Chelsea M. Cameron – Z. Elizabeth

ARC: Faster We Burn (#2) – Chelsea M. Cameron

Posted on April 20, 2013April 20, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Katie Hallman is done with douchebags. Done with guys who treat her like crap and leave her broken. But then Stryker Grant is there anyway. With his numerous piercings and bleached hair, he’s the polar opposite of all of her past relationships, which makes him the perfect candidate.

At first, Katie just sees him as a physical escape from her previous rocky relationship, and Stryker doesn’t seem to mind just being a distraction from Katie’s problems. But soon he’s getting under her skin, peeling back layers she’d rather keep covered. She tries to make it clear that she doesn’t want a relationship, but keeps breaking her own rules.

Then a tragedy sends Katie into the only arms who are there to catch her, and she’ll realize that she needs him more than she ever thought possible. But is she ready to let herself trust another guy with her already-battered heart? Or will she push him away to protect herself from getting hurt again?

Out today!

4 /5 stars

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My review

*Thanks to Chelsea M Cameron for the ARC in return for an honest review*

“You and Me. No Space. Always”

Katie doesn’t want another relationship. Shes done with guys who treat her like crap and shes done with going back to them all the time. No, she is sticking to her guns this time. But then Stryker Grant appears and although she’s not usually attracted to someone like him, he’s the perfect candidate to make her forget all about Zack. She purely wants a physical relationship, where she has sex whenever she wants without all the lovey-dovey and feelings involved and Stryker is more than happy to comply with that demand.

But the more time they spend together, feelings about what their situation is, is becoming blurred for both of them and when a tragedy in Katie’s life happens, Stryker is there every step of the way and she realizes she needs him more than ever now. But can she trust herself to be with Stryker and not get her heart battered again? Or will she push him away to protect herself?

I love Chelsea’s novels and I snapped up the opportunity to review Faster We Burn because I simply LOVED LOVED LOVED Deeper We Fall. Faster We Burn did not disappoint at all and I was completely sucked into the story of Katie and Stryker, liking both of them in DWF and the start of their ‘relationship’ also began in that book too. Chelsea knows how to keep you captivated with her books, her writing drawing you in until you realize you are at the end and wishing there was more after the last page. She certainly made all the characters have their own personality and made them come to life and act like college teenagers, not teenagers who act older than they seem. That is part of the reason I loved reading this book.

We first meet Katie in Deeper We Fall. She is Lottie’s roommate and quickly, one of her best friends, becoming a part of their small, close group. In Deeper We Fall, we see a side story of Katie, where she is going out with Zan’s brother Zack but after he beats her, for sleeping with Stryker, she changes. And now that Faster We Burn is her and Stryker’s (Zan’s friend) story, we get to see what happened the first time they slept together, the meeting with Zack which left her hospitalized and the continuation of both their stories where we get to know more about them.

As I’ve mentioned and as you’ve read in DWF, Katie was in a torturous relationship with Zack, who decided to beat her up, leaving her on the street for Will to find. After that moment, she decided that Zack was history and that she never wanted to have her heart broken again so she decides that instead of having a relationship with a guy, she will just have a physical one, no strings sex and when Stryker comes knocking to get his cape after the Halloween party, she decides that hes the perfect candidate for this ‘relationship’.

Katie goes through a lot in this book. She is a strong girl, but after everything that has happened, shes built her walls so high, so no other guy can hurt her. You really do see her go through a journey. She was drowning and struggling through everything in her life, not knowing what to do, and Stryker was not only there for her throughout everything, he was her best friend. He taught her to find herself, to live her life but also to love again and trust again. I loved watching her grow every day, finding herself, trusting again and of course, loving again. Katie is a mess throughout the book, but she really learns who she is and you see a strong woman come out in the end, even if at times shes still vulnerable, she always has Stryker to fall back on and help her out.

Stryker is really not the typical tattooed, pierced guy that most of us have preconceptions of. He is the sweetest, kindest and lovely guy you could read about. His tattoos define who he is, as does his music. He plays all kinds of instruments from guitar to violin, he sings and he draws and he really is a vulnerable soul. He knew from the first time he saw Katie that there was something there for him, so when she wants a physical relationship, he doesn’t say no.

I loved his POV’s throughout the book, as you really got to know him and know what he was thinking. You got to go through his journey with him in slowly realizing his feelings for Katie and not wanting to admit them out loud but you could see how much this situation was tearing him up and he just wanted more with Katie, whereas she was scared to go any further, even though she was feeling the same. He’s not perfect, there are a few things that he does throughout the book, one mistake he makes but it was only because he was completely in love with Katie and he had no idea what to do about his feelings. No excuse but the feeling overwhelmed him…

I loved how it started out physical and over time the lines were truly blurred for both of them. They supported one another, became best friends and then fell in love. They do go through a lot, and have done but they get through it at the other end and become stronger together, having tackled everything together. They really are best friends in love.

There are two tragedies in this book. One for Katie and another for Trish and Stryker. I found it so great how both of them were there for one another throughout these tragedies and it made them both realize that they truly were there for each other, to help them through everything that was going on and just being there was a massive deal while they grieved. Both the tragedies were pivotal points in their relationship and you could really see how special they both were to one another.

I loved that the group were involved throughout the book too. It was nice to see them beyond DWF and see their friendships and relationships blossom. Maybe a story involving Will and Audrey will be next? Hint, hint!

If you have yet to read Deeper We Fall, please get on the bandwagon and get it in your life. Love Lottie and Zan and then read Faster We Burn and love Katie and Styrker. It truly is a great book. The journey they take leads them to being together and being happy together, despite all the stuff that had happened in both their lives. But together, they are completely the right fit.

I’m excited to see what book three of the Rise and Fall series will be about. Fingers crossed we get to see Will and Audrey’s story, because those two are just so sweet together.

You can find my review of Deeper We Fall HERE.

Chelsea M. Cameron, Cover Reveal, New Adult

COVER REVEAL: Faster We Burn – Chelsea M. Cameron

Posted on February 14, 2013February 12, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

LOOK! LOOK! LOOK! IT’S THE COVER FOR FASTER WE BURN! I am SO excited to be sharing this with all you Chelsea fans and of course all you fans of Deeper We Fall. (Swooooon Zan!)

For those who have yet to read Deeper We Fall, where have you been? Grab your copy RIGHT NOW and get reading it because you will not regret it. If you STILL need convincing to read it, which I am sure you don’t, then read my review and hopefully you will be sucked in too.

NOW, can we pleaseeee talk about the cover? It’s freaking hot right? Ohh I could just stare at it all day long. It’s perfect!!

Faster We Burn by Chelsea M. Cameron (Deeper We Fall #2)
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication date: April, 2013
Blurb Teaser:
The last thing Katie Hallman needs is another guy in her life, but Stryker Grant is there anyway. What starts out as just an escape from her previous relationship disaster soon turns into something more. Stryker gets under her skin the way no one has before, and soon she realizes she can’t shake him, even if she wanted to. But is Katie ready to trust her already-battered heart to the guy who could shatter it into a million pieces?

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17283748-faster-we-burn

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AUTHOR BIO
Chelsea M. Cameron
Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world’s worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

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Author Links:
Website: http://www.chelseamcameron.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752359.Chelsea_M_Cameron
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelsea-M-Cameron-Official-Author-Page/304422529610919
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chel_c_cam

Chelsea M. Cameron, New Adult

Deeper We Fall (Book #1) – Chelsea M. Cameron

Posted on January 27, 2013April 17, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart.

Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie’s face.

Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves “To Kill a Mockingbird” as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can’t help but listen.

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie’s discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.

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My Review

A night out two years changed everything in Lottie’s life. Her best friend Lexie sustained a brain injury and she’s never been the same. The driver Zan, although not drunk wasn’t old enough to drive, caused the injury when he swerved to avoid a deer and his brother Zack was also to blame when he practically forced Lexie to go with him. Lottie has so much hatred for the guys, but more so Zack than Zen.

Today, she and her twin brother Will are now beginning college but the thing is, Zack and Zen are at the same college and Lottie’s roommate Katie is dating Zack. This is definitely something she doesn’t need in her life. Zack is still the same arsehole he was two years ago but Zan is different. He’s nothing like Lottie pictured he would be in her mind and hating him is now proving more difficult the more time they spend together. She doesn’t want to feel anything for him but love concurs all.

Zan has been holding onto the guilt and grief of what happened for more than two years. He’s learnt the hard way for the past few years but he’s powered through it and with the help of his social worker Miss Carole, he’s now trying to at least get his life back on track. Before the accident, he was trying to build up the courage to talk to Lottie but that all went to pot. Now hearing she is at the same college, it’s kind of fucked him over. He knows she hates him, but he has liked her for so long and really wants the chance to say sorry and make it up to her somehow.

Everything he does is for her. He’s the silent type, one who thinks over what he is going to say first. Music is his escape along with running, reading and poetry and you really do go on a journey with him. He’s holding on to a big secret about that night and it’s tearing him up inside that when it finally comes out – to Lottie – he feels free for the first time in his life.

Lottie has also been holding onto the guilt of that fatal night, blaming herself for not dragging Lexie away from Zack. She’s hated the two brothers since that night and now knowing they both attend the same college, no less rooming in the same building, she just can’t catch a break. She will always hate Zack and she says she will always hate Zan, but the more they bump into each other and the more time they kind of spend time together, you can see she is falling for him, although she would much rather not.

She is such a caring best friend to Lexie, a great twin sister to Will and a great friend to every secondary character in the story. She’s a strong and resilient character but she feels weak when her feelings for Zan change from hate to love. She just couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard she wanted to, but really, giving in was the best thing she could have done because they were both so great together. They were there for each other through thick and thin.

The chemistry between Zan and Lottie always seems to pull them back together, no matter how many times Lottie tells him to stay away from her. But more time down the line, they become friends, although it’s obvious to both of them there is more between them. It did take Lottie a long time to admit that she wanted Zan, and then hid their relationship from everyone, even though everyone knew.

I loved it when they actually went public with it, because it proved that Lottie had forgiven Zan and her guilt for liking him was finally vanishing. I understood why she didn’t want to go public after telling everyone she hated him, but even her brother knew she was starting to like him and really, he was nothing like she pictured in her mind. He was kind, caring and loved her deeply that when there was a pivotal point in the book for the two of them, I cried, simply because Leona Lewis – I Got You came on and made it more intense to read!

Deeper We Fall really gets into you. It did for me. It got me thinking about if this happened to my best friend and I was the one in Lottie’s shoes. Would I react the same way she did every time she saw and bumped into Zan? Would I start to like him even if I didn’t want to? Would I forgive him for shattering my best friend’s life? It’s definitely hard to comprehend when it hasn’t happened to you, but it did go through my mind that I most probably would react the way Lottie had.

As I’ve said, it’s hard to completely know what you would do in this situation, and that’s exactly what Simon – Lottie and Will’s friend – asks her one night. Would she feel the same if it was Will who drove the truck and caused the accident? I ask you, those who have read this book, what would you do if you were in Lottie’s position? Especially when you would get to know Zan as more than the boy who caused your best friend’s life to change forever and more the boy who you were falling for.

I loved all the secondary characters, of course apart from Zack, but that was because he was an utter douchebag and really hadn’t seemed to change or actually give a shit about the fatal night. They all had their own personalities that shone in the book and I instantly took a liking to Trish, Will and Simon. They had me in giggles over what they would say. I loved the close-knit family they all had together especially in one part of the book when something terrible happens and they all get together to be there for that character and for each other.

Deeper We Fall truly is about forgiveness, second chances, letting go of your guilt, finding love and building a family of friends. It was a great read from Chelsea and completely different to My Favorite Mistake. She made each character distinguished from each other and the ending was just fun for both Lottie and Zan. It was how their relationship properly started and it was great that they could just be free of all the guilt that had eaten them up about the accident and about being together (more on Lottie’s part was the latter). They really were a perfect match for one another.

I shall definitely be recommending this book and I cannot wait for the second book, Faster We Burn, which is about Katie – Lottie’s roommate and Stryker- Zan’s college friend, which are characters in Deeper We Fall. Here’s to more Lottie and Zan in that book too!!

Chelsea M. Cameron, New Adult

My Favorite Mistake – Chelsea M. Cameron

Posted on January 2, 2013January 27, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Taylor Caldwell can’t decide if she wants to kiss her new college roommate or punch him.

On the one hand, Hunter Zaccadelli is a handsome, blue-eyed bundle of charm. On the other, he’s a tattooed, guitar-playing bundle of bad boy. Maybe that’s why Taylor’s afraid of falling in love with him, or anyone else. She doesn’t want to get burned, and even though her other roommates adore him, she wants him gone before it’s too late.

Hunter himself has been been burned before, but the fact that Taylor calls him out on his crap and has the sexiest laugh ever make him decide maybe love isn’t a lost cause. They make a bet: if she can convince him she truly loves or hates him, he’ll leave the apartment–and leave her alone. The problem is, the more time they spend together, the less she hates him, and the more she moves toward love.

But when the man who holds the key to Taylor’s fear of giving up her heart resurfaces and threatens to wreck everything, she has to decide: trust Hunter with her greatest secret, or do everything in her power to win that bet and drive him away forever.

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My Review

“It doesn’t seem like enough. Seeing your face when you opened it makes me want to buy you a million things just so i can see that look every single day”

Taylor isn’t happy to see a guy at her doorstep claiming that he’s her new roommate. It means that he has the bed in her room as the other room is occupied and that is not going to sit right with her at all. Seeing as there is nothing anyone can do, Hunter, the new roommate, proposes a deal. If she can prove she hates him, loves him or has sex with him, he will move out and they will never see each other again.

BUT he has the deciding vote to see if she is telling the truth or not. Taylor is determined to prove that she hates him, but the more time they spend together, the more the lines are blurring and love is slowly creeping in.

I have to be honest and say I didn’t exactly warm up to Taylor from the start. The way she behaved when Hunter was at the front door really annoyed me. She could have handled that situation better if she didn’t go off on one. Yes, I understand that it was meant to be a girls only flat and yes, having to share a room with a guy would be totally uncomfortable, but come on, it wasn’t his fault he got placed in the flat and the other two girls seemed more than okay with him living with them – even suggesting to switch rooms with her.

For someone to act that way when they have never met someone, it just didn’t sit right with me. Sure Hunter is cocky, but as Taylor said, she could see he wasn’t like that all the time, but still she was an absolute bitch to him. I suppose once you find out her secret, it makes sense why she was uncomfortable but still, it’s not an excuse to be rude. Saying that, I did warm up to her in the end and really did sympathize with her ways, especially as you can see why she is so afraid to fall in love and be with anyone…until Hunter.

I loved Hunter the first time you read about him. I would be more than happy to have him live with me and share my room! He’s a gorgeous, cocky guy who has five tattoos and plays guitar, yet you know that it’s just an act as he too, is hiding a big secret that he doesn’t want Taylor to find out; no matter how hard she pesters him about it. You can really see the attraction between Taylor and Hunter, and Hunter, even though he hides behind this façade, he really is sweet and kind and sensitive and would do anything for Taylor as he truly wants to be with her, even when he kept going “I don’t like you.” He’s a cheeky chap who speaks his mind and that completely scares Taylor. Yet Taylor is completely different to the type of girls Hunter sleeps with and that scares him too.

As I’ve mentioned, they both have big pasts they don’t want to share but when they do, it brings them closer to one another. They both help each other through their traumas, especially Hunter with Taylor’s, and he shows her that nothing can hurt her anymore and he shows her how much he loves her – more than the stars. I do have to say, their bickering and banter really made the book for me. It was hilarious and sexual and everything I love to read between two characters who are trying to hate one another.

The only downside was how long it took for them to sort their acts out and get together, but in no way is this book boring. They really are meant to be together and when they have sex for the first time, it was perfect for them. The perfect moment to become one and to share their feelings. They do go through some problems, albeit they work through them together and get past them with each other’s help which I loved. This book is really refreshing to read as lately I have been reading a lot of YA/NA with some much drama in, my heart couldn’t take it anymore, but this book was a wonderful read for a lazy New Years Day.

The ending was great! It left room to stand alone or to be expanded and become another book. I for one, vote for another book. I’d love to see more of Taylor and Hunter’s story, but if there isn’t another book, I am satisfied that everything fell into place for them. Hunter is my new fictional boyfriend!

Definitely give My Favorite Mistake a read 😀