Amy's first adventure out of the house. She was so shy, scared and cautious! The relationship between her and "Baby" was written beautifully. I enjoyed that they had their own language and never spoke a word to each other for fear of the zombies. I loved that Amy was so protective over her even though she was hesitant to even take her home at first. One would think that their relationship would be like a mother/daughter since baby was so young when she came to live with Amy, but it was more like a sisterly bond. The ending of the story leaves you on a little cliff, hanging on to the ledge for dear life. You have all these little questions in your mind about what will happen next. I can't wait for the next book in the series, In The End. This book is due to be published on June 14, 2014.  I may be the first one in line for it!!

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts

Published September 17, 2013 by Farrar, Strauss & Giroux

Source: ARC from publisher in exchange of an honest review.

My Thoughts

I have read a few reviews lately on this book and I was surprised at the amount of people that rated it low!!!!! Personally, I thought it was brilliant and the writing was beautiful. It captured my attention and held it through the whole book. The characters were well written and likeable to the point that I was saddened when the end finally came.

Firstly, I must talk about the cover! This was the first thing that I had noticed about this book and I knew that I wanted to read it even before reading the blurb. The cover is uh-mazing!!!

This book was written in 3 POVs following three seperate teens. There is an asteroid about to hit the earth and obliterate our planet. The whole book revolves around the issues that are going on in the teens lives and how they spend their last week alive. They each have their own story and they learn something about themselves and those they love by the events that are happening. Many may think that the book’s main focus would be the asteroid and the chaos that goes along with it. It most definitely is not. The book is really about the lives of these lost souls.

I was having a hard time trying to figure out how all three main characters were going to intersect and it doesn’t happen until the end of the book. The ending really was left up to the reader on what we think may or may not have happened. I am not sure if there will be a follow up to this book and honestly, I don’t think it needs one.

I'm in a reading slump:(

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ll--c4SaQ&w=420&h=315]

My Thoughts

I was lucky enough to beta read this book for the author and let me tell you people, IT IS GOOD!!!! Keep an eye out for more videos coming soon!!!

About the Author

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

Site - http://www.nazareaandrews.com/ Blog - http://www.nazarea-andrews.blogspot.com/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/NazareaAndrews Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nazarea-Andrews/43623123516

If you would like to join Nazarea's Street Team, Please go to the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/427502530700422/

All members receive a welcome packet and can earn points for their team!!

PLEASE TELL THEM HEATHER FROM NIGHTLYREADING SENT YOU:)

I

CAN’T

BELIEVE

THE SERIES

IS OVER!

Okay. *sniffs* I think I am calm enough to write this review! *blows nose*

I cannot express how much I love this series. I never in a million years expected to enjoy this type of book and Janelle has opened my eyes to a whole new world of reading.

There are so many answers that we gain in this last book that I really had a hard time putting it down and trying to even sleep at night. YES!!! It is that good!!!

I really enjoyed the storyline right from the beginning. Aiden entering a whole other world and fighting along side his new friends. It gripped my heart and I fell in complete love with all of these characters. I enjoyed watching them grow both individually and as a whole to fight for their land and beliefs.

I really did not think that this book could top the last book in making me cry, but this book completely shattered my heart. The characters go through so much, especially Aiden. He finds out what he truly is, the group loses lives of loved ones, there’s a wedding and Aiden needs to make a huge decision.

I enjoyed the ending and was very thankful to Ms. Stalder for giving us insight into what would be happening around Eden after-the-fact. I truly hope that we will get to see these characters again. I know that there will be a spin-off series, Elysium, but I need me some Wolf! *wink-wink*

JANELLE!!

You know that you are an auto-buy, always for me:) You have a wonderful heart and an ability to create crafty stories.

Don’t ever change!

HUGS!!! XOXO

This book was so much better than I had anticipated! I really thought that it would kind of be all gooey and mushy. That we would get to see Sawyer fall head over heels in love OR we would see her fall into an abyss of depression from the loss of her boyfriend. We saw little glimpses of both of these things but really, the premise is that someone is setting Sawyer up. She is now being questioned by the police and people who have wronged her are disappearing every day. She starts to wander if maybe she is losing her mind and missing small pieces of her life, that maybe she could be the one harming all of these people.

I enjoyed the character of Sawyer. Even though she basically had been bullied by Kevin, she still has a strong will and will not let it get her down. She tries to hide what had happened between them and really thought that she had done a good job at it until she finds the note in her locker. Your Welcome! That is really creepy and when I had actually read that part in the book, I had shivers up my spine. I ran to may daughter and had to explain what the book was about. She agreed with me that this was a GREAT storyline!!! Very intriguing!

The ending had me really shocked!!! I never suspected, not once! I really had thought it was someone else. This just goes to show that Ms. Jayne did a fantastic job with the characters and pacing. The “bad guy” was very well hidden that I am not sure if anyone would suspect this person?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and thought it made a fantastic read. I will be on the lookout for more to come from Ms. Jayne. Please go HERE to read a guest post written by the author which she tells a story of her personal inspiration for this book!

I have read a whole bunch of NA titles recently. This one left me.....

All of you that know me well, know that my favorite, favorite book of all time is what?????

That's right Beautiful Disaster. Well this book was not exactly like it, but, there were some similarities and I LOVED IT!!!!!

Camryn's boyfriend was a real tool and she has had a troubled past. When he cheats on her, she goes into a downward spiral, locks herself in her room for days, stops eating and pretty much just sleeps her life away. It is up to her BFF to get her ass up and moving. And that is exactly what she did!!! She decides that she just needs some fun and has a one night stand...or so she thought!

Dallas loves women and he is very honest with them when he tells them that he doesn't do relationships. Camryn is all for that, but why does that bother him so much and what is it about this girl who gets under his skin?

I loved both characters. Camryn is a planner all the way. She basically had her whole life mapped out. Dallas is a player and he knows it. He drives a Harley that only fits one. He could never imagine wanting to take a girl on his bike. He never thought that he could ever fall for one woman.

Their love is a little messy and not at all gushy. I love when that happens because when the gushy part comes, it makes me swoon even more. AND, I can't forget the reference to Dirty Dancing! Can I say la swoon?

Typical Angeline, she creates these swoony characters and makes you fall in love with them. Now, I am left wondering which types of books I like better that she has written? Paranormal or NA? Well, I guess she will just have to keep writing more so that I can decide??? Angeline!!! Keep 'em comin!!!

To be published November 5, 2013 by Balzer & Bray

Source: ARC from publisher in exchange of an honest review.

When I first started this book, I was throughly confused. It took getting through the first couple of chapters until I understood what exactly was going on and what exactly they were talking about. After that, I was engrossed and sped through the rest of the it.

Mr. William’s created a futuristic world and put a little twist on things. The premise is that of a teen girl (Clair) living in a world where they can actually travel through ports. Not really to different times but to other places. For instance, Clair lives in Maine but goes to school in California. She has a port in her apartment building and steps in every morning and heads off to school like our kids would get the bus. I thought this world seemed really exciting! They could have friends all over the world and just visit them, no problem! They also have an eye piece which to me seemed kind of like what we consider the world wide web. But they are always connected.

So what happens when someone finds a way to produce a special code that can change a persons genetic make up when they travel through a port? This is exactly what happens when Clair’s superficial best friend receives an email stating that she could change anything about herself. But Clair notices a change in Libby and sets out on the most dangerous hunt of her life to find answers and try to save her best friend.

I wasn’t really sure about this book, but like I said, the more I read, the more I just needed to find out how it all ends!  My favorite character was Clair. She seemed so delicate and weak in the beginning of the book and I love to see how much a character changes through a sequence of events. By the end, she was ready to take on the whole world. And really did!

The ending seemed a little flat to me, but I felt that it wrapped up nicely. It did seem a little open ended to where there could possibly be another book in our future…maybe??? I would recommend this book to any sci-fi futuristic lover. I really enjoyed it myself and I do not really have a love of these types of books.

If you had read Shadowlands, you will NOT want to miss out on the second book in the series!!

Rory is trying to make the best of a difficult situation by spending time with her sister and getting to know the locals. She finds out a whole lot more about Juniper Landing, probably more than she had wanted to know in the first place. She is also struggling to try to keep her family safe.

There are a few new characters in this book and let me tell you, they give Rory a run for her money. They are not as welcomeing as the others. As strange things start happening on the island, Rory gets a glimpse as to what her purpose will be for the rest of her life and when this purpose starts to threaten her family, she starts falling apart.

I really enjoyed Rory in this book. She was trying to be so strong, but she has a big heart and wants to keep those she loves close to her. Tristan is trying to be understanding and teach her the way but there is another force threatening the island. Things are changing and although Rory needs all their help, they also need to find out whom is threatening them with the changes.

Tristan was so sweet, trying to help Rory with anything that she needs. There were definitely sparks flying and you do not want to miss the blossoming of Rory and Tristan’s relationship!

There were several heartbraking moments during the book. YES, you all know that I am a big sapp. So I was definitely tearing up. Okay, okay…more like sobbing! Give a girl a break!

I think that this is only a trilogy. *crosses fingers* I can’t wait to find out how this all ends.

Will Rory be able to keep her family with her? Will Tristan and Rory be able to keep their relationship alive?

I can’t wait for the next book! I have not seen anything about it yet, but, I will keep my eyes peeled for it!!!

With all of the New Adult titles out there, I am honestly getting really confused. They all seem to have the same plot twists and there seems to be a HUGE calling for NA. I have recently shied away from all things New Adult since it seems that if you have read one book, you have read them all. BUT, this one was different!!! There were no similarities in this book compared to the others. This love was basically scarred and needed to be re-healed many times over. The plot wasn't your typical girl finds boy and they fall in love. The main character, Reena, had been in love with this boy forever. And now he has to do everything in his power to win her back after the huge mistake that he made. The one REALLY big twist was that they already have a child. This is Ms. Cotugno's debut novel and I can tell you that she is one to watch! Her writing style was really what sucked me into the book itself and I really enjoyed the storyline. I had moments of sadness, moments of laughter and moments of shear frustration while reading. THAT, right there ladies and gentlemen is what makes a good book GREAT!!! Throughout the whole story, we received glimpses of before and glimpses of after. We were allowed to view Reena's thoughts and how much she loved Sawyer from the very beginning all the while seeing what their relationship was like the whole way through. It allowed us to get the whole back story but not straight away, Katie gave us little snippets here and there to keep the momentum and suspense alive until the very end. The ending was very true-to-life. Not so much a happily ever after but very real! I send a big thank you out to the publisher for allowing me advanced access to this awesome book and fantastic new author! And to Katie Cotugno.......I will be watching you! LOL