Maryse's Book Blog

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

love after loss

Our Favorite “Love After Loss” Romance Book Recommendations

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Most of today’s reader questions will be recommendation requests for certain tropes. I have received so many lately, so let’s see what new lists we can make, along with what we can add to past lists (updates!!!) YAY!!! 😀

Okay first question is by Amy (and actually Priscilla, too!) and the way it was worded, what first came to mind was… “Does she mean Vampire books”? LOL! You can tell where my romance roots are. 😉 But once she mentioned one of my favorite books ever as an example, I realized we were going much deeper… read more

Book Review – Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

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Regretting You

OH WOW!! 🤩 This one stole my heart. Yep! Still has that signature Colleen Hoover storytelling by way of her beautiful words and introspection and her relatable characters with real life issues. It’s why we love her so.

Kim: Regretting You, it was very relatable which I think is one of Coho’s great talents. She is always a sure thing for me.

But also signature Colleen ’cause it had quite the twist that, yet again – I didn’t see coming until it slapped me right on the face! And it does so early on, too, so you get to live it as they do. read more

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? read more

Book Review – Single in Sitka by Katy Regnery

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Single in Sitka (An Odds-Are-Good Standalone Romance Book 1)

*claps* I had so much fun (and feels) reading this one!! It wasn’t anything crazy or over-the-top tense or anything like that, just pure sweet (yet super-steamy!!! HOLY MOLY) contemporary romance, with just the right amount of angst to keep me concerned about how it would resolve. And a cop-romance which I’ve obviously got a thing for. YAY ME!! I one-clicked this on release day SO HARD. 😉

It hit all my romance-buttons:

  • A sweet and loving (and grieving) single father – check
  • An interesting (and very plausible) date potential? – check!
  • A not so pleasant (but also plausible) “meet cute” – CHECK!!

“What? What do you want?” I finally yell, stopping to face him. “Why can’t you leave me alone?” read more

The Emily Bleeker Collection

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This author came to my attention when her book “Wreckage” kept popping up as a suggestion for “stranded/castaway” favorite list (and I LOVE that trope).

While each book in this “series” can be read as a standalone, they all appear to be emotional-dramas and I LOVE those too!

JulieO: Just saw WRECKAGE and remembered how good it was. Think a re-read is in order.

About book #1:

Ellie Brown thought she’d finally escaped her stifling hometown of Broadlands, Illinois; med school was supposed to be her ticket out. But when her father has a stroke, she must return home to share his care with her older sister, Amelia, who’s busy with her own family. Working as a paramedic, Ellie’s days are monotonous, driving an ambulance through streets she’d hoped never to see again. read more

Terri E. Laine & A.M. Hargrove – Cruel and Beautiful Series Reading Order

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<— Remember this one??? GASP!!!! I didn’t realize this was a series!! WE LOVED book #1 like crazy here (reminiscent of our old-school super-angsty romance with a jaw dropping twist), and I just realized that there are TWO more!!!! P.S. Here’s my review of book #1 (Cruel and Beautiful). IT IS A MUST READ!!!!

NOTE: While each one can be read as a standalone (each one focuses on a specific set of characters), the characters DO cross over. Many readers recommending reading in order so you can get to know the characters as the series progresses (and also – most importantly – so book #1 is not “spoiled” by the next book in the series). read more