Review and Giveaway: Fight or Flight by Jamie Canosa

Be smart.
Keep your head down.
And look out for number one.

These are the rules Jay has lived by for the past two years. The rules of surviving life on the streets. But when Em comes bursting into his life, in all of her disastrous glory, the rules go right out the window.

Survive.
Flee what’s been left behind.
And never look back.

Emerson’s plan was simple. Though, it was easier said than done. The city streets are dangerous and unforgiving to a new arrival. Especially, a seventeen-year-old girl who’s never known anything but life in the suburbs. Sometimes, however, what’s lurking behind those white picket fences can be more frightening than any dark alley.

Both of them made the same decision when life got overwhelming—to run from their demons. Brought together by fate or circumstance, Em and Jay find the kind of love neither of them ever expected. But, when those demons come back to haunt them and their love is on the line, which instincts will they choose to follow this time . . . Fight or Flight?

4 Star Review

 Is life so bad behind the 4 walls of home that it would be easier to live without knowing where you will sleep or where your next meal will come from?   This is the life of Jay and Em, two teenagers who have decided that they need to start their lives over and anything would be better than what they left at home.

“One would think that leaving behind the only home you’ve ever known would be difficult.  It wasn’t.”

 

Emerson leaves home with only a backpack filled with necessities and a little over $50.  She arrives at a train station with no idea where to go, let alone how to find her way out of the train station.  Within minutes she is left with nothing but the clothes on her back. Jay is also in the train station and witnesses her first calamity.

“He felt for her.  It hadn’t been  so long that he couldn’t remember what it was like at first, but this girl was in way too deep.”

Jay seems to be an expert at being homeless.  He has his own squat, knows how to find work work and where to find the next meal.   When danger seems to follow Emerson, he is there to keep her safe.   He puts a roof over her head and finds food for both of them.  He takes responsibility for her.

“He could barely take care of himself, how was he supposed to take care of someone else?”

Spending all this time together builds a relationship where they feel safe with each other and trust that each one will be there to fight for the other.   It takes a while for them to feel comfortable with each other to divulge the secrets of their past and why they felt the need to run.  Coming free of their pasts allows them to find comfort in each other and to feel an emotion that they both thought they could never have again.

“I think I may be falling in love with you…Scratch that.  I’m already in love with you..No thinking about it.”

Life on the streets isn’t easy for them.  It seems they take one step forward and two steps back again.  They fight together each and every time and come out winners.  I felt for them every time they fell off the edge.  It takes a lot for me to feel that emotion, and the author pulled me in making me feel their difficult journey through the streets for survival.

“It seemed every time they turned around they were facing the worst the world had to offer.”

 Jay is sick, tired, and beaten down.  How can he keep fighting for the one who means the most to him when her past comes for find her?

 

This is a wonderful story with the adversity that these two teenagers had to face every day to survive, but yet they still had enough passion inside themselves to be able to feel more than just anger at what the world had dealt them.  Jay is tough on the outside and offers unconditional love to Em.  A very sweet, touching love story that makes you want to hug your kids tight at night to make certain that they feel the love of a family.  I was very excited to find out that there will be more Jay and Em coming our way soon!

Synopsis Sink or Swim

There are some things you just can't walk away from.

When sleeping in vacant warehouses and dark alleys becomes preferable to living at home, something is seriously wrong. But when word reaches Allie that her mother is facing a life threatening illness, she has no choice but to return to the place of nightmares. Leaving wasn't a choice, it was a necessity, and if returning hadn't been equally necessary, Allie never would have set foot back inside that hell-hole.

Dean is no stranger to hardship, but the day Allie walked out of his life, taking his heart right along with her, was hands-down the most frustrating. Six months later, she's back and Dean refuses to rest until he figures out exactly what the hell happened.

Now, Allie's drowning. Drowning in lies. Drowning in the truth. Drowning in pain, and anger, and fear. But there comes a time when every drowning person must decide whether they will . . . Sink or Swim?

Here's an excerpt from Sink Or Swim

Sink or Swim Excerpt

“Darlin’, what’s the matter?”

She was usually so good at ignoring shit—just like her mother. When she was with Dean, she could just shut it all out for a while, but not today. Today her fu#king nerves were going to give her away even if her face didn’t.

“Nothing. Watch the movie, Dean. It’s good.”

“Now I know you’re lying. Allie, look at—” His hand came up to cup her face and turn it to his. He wasn’t rough, but his touch was enough to make her wince and the damage was done.

Dean yanked his hand back like she’d burnt him. Then, tilted her face into the light of the flickering movie screen with a feather-light grip on her chin. His eyes narrowed on her cheek and then his whole body went rigid.

“What the—? Up. Now.”

“Dean, the movie . . .”

“Get the fu#k up right now, Allie, or so help me I will carry you the hell out of here.”

He wasn’t joking either, so Allie gathered up her coat and scarf and followed him out into the now deserted lobby. It was between shows and the only person out there was a gray haired man looking more than half-asleep behind the concession stand. Dean led her to arcade corner where their conversation couldn’t be heard over the noise of the many gaming machines and turned on her.

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing, Dean.” She didn’t have a lie lined up. Why the hell didn’t she have a lie lined up by now? She hadn’t looked at it since the scarf came off so she really had no idea how bad it actually looked. But, from his reaction, she was guessing it was pretty bad.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Allie. Did someone do that to you?” He grasped her chin again lightly, tilting her face into the light. “Did someone hit you?”

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