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Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations – 12-27-19

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HAPPY FRIDAY & FRIDAY FINDS DAY!!! I can’t believe we’re already Friday but I am not complaining. I think this is going to be a do-nothing but relax and read and watch movies week. No shopping, no planning, no big meals… probably not even any cooking. 😉

In all the excitement of the week, I totally forgot to do a three things on Monday! So I’m doing it today. 🙂

1.) I cheated on my Keto on Christmas Day so along with my ham and roasted veggies I had a few small roasted potatoes and one of R. Renee’s delicious caramels (she sent me some!! And my Christmas crew LOVED them!! Buttery decadent deliciousness!!!) and I had one small chocolate chip cookie and a super-skinny slice of super-sweet fatty yummy cheesecake. Like… I mean… a sliver-slice. OH BOY!!! I surprisingly feel good today. Even with all that I think I kept my carbs at 100g, so that helps. 😉

2.) I went shopping last night for all my white & clear Christmas ornaments (50% off!!) since I want to have an all snow theme on my tree next year. Umm… they were already pretty much all gone by the time I got there. *sigh* I did get some stuff though and the search is not over.

3.) I had a second Christmas supper with my family last night via FaceTime. My mom invited our family members (aunts and uncles and cousins) and she set up a beautiful Christmas table, and I was at the table too, via FaceTime. Happy!!!!

P.S. FANTASY ROMANCE LOVERS!! Lookit what I got!! 😀 Make sure to check out today’s Friday Finds newsletter sponsor ➔ Isabella August – Faerie Lords Series Reading Order + Fun Facts & a quick excerpt (she made me giggle)!

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

P.S. These deals are still active as we speak so you can still get in on ’em:

  • ➔➔ Three months of Kindle Unlimited for a super-bargain!! Not a member yet? This is for you! Not for me, ’cause I am one. 😉 And I love it.
  • ➔➔ 4 months of Amazon Unlimited Music for a super-bargain <— AMAZING deal! “... This limited time offer provides on-demand, ad-free and unlimited access to 50 million songs on any device via the Amazon Music app...”
  • ➔➔ 3 months of Audible at a significant discount!! You can get in on this deal until December 31st!!
  • and now the book finds!
  • Tall, Dark & Furious (A Pyte/Sentinel Novel Book 6) by R.L. Mathewson <— R.L. MATHEWSON ALERT!! HOLY MOLY IT’S LIVE!!!! 😲😀 R.L. Mathewson’s highly anticipated latest in her Pyte/Sentinal series!! “...Sam had resigned herself to a lot of things over the years, being the town joke, blacking out at inopportune moments, and living with a dog that hated her, but what she hadn’t planned on was suddenly finding five large men destroying her basement, looking for a tomb that she never knew existed. In one moment, her life changed forever, leaving her to wonder how she was going to make it out of this alive...” P.S. Here’s the whole series.

Michelle: I have not read a Mathewson book in years, looking forward to this one based on synposis.

Meagan: Omg yay! I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for a new one to come out. Love this series. 🥰

  • Dr Stanton Boxset by T.L. Swan <— BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!! OMG LOOKIT THIS SUPER-BARGAIN BOX SET THAT I JUST ONE CLICKED!! (thank you Nancy for this Friday Find!!!) 😀

Marit: It’s soooooo good 😉 He is so hot. But he makes me so mad as well!

Adele: I second Marit’s Dr. Stanton recommendation! It was fantastic, lots of drama, made me cry too… Hail No was also two thumbs up, more of that drama I seem to be in the mood for and action! Definitely a page turner, very creative and well written. There are 3 more in the series…

  • Finding Jackson by Anne Holster <— ROCK STAR ROMANCE ALERT!! The author just sent me a copy as a gift (and she also let me know that she’s a fan of some of our angsty bad-boy favorites like Beautiful Disaster & Thoughtless) so you KNOW I had to take a closer look. 😉 And I had to post it here as a Friday Find since it sounds right up our angsty alley! He’s headed nowhere fast… “Everything changes the night Jackson meets Leah. Shy and reserved, she doesn’t smoke and barely drinks; she certainly doesn’t put out. Not exactly the girl from the Bon Jovi videos he watched as a kid. Yet before he knows it, she has become his world. Then, just when it looks like his dreams might come true, betrayal and loss once again threaten everything...”
  • Faerie Lords Books 1-3: A Paranormal Romance Box Set by Isabella August <— LIVE!! SERIES BUNDLE ALERT!! The series can be read in any order. “Stolen away. Hiding from the past. Searching for a future. Wicked faeries have broken their lives… but every good faerie tale eventually has a happily ever after.“ P.S. Make sure to check out her feature – she’s this week’s newsletter sponsor ➔ Isabella August – Faerie Lords Series Reading Order + Fun Facts & a quick excerpt (she made me giggle)!
  • Unexpected (Inked Book 3) by K.M. Neuhold <— LIVE!!
  • Because of Him: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 2) by Kimberly Rae Jordan
  • A CATALINA COVE CHRISTMAS (Catalina Cove Series – Book 3.5) by Benda Jackson
  • I Gave Myself to the Shifters: The Complete Billionaire Centaur Trilogy by Jen Berry <— TRILOGY BUNDLE SUPER-BARGAIN ALERT!!
  • Breaking You: A Dark College Bully Romance (A Blackthorn Elite Novel Book 2) by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman <— LIVE!!! BULLY BOOK ALERT! Can be read as a standalone!! They used to be best friends… “…Seeing her for the first time after three years was like a bucket of ice water being poured on me. It chilled me to the bone, making me irrational, angry. No longer is she a little girl but a grown woman with curves and eyes that pierce my black soul. No one knows the darkness that lingers under the surface, all they see is my smile, my charismatic charm. I’m the all American golden boy. Having her back in my life is awakening something inside of me. She reminds me of everything good, everything I’ll never have and I refuse to let her stay…”
  • The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski <— ELA’S SHOUTY-HAPPY CAPS ARE BACK!!! And she commands this of us!!!

Ela: MARYSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!! AND ON THAT NOTE YOU MUST WATCH THE WITCHER STARTING HENRY CAVILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NETFLIX ORIGINAL BASED ON A POLISH AUTHOR’S BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW GO AND BE MERRY

Maryse: LOL!!!!! Oh how I love when you’re shouty-excited!!! Makes me so excited too. ON IT!!! 😀 And the merry part, too.

Robyn: I’m up to episode 4 of The Witcher and lets just say Henry Cavill is to die for with His deep voice, sexy, although kinda dirty, silver hair ( he gets a pass on that because he’s outside wielding that big sword of his a lot! 😉), and lets not forget those tight leathers he dons. Swooooon! Oh, and all his shirtless scenes, the musculature let me tell you is a sight to behold.

Besides Henry, the show is pretty good. My crack words were said a few times, which are “your destiny”. Those words do it for me all the time. I’m watching the rest today while I finish crocheting a blanket for Christmas.

  • Princess Ballot: A Dark College Romance (Royals of Arbon Academy Book 1) by by Tate James and Jaymin Eve <— LIVE!! SHE WAS CHOSEN IN A LOTTERY & IS NOW A PAWN BETWEEN TWO Monarchies… “…You have been chosen. Those four words change Violet Spencer’s whole life, when against staggering odds, she’s selected in the “princess ballot.” Arbon Academy is affectionately known as the school for Royals. Only the rich, powerful, or heir to a throne gain entry … except for the one scholarship student accepted every five years. It’s a worldwide lottery, and one that Violet entered without giving it any serious thought…”
  • Under the Mistletoe: A Reverse Harem Christmas Novel by J.C. Valentine
  • Top Secret by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen <— Sara’s TOP TWO FAVORITE books of 2019!!

I said my favorite read of 2019 was Top Secret by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen.

…I’ll tell you another favorite! Sink or Swim (Beach Kingdom Book 3) was fantastic!

Randi: Lauren Gilley’s Sons of Rome Book 4 Golden Eagle is out today for anybody waiting on it.

  • No Mercy Series by Lea Griffith <— RE-READ AWESOME!! Robyn LOVES this series!!!

Robyn: Finished book 3 of Lea Griffith’s No Mercy series so I am ready for book 4, Kiss Of The Blade to come out. Which should be anytime now.

Gosh, I love these books. I’ve reread them tons of times and they never get old.

Jennifer: I wholeheartedly agree with your recommendation about Lea Griffith’s No Mercy series. I love badass heroines!

  • Mind Reader by Kirsty McManus <– HE CAN PREDICT SOUL MATES & SHE’S A SCIENTIST… “…Beatrix Mackenzie lives her life by the facts. She loves her job as a scientist because of the clear-cut answers it can provide. So when she meets Kellan, she is reluctant to fall for his act. However, Kellan quickly proves himself to be an intelligent, and oh-so-attractive adversary, causing Beatrix to question everything she knows…“
  • Can’t Buy Me Love: Romantic Comedy (Sinclair Sisters Trilogy Book 3) by Janet Elizabeth Henderson <— LIVE!! CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE.
  • The Fixer (Professionals Book 1) by Jessica Gadziala <— WHAT TO READ AFTER KRISTEN ASHLEY’S ROCK CHICKS ALERT!!! Mony recommends this one!

Mony: Hi Maryse,

Love the books you just posted. Looking forward to reading them!

Just read The Fixer by Jessica Gadziala (GR 4.24). Fabulous read if you like Rock Chicks (RC). Reads like a Kristen Ashley novel – quirky hot guys security team, wow! hero (Lee Nightingale!), heroine strengthened by the team ,”safe room” antics, unique crime plot lines.

A great find for those who love RCs and want more. (yea!)

  • The Way We Fell by MJ Fields <— RECENT RELEASE & WE HAVE FEEDBACK!! Catina is loving it!!

Catina: …I just found this by chance. I have been reading all of your books for the last month. I’m reading Ben and Kendall at the moment. I have fallen add over teakettle in love with your writing!

  • Blind Sympathy by Roberta Bombonato <— SHE’S A RECLUSIVE BLIND COMPOSER & HE’S A DEMON THAT WANTS HER SOUL… Here’s another recent submission I received, and the blurb had me curious!! “…Alone in a cabin with only her service dog, she’s not at all concerned with her lack of cellphone service in the middle of nowhere. This is her special place where she can be free to relax and let her musical compositions speak to her. Israfel is a demon one assignment short from graduation: possession of an innocent soul. He’s always known he was different from the others of his kind, and meeting the lovely Vafara confirmed it...”
  • The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 2) by Patrick Rothfuss <— FANTASY ALERT!! Julia’s 2019 favorite! (and a favorite of Sheri & Terrie too)

Julia: My favorite book of 2019 was A Wise Man fears by Patrick Rothfuss. I know it’s an older series but I just read it this year. It was a totally unique series. I have felt like alot of books are predictable and this one was not.

Sheri: Gah! How could I forget my fav fav?!?! Put this somewhere, anywhere, on this list! The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle) By Patrick Rothfuss

Terrie: Favorite fantasy Patrick Rothfuss The Name of the Wind

  • Forbidden Queen Complete Series: Books 1-4 by Dyan Chick <— SERIES BUNDLE SUPER-BARGAIN ALERT!!! Four Sexy Fae Princes. A Changeling Fae. A Secret that could end them all. “…When Cassia’s wedding is ruined by a monster attack, her whole life changes. Destined for the dull and uneventful life of a Baron’s wife, Cassia always dreamed of more. She never thought it would come in the form of three sexy fae princes...”
  • The Duke Redemption (Game of Dukes Book 4) by Grace Callaway
  • Fateless (Stateless Book 3) by Meli Raine
  • Assist (Pucks & Rainbows Book 2) by L.A. Witt <— LIVE!!! M/M ROMANCE ALERT!! A rookie, his teammate, and his best friend from a rival team. What could possibly go wrong?
  • The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen: Cold Feet meets David Nicholls, with a dash of Jill Mansell by Juliet Ashton <— LIVE!! HE WAKES HER COMATOSE HEART… “...She fell in love with the street the moment she first twisted her ankle on its cobbles. Her double-fronted unit is now a spa. She has sunk all her money into the lease and refurbishment. She’s sunk all her hope into the carefully designed treatment rooms, the calm white reception space, the bijou flat carved out of the floor above. Sadie has a mission to connect…“
  • <— SATURDAY MORNING BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!! Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel <— HUGE HIT OF THE YEAR (has made a few of our BEST OF 2019 lists) and it’s ON SALE TODAY (US & CA)!!!! I just one-clicked it for myself! 😀 YAY ME!!!! *claps*

    Kathy: It was funny where I found my self laughing out loud, touching, and just so well written. …If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!! Hoping more books come out with some of the secondary characters in the book. …had all of the emotions (funny, sweet, sad, etc). One of my best books of the year (besides Someday, Someday). I even let my precocious 13 year old read this novel… as it is not very descriptive sexually (scenes fade to black) and she read it 3 times!

    R. Renee: I *just* finished Red, White & Royal Blue and I am a sobbing mess. I think I’ve just entered into another massive hangover, and it has, in fact, bumped Daisy Jones from this list. Matter of fact it’s at number 2. OMG.

    Tiffany: My favorite romance this year was probably The Bride Test or Red, White, & Royal Blue~!

 

AUDIOBOOK L:DVERS!

For those going on a road trip soon, or maybe you’ve got some projects that require both hands this weekend but still allows you to “listen”… check out the free audible trial + 2 free audiobooks deal

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )

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Reader Question – If I’ve never seen any Star Wars, can I watch The Rise of Skywalker and not be lost?

By 5 Comments

Okay so I answered this one directly, but since it’s such a HUGE question right now (and was, even for me) I thought I’d post it. And yes, it’s not actually a “book” question, but it sure is an epic story question, so it fits!!

Tasha J: If I’ve never seen any Star Wars, can I watch something new like this and not be lost?

The kids and I are curious, just bc they like all the merchandise, but don’t really have a clue about any of it.

Maryse: I watched it, and I was fine, Tasha… I barely remember the first three (as I never paid attention when they were on… other than what I know as fact – who the characters are and the bad guy. That’s about it.)

Also I watched the very first one in the new series (with the Jar Jar Binks character) and that pretty much showed us Darth Vader as a child and all I remember from that movie is him racing those space thingies and loving it (so we get to know him as a nice person and his family).

Then I watched maybe half an hour – the ending – of one a couple of nights ago, when Luke & Leia’s mom (Princess Amidala) was pregnant with them… and I saw how Darth Vader became Darth Vader in that half hour. VERY COOL that one was, even if I did just catch the tail-end of it! Okay I just found out that one is called Revenge of the Sith.

That’s it. That’s all I’ve ever seen. And I was absolutely fine and able to follow the latest one, no problem at all. In fact, I had fun rediscovering the pieces and how they snapped together as the movie went on. Very clever saga indeed!!!

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Actually I don’t spoil it at all,  but for those not wanting to know ANYTHING about the latest one (and are avoiding spoilers – I don’t even know if what I say below, you die hards might already know about, because of the previous movie (The Last Jedi) <— I didn’t see that one at all) but…

…

I watched the latest a few days ago and it’s essentially the offspring of some of the major players from the first movie. And we ALL know who those characters are (Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader etc…)

It didn’t take long for me to clue in to “who came from who” (and what side they were on – Jedi or the Dark Side), and it was INCREDIBLE. The good guys and the bad guys. I asked early on as we were watching to clarify a few things so I would get the gist from the start, and I was good to go!

Also what’s so good about them (my favorite parts) is the epic love stories that happen amongst the whole fighting between the Dark Side and the Jedi (they are the good guys – all powerful like monks but ninjas – in touch with “The Force” that makes them do all sorts of cool powerful stuff).

I don’t remember much of a love story from the first 3 ’cause I was a kid and didn’t have an interest in any of it.

But the love stories (at least from the movie I saw when Princess Amidala was pregnant and the latest one) have that whole star-crossed lovers feel. Oooooof!! You’ll see. Evil villain desperate to have her for his cold black heart. HE WAS GREAT TO WATCH!! I loved rooting for him, though those that I was with were appalled by me (and they let me in on a few dark and evil scenes from the previous movie that I had missed). Ooooops! LOL!!!

I think y’all will get me, though. 😉 OMG SO GOOD!

P.S. Oh hey look! They turned the latest one The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition (Star Wars) into a book, too!

➔➔➔  Browse more reader questions (solved & unsolved) here. 😀 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.

Reader Question – The book about the girl that is rescued by a stranger and brought to his cabin to heal…

By 5 Comments

Esther needs our book help! Oh how I love the “stranded with a stranger in a cabin trope” 😉 Though I do not recognize this one in particular.

There’s tons of detail (including pretty much, how it ends, so I spoiler-alerted for you in case you realize you haven’t read this one either. 😀

She asks:

Hi Maryse.

I’ve been looking for a book for so long and i tried so many times to find it with no luck. Hopefully you can help because this book is driving me insane, and I see that you read intensively. I will appreciate your help in finding this elusive book.

The book i’m looking for is a contemporary romance that I read in 2001. I remember it had a red cover but i’m not so sure.

It started with the heroine getting in a car crush on her way somewhere and she gets rescued by the Hero who was a stranger to her. I believe she wakes up later not knowing her surrounding but she was in the hero’s cabin in her bra and underwear and she is hurt from the accident and he takes care of her (I believe it’s her  arm that was badly injured and some bruises).

There also some part where the hero has to help her bath and dress and the cabin where they were it was snowing.

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I believe they left the cabin and continue dating or maybe they get married I don’t really remember but she somehow ends up leaving him…

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…but at some point leaves him because he goes looking for her at parents place where he finds out she is pregnant but this is at the end of the book.

At some point in the book he takes her to a party and could be a xmas party but I know it was a posh party. I know the hero was rich and either the Hero or the heroine’s dad was a senate or in politics.

That is all I remember. I also don’t know who the publisher is because I was so young when I read this and did not pay attention to such things.

Have a guess?

Helen: I need to read this one!

Denise: That sounds like, Under the Northern Lights by S. C. Stephens… One of my favorite books.

Maryse: Oh yessssss!! I remember this being a plane crash in Alaska book and it’s on my TBR list!!! I love survival romance stories.

Helen: Could it be Unloved, a love story by Kate Regnery?

Not: Wild North by JB Salisbury?

Smriti: Into the storm by Melanie Moreland. She is in a crash and is injured and rescued by hero

➔➔➔  Browse more reader questions (solved & unsolved) here. 😀 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.

Reader Favorites – Chitwan’s Best Books of 2019 List

By 4 Comments

It’s a Merry Christmas book list surprise!!! While right now, we’re all probably enjoying the day with family and friends, I was so happy when I received this surprise from one of our most recent readers!! A true gift of book-list awesomeness to enjoy when we have a bit of time to read quietly… and check out what our fellow book lovers loved the most, this year ➔  (the lot of lists so far, and I’ll be posting these well into January 2020, so send me yours!). 😀

And now it’s Chitwan’s turn!! She’s only been with us (at least publicly) as of this year, and she’s been active in our “reader questions” posts. I’m so glad she’s with us!!

And now… her Favorite Books of 2019:

Chitwan: Hello Maryse!! I love your blog and all the content you post!! I loved reading my fellow readers favourite list and decided to make one of my own.

I read so many books this year and discovered books from authors that were not familiar to me before but now I am a fan of them.

Emma Scott has always been my sure shot author whose work I’ll read even without reading the blurb and this year the two books she came out with were stellar, to say the least.

A Five-Minute Life by Emma Scott – This is my favourite read for this year. It was so angsty, the characters well thought of and a storyline so unique. I cried for the characters and what they were going through and I was so invested in their story. This is my top recommendation for this year!

Someday, Someday by Emma Scott – Another stellar piece of work by Ms. Scott. I think she might be the best author out there for unique angsty romance novels (my favourite subgenre). Her Beautiful Hearts duet from last year was my top read and this year again she validated her position with these novels.

Perfectly Adequate by Jewel E. Ann – I reread Ms. Ann’s books more than any other author’s so undoubtedly she is in my favourites list this year with Perfectly Adequate which featured the best female main character this year. I never miss out on any book my Jewel so I am pretty excited for next year when she releases more work.

All books released this year from L.J. Shen – Well it would have taken too much time to list all the books L.J Shen released and talk more in detail about them. Will say one thing – just go and read her books! One of the best romance writers out there!!

Parallel Duet by Elizabeth O’Roarke – I love me a great soul mate and love for life romance troupe and this duet was the best I’ve read in this subgenre. The characters were so great and the suspense kept me hooked! Was really happy to discover this author this year.

Stars On Fire series by E.L Todd – The storyline isn’t really unique or anything but the plot and it’s treatment is really great in this novel. Patiently (not really) waiting for the third book to come out! Will suggest that you wait for all the books to come out before starting the series as it ends on a cliffhanger in book two.

2019 has been a great book year for me and hopefully 2020 will top this!

Happy holidays y’all!!!!

P.S – Maryse can we have a soul mate/time travel/ recommendation list?

Maryse: You bet, Chitwan!! Here’s what we have so far ➔ https://www.maryse.net/tag/time-travel and https://www.maryse.net/tag/star-crossed (often soul mates in here, too!). But I think it’s time to start a dedicated list to “soulmates” so I’m on it!! Happy Holidays, my friend!! 😀

Merry Christmas, my wonderful book world (and my amazing friends)!!!!

By 15 Comments

Merry Christmas 🎄 🎁  my wonderful friends!!!! What a happy day I have lined up. 🙂 I’ll be opening and exchanging gifts today… (we do ours right before Christmas supper) and I’ll be having a wonderful family supper with some of my loved ones.

This time, I’m not hosting it but I’m bringing my yummy roasted Brussel Sprouts (a la “Ina Garten”) and I’m bringing a dutch apple pie! Okay, honestly? It’s a frozen one, not homemade, but it’s Marie Callender’s and it has to be baked… so sort of homemade, right? 🙂 ) And, holy moly, if you haven’t had it yet, it’s the best apple pie I’ve ever had. Seriously. I got one for Thanksgiving, and we all devoured it (even the non-pie lovers went crazy for it), so I’m bringing another one since it was such a hit. And a ton of whip cream! And yes, Keto or not, I will be having a tiny bite or three and indulge myself a little bit.

You guys… I feel so fortunate. More so every day. Every year gets better and better. And I especially feel fortunate because I have you guys, and our books, every single day.

I love this life dearly. And all of you. ❤️ Merry Christmas everyone!!!! 😀

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