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Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations – 09-18-2020

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HAPPY FRIDAY!! So many new releases on today’s list, it’s crazy (like that forbiddeny one to the left)!! Plus reader recommendations (and some amazing feedback on recent releases too). 😀 Keep checking back ’cause I’ll be adding more throughout the day.

ALSO: Make sure to check out today’s newsletter sponsor ➔ Lily Foster – Blackbird Series Reading Order + Fun Facts about the series & a giveaway! <— 😮😋 3 standalones and all three sound right up our alley!!! ➔➔➔➔➔➔

Today’s “Blast From Our Book Past” highlights:

Zannatul: This book is so good. i read it last fall 😍

Kelsey: So good!! 🥰

Rae: Haven’t read it yet. On my kindle. it’s bumped 😁

Maryse: IT IS SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD!! Very unique and unputtdownable and real-feeling.

Carrie: Zarek & Astrid are faves! I hurt for him so much & just want to hug him. Really, if there was a book world I could spend some time in, it would be this one. And I would pretty much just go around hugging everyone. I’d have to get Simi to help me keep them still for the hugs… LOL

Kelsey: Awww I love the Dark Hunters!! That is a blast from the past 🥰

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

and…

  • My Darling Arrow by Saffron A. Kent <— Saffron A Kent’s LATEST IS LIVE!!! OOOOOH FORBIDDENY!! He’s her sister’s boyfriend!! “…The worst part is that you, Arrow Carlisle, are not only the principal’s hot son. You also happen to be the love of my sister’s life. And I really shouldn’t be thinking about my sister’s boyfriend, or rather fiancé (I overheard a conversation about the ring that I shouldn’t have). Now if I can only stop writing you these meaningless letters that I’ll never send and you’ll never read…”

Shelly: This was such an intense and angsty read. Loved it.

Shaleen: Just completed My Darling Arrow. I think every girl/woman can relate to this one in some way.

Cindi: Click!!

  • Loathe Thy Neighbor (Roommate Romps Book 1) by Teagan Hunter <— SHE KINDA HATES HER NEIGHBOR! LOL!! “…Dean Evans is the worst. Not only does the devil in disguise steal my pie on a regular basis, he also lives in the apartment right. Next. Door. I see him all the time. At the mailboxes. In the elevator. Every single morning. It’s exhausting because he’s exhausting. Now, after setting his apartment on fire, he’s my roommate…and he’s the worst at that too…”
  • Marrying Winterborne: The Ravenels, Book 2 by Lisa Kleypas <— MUCH-LOVED HISTORICAL ROMANCE SUPER-BARGAIN!!

Jan: Marrying Winterborne. (Winterborne is a pioneering department store owner in London, like Mr Selfridge from TV, and it’s a lovely HR read).

Anne: Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas was amazing! I loved Rhys! And the bonus chapter from Winter in Spring gave me all the feels! Sebastian is still hot after 30 years.

bev: Marrying Winterborne, yes I read the 2nd before the 1st, I love Kleypas worlds.

Harper: I finished Beach Read yesterday. I loved it. It will be on my list of best books of the year for sure. Don’t let the cover fool you, it’s not a simple rom-com. It goes deep and is very realistic.

Tasha J: WOAH!! Beach Read is on SALE… 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. 😂

Michele G: I read Don’t Look for Me by Wendy Walker already and it was a definite winner in the psych thriller category! It really had some fun surprise twists.

Michele G: I also read My Fallen Saint by J. Kenner and wowza!! Such a good read too…which made me happy! I loved the characters and the storyline.

Cindy:  I started this yesterday and it kept me up way past my bedtime. It’s so good!!! I can’t wait to keep going.
It’s also a KU, so even better.

Rebecca: I’m reading it now and loving it!!

Julie O: PLAYING WITH FIRE WONT LEAVE ME ALONE. I walk around my house with my kindle clutched in my hand. Just another good Shen book. Halfway thru and decided that housework can go to hell. It will always be there but a good book doesn’t come around every day.

Tasha J: Playing With Fire is jolting me HUGE and I’m buying it!!

  • Behind The Scenes by Christina C. Jones <— LIVE!! BEYOND FIRST IMPRESSIONS… “…If there’s any one thing Pierre and Logan have in common, it’s their ability to invite snap judgements based on shallow views of who they are. Logan is the privileged only daughter of a respected family whose legacy runs long and deep. Pierre is the moody, orphaned son of big screen royalty who couldn’t possibly live up to the prestige of his pedigree. Or maybe not. Perhaps they’re just two people trying to navigate the pressures of a world hellbent on telling them what they should be, and eschewing the limits of other people’s expectations...”
  • True Story (The Deverells Book 1) by Jayne Fresina  <— HISTORICAL ROMANCE!! JAN is enjoying it!

Jan: 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……..

  • Thanks For Last Night (The Guys Who Got Away Book 3) by Lauren Blakely <— LAUREN BLAKELY’S LATEST IS LIVE!! SHE WINS HER HOCKEY STAR BEST FRIEND IN THE AUCTION!! “…We’re both devoutly single — it’s just safer for the heart that way. But there’s no reason not to bid on the gorgeous, clever athlete at the charity auction this weekend. If I win, it’ll be a “friendsdate.” And I do win…”
  • The Things We Don’t Say by Neva Bell
  • Savage Lover: A Dark Mafia Romance (Brutal Birthright Book 3) by Sophie Lark
  • Tiger Mom (Killer Moms Book 4) by Eve Langlais
  • Under Your Spell: A Fantasy Romance Bundle by Megan Hart <— MEGAN HART BOOK BUNDLE ALERT! “Magic, fantasy and more tantalize and cast their spell in this bundle of sexy fantasy romance stories.:
  • The People We Meet Along The Way by Beth Rinyu <— LIVE!! FEELING GUILT AFTER THE DEATH OF HER HUSBAND… “…Jillian O’Rourke’s marriage died long before her husband’s tragic accident. Years of battling with infertility and demanding careers melted their once solid relationship. Bearing the burden of guilt over his death, Jillian gets lost in despair and a series of “what-ifs”. But one chance encounter with a stranger, changes everything. Now being faced with newfound knowledge and a painful decision…”
  • Sicko by Amo Jones <— SUPER-DARK READ BACK ON THE LIST ’cause Chelli LOVED IT!

Chelli: I couldn’t not ask if you’ve read Sicko by Amo Jones? . This is an MC book which I’m recently all about. Its got all the gritty you love in MC but It’s dark, so dark which you expect from Amo Jones.

The love has an air of forbidden but you can’t help but want it  to happen so bad and the ending…BOOM! So much  unpacked.

  • Heartbreak Prince: A Bully Romance (Broken Hearts Academy Book 1) by C.R. Jane <— BULLY ROMANCE ALERT! SHE CHOSE HIS TWIN & HE HATES HER!! “…My soulmates happened to be twin brothers. Caiden was the light to Jackson’s dark. And after all that I had been through, the light was what I thought I needed. When I chose Caiden, I lost Jackson. Feeling like half a person after Jackson left, I barely survived when tragedy struck and I lost Caiden too. It took me years to admit to myself that I had chosen wrong from the beginning. I’m ready to admit it to Jackson…only problem, he hates me…”
  • Heartbreak Lover: A Bully Romance (Broken Hearts Academy Book 2) by C.R. Jane <— LIVE!! BULLY ROMANCE ALERT! DUET CONCLUSION!
  • Limitless: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World) by M.A. Lee and KB Worlds <— LIVE!!! Contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Driven World’s project.
  • Drag: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World) by AJ Alexander and KB Worlds <— LIVE!!! Contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Driven World’s project.
  • Derailed: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World) by Anjelica Grace and KB Worlds <— LIVE!!! Contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Driven World’s project.
  • Junkie: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World) by J.D. Hollyfield and KB Worlds <— LIVE!!! Contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Driven World’s project.
  • From the Beginning by Devney Perry <— DEVNEY PERRY THREE BOOK BUNDLE!! “From USA Today bestselling author Devney Perry comes a small town romance collection. Experience the love from three popular series…from the beginning. This collection includes three full-length novels.”
  • Send Her To Me Lord by Khara Campbell <— HE WANTS A WIFE “…There comes a time in everyone’s life when they stop to evaluate their goals, priorities, and the people in their circle. Thirty-six year-old Malik Day is no different. He has come to realize “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome” is truly insanity. It is time he man up and get his life in order. One of the top things on his list is finding a godly wife. However, God doesn’t always bless us with the package we expect…”
  • Find Layla: A Novel by Meg Elison <— RECENT INCREDIBLE SOUNDING RELEASE back on the list ’cause Ashley enjoyed it!

Ashley: I read this! It’s really good!

  • Mr. Perfect (Sinister in Savannah Book 2) by Aimee Nicole Walker <— M/M ROMANCE ALERT!! “…When the two reporters are forced to work together, Felix will get a chance to ask him. The answer will stun Felix until he remembers not to believe anything that comes out of the heartbreaker’s pretty mouth. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin and just as conflicting as the battle of wills that ensues. Will the chip on Felix’s shoulder save him from trusting Mr. Wrong or ruin his chances with Mr. Perfect?…”

AUDIOBOOK L:DVERS!

  • ➔➔ Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial (which includes one title from their premium selection of best sellers and listen all you want to thousands of titles in their growing Audible Plus Catalog.)
  • ➔➔ AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <— Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE! This is how it works. Click on that link & Amazon will show you all of your Kindle books that are also available as an audiobook at a seriously discounted price. This way, you can switch back and forth, seamlessly between your ebooks and your audiobooks. VERY COOL!
  • ➔➔ Audible now has an “Escape” package membership (30 day free trial) – used to be called the “Romance” package <— this one is SO cool, and worth it (unlimited listening for all of the audiobooks in the program, and there are tons – kind of like Kindle Unlimited)!!

and…

Michele G: dropping in to rave about the latest audiobook I’m listening to. It’s a sci-fi and super long (roughly 39 hours I think)….but I am absolutely loving it.

It’s To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini and I can’t say enough about the beautiful writing and the phenomenal narration. I’m only 10% in…but I’ve been listening for roughly 9 hours. I’m usually not this patient with longer books, but I can tell this one will be worth it!

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )

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Michele G

Great Friday list Maryse! I love the flashbacks to years before and what you were reading and loving! I still need to read a few of these myself.

Also, dropping in to rave about the latest audiobook I’m listening to. It’s a sci-fi and super long (roughly 39 hours I think)….but I am absolutely loving it. It’s To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini and I can’t say enough about the beautiful writing and the phenomenal narration. I’m only 10% in…but I’ve been listening for roughly 9 hours. I’m usually not this patient with longer books, but I can tell this one will be worth it!

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Maryse

Oh!!! I’m adding this one right now to the Audiobook section. Keep us up to date when you finish it. 😀

P.S. I LOVE the flashbacks too. They bring a smile to my face ’cause I remember exactly what I was feeling when I wrote those, even though it was way back when… for some of them.

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Shaleen

Yay!! Amazing list. Just completed My Darling Arrow. I think every girl/woman can relate to this one in some way.

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Maryse

YAY Shaleen!! Thank you so much for the feedback. 😀

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Liz

I finished it yesterday, I loved it. So angsty

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Amy

Happy Friday ladies!

So, I finished Every Last Breath earlier this week (pretty much skimmed three-quarters of the book), and all I can say is if you ARE interested in reading it…wait for it to be free. I saw she has written several other books, but she needs a better editor to catch the typos, inconsistencies, and, honestly, nonsense in her story. I know that sounds mean but I was so annoyed by it, hence the skimming. I was just curious where she was taking it so I skimmed to the end.

What I’m reading NOW though has me completely hooked. It’s called The Light We Lost by Jill Santpolo, and it’s written in the form of the h talking to the H, which I don’t think I’ve ever read before. She’s talking about their past from the time they met. The writing flows perfectly for me, it isn’t over the top in any way, it’s REAL, and the foreshadowing is driving me crazy (in a good way). I don’t know if it’s going to hurt or not, but something big IS coming!

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Maryse

Eeeeeep!!! I LOVE knowing that!!!

I’m reading an ARC of Tarryn Fisher’s “The Wrong Family” and it’s PURE Tarryn Fisher. “Villainous- but-maybe-not-heroines (yes… TWO!!!)… 😉 and something BIG that I have no clue what it’s truly going to be.

GAH I love her dark… yet very real feeling stories.

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Melinda

Ooooh you lucky thing you, I love her.

Maryse are you still eating Keto style? I’ve just started and it’s good. Losing finally. Any tips?

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Maryse

Hi Melinda!!

I AM still eating Keto style (though mostly “dirty Keto” or maybe even just “low carb” now) in which I stay within the my carb limit (give or take – I’m roughly anywhere between 20grams and 50grams a day), but do allow myself low carb flour wraps, a touch of rice if I’m eating sushi (but that is SO rare) and I eat desserts or “sweets” with sugar alcohols and I also still eat cheese. I haven’t tested my keto levels in over a year, and I doubt I’d register any ketones to be honest, but I’m doing well with it.

In the grand scheme of things for my daily diet: No bread. No pasta. No potatoes. No rice. NO SUGAR (even most fruits is a sugar-bomb no-no)!!!

My struggle? Why I’m not strict Keto is because I truly love carrots and tomatoes, so… I will include them in some of my meals when cooking and that of course, is higher carb – even if it’s not considered “sweet” it is. Higher natural sugar levels in those.

Stringent Ketoists eat NO grains whatsoever (and I’ve found a few awesome oatmeal/granola healthy snacks that are super-low carb – but true keto you don’t touch it), and they don’t even eat things with sugar alcohols (which are pretty much carb free and supposedly doesn’t affect blood glucose but even that, they say no to.

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Maryse

One more thing…

Expect some hair loss with weight loss. It’s actually a condition when you just have a baby, or experience shock, or have an extreme diet change and weight loss (I hear especially if you lose it quickly). It’s the body’s response to this new situation… and here is an article that better explains it:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/telogen-effluvium-a-to-z

And yes, I lost 20 lbs in just a few months and DID experience hair loss. Nothing obvious to my friends and colleagues, but I saw it in my hair brush every day, and then I really saw it when all the baby hairs started to grow back and stand straight up on my head, once my body adjusted to my new life and weight.

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Cheryl

Happy friday!!! Reading Real Fake Love. Somewhat slow start, but funny. I have pretty much only been reading rom-coms at this point. Definitely needing a lighthearted escape these days.

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bev

Is it 2021 yet?

Seriously this year.

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Maryse

Yes this year is TOO MUCH.

One thing though that freaked me out was a meme that said:

2020: I’m the worst year ever.
2021: Hold my beer.

😮😖

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mony

Binging on the Prime series Younger…it’s interesting & a hoot.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a 40-yr-old woman who can’t get a job and so fakes her age at 26…new things happen in her life… job, friends, boyfriends… *eyebrows wiggle* Lots of fun.

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Tasha J

Hey, me too! I paused on season 5 episode 11. There wasn’t any time to watch anymore and then I got sucked into my books. I don’t want to rush through the rest cuz it’s gonna be a while before season 7 comes. I love it though!

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mony

Haha…too funny! Nice to find a series like this one. Glad you like it too!
Next up will be The Boys… 🙂

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Tasha J

Had to look that one up. Not sure it’s something I would like, I’m not big into super hero stuff. You’ll have to let me know how you like it!

I actually watched a couple episodes of Cobra Kai today, I’m going to keep up with it. I was surprised it’s not as new as I thought.

I’m really looking forward to Enola Holmes on Wednesday!

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Maryse

Everyone I’ve told about Cobra Kai was hesitant at first, and ended up hooked and marathoning them. 😀 Even I was surprised at how “into it” I got.

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Cheryl

My daughter and I have been binging on How To Get Away with Murder. I believe it is 5 seasons. It sucks you in, you just have to suspend belief somewhat. Viola Davis is amazing.

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mony

Ooh, sounds good!

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Maryse

Oh this sounds like fun, Mony!! I need something new to binge tonight while I work on the Tuesday New Release list. 😀

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