Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 127

New Release Spotlight: Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh Blurb:Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised--the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.
A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa's necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer's magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

Grab A Copy:Amazon 

Cover Reveal: Hiding Lies by Julie Cross

Today I'm excited to share with you a bonus post. I'm helping Entangled Teen and Julie Cross reveal the cover for her upcoming novel, HIDING LIES! 
Hiding Lies (Eleanor Ames, #2) by NYT bestselling author Julie Cross releases April 17, 2018!This cover reveal is brought to you by Entangled Teen.
About Hiding Lies:

At Holden Prep, dirty little secrets always have a way of coming to the surface.Eleanor Ames has never been what she seems. Average high school student on the outside, but reformed con artist trying to break free of her past on the inside. When Eleanor receives startling news about someone from her previous criminal life, plans for a new operation coinciding with her school’s upcoming field trip quickly consume her.

But operations rarely go according to plan. And this is one her irresistible teen FBI agent boyfriend, Miles, would never approve of.

Now, more than just Ellie’s reputation is at stake. If she fails, it could be her life.

Want to read more? Pre-order your copy of Hiding Lies (Eleanor Ames, #2) by NYT bestselling author Julie Cross today! Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled Publishing
About Julie Cross: Julie Cross is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the author of Letters to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway Perfect, Chasing Truth, Off the Ice and many more to come! Julie Cross was a longtime resident of central Illinois but has recently moved her entire family across the country to continue her academic studies at Stanford University.
Website |  Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Book Review: Ryan's Bed by Tijan

Ryan's Bed by Tijan Blurb:I crawled into Ryan Jensen’s bed that first night by accident.
I barely knew him. I thought it was his sister’s bed—her room. It took seconds to realize my error, and I should've left...
I didn’t.I didn’t jump out.I didn’t get embarrassed.I relaxed.And that night, in that moment, it was the only thing I craved.
I asked to stay. He let me, and I slept.
The truth? I never wanted to leave his bed. If I could've stayed forever, I would have.He became my sanctuary.
Because—four hours earlier—my twin sister killed herself.

Buy LinksGoodreads | Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Amazon (print only until release day)

My Review:When Mackenzie gets up to get a drink and goes back to the room she thinks she was sleeping in - the room of the daughter of one of her father's coworkers - she accidentally crawls into the bed of the girl's brother. But while before she was having trouble sleeping, she instantly falls asleep feeling comfort for the first time after walking in and finding her twin sister Willow dead in a puddle of her own blood only a few hours earlier. 
While the rest of her life is falling apart she finds comfort with Ryan Jensen, he becomes her
life preserver in a world that no longer makes sense. At times Mackenzie feels like she's healing while other times she feels like she's drowning from the pain of her sister's death. 
Her one constant becomes Ryan. But is what's developing with Ryan happening too fast? Is what she's feeling real? Or is she just using him because he's the only person who makes her feel normal?
Ryan's Bed is going to be a book that stays with me for a long time. It's one of those books, like one of my favorites - Crash Into Me by Albert Boris, that changes you and makes you see things in a different way.
While Mackenzie and Ryan do develop a relationship over the course of the book, this book is more about grief and survivor's guilt, about putting your life back together after the unthinkable happens. Mackenzie goes through the stages of grief as she tries to cope with what Willow did, the loss of her twin, her parents' distance, and her brother going away to a school for the gifted all at once. She tries numbing the pain with alcohol and even sex, fighting with girls at school, all just to make Willow's voice in her head go away. Ryan is an amazing character, the kind of guy you wish existed in real life who would take a girl he doesn't even know under his wing and offers her comfort in her time of need.
I haven't read anything by Tijan before but I loved this book and I liked her writing style. One thing I would have changed though was her word choice with "pile of blood." Blood is liquid therefore I don't believe it can be piled up so to speak. I think puddle of blood or pool of blood would have been a better word choice. 
Overall, this book is sad but beautifully written and I already want to reread it even though I've just finished reading it!
My Rating:

February Blogging Changes

If you've been following this blog for a while you know that over the past five or so months I've been posting nearly daily. While this has worked well with the type of posts I've been doing I'm going to be making some changes in February to better fit with my schedule. Here's what you can expect from me every month...

Weekly Posts:- Top Ten Tuesdays
- "What I'm Reading" Wednesdays
- #BookTag Saturdays

#BookTag Saturday: Playing Catch-Up

This Book Tag Saturday I'm catching up on a couple of book tags I've received on Bookstagram...

The #JanBookTag
1. Leftover Chocolate (A Book That You're Sick of Seeing):Definitely Caraval
2. Feeling Poor (A Book That You Spent Too Much Money On):A Collector's Edition of Romeo and Juliet
3. Chocolate Orange (A Book That You Didn't Expect to Like But You Did): Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
4. Shortbread (An Old Favorite):The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
5. New Year, New Me (A Genre You Plan to Read More Of): Sci-Fi (maybe)
6. Gift (A Book That You Received): Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
7. Taking Down the Decorations (A Book With A Minimalist Cover):Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
8. Scrapping the Junk Food (A Book You'd Get Rid of):Thicker than Water by Brigid Kemmerer
9. Leftover Wrapping Paper (A Story That Was Wrapped Up Perfectly):the Unknown Trilogy by Wendy Higgins
10. So Many Mince Pies (A Guilty Pleasure): Claiming Addison by Zoey Derrick
The #OwlExamBookTag
1. Transfiguration (A Book That Took You By Surprise): Secrets of Bennett Hall by Jordan Elizabeth
2. Herbology (A Book With Flowers on the Cover):Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves
3. Ancient Runes (A Favorite Classic): Persuasion by Jane Austen
4. Defense Against The Dark Arts (A Book With A Dark Theme):Ryan's Bed by Tijan (teen suicide, depression, etc.)
5. Astronomy (A Book Set In Space):Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
6. Arithmancy (An All-Time Favorite Series):Stalking Jack the Ripper
7. Divination (A Book On Your TBR You Can't Wait to Get to):The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Excerpt Reveal: ROCK KING by Tara Leigh

Today I'm helping InkSlingerPR and Tara Leigh share an excerpt from ROCK KING by Tara Leigh! I’m so excited to share this with you, the book sounds fantastic and I can't wait to read the whole thing—be sure to grab your copy on Feb 20th! Title: ROCK KINGAuthor: Tara LeighGenre: Rockstar RomanceRelease Day: Feb 20th 

About Rock King:Fans of Kristen Callihan and Kylie Scott will scream for this sizzling bad boy rock star romance! I'm not who you think I am. Shane Hawthorne has it all. At least, that's what the headlines say about me. I have millions of fans, awards, more money - and women - than I know what to do with. But what you don't see is the wreckage I've caused. The memories and pain I can't escape, even when I pour them into music and spin them into gold. I tried to forget. To lose myself in booze and groupies. It didn't work. It hurt me and - worse - it hurt my band. That's the last thing I want to do, so I'm cleaning up my act... starting with Delaney Fraser. Gorgeous, smart, drama-free, and even nice - Delaney is the perfect "girlfriend." When I'm with her I don't have to pretend. It's like she sees the real me. And I can see a future with her. But that's dangerous. Because the truth is, Shane Hawthorne doesn't actually exist. He's a shield to hide who I really am. Fraud. Runaway. Addict. Murderer. And it's impossible to love a lie, right? 
Get Your Copy Today: Amazon | NOOK | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads

The Nothing but Trouble series: Rock KingRock LegendRock Rebel
Exclusive Excerpt: Shane Hawthorne. 
Seriously, I could get lost in his face and enjoy every minute of my journey. Glide across the high plane of his forehead, cartwheel down the sharp angles of his cheekbones, slide along his jaw to land at his mouth. Full lips, slightly crooked at one corner, smiled down at me. 
Up close, Shane’s longish hair was a river of brown, from dusky caramel to burnished mahogany, threaded through with shades of henna, chocolate, and deepest umber. He wore a snug black button-down shirt, setting off his tall, buff physique perfectly, the sleeves rolled up just enough to catch traces of ink on his tanned forearms, leaving me fighting an urge to push aside the fabric and expose everything that remained hidden. I longed for a pocket to stuff my hands into, settling instead for awkwardly wrapping both around my sweating glass. 
Shane eyed me curiously, as if he knew I didn’t belong. As if he knew the direction of my wholly inappropriate thoughts. “I guess you’re here for me, then.” A grin spread across his face, punctuated by a sexy-as-hell dimple in his left cheek. 
“Me?” I choked. What on earth would Shane Hawthorne want with me? I swallowed thickly, my eyes darting around for Piper. I am so out of my league. 
With a hand in the back pocket of his ragged jeans, Shane followed the path of my anxious stare. “Expecting someone?” 
My focus snapped back to Shane’s face. “No.” I shook my head. “Sorry. This is just so not me. I don’t wind up at Beverly Hills parties talking to rock stars. I mean, this is crazy.” My fingers twitched. There was no part of him I could look at without wanting to touch—especially the two-day growth of scruff covering his strong jaw, which practically guaranteed goose bumps if it brushed along any part of my anatomy. 
“Imagine how I feel.” 
I tilted my head. “You?” 
“Yeah. I’m usually stuck in a tour bus or chartered plane flying to some city I won’t actually see. But tonight I’m at a Beverly Hills party where I don’t really know anyone, besides my agent and a few industry suits, talking to the most gorgeous girl in the place. Pretty lucky, huh?” 
Feeling like a complete idiot, I looked around again. And then I pointed at my collarbone with my index finger. “Me?” I repeated. 
Shane threw back his head and laughed. Instantly I wished I could record the sound on my phone so I could play it on repeat. Forever. It was the most delicious noise I’d ever heard. “Yeah, you. Where did you come from, anyway?” 
“Bronxville,” I squeaked. 
Shane laughed even harder. When he finally got control of himself, he brushed at his eyes. “And do you have a name, or should I just call you Bronx all night?” 
All night. “Delaney. Delaney Fraser.” I extended my hand. 
“I’m Shane.” Offering his last name would have been redundant. Shane’s fingers closed around mine, the pad of his thumb pressing into the center of my palm. 
I nearly groaned. Please don’t let go, ever. “Would I sound like a groupie if I said I already knew that?” 
He quirked a rich, sable brow. “Are you a groupie?” 
I shook my head. “No. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a fan.” Since high school, when lusting after rock stars I’d never meet was safer than talking to boys I encountered in my real life, who eyed my chubby body and frizzy hair with barely disguised revulsion. 
“I do love my fans.” Shane’s throaty growl pulsed in my ears, and for a moment I let myself believe he might be flirting with me. But then I looked down, a blush staining my cheeks as a sea of uncomfortable memories rushed in. Get a grip, Delaney. Why would Shane Hawthorne ever be interested you? All those years of awkwardness, of feeling so uncomfortable I almost couldn’t bear it, were still trapped inside me even though my reflection in the mirror had changed. 
Shane lifted his other hand to my jaw, pulling my gaze back to him. “Don’t do that.” 
His fingertips were hot, controlling my blood flow like some kind of stylus. I could feel it rushing to the surface of my skin, surging to meet Shane’s touch. “Do what?” I asked, my voice a ragged whisper. 
“Look away from me. I like feeling your eyes on my face.” He balled his hand into a fist against my cheek, stroking my flesh with his knuckles, each touch erasing a tiny piece of the self-conscious teen living inside me. 
Knowing this was probably the last time I would be so close, I studied Shane. Memorized his face. His lips, I decided, were almost too full to belong on a man’s face. Tried to imagine how they would feel on mine. 
“If you keep looking at my mouth like that, I won’t be held responsible for what happens next.” Shane’s comment interrupted my perusal. 
Color me gullible, but I couldn’t help myself. “What would happen?” I breathed. There was a moment before Shane answered, a moment when I lost myself in his eyes. His pupils were black flies caught within a whorl of amber. My heart thudded inside my chest, trapped by the darkness I saw within the depths of his gaze. Shane Hawthorne wasn’t just some vapid one-dimensional celebrity. He bristled with intensity. And even in the center of a Beverly Hills party, punctuated by popping corks and trying-too-hard laughs, waves of danger rolled off Shane’s broad shoulders, swirling around me like the chilly waters of the Pacific. 
I should have been scared. I was, actually. But not scared off. I wanted to meld my body against Shane’s taut length, potential groupie status be damned. Desire filled my lungs, every breath a heady cocktail, and I swayed toward him, catching myself just before crashing into the perfectly carved statue wrapped in tight jeans and a shirt that did nothing to hide his rippling abs. 
Shane stood still, watching the flicker of emotions on my face with interest. “Maybe we should go somewhere else. Somewhere with a lot less people. Somewhere we could both be wearing a lot less clothes.” 
Pulling my eyes away from Shane’s blistering gaze, I looked down at the trail of feverish skin exposed by the plunging neckline of my borrowed dress. “I don’t think I could wear anything less and still be considered dressed.” I didn’t even recognize myself right now. Was I flirting? 
His laugh was a caress, the rich timbre soothing nerves rubbed raw by his overwhelming presence. “That’s my point. Exactly.” 
Breath punched from my lungs and I staggered back a step. Shane didn’t mince words, did he? I raised my face back to his, just as he reclaimed the distance I’d put between us. 
“Let’s go,” he added, one of his hands reaching out to cup my elbow. 
A shiver tore through me at Shane’s blunt command, reality hitting hard from the shock of his palm sliding against my skin. Instinct made me step back, out of reach. I didn’t have room in my life for Shane Hawthorne. He was a distraction I couldn’t afford. There was only one man I should be focused on right now, and he was sitting in a jail cell. Because of me. I was the only one who knew he was innocent, except he’d made me promise not to say anything. I was free because of him, but feeling alive—smiling and laughing and having fun. It had been three years since any of those things felt appropriate, or even possible. 
Tonight, I did feel alive. And I was smiling and laughing and having fun. God, it felt so good. And so wrong. 
There was a woman lying in a cold grave tonight whose laugh I would never hear again. 
What Shane was offering—more of this, of him, of feeling this way—terrified me. Spending the night with Shane Hawthorne, or even just a few hours, would either be knock-my-socks-off amazing, or a bitter disappointment. Either way, when he walked away from me without a second glance, I’d be crushed. 
I had reached my quota of broken dreams already. One more might break me. 
“Sorry. That’s not who I am.” I forced the words out through gritted teeth, the quivering kaleidoscope of butterflies in my stomach launching a winged protest. I’d already started to walk away when Shane grabbed my arm, pulling me so close I could feel the washboard of muscles ridging his abdomen. His touch seared my skin, melting my willpower. 
“Who are you?” he whispered in my ear. Shane’s breath was hot along my neck, sending ripples of need racing in all directions before making their way to one spot in particular. Throbbing en masse. 
My resolve wavered, desperate to claim the promise shining from Shane’s eyes. The promise that he’d outshine everything in my world for just a few minutes. That he’d make me forget about the wrecking ball that had slammed into my life and shattered everything I’d ever believed in. But this kind of reaction, just from a touch…No. Any more and I’d go into toxic shock. 
I glanced around, not wanting to make a scene, wrenching my arm from Shane’s grasp with a small grunt and forcing words past my lips that left a bitter taste in my mouth. “No one you want to know.”
 About Tara Leigh:  Tara Leigh attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, children and fur-baby, Pixie. 
Connect with Tara: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest


Enter Tara’s Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Bonfire by Krysten Ritter

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter Blurb:It has been ten years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands.
But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town's most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’ biggest scandal from more than a decade ago involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends—just before Kaycee disappeared for good.
Abby knows the key to solving any case lies in the weak spots, the unanswered questions. But as Abby tries to find out what really happened to Kaycee, she unearths an even more disturbing secret—a ritual called “The Game,” which will threaten the reputations, and lives, of the community and risk exposing a darkness that may consume her.
With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote, rural town of just five claustrophobic miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of the question: can you ever outrun your past?
My Review:Ten years ago four of the most popular girls at Barrens High became sick with a mysterious illness. Or so everyone thought. Later the girls would say it was all a hoax, all except Kaycee Mitchell who disappeared from town never to be seen again.
That occurrence has stayed with Abby Williams long after she left Barrens, Indiana behind in her rearview mirror. She'll never forget the look on Kaycee's face, never quite be able to believe that Kaycee was faking it, and there are just too many unanswered questions surrounding the sickness and Kaycee's disappearance for Abby's liking. She's tried tracking Kaycee down online here and there over the years with no success. 
Now, ten years later Abby is back in Barrens, Indiana after a report of a farmer's crops gone bad from water in the reservoir pointing the finger at Optimal Plastics, the town's biggest employer reaches her at the CEAW (Center for Environment Advocacy Work) where she works as an Environmental Lawyer. 
Abby's only back to investigate Optimal, but as her past catches up with her what she finds is so much darker than she could have anticipated. This is more than a case of water contamination, this could be the key to finding out what happened to Kaycee all those years ago. But someone will stop at nothing to keep Abby for learning the truth.
Bonfire pleasantly surprised me. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting plot wise  but it reminded me vaguely of White Hot by Sandra Brown. The writing actually blew me away in this book. 
I took some time away while reading this book (I had books with deadlines to read) but I picked this book right back up without losing any of the details and the story got more interesting the further I read. Abby was an interesting character, although her constant hand washing troubled me. Was she supposed to be OCD or did it have to do with what was going on with the water?
As for the story, I was constantly questioning whether the Optimal case Abby was sent to look into was actually connected with the sickness and Kaycee's disappearance ten years earlier or not. I felt like I jumped down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole right alongside Abby as new twisted layers of Barrens began to be revealed. Even the part with Abby's father - I was waiting for it to be revealed that he was killed to send a message to Abby to back off. 
Overall, I loved this book more than I thought I would. Krysten Ritter's debut is right up there with Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, and Lisa Jackson in my opinion (and that's honestly high praise). I hope to read more by her in the future. My only wish for this book was that things would have ended up differently for Condor and Abby. I could have seen them together. 
My Rating:

Waiting On Wednesday: Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I finished all of the January-early February eARCs I received and jumped back into Bonfire by Krysten Ritter while I wait for another eARC I'm receiving from an author friend. Since I'm in the waiting mood and still 50 pages from finishing Bonfire this week's WIR-Wednesday has turned into a Waiting on Wednesday...
Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout Blurb:New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers the unforgettable story of a woman whose new life has just begun—but may end in murder . . . 
Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou, working for the infamous de Vincent family, the massively wealthy brothers who are haunted by a dark reputation and whispers of misdeeds. Hired to care for their troubled sister, Julia can't afford any distractions, but the menacing presence in the mansion and the ever-present temptation of the handsome Lucian de Vincent isn't something anyone can ignore. 
Julia knows better than to get wrapped up in Lucian. He’s from a world she can’t relate to. Plus, he’s her employer. But his wicked touch and sensual promises are too much deny. What starts with a kiss ends with so much more. 
Lucian is the youngest brother—the wildest, most unpredictable one. He’s the unrepentant bachelor of the family, known for his escapades in and out of the bedroom, and he wants Julia. There’s something about her that makes Lucian want to lay himself bare, but some secrets are better left buried, right along with a past that could not only bring down a dynasty but destroy Julia in the process.
Why I'm Waiting:Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors and I'm surprised that I only learned about this book last week. Once I read the blurb I preordered a copy. I love thrillers, I'm obsessed with Louisiana, and this book is giving me slight Midnight Bayou flashbacks, plus Moonlight Sins sounds like a really sexy read and I never turn those down! This should keep my happy until I get my copy of Till Death from the ApollyCon Virtual Signing. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions & Goals for 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Bookish Resolutions & Goals for 2018
This week's TTT is all about the bookish things I want to accomplish in 2018. I may not have a full ten... let's see how things go...
1. Read all of the books currently on my TBR shelf.
2. Read the entire Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
3. Reread the entire Sweep series by Cate Tiernan for the 3rd time
4. Go to the library more
5. Buy fewer books, save for the really special ones.
6. Request fewer ARCs.
7. Cut down on blogging from posts every day to weekly TTT, What I'm Reading Wednesday, and Book Review and/or Cover Reveal/Release Blitz posts and once per month Book Boyfriend of the Month and Book Mail of the Month posts.
8. Grow my Bookstagram followers by at least 100.

What are some of your bookish resolutions for 2018?
Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your answers!
As always, happy reading Bookdragons!
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#BookTag Saturday: The Rapid Fire Book Tag

This week I'm doing another tag from Bookstagram, the #RapidFireBookTag...