Saturday, February 8, 2014

Review: Lila Felix's "Forced Autonomy"

Author: Lila Felix
Author: Forced Autonomy (Phase 2)
Available  NOW!!!
  
 
Blurb:
 
The United States has collapsed. Those citizens who are left are in one of two classes. One: Citizens who have undergone forced lobotomies, as mandated by the United Nations. Two: Those who fight against their tyranny.

Petra Kingsley falls under both classes. She falls in line with the drones, pretending her procedure worked. She’s existed among their ranks, hiding in plain sight, being worked to the bone and starved almost to death.

Lawson is a bounty hunter of sorts. His target isn’t the guilty, it’s those who are lost in the folds of a broken society.

When he spots Petra working in the masses, he stops at nothing to help her escape.

But he has no idea who exactly he’s helping—and who will now be hunting them both?
 
 
 
Be sure to add Forced Autonomy to Goodreads
 
 
 
Lawson
Jared Leto
  

Buy Links (for all of Lila's books)
  

 

 
My Review:

Before I start my review of this amazing story, I have to tell y'all  a few things I've learned from my girl Lila's book.  One: The more I read about Lawson the more I fall in love with him. I honestly didn't think I could have a favorite book boy out of all of Lila's yummy leading men, but there's just something about Law. *sigh*
Two: *Note to self* Clean out my husband's closet and begin to hoard as much medicine as humanly possible, when the hub's closet is full move on to the children's. Now when I say medicine, I mean everything from Advil to prescription drugs.  The last and most important thing I learned while reading Forced Autonomy is two words TOILET PAPER. You can never have enough toilet paper, trust me y'all.......  
 
 
We are thrown right back into Lila's raw and sinister world in Phase Two.  Lawson is out scouting looking for any survivors he may be able to bring back to the safety of the camp, but his heart is consumed with everything Petra.  He's confused and a bit lost because he's never felt this way about anyone and wonders if  there is a place for love in cold world he lives in. Unable to take the distance, he caves and heads back to camp and Petra *sigh*
 
 
 
What? I wasn't watching you work! *blush*
 
 
Meanwhile, back at camp, Petra has been going through the motions of  her daily chores while trying not to think of Law (not that it's working).  She becomes distracted when a nasty virus hits the camp, remember what I said about toilet paper??? *shudder* Law returns to find Petra  nursing the camp back from the brink of death.
 
Their reunion is brief as Odin *growl* forces Law to leave camp again, the unspoken threat of harming Petra if he chooses to stay hangs in the balance.  This time Petra refuses to sit idly by and watch Law leave not knowing if she'll ever see him again.
 
She makes a dangerous decision and sneaks off with Law.  The two find an old house on the side of the road and stop to take refuge for a few days.  Running water, flushing toilets, food and even puzzles for entertainment.  They know they  have found heaven on earth. But upon further exploration, Petra discovers the house is not the paradise she had hoped....
 
 
Me at the end of Forced Autonomy
read it and you'll see why!
 
What I thought:


There are so many things I loved about this book!!! Let's start with Lawson and Petra.  Lila really begins to dive into the character's feelings for each other.  In Phase 2, not only are they thinking about the other person they're expressing feelings.  For example, on the way back to camp, Law comes across some supplies. Not only was he thoughtful enough to grab some for Petra, he saved them so he could give them to her privately *sigh* sweet right??

Petra also reveals her feeling for Law when she begs him not to leave camp without her.  This was a hard scene to read because I could feel her desperation and her fear of loosing him.


 
Their love is very powerful in this story because most of the population are...well man-made zombies incapable of feelings or thoughts of their own. IF you're lucky enough not to be in a zombie-like state, everyone you know is so why take the chance of loving someone when the risk of loosing them is so high?

Lila also gives us a little peek into what Law and Petra's life was like before the horror changed their life forever. It was interesting to read because it felt like another piece of a puzzle to these realistic and complicated characters.
 
No worries this isn't all disgusting sickness, threats and malice, Lila is a true mastermind when it comes to writing a realistic post apocalyptic story.  Her characters never give up hope, no matter what savagery they may have faced in the past they know some how it will eventually all even out.
 
The authenticity of  Forced  Autonomy world  is exquisite.  From the smell of sickness to the longing of a true love, it will consume you. This story is extremely raw and gritty but in all of that horror and darkness, love still blooms, reigniting the faith in humanity!!
 
 
 
 
 
My Favorite Quotes:
 
 
He was a leader only in name and he’d royally pissed me off.
~ Law

We were our own post-apocalypse Pinterest page.
~Petra


​Couple those things with the fact that she’d been in captivity for four years—those things just made me want to spoil her the best I knew how in this world where no one was spoiled.
~Law


In these times, the voice of another human, especially one you cared for, was magic and when they spoke to you, you sat on the edge of every word, desperate to jump onto the edge of the next.
~Petra


I didn’t know what exactly it was about her that sucked me in and kept me tethered. But I wanted nothing else in this tiny life than to be tied to her.
~Law


Sure, I’m okay. I’m just having a Stephen King’s Carrie moment here all by myself.
~Petra

 "No, I’m not calling you honey. I—I found honey at that house. I thought you’d want something
sweet...Christ almighty, I’m just gonna shut up.”
~Law


Of course he does. Of course the hottest guy this side of the apocalypse has feminine hygiene
products at the ready. Duh.
~Petra


I swore when I’d first saw her—that my heart had tried to pry its way out of my chest and get to her.
~Law


Oh, EPA, how we miss thee.
~Petra


“Ouch! Did you just hit me while I’m holding knitting needles?”
~Creek


“And you’ll miss watching me work with my shirt off.”
~Law
 
 
 
Petra
Lily Collins

 
 
Love this pic

 
 
 
 
 food, no really!! If  you have nothing this IS food.
*I* on the other hand, would just go hungry that meal!!
 
 
 
 
so pretty!
 

 
 
 
 
this is a safe house
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
**** OTHER WORKS****
*All works can be found on the above links*




Skate Series


Love and Skate:
On the rink she’s tough, she’s a leader, she’s fast and she’s the epitome of a rebellious girl. But Nellie’s been hurt, only once, but it was enough to make her look at life through different eyes and off the rink she’s a timid girl who loves with no pretenses.
A long time ago Owen Black was betrayed by the girl he thought he loved and the guy he called his best friend. The anguish set off a domino effect of negativity in his life and he never has fully recovered. He meets Nellie Forrester and thinks he can let it go for her.
But how can you love someone when the wounds from your past are still wide open?

 
 
How It Rolls:
Despite the odds, Reed Wolfe is making it, by the skin of her teeth. Her dreams and aspirations will have to wait until she can get on her feet. Because right now she’s homeless and churning on a downward spiral.

Falcon Black is existing. Not living, not thriving, just jutting along a path. But when he finds Reed, he can’t resist the urge to help her, lighten her load. But Falcon tends to go overboard, over the line, crossing boundaries he never thought he would and risking her trust in the process.

Can she accept his love or will it end up smothering her?

 
 
Down 'N' Derby: 
 Maddox is running.
By accident, he discovered long ago that he was adopted as a baby and his need to find his biological father has consumed him ever since. Now, on a road trip, determined to find his father and his sanity, and armed with locations and his cousin, Nixon, to help him, maybe he can find the answers he’s been searching for. With nothing but a suitcase and a wad of cash to get him there, lead after lead takes him further from home.
But he’ll find much more than he intended.
He finds Storey, a pint sized pin-up model who has learned painful lessons about guys. Her wounds run deep, but so do his. She knows what she wants, but will she recognize it when it’s right in front of her?
Maddox can’t touch anyone without feeling like his skin is crawling, but just maybe his instinct to protect this amazing girl will supersede his own hang-ups.
If he can brush her skin and start to feel alive inside...everything will change
 
 
 
Caught In A Jam:
Nixon Black has made mistakes. He made one mistake that would change his life forever. Now he’s working and in school—and he’s got a three year old. He gave up dating when Scout was born, but every night he retreats to another life in his mind, one he could’ve had with her.

Journey spent her formative years on the arm of any boy that didn’t expect anything out of her. She was hiding from the one person who did expect something in return—Nixon. Years after being cheated on and dumped for the last time, she takes a job at a daycare center where there’s a genius of a ginger haired girl whose last name is Black.

But the roles have been reversed and Journey is no longer Nixon’s first priority. Can he make room for the new Journey? And when he does, will he be able to forgive the old one?
 


she's spent a long time in a bubble. In an odd turn of events, Corinne is taken out of boarding school and plunged into high school where bullies reign and nice guys come in last.

But this is after she's already fallen in love with Abel over the summer.

Abel is trapped, with friends he secretly hates, but has chosen to stay with the status quo. It's just high school, right?

What do you do when the person you love sees the very worst part of you? And how do you help them when they discover their life is a hoax?




Remi Harris has a plan. Graduate high school, go to college, become a history teacher, be self-sufficient unlike her mother who is a struggling single mom. And the word ‘boy’ has no place in her plan.
Cooper Neal has been sent to his estranged father’s house to spend his Senior year getting to know him. And maybe, just maybe, there will be some cute girls in the small town.

Cooper sees Remi and he falls hard. Remi sees Cooper and wonders if she can do both. The question is; will he ruin her plans, or will she let him be a part of them?




Jenna has spent too long being complacent and accepting. Her mother and step-father constantly belittle and berate her for simply being alive. She passes through life keeping everyone and everything at arm’s length because it’s just not worth the questions or the pity party. She takes what they dish out and just tries to survive.
She has thought up a million different ways to get away from them, but lacked the motivation and the sheer will. Like a fast moving tornado, her motivation comes in the form of a boy who cares for her as none other has and who shows her a glimpse of hope, a glimpse into a life she never thought she could have.
But is her new motivation enough to get her out....



Written with Rachel Higginson
Cami Montgomery stole a car and smashed it into the front of a building in upscale Beverly Hills after a lousy date with the epitome of sleaze balls. The worst part, her parents are following through on threats after this latest plea for attention. Banished from her L.A. paradise and plunged into the Appalachian Mountains with her industrious aunt and uncle, Cami is about to find out how precious life really is.

Stockton Wright has been thrust into a hard life. He sacrifices everything to give his family and community what they need. He’s exhausted from life and work—and he’s only twenty four. What he needs is some change, and some sunshine. Even he will agree to that. He just doesn’t expect to find it in a stuck up, pompous, entitled Californian.

Cami bursts into Stockton’s life like wildfire, consuming all his thoughts and tangling him in her web. What starts out as a contentious rivalry evolves into a desire neither of them expected. When hammer meets metal, will they crack under pressure or be forged as one?

Cami and Stockton might just end up being exactly what the other one needs, but first their love will have to be drawn out in fireachel Higginson


 
Anguish was the status quo, until she walked in.
Breaker James Collins is confined in a prison of his own making. Scarred doesn’t begin to define his hell since finding out his girlfriend had cheated, stolen, and lied two years ago. It led to a single event—one that would blacken his days and his nights from then on. Since then, he hasn’t left his house, crippled by fear of people and any social interaction.
Ashland talks too much and has the voice of a meth-laden prairie dog, or so she’s always been told. She’s been called annoying and irritating all of her life and gave up on having friends for a long time. College has given her a new lease on a social life and she’s embraced who she is. But now she’s waiting for the one guy who can take her breath away and put up with her antics.
A simple note pinned to a corkboard will lead Ash right to Breaker’s solitary world and she will learn that just because a guy doesn’t fit her ideal, doesn’t mean she won’t fall head over feet in love.
 
 
 
All she wanted was a friend---one that knew her and not her circumstances. She needed somewhere to call home. Hers was an open door for countless men looking for the services her mother offered them. She camouflaged herself against lockers and blackboards to avoid the stares and whispers at school.

And then she found Cal...and Fade.

Cal lives like Frankenstein, rising at night to work and just trying to make it until dawn. He avoids most relationships, afraid of the things he will be asked to do. He moonlights as Fade, a radio station DJ who spends hours counseling his peers on their troubles. It was all mundane until Jocelyn called the station.

Cal and Havok pursue a friendship.

Jocelyn and Fade pursue a relationship beyond the confines of the radio waves.

But when Havok disappears, Cal will find that Havok has been guarding a lifetime worth of secrets. And when Fade and Jocelyn’s all night phone conversations cease, he finds a link between them he never saw coming.

 

 
In the depths of the Louisiana swamps, clans of bear shifters roam freely. Hawke Turnclaw, the Alpha over all of his kind, is drowning in the legacy left to him by the Alpha before him, his own father. When he goes on a rescue mission to save a rogue Black bear from the clutches of a Grizzly clan, he finds more than just a Black bear, he finds his mate.

Echo has always been told she's an anomaly, a fluke. She's the only bear of her kind and that makes her a hindrance to her clan. She's tried to run away, but they keep her tethered through guilt and a shock collar around her neck.

And then someone shows up claiming he's her mate.
Now belonging to a new clan, will she ever be able to understand that she's so much more than just a burden
 

 
 
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Number ten is plastered on his team jersey and on his ego. In his own mind, Crown Sterling is the shit. He dates the prettiest women, he dominates on the soccer field, he pours money out of his pockets like it’s water. Until a debilitating knee injury puts him out of commission on and off the field. He’s sent to an isolated town in Louisiana to recoup

All Lyra wants out of life is peace and quiet. She grew up with a regular, everyday family. When she turned sixteen, rummaging through her grandmother’s hope chest in the attic, she discovered a secret that would turn her simple, normal life into a ball of chaos that revolved around her. But while she seems to face her fears head on in her career, she lives a life that’s secure and well hidden.

A new neighbor moved in next door and he’s decided that everyone needs to listen to his rap music, shattering Lyra’s quiet existence. Enraged, she stomps to the next townhouse over and who should open the door but a man whose good looks and charming smile knock her breathless.

How good looking? Just ask him.

How charming? He’ll tell you that too.

The king must be dethroned.

And a small town girl who’s been through hell is just the one to do it.


 

 
Forced Autonomy Phase 1
 
The United States has collapsed. Those citizens who are left are in one of two classes. One: Citizens who have undergone forced lobotomies, as mandated by the United Nations. Two: Those who fight against their tyranny.
Petra Kingsley falls under both classes. She falls in line with the drones, pretending her procedure worked. She’s existed among their ranks, hiding in plain sight, being worked to the bone and starved almost to death.
Lawson is a bounty hunter of sorts. His target isn’t the guilty, it’s those who are lost in the folds of a broken society.
When he spots Petra working in the masses, he stops at nothing to help her escape.
But he has no idea who exactly he’s helping—and who will now be hunting them both?
 
 
 
COMING SOON!!! 


Breaker James isn’t the boy who is imprisoned in his home anymore. He’s not the guy who is afraid to leave the house. He doesn’t need Ash twenty four hours a day anymore.
Hell, he might not need her anymore at all.
He’s a heart breaker, pure and simple.
Love is easy when you’re secluded from the world within four walls.
Ash now has to learn how to let Breaker love her—without being his crutch.


 
Sparrows For Free


You Little Thief
 
 
 

About My Girl Lila:


Lila Felix lives in the swamps of Louisiana with her husband and three boisterous children. She loves coffee, anything cinnamon and loves to cook. She is a big roller derby fan. When she's not writing, she's watching 80's movies, reading, and collecting duct tape.
  
Where to Stalk Lila:









 
 So what do y'all think? Are you ready for Phase 2  How about Law??


*giggle*

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