Cover Reveal: A Fabrication of the Truth by Katie Kaleski

A Fabrication of the Truth
Katie Kaleski
Publication date: September 20th 2016
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

The last time Lexie Stein saw Dalton Reyes he lay in a pool of blood, hovering somewhere between life and death. Now, five years later, he’s the new guy in her high school.
What happened between then and now is a mystery Lexie is afraid to explore. Just one lie uncovered from her past can cause the house of cards she’s so carefully constructed to come crashing down around her. And Dalton is the key to that past.
She doesn’t need her grandmother’s warnings to convince her that Dalton means trouble. But the bond they shared as kids seems to have only gotten stronger, transforming into something wonderful and powerful.
When Dalton opens up about the intervening years and what they mean for his future, Lexie is determined not to let him get away a second time.

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Author Bio:
Katie Kaleski is a young adult author that hails from the midwest. A Fabrication of the Truth is her debut novel, but she will have plenty more books coming very soon.
Her favorite food is cereal with milk, she holds cookies in high regard, and she loves all things cute and fuzzy.

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Review: Strike by Delilah S. Dawson

Strike by Delilah S. Dawson 
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: April 12, 2016
# of Pages: 480
Synopsis: The hit list was just the beginning.

Time to strike back.

After faking her own death to escape her term as an indentured assassin for Valor Savings Bank, Patsy is on the run with her boyfriend, Wyatt. All she wants to do is go home, but that’s never going to happen—not as long as Valor’s out to get her and the people she loves.

Left with no good choices, Patsy’s only option is to meet with a mysterious group that calls itself the Citizens for Freedom.

Led by the charismatic Leon Crane, the CFF seem like just what Patsy has been looking for. Leon promises that if she joins, she’ll finally get revenge on Valor for everything they’ve done to her—and for everything they’ve made her do.

But Patsy knows the CFF has a few secrets of their own. One thing is certain: they’ll do absolutely anything to complete their mission, no matter who’s standing in their way. Even if it’s Patsy herself.

Delilah S. Dawson brings anarchy and high-octane drama to the next explosive level in this sequel to the “practically movie-ready” (Kirkus Reviews) novel, Hit.

My Review:

 I borrowed Strike by Delilah S. Dawson from work and this is my honest review.

To give a little recap the first book in this duo follows the main character Patsy while she is forced to either be an assassin for Valor Savings Bank or be killed by them for her mother's outstanding debt. Near the end of the book things prove to be hard, Patsy runs away from her duties with her last victim's brother and she has no idea where things are going to go from there.

Strike starts off on shaky ground, there is a lot of recap given to us by Patsy’s thoughts to herself. Readers do not really know where the book is headed for awhile. Patsy and Wyatt our main characters from book one do not even know where they are going to end up quite yet. But when they do end up somewhere with a group of people they met along the way each chapter starts to get more and more interesting.

I enjoyed the second book for so many reasons, Dawson did a great job giving readers recap from the first book. It was pretty creative most of the time using Patys thoughts. It was not just paragraphs or chapters of recap it was spread out evenly each time a memory was triggered for Patsy. I also liked the fact that many relationships, as well as characters developed during the pages of these books. We got to see the continuation of Wyatt and Patsy’s relationship which we did not get to see much of in book one. I also liked following along while Patsy’s character developed, it was very slow but she did end up opening up to the people I wanted her to open up to.

The end was full of surprises for me. Obviously I cannot disclose those surprises without spoilers. But I must say Dawson did a good job of giving us a good balance of good and bad surprises. I felt a lot of different emotions throughout the course of this book, which is great. I love when books make me feel things, and I also love when books are so beautifully written I can almost watch it play out in my head while reading! Definitely check out these books if you love dangerous assassin adventure books!

 

Cover Reveal: Fear Me, Fear Me Not by Elodie Nowodazkij

Fear Me, Fear Me Not
Elodie Nowodazkij
Publication date: September 27th 2016
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult, Supernatural

SCREAM meets FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS in this new young adult romantic suspense novel by Elodie Nowodazkij.
Fear is power. They fear me. They don’t fear me enough. Every year a girl disappears in Gavert County, Texas. Their bodies are found days, sometimes months, later with an angel wing carved on their face. They call me “the Angel Killer” and I’m on the hunt again. But this time, it’s personal.
Seventeen-year-old cheerleader Erin Hortz has been warned about the Angel Killer all her life. She never walks alone in the dark. She doesn’t talk to strangers. She doesn’t accept drinks at parties. All she wants is to finish her senior year with a win at the Miss Junior Queen of Hearts pageant, capture the perfect light over the lake with her new camera, and finally catch the attention of her best friend Nadia’s brother—former football star Dimitri Kuklev. Since his injury, they’ve been spending a lot of time together. And getting to know the real Dimitri—not the one she put on a pedestal in her diary is better than she could ever have imagined. And she’s falling hard.
Nineteen-year-old Dimitri’s injury brought him from football superstar with universities from all around the country knocking at his door to not knowing what he wants to do with his life. Taking classes at the local community college is supposed to get him back on track, but all he wants is to be on the field again. The only person who seems to understand him is the one he swore to keep in the friend zone: Erin. His sister Nadia’s best friend and the reason why he can’t keep a girlfriend. Between their early morning jogs, their time spent at the lake laughing, and their late night conversations, he’s having a hard time remembering why it’s such a bad idea.
But when Nadia doesn’t come home after a party, Dimitri and Erin know they must find her before it’s too late—even if that means risking their own lives and everything Erin’s ever known.
Because the main suspect is Erin’s father.

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Author Bio:
Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, their dog and their cat.
She's also a serial smiley user.

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Blog Tour: The Departed by Kristy Cooper

The Departed by Kristy Cooper
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Date: July 6th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:  What if someone tried to fake the rapture? When hundreds of thousands of people disappear in the middle of the night, including sixteen-year-old Gwen's best friend Lana, no one knows why. Some believe they were taken in the rapture, while others are convinced that it can't be true. Doomsday prophecies abound that involve horrifying tales of plague, famine, earthquakes, and more. At first, Gwen doesn't know what to think. While she is busy mourning Lana, many people around her are getting taken in by the cultish True Believers Temple, including Gwen's dad and her friend Mindy. Itis clear that more and more people are going tobe pressured to join this church, asit starts taking over the media and the government, gaining zealous followers all over the world. Then Gwen starts receiving emails from Lana. She claims to have been forced into hiding with
thousands of others inan underground compound. Gwen is convinced the emails are real and the only other person who also believes her is Isaiah, her moody crush. Together they resolve to find out where everyone is hiding and help set Lana free.

Book Links: 

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Amazon

Meet Kristy,

Kristy Cooper found herself often contemplating unusual what-if scenarios and knew it was time to start writing them down. She worked as a librarian for years and is now busy raising small children and writing YA novels. Stay up to date with her books atkristycooper.com.

Author Links: Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Author Interview

1) What inspires you to write?

I've always had many random story ideas that I felt I needed to do something with. I had this idea, that someday, I would finally get around to sitting down and writing the stories that were growing in my head, but I just kept postponing that day. I think this is such a common problem for a lot of people who would like to write. I finally had a little time on my hands, so I began working on The Departed and as I began writing it, I realized it had so many more details and layers that it should be a series. I have a few other YA science fiction series ideas, that I hope I get a chance to work on after this one is done.

2) What is the hardest thing about being a writer?

I think the hardest thing about being a writer is wishing you could write faster. I keep reading about writers who regularly write 10,000 words a day and I am so jealous! Although I am slowly getting a little faster, I usually end up averaging about 500-2000 words a day.

Related to that issue, is the also wishing I could read faster problem. The more I write, the less time I have to read and vice versa!

3) What do you do when you get writers block?

Most of my experience with writers block has been about particular details in my stories. I haven't really experienced it yet in terms of larger story arc issues. I tend to deal with these blocks by just typing some gibberish and highlighting it in red, so there is no way I will not forget to go back and edit it later. If I am feeling stuck on a small part, I think it's better to just keep writing and go back to whatever the problem is at a later time, otherwise it will completely interrupt your flow.

Sometimes I just can't come up with character names when I am introducing them. I am working on The Sainted (Book 2 of The Departed Series) right now and, I currently have an Officer Butt and a Mrs. Whatever (really mature I know). They will get "real" names later when I go back and edit.

4) What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Make yourself write everyday by setting a mini-habit. I made my goal to only write 50 words a day which I know isn't very much. But it's also a very attainable goal even if you have an otherwise busy and full day. When your WIP is in front of you, you will almost always write much more than just 50 words.


5) Do you have a street team or an email readers can subscribe to receive updates on upcoming releases, etc?
I do! You can sign-up to get an early review copy of my next book The Sainted at: kristycooper.com/blogger.





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Review: The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer

The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer
Publisher: Health Communications
Release Date: August 1, 1997
Book Format: Paperback
# of Pages: 331
Synopsis: "The Lost Boy" is the harrowing but ultimately uplifting true story of a boy's journey through the foster-care system in search of a family to love. This is Dave Pelzer's long-awaited sequel to "A Child Called 'It'." "The Lost Boy" is Pelzer's story -- a moving sequel and inspirational read for all.

My Review:

I bought this book with my own funds and this is my honest review.

The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer is the sequel to A Child Called It. The first book was the story of a little boy who was abused verbally and physically by his mother. In the second book, readers follow little David on his journey of escaping his mother. After making it to school, and confessing to his teachers he is taken out of his mother's custody and placed into several foster homes throughout the book.

This book felt like a sigh of relief compared to the first book. I found myself feeling extremely happy that David finally got the nerve to tell someone and get himself out. I was excited for him when he entered the Catanze home I felt as though it was going to be a new start for him. While reading I felt every emotion David had while in each house right along with him. I became angry with his treatment by some of the foster kids, and there were times I was angry at Mr. Catanze’s treatment too. I felt like I understood on some level as to why he was so hard on David when he made mistakes but at the same time I thought he was a very misunderstood little boy and needed more than the adults in his life were giving him.

Even though I felt the adults could have given him some more support David seemed to take a little something from each home he was at, and that gave him the strength to push through even though he still had his crazy mother on his tail even after he left her house, and even though he got himself into trouble because he did not really have anyone who completely understood, in the end, he grew up and seemed to turn out to be a fine boy.

I enjoyed reading the second installment in Dave Pelzers story, and I look forward to reading the third book, A Man Named Dave. I am really interested in finding out how the rest of his life shaped out to be.