Masked (New World #2)
by Janelle Stalder
Coming February 25!
Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.
New Berlin, 2040.
Rebels prepare to fight against the New World Order, bent on bringing
down the world’s greatest tyrant. One girl wanted nothing to do with it,
content to keep her head down and make the best of this new world. That
is, until she has no choice but to work with the rebels and infiltrate
the NWO headquarters. Every moment she spends there puts her in danger,
especially when one man, the second in command to the New World leader,
continues to make his way into her every thought. She must stay focused
and protect not just her mind and body, but also her heart. Will she be
able to complete her task without being unmasked? Or will the one man
standing in her way ruin it all?
Add Masked to your Goodreads shelf!
Switch (New World #1):
Switch (New World #1):
5 out of 5 stars
I've been looking forward to this book ever since finishing Switch, especially with that cliffhanger of an ending! We were introduced to Bridgette in the first book but were not really given the opportunity to get to know her. She is much softer than her sister, Charlotte, but don't mistake that softness for weakness. She is full of life and love and is determined to live each day to its fullness but is also willing to do what she has to in order to survive. She is a fighter. Roman I was super excited to find out more about. In the first book I was never sure what to think of him. He was such an interesting character, however, that I just could not get him out of my head. And now…he's everything I was hoping he would be and more. Don't get me wrong. He's definitely not one of the good guys, but he is soooooo good! He did what he had to in order to survive, but that doesn't really negate his past acts. So where does this leave us? Definitely confused. One thing I really liked about his character was that he never made excuses for who he was or what he did. The only thing he has now is to try to be better, whatever the cost to himself.
I loved each and every character in this story, and I love how the author is able to take a story where there should be a very clear right/wrong and blur those edges. Her characters make decisions based on their feelings and the situations they are involved in rather than the consequences that might come later. There was a lot going on in the story in terms of plot as well. The fight for survival is ongoing but with new revelations around every corner.
Overall I loved this book and I love this series. There was a very nice setup for the next book with the oh so mysteriously intriguing Tyler, and I can't wait! Thank you to Janelle Stalder for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved each and every character in this story, and I love how the author is able to take a story where there should be a very clear right/wrong and blur those edges. Her characters make decisions based on their feelings and the situations they are involved in rather than the consequences that might come later. There was a lot going on in the story in terms of plot as well. The fight for survival is ongoing but with new revelations around every corner.
Overall I loved this book and I love this series. There was a very nice setup for the next book with the oh so mysteriously intriguing Tyler, and I can't wait! Thank you to Janelle Stalder for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CHAPTER ONE
5 years later…
New Berlin, 2040
Bridgette pressed her back against the door,
her breath quick, heart pounding. Smooth,
Bridge. Real smooth, she thought. Footsteps stopped
just outside the door. She could hear his breathing through the wood. Bridgette
bit her lip beneath the mask she now wore, waiting for what would happen next.
“Lottey?”
he called out. There was a small thump from the other side, and when he spoke
again his voice sounded closer and slightly muffled, like he was resting his
forehead against the door. “Look, I know you’re mad at me, and you have every
right to be,” he started.
Charlotte
was mad at him? A sliver of hope spread through her chest. If her sister was
mad at him, it would make Bridgette’s job a heck of a lot easier. Roman Adamson
was not only the second in command of the New World order, but he also happened
to be the sexiest man Bridgette had ever seen. It made coherent thought
difficult around him, and right now she needed all her wits on full alert. If
she was going to pull off this disguise of her younger sister, Charlotte, who
she had discovered was still alive, she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
Especially around the man standing outside her room. Well, Charlotte’s room,
but for now it was hers.
What I have gotten myself into? She
asked herself for the millionth time since she’d agreed to do this. If it
hadn’t been for the fact that her evil, sadistic father was holding her sister captive, there was no way Bridgette
would have been doing anything to help the rebels. She’d long ago decided to
make the best out of the new life she’d been forced to live, and that meant no
involvement with the group of men set on destroying the new government.
Considering her father was their leader, she definitely hadn’t wanted any part in this. But once again life had
thrown her a curveball in the form of her sister, and she was forced to play
along. At least until she planted the bomb.
Her
back felt sticky with sweat beneath the fabric of the uniform she wore. All she
wanted to do was strip out of it, pull off the mask her sister had been wearing
for the last five years – how Charlotte had stood it, she had no idea – and
take off the boots that were a size too small and pinching the crap out of her
toes. Instead she had to deal with Roman, who had caught her in the hall. And
of course, Bridgette had done the first thing that had come to mind, which
happened to be to turn and run like an idiot, locking herself inside this room.
Again, real smooth, Bridge. Shut up, she
told herself. What else could she have done? Stood there and had a conversation
with him? Sure, eventually she’d have no choice. She just wasn’t expecting to
have to do it within her first ten minutes of being in the headquarters.
“I
know you’ll probably never forgive me,” Roman was saying. Forgive him for what?
She wondered. What had he done to her sister? Anger simmered inside her. No one
hurt her sister. “Just, please know that I truly am sorry if I’ve messed things
up for you. It’s the last thing I would ever want.”
Her
entire body stilled at the remorse she heard in his voice. Did Roman have feelings for Charlotte? Why did that
make her feel sick just thinking about it? No, there was no way. Charlotte was
in love with Bridgette’s best friend, Pete McKay. She hadn’t said as much, but
you’d have to be blind not to see it when they looked at each other. She had no
doubt Pete was working to find Charlotte even now. At least, she hoped he was.
The longer Charlotte stayed with their dad, the greater the chance she’d get
hurt. Her sister did not know how to shut her mouth, and their father had zero
patience.
Bridgette
shuddered at the thought of how her sister had looked the last time she had
seen her – beaten and bloody, their father standing to the side watching it
all. She needed to accomplish what she was here to do – fast. Then she needed
to get back to her sister and away from all of this.
“Look,
I know you don’t want to see me right now,” Roman said, jarring her back to the
situation at hand, “but Ludwig’s been looking for us both. I told him you
weren’t feeling well, but I can’t put him off any longer. I need you to come
with me to his office.”
Crap.
Crap, crap, crap. Roman was bad enough, but Ludwig? That was just a disaster
waiting to happen. Bridgette was terrified of the New World leader, who was
responsible for destroying more than half the world’s population with his bombs
and war. What if he saw through her right away? Charlotte had been in their
camp for five years. Long enough for them to recognize all her little quirks
and know if things seemed “off”. Bridgette needed to bring her A-game, and she
wasn’t quite sure if she even had one.
Taking
a deep breath, she stepped back from the door, wincing at the pain in her feet.
The first thing she was going to do tomorrow was demand new boots. She didn’t
care if it looked odd that her feet had gone up a size overnight, there was no
way she was walking around in these boots for the next couple of weeks. She was
there to plant a bomb when the arms dealers came to visit, which meant she’d
have to play Charlotte for quite a while yet. Her feet were not going to
survive.
She
opened the door slowly, readying herself for the next step in this ridiculous
plot. Her plan had been to practice her voice and mannerisms tonight, so she
was ready tomorrow, but it looked like there wouldn’t be time for that.
Thankfully Bridgette had a good ear for tone. It probably had a lot to do with
her vocal training. She knew how Charlotte spoke. It was softer, smoother than
her own voice. Bridgette always spoke a little huskier than her younger sister,
but she had faith in herself that she’d be able to pull this off.
As
soon as her eyes met Roman’s, all the breath left her. All thoughts of courage
disappeared under his stare. He was just so handsome. His eyes were a deep
blue, his skin a flawless bronze, dark hair flowed to his shoulders. Shoulders
that were massive and intimidating, and yet she wanted to be snuggled into them
with those thick arms wrapped around her.
Snap out of it! She scolded herself. Her
eyes had been making their own journey down the front of him. She shot them
back up to look at his face, thankful for the first time that she wore a mask
to hide the flush on her cheeks. He was watching her too, closely enough to
cause the flush to spread down the rest of her body.
He
thinks you’re Charlotte, she reminded herself. Was his look one of lust, or
concern for whatever he’d done to her? She couldn’t tell. Bridgette motioned
with her head for him to lead the way, not trusting her voice just yet. The
silent treatment – the most effective weapon of women to be used against men
when they were pissed. She was going to use it to her full advantage.
He
sighed loudly, his shoulders drooping a bit. Then he spun around and started
down the hall. Bridgette hurried to keep up. She had no idea where Ludwig’s
office was in this building, so she couldn’t afford to get left behind. They
walked in silence, with her just a bit behind him. She tried her best, but her
eyes kept looking to him, watching the way his body moved as he walked. Every
step was controlled, purposeful. Every shift in his muscles screamed of
strength and power. She’d never met a man quite like him. He demanded respect
and attention. Well, he certainly had hers, and that wasn’t good.
Finally
they came to a set of double doors. Roman opened them, standing back to let her
enter first. She kept her gaze away from his as she walked by. The heat off his
body had her swaying a bit, but she forced herself to keep going.
The
room was dark, and clearly a man’s domain. There was nothing feminine about the
deep, burgundy walls, leather chairs, and large, wooden desk. Standing in front
of floor-to-ceiling windows was her biggest obstacle yet, Ludwig Tennebris. Crap, crap, crap. She stopped just
inside, watching him as the prey watches a predator. Roman was scary, but
Ludwig, he was terrifying. He didn’t give off the same sort of strength that Roman
did. His was more an aura of unpredictability; a man who could and would do
anything and everything at any moment. She didn’t like men like him. She liked
to know what to expect, and she doubted that would ever be the case with the
New World leader.
His
eyes swung to hers, his blonde hair messy, probably from running his hands
through it. She could tell he was agitated, which didn’t bode well for her.
“Finally,”
he said, stepping closer to her. The desk remained between them, a fact she was
thankful for. “How are you feeling, Di?”
Bridgette
paused for a second. She had forgotten that most of the New World soldiers
thought Charlotte’s name was Dinah. It made her wonder why Roman called her
Lottey. It also shocked her that Ludwig had asked how she was. If she was being
honest, she wasn’t expecting that. From the look of him, she had thought he was
going to start yelling, not look genuinely concerned for her.
“Better,”
she answered.
He
nodded, taking a seat behind his desk. “Good,” he said. “A lot has happened, or
hasn’t happened would be more accurate,” he continued. Rubbing a hand down his
face, he leaned back in his chair, his mouth set in a thin line. “Those rebels
you’ve been watching, did they ever mention anything about a traitor in their ranks?”
Bridgette
shook her head. “Not that I heard,” she said, changing her voice.
“Well
someone tipped them off tonight. When my men got to that church, the whole
place had been cleared out.”
Charlotte
must have warned them, Bridgette thought. Ludwig didn’t seem to suspect her at
all. How much did he trust her sister? Roman stepped forward so he was no
longer in her peripheral vision.
“Could
they have someone on the inside here?” Ludwig said.
Her
heart rate kicked into high gear.
“I
highly doubt it,” Roman said immediately. “Our men are loyal. Perhaps it was
your inside man. Could he be playing both sides?”
Bridgette
breathed a sigh of relief. Did Roman know about her sister’s relationship with
McKay? His denial had come quickly; making her wonder if he was protecting
Charlotte from Ludwig’s suspicion.
Ludwig
rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We’ll have to interrogate him and see, I
suppose.” His head turned to her. “Have you had any contact from the rebels
you’ve been watching?”
She
shook her head. “They’re gone as well,” she said. At least she hoped they were.
If McKay and the gang were smart, they would be far away from New Berlin. She
had a pretty good intuition that Ludwig and his men were going to tear the
eastern ghetto apart looking for them.
His
lips pressed together. “Did you ever break through their walls?”
She
shook her head again.
He
let out a long breath. “I’m disappointed, but at least that means you can stop
going out. I didn’t like you being in the lower’s section. Stay around headquarters
until we figure out where they are. I’m worried they might have figured out who
you were, and realized it was only a matter of time before I found them.”
They
definitely knew who Charlotte was now, she thought wryly.
“We
need to find these rats and get rid of them once and for all,” Ludwig
continued. “I can’t have them running around out there causing trouble when our
dealers are coming to town. We need this problem taken care of.” His eyes
focused on Roman.
His
second in command nodded in understanding. “We’ll find them,” Roman said.
“You’d
better.” Ludwig’s eyes went back to Bridgette, dropping down the front of her
body and up again. A small smile played on his lips as amusement danced in his
eyes. “Have you gained weight, Di?”
Her
whole body stiffened. This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. When people
have been around each other for long periods of time, they would be more likely
to notice slight changes. What the hell was she supposed to say now?
“You
did not just say that,” Roman said. Bridgette turned to look at him. Bad idea.
Looking at him just made maintaining her charade harder. She still remembered
the last time they were together when she was still working at the Red Lounge.
“Do I make you nervous, Bridgette?” he
had asked. The answer was, then and now, a resounding yes. Having to hide that
fact from him was probably going to be the hardest thing about this entire
mission.
“What?”
Ludwig said with a laugh. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. She’s just looking
more – curvy. It must be that lower section diet. Pub food looks good on you.”
He gave her a playful wink. She was being teased
by Ludwig-friggin-Tennebris. This was surreal.
“Never
talk about a lady’s weight,” Roman said. Bridgette glanced at him and saw that
he was smiling too.
Time to play this
right, she thought. From now on she was going to live by the code –
W.W.C.D. What Would Charlotte Do. Bridgette flipped them both off, stopping
herself from cringing at the rude gesture, and turned to leave, calling over her
shoulder, “I’m going to bed,” and quickly walked out of the room. Their
laughter followed her out. 
Janelle Stalder was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario. At an early age she developed a love for literature. Her debut novel, Eden, was the first book in a series of four, released in September of 2011. The second book, Eden-West, was released in July of 2012, and the third book, Eden-South was released in March of 2013. The fourth book of the Eden Series, Eden-East, will be release at the end of 2013. She is a strong supporter of other independent authors, and loves to interact with her readers. When she's not writing, Janelle is at home with her husband, two children, Aiden and Elora, and her two furry children, Alice and Lily. She now resides in the small town in Ontario in her old, possibly haunted, century home.
Facebook: Janelle Stalder
Twitter: @jmstalder
Website: www.janellestalder.com
Email: jmstalder@gmail.com
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