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Latest Paranormal & Contemporary Romance Book Releases – October 7th 2014

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Happy BIG HUGE RELEASE DAY!!! LOL… that sounded… *blush* Well. You know. *snort* 😉

<— Look what’s part of today’s lineup!!! *squeeeee* Bad boy biker alert! This one, from one of our queens of MC books has just been released today. Her wildly popular biker series Reapers Motorcycle Club features super-steamy, raw and gritty guys with dirty mouths and even dirtier minds. eek But the romance is always prevalent and just angsty enough to keep us hooked! I’m so excited!!!

And just take a look at what other books are making my one-clicker twitchy: Immortal (J.R. Ward!!! But of course!!!), Tied (I loved #1, and need to catch up with this hilarious couple!), Outcome (’cause I loved the first M/M book in the series… they survived a kidnapping!!), Burying Water (sounds emotional and haunting!!), Reaper’s Stand (I’ve read every one in this series so far!).

PLUS LOTS of protective alpha-males, below. A magnificent-looking abundance of them. Fighters… yes. Military heroes. Check! Bossy bad boys. Got ’em! 😉

Oh! Don’t forget to scroll all the way down to the bottom and see the crazy-awesome looking pre-orders I just found. All our favorite authors!!!

P.S. Let me know if I’m missing any or if you loved any (from this list or elsewhere).

BARGAINS (NOTE: bargain priced when I added them, but prices can change on Amazon, so make sure to check before you finalize your order).

  • What If by Rebecca Donovan <— Chrissy LOVED this recent release and says: “Maryse you need to read Rebecca Donovan ‘s book What If. It’s one of those ones that you can’t put down because you’re trying to figure out what’s going to happen. LOVED IT!!!” Thank you Chrissy. I do love this author!
  • Bigger Than the Sky (Serenity Point Book 1) by Harper Bentley <— NAVY SEAL ALERT! Recent release that I missed, but it’s bargain priced, so I thought I’d bring it over! “Five years ago, I left my fiancé, hotter than hot Navy SEAL Kade Kelly, at the altar. No, I’m not an idiot. Yes, I had my reasons.“
  • Deception (Deception Series Book 1) by K.A. Robinson <— RECENT RELEASE that I missed, but Tessa read it and recommends it! “Finished Deception by KA Robinson last night and it’s definitely the beginning of a dark read. It ended on a CH but reading it you know it’s going to be bad. Loved it, but I want two because any real mess with the head stuff will be there. I can’t wait!“
  • Three Wishes by Kristen Ashley <— Stephanie found us these KA super-bargains!! She says: “KRISTEN ASHLEY 99¢ SALE! ★ Three Wishes; Mathilda, SuperWitch; and The Ghost and Reincarnation Series by Kristen Ashley are all on sale for 99¢ for a LIMITED time! Please remember to check the price before you one-click!”
  • Fairytale Come Alive by Kristen Ashley <— here’s another one!!!
  • Penmort Castle by Kristen Ashley <— and another!!!
  • Sommersgate House by Kristen Ashley <— and another!!!
  • Lacybourne Manor by Kristen Ashley <— and another!!! (LOL!! She’s put so many of her beginning stories on super-sale!! YAY!!!)
  • Lucky Stars by Kristen Ashley <— and another one!!!
  • Mathilda, SuperWitch (Mathilda’s Book of Shadows 1) by Kristen Ashley <— and this one, too!! *phew* I think I got ’em all. 😉
  • Owned (A Decadence after Dark Novel) by M. Never <— JUST RECENTLY RELEASED (I missed it, earlier) and recommended by Jenny!! “The book has 16 5* reviews so far! I loved it! If you are looking for a darker read, take a chance on Owned, you won’t be disappointed!!” —> “I like you collared, baby. I like you naked, I like you mine.” <— *blink blink* eek A bit more from the blurb… “Unable to resist the sinful attraction, Ellie agrees to leave with Kayne, believing she is finally bedding the man of her dreams. Little does she know when she walks out the door, she’s about to be Owned.“
          

PARANORMAL

             

CONTEMPORARY

                                                                          

PRE-ORDERS I just found and added to the main “Book Releases” page :D!

              

 

Ann Aguirre – 2B Trilogy Reading Order

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I’m reading TWO books at the same time right now! One suuuuper dark one, and a suuuuper sweet one.

<— THIS is the super-sweet one and I. Am. LOVING IT!!!!  And so are some of our fellow readers. I mean… who doesn’t love a story about a gorgeous but grumpy single dad living in the same apartment as this college student?

Tracie: It. Was. Awesome. It was exactly what I wanted and I just fell in love with everyone! Their honesty was so refreshing, and their intimacy was just beautiful, the sweet words.. I want more. I never wanted it to end… I don’t know what it was, but this book just grabbed me, everything Ty said had me melting.

Laura: Oooo I just finished I want it that way it was good tearfull also *sniff* really likedit and I love the whole single parent thing even when it’s the girl that’s the single parent and the guys are so sweet with the kids u should make a list of those books maryse maybe even entitle it mummy porn lol there is nothing more sigh worthy

And!!! I just found out book #2 has already been released, and a #3 is on the way!

About book #1

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she’s determined to make them come true. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, dating’s the last thing on her mind. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can’t risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, the last thing he wants is noisy students living in the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia’s and Ty’s paths cross, and soon they can’t stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can’t know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

  

Six Early Bird Book Releases – October 6th 2014 (and some pre-orders, too!)

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While I gorge myself on a new book I just started, I thought I’d post a few very exciting-looking books that had an early release today! They are here to tempt us, and keep us GREAT company while we wait for tomorrow’s big release day.

  • Apolonia by Jamie McGuire <— one of my FAV authors goes in a whole new direction with this brand spankin’ new release! Sci Fi romance!!!!
  • Shame (Ruin Series Book 3) by Rachel Van Dyken <— JUST RELEASED. This is the final book in the series!
  • RUIN (The RUIN Series Book 1) by Deborah Bladon
  • Becoming Calder by Mia Sheridan <– Part ONE and so many of our fellow readers are loving it! Part 2 was released, too! I’ve been enjoying this series (especially Archer’s Voice)!!!
  • Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan <— and here’s part 2!!
  • Promises to Keep by Nikki Sex <— sounds SO sweet and angsty! ER doctor in Iraq, soldier dies in his care and he promises to take soldiers wedding ring back to his bride in the U.S. And when they meet… “Despite their growing attraction, there’s just one thing the young widow doesn’t know about her husband’s death: Jack Curren is the one who got him killed.“
Tomorrow’s PRE-ORDERS!

                 

Varian Krylov – Dangerously Happy Series Reading Order

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<— M/M romance that is causing a “can’t-put-it-down!!!” frenzy amongst our crew! And there may only be two books in it so far, but I could NOT resist posting this right away. It’s absolutely going to be my next read.

The way I’m understanding it, the two books already out in this series will blow my mind. I’ve been hearing phrases such as: “Bad Things high”, “book fog”, and “book hangover” and “favorite couple” and isn’t that just about everything I want to feel when reading? 😉

MichelleS and Fabi saw my “need” for an INTENSE book:

Michelle: Angst, emotional action, passion, INTENSITY you say? you have got to join in on reading Bad Things. Fabi’s 5-star doozie of a book! WOW. It’s got that IT that I needed….. no formula book here! I bet you’re hooked in 10 pages!

Fabi: Sweet mommy dearest, I thought I was becoming jaded from reading too much. Losing interest in books. Either not finishing or picking up and putting them down over and over. Well, I was just riding the wave until this author crashed into my life. I don”t care if she writes about men, women, or pretty yellow daisies, I’m reading all her freaking works.

Maryse: LOL!!! Now THAT is convincing. Thank you, my friends!! I’m on it.

But let’s get down to the main *big* freak-out over this book-find. ‘Cause it’s our fabulous Fabi that got us started!

Fabi: Download the sample of Bad Things. Once you read even the first few pages, you’ll be hooked. And BOY does it get better and better and better as it goes on…it is difficult if not impossible to talk about that book without giving away spoilers. I found it easiest to just talk about the feelings it evoked. I think you will do just like I did and immediately go to her previous book.? It’s hard to get enough of this author’s writing. I missed a very important day at work yesterday and am borderline about to miss the most important day of the year at work today if I can’t somehow put this next book down and get out of the house. I want to talk about it so bad but fell like I’m cluttering up Maryse’s blog. Especially with this one that wasn’t on one of the lists. I want to write a review on Amazon but this one can’t be just “I really loved it” it’s so much more than that….replaying scenes?? I’m still doing that. AND some pages I found myself reading over and over again.

MichelleS: Fabi- I picked Bad Things for my next read. I’m only at 15% now. Whoa… it’s going to be a good one, I can tell. Gritty. Painful. A whole lot of discomfort. Good writing. He reminds me of Evan Arden. Love the storyline about vengeance for his sister. I even like that he “doesn’t f*ck women”… and that his tastes run dark and twisted and to other men…. just all of it. Wow. Great recommendation so far. He’s a hell of a character! And the fact that he’s so big and tatted up and has so so so much attitude. I’m squirming all over the couch reading this one.

Fabi: MichelleS, I think I love you right now. I sooo needed someone to share this with. And girl, just wait. You won’t know if you even LIKE him at some points. You begin to wonder if he is the good guy or the bad guy. And does it resolve?? Hmmm, let me tell you, I’ve done nothing but read the entire weekend and the book was at the end I had no more fingernails left and no sleep for two days and I was STILL wondering. What a ride! Now I’m very late to work on a very important day, can’t possibly come up with a way to miss work today, but I can’t, just can’t, pull myself away from another of her books.

Fabi: MichelleS every time you think that book has given you all it gives more. All the way through. I was at 95% and still freaking out over new things. Whew. What a book. I’m directly on to another one of this author’s works… Here is what I think is a good measure of whether you’ll like Bad Things. If you liked/hated The Tied Man you’ll like/hate Bad Things. It is not so horror inducing but still cringe worthy. If you loved the love story of Try, then Bad Things, and much more so, Dangerously Happy will blow you away. These books all contain elements of Beautiful Disaster, Maybe Someday, Surviving Raine, etc. In fact, I think there is also a strong relation to Surviving Raine. I remember feeling this way with that one too.

MichelleS: Well…. this fabulous book Fabi found is dark dark dark! Reminds me of all the good ones: Mud Vein, The Tied Man, Captive in the Dark….. it has that flavor, that feeling. …it’s so so so so bad….. the kind where you turn off your Kindle if someone looks over your shoulder. But I am hooked… Xavier is one of THE baddest bad boys ever. Ranks right up there with Soren from Original Sinners series… and Caleb from Captive in the Dark. Maybe even a little darker and more sadistic, if you can believe that! I am uncomfortably engaged and blown away by page after page. I’m at love – hate with him right now. And I like that. FABI…. do you have a hangover from all this?? FABI – aren’t you asking yourself why no one else is reading this book? I know I am! Everyone went berzerko for The Tied Man a while back… you’d think they’d be all over Bad Things…. huh? I don’t get it. It’s better than TTM, I think. I guess it’ll just be our own dirty little secret?

Fabi: MichelleS, I am in such a fog. I can’t hardly think of anything else.

MichelleS: I finally finished Fabi’s recommended “Bad Things” on Saturday morning. Life has just gotten in the way this week. It was fantastic. If you are in the mood for dark and forbidden and gritty it is THE choice. Reminded me of Original Sinners (so much so I recommended that series to Fabi). I loved that it had sex scenes that were polar opposites: one was shocking and crude, the other the most tender writing I think I’ve ever read. The fact that it was m/m didn’t factor in at all. Very complicated characters. Very well written. Not for the faint of heart. 5 stars for me too!!!

Kristi: Loved Dangerously Happy by Varian Krylov. A 5 Star read for me for sure. I haven’t been able to read Bad Things yet because life keeps getting in the way but I can’t wait!

Kandace: Dangerously happy was 5 star for me too.Varian’s an auto buy for me. I loved DH but I LOOOOVED Bad Things.

Maryse’s Book Blog: I think that one’s next for me!!

Kandace: I’m obsessed with Danio, Aiden, Xavier and Carson. I loved Dangeriously Happy and I was so nervous if I would love Xavier’s story with the same intensity. I freakin loved Bad Things even more than DH. I feel you should read Dangeriously Happy before you read Bad Things. The characters are too connected. I sighed when Danio and Aiden showed up in Bad Things. Varian Krylov is an auto buy for me.

MichelleS: Kandace – Fabi turned me on to Bad Things and I fell for Xavier… now I am almost done with Dangerously happy and am in love with Aiden & Dario. Now who is Carson? another yummy Krylov male lead? hottest sex scenes ever! (who cares if it’s m/m – hot is hot). Bad Things is not a heart breaker. No crying. Lots of jaw dropping and squirming…. Bad Things?has OOMPH – and all that other stuff. (Broken record, I know….) 🙂 (read 10 pages…. that’s all… right Fabi? 10 pages and you’re hooked).

Fabi: Ummm if you were wondering, Bad Things was a 5 star for me. Dangerously Happy was a 4.5 star read for me. As afar as Dangerously Happy and Bad Things are concerned.  DH wad published 1st. The DH characters make a cameo appearance in Bad Things. I read Bad Things first because I was in the mood for a dark read and it was on your new release list. I fell in love with the author and had to learn more about the characters that made a cameo appearance so I picked up Dangerously Happy which is a love story.? I’m glad I read them in that order. But I don’t think it really matters which order you read them in. If you want a dark read, get Bad Things. If you want a love story, get Dangerously Happy. More than likely, once you read one of them, you’ll want to read the other to learn more about the characters.

WOWOWOWOW!!! Convinced yet? I am.

And the author confirms that:

The action in Dangerously Happy takes place before Bad Things, and there is character overlap, but they have totally separate plots, so each book stands alone.

About book #1:

Aidan has always played it safe. Instead of pursuing his dream of creating innovative music that makes his soul sing, he settled for a degree in software, a job in a cubicle, and a spot in a generic band with his buddies.

And he’s always been straight. But when he’s seduced by magnetic local literary luminary Dario, Aidan must decide whether to keep playing it safe, or succumb to a ravenous passion and a nourishing love unlike anything he’s experienced before. Will he find the courage to go after real happiness if it means admitting he’s in love with a man?

Their journey together isn’t easy. Sometimes it isn’t safe. Even if Aidan has the courage to admit he’s in love with Dario, can he endure the repercussions of the traumatic event in Dario’s past?

 

Book Review – You by Caroline Kepnes

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You: A Novel
This dark-read was obviously up my “dark alley” in soooooo many ways, that I just couldn’t resist reading it upon it’s release. Exploring a subject matter that titillates my reading-thrill needs, and so well written (you’ll see that right from the sample), with a blurb that just blew my mind. It had to be next!

…she’s perfect for him, and soon she can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom made for her. But there’s more to Joe than Beck realizes, and much more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect façade. Their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences . . .

And that’s pretty accurate.

It’s about a cute guy working in a book shop, that meets a cute girl that walks into said book shop, and he… becomes taken with her. Infatuated on the spot. Obsessed.

You’ve come home to me, delivered at last, on a Tuesday, 10:06 a.m. Every day I commute to this shop on the Lower East Side from my place in Bed-Stuy. Every day I close up without finding anyone like you. Look at you, born into my world today.

And I was ready for that roller-coaster ride! And for me, what made it even more intense was that it’s written from a unique perspective (providing the reader with an intimate look into the “his” mind, culminating in an especially eerie, raw feel of the story as it unfolds).

You’re a sweetheart. You see the best in people. You complement me.

Turning it into a total creep-fest. Not horror, no, but definitely what I’d call a psychological thriller… or from my own personal view, a psychological terror, but with an almost… “gentle” delivery, in it’s insanity.

Sadie: Loving being in this guy’s head in YOU. Creepy…and kind of funny?

Maryse: Creepy… noooo kidding. Yeah funny, in a quirky witty way, but this guy’s full-on psycho. I’m scared when he really hits the fan.

Sadie: I’m still only a few chapters in but I could see this getting scary. I was laughing about the “if I was an a$$hole who Instagramed”…and the whole thing about kindles and porn and video stores…and I should probably stop being amused by him since he is a STALKER.

Maryse: He is amusing though, Sadie. 😉 The author is really good!

And while it’s delivered from his perspective, his mind, it’s in second person POV. Even when he’s not talking with her (via actual dialogue), he’s constantly talking to her (in his mind).

Did I mention that you’re lucky to have me? You are. I am a BedStuy man by birth, sober, collected, and well aware of my whereabouts and yours. A protector.

And the bullish!t thing is, if someone saw the three of us, well, most people would think I’m the weird one just because I followed you here. And that’s the problem with this world, with women.

He’s constantly analyzing her actions, her interactions, her personal moments… times when she thinks she’s alone, living her life. And we live her life with him… as him. Through his eyes. His scrutiny. His plans. His delusions.

You smile because I’m your boyfriend. You just said so, Beck. You did.

Yet in his mind, he’s sane. He’s a protector. He’s in love. And he’s doing what’s right. But he’s horribly unbalanced. It scares me to think that I could ever “make friends” with a psychopath such as this one. And you know what? What’s scariest is that… it’s possible. He’s good looking. He’s well-versed. Seemingly highly intelligent. Polite, flirty, charming. Publicly he acts in all the right ways, and says all of the right things. He practices a good deal of restraint (considering what you soon find out about him). Yes… his mind… oh don’t even get me started on his mind. And the loss of it.

And I couldn’t tell, you know? I couldn’t tell if this was going to turn into a love story (albeit a disturbing one), or if he was going to prove to be an absolute monster that was hinted at as the story progressed. I mean, you know… sometimes people are totally “off”, but essentially harmless (perhaps turning this into an emotional pity-fest for him and our desire to see him get better. To heal). I couldn’t tell for a good while what direction this one would take. Or if things would turn around on him and she’d become his stalker. And I love not knowing where a story is going.

It’s not predictable. I mean maybe it is, maybe it’s not (I won’t tell you so you don’t go in with any preconceived notions), but let’s just say, it lent itself to alllllll sorts of possibilities and outcomes. And when I read, I love being surprised, shocked and awed.

I liked it. Plenty. But I admit it took me about 3 days to read (and even though it’s over 400 pages, I can read a book that size in under a day, if I’m loving it). As much as I was excited by the prospect of the story, and needing to know what would happen, there were also many times that I found my attention waning. Perhaps it was the persistent POV (from his mind). Us, constantly being in his head… that I began to find repetitive (and yet still fascinating… potentially exciting), ’cause at any moment, he could snap. Or something… was going to happen. And PLENTY did.

But I struggled with liking the characters. ANY of the characters… even the “good guys”. Everyone felt kind of like… jerks. Obnoxious. Weird. Self-centered (<— oh LOTS of that feeling right there). All of ’em creepy in their own right. Even the potential victims. Then again, that too, might be due to his constant perspective. Us being HIM. Which is tough on the reader, because you kind of find yourself not rooting for anyone.

Okay and now skip this next part if you haven’t read this book yet. I analyze my experience of it, and don’t want you going in with preconceived expectations…

So those are my qualms with this story. So much possible excitement, such a potential thrill-ride, I was hoping to be wowed. Blown away. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat, “turing” pages, and ignoring life as I lived this scary-seeming one. Maybe even be blindsided by a twist or two that would leave me breathless. Stunned. And while it pretty much had everything I wanted in a dark read/stalker “love story”, this one left me more or less… morose. Creeped out (and wow, that very last part had me Oh oh-ing… gripping ending!), and yes, that ending sure had my attention but instead of leaving me with a pounding heart, it instead just… left me.

Sadie: Did you finish? I have mixed emotions. Lots of stuff I liked and didn’t.

Maryse: Yeah… I’m at 70-something% it’s taking me awhile to get through. I find it good, well written, and at times, super interesting. And at other times.. not holding my attention. *sigh* They are all so very hard to like. Even the main girl…

Sadie: Yes, it was a 3.5 for me I think. I’ve actually been thinking about it since I finished. The writing and “cleverness” of it was very good. I liked getting in the mind of such a creepy character and I like that the characters are flawed but I didn’t connect with the heroine. I also found it slow at times and it took me longer than usual to get through.

Maryse: I’m thinking 3.5 so far, too…

Okay you can come back now!!!

4 stars! <— (5 stars for the fantastic writing, 4 stars for the unique perspective, detail and gripping moments,  but 3 stars for leaving me with my breath and regular heart rhythm intact throughout most of the book). I think I just needed more *oomph!!* 😉

P.S. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

➔➔➔  Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 star reviews. 😀

➔➔➔  Love this genre? Browse more psych-thrillers and stalker book features and reviews on my blog. 😀

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