In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

Reckless - (Bought) For years, Jacob Reckless has been secretly disappearing to another world, a world behind a mirror, a world for which his father abandoned his family. The mirror world is Jacob's escape from reality. It's a place for treasure hunts and magnificent quests. A world where witches haunt the forests and giants and dwarfs roam. A world locked in a deadly war. Jacob's secret seems safe, until one day his younger brother Will follows him, with disastrous consequence. Faced with a curse that is quickly turning Will to stone, the Reckless brothers are thrust into a race against time to find a cure before Will is lost forever.

Losing Faith - (Won - Signed Copy - Thank you, Elle!) When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don't know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but. As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure. (See my review here)

Return to Paradise - (Bought) Maggie and Caleb just went through the worst year of their lives. Hit by a car and starting life over with a limp, Maggie never thought she would forgive Caleb. But she did—and fell in love. What they shared was real. But Caleb wanted to be free from the past—and a terrible secret: he wasn't the one who hit Maggie. So he left Paradise—and Maggie—forever. When Maggie and Caleb run into each other in a different town, they can't deny their true feelings. Will Maggie let Caleb get away again? Or will Caleb face the truth and return to Paradise?

What did you receive this week? Leave me a link, and I'll be sure to check it out!

A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don't know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith's final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger.
Taken from GoodReads.

Losing Faith is the story of teenage Brie and her sister Faith. Faith and Brie couldn't be more different. Brie is a bit shallow - she likes instant gratification, she likes her makeup and her hair, and she likes boys. Faith, on the other hand, is strictly religious. She's devout, she's the "good daughter," and she is extremely strong in her convictions. When Brie's world is ripped apart by her sister's sudden death though, her life beings to crumble and unravel around her. Plus, rather than finding closure, Brie seems to be finding more and more questions about the sister she barely knew.

I actually won Losing Faith from a blog buddy of mine (thank you, Elle!!), and that's pretty much the only reason I decided to push it to the top of my TBR pile. I heard a lot of iffy reviews about Losing Faith, hearing everything from "it's too religious," to "it's too preachy." Now, I'll add my disclaimer that while I'm a very religious Catholic, I would never think to force my views on others, so the topic unnerved me a wee bit. Nevertheless, I decided to give it ago. Denise Jaden handled the sensitive topic with skill, and she has a remarkable writing talent. Losing Faith was alive with a painful story of loss and discovery, but it was made all the better with rich detail that I could relate to.

Most of all though, I think Losing Faith had extremely well-written characters. Brie played the tempestuous teen well. She was perfectly aloof and inconsiderate until smacked with the reality of her sister's death. Her parents' grief was also extremely believable. Her mother spirals into a dark hole of depression, and her father forgets the will to partake in anything real. Faith, though a tedious character, was perfect. She wasn't overtly preachy. She was steadfast in her beliefs, and a her character made me want to have had the chance to help her. Plus, the secondary characters that enter - strong-willed Tessa, Reena, and a love interest for Brie (Alis) - heighten the story of Losing Faith and give it depth. The characters added to an already full-figured plot, weaving a delicate story of a painful loss, the existence of cults, the importance of the mourning process, and learning to live again.

I give Losing Faith a definite 4.5 out of 5, simply because I hoped the ending would be fleshed out a bit more. I urge readers not to let the topic of religion scare you off, as Losing Faith is truly not preachy. I recommend this to fans of YA, realistic fiction, and those who enjoy a sweet, rather than overpowering romance.

The Friday Fix is a takeover of my Friday blog post by other bloggers who have volunteered their time and energy to "star" in their very own guest post on Friday. Only one mandatory rule (you can't get out of it!) - you must answer five of the most random questions I throw your way. The rest is up to you. Remember, if you'd like to be featured on the Friday Fix, send me an email, and let me know! So, without further ado, here is Lindsi from Reading Under the Stars!

The Most Random Questions in the World...

1. Why does your nose run, but your feet smell?

Well... the nose was tired of smelling itself so it traded abilities with feet. Now when feet smells, nose has the option to run. Haha it was the best I could come up with!

2. If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

If Barbie doesn't have friends, then how can she be popular? I wasn't a big Barbie fan as a child. I was more into LEGO's and letting the dog have my Barbies.

3. Is there a synonym for synonym?

I would assume things like alike, similar, and same, but when I tried to look it up I found nothing. Fail.

4. If you have 24 odds and ends on a table and 23 fall off, what's left...an odd, or an end?

Whatever you want to be left since they are your odds and ends to begin with. Personally, I would go with an odd.

5. What was the best thing before sliced bread?

I was at dinner (in a nice restaurant) with my family and I asked this question so I could gauge their responses... well my grandmother yells out "SEX!" without thinking it through. I've never had so many eyes on me before and I am pretty sure my cheeks were a nice shade of pink.



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Lindsi, thank you so much for dropping by my blog to answer such silly questions! Please take the time to check out Reading Under the Stars because her blog is so much fun, and so is she! Remember, if you are interested in being featured - my email is on my contact page (if you couldn't figure that out)...please feel free to send a message my way!