Some if you may have already seen the behind the scenes footage from the Chain Reaction book trailer but I wanted to post it anyway because who doesn't want to see those Fuentes boys in action??
Part 1
Part 2
Previous books in the series.
Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction
Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (August 16th, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 336 pages Series: Perfect Chemistry #3 Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill.
Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.
Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?
Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (August 16th, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 336 pages Source: Publisher Series: Perfect Chemistry #3 Rating: 5 of 5 stars Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill.
Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.
Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?
Review: What can I really say about this series when I'm sure you have all heard how epically awesome it is? If you haven't picked up Perfect Chemistry, do it! This series is one of my all-time favorites and I'm amazed at how Simone Elkeles tells a story. Chain Reaction is packed with passion, danger, and characters you will quickly grow to love.
Chain Reaction introduces us to the youngest of the Fuentes boys, Luis. Aww, Luis is just such a heartwarming character. One of the best things about this series is that we never have to say goodbye to the previous characters. Their stories carry onto the next books flawlessly even though the focus is on a different character. So if you are a fan of Alex and Carlos, don't worry, they are in here as well.
Luis was always the good Fuentes boy. He's smart, determined, and hopeful when it comes to his future. To Luis, nothing is more important than his family and we can easily see the love he has for his mother and brothers. The chapters alternate from Luis's point of view to Nikki's. This is something I really enjoyed throughout the series because sometimes books add too many POV's and it all gets confusing. Simone keeps readers' attention right where it should be.
Nikki has been hurt badly in the past by a boy from the wrong side of town. She has closed herself off from boys in an attempt to keep from getting hurt again. If there is one thing she knows, it's to never date a gang member. But Luis comes in with his unique personality and changes her way of thinking about guys in general. Maybe things are more complicated than they seem when it comes to the gangs. On one hand Luis seems like a typical teenage boy, and on the other he comes off as much more mature and level-headed. For Nikki, it is the first time someone gets through the walls she has built around herself and it scares her.
Of course, like Simone's previous books in this series, the gang is never far away and it seemed that even though Luis wants nothing to do with them, they are after him. The way Simone is able to represent the life of a gang member never fails to amaze me. You can feel the danger and the fear of the characters. The conflict and drama seems so real that it's impossible to not have your heart racing as you read.
As Luis and Nikki try to build their relationship, it seems that danger is always lurking nearby and Luis can't let Nikki get hurt. He is all too familiar with what the gang can do when they don't get their way.
Chain Reaction couldn't have presented a better conclusion for this heartpounding, fiercely romantic series. Simone Elkeles delivers a forbidden romance story in a way I have never witnessed before. Full of intriguing characters, action-packed drama, and alluring romance, the Perfect Chemistry series should not be passed up! You will have no choice but to fall in love with the Fuentes boys.
Today I have the winners for Stand Up Against Abuse. Thank you all so much for joining me in this feature and for helping spread the word about the topic. I plan to do this again next year! I also have the winner of BlogFest 2011! Sorry for the delay in picking winners. The reason for that is listed below.: )
1st place
SIGNED copy of Bitter End
Stay
But I Love Him
The Six Rules of Maybe
and the winner is… Kat from A Journey in Reading
2nd place
Bitter End
Stay
But I Love Him
The Six Rules of Maybe
and the winner is… Patricia from Patricia's Particularity
3rd place
Bitter End
But I Love Him
and the winner is… nymfaux
And the BlogFest winner is…
Abigail R (abbyra@… ) She picked a copy of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer News
Big news! I'm MOVING!! We bought a house and will be moving next weekend, EEK! Pretty much the only things I have packed so far are my books. Once we are settled in, I do plan to do a big giveaway to get rid of some of my extra books. I will still be posting reviews/interviews/and other giveaways while I'm moving because those will, hopefully, be set up by next week.
Guess what?!? I will be kicking off the DAMNED book tour on August 1st! You can see the full list of bloggers and other tour details on Nancy Holder's blog.
You can win a copy of DAMNED on goodreads.
And there's more!
From Nancy's blog: We will also be hosting contests online to give away special signed copies of the limited edition “rock concert style” poster for the Damned Book Tour to several lucky winners during the months of August and September. Stay tuned for details on how to win your signed copy of the poster! One hint on how to win is to visit the blogger tour stops on the dates listed.
You never know when a book or poster will be up for grabs.
To really kick off Damned‘s release, we’re also giving away free copies of “Passing,” the short story that inspired the Crusade series, to anyone who pre-orders a copy of Damned.
All you have to do to receive your electronic copy of “Passing” is to 1) pre-order Damned from any physical or online store; 2) send an email to mailfornancyholder@gmail.com; 3) include the word “Passing” in the Subject Line; and 4) tell us in the message of the email where you pre-ordered your copy of Damned.
Emails must be received by August 29th to be valid.
There is a fine line between love and sacrifice… Read the first chapter of Damned here
And, as many of you know, it is almost time for the release of CHAIN REACTION by Simone Elkeles. I am a huge fan of this series and the book trailer was just released! I also love these book trailers! I think it's so cool that they are set up like a movie and they bring in all of the characters. CUTE!
Be on the lookout for more about this new release coming up on the blog. I may have a very cool video to share with you all soon!
