REVIEW: Fault Line by Christa Desir

Fault Line by C. Desir
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: October 15, 2013
Source: Edelweiss eARC*
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.
Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

My Review

I have never read a book like Fault Line by Christa Desir. I was simply flabbergasted by how this novel was written with raw, harsh, and brutal honesty. This book is not what I expected at all, but I mean that in a very good way. Fault Line took me off guard, completely shattered me with resounding silence and left me with thoughts I couldn’t settle within me. 

With all the dark books I’ve read, I think Fault Line not only took a part of me, but left a part of itself as well. This book was a tough read in the sense that the issue was gutting and completely heart-wrenching for the main character and for the character that faced the horrific rape. Desir does an amazing job of really making the reader think about the issue at hand. She put the question in your mind about what you would do if you were in the shoes of Ben? She puts you in a place where you think you would do one thing, but possibly should do the other. The whole ordeal Ben was in was entirely a difficult and complicated situation and being I thought I was throughly frustrated, angry and upset as Ben was. 

I really love that Desir created an authentic male character who was downright realistic in his decisions, actions and reactions. Ben was not hero, but he wasn’t a bad guy either. He did what he thought was right for him no matter how wrong it may have seem.   He wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Sometimes he said the right things, sometimes he said the wrong things and sometimes he just didn’t know what to say at all and I was ok with that. It made him real. I really got to see Ben struggle and dig himself into an even bigger hole for himself and Ani. He tried to be there for her, tried to work things out and get pass the doubt, anger and sadness. I saw him at his very best and his very worst and when he finally stood up and did something that needed to be done long ago. I felt so helpless for Ben, but I also felt proud of him for sticking to his beliefs and especially when he did what he needed to do, no matter how painful it was. 

Fault Line is not a typical boy meets girl, they fall in love and go through all kinds of crap and live happily ever after kind of book. No way in hell. It was hard to read because Ben and Annika do fall in love and everything seemed damn near perfect. I loved seeing them together because they were too cute for words. To read how both of them were slowly unraveled and broken down from what happened was so so hard to read. And I think Desir totally brings you into the story as if you were experiencing what Ben and Annika were feeling and you couldn’t do anything about it. It was heartbreaking and exhausting in so many ways. How do help someone when they don’t want to be helped? How can you help yourself when you don’t know where to begin or don’t believe you can be helped? Where is the blame placed? 

Most of the books I’ve read about this situation is always in the point of view of the victim, but this time around it’s in the point of view of something who isn’t but who is still affected nonetheless. I really liked being put into this perspective because changed how I viewed things. This book beats you down and truly makes you question yourself if you were ever put into this situation. It’s disabling, disarming and gutting in way that leaves you feeling completed raw and exposed. 

*Thanks to Simon Pulse for sending a copy for review.

I was not compensated for my opinion. 

FLAWED Blog Tour - Character Interview + Giveaway

Hey there lovelies!

I'm super duper honored and thrilled to be a part of the Flawed Blog Tour!

1) I love this book.

2) I love this book!

& 3) I LOVE THIS BOOK, so hard!!

For my stop, I interviewed the wonderful Sam Donovan and Sarah O'Brien!

But also, there's two giveaways to enter too, so don't forget to check those out as well :)

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Flawed by Kate Avelynn
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: November 22, 2012 (ebook)

Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago—James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.

Sam Donavon has been James’s best friend—and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on—for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realize James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact…

Check out my review for FLAWED!

Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository 

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About the Author: 

Kate Avelynn lives in Central Oregon with her husband, whom she fell in love with at eighteen after realizing he shared her obsession with music, sports, and psychoanalysis. When not devouring books, holding down her editing gig, or attempting to coax life out of the weed patch she calls a “garden,” Kate writes dark, young adult romance that blends first love, betrayal, and danger. FLAWED is her debut novel.

Connect with Kate:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Sarah & Sam for life <3

My interview with these two wonderful characters.

+ Hey Sarah and Sam! Thanks so much for stopping by Words, Pages, and Books. It’s a complete honor to have the both of you!

Sarah: Thank you. *smiles and squeezes Sam’s hand*

Sam: Yeah, thanks for inviting us, Jessirae.

So let’s get started..

+ Can you describe each other in three words?

Sarah: Intense. Responsible. Sweet.

Sam: Beautiful. Loyal. Caring. Sexy. 

Sarah: *blushes* That’s four words, Mr. UCLA.

Sam:  What can I say? Three wasn’t enough. 

+ I definitely agree with that! What do you like the most about each other?

Sarah: His eyes. His smile. How I feel when I’m with him—like I can be anything I want to be. 

Sam: Definitely the way she looks at me. She could never say it and I’d still know she loves me.

+ Sam, if you could take Sarah anywhere, where would it be and why? What about you, Sarah?

Sam: I want to take her to Disneyland pretty bad. My dad always said you haven’t lived unless you’ve been on a rollercoaster. Plus, I really think she’ll like Southern California. With all that sunshine, there’s hardly any moss. *grins at Sarah*

Sarah: Ugh, let’s not talk about moss. Hmm. If I could take Sam anywhere, it’d probably be back up to Mack Lake. Except, this time we’d be alone. With our own two-person tent. And a campfire to keep us warm if we wanted to sleep under the stars instead…

Sam: *clears throat* Um, can I change my answer? Because that sounds really good. 

+ Mack Lake would be perfect! What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever done?

Sarah: *grins* Sam and I got into a food fight at his house once. He was trying to teach me how to make chocolate pudding so I’d stop buying James the gross premade stuff from the store, but the whisk got away from me—

Sam: You threw it at me. 

Sarah: You deserved it! You smeared chocolate all over my cheek. 

Sam: Because I was planning to kiss it off of you. 

Sarah: Wait. You were going to…kiss the chocolate off me? 

Sam: Yes, that was the plan. But instead, we spent the next three hours washing chocolate out of my mom’s flower arrangements, scrubbing chocolate out of the rug, wiping chocolate off of the wallpaper…

Sarah: …maybe we should try to make another box? I never did get to see how the pudding turned out, and it would be great if I didn’t have to buy James the other kind anymore… *blushes*

Sam: *gives her a heated look* How’s tomorrow sound?

+ OMG, you guys are too cute! Can you each share one memory of each other that really stuck out to you?

Sarah: The first time I saw Sam will probably always stick out to me. James had climbed the really tall cedar tree at our elementary school and was too scared to climb back down. Not that he’d admit he was scared or anything, but he climbed too high and the branches where he was were too thin for any of the teachers to climb up and get him. They were about to call the fire department when all of a sudden, the new boy takes off his coat and starts climbing the tree. He made it all the way up to where James was in, like, half the time and just sat there with him, talking. Like the wind making the tree creak wasn’t scary or half the school wasn’t standing at the bottom watching him. And then the next thing everyone knew, the boy was climbing down and James was following him. Everyone rushed over to James when he finally made it to the ground, even me, but the new boy just faded into the crowd and disappeared. *turns to Sam* What did you say to get him to come down? He never told me. 

Sam: I, uh… *rubs the back of his neck* I might have told him his sister looked cold standing at the bottom of the tree without a coat on, and if he didn’t climb down and walk her home, I was going to give her my coat and walk her home myself.

Sarah: And the first thing he did when he got down was give me his coat. Oh my god, Sam! No wonder he never let me anywhere near you.

Sam: I was ten. I wasn’t exactly thinking long term. My favorite memory of you, though. Hmm. My favorite memory—before we got together, I should say—is probably the day Alex kissed you in the shed. 

Sarah: *gasps* You knew? I didn’t think anyone saw!

Sam: I had a feeling Alex was up to something, so I made an excuse to run outside. But before I figured out where you guys went, you threw open the shed door and stomped out wearing what had to be the scariest expression I’ve ever seen on a girl’s face. I didn’t find out what had happened until after, but he told me you’d kicked him in the shin. I also knew I wanted to be the next guy to kiss you. 

Sarah: *shocked laughter* Why? You wanted me to kick you, too?

Sam: No, because I knew I’d have a shot with you if you didn’t.

+ Those are wonderful memories! Speaking of James... I love him, possibly as much as you guys do. What do you think is the best and worst  thing about him?

Sam: I think how devoted he is to Sarah is the best thing about him. The worst thing is not trusting anyone enough to let them in. Things wouldn’t be this bad if he let someone in.

Sarah: He’d kill himself if it meant saving me. It’s the best and worst thing about him.

+ *sigh* Couldn't have said it better. Can you tell us one thing about yourselves that we don’t already know?

Sarah: Sometimes I think about enrolling in a self-defense class. The one time I mentioned it to James, he said he’d rather teach me how to fight. But there’s no way I can hit my brother, you know?

Sam: I’ll take you to sign up tomorrow, if you want. 

Sarah: Yeah, okay. Thanks.

Sam: Something you don’t already know about me. Hmm. Well… *gives Sarah a sheepish look* …I know it’s probably too soon and Sarah’s totally going to freak out, but I’m thinking about getting another tattoo. Something that has her name tangled up with mine. 

Sarah: Sam…

Sam: *kisses Sarah*

+ Sheez, can you guys get any more sweeter?! I love you guys! So.. do you guys have any regrets? Anything you’d like to change at all?

Sarah: That I didn’t tell Sam how I felt a while ago instead of waiting for him to notice me.

Sam: Same. If I could go back in time, I’d have asked her to Homecoming her freshman year and spent the whole night proving I was the guy for her. 

Sarah: James would’ve killed you.

Sam: He would’ve tried. Doesn’t matter.

That’s it! Thanks so much Sam and Sarah! It’s been a pleasure to have you on my blog! You guys are the best. Please tell Kate that I absolutely adore her and can't wait for her next book! :)

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The Giveaway!

And now for the prizes! Kate is giving away a small book charm on a bracelet and a dog tag to one lucky commenter. The book charm is one of the popular charms made by Sophie’s Beads. All you have to do is leave a comment about your favorite contemporary YA romance couple, along with your email address. Today’s giveaway is only open to US residents, but keep an eye out for International giveaways scheduled throughout the tour.

Kate is also running an Ultimate FLAWED Fan Pack contest via the Rafflecopter listing below. Enter daily for a chance to win some really cool stuff!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: Flawed by Kate Avelynn

Title: Flawed
Author: Kate Avelynn -
        Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: ebook - November 23, 2012; PB - December 11, 2012
Format: eARC* 352 pages
Rating: 5/5 stars - psh, I mean one trillion stars!
Get it: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.

Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realize James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact . . .

My thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

Beautiful and devastating all wrapped in one heart shattering, soul moving book. Flawed broke me, crushed me whole and devoured my every being. Kate Avelynn created a book so powerful, so gut wrenching.. nothing will ever be the same. 

Sarah O’Brien was the strongest protagonist I have ever encountered in all my time of reading. She wasn’t strong physically, but with years of abuse she had to go through, Sarah endured. She was living a life she didn’t deserve at all, stuck in an impossible situation with difficult choices to make between the two people that she loved the most. It was all so hard on Sarah and I really felt that pain, the indecision and the stress she was holding on her shoulders. The juggling of protecting herself, her brother, and Sam just took a toll on Sarah and my heart damn near crumbled for her. In the toughest of times, Sarah held out and I truly looked up to the way she loved and cared for James and Sam. I loved Sarah for all that she was and all that she wasn’t and I especially loved her for the choices she made and the fact that she continued to dream, hope and live. 


In so little words, I loved James. I ached for him entirely; that broken boy I wanted to fix from the inside out. As unstable and unpredictable as he was, I could not help but only see the goodness of his intentions and of his heart. He conflicted me, he shook me and made me love and hate him simultaneously. All his life has been devoted to protect and care for Sarah. Everything he had ever done was for Sarah and his unwavering love for her allowed darkness and madness to consume him. James only knew what he had to do to protect Sarah and all he wanted in return was love; love she could not give. And that possessive, all consuming love he had for her was what blew out the last of the bright flame my lovely golden boy had. How do you fix something so broken, so tainted by abuse, alcohol, drugs and fear that only darkness remained? There really is only one answer.. you can’t. 

The romance of this book rooted and attached itself to me. I have never felt so intensely for the love that bloomed between Sarah and Sam. It was electric and it was paradise and it was dangerous in so many aspects. For me, the risk was worth it all. Sam opened Sarah’s eyes. His smart, independent, caring, and protective personality awakened Sarah and taught her the true meaning of unconditional love. He gave her happiness and what little freedom she could take. Sarah was his everything, his forever and I truly believed that from the bottom of my heart. This boy.. this great, spectacular, unlike-no-one-in-this-world kind of boy was the sweetest, brightest and selfless being I have ever had the privilege to fall in love with. If there is one true hero in this book, it was Sam Donavan. No questions asked. 

I was unprepared for the amount of pain and hurt this book made me feel. I was unprepared for the amount and depth of love I had for every single letter, word, sentence, paragraph, page and chapter. I have never felt so much fear, hot and cold in my heart. I didn’t think I could have ever foreseen it coming at all. This book opened my eyes to the meaning of sacrifices, of choices, and complete devotion.


Flawed has easily worked its way to being one of the best books I have ever read. The wait was more than worth it and if I had to wait a million years for this book, I would happily do so. Kate Avelynn completely moved me to sobbing tears with her clean, exquisite, and top notch writing. What she created in Flawed was pure emotion, passion and dark tragedy that shattered my heart to tiny painful pieces. It’s the type of book that is too beautiful for words and one that will haunt your very core to oblivion.



Overall, Flawed was just perfect, flawless and incomparable. 

*#DarkDarlings forever <3 Thank you so much Kate.