I really hadn't been on the search for a new romance author to read, but last month when both Amazon and Goodreads featured Marie Force in recommendations for me I couldn't resist finding out why. It didn't hurt that the Kindle edition of the recommended book, Maid for Love (book one in the Gansett Island Series), was only 99 cents! It's difficult to regret that purchase price even if I hadn't cared for the book. As it turned out, I can't regret the cost of that first book or of her remaining eighteen! In one month I read all nineteen books and added her to the list of authors whose new releases I eagerly await. Truthfully, I hadn't read much in the romance genre since the '90s. However, I must have subconsciously wanted to read more happily-ever-after books!
I'd recommend Marie's contemporary romances to readers who enjoy small-town, heartwarming, emotional, character-driven stories featuring large families, steadfast friendships, and a strong sense of found family. And if you enjoy page-turning thrillers with sizzle, she has two romantic suspense series featuring the ongoing story of Detective Samantha "Sam" Holland and her political leading man, Nick Cappuano. The Fatal Series of 16 books and the continuing First Family Series are fast-paced with gripping mysteries, complex investigations, dangerous criminals, political intrigue, and a huge loyal & dedicated cast of secondary characters. Marie consistently interjects touches of humor that never fail to crack me up, and I feel if society at large communicated as eloquently, truthfully, empathetically, and keenly as her characters do than our world would be a community of the highest standards. Both of these series count on their protagonists being extraordinary. Where Sam is intensely driven to "do what she can for the people" (inside joke), I believe Nick is the perfect example of a principled, intelligent, kind, and super sexy hero. These two together can literally accomplish it all. I consider both of these series to be outstanding and worthy of the highest praise.
Not only is Marie Force an estimable writer, but she also excels in the marketing of her books. Her website, newsletters, and social media presence are very well presented. As someone who reads more than 200 books per year and has limited funds to purchase books, I appreciate how she releases her books in stages so that no matter what your reading preference is she's got you covered. This describes those stages: (1) each new release is offered in eBook, audiobook, and paperback from her web store exclusively for one week. (2) The following week she then releases the book widely to most major eBook outlets, audiobook sites, and print book sellers. All the while they remain in her store, which is particularly nice for those of us who want our paperback books signed. (3) Then, after about one month some eBooks are pulled from other sites and offered exclusively in Kindle Unlimited. How long they remain strictly in Kindle Unlimited varies, but it's been a significant amount of time as I recall. This plan allows all eBook readers to purchase their preferred format and also allows KU readers their chance. This is the most inclusive way for a self-published author to market their books so that everyone can read in their favorite way. Well done, her!
UPDATE 08/03/2024: It's been 12-1/2 years since I became aware of self-published books with my introduction to Marie Force. I've managed to mostly keep up with her releases; but she is a highly prolific author, and I did get behind on several of her series. I have caught up on her Gansett Island series and plan to catch up on the other series I got behind on, as well.
| Author | Title | Publication Year | Reading Date | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Force, Marie | Five Years Gone | 2018 | 4/16/2019 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Five Years Gone (a) | 2019 | 8/8/2019 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | One Year Home | 2019 | 11/11/2019 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Dan & Kara | 2024 | 4/22/2024 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Everyone Loves a Hero | 2011 | 2/23/2012 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | The Fall | 2010 | 2/23/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | One Night with You | 2015 | 6/2/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Affair | 2010 | 2/14/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Affair (a) | 2010 | 3/1/2020 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Justice | 2011 | 2/17/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Consequences | 2011 | 2/19/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Destiny | 2011 | 2/19/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Flaw | 2012 | 2/20/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Deception | 2012 | 11/12/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Mistake | 2013 | 6/19/2013 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Jeopardy | 2014 | 4/3/2014 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Scandal | 2015 | 1/29/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Frenzy | 2015 | 1/3/2016 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Identity | 2016 | 12/7/2016 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Threat | 2017 | 8/13/2017 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Chaos | 2018 | 5/30/2019 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Invasion | 2021 | 8/8/2021 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Reckoning | 2021 | 8/9/2021 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Accusation | 2021 | 8/11/2021 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Fatal Fraud | 2020 | 8/12/2021 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Affairs | 2021 | 8/14/2021 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | State of Affairs (a) | 2021 | 9/1/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Grace | 2021 | 1/15/2022 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Grace (a) | 2022 | 9/2/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of the Union | 2022 | 9/27/2022 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of the Union (a) | 2022 | 9/3/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Shock | 2022 | 12/26/2022 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Shock (a) | 2022 | 9/4/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Denial | 2023 | 10/16/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Bliss | 2023 | 2/2/2024 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | State of Suspense | 2024 | 6/23/2024 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Maid for Love | 2011 | 1/24/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Fool for Love | 2011 | 1/25/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Ready for Love | 2011 | 1/27/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Falling for Love | 2012 | 1/28/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Hoping for Love | 2012 | 3/9/2012 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Season for Love | 2012 | 6/8/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Longing for Love | 2012 | 10/4/2012 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Waiting for Love | 2013 | 2/20/2013 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Time for Love | 2013 | 8/2/2013 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Meant for Love | 2013 | 12/22/2013 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Chance for Love | 2014 | 1/17/2014 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Gansett After Dark | 2014 | 5/17/2014 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Kisses After Dark | 2014 | 8/11/2015 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Love After Dark | 2015 | 5/15/2016 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Celebration After Dark | 2015 | 5/27/2018 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Desire After Dark | 2016 | 7/26/2021 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Light After Dark | 2016 | 12/29/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Gansett Island Episode 1: Victoria & Shannon | 2017 | 12/20/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Gansett Island Episode 2: Kevin & Chelsea | 2017 | 12/20/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Mine After Dark | 2018 | 12/19/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Yours After Dark | 2018 | 12/19/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Trouble After Dark | 2019 | 12/22/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Rescue After Dark | 2020 | 12/25/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Blackout After Dark | 2021 | 1/5/2024 | 7 |
| Force, Marie | Temptation After Dark | 2021 | 1/12/2024 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Resilience After Dark | 2022 | 1/13/2024 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Hurricane After Dark | 2023 | 1/15/2024 | 9 |
| Force, Marie | Renewal After Dark | 2024 | 7/29/2024 | 9 |
| Force, Marie | Georgia on My Mind | 2011 | 2/5/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | All You Need is Love | 2014 | 2/13/2014 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | I Want to Hold Your Hand | 2014 | 6/7/2014 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | I Saw Her Standing There | 2014 | 11/16/2016 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Line of Scrimmage | 2008 | 2/22/2012 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Love at First Flight | 2009 | 2/4/2012 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | How Much I Feel | 2020 | 11/19/2020 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | How Much I Care | 2020 | 11/24/2020 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | How Much I Love | 2021 | 7/17/2021 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Virtuous (*p) | 2015 | 6/24/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Virtuous (a) | 2015 | 5/25/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Virtuous | 2015 | 4/18/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Valorous (*p) | 2015 | 6/25/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Valorous | 2015 | 4/21/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Valorous (a) | 2015 | 5/26/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Victorious (*p) | 2015 | 6/26/2023 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Victorious (a) | 2015 | 5/26/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Victorious | 2015 | 4/28/2015 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Rapturous | 2016 | 1/19/2016 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Ravenous | 2016 | 8/26/2016 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Delirious | 2017 | 9/13/2017 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Outrageous | 2018 | 11/25/2018 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Famous | 2019 | 12/1/2019 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Sex Machine | 2016 | 5/30/2017 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Treading Water | 2011 | 1/30/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Marking Time | 2011 | 1/31/2012 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | Starting Over | 2011 | 2/2/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Coming Home | 2012 | 12/13/2012 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Finding Forever | 2020 | 8/30/2020 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | True North | 2010 | 2/4/2012 | 6 |
| Force, Marie | Someone Like You | 2022 | 2/26/2022 | 10 |
| Force, Marie | Someone to Hold | 2022 | 1/2/2023 | 8 |
| Force, Marie | The Wreck | 2011 | 2/12/2012 | 8 |
