Book Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us
Authors: Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy/Contemporary Romance
Released: October 16th 2012 (Reprint edition)
Review Source: Borrowed
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button?

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

The moment I saw Jay Asher's name I became giddy. I still can't put my finger on it, but his writing style always seems to catch my attention. The Future About Us did not disappoint! It is a very, very interesting concept that hasn't been done before. It takes time travel to a different level.

It's set in the 90's and Emma's dad just gifted her a new computer, (with windows 95!). Her next door neighbor, ex-best friend Josh, comes over to give her an America Online (yes, AOL!) CD-Rom that he has no use for. She sets it up and something strange happens... It takes her straight to Facebook! Which is totally weird considering Facebook hasn't even been invented yet. Even weirder is the fact that she's logged in to her profile. It's future Emma; Emma in fifteen years. And what she sees she does not like. She tells Josh about it and they try to find a flaw so they could write if off as a prank but they find none. They soon realize that refreshing the page makes it change. Every decision they make in the present time affects their future, which makes sense if you think about it. Emma keeps toying with it and Josh doesn't want her to. He knows how dangerous it could be and, unlike Emma, he is happy with his future life.

I was intrigued with this story from the very start. I wanted to know what her next status update might be, I wanted to know how their future changed. But most of all I needed to know if Emma and Josh restored the friendship they once had. I was very invested with their relationship. It's not your usual love story, it felt very realistic and I loved that.

The only flaw for me was how obviously hard they were trying to set the "90s" scene. I felt like they were throwing in 90s items in every sentence. As the book progressed it slowed down and it wasn't as noticeable though.

Overall I enjoyed The Future Of Us and I would recommend it to everyone! The concept is cool and interesting and will keep you turning the pages with anticipation and excitement.

Book Blast: Overexposed by Adrianne James

Overexposed by Adrianne James

Young Adult

May 24th 2013 by Star Bound Books

In the tiny town of Willowspring, just about nothing ever happens except for layoffs, hockey games, and your average melodramatic teenage angst.

But that was before.

Vi, Ashley, and Macy are just trying to make it through the school year without one more humiliation when they team up for a simple photography assignment: create a story through a series of photographs. Can't be too much trouble, right?

Wrong.

The shutterbugs happen upon Willowspring High School's darkest secret. When everything around them starts to crumble after trying to do the right thing, their only hope is to stick together.

When the door opened to the alley behind the rink, I realized two things. One, it was freaking colder outside than it was in the bleachers by the ice, and two, Brianna Jones (A.K.A Bra stuffer) was already out there.

The three of us walked out as if it was perfectly normal to be there but Brianna didn’t even notice us. We walked to the opposite side of the alley and huddled together. We hoped it would look like we were keeping warm, but we were trying to hide both the cameras.

Watching Brianna was rather dull. She was just standing there, talking on her cell phone and it wasn’t even anything remotely interesting. We took pictures anyway, because like Mr. Bennett said, you need the before, during, and after to tell a story with photographs.

“Look! She is checking that car’s doors! That isn’t her car, is it?” The quiet clicking of the shutters on our cameras was almost deafening to me. I swore each click was louder and louder as we watched Brianna try to break into a car.

Finally, the last door she tried, the back passenger side, was open. She slipped in and a second later, the dark car had a red glow inside. She climbed back out, shut the door, and walked over to the wall, smoking a stolen cigarette.

“She just broke into someone’s car for a cigarette? Seriously?” Ashley was just as flabbergasted as the rest of us. Why would anyone risk committing a crime for a smoke? “Oh! She is moving again!”

Click, click, click. I took more and more pictures. I hated that they were all from the same angle, but spys have to do what they have to do to keep from being caught, all the while still getting the images.

Brianna walked back to the car and put the cigarette out on the hood. Lucky for whoever owned it there was a layer of snow to put it out before it could burn the paint. Then she leaned over and used the mirror. She pursed her lips, showed her teeth to check those, then she lifted her head slightly.

“What is she doing?” I whispered.

“I’m not sure.” Macy said breaking away from the group. “I am going over there, different angle.” Before I could stop her, she had gone back across the alley to the other side. She was braver than I was. Ashley watched her closely before turning back to me.

“Let me take some. I promise I won’t hurt Jilly.” I knew I had to hand it over. I promised her she could use it. Even knowing that, it didn’t make it any easier.

“Okay. Here.” I took the strap from around my neck and quickly placed it around hers. The minute the fabric was firmly against her skin, she took off, too. “Ash, what are you doing?” I whisper yelled to her.

She just put a finger over her mouth to shush me and she got even closer to the car than Macy had. I figured that made me look out so I opened my eyes and ears and tried to make sure my best friends didn’t get caught.

I looked over my shoulder to check the door to make sure we were still alone when all of a sudden I heard a scream.

“YOU LITTLE BITCH! GIVE ME THAT CAMERA NOW!” When I turned back to see what was going on (although I was pretty sure that either Macy or Ashley had been caught by Brianna) I saw my girls running towards me, with Brianna not far behind.

“Run!” Ash and Macy yelled through giggles. I turned and headed to the door and held it open for them. As soon as they passed through I closed it and the three of us went straight out the front door and to Macy’s truck.

“What on earth just happened?” I asked when I caught my breath. Ashley handed Jilly back to me and I flipped it on. The minute I pressed the play images button I began to laugh. The first one was of Brianna screaming at the camera. I pressed the next button and then it was a picture of her finger in her mouth. The next one was a picture of her finger in her nose.

I died laughing. Brianna Jones was a booger eater. I bet her boyfriend would love to know that.

“Oh, Ashley, you are amazing!” Then the truck erupted in laughter and because Macy’s dad had given her a twenty to get food at the overly expensive rink, we headed to the diner for some hot cocoa and French fries for half the cost. Who said teenagers were irresponsible with money?

Growing up, Adrianne couldn't get her hands on enough books to satisfy her need for the make believe. If she finished a novel and didn't have a new one ready and waiting for her, she began to create her own tales of magic and wonder. Now, as an adult, books still make up majority of her free time, and now her tales get written down to be shared with the world.

During the day, Adrianne uses her camera to capture life's stories for clients of all ages and at night, after her two children are tucked in bed; she devotes herself to her written work. Adrianne is living the life she always wanted, surrounded by art and beauty, the written word and a loving family.

As a young adult and new adult author, Adrianne James has plans to bring stories of growing characters, a little romance, and perhaps a little magic and mythology down the line for her readers to enjoy.

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Book Review: Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Stranger
Beautiful Bastard #2
Author: Christina Lauren
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Released: May 28th 2013 (April 16th 2013 Target Exclusive)
Review Source: Purchased & Gallery Books
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) A charming British Playboy. A girl determined to finally live. And a secret liaison revealed in all too vivid color. Book two in the NYT Bestselling series.

Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon's moved to New York City and is looking for excitement without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night's fun. But the manner--and speed--with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

The whole city knows Max Stella loves women, not that he's ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it's not until Sara--and the wild photos she lets him take of her--that he starts wondering if there's someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

The next installment in this series comes out at full speed and packing some heavy ammo. For someone like myself that fell in love with Bennett and the original story many years ago before he was even called Bennett, I was a bit worried if I could love or even like a new male character that wasn't Bennett. In case you haven't read Beautiful Bastard, Bennett is the main male protagonist of that story. In Beautiful Stranger we are introduced to Max. Can Max live up to Bennett's awesomeness? I am happy to say in shouty caps that YES, Max did meet my expectation and surpassed them while at it. The great thing is that both Bennett and Max are unique and are sexy in their own way, so you really don't sit there and compare one with the other. You can equally appreciate them both. So major kudos to Christina and Lauren for making it easy for the reader to fall hard for Max in Beautiful Stranger.

I also want to give credit where credit is due to Sara. Chloe (Beautiful Bastard) is not the only lady in town that knows how to snatch up and whip a sexy playboy. Sara was the perfect female protagonist to be introduced to Max. It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for fellas. Sara knew what she wanted even though she knew it might be off the wall crazy and went for it. Sometimes in life you have to take risk and loose yourself in it.

This duo that is Christina and Lauren are gonna be around for a while, If Beautiful Stranger showed us anything, it's that they have what it takes to play in the field. They are definitely not a one hit wonder. With all the new books coming out in this popular genre, Christina Lauren will stand out. Their books will leave you breathless and with a long lasting impressions long after you finish reading them.

In Beautiful Bastard you are given the story in alternating chapters between Sara's POV and Max's POV. You are able to understand how Sara and Max think and feel. You know that Sara has put up a force-field around herself after her hard break up when her ex-finance cheated on her multiple times practically in her face. Yet inside she is very fragile and truly wants to be loved right. Then Max is that sexy British playboy all women want and he knows it but inside he doesn't want all that fame that comes with being one of New York's sexy businessman. So when Max and Sara collide, I think someone somewhere felt a slight tremor in the earth. Sara makes a move on Max not knowing who he is or even his name and thinking I'll never see this guy again, so she set off on completing a very hot task she never in a million years would have even thought of doing with anyone not even her ex-fiance. Max the gentleman that he is of course doesn't turn down a great opportunity. Little do these two characters knows they have just changed the course of both of their lives forever. It all started on a dance floor!

Will Max be able to chip away at the ice surrounding Sara's heart? Will Sara be able to control a wild lion? What's the fun in that right? Sometimes letting things go wild, are the moments you never forget.

I recommend Beautiful Stranger to anyone who loves to immerse themselves into a great book. You will be needing the next installment in this series when you are done. I know I'm ready to see with what else this duo comes at us with. Bring on the "LEMONS"

Book Review: Lord's Fall by Thea Harrison

Lord's Fall
Elder Races #5
Author: Thea Harrison
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Released: November 6th 2012
Review Source: Berkley
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them…

Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs’ frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners—in more places than just the bedroom.

In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear…

Once again I was in total enthrallment by the magical world this author has created and was left wanting more of their magic, not because it was missing from this book but because I do not want it to end.

The first couple of chapters were read at a slower pace, to bring back memories of the characters and match them to the ones met in previous books (reading previous installments is recommended to better understand this magical world), but once I was back to par I couldn't read fast enough.
In the process to prove to the Wyr Demesne that their leader Dragos and Tia, even as her gift is still kept a secret, belong together and that their bond is stronger and unbreakable, things get crazy. He must go on as normal as possible considering all the changes going on. To prove to the world that Wyr is still strong, the Sentinel Games to replace the two lost sentinels must go on, even when a very pregnant Pia is on a mission to better the relationship with the Elves and restore their treaty in the Elves territory.
While on this mission an old threat comes back and becomes a menace to the world and the Wyr have to step up and help their enemies, even before mending their old trouble which creates an interesting twist. 

While this chapter of the " Elder Races" is full of action, mystery and adventure, there is no shortness of passion, love and lessons that will make the greatest immortal fortify his power and position but also makes him more human, you could say, by giving him the feeling of empathy for others. The baby's debut "Peanut" opens a great introduction to what his great powers will be for the Elder's Races future chapters. Love it!