Review: You by Caroline Kepnes

Goodreads Summary:

Love hurts...

When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe works, he’s instantly smitten. Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: She’s gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and as sexy as his wildest dreams.

Beck doesn’t know it yet, but she’s perfect for him, and soon she can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom made for her. But there’s more to Joe than Beck realizes, and much more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect façade. Their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences . . .

A chilling account of unrelenting passion, Caroline Kepnes’s You is a perversely romantic thriller that’s more dangerously clever than any you’ve read before.

Publication Date: September 30, 2014

Well, that was different! I think it’s safe to say most readers will not have read anything much like You before. I was a little leery at first because of the second person narration, but Joe hooked me and I pulled an all-nighter to finish the book. You was suspenseful, funny and definitely a little on the bizarre side. But I loved it and I won’t be forgetting Joe and Beck anytime soon.

Second person narration is always tough for me. I usually end up throwing in the towel after the first few chapters. But the narrator of You was so compelling and freaking crazy I had to keep reading. Joe is the stalker of the novel and I found it incredible how I didn’t completely loathe him. He was funny! There was a lot of dark humor in the book and Joe skewers certain classes of people with exact precision. I felt horrible for laughing alongside someone so depraved, but Joe makes you believe many of his actions are almost justifiable.

Beck wasn’t the most likable character and her flaws helped make the book work. If she were this perfect young woman, then the ick factor would be a little too much for me to take. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely felt like I needed a long shower after reading, but Beck’s caustic personality made it easier to stomach some of the creepier things Joe does in his pursuit of her.

The pacing was excellent and I found so many of Joe’s diatribes hilarious. There were so many quotable lines within the book that I stopped highlighting after the first few chapters. Joe works in a bookstore and I loved the way he would come up with these outrageous connections between his life and his favorite books and movies.

The ending I guessed although I was hoping for a different outcome. But in a way the book’s conclusion fit with the overall creepy feel of the novel.  For fans of psychological suspense and thrillers, this book is a must read.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Teaser Tuesday: Pretending Hearts-Coming in October

Right now, I'm working on Pretending Hearts, the next book in the Falling for Autumn series. The book is a standalone with an ending (I'm over writing cliffs!) and will be about Blake's sister Delia. Delia was first introduced in Falling for Autumn and featured more predominantly in Blake's novella Finding Autumn. Below is the synopsis as well as a teaser (unedited!) from the book. Delia is cynical and unhappy at the start of the book (she's pretty much the antithesis of Autumn), but she goes through a lot of change during her story and I love her transformation.

Summary:

Delia Bridges is done living in the shadows cast by her ex-convict father and her football star brother. Attending Cook University will finally give her the chance to be her own person and hopefully find love at the same time. When she meets Wyatt Johnston, she knows immediately he’s the one.

Wyatt fulfills all of Delia’s requirements for the perfect man: he’s rich, handsome, and a talented forward for Cook’s soccer team. However, Wyatt turns out not to be the man she thought. When he dumps her and simultaneously ruins her reputation, she has to start over once again.

Levi Caldwell has every quality Delia doesn’t want in a boyfriend. He has no money, works for the maintenance staff at Cook, and has no problem sharing his judgmental opinions about how Delia is living her life. Despite her growing attraction for the tattooed drummer, Delia tries to avoid Levi. But when a new crisis threatens to destroy all she has rebuilt, she finds Levi is the only person she can trust.

***Standalone New Adult Romance-Ages 17+ Due to Strong Language and Sexual Situations***

Excerpt:

I believed in the power of love. To clarify, I believed in the destructive power of love. Firsthand, I’d seen the path of broken souls left behind in the wake of true love. Hearts mangled because two people believed being in love was more important than anything else in the world.

True love was a joke. How could love be sacred if it betrayed everything else that person stood for? What if love squeezed out every other important part of the person’s life? When was it enough? When did it get to the point where walking away from love was the only logical thing to do?

I had wanted love once. I had wanted that one great love every girl was promised by her mommy and daddy. I wished to stumble upon the one person who would make me happy for the rest of my life and love me in the same way my dad loved my mom. But then I grew up and found out the ugly things love could bring.

Review: Falls the Shadow by Stefanie Gaither

Goodreads Summary:

When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

In a thrilling debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Falls the Shadow was a great YA read! I wasn’t sure where the book was going when I started it and I really liked the direction the author took the story. There were a few unexpected twists that really had me taken by surprise.

I loved the characters in the book. Cate was very relatable and I loved that she acted like a very normal teen girl who struggles to fit in with her peers. Her life becomes complicated when her family decides to replace her sister with a cloned copy. Cate has reservations about Violet but tries to make the best out of the situation.

The secondary characters were all amazing with my favorites being Jaxson, Seth and Violet. The budding romance between Jaxson and Cate was so sweet and although they had their ups and downs I was holding out hope that things would work out in the end. Jaxson’s friend Seth added plenty of comic relief in the more suspenseful scenes. I also enjoyed the loyalty between Violet and Cate despite their complicated relationship.

I thought I was strong in my stance on cloning, but the book made me look closely at some of my views. What I liked about the book was the author brought up some great points about the gray areas in regards to cloning. What if the end of civilization was threatened? Would it make sense then for cloning to be a viable option to guarantee continued survival?

The pacing was good and there was loads of action in the second half. I enjoyed never knowing who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. The ending offered a solid conclusion but was open-ended enough to leave room for sequels.

Overall, a fun and exciting read! Fans of YA romances with a sci-fi twist will enjoy Falls the Shadow.

4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book for review!

Review: Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch

Goodreads Summary:

Perfection comes at a price.

As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.

Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows…and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.

But when Ella is kidnapped and thrust into the dark underworld lurking beneath her pampered life, she’s faced with an unthinkable choice. Because the only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn’s family is leaving…and if she’s unsuccessful, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.

For fans of Keira Cass’s Selection series and Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden series, Perfected is a chilling look at what it means to be human, and a stunning celebration of the power of love to set us free, wrapped in a glamorous—and dangerous—bow.(

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

I have complicated feelings about this author. On one hand, I love her stories and characters. On the other hand, her endings kill me! Perfected had a very similar ending to her other book Deliver Me and the open-endedness of both books drove me crazy.

However, the endings should not dissuade readers from picking up either books because the author’s talent is undeniable. Perfected takes place in a horrifying alternate world where humans are bred to be “pets” and owned by the uber-rich. Since the book is told from the point of view of one of the pets named Ella, there isn’t a whole lot of world building and explanation on how this society came about.

I liked Ella and I felt for her plight. She is confused over the way her new “family” treats her. She has been taught to be a showpiece, but begins to question her teachings after starting to fall for the congressman’s son Penn. Penn was adorable and I loved the sweet moments between him and Ella. I wished at times he stood up to his father more (especially when the congressman used reprehensible discipline methods on Ella) but he later redeemed himself in my eyes.

The thing I love about the author’s books is they are so thought provoking. I absolutely adore the feminist themes she interweaves into her tales and how her oppressed narrators find their inner strength and learn how to fight back against the establishments.

The ending destroyed me! I don’t need things wrapped up neatly with a nice little bow, but there were too many questions left unanswered. I’m really hoping this is a series starter and there will be more of Penn and Ella to come. Overall, despite my issues with the ending, I’d still highly recommend Perfected to YA readers.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of Perfected for review!

Cover Reveal: Rival Love by Natalie Decker

Rival Love

by Natalie
Decker

Release Date: 08/26/14

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Skylar Fletcher is a
proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect
boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall.
But nothing lasts forever. Skylar's world shatters when her mom decides it is
time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.


At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often
bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star
quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom's live-in boyfriend.


At first Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon
discover they're not that different after all--and each is harboring a secret
attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more
than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out?
Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.

About the Author

Natalie Decker is the Author of Rival Love. She loves oceans, sunsets,
sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going,
which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light
at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had
to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite
time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in
High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied
Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books.
She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome
dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out
with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because
Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it
amazing!

Author Links:

   

Book Blitz Organized by:

Book Blitz: All's Well That Ends Well by C.E. Wilson

All's Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare
for Everyone Else #3)

by C.E.
Wilson

Release Date: 07/15/14

Summary from Goodreads:

When Hannah’s world
falls apart after graduation, she finds that there are only two things from her
old life that she can trust: her best friend Constance, and her fascination
with Constance’s cousin Benjamin. But when Benjamin snubs her advances for
superficial reasons, Hannah decides that she will have him no matter what the
cost. Hannah gathers a diverse group of allies to help her finally get what
she’s always wanted.



In this YA retelling of William Shakespeare’s All’s Well that Ends Well, follow
Hannah as she goes to the ends of the earth in her pursuit of the ungrateful
Benjamin. Are there limits to love and devotion, and is all truly well that
ends well?

About the Author

C.E. Wilson is currently living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and her two dogs and two cats. They are all the loves of her life. When she’s not writing young adult fantasy novels, she enjoys writing short stories on her Deviant Art page. She loves to write stories involving giants and little people (also known as GT) and nothing helps her to write more than Coca-Cola and glazed doughnut holes.

Author Links:

   


GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Excerpt:

“Do you know about her reputation?” Benjamin hissed, humiliation written all over his face. “Do you know about her father? Everyone would see me with her! Please don’t make me do this!”

“Her father committed the crimes, not her,” Matthew said, growing angry now. “You will not punish this girl for something that was not in her control. She’s a fine young woman and you’re lucky to have the chance to go out with her. In the short time I’ve spoken with her, I’ve found that she is young, intelligent, attractive, and kind, and more than willing to help me despite not knowing the first thing about me.” He lowered his voice again. “If you treat her well and show her a good time, then you won’t ever have to worry about finding a spot on the team next year, no matter how small. It will be yours.”

“I don’t care!” Benjamin hissed back. “I won’t take her anywhere.”

Matthew’s eyes narrowed. “Boy, if you don’t do as I say, then I’m afraid her father’s reputation will not be the only one that’s tarnished.”

“Are you threatening me, Coach?”

“I don’t make threats, Benjamin. I make promises.”

Stacking the Shelves #98

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and features books you've added to your shelves, both physical and virtual.

Purchased:

Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park

Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

For Review:

Perfection J.L. Spelbring

Creed by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie

Worth the Fall by Claudia Connor

Broken by Lauren Layne

Cover Reveal: Midnight Vengeance by Lisa Marie Rice

BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:

Midnight Vengeance by Lisa Marie Rice 

Published by: Carina Press (HQN)

Publication date: August 18th 2014

Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

Morton “Jacko” Jackman isn’t afraid of anything. He’s a former Navy SEAL sniper, and he’s been in more firefights than most people have had hot meals. Lauren Dare scares the crap out of him.

Gorgeous, talented and refined, she’s the type of woman who could never be interested in a roughneck like him. So he’s loved her fiercely in secret, taken her art classes, and kept a watchful but comfortable distance. Until now.

Lauren had finally found a home in Portland, far from her real identity, far from the memories of her mother’s death, and outside the reaches of the drugged-out psycho who’s already tried to kill her twice. One tiny misstep—a single photograph—has shattered it all. She has no choice but to run again, but this time she’ll give herself a proper farewell: one night with Jacko.

Their highly charged emotional encounter changes everything. In Jacko’s arms there cannot be fear, there can only be pleasure. Anyone wishing her harm will have to pass through him, and Jacko is a hard man to kill.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22606246-midnight-vengeance

AUTHOR BIO

Lisa Marie Rice is eternally 30 years old and will never age. She is tall and willowy and beautiful. Men drop at her feet like ripe pears. She has won every major book prize in the world. She is a black belt with advanced degrees in archaeology, nuclear physics, and Tibetan literature. She is a concert pianist. Did I mention her Nobel Prize? Of course, Lisa Marie Rice is a virtual woman and exists only at the keyboard when writing erotic romance. She disappears when the monitor winks off.

Author links: 

https://twitter.com/Lisa_Marie_Rice

https://www.facebook.com/LisaMarieRiceAuthor

http://www.lisamariericebooks.com/

Excerpt:

Lauren trembled as they walked up to her front door. Okay. Jacko had basically already said yes, to anything she proposed. So how hard could this be?

Very hard, it turned out. Because that rush of conviction in the SUV driving over here had dissipated, leaving her feeling sad and foolish.

She’d heard the stories about him from Suzanne and Allegra, though they’d tapered off lately. But still, they’d been plenty colorful.

How he was a player and he liked them young and super sexy. Biker chicks, mostly. That wasn’t her. She wasn’t very young anymore and she was anything but sexy. A B-cup at best, in her more optimistic moments.

She wasn’t even that good in bed, or so she’d been told. What did she know? It all seemed so very mysterious, right now, walking up to her porch, with a light snow falling around them. That whole Sex Thing seemed alien, something Martians did.

Another woman would know precisely what to do and would be a firecracker in bed. Firecracker. That was the term one of her stepfather’s goons had used to describe a wannabe model-du-jour he’d bedded. What did firecrackers do? Sex was such a basic activity, what room was there for improvement?

And yet there had to be room for improvement because Lauren knew, without a shadow of doubt, that no one would ever, ever call her a firecracker in bed. Not even a sparkler.

Oh God. This was a really really bad idea. They were at her door and the whole Sex Thing loomed behind it. And really, in her experience sex wasn’t that great. Maybe it would leave a bad taste in her mouth, cloud up her happy memories of Portland.

Had Jacko realized that for a brief moment of lunacy she’d contemplated dragging him to bed? Because though he always looked impassive and impervious, he was actually pretty observant. How humiliating if he realized it, shuddered at the thought, politely accepted a shot of her whiskey and made a fast escape.

And, and even if he did throw her—what was it called?—a mercy fuck, what would that gain her? She’d never see him again. She was going to embark upon a long trip tomorrow with no idea of the destination. She’d need a good night’s sleep, not a night faking orgasms.

Thoughts buzzing in her head like angry hornets, she scrabbled uselessly in her tiny evening purse for the key. She was close to a full-blown anxiety attack and her hands were numb. Ah, there the key was, on her silver paintbrush fob. But her hand was trembling; she couldn’t fit the damned key into the lock, one of those fancy ones Jacko had bought for her and had installed himself.

Something big and warm and hard enveloped her hand, stilling it. His hand, gently removing the key from the crazy lady’s hands and opening the door himself.

Lauren looked up into that hard, expressionless face, wishing she had a clue what he was thinking. How to make a quick getaway, probably. So he could go home, change out of his formal clothes, hop onto his massive bike that all the men at Alpha Security International envied and go to a biker bar. Where he’d pick up a biker chick.

Who’d be young and sexy and fantastic in bed.

“Breathe,” Jacko said, that deep voice heard in organs other than her ears.

She wheezed in a breath. At the same time, Jacko opened her door, ushered her in, then closed it behind them.

She didn’t have time for any more anxious thoughts because a second after the door closed, her back was against it, Jacko’s considerable weight pressing against her, and he was kissing her.

And kissing her.

Release Day Sale and Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! Finding Autumn (Falling for Autumn 1.5)

Summary:

Two years earlier, Blake Preston received a phone call that would change everything. His stepfather—a man he trusted and admired—had been accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. His stepfather declared his innocence and Blake chose to stay loyal to the man who had raised him as his own.

Cook University is the one place Blake can keep his anonymity. No one knows about the scandals surrounding his stepfather’s arrest and subsequent conviction. To his friends, he is merely the star running back for the college team and an NFL hopeful. But the life he has built at Cook is threatened when Autumn Dorey locks eyes with him at a campus party.

Getting entangled with Autumn is a mistake. Yet Autumn is the only person who can answer the one question that haunts him: is his stepfather a monster?

Blake conceals his identity and starts a friendship with Autumn under false pretenses. What begins as a way to uncover the truth about his stepfather changes as he grows close to Autumn. His relationship with her calls into question everything he thought he knew about his family. Against all odds, he falls in love with the one girl he’s forbidden to have feelings for. But can their love last once Autumn finds out who Blake Preston really is?

***Not a standalone. Falling for Autumn from Blake's POV. Includes bonus chapters set after the events of Falling for Autumn.***

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Autumn-Falling-Novella-ebook/dp/B00LTBCWD2

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22451579-finding-autumn

International Giveaway for a $20 and $10 Amazon Gift Card! Extra entries for sharing the release of Finding Autumn online! Falling for Autumn will also be on sale for only 99 cents until July 18!:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Where Silence Gathers by Kelsey Sutton

In this companion novel to the critically acclaimed Some Quiet Place, Alex must choose between Revenge and Forgiveness.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandra Tate sits outside Nate Foster's house, clutching a gun. After serving ten years for the drunk driving accident that killed Alex's family, Nate has been released from prison. Every night, Alex waits out of sight, building up the courage to exact her own justice. There's just one problem: Forgiveness.

Alex has been able to see personified Emotions for as long as she can remember, and Revenge is her best friend. But when Forgiveness suddenly appears, he offers Alex a choice—getting even or moving on. It's impossible to decide when Revenge whispers in one ear . . . and Forgiveness whispers in the other.

Publication Date: July 8, 2014

This is a companion novel to Some Quiet Place and since I really enjoyed the first book (besides the heartbreaking ending) I was very excited to read this. I still enjoyed the premise (characters see the physical manifestations of emotions) but my interest waned in certain portions of the book.

The good thing about the protagonist Alex is that unlike the narrator of the first book, Alex can feel emotions. It was hard to connect with the dead inside main character of the first book. Alex has gone through a lot in the past six years and she is trying to decide whether to seek revenge or forgive the man who wrecked her world.

The writing was lyrical and beautiful in the book and I enjoyed Alex’s narration. It was interesting again to read about the physical manifestations of emotions, but in some parts, I found it distracting. It took me out of the story and there were so many emotions, I never remembered their exact appearance anyway when they popped up again. The pacing was slow in this book and I kept waiting for more to happen.

The second half of the novel luckily picked up and I became interested in the mysteries surrounding the death of Alex’s family. There were also a few intense interactions between Revenge and Alex. Revenge was mysterious enough that I liked never knowing what exactly his intentions towards Alex were. The character of Forgiveness was also intriguing to read about.

I enjoyed Where Silence Gathers, but I did wish for more excitement between the pages. I think the premise is unique enough that there’s room for growth in the series.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Stacking the Shelves #97

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and features books you've added to your shelves, both physical and virtual.

Purchased:

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

For Review:

As Long as You Love Me by Ann Aguirre

Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman

Lailah by Nikki Kelly

I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Review: Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson

Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.

But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real ... including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.

As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.

Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly ... and everything to do with Dovey herself.

Publication Date: August 5, 2014

I really loved Servants of the Storm. It was probably one of the most unique reads I’ve come across in a very long time. I loved the diversity of the characters (something that’s not super common in the genre) as well as trying to figure out the mysteries surrounding the death of Dovey’s best friend Carly.

There was an eeriness to the book that really drew me into the story. The way that the author described post-hurricane Savannah gave me the creeps. My favorite part of the book was by far the descriptive writing. The way she wrote the novel gave me such a visceral reaction to each scene. The smell of decay was practically jumping off of the pages.

Dovey is an unreliable narrator and I liked not knowing whether she could be trusted. Following the death of Carly, she goes on anti-psychotics and suffers memory gaps. Her untrustworthiness made it reasonable for some of her too stupid to live moments. There is a slight romance and a hint of a love triangle, but it didn’t hijack the plot. The main focus is Dovey trying to determine what happened to Carly the night of Hurricane Josephine.

As Dovey becomes more embroiled in her quest for the truth, she stumbles across a horrifying world of demons. The final third of the novel was full of suspense and I really didn’t expect the twist at the end. I’m still recovering from the shocking way the novel concluded!

I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy slow-building southern gothic mysteries.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review.

Review: Rebel by Amy Tintera

Goodreads Summary:

The sequel to the action-packed Reboot is a can't-miss thrill ride, perfect for fans of James Patterson, Veronica Roth, and Marie Lu.

After coming back from death as Reboots and being trained by HARC as soldiers, Wren and Callum have finally escaped north, where they hope to find a life of freedom. But when they arrive at the Reboot Reservation, it isn't what they expected. Under the rule of a bloodthirsty leader, Micah, the Reboots are about to wage an all-out war on the humans. Although Wren's instincts are telling her to set off into the wilderness on their own and leave the battle far behind, Callum is unwilling to let his human family be murdered. When Micah commits the ultimate betrayal, the choice is made for them. But Micah has also made a fatal mistake . . . he's underestimated Wren and Callum.

The explosive finale to the Reboot duology is full of riveting action and steamy love scenes as Wren and Callum become rebels against their own kind.

Publication Date: May 13, 2014

Rebel was an amazing sequel to Reboot—a YA dystopian that I really enjoyed reading last year. The characters from Reboot were so memorable that I had no problem jumping right back into the plot. Rebel was the second book in the Reboot duology and a solid conclusion to the series.

Rebel was told in two points of view, Wren’s and Callum’s, and I loved the narration from two very distinct characters. Wren is tough and less emotional while Callum is sweeter and expresses more of his “human” side than Wren. Wren was machine-like in Reboot, so it was great to see how much she evolved not only because of Callum, but also because of the lost of her best friend Ever.

The foundation of the relationship between Wren and Callum had already taken place in Reboot, so it was great to see it blossom in Rebel. The book isn’t heavy on romance, but there were just enough sweet moments to keep me invested in their growing affection for one another. Most of the book is about the reboots finding their place in the world and fighting against the establishment.

I enjoyed the introduction of the new reboots that Wren and Callum come across. I hated the new villain Micah and I was shocked over how extreme he went in his fight against HARC. I loved the new secondary characters so much, especially the sweet Isaac and the funny Riley.

If you want an action-packed YA book with a super tough feminine lead than I would highly recommend this series.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!  

Teaser Tuesday: Finding Autumn (Falling for Autumn 1.5)

Summary:

Two years earlier, Blake Preston received a phone call that would change everything. His stepfather—a man he trusted and admired—had been accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. His stepfather declared his innocence and Blake chose to stay loyal to the man who had raised him as his own.

Cook University is the one place Blake can keep his anonymity. No one knows about the scandals surrounding his stepfather’s arrest and subsequent conviction. To his friends, he is merely the star running back for the college team and an NFL hopeful. But the life he has built at Cook is threatened when Autumn Dorey locks eyes with him at a campus party.

Getting entangled with Autumn is a mistake. Yet Autumn is the only person who can answer the one question that haunts him: is his stepfather a monster?

Blake conceals his identity and starts a friendship with Autumn under false pretenses. What begins as a way to uncover the truth about his stepfather changes as he grows close to Autumn. His relationship with her calls into question everything he thought he knew about his family. Against all odds, he falls in love with the one girl he’s forbidden to have feelings for. But can their love last once Autumn finds out who Blake Preston really is?

***Not a standalone. Falling for Autumn from Blake's POV. Includes bonus chapters set after the events of Falling for Autumn.**
Available July 15, 2014

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Excerpt:

Delia and my mom had matching expressions as they gazed at me: profound disappointment. They looked at me as if I was the villain—and not the man five feet away from where I stood who had stolen everything from Autumn.

I needed to run. I needed to run away from them all. I felt myself falling back into old behaviors that I had worked hard to overcome. I was letting Thomas win again. Again, he was making me feel all of those dark feelings that had been pushed away when Autumn had come into my life. I couldn’t be the broken fatherless boy again that needed salvation.

Without a second’s hesitation, I ran away from my family. They screamed out to me, but I couldn’t face them. They wanted too many things from me. They wanted me to be their son, their brother, their hero. But I couldn’t be who they wanted any longer because I couldn’t be those things with Autumn by my side.