Maryse's Book Blog

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

Reader Question… Solved! The book about the girl & the “player” that fall in love but then something terrible happens…

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Lesley just sent this one over a few minutes ago and I couldn’t help but post it right away!! It’s got some spoilers so I alert before they happen, so proceed with caution.

Hiii everyone!

I’m trying so hard to find a book that I’ve read a while ago.

It’s about a player who falls in love with a girl and their story is beautiful and then

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she gets raped and she changes. Then she kills her rapist and

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he takes the blame for it and she has his baby but then they meet again and it’s a happy ending.

I really suck at telling stories but please help if you know what book i’m talking about haha

Anyone know which book she’s looking for?

Rae: Holy Smoke -following and hope we get an answer

Lesley: It’s really one of the best books i’ve ever read. I’ve been trying to find the book for a week now, reallly hope someone finds it. I’m so stupid for deleting the book from my ibook

Nicolle: Was she kidnapped when she was raped? This story sounds familiar, but In the one I’m thinking about after she was rapped she suffered damage to her cervix and was told she wouldn’t have any children, but by some miracle she got pregnant by him.

Lesley: I don’t really remeber if she gets kidnapped, i don’t think so. And she does get pregnant and gives birth to his child so i don’t think it’s the same book. Cause when he’s out from jail he’ll be sad because she didn’t tell him about his child. And the day before she got raped i think they were celebrating her birthday at a bar and the guy who rapes her will follow them but that scene will reveal later on in the book. I suck at explaining things, I bet ya’ll are confused haha but u guys will really enjoy this book.

Kelly: Undo Me: The Good Ol’ Boys by M Robinson?

Mag: Could it be STONED (Wrecked) by Mandi Beck?

Chris: It sounds similar to The Dark Light of Day by T.M. Frazier

Jennie: I’m pretty sure the book is Undo Me: The Good Ol’ Boys #3
by M. Robinson

Lesley: Yes!!! That’s the one!!! Undo Me. Thank u

Maryse: YAY!!!! Another one solved! 😀 Thank you Kelly (and Jeannie). 😀 And we have a couple of other great book suggestions in this genre to peruse (BTW I loved The Dark Light of Day), so I need to read the other two.

Reader Recommendations – Our favorite “bad boy turned lover boy” (like Travis Maddox) books…

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Ahhhhhh LOOKIT WHAT WE HAVE!!! A brand spanking new Travis Maddox super-fan. 😀 Rebaica has just discovered the wonder of Beautiful Disaster and has fallen in love with my original ultimate book boyfriend Travis (btw… he’s still MINE!!) 😉 and she’s needing more like him.

She asks:

Maryse!!!!!!

I am soooo happy I found your blog!!!!

Honestly, I am surrounded by these pseudo-intellectuals who judge me for being a sappy-romantic-pining-novel lover but I read some of your reviews and now I know there are more people like me.

I have fallen in love with Travis Maddox just the way you did and I would like some book suggestions from you!

Please tell me what my next bad boy turned lover boy book needs to be? Pretty pleaseee

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Regards,

Rebaica

Oh I get her 100%. 😀 !!!!

In fact, back in our early bad boy loving days, we made a list looking for more that would put us in this book-love fog (What to Read After Beautiful Disaster <— which I have to majorly update).

So here’s what we’re looking for (and admittedly, some of these characteristics of the ultimate bad-boy like Travis Maddox might not be great boyfriend traits in real life.. I know 😉 ) but for our romance book fantasies, let’s indulge in this “safer” version of a guilty pleasure, shall we?

  • Bad-ass, strong and protective. He makes you feel safe ’cause he can handle bad situations.
  • jealous and possessive <— I know… in real life RUN!!!
  • cocky and maybe even full of himself… yet endearing
  • so hot every girl wishes he’d fall for her – but he’s hard to get when it comes to long term love (lots of unrequited love & pining!!) <— total heartache trouble. 😉
  • talented at something – he’s the best of the best! <— At least, for the most part.
  • yet so vulnerable when he opens his heart. Maybe even broken…

So here are all of the lists of broken bad-ass bad boys that e’fallen for, and I think it’s time we add a TON more new ones.

Have any must reads and/or must-fall-in-love-with heroes and recommendations in this genre?

Reader Question – The forbidden love book about the cowboy and the teacher with poems that lead into the chapters…

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Dinah needs our book help for one she read a long time ago… and just the mention of “forbidden love” has me ALL ears!!!

She asks:

Hi, Maryse!

I’ve been reading your blog forever and one of my favorites is when you help readers find a book.  I was hoping you might be able to help me out. I read this book A LONG TIME AGO, when I was a teenager. I can barely remember the details.

But I feel like it had some kind of western vibe, forbidden love kind of thing. Like maybe he was a cowboy and she was a teacher or she was married or widowed or something?

Anyway I remember the story being in 3rd person but every time it was the hero’s sequence there would be a poem to lead into the chapter. Anyway, 15 years later and i still remember bits and pieces of these poems.

This is either two parts of the dame poem or two entirely different ones.

“What man am I to flee her sweet embrace and leave her from my sight”

“And though it beats inside my chest, each steadfast beat now bares a cost”

Thank you so much. I swear the second part of the first one is something like “to save her from my plight” because I remember thinking it was a funny word.

But its been a long time.

Does this one sound familiar? Have a guess?

Chris: Oh I’m pretty sure I know this really obscure one! Only because there was a movie made from it ages ago starring Sam Elliott. We probably still have the VHS (!!) somewhere. It’s called Conagher: A Novel and the movie was based on a Louis L’Amour book. Western, she’s a lonely widow who leaves bits of poems out on the prairie and he finds them.

Maryse: Oh wow!! That was quick, Chris. Thank you!!!!

Dinah: No. Unfortunately its not. I just double checked. The one I’m thinking of it’s the guy that writes the poems.

Reader Favorites – Harper’s Top Ten Best Books of 2019 List

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Meet Harper everyone!!! She’s just started commenting and giving us recommendations as of this year, and she’s pretty active amongst our reader questions, too. 🙂 Welcome my friend!!!

What I’ve learned about her so far? She’s a BIG Christina Lauren fan (quite a few favorites of her below include their books).

She also enjoys short stories but will never 5-star them.

“For me, a short story won’t get 5 stars just because I need more pages. But I read Must Love Coffee yesterday and it was funny (based on true events also). I gave it a 3.”

Yep. Harper is a book-girl after my own heart! The ones I’ve read that she loved, I agree with 100%. And many of the others are already on my TBR list. Plus, there are so many “new-to-me” on here. *claps and claps with glee*

They sound wonderful, poignant and just… beautifully written. Rich in story. Totally my style of love stories.

HARPER’S TOP TEN FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2019

“Yey, I have a few favorites published this year (hope I’m not forgetting any)”:

1. The Girl He Used to Know: A Novel by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Maryse: OH YES!!! This one is making my “Best of 2019” list, too!! 😀 Holy moly I didn’t even see it coming.

bookster: “The girl he used to know” was super amazing.

R: I finished The Girl He Used To Know really late last night then stayed up even later to analyze it. My eyes hurt!

2. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Tutu: One of my favourite’s will definitely be “ The Bride Test”

3. 99 Percent Mine: A Novel by Sally Thorne

Christine: loved 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne!!! I’ve been in RomCom heaven lately!

Tasha J: 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne. This had me laughing so hard.

4. Things You Save in a Fire: A Novel by Katherine Center

Michele G: Things You Save in a Fire is one of my faves this year! I highly recommend!!

5. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Grey: I read The Unhoneymooners, I really liked it. 4.5 stars from me.

Nay: I finished the Unhoneymooners this weekend and I ended up enjoying it so much! I laughed until I cried several times, and the H was so goshdarn loveable (and sexy)! I highly recommend it if you want a Rom, with just the right amount of Com, that’s done really well.

6. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren <— Thanks for the recommendation, Michele! I read twice in a blue moon too and really liked it. I like everything Christina Lauren writes. Her characters tend to be mature and know how to communicate. Thats what really attracts me to them. Its really rare with the new books in contemporary romance that the H and h don’t linger in miscommunication and resolve their problems in a reasonable way and time frame. I love the character development as well.

Michele G: Harper, I’m so glad you enjoyed it too! …It was a 4 1/2 star read for me! It’s another one where I highly recommend you go into it knowing as little as possible. It really will make the story so much more enjoyable.

7. Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan

Kathy P: It was definitely ite!y different than a few of the other books i read (more thrillerish if that is a word. Not a light read. I would definitely recommend reading it

8. A Five-Minute Life by Emma Scott

Linda: Just completed A Five-minute Life by Emma Scott late last night. Couldn’t put it down.

Maryse: I read A Five Minute Life and it was great!!!

Jean: Finished Five Minute Life last night! Loved it! Emma Scott’s writing is amazing and I’m never disappointed!

9. Her Perfect: A Student-Teacher Romance by Stephie Walls

Mona: …loved it! It is a forbidden teacher/student story (she’s 18 and he’s 24). … It is so much more than the usual teacher/student book. It is angsty and I teared up a couple of times.

Lisa C: I’m halfway through Her Perfect and it’s slow burn goodness!!! I want them to fight it!!!!!! Writing is good. I hate when the teacher is “the bad guy”. I love Eli. Or at least so far. Excited to finish.

Linda: Only 27% into my latest read Her Perfect by Stephie Walls and I’m addicted!! Anyone in a slump? It’s a teacher/student scenario!!

10. You’d Be Mine: A Novel by Erin Hahn

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Note from Maryse: And for a few more, these were the suggestions to get one of our fellow readers our of her book slump so I’ll call them Harper’s “honorable mentions” – though many of them were probably read previous to 2019. Still… they sound too good to leave out, and she posted this list this year too, so I’m goin’ with it. 😉

She said:

If you haven’t read it yet, try Brittainy C Cherry.

Christina Lauren also has a book very similar to The Hating Game, its called Dating You / Hating You.

Also from Christina Lauren: Twice in a blue moon, The Unhoneymooners, My favorite half-night stand, Roomie and Josh and Hazels guide to not dating.

Harper: How to walk away is perfect!

Have a 2019 Favorites list for me? Email it to me here. 😀

 

Karen M. McManus – One of Us Is Lying Series Reading Order

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 <— YA HIGH-SCHOOL PSYCH-THRILLER SERIES ALERT (a la “Breakfast Club” but so much more)!!! Oooooh EM GEEEEE!!! I just found out about this ’cause Kat LOVED book #1 and this sounds like so much creepy fun!!! 🙂 AND!!! The actual sequel to book #1 (the 3rd book listed below) is up for preorder and coming out in just a few weeks!!

P.S. I’m not really sure that book #2 is part of this series, ’cause from reviews – it’s a standalone – but the title, and cover and the fact that it’s also a YA psych-thriller/murder mystery makes me feel like putting it in here, anyway. 😉

Kat: I absolutely loved this authors other novel One Of Us Is Lying

Nay: I’m listening to One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus (another one whose title and cover reeled me in). It’s YA, which isn’t usually my thing, but it’s a Breakfast Club-y murder mystery, so I’m enjoying it so far.

About book #1:

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident.

On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

SERIES READING ORDER: