Today, I'm happy to host a blog tour stop for Cami Checketts's Dead Running and Dying to Run. So without a further ado, here's my reviews for both as well as a super awesome giveaway!
Cassidy Christensen is running.Review:
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.
With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she'll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.
When I was first alerted of Dead Running, the first book in Cami Checkett's suspense/mystery series, I knew I had to give it a try. It looked amazing. Plus I'm always on the look out for new mystery reads, because while I may not read many of them, they're still among my favorites. Thankfully, Dead Running provided not only an intriguing story line but a witty and daring main character I couldn't help but love!
Dead Running begins the story of Cassidy Christensen, a girl who hasn't quite been the same since her parents horrifying deaths a few years back. Ever since that day when everything fell apart, she has drifted through life, never really staying focused on one thing for too long. However, everything changes when her sister-in-law introduces her to running, and in the process, she accidentally gets signed up for an intense and exclusive marathon. Finally, she's throwing her head into the game completely for this one, because she's determined to prove her family and friends wrong by showing them that she can stay attached to something long term. Plus it doesn't hurt that there's two very awesome guys involved in the race and running as well. When things, scary, terrifying things, start popping up from the past, though, everything begins to change. Cassidy doesn't know who to trust...What will happen? Only more pages can tell in this fast paced and addicting roller coaster of a read!
From the first page, I just adored Cassidy's voice. It was young and spunky. Plus she reminded me of a protagonist from one of Meg Cabot's adult reads, which is always a winning point in my book. What I loved most about Cassidy, though, was how normal she was. She didn't always say the right thing at the right time, or do the right thing. Plus she was a little to into herself and her own problems at time, but that gave a realistic feel to her, in my opinion. The secondary characters in this were also barrels of fun. My favorite would have been Dr. Tattoo, one of Cassidy's love interests. He was the typical forbidden love interest, but I couldn't help but adore him. I also loved Cassidy's Nan and sister-in-law!
As mentioned above, one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book was because of the mystery part, and it actually turned out to be pretty good. Sure, they were some parts that were obvious from the get-go, but they were other parts (such as who actually was the bad guys) that had me guessing to the very end. One of my favorite parts, though, wasn't the mystery as much but Cassidy's journey through running. It was interesting to see how far she came throughout the book with her progress. Plus I liked the development that occurred with her character because of it. It really made her into one tough cookie to say the least.
There were some parts I wasn't the biggest fan of however. For instance, I wished they were more romance in Dead Running. Sure it was sprinkled in her and there, but I felt that more would have done the book wonders. :) In addition, Cassidy's nicknames for other characters while initially funny sometimes managed to confuse me, as she switched back and forth between them and the characters's real names a lot.
In all, Dead Running as a fun, fast paced addition to adult lit! I can't wait to see what Cami comes up with next!
Grade: B
Dead Running is now out!
Source: Author for blog tour
Cassidy Christensen wants to run.Review:
Captured by the traffickers who killed her mother, her only hope is Dr. Tattoo, a man she loves but nobody trusts. When she finally gets a chance to run, someone else she cares about is taken. Running might be her only chance at survival, but she won’t allow another family member to be killed in her place.
This must-read sequel to Dead Running will have you laughing, biting your nails, and hoping for more.
After finishing Dead Running, I was glad to have Dying to Run, the novella sequel, on hand, because I was curious to see what would happen next.
Dying to Run picks up two weeks after Dead Running left off, and Cassidy is still adjusting to the revelations that came out of the woodwork. However, everything is thrown in the air once again when she ends up in the arms of the enemy once again. Placed in the headquarters of traffickers, Cassidy know this may be the last of the last. Everything changes, though, when Dr. Tattoo ends up the scene. Will he be able to save them before time runs out? Only time will tell in this suspenseful and quick continuation.
With Dying to Run, I was happy to be back in Cassidy's head once again. As always, I adored her quirky little traits and witty comments. Plus I loved seeing things with Dr. Tattoo develop as well, especially since he was a favorite of mine from the last one. What I particularly enjoyed about this one, though, was getting to see in the view of Cassidy's Nan. She was like the younger version of Cassidy: strong-willed, smart mouthed, and little too reckless for her own good. Nonetheless, it made her an absolute hoot to read about!
The plot in this continued a lot of what was left off in Dead Running, and it was interesting to see how everything turned out, especially in the last few pages where it seemed EVERYTHING was thrown up in the air. However, while this one did answer a few of my questions, it still left with me quite a few. So hopefully there will be a third book!
In all, Dying to Run is a worthwhile sequel to Dead Running!
Grade: B
Dying to Run is now out!
Source: Author for blog tour
Purchase
Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.
Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.
Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.
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Blog Tour Giveaway!
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash from Author Cami Checketts
3 Sets of iFrogz Earbuds & Armbands
Ends 1/31/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an
Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No
purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will
be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or
a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter
or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines
the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://
iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for the fun reviews, Lauren! I'm working on that third book, it's been fun to be back in Cassidy's head.
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Cami
I found your review very helpful thank you.
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