REVIEW: The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen (The Coincidence #2)
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: July 30, 2013
Rating: 4/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is finally out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way to clear his name is for Callie to speak up-something he'll never ask her to do. Instead, he'll do whatever he must to protect her . . . even if it means letting go of the only girl he's ever loved.

Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But that means facing her greatest fear and admitting her own painful secrets aloud. The thought of breaking her silence terrifies her-but not as much as the thought of losing Kayden forever.

Deep in her heart, Callie knows the time has come for her and Kayden to forget the pain of the past. With the help of her friends Seth and Luke she makes a plan to show Kayden the life they could have. But can she convince him they can make a fresh start together-or is she already too late?

My Review

Breaking down The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen...



The Beginning


Redemption picks up where Coincidence left off with Callie worried and reeling and Kayden broken and almost at rock bottom. 



Callie


I’m probably most proud of her for being brave and strong for not just herself, but for Kayden as well. True to her word, Callie never judged Kayden, but supported him and helped him. She tried to be a strong person so she was able to save herself and save him. She mustered up all the courage she had and put herself out there and I was so amazed by her resilience. Callie wasn’t that quiet, meek, scared girl in Coincidence. She really steps up and out and speaks up. 



Kayden


I was aching for him because of what he did, what he went through and how he felt. It was his turn to finally be helped and saved and while it took him a few push and pull moments, Kayden followed through. He had a hard time and he struggled with his inner demons and continued to believe he wasn’t good enough. I was rooting for him to also have the courage to speak up, to help himself and move forward. With Callie’s help, he sees the potential in himself and his ability to just allow someone to understand him and be there for him. And even after everything Kayden has been through, he has always been a good person despite it all.



Friendship


As before, Redemption really celebrates friendship. Callie, Seth, Luke and Kayden have become each other’s little family. They hold no judgement towards each other, they respect the boundaries while still pushing the lines to move forward. They are there for each other without the need to share every little thing. It’s a friendship based on understanding, care and concern. They all share in their dark and especially in their light. I love that these four have made a path towards an even stronger bond with one another. 



The message


Sorensen really boasts the importance of friendship, love, and overcoming the fear of what the truth can bring and trusting that someone will listen and believe. She shows the real struggle and pain one can go through after traumatic events, how it is possible to heal and be loved, and that a happy ending small or big is within reach. 



All in all, I am happy where Callie and Kayden are right now, but I would not mind following their story even further. 



REVIEW: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen (The Coincidence #1)
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Rating: 4/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

For Kayden, suffering in silence was the only way to survive. If he was lucky, he could keep his head down, do as he was told, and make it through the day. But one night it seemed like his luck-and his life-might finally end... until an angel named Callie appeared just in time to rescue him.

Callie has never believed in luck. Not since her twelfth birthday when everything was taken from her. After the worst was over, she locked up her feelings and vowed never to tell anyone what happened. Now, six years later, she continues to struggle with the painful secret that threatens to consume her.

When fate lands Kayden and Callie at the same college, Kayden is determined to get to know the beautiful girl who changed his destiny. Quiet and reserved, Callie still fears letting anyone else into her world. But Kayden is certain that Callie has come back into his life for a reason. And the more he tries to be a part of her life, the more he realizes that, this time, it's Callie who needs to be saved...

My Review

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen is not a lighthearted book. It was an intense, heavy, and very dark novel that really brought out the demons, secrets and ugly lives a person may live and try to deal with. It really brought out the message to be strong enough to share the inner turmoil with someone you can trust. 

I was really aching for Callie and Kayden. Both had some serious issues that plagued them from early childhood and on. Callie withdrew from herself after a traumatizing event and had the hardest time trusting anyone else. Kayden struggled with a very rough home life and ended up dealing things in their own ways. While both of them struggled, they lived on in college and ended up opening themselves up to one another. Callie slowly trusted in Kayden and Kayden allowed himself to have an emotional connection with Callie. These characters were definitely broken, but not unfixable and they sure came a long way with the help of each other's company. 

Sorensen did a great job of weaving these heavy dark issues and balancing them out with a love story between the main characters. The characters are fleshed out and well developed and we get a chance to get into both their heads. While these two get to know each other, their secrets get revealed slowly while still keeping the suspense and their turmoil still on the rocks. So much is still yet to dealt with and also, there's still so much more to these characters than what meets the eye and I like that Sorensen left it that way. 

I also really loved the friendships in this book, especially the ones between Seth and Callie and Kayden and Luke. Together they were all silly and a force to be reckoned with, but apart they were also just as humorous and made way for a great amount of tension and comic relief. It really showed that though Callie and Kayden had trust issues, they both had someone else to fall back on, to talk to and they both valued the friendships. And when they all grew closer, they slowly became more than that. I thought it was pretty awesome.

Overall, I was throughly engrossed into The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. I was intrigued by the characters, hooked by the plot line, and swayed by the chemistry in the romance. I definitely can’t wait to read book two!

REVIEW: Masquerade by Nyrae Dawn

Masquerade by Nyrae Dawn (Games #3)
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: January 7, 2013
Source: Netgalley via publisher
Rating: 5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

A biker. A tattoo artist. A love to last a lifetime.

Maddox Cross has always had to be tough. When his father went to jail for murder, the teenager took care of his sister and mother. Now on his own and working security at a night club, Maddox wants to become a tattoo artist-a dream that comes closer to reality when he falls for the hottest, most tatted woman he's ever seen. She's wild and beautiful, and Maddox will do anything to be with her.

Bee Malone came to town to open up her new tattoo parlor, Masquerade. Since being kidnapped as a young girl, Bee has had trouble getting close to anyone. But when she meets Maddox, she sees that under his hard biker's body is the sensitive soul of an artist. What starts out as a sizzling one-night stand soon becomes so much more.

Bee wants Maddox to join her tattoo business, but letting him into her life means revealing all her most intimate secrets. And as the past begins to intertwine with her present, Bee fears their love may not be as permanent as their ink . . . 

My thoughts, feeling, and reactions

I swear each book that Nyrae Dawn comes out with just gets better and better. Masquerade has to be the best yet! Masquerade was just gripping, so emotional, and absolutely heart wrenching. 



Let me talk about Bee
.

I loved her for many many reasons. This girl was downright tough and outspoken. She was determined to live her life the way she wanted to and be exactly who she wanted to be. And while she seemed like this hard, brave girl she was not without pain and guilt. She struggled with wanting to be someone for herself, but also the daughter she thought that her parents loved and deserved. The guilt she felt at being torn in two, how she was just so closed off and didn’t know how to love made me want to just love her even more. I admired her strength and all the ways she endured even if it took her sometime to get where she needed to be. 



Now Maddox.


He was this hard-shelled, angry and guilt-ridden man that refused to forgive himself and let people in. Not matter what he said, I thought he was a good brother for Laney. It was so heartbreaking to see how much misplaced guilt he had on his shoulders for what happened in the past. And to see him finally break down all those walls and let go all the hurt was beautiful and freeing. Even though Maddox could be a complete jerk, the things he wanted in life for himself, for his sister and for Bee made him extraordinary. He may have been wrapped up in that guilt, but had an amazing heart through and through. And I have to mention Maddox was extremely sexy!



More than one glimpse.


I have to bow down and possibly tackle hug Nyrae for including Laney, Adrian, Colt, and Cheyenne into this one. They weren’t the stars in the book, but to see how they were and where they were going made me want to ball my eyes out in happiness. I was thrilled each time they were mentioned and I was even more taken by how these four wormed their way into Maddox and Bee’s life. 



The full story.


While all three books in the Games series have been about overcoming obstacles, opening up to loving someone, and dealing with broken people who thought they couldn’t be fixed, Masquerade kicks it up a notch. I thought out of all the books, this one stood out because of Maddox and Bee’s story, how they didn’t even realize they needed each other and how they just ended up loving one another when they thought they never could. I think Masquerade stood out from the rest, especially because of Bee. She was so different from Cheyenne and Laney, yet she was just as lost as they were. I just thought her story touched me even more so. Maddox and Bee’s love unfolded beautifully and to see them finally admit their feelings made me wish I was actually there to witness it in person.



Overall, Masquerade was stunning. The ending was perfect, the whole book was memorable, and the characters were just heartwarming. It’s one of those books that will rock your world and give you every feel possible. 

*Thanks to Forever for sending a copy for review. 

I was not compensated for my opinion.

REVIEW: Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

Sins & Needles by Karina Halle (The Artists Trilogy #1)
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Rating: 5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she's much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for - Camden McQueen.

Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie's counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she's not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie's plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn't dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it's one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road. 

My Review

I already knew Sins & Needles by Karina Halle was going to be absolutely blow my mind worthy, but I never knew just how much it was going to rock my freaking world and more. Sins & Needles had everything I wanted: danger, sex, tattoos, illegal activities, criminals, redeemable yet flawed characters, and a crazy ass ex-boyfriend on the hunt. This book was 5 stars worth of badass. 

I loved main character, narrator, totally fantabulous, Ellie Watt. She was one amazing character because I got to see the good and bad sides of her. She was a character who had all kinds of faults, she wasn’t a typical heroine, but one in gray area of black and white, right and wrong. Ellie Watt was more human that any character I have every encountered in my time of reading. She was fatally flawed, not able to resist temptation, can do bad things, but still feel guilt and remorse. She was a survivor of a tough life and did things that were illegal and deceiving, but it was who she became to be and I liked that she admitted it and sometimes embraced it even though she wanted to change it. She sometimes had an attitude of consequences be damned that I really liked about her. 

The romance in this book wasn’t butterflies and happy endings full of true love. I’m not even sure you could really call what Ellie and Camden have as romance because of how complicated everything was for them. It was sometimes hurtful, brutal, and intense. There was betrayal and understanding and sometimes cruelty. Though it was not perfect for Ellie and Camden, they were passionate nonetheless. They got where they wanted to be or at least tried to make it work and build the trust they have lost. Camden was one scary sexy beast. He was intoxicating right off the very bat. He was charming and endearing but he was also dangerous and wicked all at once and I loved all sides of him. I loved that he could be gentle and soft and then be cold and unforgiving in one flip of a switch. Camden’s impending darkness and the way he saw beauty in broken things made him much more desirable than he already was. Even in his clever, conniving and intense manner, Camden McQueen was simply breath-taking. 


I completely enjoyed the heck out of Sins & Needles. Halle gave me one dirty, gritty, deliciously dark and one completely engrossing novel. I just loved how easily placed I felt in this book because of how she appealed to all of my senses. I envisioned everything with so much ease. I especially appreciated the flashbacks that were very well placed in the book. I loved being able to see a glimpse of Ellie and Camden’s past, of who they were before and how they got to where they were now. The flashbacks never get in the way of the present storyline. In fact, the third person flashbacks enhanced it to really give you the full experience of seeing that the Ellie you’re meeting now was not the same Ellie back then. I thought Halle really brought in an exciting and thrilling ride. Sins & Needles was dangerous, scandalous and oh so sexy. It had a certain edginess to give the book its originality. It’s crazy and chaotic and sometimes a little wild too. I loved that book messed with the laws, with morals, and meaning of love, trust, betrayal and sacrifice. Some of the characters are bat shit crazy and sometimes the things they do were brutal, but it was because of that Sins & Needles was fucking amazing through and through. 


REVIEW: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press, Inc
Published: 12 July 2011
Format: First Edition, Hardcover; 400 pages

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

My Review:
Like with Shiver and Linger, Forever was everything I had hoped it would be. Maggie Stiefvater continued to impress me and move me with this final conclusion to the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. It makes me really sad that Forever is the last in the. Like all things, everything must come to an end despite my wish that it didn’t. I can never get enough of Sam and Grace’s story. I can never get enough of their love. Most of all, I will never be able to find a trilogy that touched me so deeply than the way this one did.



In Forever, Sam, Cole and Isabel do their best to adjust to the changes and aftermaths to the ending of Linger. Sam and Cole are trying to find some kind of cure for Grace while Cole and Isabel try to reconcile their somewhat rough relationship. In this last book, everything is at stake: Sam and Grace’s relationship, Grace and Cole’s humanity, but most of all.. the wolves they’ve come to know and love. 



Sam, Grace, Isabel and Cole continue to grow as individuals and together as a group of friends. Their friendship with each other has strengthens. They mature a bit more in Forever and they continue to see things differently. Their fight is more desperate in this one and I can really feel each emotion coming off of them. 



This book has definitely more action and adventure with more lives at stake, for both human and wolf. Sam and Grace’s love is even stronger than the beginning of the trilogy. To watch them together brings tears to my eyes each time. Their love has been constantly put to the test and I feel each time just makes their bond stronger than ever. They’ve fought so hard and it all comes down to these last 300-400 pages. Isabel and Cole shine so much more in this one and their end ultimately left me wanting more of them together. 



As a whole, this book can be defined as beautifully tragic. There’s a touch of bittersweetness in the end, but I thought it was the best, most realistic end for the four characters. Maggie Stiefvater has managed to capture my heart all over again. I was once again absorbed by the story; captivated and utterly enchanted. It tore me a part inside to see it all come to an end. I know some people will dislike such an open ending, but it fits well. Maggie Stiefvater lets your imagination wander past the last page of the book.



The final conclusion to Maggie Stiefvater’s the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy will render you breathless and speechless. You’ll be sucked into a whirlwind of love, friendship, hope and pure, magical beauty. 



My Rating: 5 of 5 stars.