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Monday Early Bird Book Releases – 07-26-2021

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HAPPY MONDAY everyone!!! I’m excited about the upcoming week and also the potential that my sister will be arriving the first week of August. I haven’t seen her in 2 years, I think? She’s the one that would come over 2 times a year and spend a month with me (she often would give me her book reviews to post while she was here), and I’ve been missing her BIG TIME! *fingers crossed* Stupid Covid!!!

THREE THINGS:

1.) I just got my first “meal” subscription package today! πŸ˜€ “Hello Fresh” is up for this next week so I will let you know what I think. Three meals for 2 that I need to prepare (I received just the fresh ingredients plus the recipe cards) but since it’s only me, it will be a full week of suppers… I think. πŸ˜‰ Honestly, meat wise, for 2? My first impression? Small portions. I dunno any man that would be excited by that tiny amount of food. LOL! But then again… proper portion sizes are important and this is probably very good in the grand scheme of things. I’ve got 3 more subscriptions coming from other meal companies (some already cooked and just need to be warmed up and I’m kind of extra excited about those). This will be a month long experiment and I will let you know what I think.

2.) I spent the entire weekend at home, but I got to see a whole estate sale going on across the street from me. I live on such a quiet street, and Saturday morning I woke up to a plethora of cars EVERYWHERE trying to find parking, and all sorts of fluorescent signs on my lawn saying NO PARKING! As well as other lawns. LOL! I appreciated that. So much excitement this weekend for a “stay-at-home” weekend.

3.) I got SO much done this weekend. Lots of organizing, sorting and throwing away… and even spray painting a couple of wood stools that I’m going to use as plant stands in my front entrance of my home. πŸ˜€ Yay creativity!!! It was a quiet weekend, but a productive and fulfilling one.

LOOK WHAT JUST WENT LIVEΒ :DΒ !!!

βž”βž”βž” TWO MONTHS FREE KINDLE UNLIMITED DEAL!!! <β€” For new members only. If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance.Β WE ARE LOVING IT!

  2. After Us (Next Generation Book 6) by J.M. Walker <— SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE!!! “…Jaron Mercer rescued me. But after spending more than a year in jail, he came back a different person. No longer was he the man I had fallen in love with but a shell of himself instead. Now we would have to work even harder to be together.Β Even though he was taken from me, he left me a gift in return. I was constantly reminded of his love. For me. For her.Β While we tried reconnecting and finding us all over again, there was a plan behind the scenes to make him pay for what he’d done…”
  3. The Ice Duchess: Prequel to the Duchess Society Series by Tracy Sumner
  4. The Adversary: A Novella of the Elder Races (The Chronicles of Rhyacia Book 2) by Thea Harrison
  5. Bite Me (Shadow Guild: Vampire Bride Book 1) by Linsey Hall
  6. Mistress: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance by Emily Hayes
  7. Boss with Benefits: A Secret Baby Romance (Bosses and Babies) by Crystal Monroe
  8. Seeking Happily Ever After by Elena Aitken <— FAKE FIANCE SINGLE DAD BILLIONAIRE!! “…The last thing Charlotte Davis expected when she walked into the bakery was to snuggle the sweetest baby girl and lie to a case worker that she’s engaged to be married to her father, it just happened. It’ll all be worth it if it helps Nick win custody of his daughter. And her growing feelings for the sexy single dad? Well, that does complicate things a little.Β Sexy, smart, and amazing with babies…his fake fiancΓ©e has it all….”
  9. Out for the Holidays and Out for Gold: MM College Romance (Out in College Book 9) by Lane Hayes
  10. The Player and the Bookworm: a one-night stand, surprise pregnancy rom-com (The Legends Book 2) by Erin McCarthy
  11. Mr. Motorcycle: A Billionaire Romance by Winter Travers
  12. Her Titans: Ironhaven Book One by Genevieve Jasper
  13. Her Audition: A Standalone Romantic Suspense (First Encounters) by Ashlyn Fables and Sierra Summers <— TEACHER-STUDENT!! “…Desperate times call for desperate measures, and for Jessa, that means auditioning for a nude modeling position at the local university. But the audition doesn’t go as planned when Jessa is told she isn’t cut out to be a model. With nowhere else to turn, she pleads with the professor for the job, but he knows that with a body like hers, it would only cause chaos in his classroom. So he offers her a different position. It’s just a job. Nothing more. Or at least that’s what they tell themselves...”
  14. Wolf, Shifted: A Rejected Mates Shifter Romance (Exiled World: The House of the Crescent Moon Book 1) by Rebecca Ethington
  15. Wayward Soldier (The Wayward Souls Trilogy Book 2) by Mandi Konesni
  16. Doctor Arrogance: A Hero Club Novel by Alandra Knight <— Whoooooooops????!!! “…The charming, handsome stranger sitting next to me on the plane talking all the way to paradise? Perfect start to this trip. I can resist him and his smoldering looks, killer smile and confident attitude. Β Until I figure out that he’s my neighbor at the resort. His washboard abs and that perfect V…I don’t think I can resist him for a whole week.Β Giving in to temptation is easy. The souvenir he leaves me with? Not so much...”

AUDIOBOOK L:DVERS!

βž”βž” Not a member of Audible yet? Get aΒ free 30 day audible trial (which includesΒ one title from their premium selection of best sellersΒ and listen all you want to thousands of titles in their growing Audible Plus Catalog.)

βž”βž” AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <β€” Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE!Β This is how it works. Click on that link & AmazonΒ 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!

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! πŸ˜€ )

Tasha J: Oh, hey! I finished an arc recently that releases this Tuesday that I think is right up your alley! Definitely a read if you like β€œYou”. It’s called Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron.

Maryse: OH YESSSSS PLEASE!!!! I LOVED You and love crazy stalker reads!! Thank you Tasha!! πŸ˜€

βž”βž”βž” Β Looking for more book releases? Check out the upcoming new releases here or check out the latest new releases here.

βž”βž”βž”Β Β 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). AND/OR you can also subscribe toΒ my newsletter. πŸ˜€Β It goes out once or twice a week and features my β€œBest Of…”

βž”βž”βž” If you haven’t β€œliked” my Facebook page,Β come on over and join us! We’re fun & we’ve got great taste in books!

Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations – 07-23-2021

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YAY FRIDAY!!!! A whole weekend of reading for me (nothing else planned so far). I’m reading two books as we speak – still on Flock by Kate Stewart but also R. Renee tempted me with a horror/thriller book that she loved called “Whisper Down the Lane” so hopefully I’ll have them both finished this weekend and reviews next week).

AND!! I’m obviously still working on this Friday Finds list, so keep checking back. I have a couple more hours of adding to go. In the meantime, if you find anything for today’s list, let me know. πŸ˜€

BLASTS FROM OUR BOOK PAST!

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND FOR THE WEEKENDΒ :DΒ !!

βž”βž”βž” TWO MONTHS FREE KINDLE UNLIMITED DEAL!!! <β€” For new members only. If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance.Β WE ARE LOVING IT!

  • The Savage and the Swan by Ella Fields <— RECENT RELEASE!! FANTASY ROMANCE!! “…For nearly four years, I’d done all I could to help my kingdom as we faced the wolf king’s unconquerable evilβ€”hardly anything at all. As the only heir to the Gracewood line, I’d been relegated to menial tasks that would keep me and my secrets safe. A chance to do more than fret behind our castle walls arrived when I breached them after overhearing my parents’ plans for my future. Fleeing, I unknowingly raced into a fate we’d all desperately hoped to avoid. By the time I saw him coming, it was far too late…“
  • Hitman (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell) by C. Hallman and Isabella Starling <— LIVE!!
  • It Had to Be the Duke: An All the Duke’s Sins Prequel by Christi Caldwell <— LIVE!!! HISTORICAL ROMANCE
  • Until Tia by K.L. Humphreys <— LIVE!!
  • Scars and Silver Linings by Kelsey Kingsley <— UNEXPECTED PREGNANCY TEARJERKER ALERT!!!

Aimee:Β Tear jerker alert!!Β Just read Scars and Silver Linings by Kelsey KingsleyΒ 

It was free with kindle unlimited and SO WORTH IT!!! it is an unexpected pregnancy book. Definitely will check out another by her!!

Fiona:Β Hiya MaryseΒ Hope u have a good weekend gardening, weather fab over here…too hot..πŸ₯΅πŸ₯΅πŸ₯΅

I have finished two new books that were great; just to let you know; Anne Malcolm with a new Sons of Templar MC called Three Kinds of Trouble; about Haden and Freya; she rescues him one night after he was stabbed in the carpark of the stripper club where she works and takes him home…

it had a rock chick vibe about it; lots of characters, Freya is such a cool, bubbly, character and Haden blows hot and cold with her; a bit of stalking, murder, new friendships; babies, other members of the Sons of Templar and their Old Ladies turn up; would recommend this author and anything she writes; especially when characters from different series pop up.

Fiona:Β Another great author that am sure your readers love also is Cee Bowerman and her new series called Wrath. Tempest Book One; as similar to Anne Malcolm Cee brings her characters from her different books into this new series from the Texas Kings MC and Fain Tempest.Β  Wraith Tempest is the older brother of the Tempest family and he looked after all his siblings; they escaped a cult that they grew up with and their childhood was terrible.

Val is doing her thesis about cults and families who survived them; she lost her husband from cancer and has twin daughters as well as twin sisters that are the same age near as her daughters. She wants to interview Wraith and his siblings for her research….the story kicks off with Wraith saying no and to leave his family alone and then he starts to get to know Val and her family and all the trauma she endured; really loves how Cee Bowerman weaves her stories together; full of anguish, sadness but shows the great survivorship and love that this families endured; this is the start of another great series from Cee and she is just brill at writing!

Have a great weekend
Cheers
FionaΒ οΏΌοΏΌοΏΌ

I’ve been following your blog for years now! I just finished a reading book and would love to see someone else’s thoughts while reading! It’s called More of us to the West by Trinity Dunn.

It’s got romance, suspense, mystery, maybe even a little sci-fi. Kind of a mixture of On the Island, tv show Lost, mixed with certain Heartbreak Warfare vibes. That’s the best way I can describe it lol. Ends on a huge cliffhanger and just read book 2 should be out sometime this fall! I can’t wait to see where the story goes!

It is kind of long at 500+ pages, but that last chapter down to the last word… ugh!

Terttu:Β Maryse, I remember you mentioning that you’ve watched sex/life on Netflix. I’ve read the book by BB Easton (44 Chapters About 4 Men: A Memoir), Skin (Sex/Life Book 1) Β and now I’m starting Speed (Sex/Life Book 2) and my question is, can I start watching it from netflix now without it spoiling stuff for me OR do I try to keep my remote-finger away from the series until I’ve read all the books?Β Oh and do you know why the 3rd book is currently unavailable on amazon for kindle?οΏΌ

Maryse: I actually don’t know much because I haven’t read the books… BUT some readers told me that the series on TV differs from the book series so that it’s not that spoilerish

Terttu: Ah,okay thenοΏΌ Maybe I should just play it safe and read the books firstοΏΌ.

And speaking of them, OMG! I one clicked the Sex/Life just so I’d have something to read. It was super smooth to read and funny. And because one off those old boyfriends intriequed me I decided to one click Skin (Sex/Life Book 1), aaaaand that it the moment I was in an emotional rollercoaster. I haven’t had this many feeling going thru me in a long time! Words don’t do justice, especially since I’m not an english speaking nativeοΏΌ Just. Just, Omg! I cried like a baby at the end, it was super angstyοΏΌ Just read them, I totally recommendοΏΌ

Maryse: WOWWW!!! Thank you SO much for letting me know!! I should read them too, especially since they are different from the show and I already loved the show so much!

Terttu: Yes you totally should. I think you would love them. Or at least Skin, can’t really vouch for them all since I just started SpeedοΏΌ But that I can tell you that I devoured Skin, lost sleep over it, cause, well, you know, couldn’t put my phone down. It was super angsty, steamy, and heartbreaking and I got so lost in emotional turmoil and felt myself like a teenager again, and remembered how every feeling back then was so heightened, and I could totally relate, having been a wildchild myself back then. Tell me what you think of themοΏΌ
Hugs!οΏΌ

Jan:Β I’m reading a cool book I heard about recently on Good Reads. The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein. It’s not a romance as such, but I reckon some of you guys would like it anyway. It’s a fantasy/adventure/road trip kinda story. I suspect it’s going to be one of those fantasy books that crosses over into sci-fi, from a few little hints popping up so far.

It’s got a really cool female heroine, with magic, wizards, mysterious jewels. Great characters and world-building. First in a series πŸ˜€

AUDIOBOOK L:DVERS!

βž”βž” Not a member of Audible yet? Get aΒ free 30 day audible trial (which includesΒ one title from their premium selection of best sellersΒ and listen all you want to thousands of titles in their growing Audible Plus Catalog.)

βž”βž” AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <β€” Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE!Β This is how it works. Click on that link & AmazonΒ 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!

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! πŸ˜€ )

Tasha J: Oh, hey! I finished an arc recently that releases this Tuesday that I think is right up your alley! Definitely a read if you like β€œYou”. It’s called Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron.

Maryse: OH YESSSSS PLEASE!!!! I LOVED You and love crazy stalker reads!! Thank you Tasha!! πŸ˜€

βž”βž”βž” Β Looking for more book releases? Check out the upcoming new releases here or check out the latest new releases here.

βž”βž”βž”Β Β 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). AND/OR you can also subscribe toΒ my newsletter. πŸ˜€Β It goes out once or twice a week and features my β€œBest Of…”

βž”βž”βž” If you haven’t β€œliked” my Facebook page,Β come on over and join us! We’re fun & we’ve got great taste in books!

Reader Question – The book about the childhood sweethearts that find out their parents are having an affair together…

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Kylie is looking for this one! Ohhhh almost a step-brother step-sister situation, but not quite…

She asks:

Hi Maryse!

I’ve just found your blog and I’ve been reading it all morning!

I’ve been desperately trying to remember the name of this book and would love your help. I think it was written in the 2010s and I think I read it around 2018-20.

These are the details I remember:

  • I think the couple were childhood sweethearts and they broke up after discovering their parents were having an affair together. It was the heroine’s mother and the hero’s father. Both of their families were pretty well off at the beginning.
  • At the beginning of the book, I believe the heroine’s mother kills herself and h goes to a snowy cabin to clean out her mother’s things where she sees H again. There they are snowed in together.
  • H is quite cruel to h in the present because he blames her for their parents’ affair together.
  • I remember her being a teacher at a private school and I think she was being stalked or blackmailed (not by hero).

Any help is much appreciated!

Thank you!!

Anyone have a guess?

Joy:Β I think I know this one. Is it RoomHate by Penelope Ward?

Maryse: Oh I LOVED that one!!! Okay I’m adding it! πŸ˜€ P.S. Here’s my Book Review.

βž”βž”βž” Β Browse more reader questions (solved & unsolved) here. πŸ˜€ Maybe you’ll find a solved one to read or have a guess for us for one that’s still unsolved.

Have a reader question for us to solve? Send it to me here.

βž”βž”βž” Β Love this trope? Browse more second chance romanceΒ andΒ enemies-to-lovers romance features and reviewsΒ on my blog. πŸ˜€

Reader Question – The book about the Kingpin that kills her husband and marries her and adopts her children…

By 3 Comments

Sandra is looking for this crazy-sounding one! HOLY MOLY… I can only hope that it’s because he was saving her out of an abusive situation… ’cause if not, that’s hardcore!!!

She asks:

Im looking for aΒ  book about a kingpin kills woman’s husband and takes wife and her 2 children as his own then marries her and adopts the children.

Thank you

Anyone have a guess?

Fiona: Hiya

I think its by Izzy Sweet & Sean Moriarty and its a series of books called Disciples. This was β€œKeeping Lilly” and was the first of these dark romances.

Lilly was traded to Lucifer as her husband Marshall owed Lucifer $5 million….Lucifer becomes obsessed with Lilly after seeing her and basically kidnaps her and her two small kids; he forces her to live with him and adopts them….he gets her I think to divorce Marshall; its full on alpha mode….can’t remember does Lilly’s husband Marshall gets bumped off by Lucifer as he is the big money lender/ kingpin in the area; he does get tortured by him and his gang; I don’t think the husband was too bothered when he dumped Lilly in his mess and their kids; he was horrible to her..

All the characters from the next number of books in this series begin to be introduced in this first book; at times Lucifer is a bit of a nut job….other times he is tender, thoughtful and is utterly obsessed with Lilly; he does have a lot of time for her kids and dotes on them…a good read overall…

Tammy: I agree….Izzy Sweet series. Loved it!

Maryse: YAY!!!!! I’m adding it now. πŸ˜€

βž”βž”βž” Β Browse more reader questions (solved & unsolved) here. πŸ˜€ Maybe you’ll find a solved one to read or have a guess for us for one that’s still unsolved.

Have a reader question for us to solve? Send it to me here.

JJ Knight’s “Tasty Mango” is LIVE & she’s having a $50 gift card giveaway + fun facts + an excerpt!

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SINGLE PREGNANT MOM ALERT!!! IT’S LIVE & OMG I LOVE THIS BLURB!!! Snort-laugh-out-loud worthy! She’s on a date with a billionaire… and then her water breaks! GASP!!!! Author JJ Knight is celebrating her new comedy romance by sponsoring today’s newsletter AND she’s having a giveaway! P.S. The fun facts that inspired this book are hilarious!!!

The author says:

Tasty MangoΒ is a standalone romantic comedy about going into labor on a first date with a billionaire, the ensuing hilarity (and pushing) in a very expensive limo, and trying to manage a new relationship with the world’s most eligible bachelor while cleaning spit up out of your hair.

So what’s it about?

Ladies, you’ve never had a first date quite like this.
He’s a billionaire.
Desperately handsome.
Wildly charismatic.

In fact, a certain article of clothing of mine has gotten quite damp.
Except…
It’s not the good kind of damp.
Actually, I’m suddenly very, very wet.
Oh no.

I’ve left out something important.
I’m nine months pregnant.
Don’t ask about the father.
I’d rather forget.

But I’m sitting in the fanciest restaurant you can imagine.
Opposite the man of my dreams.
It’s our first time alone together.
The start of something spectacular.
And…
My water just broke.

___

Crazy Preggers Facts that lead to Tasty Mango:

Many of the hilarious moments Havannah goes through trying to manage her late pregnancy and newborn period while dating a new man were inspired by some of the wild stuff I managed when pregnant myself.

My first pregnancy was super hard and I felt sooo sick all the time. I was valiantly trying to make it through a work meeting and someone brought in a very smelly sandwich. I kept drinking my herbal tea and holding it close to my face so the scent of it would cancel out the terrible sandwich smell. Eventually I felt sick AND I had to pee really bad. THEN some lady came in with mega-perfume and that was it. I sneezed SO hard and SO suddenly that I both THREW UP and PEED at the same time. In. A. Meeting.

This was the inspiration for Havannah’s restaurant scene when candle smoke causes her to sneeze so hard that the water leakage becomes full blown water breaking.

A few months after I had my first baby, we went to visit some friends, who were also pregnant. They’d been reading up on taking care of babies and asked if baby Emily spit up very much. I said, β€œNo! She’s super great about that. Hardly spits up at all!” Of course at that VERY MOMENT, a volcanic spew of spit up shot out of my baby’s mouth and landed across all three sofa cushions at their house. I learned never to brag again.

This was the inspiration for the limo scene in Paris where Havannah brags that baby Rebel never spits up right before they go into a upscale boutique.

I once had to pump on the run and wound up having to sit in a fancy hotel bathroom to do it. The only place to sit was on a bench in front of huge wall-long lighted mirror. I sat there looking at my blue-veined boobs smooshed into plastic cones and thought — this is not my beautiful vision of motherhood. And of course someone walked in.

This was the inspiration for a scene in the high-end Parisian hotel when Havannah is trying to work up the courage to let her billionaire crush see a little more of her.

Excerpt:

I’ve always pictured this moment.

Me, in a little black dress.

My hair swept into a perfect chignon.

An exclusive restaurant filled with elegant diners.

China clinks. Crystal glasses gleam on linen tablecloths.

Seated opposite me is the ideal man. Tall, dark, handsome.

Custom suit. Gold cufflinks.

He’s charming and witty.

Wildly successful in business.

And he only has eyes for me.

It could have been the greatest first date of my life.

Except.

My belly is too big to let me pull up to the table properly.

The baby is kicking like crazy for me to eat something β€” NOW.

And a funny trickle of wetness is forming deep in the recesses of my panties.

And not the good kind.

Am I peeing myself?

β€œHavannah, are you okay?” Donovan McDonald pauses, his water goblet halfway to his lips. He’s a gentleman, so he’s not drinking wine since I can’t.

His eyes are on me, his thick brows knitted in concern. His gaze dips to the table’s edge, where I’m hunched, trying to hide my bump. I’m desperately trying to appear like a normal date from the chest up.

β€œPerfect!” I say, keeping my voice as chipper as possible. I shift on the chair, making sure my legs are hidden by the tablecloth. I spread my knees in hopes that I can air dry.

Pregnancy is a beast.

But I have a few days to go until I’m due, and I hear first babies are always late. I’ve vowed to be nothing but chic and put together on this date. He’ll see my elegance, my poise β€”

Uh oh.

Another squirt of wetness slips out.

How can this be? I peed right before I came. I’m not coughing, or laughing too hard, or sneezing.

I push my cloth napkin under the tablecloth and shove it up under my dress. Sorry, fancy restaurant. I’m stealing this. It’s an emergency.

To be honest, if I had known what was about to go down, I would have left right then.

But I didn’t.

And you’re not going to believe what happens next.

Giveaway Rafflecopter for a Mango Book Box and $50 Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About JJ:

JJ Knight is the USA Today and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic comedy including Single Dad on Top and Big Pickle.

Buy Links (Kindle Unlimited):

Universal Link: https://smarturl.it/TastyMango

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3zfJxh0
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3goytXi
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3vlqkr1
Amazon AUS: https://amzn.to/2TvtCLe