Maryse's Book Blog

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

Sara Whitney – Tempt Me Series Reading Order

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ULTIMATE ROMANCE GUILTY PLEASURES & each one can be read as a standalone!! #1… Trapped in a snowstorm with the one that broke your heart, #2 sexy brooding grumpy baker (tee hee!!). 😛

About book #1:

An unforgiving blizzard

Tom Castle ended up in the wrong apartment on the wrong day. Now a ferocious snowstorm has him trapped with his onetime crush and longtime regret, which is pretty much in line with his lifelong bad luck.

An unwelcome houseguest

Finn Carey has no choice. Although it’s tempting to let Tom take his chances on the streets of Chicago, she doesn’t want anyone to die in a snowbank— not even the man who hurt her so badly years ago.

An unexpected second chance

At first, Tom and Finn do their best to ignore each other in the close quarters. Then the power goes out, and things between them heat up as the secrets start to flow. Which will thaw first: the storm raging outside or the ice protecting their hearts?

SERIES READING ORDER (though each can be read as a standalone)

Monday Early Bird Book Releases – 02-17-2020

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HAPPY MONDAY EARLY BIRDS!! I’m still working on today’s list (yep! I been  lazy and taking my time this morning). And I have my awesome Cinnamon Twist coffee & thinking holy moly February is going fast.

<— IN CASE YOU MISSED IT YESTERDAY!!! 😮 L.J. Shen’s LATEST – Angry God – IS LIVE!!!!

Diana: OMG about time, sooooo excited

Courtney: So excited for this! ❤️

As well as all of THESE Monday Earlybirds!!! But first:

1.) I’m about to post a review for In an Instant (it was really good!), and then I’m going to start reading Tessa Bailey’s Reborn Yesterday (he wakes up on her embalming table!!! The vampire and the human woman… and this sounds right up my original paranormal romance alley!!) I’m totally in the mood again.

2.) I watched two movies over my wonderful Valentines Day weekend (and none of ’em were romance). Go figure. 😉 The first one. Who has seen “Parasite“? I love asian horror & thrillers & I knew this wasn’t going to be horror (despite the title… and fitting), but it kept me on the edge of my seat anyway. I was holding my breath so many times.

Also, quite a few messages to take away with this one. I wasn’t sure who I’d recommend it to. Goes in all sorts of directions & it’s a bit over-the-top. I had to “suspend belief” at times, and yet, the ending… *ooooomph* It sure did go crazy… Did I love it to the level of Best Picture of the Year that it won? Hrmmm… maybe no? But was it riveting and did it keep me guessing as where it was going, and am I still thinking about it, and will I never forget it? YES!!!!

Val: I loved it. It was just so different and fascinating to me. Definitely a lot of “wait, what?” moments but they just added to it for me. It also had a few messages that made me think a lot.

Maryse: Right there with you!!!! The comment on the basement smell… painful.

Val: Yes. I had a hard time with that. I am still bothered by it and think about it a lot. But it’s very effective and a good way to use film to make us realize some things.

Cindy: I watched it last week. I went into it blind (like I do with books 😁) It was intriguing! I never lost interest which is a testament to the tight direction. A lot of subtle things thrown in to tell the story and connect the characters. 5 stars!

Jessica:  I loved it. I watch a ton of Korean dramas and I was so pleased that it won so many awards. It’s well deserved.

3.) I also watched Stephen Kings “Doctor Sleep“ (sequel to The Shining) and I was pretty impressed with it. It’s a long movie (over 2.5hrs I think?) but very detailed about Danny’s life (and abilities) as an adult. And he’s a freaking mess. But what I loved is while – yes… it’s horror – a few signature Stephen King scary scenes – It had a very “fantasy” feel to it when Danny meets a young girl that has powers like he does. But HOLY MOLY is she powerful. And then… there are the villains that are powerful too. Almost like soul-vampires (that’s how they feed themselves)… sucking a soul right out. But they only choose special victims. SO GOOD!!!

LOOK WHAT JUST WENT LIVE :D !!!

  1. Angry God by L.J. Shen <— HE’S HER BULLY… and now they’re stuck living together!!! “...His parents rule this town, its police, every citizen and boutique on Main Street. All I own is a nice, juicy grudge against him for that time he almost killed me. Between hooking up with a different girl every weekend, breaking hearts, noses and rules, Vaughn also finds the time to bully little ole’ me. I fight back, tooth and nail, never expecting him to chase me across the ocean after we graduate high school. But here he is, living with me in a dark, looming castle on the outskirts of London. A fellow intern...”

Diana: Fav Author hands down

  1. Altered by Lead (Undercover Sinners Book 2) by Tate James & C.M. Stunich <— DARK MAFIA ROMANCE ALERT!! **ALTERED BY LEAD is Book Two in the UNDERCOVER SINNERS trilogy. This is a romantic suspense with unapologetic anti-heroes and is fully intended for a mature audience.**
  2. Rock Bottom: (A Dawson Family Novel) by Emily Goodwin
  3. The Ruthless Knight by Jeana E. Mann
  4. Monster Inside Me: Volume II (A Dark Mafia Romance Book 2) by Faye Byrd
  5. Stone Cold Kiwi (New Zealand Ever After Book 2) by Rosalind James <— HER MARRIAGE IS FAILING & SHE’S FALLING FOR HER DELIVERY DOCTOR!!! “…My marriage? Living with a failing marriage is like living with a toothache. It’s not going to get any better, and eventually, it’s going to get heaps worse, but who wants a root canal. Beginning to fall for the much-too-charming, not-quite-available, stone-cold-beautiful Dr. Matiu Te Mana, on the day he delivered the third of those children on the grass outside Dunedin Hospital, a few short minutes before my marriage began its spectacular and very public final implosion? Possibly tricky…”
  6. Sinners & Gin (Top Shelf Book 6) by Alta Hensley
  7. Bad Boy’s Baby (South Side Boys) by Alexis Winter
  8. Edged (The Invincibles Book 2) by Heather Slade
  9. Red Thorns: A College Bully Romance (Red Thorns Crew Book 1) by Rebel Hart <— BULLY BOOK ALERT!! GOOD GIRL & THE BIKER ALERT! “…Dani’s goal of keeping her nose in her textbooks and getting impeccable grades has served her well. Made her parents proud. Kept her on a path toward the white-picket fence and clean-cut husband she always dreamt she wanted. The life her parents wanted for her more than anything. Until she sees Max pull up to campus on his bike. Max is the president of the Red Thorns, the toughest motorcycle crew in Ann Arbor...”
  10. BeWitch Her (Descended from a Witch Book 1) by Atlas Rose
  11. Siren Condemned: Paranormal Prison Series by C.R. Jane and Mila Young
  12. Chief: A BBW Instalove Romance (Lighting The Alpha’s Fire Book 2) by Kate Hunt
  13. Trouble by Colet Abedi <— DARK ROMANCE ALERT!! HE’S OBSESSED WITH HER… “…You were a means to an end, a way to pay your father back. To avenge my sister. Her death. Her life. But it turned into something else. An obsession. An addiction. Dangerous. Unwanted. But, maybe, inevitable. And so here we are. I’m sorry, Kerri… I didn’t want this…”
  14. Heard by Suzanne Jefferies
  15. The Demigod Complex (Brimstone INC Book 1) by Abigail Owen
  16. The Weight of Living (Cherrywood Grove Book 3) by M.A. Hinkle
  17. Once in a Blue Moon (Belles of St. Clair Book 2) by Amanda Ashby
  18. Hate Struck: (Maddison High School Book 1) by Nikki Ashton <— HE HATES HER!! “…Sarah Danes was the new girl at Maddison High School and was was running from her past. The scars she carried constantly reminded her of what she’d suffered, but she was determined to move on. If only the boy who ruled the school corridors didn’t hate her so much…”
  19. Darklight 5: Darktide by Bella Forrest
  20. The Billionaire’s Secret Regret: A Second Chance, Secret Baby Romance. by Tara Brent
  21. The Dare by Mia Ford

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )

  1. Tempting Taste (Tempt Me Book 2) by Sara Whitney – February 18th 2020
  2. Real Life: A Novel by Brandon Taylor – February 18th 2020
  3. Chasing Cassandra: The Ravenels by Lisa Kleypas – February 18th 2020
  4. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James – February 18th 2020
  5. Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon – February 18th 2020
  6. Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin – February 18th 2020
  7. The Other Mrs.: A Novel by Mary Kubica – February 18th 2020
  10. Wild at Heart: A Novel (The Simple Wild Book 2) by K.A. Tucker – February 18th 2020
  11. Creeping Beautiful by J.A. Huss – February 19th 2020
  12. A Glimmer of Ghosts (The Hell Gate Series) by Hunter J. Skye – February 19th 2020
  13. Rebel Priest (Love and Other Drugs Duet Book 1) by Adriane Leigh – February 20th 2020
  14. Face the Music (Love, Hate, Rock-n-Roll Book 3) by JB Salsbury – February 20th 2020
  15. The Laws of Entanglement: A True Love Story by Maya Preisler – February 22nd 2020
  17. Just One Year by Penelope Ward – February 24th 2020

 

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Katy Regnery – Odds-Are-Good Series Reading Order

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ALASKAN DATING SITE/PERSONALS ADS ROMANCE ALERT!!!! Not only do we get the beauty of Wild Alaska, and all of the elements and wonder (and shock and awe on first visit to this wonderful and sometimes unforgiving area), we get a dating site!!!!! And that brings on a whole slew of trepidation, blind-ish dates and maybe even a little drama. 😉

P.S. I loved the first book in this series and need to jump into the rest!! Here’s my Book Review of Single in Sitka by Katy Regnery

Maryse: I had so much fun (and feels) reading this one. Pure sweet (yet steamy!!! HOLY MOLY!!) contemporary romance, with just the right amount of angst to keep me concerned about how it would end. And a cop-romance which I’ve obviously got a thing for. YAY ME!!

Nancy: I liked it, too!

Michele G: Over the weekend, I read an ARC of Katy Regnery’s Nome-o Seeks Juliet. It’s the second one in the Odds-Are-Good series and I’ve enjoyed both of them. They are all standalone books with the common factor being that they are tied to personal/classified ads being placed by men from Alaska. This one had a little bit of the Vixen and the Vet feel to it (just a little).

The titles and covers are light and fun but the books really do involve serious issues, have steamy scenes and sometimes heartbreaking decisions. I 5 starred this one and 4 1/2 starred Single in Sitka – which was the first one in the series.

Denise: Ohhhh! Sounds so good. Can’t wait to read it

Debra: I read the second and third too, so so good

Teresa: Love this series ❤️

About book #1

A single Dad. A personal ad. What could possibly go wrong?

When Seattle journalist, Amanda McKendrick, pitches a new story about the increase of bear attacks in Sitka, her newspaper sends her north for two weeks. While there, she answers the personal ad of single dad, Luke Kingston, looking for a little no-strings-attached fun to pass the time.

But the sweet, widowered father of three–who just happens to be a smokin’ hot state trooper–turns out to be a lot more than Amanda bargained for. As the days go by, she wonders if it’ll be possible to return to Seattle without leaving her heart behind.

SERIES READING ORDER:

 

L.J. Shen – All Saints High Series Reading Order

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L.J. SHEN’S LATEST BULLY ROMANCE SERIES and book #3 (Angry God) JUST WENT LIVE!!! P.S. Book #2 made some in our crew sob (but LOVE it!!)

Tessa: Pretty Reckless by LJ Shen and OMG, tummy twists galore!

MichelleS: …I love LJ Chen’s writing, and it’s a serious bully book.!

JulieO: Can’t believe it!!! I just finished re-reading the SINNER OF SAINTS SERIES. I mean I just put down SCANDALOUS last night and thinking about what to read next and it was like a book was dropped from heaven. PRETTY RECKLESS just for me!!!! Happy🥰

Mona: Broken Knight by LJ Shen, it was angsty, but I didn’t require tissues, and a great read!

Mary Ann: I recommend Broken Knight by LJ Shen. There is the feel of unrequited love, the hero is a major jerk, heroine has SaaS and angsty.

Tessa: Finished Broken Knight. MY HEART! I was sobbing through so much of it. No joke. Just, it was so sad and I just couldn’t stop crying. I finished it at 1am last night. It was sincerely great, but my heart HURT!!!

About book #1:

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.
I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart was completely iced.
I took her first kiss.
She took the only thing I loved.
I was poor.
She was rich.
The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.
Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.
Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.
Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.
There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.
Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.

Daria

Everyone loves a good old unapologetic punk.
But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.
The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.
In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.
Four years ago, he asked me to save all my firsts for him.
Now he lives across the hall, and I want nothing more than to be his last everything.
His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.
Now? Now he is making me pay.

SERIES READING ORDER:

Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations – 02-14-2020

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HAPPY FRIDAY FINDS & Happy Valentines Day my friends!!! Time for some serious romance. In real life… and in our awesome book life too. 😀 Today’s list is nicely loaded & I’m still working on it as we speak, so keep checking back for more.

And if your Valentine’s weekend includes hanging out with your kids, this list might be fun to try!!

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

Rae: OMG I can’t believe this is being released. I gave up on it so long ago. Thanks Maryse. Off to download.

Susan: I read both about a month ago and loved them!!! I have looked everywhere for book 3 …It’s definitely an unfinished story and needs a third book.

Robyn:  I have had this book for sooooo long waiting to be read. Maybe it’s time to start it now! 

Carla: HL5/Skygods is my favorite… of all time. I will always re-read it when I have a chance. I fell in love with it as a fanfic, and anxiously awaited the publication…. Skygods is not a CH. It ends in a good place, but another book, continuing the story would be amazing. I love these characters so much.. getting to spend more time with them would be a gift.

  • The Affair by J.L. Berg <— LIVE!!! BLURB JOLT!!! HER HUSBAND’S BROTHER… “...Sawyer Gallagher was never on my radar. The moment I met his younger brother, I was taken. Done for. Love-drunk. But, some things aren’t meant to last and at the age of thirty-three, I find myself divorced, penniless and living with my parents. When Sawyer stops by our family’s antique store, asking for a job, I figure: Why the heck not? Life can’t get much worse. It doesn’t take long to realize just how different the Gallagher brothers are…”

Amy: One-clicked The Affair! Sounds so good and I love J.L. Berg!

Maryse: Agreed!!! That’s my biggest blurb jolt of the day!! 😀

Joanne: I just finished A Simple Wild. Amazing! It’s been a long time since I’ve been moved to tears by a book. Thank you for this recommendation — the best part, the sequel is out next week. 🎉

Young: One of my favorite series ever is Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn. For me, it is right up there with Tairen Soul series. …Please read Tairen Soul series, or Warprize. Both were AMAZING and the best I’ve ever read!! The world building in the stories is top notch. You won’t be sorry.

  • See Me by T.L. Travis <— LIVE!!! HE’S BEEN DISFIGURED ALL HIS LIFE… “…“Trust what’s inside. Even beauty sometimes has an evil lurking beneath.” Over the years her nickname for me, my little one, was shorted to Mio. Calling me little when I now towered over her five foot frame by more than fourteen inches made it even more adorable to hear her say. Is it best to see someone for who they truly are, or is it safer to hide in the shadows and avoid risking it all?“
  • Suburban Renewal (That Business Between Us Book 3) by Pamela Morsi <— JulieO kept the paperback in her precious collection!

JulieO: SUBURBAN RENEWAL. Read it long before kindles were around. Very good. How do I know it is very good? Because as soon as I heard the title I remembered the goodness of the  book. So will go find my paperback and blow off the dust.

Another reason is the last time I moved I went through all my paperbacks and only kept the ones I truly care out about and SUBURBAN RENEWAL made the cut.

  • Heart of Darkness (An Immortals of the Damned Novel Book 1) by Claire Marta
  • Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life?: An absolutely hilarious, laugh out loud page turner by Kristen Bailey <— MARRIED LIFE AND FAMILY ALERT!! “...All hope of having some ‘alone time’ is replaced with wondering if we’ve run out of Cheerios, thinking about the overflowing laundry, and remembering that I forgot to take out the recycling. Again. Just a typical Monday morning for the Morton family… Except today, when I go downstairs in my dressing gown, I find something. Something belonging to my husband. Something that definitely wasn’t in the wedding vows. And it’s either going to make us… or break us…”
  • Rescued: A Dark Sci-Fi Romance Short (Winning Her Over Book 1) by Kendra Darcy
  • Apple Blossoms: A Regency Fairytale by Britain Kalai Soderquist
  • Going All The Way: Kiss The Bride #1 by Cynthia Cooke <— LIVE!! HER NEW NEIGHBOR IS NOT PEACEFUL!! “…She returns home to San Francisco to focus on her artwork, relax, and hang out with her friends. A stress-free life. Until a man moves in next door who pushes all her buttons. Between Ryan and his dog, Riley, life is anything but peaceful. But it sure is a whole lot more fun...”
  • Tell Me I’m Yours by J. J. Carlson <— LIVE!! PSYCH-THRILLER ALERT!! “...Walking barefoot across town, Evelyn Jameson fears that no one will ever love her for who she is. But then she meets a charming, easygoing man who is just as awkward as she is, and her worries begin to melt away. Happiness, it seems, is finally within reach. Mutual sparks of attraction lead to a comfortable romance, and Evelyn knows she is falling in love. Her perseverance is finally paying off. But one of her closest friends—someone she has known for years, is watching her closely. Too closely…”
  • Wanderlove by Rachel Blaufeld <— Rachel Blaufeld SUPER-BARGAIN (US) ALERT!! & Michele G LOVED IT!!

Michele G: …read Wanderlove by Rachel Blaufeld and really loved it too – 4 1/2 stars! It was the first of her books that I’ve read and I don’t know why.

…Two broken souls meant to be together (at least that’s my interpretation)…their story crawled right into my heart and took residence.

  • Straighten Up and Swipe Right by by Lu Etchells <— COMEDY ROMANCE ONLINE DATING ALERT!! “…Laura Henderson already has two loves in her life: her cat, and her ever-increasing shoe collection. Three, if you include her best friend Martyn. But, as Martyn’s wedding day approaches, Laura starts to think it might be nice to have someone to snuggle up to on those cold Mancunian nights. Join her as she enters the farcical, and occasionally disastrous, world of online dating. Is she destined to be the crazy cat lady with the nice shoes, or will she find her Mr Swipe Right?”
    Absinthe Minded (Bourbon Street Bad Boys’ Club Book 1)by Kathryn M. Hearst <— LIVE!! MAFIA BOSS & A BABY LEFT WITH HIM ALERT!! AND HE NEEDS HELP!     “…Maggie Guthrie is broke, exhausted, and raising her deceased sister’s kids. She’s also a reporter by day and desperately needs to get the scoop on one of the most illustrious families in the French Quarter, the Marchionnis… …even if that means running into her ex. Unfortunately, wishes do come true. So when Gabe shows up on her doorstep with a newborn and a proposition she should refuse, Maggie knows better than to let him into her house…and into her life…”
  • Every Day is Valentine’s Day by Ava Danielle <— LIVE!! SHE HATES VALENTINES DAY! “…Despite all the hatred she feels towards Valentine’s Day, she still fell in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time. She fell in love with her own personal Romeo. But will she still feel the samewhen she meets him for the first time?”
  • Beautiful Trouble (Dirty Hollywood Book 2) by Claire Raye
  • Endgame by Aisha Tritle

AUDIOBOOK L:DVERS!

Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial (which includes 1 free audiobook + 2 audible originals)

  • 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)!!

Leslie M: I’m reading (well, listening to) The Girl he Used to Know and I’m nervous. I KNOW something is coming but I have no idea what. I started reading Maryse’s review then stopped where it says “go in blind”.

*bites nails nervously*

P.S. The male narrators voice is slightly annoying but not enough to ruin story.

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )

  1. Altered by Lead (Undercover Sinners Book 2) by Tate James & C.M. Stunich – February 15th 2020
  2. Loud Mouth (Ice Knights Book 3) by Avery Flynn – February 17th 2020
  3. Real Life: A Novel by Brandon Taylor – February 18th 2020
  4. Chasing Cassandra: The Ravenels by Lisa Kleypas – February 18th 2020
  5. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James – February 18th 2020
  6. Wild at Heart: A Novel (The Simple Wild Book 2) by K.A. Tucker – February 18th 2020
  7. Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon – February 18th 2020
  8. Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin – February 18th 2020
    The Other Mrs.: A Novel by Mary Kubica – February 18th 2020
  9. Creeping Beautiful by J.A. Huss – February 19th 2020
  10. A Glimmer of Ghosts (The Hell Gate Series) by Hunter J. Skye – February 19th 2020
  11. Rebel Priest (Love and Other Drugs Duet Book 1) by Adriane Leigh – February 20th 2020
  12. Face the Music (Love, Hate, Rock-n-Roll Book 3) by JB Salsbury – February 20th 2020
  13. The Laws of Entanglement: A True Love Story by Maya Preisler – February 22nd 2020
  14. Just One Year by Penelope Ward – February 24th 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).