RELEASE DAY EVENT + GIVEAWAYS: FIRE INSIDE by KRISTEN ASHLEY

I am so excited to take part in the Fire Inside (Print) Release Day Event! I am a huge fan of the Chaos series, and believe me, I fell in love with Hop and Lanie's story. I have an excerpt, my original review, and two giveaways.

Series: Chaos #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Grand Central
Publication Date: 3/25/14

Lanie Heron isn’t looking for love—no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club...

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She’s too polished and too classy for his tastes. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can’t say no. And he doesn’t regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him—in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

 

EXCERPT

Hop came out of the bathroom to see Lanie on her feet on the other side of the bed, panties on, hands twisted behind her back putting her bra on. Again.

He didn’t say a word. He prowled to her, reached out an arm the second he was close, yanked her to him and fell to his back in the bed, taking her down with him.

“Hop—” she started, pushing her weight against his arms, but he slid her off him then wasted no time rolling over her and pinning her to his bed.

“Sleep,” he ordered when he caught her eyes in the weak dawn. “After rest, I’ll get coffee, we’ll juice up, then round four.”

She blinked and breathed, “Four?”

“Got lots more I want to do to you,” he informed her and watched her eyes go soft, sexier, then her teeth came out to graze her lush lower lip, also fucking sexy, and her arms slid around him.

But she asked, “What about Tack and Ty-Ty?”

“I’ll make sure the coast is clear,” he told her.

“But they’ll see my car,” she told him.

“I’ll move it,” he offered.

Her hand slid up his back, around his shoulder, and then to his neck where her thumb moved to stroke him.

Her touch was light but, fuck, it felt good. He’d never had a woman touch him in an unconscious way like that, just a touch, a stroke, giving something that meant nothing at the same time doing it without thinking about it meant everything.

Shit.

Complicated.

“This is just supposed to be one night,” she reminded him quietly, but he saw it in her eyes. She didn’t even try to hide it. She’d bitten off more than she could chew.

He had too and he was nowhere near done eating.

She was cute. She was sweet. She was hot. She was better than he expected and he’d expected her to be pretty fucking good. All that wrapped in a package that gorgeous?

Yeah.

He was nowhere near done eating.

“Change of plans. A night and a morning and, maybe, an afternoon and, possibly, another night,” he amended, and her eyes got softer as her hand slid up to cup his jaw.

“I have to work,” she told him.

“Call off,” he told her.

“I can’t. I own the joint.” She explained something he knew, that she ran her own advertising agency. “And things are a bit crazy.”

Things were always crazy for Lanie. The woman lived crazy. She thrived on it. If there wasn’t crazy, she stirred it up because she couldn’t breathe without it.

“Babe,” he pressed his body into hers, “told you, got more I want to do to you.”

My Review

If you'd told me - back when I read Motorcycle Man - that Hop Kincaid would be a leading man, a great one at that, I would have been hugely skeptical. And then, if you'd told me that the glamorous, high-class Lanie Heron was his leading lady, I would have given you the side eye. Hop was a rough, badass biker who appeared to be a cheater. Lanie was a fun and dramatic chick with an admirable sense of loyalty, but questionable choices. But true to form, Kristen Ashley made it work, and delivered a beautiful and captivating love story.

Fire Inside is a story that ran fairly parallel to Own the Wind, which I really enjoyed. It was easy to see that something was up with Hop and Lanie in that book, and boy, was it ever fun to dig in and find out exactly how it all went down with Hop and his Lady. And like Own the Wind, this was not as much a story of the MC world, but more about people who happen to be in the biker world. Fire Inside was the story of a man and woman who appear to be complete opposites, but behind closed doors, they discover-and work for-a beautifully powerful love.

Once again, Kristen Ashley is the master of characterization. Hop and Lanie were alive. With Ashley's books, you never wonder why a character makes their choices or says or reacts the way they do. You're never left feeling a disconnect from the characters. I personally have never felt a lack of
connection with any of her characters. Whether I can see pieces of myself in a character or not, I know and understand them. Every single book is a fantastic experience for me. I feel as if I've stepped into her world and made new friends. Every single time, I am so sad to end the story, but so happy for the experience.

On a side note: This might not seem relevant, but does play a large part in Fire Inside. In the Acknowledgments, Kristen Ashley mentioned how much she was inspired by Bob Seger, in Hop and Lanie's story and in general. His music was mentioned several times throughout the story and Hop even sings one of his songs.  I've always been a fan of Seger's, but what really got me was that all the mentions reminded me of my super cool uncle. He was the ultimate cool dude to me as a kid. He was/is a big fan of Seger's, and had as badass 'stache, not unlike Hop's. Needless to say, this made me a very happy reader. Anytime a book takes you to a happy memory is a great experience.



Favorite Quotes

  No man looked good in jewelry. No man except a biker in a motorcycle club that had great chest hair, zero body fat, and flame tattoos up his arms could carry off that jewelry. The man in my bed."


  "You breathe easy if you take a chance on me. What I do, I do. What the Club does, it does. You'll learn to trust me, the brothers, Tack. I don't use you as a shield. I am the goddamn shield."


  It was the pain of finally having something you wanted. Something you’d longed for. Longed for since you had memories. Something life taught you to believe you’d never have. Something, if you lived without it, it left a void in your soul you knew would never be filled. Something, without it, you knew you’d never be whole. It was something you needed .It was as necessary as breath. It was what was required to complete you.



  I watched him, thinking, a badass biker in faded jeans, a faded black Henley and beat up motorcycle boots. He needed a haircut and a shave. He used profanity way too often. And there were shadowy things in his life he had to protect me from. But, yes. All that was perfect. Absolutely.


  You don’t say words like ‘gig’, lady.”
  “My man’s a biker. Shit rubs off.

Chaos Series

 

(covers lead to GoodReads)

Purchase Links

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

GIVEAWAY

I have two giveaways for you; one event giveaway, and one blog giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I also have one print copy to give away. Must be 18+ years of age; open to US/Can.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author

Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up.  And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

REVIEW: FIRE INSIDE (CHAOS #2) by KRISTEN ASHLEY

 

As some may notice, I've dedicated a week (more or less) each month to a Kristen Ashley series. Up this month is the Chaos Series.

Series: Chaos #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Grand Central
Publication Date: 6/4/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 528
Source: Purchase
Rating: 5 stars

Lanie Heron isn’t looking for love—no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club...

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She’s too polished and too classy for his tastes. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can’t say no. And he doesn’t regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him—in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

If you'd told me - back when I read Motorcycle Man - that Hop Kincaid would be a leading man, a great one at that, I would have been hugely skeptical. And then, if you'd told me that the glamorous, high-class Lanie Heron was his leading lady, I would have given you the side eye. Hop was a rough, badass biker who appeared to be a cheater. Lanie was a fun and dramatic chick with an admirable sense of loyalty, but questionable choices. But true to form, Kristen Ashley made it work, and delivered a beautiful and captivating love story.

Fire Inside is a story that ran fairly parallel to Own the Wind, which I really enjoyed. It was easy to see that something was up with Hop and Lanie in that book, and boy, was it ever fun to dig in and find out exactly how it all went down with Hop and his Lady. And like Own the Wind, this was not as much a story of the MC world, but more about people who happen to be in the biker world. Fire Inside was the story of a man and woman who appear to be complete opposites, but behind closed doors, they discover-and work for-a beautifully powerful love.

Once again, Kristen Ashley is the master of characterization. Hop and Lanie were alive. With Ashley's books, you never wonder why a character makes their choices or says or reacts the way they do. You're never left feeling a disconnect from the characters. I personally have never felt a lack of connection with any of her characters. Whether I can see pieces of myself in a character or not, I know and understand them. Every single book is a fantastic experience for me. I feel as if I've stepped into her world and made new friends. Every single time, I am so sad to end the story, but so happy for the experience.

On a side note: This might not seem relevant, but does play a large part in Fire Inside. In the Acknowledgments, Kristen Ashley mentioned how much she was inspired by Bob Seger, in Hop and Lanie's story and in general. His music was mentioned several times throughout the story and Hop even sings one of his songs.  I've always been a fan of Seger's, but what really got me was that all the mentions reminded me of my super cool uncle. He was the ultimate cool dude to me as a kid. He was/is a big fan of Seger's, and had as badass 'stache, not unlike Hop's. Needless to say, this made me a very happy reader. Anytime a book takes you to a happy memory is a great experience.


Favorite Quotes:

  No man looked good in jewelry. No man except a biker in a motorcycle club that had great chest hair, zero body fat, and flame tattoos up his arms could carry off that jewelry. The man in my bed."


  "You breathe easy if you take a chance on me. What I do, I do. What the Club does, it does. You'll learn to trust me, the brothers, Tack. I don't use you as a shield. I am the goddamn shield."  


  It was the pain of finally having something you wanted. Something you’d longed for. Longed for since you had memories. Something life taught you to believe you’d never have. Something, if you lived without it, it left a void in your soul you knew would never be filled. Something, without it, you knew you’d never be whole. It was something you needed .It was as necessary as breath. It was what was required to complete you.


  I watched him, thinking, a badass biker in faded jeans, a faded black Henley and beat up motorcycle boots. He needed a haircut and a shave. He used profanity way too often. And there were shadowy things in his life he had to protect me from. But, yes. All that was perfect. Absolutely.


  You don’t say words like ‘gig’, lady.”
   “My man’s a biker. Shit rubs off.

Chaos Series

 

(covers lead to GoodReads)

Purchase Fire Inside

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

About Kristen Ashley
Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

REVIEW: OWN THE WIND (CHAOS #1) by KRISTEN ASHLEY

As some may notice, I've dedicated a week (more or less) each month to a Kristen Ashley series. Up this month is the Chaos Series.

Series: Chaos #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Grand Central
Publication Date: 4/2/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 448
Source: Purchase
Rating: 5 stars

Too hot to handle...

Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos--the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos' leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby's thinking about much more than friendship...

Tabby is everything Shy's ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can't have. She's beautiful, smart, and as his friend's daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more--much more--he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn...

I know I begin every single Kristen Ashley review this way, but I loved this book. And when I say I loved this book, I mean that Own the Wind is without a doubt one of my very favorite KA books. Shy and Tabby are one of my very favorite couples ever. And this story - their story- stole my heart.

Own the Wind is so different from what I expected. Being a Chaos novel, I thought it would be heavy on the MC doings, with a love story in the midst. But what it was, in my opinion, was the opposite. This was a love story that happened to be set in the Chaos brotherhood.

If you've read Motorcycle Man, then you know what was coming in Own the Wind. All the signs were there. Tabby Allen, daughter of the President, Tack, has had a crush on the young Chaos member Parker "Shy"Cage for years. That of course, is trouble. But what is so special is the way Shy and Tabby's heart-wrenching story is told. The course of true love never runs smoothly in a Kristen Ashley book, but this went to a new level. Of course, love always prevails, thanks to the infinite care, patience and devotion of Shy Cage, and the huge heart of Tabby Allen. Though the details are different, it had the heart-break, then intensity, the slow-burning build-up that reminded me a bit of Hector and Sadie's story in Rock Chick Regret.

I could truly go on endlessly about Own the Wind. I love the story. I love the characters. I loved the way they argued, the authenticity with which they battled out anything from what kind of ice maker to get, to whether Shy was justified in teaching Tabby's jerk boss a lesson he'd never forget. I love the quiet moments, the profound moments. Like Tabby and Shy, I "dreamed a dream" once, and like mine, I'm so happy theirs came true.

Own the Wind obviously set the Chaos series off to a fabulous start. I can only hope the momentum, nicely set-up in the end, continues with Hop and Lanie's story in Fire Inside.


Favorite Quotes:

  She kept giving it so her took even more and Jesus, the taste of her, the feel of her pressed close, the world melted away. It was more intoxicating that any liquor, a high better than any fucking drug.
  Phenomenal.
  Better than he would have guessed. Better than years of wondering how good it could be.
  The best he ever had.  
  With just a fucking kiss.


  "Don't be fuckin' cute and honest to god, if you lick your lip, I'll lose my mind. Next time you lick your lip you do it when we are nowhere near a public place and I can let loose the reaction I've had half a million fuckin' times over four fuckin' years every time I've seen you do it, not here, in a bookstore where I can't."  


  "He's good to me. When I say he's good to me, Tyra, I mean he's good to me. He's good for me. He doesn't care if I ruin dinner. He doesn't care that I talk too much. He thinks I'm the shit, and you know why I know that?"  I leaned into her and didn't wait for an answer. "Because he tells me. All the fucking time. I'm precious to him and I know it because he shows me and he tells me. It's beautiful. It's real. It's right."

 
  "I'm puttin' my ring on her finger, I'm givin' her babies, and when she's laid to rest, that ring I give her will still be on her finger.... I was part of an us and I was happy. Some motherfucker killed my parents and took that from me, so life forced me to become nothin' but a me. Now I'm an us again, and that's what I'll be with my woman and the family we make until the day I fucking die."


  "I dreamed a dream and there I was, a ring on my finger, my man's mouth on mine, standing with my dream, feeling it come real.
   I was right about what I was feeling.
   I was feeling everything.
   And it was beautiful."

Chaos Series

 

(covers lead to GoodReads)

Purchase Own the Wind

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

About Kristen Ashley
Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

TEASER TUESDAY ~ OWN THE WIND

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.


Series: Chaos #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Grand Central
Publication Date: 4/2/13

Too hot to handle...

Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos--the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos' leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby's thinking about much more than friendship...

Tabby is everything Shy's ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can't have. She's beautiful, smart, and as his friend's daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more--much more--he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn...

My Teaser ~

  "I'd like to know why you dialed my number tonight, but if you don't wanna share that shit, that's cool too. I'll just say, babe, I'm glad you did. You need a safe place just to forget shit and escape, I'll give it to you. Tonight. Tomorrow. Next week. Next month. That safe place is me, Tabby."  ~12%

What do you think? The opening of this book ripped me up. SO. GOOD. I will be reviewing Own the Wind later this week.

   

REVIEW: DOLLS BEHAVING BADLY by CINTHIA RITCHIE

Genre: Women's Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: 2/5/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 352
Source: Received from publisher for review

Carla Richards is a lot of things. She's a waitress at Anchorage's premier dining establishment, Mexico in an Igloo; an artist who secretly makes erotic dolls for extra income; a divorcée who can't quite detach from her ex-husband; and a single mom trying to support her gifted eight-year-old son, her pregnant sister, and her babysitter-turned-resident-teenager.

She's one overdue bill away from completely losing control-when inspiration strikes in the form of a TV personality. Now she's scribbling away in a diary, flirting with an anthropologist, and making appointments with a credit counselor.

Still, getting her life and dreams back on track is difficult. Is perfection really within reach? Or will she wind up with something even better?

  "Yesterday, I was so worried about money I stayed home from work and tried to drown myself in the bathtub. I sank my head under the water and held my breath, but my face popped up in less than a minute. I tried a second time, but by then my heart wasn't really in it, so I got out, brushed the dog hair off the sofa, and plopped down to watch Oprah"  ~eARC, 1%

With that morbidly hilarious scene within the first few pages of Dolls Behaving Badly, I knew I was in for a treat. Set in Anchorage, Alaska, Dolls Behaving Badly is a multi-faceted story of a small group of women, centered around single mom Carla Richards. Carla is nearly broke, struggling to make ends meet for herself and her young son, Jay-Jay. Besides waitressing, she supplements her income by making naughty dolls for an erotic website. She has a love/hate relationship with her ex-husband, Barry, but that doesn't stop them from sleeping together when they both get lonely. She is an artist who let her dreams go by the wayside. And there's a guy...Francisco. He's handsome, intelligent, and interested. But is taking another shot at love worth the work?

Carla is also the rock for the women in her life. There's Sandee, a co-worker who's husband ditched her without a trace while on vacation in Las Vegas. Stephanie, her wise-beyond-her years babysitter who's home life is a disaster, leading her to move in permanently.  A self-absorbed sister, Laurel, who's left her husband after becoming pregnant with another man's child. Rounding out this group of ladies is Carla's deceased Gramma, whose memory is a constant influence from beyond the grave.

I found Dolls Behaving Badly to be such a thought-provoking and moving story. One moment I would be struck so profoundly by the author's knack for pinpointing the highs-and-lows of womanhood right on the head. The next moment, I would find myself smiling at the Carla's wry, matter-of-fact tone, marking the absurdity of life and love. I found myself reminded of the funny tone in "chick lit" books such as those by Sophie Kinsella or Helen Fielding. I also found myself smiling the bittersweet, knowing smile I often held while watching a television show that focused women, like Desperate Housewives.

Dolls Behaving Badly is a book that almost every woman I know would identify with. Even if you've never experienced all of the trials Carla has faced, there are pieces to the story that all women can inherently identify with. Dolls Behaving Badly was an honest and funny looks at one woman's life, and I'm so happy to have read it.


Favorite Quotes:

  Love is too complicated. It takes too much effort. It's something we all want, but we want it our way.  ~eARC, 15%


  Oh, children will break your heart, they way they leave, a little more each day, pulling and pulling, and no matter how much you long to pull them back, you have to let them go. You have to follow them until you know the shape of their shoulders, the set of their knees, the way their feet turn inward or outward as they move confidently away from you.  ~eARC, 52%
 

 

Purchase Dolls Behaving Badly at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository 

 

 

About the author

Alaska writer and author of "Dolls Behaving Badly," releasing Feb. 5 from Hachette Book Group; lover of good books and hot baths or, better yet, reading good books while lounging in a hot bath. Secret wish: To hike up a mountain while holding Emily Dickinson's hand.

 

Connect with Cinthia at her website.

 

 

RERELEASE DAY GIVEAWAY ~ IF YOU STAY by COURTNEY COLE

Today marks the re-release of If You Stay (Beautifully Broken #1) by Courtney Cole! This edition has a new, slightly different cover, and bonus material! You can learn more about a contest hosted by the publisher, AND there's a GIVEAWAY!

Check it out...

 

 

 

Series: Beautifully Broken #1

Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)


In the bestselling tradition of J.A. Redmerski, Jessica Sorensen, S.C. Stephens, and Jamie McGuire...

Twenty-four-year-old Pax Tate is an asshole. Seriously. He's a tattooed, rock-hard bad boy with a tough attitude to match. His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with an intense guilt that he doesn't understand. What he does know is that he and his dad were left alone, and they have never been close. Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the black void in his soul. He pretends that the emptiness isn't there and this has always worked . . . until he meets Mila.


Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air that Pax has never known in his life. He doesn't know how to not hurt her¿but he quickly realizes that he'd better figure it out because he needs her to breathe. When the memories of his mother's death resurface to haunt Pax, Mila is there to save him from his overwhelming guilt. Mila restores his broken heart, even as she evokes his powerful, sexual desires. Now for Pax to keep Mila, he needs to work on his issuesand stop being an asshole. But is that enough to make her stay?

 

 

 

Purchase If You Stay for only $0.99 at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

 

 

 

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

About the author:

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.

Connect with Courtney at:

Website  |   Blog  |  Facebook   |  Twitter  |  GoodReads

 

{REVIEW} FUSE (PURE #2) by JULIANNA BAGGOTT

Series: Pure #2
Genre: Post Apocalyptic/Sci Fi
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: 2/19/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 416
Source: Received from publisher, via NetGalley

 When the world ended, those who dwelled within the Dome were safe. Inside their glass world the Pures live on unscarred, while those outside—the Wretches—struggle to survive amidst the smoke and ash.

Believing his mother was living among the Wretches, Partridge escaped from the Dome to find her. Determined to regain control over his son, Willux, the leader of the Pures, unleashes a violent new attack on the Wretches. It’s up to Pressia Belze, a young woman with her own mysterious past, to decode a set of cryptic clues from the past to set the Wretches free.

An epic quest that sweeps readers into a world of beautiful brutality, Fuse continues the story of two people fighting to save their futures—and change the fate of the world.

 

Once again, I am left stunned by the Pure series. It is alternately horrific, beautiful, wistful, romantic, and brutally savage. Definitely not my typical read, but I'm so glad that I took the leap. When I read Pure, I was blown away by the author's imagination, and by the fact that the world is based on a premise I find frightening and not out of the realm of possibility. I was drawn to the words that made me see beauty within the horror.

I'm not sure why, but Fuse did not hit me as hard as Pure. Maybe it's because I was somewhat used to the imagery. The shock factor was still there, but not as strong. I think it's also due to the fact that Fuse is the middle book in the series and those often seem to fall short of the first book. Another aspect that may have played part is the heavy scientific explanations. There are several overly (in my opinion) detailed passages that had me skimming, though it's good that there are explanations and logical thinking going on.

As far as the characters go, I was continually, and often pleasantly, surprised by their actions. Pressia is still trying to find her father, find the key to bringing down Willux, and navigating a relationship with Bradford, whom I still adore. Partridge broke my heart. His sacrifices to help the greater good made me proud and sad. His relationship with Lyda was beautiful and heartbreaking. She is another great heroine in this series, seemingly meek but with a powerful presence. The characters that most surprises and make me cringe is El Capitan and Helmud. In Pure, I honestly did not think the two would play a huge part of the story, other than as the conflicted bad guy(s). The fact that he/they now play a large, valiant part in the series is pretty great.

I just don't know how to pin down my feelings about Fuse. It took me nearly half the book to become truly involved.  The writing is gorgeous and imaginative. The story is brave, and makes you think about ethical issues, religious issues, friendship, sacrifice and love.


Favorite Quote:

  "You are whole," Bradwell says. "This is who I am -- scars, birds in my back. I'm whole now. I accept that. You go around seeing beauty in all this wreckage, but when will you see it in yourself?" He reaches up and runs his finger along the curve of the crescent scar around her eye. "This self."  ~eARC, 28%

The Pure Series

 

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My review of Pure

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{REVIEW} PURE (PURE #1) by JULIANNA BAGGOTT

Series: Pure #1
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: 2/8/12
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Source: Received from publisher for review.

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

Pure is a post-apocalyptic tale of survival and hope amid destruction and horror.

Believe it or not, I like it when I am wrong about a book. To have a book that I have written off as something that I would never enjoy, thank you very much, sneak up on me and become a book that I can't put down and forget, even after the last page.When I read the first wave of reviews, before, during and shortly after Pure's release, I was so sure that this story was simply "not for me". I barely like post-apocalyptic stories, let alone those that feature characters so shocking and horrifying as the victims in this bleak book.

But a few months ago, I received an email from a publicist, interested in sending me the new paperback version of the book, and I took a chance. When Pure finally reached the top of my reading pile, I picked it up, gave a weary sigh, and began reading, slightly optimistic, but fairly certain that I would give it up by page one hundred.

I was wrong.

By page one hundred, I was hooked. I was gripped by this cruel future and its brave inhabitants. I was rooting for the brave Pure boy, Partridge, beautiful and unmarred, but lost and damaged in his own way. I was stunned by the courageous Pressia, a girl with a doll's head for a hand. She is a girl with little to hope for from this world, but her simple hope for a connection to her past made my heart ache. I fell in love with Bradwell, a boy who is physically imperfect in comparison to most heroes, but who was beautiful beyond compare. A boy with wings who has a place in his heart for love.

The reality that author Julianna Baggott built in Pure is too much for me to break down in this review. The themes touched included government corruption, science gone mad, nuclear warfare and radiation, and religion...and so much more. The aspect that fascinated me most was the inclusion of the Japanese victims of the atomic bomb, and how the victims of Pure were tied to that.

Honestly, I have really struggled with this review. I think I'm in a bit of shock. Pure made me angry, made me cry, gasp, pull my hair, shout at other readers, cover my mouth when I thought I would scream, cringe, and left me with hope. It is not a love story, yet it is a story about love. This is a book that made me feel all the feelings, and I could not put it down. Pure is a book that will not be forgotten.


Favorite Quote:

  "But it's not that he's stuck. No. He remembers the story perfectly. The reason he stops is that he can almost feel his mother. The story released in the air also releases some part of her. He stops so that he can take it in and then it's gone. In these brief moments, he can remember what it was like to be a little boy."   (pg. 296)


  "Bradwell sits up and toucheds the scar with his fingertip. He looks at her as if his eyes are taking in her entire face, her eyes, her cheeks, her lips. Normally, she's look away, but she can't. 'The scar is beautiful,' he says.
  Her heart skitters. She pulls the doll head to her chest. 'Beautiful? It's a scar.'
  'It's a sign of survival.'"    (pg. 319)


  "And his eyes, the gold flecks. Where had they come from? It was if they'd suddenly appeared. Beauty, you can find it here if you look hard enough. Every once in a while, in a quick shot, she'll remember how he looked at her, taking in her entire face. The thought of it makes her nervous, the same feeling as having a secret you hope no one ever finds out about."   (pg. 352-3)



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