The Manual

by Octavia Grant

In a world filled with so many women, how can a man choose just one? One thing Real Estate Mogul Maceo Blaise knows for sure is he can have any woman he wants. His sinful good looks and large bank account makes it hard for any woman to resist him. When temptation comes knocking, his loving fiancée is the last person on his mind because he established a manual of "fail-proof" rules to keep her safe from his exploits. But Maceo fails to realize that if something is meant to be discovered it will be.

38 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 4, 2019

About the author

Octavia Grant discovered her passion for creative writing in 2002 during her junior year at Georgetown High School in Georgetown, South Carolina. She began writing professionally in 2016 and, two years later, took full ownership of her literary career by becoming an independent author. A bestselling black thriller author and the bestselling author of Cutthroat, Octavia has penned more than 30 novels known for their psychological depth and gripping suspense.
Her work and voice have earned national recognition, including speaking on the Thrilling Tales Author Panel at ESSENCE Fest, Thriller Panelist at National Book Club Conference (NBCC), interview with Narrator iiKane, literary reviewer and film commentator Tamara Walker of Tam Telling Tales, and features in WYB Lifestyle, VoyageJacksonville, Canvas Rebel, and Bold Journey. She has also been honored as one of 160 Black Women in Horror and received multiple accolades for her psychological thriller novella Dear Vicky, including the Black Girls Who Write It’s Lit Award for Best Black Mystery/Suspense, the Audio in Black North Star Award, and the AAMBC Award for Mystery/Thriller Book of the Year.
In addition to these achievements, Octavia has been named Best Thriller/Suspense Horror Author by the Literary Gem Awards and Best Female Author by the Get Caught Up Podcast. Her storytelling continues to push boundaries within the thriller genre, centering bold narratives that captivate, challenge, and resonate with readers worldwide.

Reviews

[Rashawnda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was “How to be a Player” meets “You got me fkd up every way past Sunday”

Maceo thought he had the game on lock and this “Manual” that he created to have his cake and eat it too worked until it didn’t! Baby I knew 💩 was going to hit the fan because men don’t cheat right 😩😩! Maceo got way too confident and cocky and when it all came crashing down I couldn’t do nothing except ride at dawn with these women!

Although this was a short read, Octavia’s signature was all over it! Don’t ever expect a happy ending with her books 😵‍💫 it’s always a plot twist that be twisting tf out of her books and I love it!

[Crystal Michelle Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an entertaining short read. This was a good time. The ending was perfection! 👌🏼😆 My first by this author. I look forward to reading more.

[alex 🦇 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fboy of the century. Loved the ending tho, he deserved it

[Keith Book Korner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy a lot of the authors short stories.. The MMC really is full of himself but sometimes we get so full of ourselves that we forget about little simple things is all I can say about the story without giving anything away.. Great quick read.. It’s fast paced..

[*Ebony I* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually mild for Ms. Grant. Fboy thought he had being a no good sucka azz lying cheating 🥷🏾 down.....and he did for years until he didn't. He was selfish AF and deserved a harsher ending in my opinion 🤷🏾‍♀️

[Elonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and Powerful

Maceo, asked for this and much more! Selfish, arrogant, and self-centered. He should have been happy with all that he was blessed with! Another great read!

[Diamond °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love when karma hits a f*ckboy 😈😈😈

[Toya Davis-Stokley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am slowing making my way through your catalog Ms. Grant, as your reads always leave me thinking about the characters long after I've finished the book. Damn! Mr. Maceo had an ego as big as Texas! Thinking and believing that his looks, charm, and money would allow him to have all the women he wanted, with no repercussions, as long as he followed the rules of his manual. Dude that manual was flawed as hell! 😂 You claimed your fiancée was your everything, and lacked nothing, but you still needed several women on the side? Make it make sense? 😤🤬

That ending was perfect, as Maceo was brought to his knees by not following the rules of "his" manual. Never think you can outsmart a determined woman! Enjoyed this quick read. 👍🏾👍🏾

[Kswag · Rating 5 out of 5]

And if you don’t know, now, you know. - Biggie.

That was hands-down, an applaud deserving ending. I cringed so much over the main male character and his cliche way of thinking (with the wrong head) & I even winced with the portrayal of the women it’s like seriously … but the short story had you invested and it played out so well.

[Demetrius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong 4⭐️. I just wish it was longer!

[Sunflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maceo thought he had it all figured out with his player manual. He thought by following the rules of the manual, he'd be able to have his cake & eat it too, but he slipped up & the worst thing that could've happened... happened 😂

I liked this short story so much. Maceo wasn't 💩. His karma came around full circle! Men cheat so sloppily then act suprised when they get caught 🤣🤣

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

If selfish & arrogance was a person, it with be the MMC is this short story! But ooweee the way his karma came back full circle was fully justified. Maceo definitely thought he was God’s gift to women.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And If you don’t know, now you know” that part tickled TS outta me! 🤭🤣

Maceo… smdh. What a MESS he made of HIS life, his fiancé s and the side pieces. A couple in which were RELATED?

A mans logic of doing what they want… KNOWING the risk. Then getting mad when they get caught?! Needs to be studied.

I hope each and every one of them stood on bidness and never gave him an ounce of attention ever again.

He was delusional, full of sh$! And a big ole narcissist!

[Jacqueline ❤️’s to Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story. It’s a great example of what happens when rules are broken, and you indulge in too much of a good thing.

While the topic of this short story is somewhat cliché and over told in romance novels, the story is well written and the main character, will pull you in.

Add this to your list of quick short stories that’s both interesting and will help you achieve your reading challenge goals in a crunch. Lol 😆

5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Poetic Diva504 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so this was an interesting story. I love short reads, so I’m elated that this book doesn’t drag on for 300 pages. It started off as this sexy player explaining the unspoken rules to a game only he knows is being played with multiple women. Men like him is what’s wrong with the dating scene at large. Things go left when the sex gets his side chicks hooked and they start to catch feelings. The first half of this book was a page turner with concise prose. My only issue was with the last quarter of the book and how it ended. Overall, I would recommend this story to people who want drama and spice wrapped in a multi layered story.

[Page Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooowee this was a rollercoaster and Maceo is the conductor on this bumpy ride. He had his hand in way too many honey pots and these women were not ready to be handled. Hot, steamy and crazy, I enjoyed it.

[TheReaderVert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Octavia Grant excels at writing crazy b*tches and she's never beating those allegations. Here we have a player playa, who is in love with his fiancée of 8 years (🚩) but also has a rooster with 4 other women. Well 2 of those women are a lesbian couple and one in the couple really doesn't fuck with men like that so he sees it as 3. Balancing these different women he has 10 rules based on Biggie's 10 Crack Commandants. These rules are his manual and helps him ensure the love of his life is set while getting his freak on. Octavia's pen is just immaculate. I truly was rooting for the MMC. I wanted to make sure he kept his wifey on lock but those pesky women who don't understand the game is played will just leave him alone. That's how smooth Octavia writes him. However, in true her fashion by the end I was speechless. Mouth hanging open speechless. Like I wanted a peak at more speechless. Some Octavia Grant books end and I really wish we had a good epilogue ending and this was no different. But at the same time I was just left hurt. Dang. SMH. It left it me biting my nails and on the edge of my sit to know what would happen next once the cray started coming out.

[Charmy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever read an Octavia Grant book you know that you are young to get a sprinkle of mess and a satisfying twist of an ending. I feel like Octavia's writing has somewhat stayed similar but has gotten a little more unhinged in more recent years.

Maceo thought he had life all figured out with how to have a loving fiancé and kids at home and multiple women on the side. What he didn't know was that he had a little too much audacity and wasn't as smart as he thought he was. While he thought his rules were foolproof and allowed him to do what he wanted, his actions came back to bite him in the end. What Octavia is going to do is give you a messy situation and give you the ending you need.

It was a quick read and a satisfying ending. This is probably my 4th or 5th read but Octavia and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her work!

[B. Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

this read was short and sweet, but much appreciated.

I feel like a lot of these stories like this could be in this format, not too drawn out.

the book is a 4 chapter story of a man who like to spread his love around, all while doing it in a error proof way, he has rules that he follows as to keep the drama at bay. looks like he may have skipped a rule or two on this go round because the women are going crazy, and things are falling apart.

if you want a quick read, im talking less than an hour ... thats going to keep you entertained from beginning to end ; give this a try.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this book was going to be fucked up, but I didn’t know how. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Maceo was something else and had a really fucked up way of thinking. I’m happy Renarda did what she did in the end, but I lowkey wished she did it sooner since women approached her before. I guess Renarda just needed to see it with her own eyes. I would’ve liked an epilogue with a time jump to see what Maceo’s life ended up like after all of this. Oh, and the little twist had my mouth on the floor.

[Pat Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

No manual needed for loyalty

Why is there a manual? When you admittedly already have everything you want and need at home, why are you roaming in unnecessary extras? And why do you think this will never be found out? I could only laugh when Maceo's world fell apart. And he wasn't man enough to take the credit for his misdeeds. His manual definitely got re-written. Very witty and fast paced.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! Maceo Blaise is a serial cheater, so much so that he has a manual that has ten rules on how to keep his women happy and separated so that they don’t find out about each other. Until one day, one of them finds out that he’s not being honest, and his world crashes all around him. All I can say is, good for him and he got everything he deserved! I definitely recommend if you like the cheating trope, lots of spice with no happy ending!

[Lourdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow

When you play too close to fire you’re bound to get burnt. Maceo is a self made millionaire who thinks he is entitled to do whatever and whoever he wants. He has a manual he has created filled with rules he lives by in order to keep his sex partners in their place. Welp rules are made to be broken and Maceo is going to find you can’t control everyone and everything. Octavia is my go to author when I need a pick me up of something crazy. Another wild read you’ll love.

[Jordan Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little rushed

This was a hot mess! I was cracking up at the end tho. I kind of wanted a better ending. It felt a little rushed. I wanted to see more of the relationship with his fiancée. If she was the main, I wanted more of her, but it was mostly about the others. It felt long and short at the same time.

[Lyric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sounds like the typical man

This dude deserves everything he gets. He is a lying, cheating, disgusting human being. I’ll never understand why someone would do the acts when they have true bliss at home. Then when it blows up wants to react desperately to fix the situation THEY CAUSED!!!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Engaging but Brief: A Review of “The Manuel”

“The Manuel” is a captivating and quick read that keeps you hooked from start to finish. However, the story ends abruptly, leaving you wanting more. I sincerely hope there’s a part 2 in the works, as the potential for further development is immense. Despite its brevity, “The Manuel” delivers a memorable and enjoyable experience.

[aisha ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have been longer

The author messed up by not making this book longer. Had this book been longer it would have really been a good read. It felt very rushed. Especially when it got close to the end.

[Nedra N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Manual

I read this very short and good book about a man juggling three other relationships and engaged to a woman with whom he had children with the ending will floor you. Good read.

[Shawn Pinzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Manual

The Manual was a quick read that packed a BIG punch. Maceo had it all but won't satisfied with what he had at home. I loved the story! This was my first read by this author and recommend you read this book.

[TellsOfABibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

🐕‍🦺🐕🦮🐩

Maceo is the type of man I can’t stand. You have a good woman at home you claim but still out roaming the streets you damn pitbull. Weak ass manual need to be rewritten. I disliked the ending it felt rushed even tho it was a short. An epilogue would’ve sealed it.