Bookish news: MOVIE-ADAPTATIONS: Paper Towns & Me Before You

Yesterday was a crazy day full of exciting news in the movie-adaptation world. I have two things to share with you:

Cara Delevingne by Alasdair McLellan 
for Vogue UK January 2014

First we know a little more about the casting of Paper Towns. 

All you bookish people who read the book, probably know since March that Nat Wolff will play the male leader, Quentin. 

But! Yesterday we found out who will play the female lead, Margo: *drum roll* Cara Delevingne!

Cara is a well-known model for a few famous designers/brands. But it’s her first big role in the movie-world. 

She previously played a few small roles. 

She will also play a mermaid in the upcoming movie “Pan”, which stars Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard. 

And trust me, Cara can do anything! She's amazing!

John Green himself seems also very happy with the choice. And personally, I love the combination of Nat and Cara!

The film will be released on July 31, 2015 (which is my birthday! Yay! :D)

**********************************************************************************

First picture from Sam and Emilia reading as Will and Lou 

The second thing I wanted to share is a ME BEFORE YOU MOVIE (Jojo Moyes)! Apparently this news was already announced a few months ago, but I only found out yesterday.

I'm so excited for this!! Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke will play the lead roles. I don't think I couldn't have picked better. These two fit perfectly!

Sam Claflin is known from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Snow White and The Huntsman and the 3 final movies of The Hunger Games series.

Emilia Clarke is mostly known for her role as the mother of dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, in HBO’s Game Of Thrones.

Don't know if this official yet, but it should be released on August 21, 2015!

You know what to do: mark the two dates in your agenda and let the fangirl begin! ;)

Review: Hired Gun by AJ Bennet

My rating: ★★★★★
Genre: new adult, mystery, paranormal.
Series: Hired Gun, Serial #1

Blurb from Goodreads:

Hired Gun is a serial novel. Approximately 15k words. *18+ due to sex scenes and language.

Tall, dark, and sexy as hell, Thorne Hollow knows the power he holds over the opposite sex and how to use it.

Cast out by the gods thousands of years ago, he roams the earth working as an assassin for The Sicarii, a secret society who protects humans from all of the things that go bump in the night.

Long ago, Thorne made the mistake of falling in love with a human, and her death stripped him bare. Now he is destined to live a life of solitude. One night stands are his way of life ... until he meets a mysterious woman whose intriguing power compels him to uncover more about her and the strange magic she wields.

My review:

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review*

I’m pleasantly surprised with this book. I didn’t really know what to expect, but this was so good !

In this book we follow Thorne in his daily life. Thorne is an immortal half human and half god. He works as assassin for The Sicarrii, a secret society to protect people from supernatural creatures and (bad/dangerous/..) humans.

He’s very tough, a bit of a jerk, but he has also his sweet and caring sides. He’s such a complex character and I want to find out more about him!

It’s a very quick read and it stays very mysterious. You can see a glimpse of the world where Thorne lives in. There are vampires, chimeras, shifters and so on. I feel like this book is more like an introduction to the real book, but it’s totally worth it.

The storyline is very good. AJ Bennet’s writing styles is great. It’s very well written and you fly through the pages.

I cannot wait to find more about the characters and the world where Thorne lives in!

View this on Goodreads here.

Weekly recommendation: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE Part 2: Young Adult

BOOK ONE: A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Series: /

My rating: ★★★★★

Description:

Every April, when the wind blows from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he'd fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's Baptist minister.

A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it.

Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter's life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood...

Add this book on Goodreads here.

BOOK TWO: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Series: /

My rating: ★★★★★

Description:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

View my review here.

Add this book on Goodreads here.

BOOK THREE: Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Series: /

My rating: ★★★★★

Description:

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend.

Apple Picking at Night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a Stranger? Wait… what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um…

View my review here.

Add this book on Goodreads here.

 

BOOK FOUR: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #1 (trilogy with a few short stories)

My rating: ★★★★★

Description:

In a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels the Selection is the chance of a lifetime: to compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon's ear. But for America Singer it means turning her back on her secret love, and leaving home for a prize she doesn't want.

Then America meets Maxon and all her plans start to crumble. Can the life she's always dreamed of compare to a future she never imagined?

View my review here.

Add this book on Goodreads here.

BOOK FIVE: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Series: /

My rating: ★★★★★

Description:

Tessa has just a few months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out. "Before I Die" is a brilliantly-crafted novel, heartbreaking yet astonishingly life-affirming. It will take you to the very edge.

Add this book on Goodreads here.

*NEW* Facebook-page with my best friend Yvonne!

Follow our new Facebook page: Casual Book Affair!
We are combining my blog and Yvonne's blog "A World Between Folded Pages".

You'll be able to find reviews, promotional posts, cover reveals, new releases and more!

Don't hesitate to share this! ;)

Review: Allure by Lacey Weatherford

My rating: ★★★★

Genre: new adult (erotica), romance, contemporary, mystery
Series: Leathers #1

Blurb from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Brooklyn Hall has had her eye on uber sexy tattoo artist, Six Jagger, for a while. There’s only one problem—she’s pretty sure he doesn’t even know she exists. A friend of her older brother, Six is five years older than her. Plus, there’s the pesky fact that he’s had a steady girlfriend for months. Still, even though she knows there’s no chance for her, she can’t seem to let the fantasy go.

Six Jagger has had a thing for Brooklyn Hall since the first time he laid eyes on her a year ago. However, after finding out her age, he wiped her off his list of possibilities. That should’ve been the end of it, but for some reason, he can’t stop watching and admiring her from afar. Happy that he’s successfully maintained his distance, all that changes on the night Brooklyn walks into Inked Edges, asking him for an illegal tattoo. After that, all his carefully constructed barriers come tumbling down, taking them on an explosive ride of lust, passion, and desire.

All’s well that ends well, right? Too bad that wasn’t the end, but merely the beginning…

My review:

I read the Crush series by Lacey and I loved it. Her writing style is very addictive and I wasn’t disappointed with this one either.

“Be careful sweetheart. You’re going to make me fall hard with words like that. Then you’ll be stuck with me forever.”

Hot and sexy guy, Trey Jaggar, meets sweet innocent girl, Brooklyn Hall. Trey, or Six, has a crush on Brooklyn but he kept it secret because of their age difference. Same goes for Brooklyn. She’s almost 18 and he’s 21. It’s legal in Nevada but her dad, they mayor of the town, would never allow it.

“She was my drug. My addiction. My love.”

I loved the storyline and the attraction between them. They age thing didn’t bothered me at all. The little mystery side in the story is very nice. I liked all the characters (except her dad of course). Six is protective, caring and very skilled in you know … *wink* (I loved the strip club scene!)
Brooklyn is also very determinate when she wants something in her life and I liked that about her. She dares to do things and she is always straightforward. She is kind of the complete opposite of me, so Lacey did an excellent job at making me connect with her.

“She spoke to my soul and heated my body like no other. A lifetime spend with her wasn’t long enough. I’d never be able to get enough of her.”

I loved everything about the story and I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn’t for the ending. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I wished Lacey didn’t skip such a long period at the end. I would have loved to find out more about how everything turned out with the rest of the characters.

“I want to know everything about you. Even the things you think are dumb. I’m not some stupid jealous girl who is going to get upset over people you knew before me. Besides, it’s the people who touch our lives that make us into who we are. So, I should be thanking everyone in your past, because you seem pretty perfect to me.”
So, overall this was an excellent book! Very hot and swoon-worthy. I read this book in one day, so it’s really worth your time! ;) And I cannot wait for December 7th, when the sequel, Submit,  comes out!

View this on Goodreads here.

Review: Trust In Me by J.L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn

My rating: ★★★★★
Genre: New adult, romance, abuse, contemporary.
Series: Wait For You #1.5

Blurb from Goodreads:

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up. He can’t get the feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.

My review:

If you want to read or already read this books, you probably loved Wait For You.
Let me tell you, this book is not disappointing AT ALL. I basically fell in love with Cam all over again.

“She’s cute, you know?” Ollie bent forward and picked up the last slice of pizza and stood. “Only she could pass out in the presence of our awesomeness.”
I laughed softly. “It was too much for her. She was overwhelmed.”

Being in his head through the whole book was such an amazing experience.
Oh man, I also want a Cam in my life. I mean, could someone be even MORE perfect than him? Yeah, I don't think so.
He is so sweet and confident. He's such a good person. Yes, he has some flaws, but he recognizes them and that made me love him even more. He's also protective and he bakes. Who doesn't love a boy that bakes cookies and makes eggs for you?

In that moment, I realized I was seeing a very different side of Avery. Once I'd never seen before, where she was lively and carefree, and fucking perfect.
"I'm going to marry that girl one day," I heard myself say.
Jase chocked on his beer and bent over, dragging in deep breaths. "Holy shit."

The other characters were also amazing. Of course Avery was perfect! But I also liked Ollie and Jase! I want to know more about them!

"No, that wasn't a kiss." I brushed my lips over hers, swallowing her sweet sigh. "That was a good night."

Seriously, I don't think JL Armentrout/J. Lynn could disappoint me with one of her books.
PS: BIG thumbs up for the Winchester's Impala reference!! :D

View this on Goodreads here.

COVER REVEAL: Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Holy cow, y'all! I am so excited to bring you the Cover Reveal for Jennifer L. Armentrout's WICKED!

WICKED is a New Adult Paranormal Romance and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Wicked Trilogy. It is being released on December 8^th, 2014.
So make sure you pre-order it today!!

 

Pre-order on Amazon here! 

WICKED Synopsis: 

 Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans. Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart. Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her. But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.
  
About Jennifer L. Armentrout: 

 # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.  

Website // Facebook // Twitter // Novel Goodreads // Author Goodreads

Personal note: THIS COVER IS GORGEOUS OH MY GOD I CANNOT WAIT FOR DECEMBER!! Are you excited? ;)