I've been neglecting this!

Hey there guys and dolls. I'm back. I know, I know,.I suck at this. It seems the daily posts are not gonna work anymore. Why is this? Because work is a bitch. That's right. The hours are up and the reading time is down. Life is not fair.

Here is the plan! On the 30th of every month, I'll post a big ass list of what I loved, loathed and those sneaky little pests that seem to fall in the middle. There may be random posts here and there, but for now, that's how it's gonna be. I really don't wanna stop this thing, I'm not ready to. At all. But hey, what's a girl to do?

I'm on the look out for some newbies, something fresh. Something that will turn me into a crazy lady. Ideas? :-)

And finally, a sneak peak at this month's topics. The promise by kristen Ashley will be posted (I loved it!) and some mini reviews of some authors I luckily stumbled across. Oh! These WILL NOT BE POSTED AS ONE POST!  I'm guessing there'll be around three maybe four separate posts, just on the same day. Yeah I know, I could set the Automatic post thing up, but I can't figure it out because I only have the app. Why? Because I fried laptop number two. Gah. I have issues.

And that's it for now. I'll be here on the 30th with more ramblings.

CJ x

Review: Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Happy Monday people!

Today's post is a review, a highly recommended work of art that I read a while ago and still can't get out of my head. What is this amazing thing you ask? Why, it's Making Faces by Amy Harmon.

It seems quite rare that I find a book and dive into it, no questions asked. I tend to read a couple of reviews too (no spoilers though!) and then I decide whether I want to add it to my TBR or not. This one, like I said, I dove into it. I did not read any reviews, I felt pretty damn sure this was going to be one of those catch your breath, hold in the tears and suck up all the hurt reads that would just stick with me. I love it when that happens ha ha.

So there I was, I thought I was pretty much prepared, I thought I had a damn good idea what it was going to be like, hey, if I can read all those biker books and not cry, surely I can this one, right? Wrong. Oh how wrong I was. It had me, hook, line and sinker. I couldn't, didn't, put this down until the very end. There is not a damn typical thing about this book. **Sighs**. I may have to read this again, like, right now.

So... What is all the fuss about?


Ambrose Young was beautiful. He was tall and muscular, with hair that touched his shoulders and eyes that burned right through you. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until he wasn't beautiful anymore.

Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.



Can you honestly tell me you read that, and didn't want to one click? Huh?
As the blurb states, it's centered around loss, and overcoming your demons. It's about finding yourself again, and finally learning that it's okay to lean on others, to depend on someone else other that yourself. It really is a beautifully written book. There's a quality to it that seems rare at the moment, it's passionate in every sense of the word. There are so many messages throughout this book, that it become impossible not to take a little breather, to sit and reflect on your own life and what or who you take for granted, to learn to truly appreciate what it is we have. This, this right here, amazed me. I'm not going to declare myself a saint, but I was astounded at how deeply this effected me.

Harmon has delivered another 5+ star read, for me, and I cannot wait to get my hands on another book of hers!

If you enjoy books that tear your heart to shreds and put it back together again, this one is for you. Go on a journey guys, it's worth it in the end.

CJ x

So yesterday I did a little post about books and movies..blah blah blah. Today, I have a list! Yup. I've sat, reflected and researched some definite upcoming movies, and some maybes. I won't bore you with any more drivel today, I'll get right to it.


 Let's take a look at some upcoming releases, shall we? :) The list below are definite adaptations. Mr IMDB assisted me with this research, always a trustworthy guy ha ha.

- Fifty Shades of Grey - What I wanna know is, how the hell are they going to do this? Let's fake it, 99% of the book is sex, not just any sex either. How will they work this out? This could seriously make or break this whole series for me. No pressure though ;)

- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 - I already loved the first two, I'm not too worried about this one, thank god!

- Significance - I read the series a while ago, and was sorta half and half. I couldn't decide between really liking it and loving it. That sounds super weird. It makes sense to me. It's all about finding your significant, your soul mate, if you will. Honestly, it could be a beautiful movie.

- If I Stay - I sobbed whilst reading the book. Big, fat tears. When I first saw the cast, I was all oh hell no purely because, regardless of the fact that we are told Mia's age, I still imagined her to be older. What, it worked better for me. Now? I'm all good with it. I just hope the movie makes me cry big, fat tears too!

- The Maze Runner - I haven't read the book yet, but It's high on my TBR list! Another one that seems different, in a good way of course!

- The Morganville Vampires - Okay, technically, this is going to be a web series, not a movie, but it still has a right to be on the list! I'm skeptical with this one. Really. Huh.




The following list includes books that, according to IMDB will be adapted.

- Obsidian - This book was awesome. I think I need a reread right now. This one, I really hope makes it to the big screen!

- Before I fall - A stand alone novel that had me in tears. Way sad guys. What would you do if you had to relive your last day on earth over and over again until you right all your wrongs?

- Shiver - Another one I'm excited about! How long has it been since we had a good ol' werewolf movie? No vampires or other creatures, just pure wolf entertainment?

- Heist Society - The books are YA, entertaining nonetheless. It sure will be something different to the usual paranormal/dystopian/contemporary romance movies that seem to dominate the big screen.

- Gallagher Girls - Another YA series that I found entertaining regardless of it's target audience. Again, it's slightly different that what we usually expect to find in cinemas these days. What would you do if you're all girls school was really a secret training facility for the CIA? Man, I'd love that shit!

- Beautiful Disaster - Okay, so I know film rights and all that sorta thing have been sorted, but I'm really unsure about this. I thought I would love nothing more than to see my all time favourite book hit the cinema, but now, I'm unsure. Really, what if I hate it? I doubt I will, but come on. It could ruin my dream Travis :(

- Paper Towns - This book confused me. I have no idea why, it just did. I felt like something was missing. I think it will be a nice little one off movie though!

- Firelight - Dragons! Hurrah! I did a happy wiggle when I read this one. I've had a weird obsession with them since Harry Potter. Super happy about this one guys.


So, what do you think?

That's all for today's mini, random post. And hey, it's Friday! Smiles all around.

CJ x

Good morning guys and dolls. Today's post is really just a big ball of crap. There isn't a review. There isn't a recommendation or a freebie or anything like that. What I want to bitch about today is the whole Books to Movies thing that seems to have everyone in a bit of a tizzy.

The debate about whether books should be on the big screen has been going on forever. After Twilight, it seems everyone has gone crazy when their dreams of their favourite books becoming movies may just became real. I myself seem to sit on the fence with this. Sometimes, I get super excited about the movies, about seeing some of my favourite characters come to life. Others, not so much. Sometimes, it's just better to leave our imagination to it without putting a specific face to a name, you know?

Take The Hunger Games for example. I adore the books. I honestly love them. Did I imagine Katniss would look like Jennifer Lawrence? Hell no. What about everyone else? Not one person in the movie is how I imagined the characters to be. Was I bummed? Sure, but I still loved the movie. Personally, I think it was done just right. I'm sure many of you will disagree, and that's cool.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is another movie that I could not wait to see. Did I read the book? Some of it. At the time, it wasn't really my thing. The movie, I loved. I thought it was brilliant. Now, I'm almost scared to read the books because I know I'll be constantly comparing the two. Let's take Vampire Academy as another example. I read all the books a while ago, they are seriously some of the best books I have read. Love, love these! And then...they made a movie. Now it isn't out here in the UK, we're always last here, but I have read so many reviews. It seems a fair split between loving and hating it. This my friends, does NOT give me happy belly flutters. This gives me nervous, bad belly flutters. This could ruin things for me. Seem a tad too dramatic?  Dramatic is my middle name today.

It seems that recently though, so many, almost too many, books are in the process of being adapted into movies. This bugs me. Why? Like I said before, sometimes, it's better to leave our imagination to it. I'm sure when the time comes, I won't be able to stop myself from going to see them, I know, I'm a walking contradiction. Believe me, more than one person has told me this. It's just that, once I've seen the trailers and posters promoting them, I think what the hell? I already know who is playing who so why not see how it plays out. GAH! I stress myself out too much ha ha.

I think I will leave it at that today folks! I need to chill out, maybe with a little help from Magic Mike ;)

CJ x

- 

So here's the thing

It seems that I have made a major f##k up. That being I forgot to update the reviews page. **sighs**. This guy's, is the story of my life. Just when I think I'm on track..BANG! I realise I was totally wrong.

This is just a quick post to say, again, I will sort this ASAP. It's gonna take me a while, because I have reviews saved everywhere. My laptop,  my sissys laptop, mommas laptop, my phone.

Oh! Now for the good part. Email or comment with some recommendations,  why you love em, why everyone should read em. I'm also looking into doing a giveaway of some sort, but need to look into gifting from amazon US and the like. It will be my first ever giveaway too! So comment with what kindle books you would like too.

Now my lovelies, I bid you goodnight! Or goodmorning, good afternoon and everything inbetween , depending where you are.

CJ x

Freebies make the world a better place

Why, good afternoon! A big hello from the not so sunny UK. That's right. It's raining. Again. Not only is the weather depressing me, this whole moving process is too. Now, I'm all moved in, the furniture is where I want it to be, the beds are made, the cupboards are full of food. What more is there to do? Well, here's the thing. I unpacked the necessities. What I failed to unpack was all those annoying little bits and bobs we all have. You know, the clothes you hardly wear but can't bring yourself to get rid of, the kitchen utensils that you don't actually know the purpose of. Okay, so there are still boxes everywhere. This sucks. I did manage to unpack all my books. That's a bonus right?

Now that little rant it over, let's get on with today's post! FREEBIES. I know, I usually post these at the weekend, but I need something to cheer me up today. Freebies totally to that.



-Where there's smoke by Jodi Picoult - UK link Here, US link Here 

- Tristan: Finding Hope by Jessica Sorensen - UK link Here , US link Here

- Very Wicked Beginnings by Ilsa Madden-Mills - UK link Here , US link Here

- Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover - UK link Here, US link Here

- Her Vampire Husband by Michele Hauf - UK link Here, US link Here.

- Selling Scarlett by Ella James - UK link Here, US link Here.

- Secret Seduction by Jill Sanders - UK link Here, US link Here

- Unbroken (Shattered Promises 2.5) by Jessica Sorensen - UK link Here, US link Here

- Shattered Promises (#1) by Jessica Sorensen - UK link Here, US link Here

- Ember X (Death Collectors #1) by Jessica Sorensen - UK link Here, US link Here

- Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen - UK link Here, US link Here

- War of the Fae (#1) by Elle Casey - UK link Here, US link Here

- A Beautiful Lie (#1) by Tara Sivec - UK link Here, US link Here

- This Beautiful Thing by Amanda Heath - UK link Here, US link Here

- Being Kalli by Rebecca Berto - UK link Here, US link Here

- Chasing Beautiful by Pamela Ann - UK link Here, US link Here



There you go guys.A quick list of today's freebie finds. Remember, they were free when posted, always remember to double check the price before purchasing!

And with that my lovelies, I bid you goodbye. There's a coffee cake in the fridge with my name on it. No, really, it has my name on it  ha ha.

CJ x

Review: Happenstance by Jamie McGuire

What is this? Another review, on the same day? Why yes my lovelies, yes it is. What can I say? I have some catching up to do!

I'm sure you all know by now, I am one huge ass Jamie Mcguire fan. I am not ashamed to admit that I'm a total fan girl when it comes to this lady. I sit and clock watch, counting down the seconds whilst syncing Mr Kindle to see if the book has been downloaded yet. It happened with Beautiful Disaster, it happened with Walking Disaster, it happened with Happenstance, and you got it, it's gonna happen with Beautiful Oblivion.
**Sighs**. Maybe I need to join a therapy group for this? Or not ;)

Now, I've seen some pretty pissy reviews. Oh yeah, I busted out the italic right there for a reason. See, you cannot call these things reviews. Nuh uh. It says right on the cover that it is a novella.Meaning, short. Meaning less detail. Let's admit it, it's true, it's acceptable. So why do people still feel the need to point out how short it was? Okay, I agree, I totally could have gone for some more Weston, I freakin love the guy, of course I want more of him. What I cannot deal with is people saying shit like "it would have been five stars but I'm only giving it three because of the length".  I mean, seriously? And you know these are frequent readers. You know they know the difference. **Pulls angry face**. GAH!  Total touchy spot for me right there. I cannot understand why people do this. And I'm only a blogger! Authors, you all deserve gold star stickers and lollypops.

Okay, I swear, my mini meltdown thing has passed. I'm gonna review in

5

4

3

2

1


Why hello there! You have reached CJ's Book Blog, the safe part of the review. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the rest of this post. Hee hee. 

Happenstance had be laid awake at night trying to sort out my crazy ass emotions. I had finished the book earlier in the day. I had hours to sort my shit out. Clearly, I failed. I didn't know what to think, hell, I still don't. I liked Weston, but I also wanted, no, needed him to sort his shit out. If you have read my other reviews, you know I despise live triangles. Now I'm not saying there is one, or any cheating, but it hints at it. Does that make sense? Nothing actually happens, but it totally could have if Easter had agreed. Maybe. Gah! See, this dude has me so confused I don't even know what the hell I want to say anymore. Okay, deeps breaths CJ. Focus. What does McGuire have for us this time?

#1 New York Times Bestseller Jamie McGuire returns to self-publishing with this page-turning YA account of Erin Easter, one of three Erins in the small senior class of rural Blackwell High School who not only share a first name, but also their birthday. Easter, raised by a neglectful single mom, keeps to herself and admires Weston Gates from afar. The other Erins, Erin "Alder" Alderman and Erin "Sonny" Masterson are the darlings of the community: daughters of the two wealthiest families in town, best friends, cheerleaders, and everything Easter isn't--and they never let her forget it. Alder has even claimed Weston since the 8th grade. 

Weston is a well-liked star athlete, and the son of two prominent attorneys. He struggles daily with the pressures of living up to his family name and secretly empathizes with Easter's feeling that she belongs somewhere else; in a different life. Not until he begins sneaking nights out with Easter does he gain the courage to buck expectations and acknowledge his feelings ... both for his future, and for her. 

A shocking tragedy rocks the tiny town, and Easter's life is turned upside down in the best way possible. But when the truth is revealed and everything she thinks she wanted falls into her lap, life only becomes more complicated.

We all expect things to feel slightly rushed with a novella, and it's acceptable pretty much all the time, because usually, authors do a damn good job. I can't say this felt rushed. We get to see the main characters relationship develop. We still get the good and the bad. Granted, it doesn't have that oomf that full length novels do, but still, it's there. It's a beautiful story. The ending, now that was a little crazy. I still don't know what to think of it. See, I want more. I want to know what happens next, I want to know if Easter suddenly becomes Queen B or if she shies away from everything even more. I just want one big fat HEA.

My overall rating for this is 4. Purely because of the ending. The writing itself was beautiful as always though! All you Travis Maddox fans, get on this! Say hello to another McGuire man ;)

(Random Note: How beautiful is the cover?)