Maryse's Book Blog

Following my heart, one book at a time...

Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations – 08-23-19

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Happy Friday everyone!! 😀 !!! Do you already know what you’re doing this weekend? Are you reading (and if so, do you already know which book)? ‘Cause I got a few lists for ya that might just float your book-boat. 😉

P.S. Don’t forget to check these latest posts out:

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND FOR THE WEEKEND :D !!

  • Broken Knight by L.J. SHEN <— #1 ON ALL OF AMAZON KINDLE RIGHT NOW!! And Tessa LOVED it! “…When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes. Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy…”

Tessa: Finished Broken Knight. MY HEART! I was sobbing through so much of it. No joke. Just, it was so sad and I just couldn’t stop crying. I finished it at 1am last night. It was sincerely great, but my heart HURT!!!

Maryse: GASPPPPPP!!!!!!! Do I dare? IS it a Marmy???

Mary Ann: I recommend Broken Knight by LJ Shen. There is the feel of unrequited love, the hero is a major jerk, heroine has SaaS and angsty.

  • Take It Off the Menu: A sizzling, accidentally married rom com! (Mile High Matched, Book 3) by Christina Hovland <— LIVE!! COMEDY ROMANCE/ACCIDENT VEGAS MARRIAGE ALERT! OOOOPS!! “...the wedding he was supposed to be catering just fell apart. Feeling oddly protective of the jilted bride—his little sister’s best friend—his weekend plans now involve a trip to Sin City with her group of friends. But it looks like he had a bit too much fun in Vegas when he wakes up married…wedding night included…” P.S. we’re having the coolest giveaway!
  • T.Y.P.O.: Take Your Pants Off (Get Some Book 3) by Frankie Love and C.M. Seabrook
  • To Be Your Girl (To Be Yours Book 1) by Rae Kennedy <— LIVE!! LOVE TRIANGLE ALERT!! “…Staying away from Cade Renner is easier said than done—because he’s my brother’s best friend and my new roommate. I know he’s trouble when I meet him—half naked, covered in tattoos, and kicking an anonymous girl out of his bed. I’m not supposed to become his friend…”
  • War of Hearts by Nina Levine <— LIVE!! THE MC PREZ’S DAUGHTER ALERT!! GASP!! “...I tried not to look at her. I tried not to want her. I tried not to love her. But she won this war of hearts and now I’m a man on my knees. This love may kill me. My president will see to that. No one touches his daughter...”
  • Worked Up (Made in Jersey Book 3) by Tessa Bailey <— TESSA BAILEY ALERT!! JULIEO IS BEGGING ME… 😉 LOL!

JulieO: My favorite Tessa Bailey (which I have been bugging Maryse to read) is WORKED UP. Duke is the best book boyfriend around but so unexpected. Lots of hair and had a small beer belly, but he will start drinking light beer for her to make her happy. Love this book. Please Maryse….

  • Love Hurts: The Love Duet by Leah Sharelle <— LIVE!! HE FOUND THE ONE, BUT… “…I found ‘The One’ then lost her minutes later … but lucky for me, I found her again years later. There was just one problem. She used to be Deck’s. They were just friends now, but that didn’t stop the memories of our turbulent years of fighting and arguing to cloud my brain. So what happens when two brothers reconnect and you throw a beautiful woman into the mix? All hell breaks loose…”
  • Crossed Lines by Lana Sky <— FORBIDDEN ALERT!! RECENT RELEASE & RECOMMENDATION & NOW we’re getting even MORE feedback!!

Nancy: Hi Maryse! Just finished crossed lines by Lana sky and OMG. I am SHOOKETH. I am dead. And now I have a book hangover. I need help topping that one! A book to give me the similar feels! It was poetic and oh so good. Any reccs? Taboo list maybe? 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Priscilla: It was a hell of a ride reading this book!

Sharon F: I’m coming out of my reading slump and boy, did I pick a good one to read! Crossed Lines by Lana Sky is a solid 5 star read. It was angsty, had a brooding character, broken characters and was written with such feels. They weren’t all good feels either. I loved the narration and it just didn’t disappoint – reminded me of old school Megan Hart. I can only hope this gets a follow up – but really none is needed. Happy Friday everyone!

  • Coming Home to You (The Rockport Beach Series Book 1) by Claire Raye <— SUPER-BARGAIN PRICED TODAY!! Second chance romance… she’s being stalked and he’s the detective protecting her... “…Kelsey Walters never imagined she’d get a second chance with the love of her life, but he reappears when she needs him most. Stalked and tormented by an ex-boyfriend, she just longs to feel safe again and knows Beck is willing to risk his life to give her that…”
  • Oath Taker: Kingdom of Runes Book 1 by Audrey Grey <— YA FANTASY ALERT!! Caroline recommends this one!

Caroline: Another recommendation of a Fantasy YA series. Kingdom of Runes series. Currently two books in series; it will be a 5 book series. Available in kindle unlimited.

  • All the Lovely Pieces by J.M. Winchester <— PSYCH-THRILLER ALERT!! SHE’S ON THE RUN FROM HER HUSBAND... Caroline found this one!! “…Drew Baker has been running from her brutal husband and the dark deeds of the night she left him. Focused on protecting her ten-year-old son, Drew reluctantly settles into a small town, eager to find proof of her husband’s true nature so she can stop looking over her shoulder. But Drew is also on the run from her own terrible crimes—ones that mean prison and separation from her son should the police catch up to her before her husband does. If only she could remember that night and what really transpired...”

Caroline: A thriller newly added to kindle unlimited along with audio. My current reading binge. It sounds really good!

  • Tease Me, Baby: A Reverse Harem High School Bully Romance (Silver Creek High Book 2) by Belladona Cunning <— LIVE!!! BULLY BOOK ALERT!! “…They’re smart, resourceful, and calculating in getting what they want, and what they want now is me. However, that’s where things get a little sticky. You know those four handsome a**holes? Well, they don’t like being ignored. What’s even worse? Neither do the queen bees they turned their backs on...”
  • Misrule (A Death Dwellers MC Novel) by Kathryn C. Kelly <— LIVE!!! BIKER BOOK ALERT!! AN UNEXPECTED ENEMY… “…Knox and Roxy have finally set the date for their wedding, but things won’t go smoothly. There are too many people within the Club who won’t accept Knox—and one woman in particular whose day of reckoning has been a long time coming. Not to mention the outside interference from family. But the most deadly threat of all will come from an unexpected enemy…” The author says:

“We are excited to announce the final book in the Death Dwellers series. After all the drama, intrigue, betrayal and heartache, it all comes to this. “

JulieO: Last night I read THE MAJOR’S WELCOME HOME and realllly liked it. Talk about hot!!

Brenda: I just finished reading it loved so much ♥️

  • The Wicked Prince: A Royal Romance by Tilly Hart <— LIVE!!! HISTORICAL VIKING ROMANCE ALERT!! “…Murder flows through his body, Diego is a cursed man, unable to tear himself from the compulsions to wipe out his brother, the king. When Ellania storms into his cell and treats him like a human instead of a potential killer, passionate sparks fly…”
  • Paint It Black (Beneath the Stain Book 2) by Amy Lane <— M/M ROMANCE ALERT & TRACI 5-STARRED IT!!

Traci: Not sure if anyone has commented about this. I read Paint it Black (Beneath The Stain Book 2) by Amy Lane and it was so good. Definitely 5 stars for me. I haven’t read a 5 star in a while. It is MM. I’m not the best at writing reviews. The beginning was a little slow but after that I was hooked. I laughed and teared up.

  • Her by Portia Moore <— LIVE!!! THEY DON’T LOVE HER... “…Being alone is terrifying, but their love is suffocating. The girl looking back isn’t real. She isn’t me. The walls are closing in. I’m quickly drowning in them.  It’s too late. They want me… they think they do. But they don’t love me. They love her…”
  • Burnout: A Dark High School Romance by CoraLee June <— STUDENT/TEACHER RECENT RELEASE & WE HAVE FEEDBACK!!

Acacia: Oh my god, I just finished it and IT WAS AMAZING!!! Now I’m off to read all her books ☺️

Priscilla: Love this trope!

  • Queen of Blood by Jill Myles <— STANDALONE VAMPIRE ROMANCE & MEL LOVED IT!

Mel: I recently read Queen of the Blood by Jill Myles, and it was so good!  It is a standalone and  fits largely within this genre. I finished it in one day and thought it could be added to one of your lists? You might know about it already but I loved it too much not to share, just in case. 4 ⭐️

JR: I finally have my first 5* read of the year – Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating! Loved it, loved them! Now the hard part of trying to decided what to read next.

AUDIOBOOK L:DVERS!

For those going on a road trip soon, or maybe you’ve got some projects that require both hands this weekend but still allows you to “listen”… check out the free audible trial + 2 free audiobooks deal

Nay: I finished listening to Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris and Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. Narration was wonderful on both. Behind Closed Doors was deliciously demented–5 stars; Sometimes I Lie was twisty turny, but the end had so many revelations that it got a bit muddled for me, which brought it down to 4 stars. Still, I recommend both! I’m getting back to listening to The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin today.

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )

       

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Christina Hovland’s “Take It Off the Menu” is LIVE & she’s sent a hilarious excerpt + we’re having the coolest giveaway!

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Take It Off the Menu: A sizzling, accidentally married rom com! <— THIS ONE JUST WENT LIVE TODAY and it sounds SO FUN (plus I LOVE chef heroes & there’s an accidental/drunken Vegas wedding, to boot!). LOL!!

With their quickie annulment denied, Eli and Marlee just have to hang tight until the divorce goes through. It’s just a little divorce amongst friends, what’s the worst that could happen?

Tee hee!!! 😛

The author (Christina Hovland) is today’s newsletter sponsor, and we’re having a very fun giveaway to celebrate. You guys are gonna LOVE this giveaway!!! I squeeed!!!

So what’s it about?

Saying “I Do” has never been such a mess.

Marlee Medford just got dumped. Yes, things have become ho-hum in her longtime relationship, but she was two days away from walking down the aisle with the man she thought was her forever when he called it off. Convincing herself that they’d be able to reignite their spark once the wedding craziness settled? That was easy. Suddenly finding herself without a fiancé? Not so much. Marlee needs to regain control of her life, and a weekend away with her friends is a solid first step.

One of Denver’s best up-and-coming chefs, perpetual bachelor Eli Howard, isn’t into serious relationships–especially the kind that ends in marriage. As if to prove his point that they aren’t worth the trouble, the wedding he was supposed to be catering just fell apart. Feeling oddly protective of the jilted bride–his little sister’s best friend–his weekend plans now involve a trip to Sin City with her group of friends. But it looks like he had a bit too much fun in Vegas when he wakes up married…wedding night included.

Marlee’s attempts at getting her life back together are failing miserably. Her ex-fiancé is taking the house, her chihuahua is intent on a love affair with Eli’s sneakers, and she’s now accidentally hitched to the guy who can’t even say the word marriage. With their quickie annulment denied, Eli and Marlee just have to hang tight until the divorce goes through. It’s just a little divorce amongst friends, what’s the worst that could happen?

Sounds awesome and hilarious and maybe even a touch angsty. And soon… the giveaway. 😉

But first… an excerpt:

“Lothario, stop humping the angora,” Marlee Medford—soon-to-be Bishop—stepped onto the patio of her Denver townhome. Her pure-white-haired chihuahua tipped his head to the side, stopped humping her fiancé’s angora sweater that had fallen to the ground, and whined.

Leaves from their two aspen trees rustled beside her—red and orange and ready to break free from their branches in preparation for winter.

She snatched the sweater, brushed a couple of fallen leaves from the sleeve, and hung it over the arm of the empty chair next to Scotty. He was immersed in his phone, apparently oblivious to the defiling of his clothes.

Lothario had a thing for Scotty’s shirts, and it drove Scotty absolutely nuts. Aside from Scotty’s clothing, Lothario literally humped anything that moved. Except Marlee. She’d put a stop to that early on. One would’ve thought that Lothario’s recent unfortunate experience with a moving bicycle tire would’ve stopped the behavior, but all it got him was a cast on his right leg and a rededication to defiling all things.

She turned her focus from the dog to Scotty. He had his serious face on that morning.

“Hey, sweetie.” She squeezed his shoulders and kissed his cheek before sitting next to him with her morning coffee. “I’ve only got a second. I’ve got a bajillion things to do today for the wedding.”

Their wedding.

Their forty-eight-hours-away nuptials.

“Leelee.” He set his phone down beside his coffee mug. “We need to talk about the wedding.”

“Okay.” She squeezed his hands. “What’s up?”

“I don’t want to do it.” He glanced to the side, not meeting her eyes.

That wasn’t exactly a choice anymore. Not with four hundred of their closest friends coming to Denver for their wedding.

“We’re not getting married, Leelee.” He heaved a huge breath. “I’m sorry.”

She dropped his hands. What?

“We’re not getting married?” she asked.

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry.”

He was sorry? He was sorry?

Marlee’s stomach dropped.

“It’s been this way for a while.” Scotty’s eyes were kind as he spoke. “I’ve been thinking we should take a break, but with the wedding planning and your dad, I figured we’d see it through.” He sighed. “It was the wrong decision.”

He’d asked her to sit on their patio with him and have a cup of morning coffee so he could end their relationship? What. The. Hell?

No. This was just cold feet. Totally normal. They’d get through it.

“I know we haven’t exactly been connecting lately, but that’s totally normal. We’re in a committed, long-term relationship. It’s not supposed to be exciting,” Marlee said. It’s not like she hadn’t noticed the lack of spark. “We’re just supposed to stick with it, so we have someone to grow old with, right?”

They’d settled into a routine with each other that was just about as comfortable as lukewarm bathwater. Not awful. Definitely not great. Once they were married, things would heat up again. They’d get back to Jacuzzi level.

“I don’t just want someone to grow old with.” Scotty gulped. “I want someone who lights a fire inside of me. Like we used to do for each other.”

“Look, if you want a fire, I can try to cook something.” Marlee was the queen of burning the shit out of anything she tried to make.

He chuckled. Then his expression broke. “I think we should stop now, while we still like each other. Not wait until we can’t stand to be in the same room together.”

While she waited for her heart to break, she focused on the milky brown liquid in her mug. Her best friends had flown in from all over the country. Her family owned two of Denver’s most-prized sports teams, so the wedding had even made headlines in the Denver Post. The breakup would undoubtedly be devastatingly public. The panic she felt wasn’t from all that, though. She felt like she’d been dropped out of a plane but landed on a mountain of soft pillows. What she was feeling was…relief. Relief that was starting to make her panic. And that didn’t even make any sense.

And NOW…. for the giveaway!!

The author says:

I’d love to send flowers from Eli to a winner! If the person who wins is international, I’d send a gift card for flowers depending on where they are. 🙂

OMG I LOOOOOVVVE FLOWERS!!! How cool is this???

How to enter for a chance to win this prize? Just leave a comment below (and better yet, if you have one, tell us your favorite crazy wedding story – true life – or a book – and by 10pm EST, Sunday August 25th, 2019, I will randomly select one lucky commenter as the winner.

The winner will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond confirming their mailing address, so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance. This prize will be sent to the winner directly by the author.

Giveaway open to International!!! :D

Christina Hovland – Mile High Matched Series Reading Order

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 COMEDY ROMANCE ALERT!! And book #3 JUST WENT LIVE!!!

About book #1:

Number-crunching Velma Johnson’s perfectly planned life is right on course.

That’s a lie. Sure, she’s got the lucrative job. She’s got the posh apartment. But her sister nabbed Velma’s Mr. Right. There has to be a man out there for Velma. Hopefully, one who’s hunky, wears pressed suits, and has a diversified financial portfolio. He’ll be exactly like, well… her sister’s new fiancé.

Badass biker Brek Montgomery blazes a trail across the country, managing Dimefront, one of the biggest rock bands of his generation. With the band on hiatus, Brek rolls into Denver to pay a quick visit to his family and friends. But when Brek’s sister suddenly gets put on bed rest, she convinces Brek to take over her wedding planning business for the duration of her pregnancy.

Staying in Denver and dealing with bridezillas was not what Brek had in mind when he passed through town, but there is one particular maid-of-honor who might make his stay worthwhile.

Velma finds herself strangely attracted to the man planning her sister’s wedding. Problem is, he ticks none of the boxes on her well-crafted list. Brek is rough around the edges, he cusses, and doesn’t even have a 401(k). But trying something crazy might get her out of the rut of her dating life–so long as she lays down boundaries up front and sticks to her plan…

Going Down on One Knee is book one of the Mile High Matched series. If you love a hunky, tattooed wedding planner this book is for you. Buy nowfor a fun, opposites attract romance!

READING ORDER:

Reader Question – The book about the famous actor that loses his memory…

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Jessica has one for us to help her look for! Oh I love this famous actor/regular girl stories, and this one sounds like it has an added oomph to it! Could it be a sort of… bully-to-good guy book? 😀

She asks:

Does anyone remember the name of the book where the H is a famous actor and loses his memory in an accident?

And the assistant is the h who hated him at first because he was so awful to work for.

But after the accident he becomes a better person?

Anyone have a guess?

Reader Question – The book about the affluent hero that invites the heroine & her family to stay at his house…

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And here’s Sue’s second question of the day. Hrmmm… this one stumps me (kind of a general summary) but there is just enough detail that it might spark someone’s memory.

She asks:

The hero is someone of importance (King, Prince, other royalty, government official, mega businessman, etc.)

There might’ve been threats involved, but the H invites the h and her family to come stay with him and his house by the water.

The last thing I remember is to get some privacy between the two they go to an old cottage not far from the main house. This cottage also somehow belongs to his family and they camp out there for a night or two. Nothing else to do they talk and get to know the true sides of each other.

That’s it. I don’t remember anymore. Any help is always appreciated!

Sue ♡

Anyone have a guess? Let’s make a list!