Here is their bio:
Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing partners with a passion for good books, pop culture and Bravo programming. Not necessarily in that order. Lisa has always been a phenomenal liar and Laura loves to write angsty poetry, so writing for young adults seemed like a natural fit. The sisters live in Cleveland, Ohio in separate residences. Their husbands wouldn't agree to a duplex. You can find them on their website, blog, twitter and Goodreads and Facebook.
Here are Lisa and Laura:
Top Ten Stupid Mistakes Villains Make: Kate dissects and lists the mindless mistakes that Pemberly Brown’s secret societies make while attempting to sneak around the campus.
Kate Lowry here from THE LIES THAT BIND. Today, I want to share with you my top ten list of stupid mistakes villains make.
10. Leave doors/windows/cars/lockers OPEN. Villains are busy people. Or perhaps they were raised in a barn. Either way, if the door’s open, I’m going in. Don’t mind if I do…
9. Loud talkers. Villains missed the day of preschool when the teachers reviewed inside voices. Plus, voices carry in those tunnels. I don’t even have to put my ear to the hatch!
8. Lose their cool around girls. I’m not proud of it, but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do and sometimes that means showing a little skin. I’ve gotten entire secret maps of Pemberly Brown by merely unbuttoning one button.
7. Carry baggage. Student files are fascinating. And often thick. My best friend works in the office. What do you expect?
6. Hang with the wrong crowd. Be careful who you trust, bad guys. Who knows, they might even be worse than you.
5. Perform not-so-secret ceremonies in not-so-private places. The clock tower again? Really? How have you not seen me crouched behind these low shrubs?
4. Have no respect for property, even if it is a dilapidated building of Brown. Lists of names on walls? Check.
3. Twirling moustaches. Whenever I have a doubt over who the real bad guy is, I can usually identify them by their telltale mustache. Thanks Headmaster Sinclair!
2. Forming secret societies. Um, guys, hate to break it to you, but NOTHING stays secret at Pemberly Brown. At least not while I'm around.
1. Messing with my friends. I might not be the most popular girl in school and I'm definitely not the toughest (Bethany, I'm looking at you), but you mess with my friends and I will throw down. Justice is tough to find at Pemberly Brown, but I won't rest until I find it.
Thanks ladies! You can enter to win a copy of Lies That Bind (Liar Society #2) by Lisa and Laura Roecker. To enter fill out the Rafflecopter after you ignore the Contest Policies. Good Luck! Now go get your Christmas stuff done!
Here is my review:
Lies That Bind (Liar Society #2) by Laura and Lisa Roecker
Just when Kate Lowry thought she had life at elite private school Pemberly Brown figured out, she cracks open a fortune cookie to find a message from her best friend Grace--who's supposed to be dead.
Another Sister Gone
A classmate has gone missing, and Kate soon realizes that the disappearance is tied to the secret societies that rule her private school. Her best friend died for their secrets, and there's no way she'll let them get away with it twice. It's up to quirky outsider Kate to get some answers, but in a school where every answer leads to more questions and nothing's as it seems, who can she trust? Paperback, 320 pages Published November 6th 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire
Four stars: A compelling mystery with many twists and turns!
Kate is back at school. She is desperately trying to put the past behind her and move forward. Losing her best friend Grace to the secrets that fuel the two secret societies: The Brotherhood and Sisterhood was a huge blow. Kate is determined to steer clear of the clandestine and underhanded groups. Unfortunately at the memorial for Grace, Kate finds her best friend's jacket. Then later at the annual secret society meeting, that really isn't secret since the whole school goes, a scream rips through the air and it appears another sister has gone missing. Bethany is one of the leaders of the Sisters and now she is nowhere to be found. Even though Kate has sworn to stay away from the societies, she feels compelled to help as she doesn't want to see another girl die because of the misguided societies. Once Taylor, the school's perfect, popular girl who is Bethany's best friend, confronts Kate and begs her to help, there is no turning back. Kate once again finds herself mired deep into the hidden and powerful clutches of the two societies. Who is behind Bethany's disappearance? Can Kate unravel the mystery and save her?
What I Liked:
- I admit that I am pretty clueless when it comes to elite prep schools and secret societies. What little I know, I have gleaned from movies and books. I was shocked and fascinated once I plunged into The Lies That Bind. This book features a wealthy school that is governed by two secret societies: The Brotherhood and Sisterhood. These two groups have co-existed for years and fought over power and control. Now the conflict has come to a head and both sides are willing to go to extreme measures to seize control. I was intrigued to learn more about these secret societies and how far reaching their power is, how much of the school they control and the lengths they go to advance their agendas. Even though this is fiction, I am certain that there is more reality in the makeup of this book than you would think. It is definitely intriguing to explore this world.
- From the onset, this book presents an engaging mystery. Kate races to find out what happened to Bethany while she is haunted by the loss of Grace. There are some jaw dropping surprises and the final outcome was one that I didn't see coming. I enjoy suspenseful reads that continue to keep me guessing and this book certainly kept me guessing the entire way.
- Kate, the heroine, is quite a conundrum. You would think the trauma that she suffered after losing her best friend to the societies maniacal plans would be enough to scare her away from Pemberly Brown, but she is steadfast and determined. She returns with her head high. Once the danger hits, she jumps in willing to do what is necessary to save Bethany. Even if it means spontaneously throwing up in the most popular and handsome boy's closet. She is plucky and funny and a little bit unbalanced. She is even at times frustrating because she throws herself repeatedly and without abandon into dangerous situations. Even though I questioned her judgement, I realized that her erratic behavior is because she is suffering from a bit of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. One of the aspects I liked best about Kate was even though she attends the rich uppity school, she is not a spoiled girl of privilege. She is not caught up in rich life style and in fact she is down to earth.
- I absolutely adored Seth. He is Kate's nerdy, short, skinny red headed neighbor who is obsessed with conspiracy theories and an all around computer geek, but boy is he a guy you would want in your corner. He is always there for Kate no matter what, no questions asked. Even though he is a dork, it is evident that he is madly in love with Kate, even though she doesn't return the sentiment. Seth totally made me laugh. One of my favorite scenes in the book occurs when Seth takes Kate to meet one of his conspiracy idols: a thirty some weirdo who lives at home and spends hours on his computer. It is hilarious. I totally wanted more Seth in this book and I would love for Kate to develop some feelings for him.
- I broke one of the series no-nos and jumped into this one without having read the first book (I know gasp)....Even though I went in without the first book, I didn't feel particularly lost and I was able to enjoy the read despite not having read book one. I can say that it would have been a much better experience if I had read the predecessor, but that usually is the case. I intend to go back and read The Liar Society.
And The Not So Much:
- It is hard for me to make accurate criticisms without having read the first book since I don't know if the problems I had are mostly based on lack of information. The one issue for me, was I felt a little in the dark when it came to the societies. I am sure there is plenty of discussions on them in The Liar Society and I am certain that most of my questions would be answered. I just wanted more details in general on both the Brotherhood and Sisterhood. Needless to say, I was still able to get an accurate picture of them both reading this book.
- Liam, Kate's boyfriend, bothered me. He has a very small role in this book and for the most part absent. I found it hard to believe that he was her boyfriend. Granted, I don't know their whole history, but I would have expected her boyfriend to play a bigger part.
- The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger. The big mystery is solved and the majority of the questions answered but it concludes just when the fallout is about to go down so I was left eager to know more. Kate took a big step at the end that sets the stage for what is sure to be a wild and crazy third book. I can't wait to see how everything plays out.
Lies That Bind was a twisty little read full of suspense and shocking revelations regarding secret societies. All I can say is after reading this I would certainly steer clear of schools that are controlled by secret societies as it is chilling to see how misguided people can be when participating in these groups. Power, control and loyalty become more important than everything else. If you want an interesting and suspenseful read check out The Liar Society Books.
Favorite Quotations:
"In spite of his frequent offers to administer mouth-to-mouth, Seth was probably the closest thing I had to a best friend."
"And why do serial killers always use vans? If I were a serial killer, I'd totally go for a Prius or something. No one expects a serial killer to be environmentally friendly."
"Slung across his body was a bright orange man bag, which he adjusted carefully, flexing his biceps. Two very sad realities about that fugly bag struck me in that moment.
- It probably cost more than my entire wardrobe.
- In spite of his non stop workouts and protein shakes, Ben was still small enough to probably fit inside of it."
"But that whole "rules are meant to be broken" thing? Total crap. The real secret is to make your own."
I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Don't miss book one!
