Happy New Years

   Hello Bookish Loves,
     Can I say Merry Late Christmas and Happy New Years from the Middle of Nowhere Mississippi?  Well, I am anyways.  I am excited to say that I did amazing this nine weeks in all of my classes.  I improved in every class except Science....  Which is the main reason why I went without blogging for those months.  That class and my sports were killing me.
   Well, the best day of the year is coming up in four days.  My Birthday!!!! Turning the big 1-4, but I liked being 13.  I don't know, but I just love being 13.
   I'm rambling at this point, I have nothing to really talk about because I haven't really read any books this holiday.  But Talia said she should have some reviews coming up some time this week.  So be on the look out for those, and hopefully I will get some reading done soon.  Just thought I would update you people!
    With Bookish Love,
         Courtney W.

Review: A Beautiful Struggle by Lilliana Anderson

Title: A Beautiful Struggle
Author: Lilliana Anderson
Published: January 1, 2013
Publisher: Indie
Reviewer: Talia Caston
  Katrina Mahoney has a very full life attending university to study a law degree, training for triathlons and now she is working part time as well. She couldn’t possibly find time for a relationship, especially after her last one ended so catastrophically.

Right now she is content focusing on work, study and training while hanging out with her best friend David Taylor, a womaniser with a heart of gold that would do anything for Katrina – except watch her get hurt again.

That is, until the dashing Elliot Roberts, a junior solicitor from her work, shows an interest in her despite their office’s ‘No Dating’ policy.

Katrina struggles with following her heart or following her mind and has trouble seeing where her heart truly lies.

             Hello everyone, before I begin this review I thought I would introduce myself.  I'm Talia Caston- you'd already know this if you read the reviewer tab where I told you it wasn't Courtney reviewing. I'm a 19 year old female from Idaho going through her freshman year of college at Boise State. (Go Broncos!)  I met Courtney when she commented on one of my reviews on Goodreads.  We have been emailing back and fourth for a few months and she asked me to be a co-reviewer on her blog because she needed a person to review new adult. So here I am. 

Disclaimer:    I feel melancholy since my first review on CBN is a negative one.  I just don't do unhonest book reviews.  I feel it is unfair to the author, the readers of the review, and myself.  The meaning of this little paragraph is that I am not trying to down the author or the book.  Just stating my opinion in the kindest fashion.

  This book is lacking three major areas that are crucial to the success of a book. The central plot is confusing, the author is telling us the story- not showing us the story, and lastly, the characters are way underdeveloped and unbelievable. It just isn't my cup of tea. 

  I read all 250 pages ,and even at the end I was still scratching my head and thinking, the point of the story being?  I get that it was suppose to be simple, and simple it was. Enough for me to wonder what I was suppose to get out of it.  If you asked me to point out the central plot, I wouldn't be able to give you an accurate summary other than:  2 people who are not suppose to like each, well- like each other.

   I don't think the author has found her click in writing yet.  Or at least not in this book.  When reading a book that captures your attention, the author's style and writing just have to flow to effectively draw in readers.  This book just didn't because she just told us the story, she didn't show it.  Example: 
      " Cute car," Elliott commented, walking over to me.  I turned towards him and leaned casually against the driver's side of my car.  "So Friday?" he checked with me, smoothing my hair and pulling me towards him, kissing me tenderly.

  "Friday," I agreed, opening my car door and getting inside.  Elliott shut the door for me as I started the car, waving and returning to his car as I drove away."

    And the last reason why I just didn't enjoy the book is undeveloped and unrealistic characters.  All the people in the office, I found them more and more annoying as the book goes on.  And I think they took away from the story as a whole.  I didn't feel any relationship form, and the people in the office are like from a soap opera.  The characters just were not my thing in this particular book. 

  This book just wasn't for me.  And I honestly, don't know if it is yours.  But several other reviewers have fell in love with it.  So maybe I am just the odd ball in this case.  If you want to go try it out, then go for it.  I just can't recommend it, since I personally didn't enjoy it. 

   
 

Review: The Mark of the Golden Dragon by L A Meyer

Title: The Mark of the Golden Dragon
Series: A Bloody Jack Adventure (Book #9)
Author:  L. A. Meyer
Published: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Purchase from: Amazon, B&N , Book Depository  

Jacky Faber, soldier, sailor, spy, and sometime pirate, condemned for life to the English prison colony in Australia for high crimes against the Crown, has once again wriggled out of the grasp of British authorities. Back on her flagship, the Lorelei Lee, she happily heads back to England in the company of dear friends and her beloved Jaimy Fletcher.

However, due to a typhoon, an earthquake, tidal waves, pirates, and her own impetuous nature, Jacky is cast into a world of danger that extends from the South China Sea to the equally treacherous waters of politics in London's smoky dens of intrigue, deception, and betrayal.

Can she save herself from recapture and a final trip to the gallows? Can she also save her own dear Jaimy from the madness that seems to be overtaking his tortured mind? Devious Chinese businessmen, willowy Eurasian maidens, fierce Gurkhas, loyal friends, and wildly romantic highwaymen are all involved in this tale of love, courage, and redemption.

    My reaction when I first started the series when I was 11 ,and when I just finished the first book:

My reaction now that I am almost 14 and the series just goes on and on and on ,and I just finished the 9th book :

   Am I the only one who just think the author has dragged out the series 5 books too many?  I mean honestly the first 5 were amazing.  The protagonist, Jacky, wasn't so cocky, you just wanted to throw the book down so you wouldn't have to listen to her .  I miss the Ship's boy, Jacky who fell head over heels with Jaimy Fletcher.  I miss the too small, tiny blonde girl.  What the heck happened? 
   
  This book starts off with Jacky and her little boy from an island being dropped off in a port and coming face to face with a tiger.  And living to tell the tale.  While in reality, Jacky, you would have been eaten alive and made the tiger a very nice salty sandwich.  And I think I would have liked the ending if that happened better than this series dragging on.

    I think the one of the only reasons I am giving this book a 3 stars is that it has a retelling of The Highwaymen.  One of my favorite poems.  Which brings me to another part in the story that made me want to jump in and grab a character by the ear- this time our male love interest Jaimey Flether.  How could he fall in love with another woman after only losing Jacky for only a month.  No man can say that they were absolutely in love with the first women when they move on just like that.
    
    The  other reason is because it has my favorite character in the whole book, that was introduced to us in the Mississippi Jack book. Here comes my beautiful, sexy Lord Richard from the Dragoons.  Now if you haven't invested your time or money into the books, I recommend you read yourself the series up to Mississippi Jack.  It seemed to be one of my favorites and we got introduced to Lord Richard.

    Ah, Richard, was once in the unknown American wilderness when he met the infamous Jacky Faber.  He was one of the million reasons Jacky and Jaimy haven't gotten married yet.  If I was Jacky, at this point in her life,  I would have just settled for Richard Allen and just leave Jaimey alone instead of trying to find him in every freakin' corner of the earth.  Alone, Jacky, alone.   You and Richard could be living in the West Indies with 15 blonde boys running around with sabers instead of being a pain in my butt.  I'm sure Richard would agree with me a 100%.

The author writing style and the dialog is good, yet sometimes over drawn. I say if the author put an end here with Jacky and Jaimey- or at this point she could end up with someone of the same gender.  I don't care, just end the books so that you don't ruin the series more than they already are.   At this point it feels like the author just doesn't want to end the series and is dragging it out longer and longer.

  Book 10 is already out, and from the reviews I have been reading, it sounds like the series continues. This is my reaction now that I hear it isn't going to end soon to Louis, the author.

The actual rating is 2.5 stars, but it rounds up.

Song Match Monday Meme

     Song Match Monday is a meme that is where you pick a book and find a song that just fits perfectly with the book, characters, or just the over all feeling.  

Hello Bookish Loves,
   Hope you are all having a wonderful Monday.  This week, I thought of a new meme.  I seem to come up with a new one each week, but I assure you, this one is for keeps.  I just know too many songs that could be made for the books.  This week I am going to my favorite book, Beautiful Disaster by Jaime McGuire.

   Living in south Mississippi, I have a love for the country genre of music.  Yes, I love those songs about pick up trucks and dogs.  Well  first time I heard Hard to Love by Lee Brice , one thing popped in my head- Travis Maddox.

   Not that Travis would be wearing a pair of cowboy boots and singing to Pidge in a southern draw would have me complaining.  Actually, it is kinda make me drool right now thinking of him with a pair of worn out jeans and all those tattoos sticking out of a plaid shirt and....- Okay, stop this Courtney.  You're just making this harder to get your point across.  You can day dream about Travis another day. 

Here are the lyrics:

I am insensitive, I have a tendency
To pay more attention to the things that I need.
Sometimes I drink too much, sometimes I test your trust,
Sometimes I don't know why you stay with me.

I'm hard to love, hard to love,
No, I don't make it easy,
I couldn't do it if I stood where you stood
I'm hard to love, hard to love,
You say that you need me,
I don't deserve it but I love that you love me, girl.

I am a short fuse, I am a wrecking ball
Crashing into your heart like I do
You're like a Sunday morning full of grace and full of Jesus
I wish that I could be more like you.

I'm hard to love, hard to love,
No, I don't make it easy,
I couldn't do it if I stood where you stood,
I'm hard to love, hard to love,
You say that you need me,
I don't deserve it but I love that you love me, girl.
Love me, girl.

Girl, you've given me a million second chances
And I don't ever wanna take you for granted,
I'm just a man, I'm just a man

Hard to love, hard to love,
Oh, I don't make it easy
And I couldn't do it if I stood where you stood.
I'm hard to love, hard to love
And you say that you need me,
I don't deserve it but I love that you love me, girl [x2]

You love me, girl. 

Travis was so hard to love in Beautiful Disaster, yet so easy to fall head over heels with.
Sometimes I drink too much, sometimes I test your trust 
I am a short fuse, I am a wrecking ball
Crashing into your heart like I do
Girl, you've given me a million second chances
And I don't ever wanna take you for granted,

   Y'all those lyrics are head on with Beautiful Disaster, and if I can get an agreement that Travis would look downright gorgeous in country clothing, all of us Disasters can go in an buy him a pair of boots and a belt buckle. 

     Oh and I just found a guy that would look friggin' awesome for the part of Travis in the upcoming movie.  I know Matt Lanter doesn't exactly look like Travis in the eye department, but we can buy him some dark brown contact lenses, buzz cut the hair, and he will be a great actor for my Hubby's part.
  With Bookish Love,
      
      
 
 
 
 

 

 

Now taking Book Feature of the Week!

  Hello Bookish Loves,
      Since I have bought my beautiful planner earlier this month for the blog, I am now scheduling Book Features of the Week for 2013.  This is a great way to promote your book for free while also obtaining a review.  Book Features of the Week is  a fun thing to do if I have time in advance to get everything ready.   So I need to know 3 weeks ahead of the time you want to have the Book Feature of the Week.

    This year my goal is to get every week booked up with time for me to get the images ready, to review the book, and get my author-asking questions up.
 If you are an author or know an author who may be interested in a spot on BFOTW, or even just a review, here are the requirements:

   1) Your books will have to be in the following genres:
*Children Books (Maya is getting to the point where she loves to read to at night, so I would most definitely be able to review, no matter what sub genre the children's book is.)

*Young Adult
- Contemporary
- Romance with a big part in the story
- Historical
- Some Paranormal

*New Adult ((NEW REVIEW GENRE))
- Contemporary

* Historical Romance/ Christian Romance  ((NEW REVIEW GENRE!!))
-  Anything from 1500s- 1900s.

* Adult  ((NEW REVIEW GENRE!!))
-Contemporary
-Humor
-Some Paranormal 

2)  You will also have to be able to provide two copies of electronic books for their are two reviewers on this site now.  If it is in hardcover format, one will only be needed.  We can exchange the book between the two of us.

3) Send all requests for BFOTW and review requests to courtsbooknook@gmail.com .  That is our new email address for this blog.

 Now, those are the requirements for BFOTW and review requests, but we are open to  interviews with authors of any genre except Erotica.
  
Any questions, concerns, ect? Email me at courtsbooknook@gmail.com

    With Bookish Love,

Back with vengeance + Giveaway

    I'm back!  I left you people in the dark with a promise that I would be back soon, and the sooner turned into a later.  I know we all have excuses why we drift away from things and ignore them for a while.  You ready for mine?  I have been waist deep in school work, have had a basketball game almost everyday except weekends, weekends I clean the mess my room turned into magically over the week, and I have been sick with every possible cold and cough known to man.

   In other words, I just haven't been the usual bookish Courtney.  But now I am back.  This time with vengeance.  I have bought a planner for the book nook.  Yes, I the most unorganized person god ever graced the earth with, bought a planner.  Last year, I did feature of the week and that just turned into a big, huge mess. I had no idea what week I had what on. So this planner I invested in will keep me organize and let the blog grow more organized and more thought. I even have proof I bought one.

     Now, I hope to have 2013 filled with much of my bookish self.  Oh, and just to let you people know, my reviews are going to get better.  I swear on it.  My grammar used to lacking and let us not even bring up the spelling.  That would just cause me to die from embarrassment.

       On to the paragraph you people have been craving.  It is time for the giveaway.  Oh, and if you would stay tuned, I am going to have new giveaway's put up through out this December and into January, as that is my birthday.  And I have advanced from comments to - *gasp*- Rafflecopter.  This way it will be easier for all of you to enter.  Oh, and this giveaway is international.  You can live in the North Pole, and if you win I will ship it to you.  Just not through snail mail.  I'll just hand it off to Santa.  I had a video done for it, but my dad has the new plan from C-Spire that only allows thirty minutes of video watching a month, and apparently you can't even upload once you go past those minutes on Youtube.  Depressing and a waste of my precious time.
 
  Up for the giveaway is some random swag
that I have accumulated over the year of my blogging and I am in a giving mood this December.  A few pieces are signed and all are in great condition.  I wish you all the best of luck! 
With Bookish Love,
        
a Rafflecopter giveaway