LOSING FAITH
Author: Denise Jaden
Source: Around the World Tours

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416996095
• ISBN-13: 978-1416996095

SYNOPSIS:

A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie’s sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie’s world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but. 

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don’t line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night…a secret that puts her own life in danger. 

MY THOUGHTS:

Wow. I wish I had a stronger word to describe this book but Wow is pretty much the first thing I said when I finished it.  This young adult book features cults, romance, suspense and mystery, and even death.  What do you get when you put all of those subjects into a book? Losing Faith by Denise Jaden is what you get.

When Brie’s very religious sister dies, the family is devastated.  Faith was the oldest, yet Brie was not very close with her.  The police rule her death a suicide, but Brie knows in her heart that Faith would never do that. Brie’s parents go through the normal emotions of burying a daughter and shut themselves down from Brie.  She feels alone with her parents going through depression and anger towards them for not being there for her.

Brie also is dealing with her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend.  When Brie dumps them both, she finds a new friend in the school bad girl, Tessa.  Together they try to piece together what happened to Faith and building a friendship along the way. 

When Brie uncovers the secrets that Faith was hiding, she discovers Alis as well.  They both know there are sparks between them yet Brie also knows that his sister is involved in the religious cult Faith was in.

This book had me gripping the pages and biting my nails with suspense! I could not put this book down until I finished it.  I had to know what happened!  The author did a wonderful job at pacing the story and keeping the reader enthralled with it.  I loved the sweet moments between Alis and Brie, the spy moments between Tessa and Brie, and the mystery of what really happened to Faith.  A great new author for me to keep my eye on for more great writing!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of 
charge in exchange for an honest review*

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Push (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545169151
• ISBN-13: 978-0545169158

SYNOPSIS:

Natalie Sterling wants to be in control. She wants her friends to be loyal. She wants her classmates to elect her student council president. She wants to find the right guy, not the usual jerk her school has to offer. She wants a good reputation, because she believes that will lead to good things. 

But life is messy, and it’s very hard to be in control of it. Not when there are freshman girls running around in a pack, trying to get senior guys to sleep with them. Not when your friends have secrets they’re no longer comfortable sharing. Not when the boy you once dismissed ends up being the boy you wants to sleep with yourself – but only in secret, with nobody ever finding out. 

Slut or saint? Winner or loser? Natalie is getting tired of these forced choices – and is now going to find a way to live life in the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful in-between. 

MY THOUGHTS:

Not That Kind of Girl is a book that most teens will be able to relate to.  There are always the boys that goof around and talk about who is doing who, girls that are trying their best to get a boys attention, and kids that are always trying to be the respectful and good grade kind of teen.  In this book we get to see sides to every different teen.

Natalie has always been the school smart and straight laced teen.  She is always focusing on her studies and her senior year she runs for class president. Usually this is held by a boy, but that doesn’t stop her from running.  She is loyal to her friend Autumn to a point of reminding her of why they became friends in the first place all the time.  I didn’t care much for Natalie.  She came off as better than everyone else, snotty and always had to remind everyone that she was better than they were.  Her whole attitude was better-than-thou.  I wanted to knock her off of that pedestal so many times throughout the entire book.

Conner was a great romantic lead for Natalie. He was the high school quarterback and had a good head on his shoulders.  I loved how he was patient with all of Natalie’s different attitudes.  Autumn and Spencer were the most likable girls of the book.  They did their own thing and felt empowered by their actions.

The first half of this book dragged due to it being more about the election and building up Natalie.  After you get through the first half of the book, it starts to really pick up and the romance between Natalie and Conner starts to take off.  It also delves deeper into the problems with the friendships between Natalie, Autumn and Spencer.  Once I got into this part of the book, it was easy to be caught up into the whole teenage drama.

This book turned out to be a lot better than I first thought in the beginning chapters. I wanted to read more about the aftermath though and the story quickly came to an end before I knew it.  I do hope the author considers doing a sequel to the book just so I can see how things affected the characters for life after high school! I need more of this story to quench my need for teen drama!

MY RATING:

HIS EYES
Author: Renee Carter
Source: Gift

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Outskirts Press (August 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1432742132
• ISBN-13: 978-1432742133

SYNOPSIS:

Amy Turner’s about to graduate from high school and all she wants is a job. Actually, all she wants is to find a way to pay for college. Amy certainly isn’t looking for love when she answers an ad to baby-sit a boy-she just needs the cash. But the job has a catch: The boy is blind…and he’s her age.

Tristan Edmund may be hot, but he doesn’t want Amy’s help. Or so he thinks. After being blinded in a horse show-jumping competition, Tristan spends his days in the dark, refusing to accept his disability. Much to his annoyance, Amy bursts into his life and drags him into the light. But just as the two begin to see something in each other, Tristan’s beautiful ex-girlfriend shows up. Will the temptation be too much, or will Tristan choose the girl who really sees him?

MY THOUGHTS:

I have been wanting this book forever! When I finally received it, I dove right into the story!

Amy is hoping to get enough money saved up to go to college where she can intern for journalism.  She had been searching for job when she stumbles upon a babysitting ad. When she goes to the interview, she is stunned to find out that she will be helping a blind boy named Tristan who happens to be graduating from high school as well.  Tristan was blinded during a horseback riding accident and is having a hard time adjusting to being blind.  Amy takes the job since she is needing the money.

On the home front of Amy’s life, her brother has been gone for years.  When he suddenly reappears, at the worst time, it shifts some of the focus from the babysitting job to her personal life.  We get to glimpse into both plots of Amy’s life and actually get a taste of what she is going through.  Then we reach the next hurdle of Tristan’s ex girlfriend returning and trying to pick up where they left off. Tristan is being polite to her, but Amy feels that he is falling for her all over again.  Just when Amy thought they might be having a relationship bloom, his ex plots to win him back.

I couldn’t stand Tristan’s ex. She was a snotty brat who was only looking after herself.  I loved the romance between Tristan and Amy though. It was sweet and perfect for each one.  Even though the story could be a bit predictable, I still fell in love with this book.  That was the only problem I had with it really.  I read it in one hour and wanted more!  The ending was a perfect fit, and I hope the author will treat us to a follow up to this book!

MY RATING:

SECRET TIES
Author: Opal Carew
Source: Personal Purchase

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; 1st edition (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312384807
• ISBN-13: 978-0312384807

SYNOPSIS:

How far would you go to reach the ultimate pleasure?

Max Delaney is a master of bondage and submission…and Summer Anderson’s most decadent dream come true.  From the moment she meets him, she yearns for him to dominate her–body and soul.  As Max initiates her into his world of scorching BDSM sex, he shows Summer what’s possible when she abandons her inhibitions and loses herself in pure sensation.  Soon Summer wonders if she can surrender to her wickedest desire yet: to share herself with three men at once.  But once she’s lived out her most forbidden fantasy, can she go back to her ordinary life?  And will she ever want to?

MY THOUGHTS:

I just love this author! When it comes to erotica’s, this author knows how to write them.  She knows how to perfectly balance the sex, the romance and the plot to where it is a wonderful read without just being sex all the time.

Summer sells chocolates at an adult themed convention show.  She is there with her good friend who happens to write steamy books.  When her friend Tanya introduces Summer to Max, the sparks fly and the pages burn with romance!  Summer finds herself curious about the BDSM lifestyle and Max is wanting to show her the ropes of BDSM.  Max has lived the lifestyle as a dominant and knows that Summer would be a perfect sub in this lifestyle.  When Summer gives up control to Max for the weekend, she feels like a new woman. When she heads home, she decides to take control of her sex life and go after the two men she has been best friends with and have also been in love with Summer.  The whole time though, Summer finds herself missing Max and craving more of him. When Max shows up in the town where she lives, jealousy rears its ugly head from her best friends.  They quickly realize that Max is who Summer wants.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I love the way the author handled the ending between the characters of the book. Secret Ties is a must read if you are a fan of Opal Carew or a fan of erotica’s.  I can’t wait to read more from this author!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS