Faster We Burn by Chelsea M. Cameron

This is the second novel in the Fall and Rise series by Chelsea M. Cameron.

My review of #1: Deeper We Fall

*I received this as an eARC by the author in exchange for a review.*

After being abused by Zach, Katie realized that people are not who they seem or act sometimes. Which is definitely true for Stryker, the bleached hair, lip and eyebrow pierced friend in Katie's circle.

Katie knew she didn't want to be in a relationship, but a friend's with benefit arrangement never hurt anyone. And that's what Stryker was for her. Whenever she wanted sex, he was more than happy to oblige.

But there was something about Stryker that got under her skin. It was just him and his sister Trish. No other family. He had a really dark past that he didn't want to talk about, so Katie didn't mention it. But she did invite Stryker to her home for Thanksgiving.

That turned into a disaster, though, when her mother insulted him and didn't like him based on his appearance.

Stryker knew that he and Katie weren't meant for each other, but that didn't stop him from wanting to protect her when she needed it. Going to her family's house for the holidays was also a bad idea, but he wasn't known for his smarts.

And he did try to stay away from her, but there is an undeniable attraction between the two of them. Even more than just the physical attraction they give into. They can easily talk to each other and have similar tastes in things.

When a close family member of Katie's dies, Stryker is put in the middle of Katie's life, and he does so with ease. Which scares the living daylights out of him, because it's always just been him and Trish - no one else.

Just when he realized how much he truly cares about Katie, he does another stupid thing to ruin a good thing in his life.

Can he make it right with Katie, or will it be too many strikes against Stryker? And will Katie figure out what she wants in life, or will she just keep floating through, hoping that the answer will come to her? Read Faster We Burn by Chelsea M. Cameron to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I was so excited to get this book as an eARC from the author! I really enjoyed the first book and was curious to see how Katie and Stryker got together. A hookup relationship was not what I was expecting, given that Katie was in a serious relationship with Zach during the first novel!

And I love how Cameron wrote Stryker. Yes, he has bleached hair and a lip and eyebrow piercing. Yes, he has tattoos. No, he's not a jerk. He is just trying to live his life with little complications. Well, that was before he met Katie, the pink tornado that came into his life.

Katie is a mess after everything that happened, so she just wanted a release from life and the horrors of what she went through, which I completely understand. And Stryker was willing to be used - had no problem with that. But when real feelings came into the picture, both of them were scared to death.

One thing that I do have to say is how often they missed classes. It was A LOT! I'm  surprised they still had decent grades with how much they missed!

Overall, I really liked this book. I'm not sure if I like the first one more or less, but it's always difficult to compare sequels when it is about different characters.

I also really appreciate how Katie dealt with Stryker and his "bad decisions". She wasn't like most girls who felt betrayed and didn't speak to the guy for so many weeks and then miraculously forgave him afterward because she missed him. No, Katie took 1 minute to think it over and then said, "screw it", it was a mistake and made sure that Stryker was okay.

That takes some dedication and instant forgiveness in my book.

This book will be released April 20, 2013, so just a few more days before everyone can purchase this eBook! If you love New Adult novels or Cameron's other novels, this is a must buy! Definitely a different route she took in the NA genre, and lots of events that take place in this one novel! So glad I got an eARC (Thanks again Chelsea!) and can't wait to see what else she will write in the future!

Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron

This is the first novel in the Fall and Rise series by Chelsea M. Cameron.

Going to college is a fresh start for Charlotte "Lottie" Anders. She went to the same college as her twin
brother, Will, and doesn't know a lot of the students there, so she can start over.

Except her past is coming back to haunt her. Namely, the Parker brothers, Zack and Zan.

They are both responsible for Lottie's best friend, Lexie, getting into a car accident two years ago and made her forget everything, even her best friend. Now, Lexie will never be able to go to college, fall in love again, get a job. She will just be a little girl in mindset.

So when Lottie realizes that the two people she hates the most in the world is at the same college as her, and even living in the same dorm building as her, she was extremely mad at life.

And even worse? Lottie's new roommate, Katie, is dating Zach, the worst of the Brother's of Doom. Zach has always given Lottie the creeps rather than had her panting after him. But the opposite could be said about how Lottie feels about Zan. Even though he was the one who was driving when the car accident happened.

With the help of her brother, Simon (Will's roommate and friend), and her new coworker, Trish, Lottie has been able to somewhat avoid seeing Zan.

But only for a little bit. Lottie realized that she's always thinking about him, wondering what he is doing and what he does when they aren't in the same room. But how can she have feelings for Zan knowing what he did?

Zan has had a crush on Lottie since he first saw her in grade school. Just when he decides to finally talk to her, he ruins her life and the life of her best friend. Now he's just watching from afar, wondering "what if" and wishing that he was a different person.

And even though Zan knows Lottie hates him, he still finds ways to talk to her and be around her. Even though it's wrong, Zan is always wishing that things were different between the two of them.

Secrets come out and friends get hurt. Can Zan and Lottie ever be together, or is their past too strong to overcome? How can they possibly find common ground if, when they look at each other, the past is staring them straight in the face? Read Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I've read this book twice now, and definitely loved it both times! I think what I loved the most was Zan's point of view. He knew that he could never have Lottie, but that didn't change his feelings toward her or what he wished could happen.

Zan is really quiet, so I'm glad Cameron wrote in his perspective as well. Then the reader got to see what he was thinking, not necessarily what he was saying out loud.

And the inner struggle Zan had was agonizing. He had this secret that two people knew, and not the people he wanted to know. Plus, he had to live with Zack, be related to him. That in itself is torture. Zack is a jerk and definitely acts like a spoiled boy who gets away with everything.

I had a little bit more trouble with liking Lottie than Zan. Yes, she was going through her own inner struggle on dealing with Zan. Yes, he caused the accident that injured Lexie forever. But the blaming game? Not good for anyone - especially after two years. That can ruin a person's life.

I also really liked that the deep dark pasts of the characters involved the other person. It was more of a struggle to overcome because they had to deal with the past, present and sometimes the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think other New Adult lovers will like this as well. I think it's a little darker than some other NA that I've read, but that's just me.

For anyone wanting an edgy, dark, but "light at the end of the tunnel" New Adult novel, I would definitely recommend picking this up!

My Favorite Mistake by Chelsea M. Cameron

Starting sophomore year for college in Maine, Taylor is excited to be rooming with Darah and Renee. But she has to room with a new person because one of their friends decided to room off campus.

So it was a huge surprise when she answered the door to Hunter, with tattoos, buzzed hair cut, and a guitar case. Who just so happened to be Taylor's new roommate. And by roommate, it actually means that he and Taylor will be sharing the same bedroom.

Taylor is not having it. She calls the housing residents only to find that they are closed on opening day (really?) and cannot find anyone that will fix this situation. Sure, her college is co-ed rooming  That doesn't mean that Taylor wants to be one of those housing units.

After drawing a name out of a jar to determine whether Taylor, Darah, or Renee will room with him, it just so happens he draws Taylor's name. She's stuck with him.

And then he propositions her enough to make her punch him in the face and kick him where it hurts. It's going to be a wonderful semester living with this bad boy attitude, guitar playing, and shockingly good cook.

But Hunter makes a bet with Taylor: prove to him that she sincerely hates him, or loves him, and he will move out that day. Sounds easy, right? Except that Taylor can't really hate him. Sure, she hates what she reminds her of, a dark time 8 years ago that she never wants to remember. But as for hating Hunter alone? She really doesn't.

Then Taylor finds out that she has a class with him: human sexuality, oh joy. She also gets a job at the library, only to find out that Hunter will be working there as well!

Looks like Taylor better get used to Hunter being around constantly, and always making ensuendo's to her that make Taylor blush every time she thinks about them.

Taylor has a good reason not to trust the male gender. Something horrendous happened to her 8 years ago and she has never been able to get over it. But somehow, Taylor gets the feeling that Hunter may be the one person to block all of her walls that she's built.

But the unthinkable happens - the man that terrifies her the most in the world may be coming back into her life. And Taylor cannot handle that.

Will Taylor be able to have a true friendship/relationship with Hunter? Can both Hunter and Taylor get past their tortured histories enough to let the other one in, or will they forever be doomed to stay in the dark memories of their past? Read My Favorite Mistake by Chelsea M. Cameron to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
So, just a forewarning, this is a NEW AGE novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Age (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

Ahh!!!! I. Loved. This. Novel!! Loved, loved, loved it!

Okay, on to the review portion. So, I was hooked from the first chapter. And after Taylor punched Hunter, I fell in love with this novel. And I still had 200 + chapters to go!

Taylor is a girl who can take care of herself. After what happened to her when she was younger, she made sure she would be ready for anyone that threatens her at any given time. And Hunter made her feel feelings that she didn't want to feel, which made her feel uneasy and she wanted to express what she thought of that.

Hunter loved it.

Now, I know a few reasons why I fell in love with this novel. One, Taylor was known as the "Ice Queen" in high school because she stayed away from boys, completely ignored them, read a lot of books, and was very anti-social. I was like that in high school, only my name was a bit nastier.

Second, she starts working in a library. I worked in a library and still do today.

Third, she was very determined to stay away from Hunter. It was actually quite successful that I was on my seat waiting for the two of them to finally kiss!

The dark pasts for both Hunter and Taylor were very horrible. I can completely see two people today in real life acting the way Hunter and Taylor did because of what happened to them. And if you want to know what it is, you're going to have to read the book ;)

I loved this book. Maybe not as much as Beautiful Disaster, but it is a very close second.

I would definitely recommend this to any older young adult reader, since it is a New Age novel. But I will most certainly be telling everyone I know to read it right away, because I want everyone to experience this wonderful novel!

Also, I think I read somewhere that there is going to be a sequel?!? If so, I will most definitely be getting it! I wonder what Cameron will write about with the sequel. I don't care who/what it is about, I will have it in my collection.

So, what are you waiting for?!? Go get this book!! :)