HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!! 20 new books just went live (including 10 new additions to Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland “Cocky Heroes Club”) and I’ll add more as we find ’em!
THREE THINGS:
1.) I just got my latest “Butcher Box” order (all organic, grassfed and best of all – no grocery shopping required for meat right now) and in it, I received a HUGE pork butt, so guess what I MADE yesterday????? *happy dances* Mississippi Pot Roast!!!! Though as usual, whenever I cook something all day, I end up not being in the mood to eat it, and I ate something else altogether. Am I the only one that does that?
2.) My “Witches Brew” Yankee Candle has proven itself beautifully even after all these years since I last smelled one. Smells exactly like I remembered it, fills a room nicely, and I’ve burned it 48 hours, and I’m only a quarter of the way down with no “soot” all over the glass. I LOVE IT! Nostalgia.
3.) This weekend’s natural hair curly-girl (wavy-girl) session has been the best yet. I took pics, and I found recent pics of my “usual-natural hair” that was a slightly wavy frizzy mess (due to all of the curling and straightening for years). And yet I still loved it. So now… this is SO much better. I will be posting the pics soon (a sort of before and after).
Here’s my hair from the back… this weekend. THAT is air-dried natural – no diffuser (with my awesome products and plopping). WHO KNEW??!!!?? ➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔
TODAY’S BLAST FROM OUR BOOK PAST 😀 :
- 5 years ago today, we built this ultimate fantasy list! The Ultimate List of “Famous Star Meets Normal Girl” Romance Books
- 6 years ago today, I 4.5 star LOVED this crazy forbidden teacher-student gasp-worthy read!!! Book Review – Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick <— Not enough attention on this one… and it’s unforgettable.
- 7 years ago today, I 4.5 star fell hard for this annoying hot bad boy cop neighbor! Book Review – Protecting What’s His by Tessa Bailey
- 8 years ago yesterday, I freaked out again over this famous actor romance sequel!! Book Review – Love Unrehearsed by Tina Reber
- 10 years ago today, this trilogy conclusion made a 4.5 star mess of me!!!! Book Review – Demon Possessed by Stacia Kane
LOOK WHAT JUST WENT LIVE 
!!!
- EXTENDED THROUGH DECEMBER!! ➔➔➔ TWO MONTHS FREE KINDLE UNLIMITED DEAL!!! <— If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance. 😲❤️ WE ARE LOVING IT!
and…
The first ten books on today’s list are part of the Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland “Cocky Heroes Club”
“These books are written by various authors and inspired by Keeland and Ward’s blockbuster New York Times bestselling series of standalones that all began with the smash hit Cocky Bastard.”
Brash Boss by A. S. Roberts <— MAFIA MARRIAGE ALERT!! “…In over my head, Drowning in debt, With no clear way out. But when a sexy, commanding mob boss makes me an offer. I can’t refuse. After all, It can’t be that hard being married to the Brash Boss. But deals struck over money should never involve the heart...”
- Bitter Edge by Ariana Rose
- Tough Customer by Erin St. Charles
- Cocky Jerk by Janine Infante Bosco <— A COP GAVE HER THREE TICKETS!! “…A couple of weeks later, in between fetching coffee and finding the missing paperclips, I received a text message from my dad, the president of the Corrupt Hellraisers MC, ordering me to the compound. Yeah, try explaining that to your new boss. Hey, I’ve gotta go. Everyone in my family is a criminal and we’re all on lockdown. You’re fired. Sure enough when I arrived at the clubhouse, everyone was in cuffs and the jerk who pulled me over was the one ushering my father out of the clubhouse. They say you never see the bad guys coming. Well, I didn’t see the cocky jerk coming either…”
Mister Dimples by Lindsay Becs <— FOOTBALL STAR ALERT!! She used to make fun of his team on her podcast… “...I thought Troy Tipton was just a nice guy with a gorgeous smile. Until I learned he was a fan-favorite NFL star quarterback. The same one gracing magazine covers with his irresistible dimples. The same one I mock on my show. When we start dating, the explosive chemistry we share is impossible to ignore…”
- Eligible Ex-husband by Marie Johnston
- Bestselling Bastard by Nicole Rodrigues <— TWO CO-AUTHORING AUTHORS MEET… “…Two newbie authors, one sketchy Instagram DM, a few phone calls, a drunken live video plotting out our next best seller and then BOOM! Trending and on the radar of every publishing company in the industry, we make it–together. A best seller list, two literary agents and we’re cruising by for the next year…until we don’t. Writer’s block hits and Lorenzo and I are forced to finally meet face to face, retreating to a cabin in the woods all weekend to bang out our next big hit. I don’t think our agents wanted us to bang out each other but that’s what happens. Over and over again on every damn inch of that cabin...”
- Sexy Seaman by Paige Steele Author
Reckless Rebel by TC Matson <— HE HELPED HER WHEN SHE CAUGHT HE MAN CHEATING “…My life was a revolving door of fun and women until a jaw-dropping beauty caught her man cheating on her. All I could think about was making sure he realized his mistake…and rubbing it in his face. I laid a kiss on her to rival all others. But I wasn’t prepared for the kiss to knock me to my knees as she stormed off without giving me her name. When I run into her again a few weeks later, I’m determined not to let her go…”
- Heartless Bastard by Tonya Brooks
- Moments in Ink: A Montgomery Ink: Boulder Bonus Romance by Carrie Ann Ryan
- Locked Heart by Eden Finley <— M/M ROMANCE!!
Centered (Gold Hockey Book 9) by Elise Faber <— HOCKEY PLAYER KEEPS GETTING TRADED… “…He’d been traded to four teams in as many years and it was widely accepted that his career was nearly at an end. Now he was with the San Francisco Gold, barely on the lineup and just waiting for notice that he’d been scratched from every game. His trade to another—and probably final—team was imminent. That was that. He was embracing the fact that his playing days were over— Then he met Mia. She was funny and sweet and the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Unsurprisingly, Liam had fallen and fallen fast. But he was about to be traded and Mia lived in San Francisco. Her life was there . . . And how in the hell was he going to leave the woman he loved?”
- Going Under (Wildfire Lake Book 2) by Skye Jordan
- When the Earl Met His Match (Wedded by Scandal Book 4) by Stacy Reid
- Resonance of Stars (Greenstone Security Book 5) by Anne Malcom
Grease Babe (The OGs Book 2) by Elle Aycart <— THE SHERIFF IS DRIVING HER CRAZY! “…Rachel’s upbringing was rough, but at 34, she loves the life she’s built for herself. She adores her grandmother, Alden, and her job as a mechanic. Now, if her grandma and her friends would just stop getting into trouble, everything would be perfect. She’s doing her best to keep them on the straight and narrow, but she spends more time arguing with the sheriff than working in her garage. Case in point the OGs’ latest stunt, which got all of them, Rachel included, sentenced to community service. So now she has to keep an eye on the crazy grannies and on the street teenage thugs she’s been court-ordered to teach mechanics to. And all thanks to the sheriff and that huge, unbendable stick up his ass…”
One Step After Another (The After Another Trilogy Book 1) by Bethany-Kris <— SHE’S GOOD AT HIDING… “...The broken girl she once was no longer exists. Now a trained assassin for The League, she’s turned into the worst nightmare for the monsters who once haunted her every waking moment. She has to be … it’s the only way to keep her past safe. That is if she can keep it from catching up…”
- Pickup Lessons (Awkward Arrangements Book 3) by Tanya Gallagher
- Casualties and Cupcakes (A Bakery Romance Series Book 1) by Charlotte Daniels
PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )
- Found in Flame and Moonlight (Highland Legends Book 4) by Kat Bastion – September 14th 2020
- Transcendent Kingdom: A novel by Yaa Gyasi – September 15th 2020
- Kane: An Arizona Vengeance Novel by Sawyer Bennett – September 15th 2020
- My Fallen Saint (Fallen Saint Series Book 1) by J. Kenner – September 15th 2020
- Flirting with 40 by K. Bromberg – September 15th 2020
- Thanks For Last Night (The Guys Who Got Away Book 3) Lauren Blakely – September 18th 2020
The One That Got Away by Karina Halle – September 20th 2020
- When the Night is Over (Blackbird Series Book 1) by Lily Foster – September 20th 2020
- The Guardian (Sons of Texas Book 5) by Donna Grant – September 21st 2020
- Wild Fire: A Chaos Novella by Kristen Ashley – September 22nd 2020
- Stories of September by Fiona Cole – September 22nd 2020
- The Book of Two Ways: A Novel by Jodi Piccoult – September 22nd 2020
- And Now She’s Gone: A Novel by Rachel Howzell Hall – September 22nd 2020
- Lies and Lullabies (Hush Note Book 1) by Sarina Bowen – September 22nd 2020
- Birthright by Shay Savage – September 22nd 2020
- Tools of Engagement: A Novel (Hot & Hammered Book 3) by Tessa Bailey – September 22nd 2020
- A Sinful Encore by Lisa Renee Jones – September 22nd 2020
- The Right Player: A Sports Romance by Kandi Steiner – September 24th 2020
- Ryder (A Merrick Brothers Novel) by Prescott Lane – September 24th 2020
- Subversive: A wizard. An unwilling assistant. An explosive secret. (Clandestine Magic Book 1) by Colleen Cowle – September 27th 2020
- Headlines (Prime Time Series Book 3) by Ella Frank – September 28th 2020
- Lilac: A Reverse Harem Romance by B.B. Reid – September 28th 2020
- Imagine With Me (With Me In Seattle Book 15) by Kristen Proby – September 29th 2020
- Well Played by Jen Deluca – September 29th 2020
- The Return by Nicholas Sparks – September 29th 2020
- Seduced in Ink (Montgomery Ink: Boulder Book 4) by Carrie Ann Ryan – September 29th 2020
- Rifts and Refrains (Hush Note Book 2) by Devney Perry – September 29th 2020
- Crowne Rules by CD Reiss
- Happily This Christmas: A Novel (Happily Inc Book 6) by Susan Mallery – September 29th 2020
- Follow Me Darkly by Helen Hardt – September 29th 2020
- Toward That Which is Beautiful: A Novel by Marian O’Shea Wernicke – September 29th 2020
- Burn You Twice by Mary Burton – September 29th 2020
➔➔➔ Get Maryse’s Book Blog updates delivered by email (you’ll get one daily email that will have each post from that day consolidated on it).
Your hair is beautiful!!
1. I got my nails painted yesterday. Black matte with 1 taupe on each hand and a glittery gold moon and stars on a couple. So random to even do it, but it was a fun experience.
2. We made our first scarecrow yesterday. He’s kind of creepy. I didn’t actually look up any instructions so I’m a little afraid the first time the weather goes wonky, he will too. 😬 I did nail him to the house. And I made monster eyes for our bushes. I need a few more, but they’re more fun than creepy. Now this week (or weekend), I’m diy-ing spiders with foam, faux fur, wire and something like black pool noodles. And we’ll put them on the house, like they’re climbing it.
3. My hubs put a whole new air conditioning system in this weekend and he’s never done it before. He had help from someone who has, but I’m super paranoid something will go wrong.
Thank you so much Tasha!!!
I wish I could see your decorations! It sounds SO fun. I just can’t wait for the brisk air here so I can spend a whole Saturday doing the same.
And eeeeep for the AC. Luckily he has someone who knows how. *fingers crossed* it turned out perfect.
You can see them in my stories here, https://www.instagram.com/tashj.a/
HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!
Good morning!
1. I’ve loved everything in my Butcher Box so far but the steaks. The filets are fine, but the ribeyes, strips, etc. that I’ve received so far have been borderline inedible. I cook them rare to medium rare and I’ve even tried low and slow, per their suggestion, with no luck. They’re sending me some replacement ribeyes and I guess I’ll throw them in the crock pot because I don’t know what else to do with them. In the meantime, I’ve changed my subscription to the custom box so now I pick my meats. It costs more and I lose the element of surprise, but at least I know what I’m getting. The chicken and ground beef still make it worth it! And the scallops are fantastic.
2. Football was disappointing (to put it mildly) yesterday. Love that I’m paying a premium to watch another season long sh!t show, but I did make a few new friends with my ranting tweets. 😆
3. I read (inhaled) The Happy Ever After Playlist over the weekend and loved it. And the corresponding playlist is so good. I’ve had it on repeat for days.
I still haven’t cooked my steaks yet, I’m waiting for someone I trust to grill them for me. LOL!!!!
But I’m not much of a steak connoisseur (so I’m not sure if I’d notice the quality) – I just know I love it medium rare, and that T-Bone is my favorite. 😂
Hopefully you got some good ones. The flavor has been fine. They’re just chewy, like jerky. But I think they have different locations where they ship from so what you get might be totally different than what I get.
I wish they’d do individual packaging too. There are some things I can only cook when we have guests because it’s too much. I almost always throw drumsticks away because we can’t eat them all. I want to try the cod but 2 lbs in one package is way too much for us.
WOAH!! Beach Read is on SALE for 1.99 today!
Now I personally, was extremely disappointed in this one but I think I’m way in the minority here. So many ❤️d this book. Just know it’s not light and fluffy and laugh out loud and witty. 😂
YAY SALE!!! 😀 Hopefully it’s still on sale tomorrow so I can include it on the Tuesday list. 😀
Wow Maryse!! Your hair is gorgeous!!
Thank you Mona!! 🙂
It shows me the products are working!! And I’m figuring out how to use them and how much to put in my hair at one time. Surprisingly, it seems like it’s “too much” but once it dries, this is what it looks like.
This is a fun experiment!!
OMG, YOUR HAIR IS GORGEOUS!!! Do you credit The Curly Girl Method for the definition of your curls? I purchased that book when it was the deal of the day/ I’ve only skimmed through it. I started doing the rice wash that is followed by the Women of the Yao tribe in China. Its been two weeks and I’ve seen a huge change in my hair!!! I’m African American and have no chemicals in my hair. I stopped using chemical relaxers, 7 years ago and it was a great decision. Most women of my culture use relaxers because we don’t know how to style our hair in it’s natural texture and a chemical relaxer makes it much easier (so I thought). Now that I’m a curly girl, Ive learned that managing my own texture is much easier and costs a great deal less than what I spent, going to the hair salon to get it done professionally! Thousands less. All I use now is a bit of organic shea butter for moisture, Aveda liquid gel and Paul Mitchell’s foaming pomade and Ive got a head full of well defined curls after finger combing it.Most days, I wear it in a huge afro puff on top of my head because its too thick to let it hang in the heat. Check out the Yao method. Vogue Magazine did an article and video of them interviewing the women about their method.
https://www.vogue.com/projects/1354860/women-of-huang-luo-china-long-hair-tradition
LOL. I didn’t read your post before I commented. I saw your curls and went ga-ga over it and commented right away. Just read it and saw that you do credit the curly girl method.
I LOVE your comment Joy!
And yes… TOTALLY the curly girl method but I cheat just a little with a few strands around my face where I’ll use a curling iron to get them to match the rest. But barely any strands – and only a quick run through, and each week, I need it less and less.
My hair is LEARNING!!!
Isn’t it wonderful not only to be able to enjoy our natural hair, but to be able to play with it and make those curls their own… and gorgeous?? I spend much less time on my hair in the morning other than to “refresh” it with a bit of water and some of my “LUS” leave in cream.
I just kept seeing the ads on Facebook for curly girls and I was all… OH I WANT my hair to look like that. And now… it’s working!!
I’m totally checking out your video Joy!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I’m loving this. My new obsession. 🙂
Your hair looks beautiful Maryse. I’m glad it’s working for you.
Thank you so much bev!! Patience is paying off!!
You aren’t alone.. I don’t like smelling the crockpot all day either. I put mine in the garage and let it cook away.
Love the hair.
Oh!! I GET THAT TOO!
I used to *start* certain meals before bed, and let my crockpot go all night while I slept (and ohhhhh nooooo to that). The cooking smell keeps me up all night.
Even if I like the smell, I can’t sleep because of it.
Oh and anything that has to be fried, I do that outside. Even my air fryer is outside. That’s a scent I can’t stand (even if I love the fried food I’m going to be eating).
I like that we have a food-scent issue together, Erin! Now I don’t feel so alone. LOL!
Look at that hair!! It’s STUNNING!!!!
That reminds me…I need to start taking my biotin again, LOL!
1. This horrible air quality from the fires is really hindering my efforts to get back into running. *hmmph*
2. Pumpkin spice chai from Starbucks. So. Freaking. Yummy!
3. i’m reading Until the Last Breath right now, and it’s okay so far (only about 8% in) but I’m just not “clicking” with it. I think mostly it’s the writing style that’s distracting me. I’m just not feeling it. *shrugs* I’ll give it a bit more time but I may be DNFing it.
That being said, if I do switch books I’m considering reading The Life That Mattered by Jewel E. Ann. It’s been sitting in my library for months, and I’ve loved her other books. Did anyone read it? What did you think?
Yes I read it! Very good though book #2 gets really dark, and ummm… I think there’s something in there that you’re not going to like.
I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favorite of hers.
Well, crap. And then I’ll bet I’m supposed to like the person by the end, huh? Grrrrr…
And THANK YOU!!! 😀
The air quality right now is horrible. Maybe take a break from running outside until it clears up.
That’s what Ive been having to do. No running since the beginning of last week so I can’t get the hardest part over with. AQI is at very unhealthy right now here.
Amy, I LOVE Jewel E. Ann and have to say One is still my favorite book of hers. Look the Part is great too. I did read The Life that Mattered. Had to remind myself what it was about; guess that says something about it. Definitely a different story line. Loved book one, two not as much. There is a part like Maryse said that will bother you, but there is a but to it that may help.
Oh your hair looks beautiful, Maryse. Whatever you’re doing to it, keep on doing it!
1. It’s spring down here in Australia and my garden is full of daisies in shades of pink, mauve, purple and white as well as a taller bright golden coloured one that they contrast with. They flower for ages. So pretty. My rosemary bush is covered in gorgeous dusky blue flowers too.
2. Only a few more days then I have two weeks holiday from work. Woo hoo. Can’t go away on holidays anywhere cos of the restrictions, but we will do some fun day trips.
3. I am enjoying read a new-to-me historical romance author called Jayne Fresina. Recommended by some Good Reads friends. I’m up to the third book in the Deverell series. Quirky, interesting and different from the usual “dukes” type of thing. The first one is True Story. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m a bit over dukes. LOL. I mean, come on, how many hot, hunky young dukes can there really be in historical romancelandia? There has to be a limit……..
Maryse,
⭐⭐⭐I love love your hair…stunning! You are a Supa Star, my dear!⭐⭐⭐
Jan,
Your garden sounds lovely. So nice to hear about your spring flowers. 🌸🌻🌴
Our Canadian trees with their changing fall colours are not quite that uplifting. *sigh*
Thanks for the rec about Jayne Fresina…I think I’ll propose one of her Deverell books for a Goodreads buddy read.
As promised, my easy peasy granola recipe will be posted in the September 11th comments section. ☺️
If you’re going to try the Deverell books, I think it’s best to start with number one. It’s lovely, and the others will also make more sense.
Mony, thanks going to try the granola this week. 😉
Your hair is gorgeous!!!
Thank you sooooo much!!!! 😀
Maryse your hair is GORGEOUS!!!!!