Mailbox Monday (Sept 10, 2012)

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in September by Kristen at BookNAround.

Resurrection Express

by Stephen Romano

There is no code Elroy Coffin can't break, nothing he can't hack, no safe he can't get in to.  But for the past two years, he's been incarcerated in a maximum-security hellhole after a job gone bad, driven to near-madness by the revelation of his beloved wife's murder.

Now a powerful and mysterious visitor who calls herself a "concerned citizen" offers Elroy his freedom if he'll do another job, and sweetens the deal with proof that his wife might still be alive.  All Elroy has to do is hack into one of the most complicated and deadliest security grids in the world -- clear and simple instructions for the best in the business.  Or so he thinks.

Quickly drawn into the epicenter of a secret, brutal war between criminal masterminds, Elroy is forced to run for his life through a rapid-fire labyrinth of deception, betrayal, and intrigue -- where no one is to be trusted and every fight could be his last. . . and the real truth hidden beneath the myriad levels of treachery may be too shocking to comprehend. . .

The Ruins of Lace

by Iris Anthony

Lace is a thing like hope.  It is beauty; it is grace.  It was never meant to destroy so many lives.

The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France, pulling soldier and courtier alike into its web.  For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air.  For those who want something they don't have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything -- or anyone.

For Lisette, lace begins her downfall, and the only way to atone for her sins is to outwit the noble who now demands the impossible.  To fail means certain destruction.  But for Katharina, lace is her salvation.  It is who she is; it is what she does.  If she cannot make this stunning tempest of threads, a dreaded fate awaits.

The most lucrative contraband in Europe, with its intricate patterns and ephemeral hope, threatens to cost them everything.  Lace may be the deliverance for which they all pray. . . or it may bring the ruin and imprisonment they all fear. 

Courageous Teens

by Michael Catt and Amy Parker

You need the courage to stand strong when everything else is falling apart.

You need the courage to say no when the world entices with diversions.

You need the courage to be a faithful leader of the next generation.

Looking at strong biblical characters, examples from the unforgettable film Courageous, insightful questions, and practical applications, Courageous Teens builds an unshakeable foundation for a courageous lifestyle.  Perfect for weekly group or individual study, this inspiring and in-depth study of courage will call teens like you to step out in faith, equipping you with the courage that is vital to your future -- and to the future of us all.

Tilt

by Ellen Hopkins

Witnessing the fallout from the poor choices their parents make and the lies adults tell themselves, three teens are clinging to the last remnants of the secure and familiar world in which they've grown up.  But the ground is shifting.  What was once clear is now confused.  Everything is tilting.

Mikayla is sure she's found the love her parents seem to have lost, but is suddenly weighing nearly impossible choices in the wake of dashed expectations.  Shane has come out, unwilling to lie anymore about who he is, but finds himself struggling to keep it all under control in the face of first love and a horrific loss.  Harley, a good girl just seeking new experiences, never expects to hurtle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be.

Inspired by teen characters first introduced in her adult novel, Triangles, Ellen Hopkins crafts a wrenching story that explores the ways we each find the strength we need to hold on when our world's been tilted completely off its axis.