Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Excerpt:
They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. 
And I've always believed them.
Until now.
Now everything has changed.
Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Young Adult

Publication Date: February 07, 2012

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SYNOPSIS

Lena is a 17 year old girl whose family is nothing less than controversial, her mother commits suicide when Lena is six and her cousin’s husband is identified as a sympathizer. She is cared for by her Aunt Carol and lives a normal life but is weighed down by the pain of abandonment and the stain of her family's past. This story is set in a dystopian world where love is no longer a wonderful thing, but a disease that needs to be eradicated and citizens look forward to the surgery that will cure them of the love disease: Amor Deliria Nervosa. Lena, of all people, can't wait for the surgery and all it promises: happiness, peace, cure from the love disease, and above all else, the chance for Lena to leave the pain of the past behind her and the chance to start anew.

She looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she does what everyone least expects, falls in love with Alex, a gorgeous boy with amber eyes who shows her what love really is, and makes her question the decision to be "cured" or to pursue love and go against all she has ever believed in. What will Lena do?

My Review

You will not regret picking up this book! It is by far the best book I've read all year. I couldn't put it down and I am so glad I have book 2 on my shelf because there is no way I could wait to see what happens next. The story will keep you enthralled and the characters will tug at your heart while their love story will keep you captivated. The ending is a cliffhanger and a great one at that, but it will definitely will leave you emotional! I was on the edge of my seat and I recommend this book 1000%, yes 1000! 5 stars (since I can't give more than that) for Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

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Review: A shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire, #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: December 14, 2012
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SYNOPSIS
On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.
She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.
Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?
Click here --> www.forrestbooks.com/sneakpeek, to read the first 6 chapters FREE!
My Review

I've read quite a few vampire books now, but I've never read one where vampires hold humans captive or as slaves. I thought this book would be of a powerful vampire who should be feared and would torture his captives and slaves, but instead this book and its main character Derek surprised me. I fell in love with the story, captivated by the story of Sofia and Derek. I loved seeing the book from both Derek and Sofia's point of view. I Also loved that Derek still held a bit of the humanity in him, though he was far from human, and pretty much the leader and a legend of the vampires. The storyline is great and the book was very fast paced. I was able to read it in just a few hours. Usually books start off slow, especially when they are the first book in a series, but not this one. The whole time I was reading I was captivated by the story. I loved the relationship between the main characters, and I loved Sofia's character. She was so strong, even at her weakest. Lucas, the evil vampire brother was such a great character to add in the mix and it made Derek so much more likeable. Also, the ending was really good, I can't wait to see what happens next! Like I said, I read it in the span of a few hours and enjoyed every second of it. The author definitely made you part of the story by making the character's and their emoticons so real and it was so easy to attach yourself to them. I completely recommend this book and would definitely read it again in the future. Now get on your Kindle's, computers, iPads, and get this book! You won't regret it.

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Review: Survival of the Unfittest by Brandon Wright

Survival of the Unfittest by Brandon Wright

Genre: Fiction, Horror, Thriller

Publication Date: January 31, 2013

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SYNOPSIS

When a paralegal named Jacob becomes violently ill after a business trip to New York. He quickly finds that he contracted a virus that mutates his DNA to only allow him to eat raw meats. It's not too bad until the meat industry is on it's knees from lack of meat, and Jacob runs out. He finds himself having vivid dreams of attacking people, and eating them like an animal. When he wakes up, he finds out the dream wasn't just a dream.

This recollection of Jacob's journey to survive will guide you through the adventures, and mis-adventures of Jacob's survival. Constantly on the run from a Anti-Mutation group called The Control Group, and fighting his inner-demons to not kill, but knowing to survive he must be willing to do anything.

All goes well until his city runs out of meat, and all the butchers are closing shop. He starts to go hungry, and starts having these vivid dreams about attacking people, and eating their flesh and muscle.

His supervisor has also contracted the mutation, and eyes one of the new girls as someone he may be interested in. Jacob has to find a balance between survival and compassion towards other humans.

How will he survive as a anti-zombie group gives chase after him, and his infected friends?

My Review

I have to say that I was a bit hesitant to read this because I'm not a big zombie fan. I don't really like Resident Evil and other movies like that, but this book sounded interesting. It deals with Jacob who contracts the meat virus disease and can only eat meat after getting the virus. Anything other than meat will make those infected sick and if they don't consume meat and keep trying to eat regular food they can die. This is what caught my attention. I had never heard of this topic before for a book, and that made me want to read it.

This book also deals with cannibalism and the topic of zombies. It is not your post apocalyptic book, but it was interesting and different than anything I have ever read before. Truthfully when the story brought up the cannibalism aspect, I was a bit disgusted, but I kept reading and found that it made the story very real. The only other story that I recalled knowing about was Hannibal, and I quite enjoyed that movie. (Creepy much?) Jacob's character seemed so real and the interactions between him and his friends were not fake, but instead they seemed to flow effortlessly, and it made me become attached to the characters. I understood their emotions and felt for them when they were in pain and laughed at their jokes when they said any, they were for the hours I read, my friends. The scenarios were well written, the descriptions of the meat eating and learning to prepare the meat at the end was a bit nerve wrecking, but when you are at your wits end, you will do anything to survive, right?
The book is also full of suspense as the characters flee from the "Control Group," whose mission is to kill those that are infected. But, not all of them are crazy "zombies," as the people call them, the ones who attack have what seems like a mutated version of the virus. 

Friends, this book is definitely worth reading! It leaves off at a cliffhanger and leaves you wishing you could keep reading more because you want to know what happens to them and to the virus. I definitely give this book 5 stars. The author does a wonderful job of making you feel sympathetic towards the infected main characters and that's hard to do, especially with what they have to do to survive. Do not let the zombie/meat virus scenario fool you, this is not another zombie apocalypse story, it is full of surprises and the characters are so real, you can't help but love this crazy story (and hope it never really happens)! Now go get on your computer, iPad, Kindle, whatever, and download this book! 

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Pregnancy Style, Maternity Fashion

**Please do not take any pictures from my blog without permission from me. These are all my own. Feel free to pin my photos, tweet my post, instagram photos (by tagging me @reynalay on instagram) or share my blog, but make sure that you give credit to my page, and link back to this post if you share any of these photos. Thank you so much!**
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I am officially past my due date. Yesterday was the day we were all counting down to, hoping, praying, that he would come out into the world on time. He thought it would be better if he stayed in there a little longer because apparently, my tummy is quite a comfy spot. Great news though, come Tuesday morning, I am being induced so I don't go past 41 weeks. I did with my first and it was no bueno. So the OB wants to be safe and bring this baby into the world on the 9th. Boy am I excited!
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Anways, throughout this pregnancy I've been posting outfit of the day's on instagram almost every day. I wanted to make sure that I stayed fashionable, stylish, healthy, and with many of you following, it was kind of an accountability for myself because it made me put my makeup on and think of outfits even when I didn't feel like it. One thing I didn't want was to be frumpy during the pregnancy. I think many women allow themselves to look a bit frumpy and disheveled during this wonderful 10 months but, I vowed I wouldn't. To this day I have only worn sweatpants twice, and that was late at night to Walmart (which my dear husband couldn't help commenting on) and yesterday when my last pair of regular shorts no longer fit. Great. At least it was on my due date, not months prior, or else, what would I have done? So I decided to make a blog post of tips on what to wear and how to be stylish when working with the wonderful new curves pregnancy gives you, like, the tummy and well, all the other areas that unfortunately, also got curvier. Hope it helps, and hope that all of you lovely pregnant ladies stay fashionable, stay stylish, and  remember that there is no excuse not to look good.
The number 1 tip I have is don't be afraid to accentuate your belly, especially in the beginning so people don't give you that crazy "is she pregnant or just fat?" look. I wanted to make sure they knew I was pregnant, I was darn proud of it too!
I didn't actually start to show until month 6 and I made sure to wear tight fitting garments. Here is one I made myself made out of a knit fabric which hugs gorgeously.

Second Tip: Don't buy maternity clothes, unless you have a lot of money to splurge on it. Maternity clothes are so darn expensive and I'd rather spend that money on things that will last longer. I bought only one maternity shirt and that's it. It was a shirt that doesn't even look like it's maternity because I wanted to make sure I could wear it with jeans or leggings after baby. As I said above, I didn't show until 6 months and I didn't want to buy only clothes that I could only wear for (technically) 4 more months. So, I made purchases that were stretchy and would grow with my belly. Most of the time I went a size or two up. I am also a fashion student so I knew that being pregnant and going to class looking frumpy was not an option, so all my clothes had to be stylish also and sometimes maternity clothes can look well, maternity-like and all the same... sometimes. Here is the grey top I bought at Target. It has rouching on the sleeves and the sideseams and would look cute even if not pregnant., plus it was comfy, which is why I bought it. (28 weeks pregnant in the next 3 photos) Also, buy longer tops if they aren't maternity, or wear some of yours that you already have and layer them on top of a bella band or a longer lace cami. Please, oh please, do not wear a belly showing top, unless you are at a pool or beach.

Below: Outfits with non-maternity clothes.

Blue top from Rue 21 in a Lg.

 This next top is from Target in an XL

This striped shirt is from Charming Charlie's in an XL (33 Weeks Pregnant)

Long non-maternity tops.

I also mean to go up in size on bottoms also. I bought great skirts that can be worn after baby and if I need to, I can take them to a tailor to take them in (or do it myself).

22 weeks pregnant:

 (Below: 25 Weeks Pregnant) Bought this skirt in 2 different colors, a solid pink and a printed floral.

This brings me to my next tip on maternity fashion: Layers! Layers are great for making an outfit look more stylish and less boring. Even a simple cardigan can make an outfit pop! Here are some examples of pieces that are not only non-maternity, but look great layered. These are also great when the weather is chilly, like it was for most of my pregnancy.
(29 weeks)

16 weeks pregnant here:

 19 weeks:

20 weeks:

19 weeks: 

(35 weeks pregnant)
I layered lacy tops under shirts to cover the growing lady lumps on top!

(35 weeks pregnant) Denim made this plain black tee trendier! Can you tell I love this denim vest? I only paid a quarter for it at a thrift shop :)

Next Tip: Dresses! Gotta say that I love me some dresses! They are comfy, functional, and stylish. They can be worn on days when you feel really fat and bloated to cover up imperfections or that big Olive Garden dinner you had the night before or can look so feminine.
(I layered this first dress from target with a Chanel inspired cardigan also from Target. Added leggings for warmth.)

 Above & Below: 31 weeks pregnant
This next dress is a knit striped dress from Target and cardigan from Gap. Make sure to add color to your neutrals!

 27 weeks pregnant.
This dress is a vintage find from a thrift shop. Love it! A simple leopard belt cinches the top of my waist.

Vintage dresses work great, especially when they are tentlike because you have enough room to grow into it, but can be cinched at the waist for shape.

 28 weeks pregnant
This is also a vintage emerald dress and the belt is also vintage. Again, color is a must!

29 weeks pregnant

Dress & belt are from Target, found on sale for less than $10 for both of them!

39 weeks:

36 weeks: 

24 weeks pregnant:

21 Weeks pregnant

 20 weeks pregnant

Another Tip: Stretchy pants, waistbands, leggings!
When you won't be buying maternity clothes, you will need some kind of stretch for your growing tummy. That is, if you don't want to wear low rise pants. Here are some options that I found: black leggings were a must! I have about 10 pairs of these Danskin ones from Walmart. They are only $8 and are also pictured in some of the photos above.

I also found these awesome Mossimo ones from Target for $20 in two colors: maroon and black and they have a stretch waistband (not elastic) and they were lifesavers bc they didn't look like regular old leggings so they could go with a ton of dressier tops!

(29 Weeks pregnant)

 31 Weeks

Next Tip: Low Rise Pants! Now, if you don't want to wear only leggings you don't have to. I sure didn't! But I also wasn't going to spend $60+ on ONE pair of maternity pants. So I bought myself some low rise pants in one or two sizes bigger, depending on the brand. Here are some examples of the LEI pants from Walmart that I bought in bright colors & prints for Spring/Summer. I can wear them after baby, they have stretch, they are low rise so they go under the belly, and they look so cute! Plus, they were only $11 each.

(32 Weeks Pregnant)

33 Weeks Pregnant

 33 Weeks Pregnant

35 Weeks Pregnant

 35 Weeks Pregnant

 (39 Weeks Pregnant)

This leads to another pregnancy style tip: Jackets & long cardigans! I love me some jackets! I don't spend much on them. All of the jackets that you have seen on the above photos I have gotten at a thrift shop for a quarter. Yes, a quarter! You can find some great deals at thrift shops. I have about 30 jackets in my collection and I'd say 25 of them were from a thrift shop for a quarter. Also, I love them in bright colors, especially red, and printed ones. Even if they are a little big, it's only a few dollars to take them in.

btw: I made this cream dress :)
16 weeks:

 18 weeks:

Next Tip: Take advantage of skirts with elastic waistbands! They look so cute with a baby bump and really accentuate the belly. Plus, they look so fashion forward!
15 weeks pregnant:

30 weeks

 32 weeks:

 32 weeks pregnant

18 weeks

 18 weeks:

Last but not least! Accessorize! Use purses, scarves, bling on t-shirts, jewelry, and while your nails are growing like crazy, take advantage and paint them. I changed them every week! Who needs a salon anyways? Not this gal! This first picture shows accessorizing the simplistic way, with details on a cardigan, earrings, and a purse. Simple, but cute!

 Bling on a shirt, wrist, and purse! (On one of the above photos, there are studded spikes on my shoulders. That's also an accessory.

 Bold rings make a huge impact!

 simple to do nails!

 Belts! The easiest way to accessorize and bring shape to your growing belly!
(39 weeks)

 Comfy, yet stylish shoes! No crocs for this stylish girl. Hopefully, not for you either! These are from Payless, $29.99 each, but they are Dexflex by Dexter and I have them in about 5 different colors. LOVE THEM! Couldn't have done it without them. They have wonderful cushioning on the inside and stretch with your feet. Also, they don't give you blisters! Thank God!

 Jewelry is a must, but don't go crazy expensive, buy things from F21, Charlotte Russe, Charming Charlie's, Target, and even Walmart! I got these at Charlotte Russe for $5!

 I accessorized with jewelry, vintage belt, purse, and these Comfort Plus leopard heels, which are amazingly comfortable and also from Payless. I went back for three more pairs after falling in love with these! Perfect for pregnancy.
30 weeks:

22 weeks:

Your accessories can be on your face also! Use pretty colors for your eyeshadow or liner! I'm kind of addicted to green and turquoise eyeliners and shadows right now.

I also love a bold lip!

 Lots of ring candy!

 and cute shoes!

This was one of my favorite outfits: it incorporated layers, accessories, and bold prints!

28 weeks:

 here is a simple black layered necklace that really pops against the bold printed dress, and my new baby tote hubby gave me! Love my new Coach bag!
35 weeks:

 Scarves! So easy and perfect for days when jewelry is just too much.
27 weeks:

22 weeks:

16 weeks:

or layer scarves and jewelry together! 

22 weeks:

To Summarize:

1. Accentuate the Belly
2. Don't buy maternity clothes, unless you really want to.
3. Layer, layer, layer!
4. Dresses are a staple. Color is a must.
5. Stretchy pants, Elastic waists, leggings. Enough said.
6. Jackets & Long Cardigans
7. Skirts with elastic waistbands are lifesavers!
8. Accessorize!

So there you go ladies. Not only will these tips help you be stylish while pregnant, but they work so well if you have just had the baby or if you aren't even pregnant! Hope you enjoyed my blog post and please support by following my little ol' blog, pinning this post, and sharing it with friends. Feel free to follow my Maternity Pinterest Board HERE. Thank you! 

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