Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 13

Stacking the Shelves: 19 October 2024

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Books Added to My Shelves This Week:

I got surprise book mail this week and added a couple KU ebooks to my shelf!

Physical:

This was surprise book mail from the author herself! I’m excited to read it after the spooky season!

Kindle Unlimited:

I borrowed this spicy Halloween novella to read before the holiday because I’m really enjoying Halloween themed reads this month!

I’ve also really been in a dark romance mood lately and this one was recommended to me.

What books did you add to your shelves this week? Have you read any of these?

ARC Review: Beyond Those Gilded Walls by Jessica S. Taylor

Beyond Those Gilded Walls by Jessica S. Taylor

Gothic Fantasy

eBook, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, 408 Pages

October 15, 2024 by Sailor House Press

Blurb:

In a kingdom drowning in blood, all Odyssa Duhiva wants is to save her family. But the price of salvation may be higher than she ever imagined.

The kingdom of Veressia has been forsaken by its prince, who has chosen instead to drown out the screams of the dying. Trapped in a kingdom without a leader and blamed by her brothers for her mother’s death, Odyssa has little hope of ever succeeding at honoring her mother’s dying wish.

Driven by desperation, Odyssa ventures into the heart of the barricaded castle, masquerading as a servant amidst the prince’s nightly opulent parties. But as she delves deeper into the castle’s secrets, she uncovers a sinister connection between the coward prince and the devastating plague.

After attracting the attention of the prince’s most trusted advisor, Odyssa finds herself entangled in a dangerous game of power and deceit. With each step closer to the truth, she realizes that her fate—and the fate of her family—rests in the hands of the handsome stranger whose true intentions for betraying his prince and helping her seem content to remain shrouded in mystery.

As forbidden passions ignite, tentative alliances are forged, and dark secrets are revealed, Odyssa must choose between following her heart or sacrificing it for the promise of salvation.

Inspired by various works of Edgar Allan Poe, Beyond Those Gilded Walls is a standalone adult gothic fantasy romance brimming with rare magic, treacherous romance, and dark opulence.

My Review:

From the moment I heard about this book I knew I had to check it out – from the Poe inspiration to the aesthetics and the gorgeous cover I was definitely intrigued.

Beyond Those Gilded Walls is set in the Kingdom of Veressia which is suffering from a blood plague – but the prince and his people have locked themselves away in the castle throwing opulent parties while the common people are falling ill and dying by the thousands. Very few have survived the plague – enter our main character Odyssa.

After the death of her mother, Odyssa has had enough and decides to take action. She’s going to kill the prince and sneaks into the castle under the guise of a servant. Once there she attracts the attention of the prince’s most trusted advisor who has his own reasons for wanting to betray the prince…

I thought this book brought all the perfect spooky vibes of the season. I loved all the nods and Easter eggs of Edgar Allan Poe’s works without this being a retelling of any one specific story (think of it like Netflix’s Fall of the House of Usher which incorporates many of his stories).

I thought the writing style was gorgeous throughout and the worldbuilding was well crafted.

My only draw back at times was trying to connect with the main character, Odyssa. I liked her at the beginning of the book and was eager to see where her story went but some of her choices/the way she portrayed fell flat and I felt at times that this book resembled others I’ve read and didn’t overly stand out from the rest.

Overall for the vibes, the worldbuilding, the writing style, and the Poe references I did really enjoy this one.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives!

ARC Review: Ready or Not by Jenn Plumber

Ready or Not by Jenn Plumber

Age-Gap Dark Romance, Aspen Ridge Holiday Novellas 1.5

ebook, Paperback, 113 pages

October 15, 2024 by Wild Lupine Books LLC

Blurb:

Wes

Lilith Aspen. Daughter of the founding family of our small town, and the most intoxicating woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. She’s also eighteen years younger and my son’s ex-girlfriend. There’s something dark and depraved that she keeps hidden deep inside her. It calls to my primal side that wants to unleash when she’s around. I don’t bother fighting my obsession. She’s my match in every way, she just needs to be shown. Hunting her becomes my addiction. And on Halloween night, I plan to bring her dark side out to play.

**Ready or Not is book 1.5 in the interconnected Aspen Ridge universe and can be read as a standalone. HEA guaranteed!**

My Review:

This was my first read by this author and I have not read the rest of the series this is an offshoot of but I found it really easy to get into the story.

Wes is a sexy male lead even though he’s completely obsessed and a little devious (in a hot way). I also really connected with Lilith. She’s not ashamed to be who she is even when her ex-boyfriend tries to cut her down.

Together their chemistry is scorching which made for an enjoyable short read perfect for the spooky season. I would definitely check out the main series by this author in the future.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading – 7 October 2024 and WWW Wednesday – 9 October 2024

This week I’m linking up to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date and WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words!

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

WWW Wednesday was created by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was taken over by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. To participate answer the 3 W’s:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I was on vacation most of last week and didn’t get a ton of reading done. I did finish a novella for an ARC tour and I’m halfway through an audiobook.

Currently Reading:Leather and Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy #2) by Brynne Weaver

I’m about 60% into this one and hoping to finish it soon. I don’t love it as much as the first book but I’m still really enjoying it!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

I picked this one up on vacation and casually started reading it. It’s easy to get caught up in so far! And now I want to go to Savannah (maybe I should have read this in 2023 when I was planning my trip… but I had to cancel due to a hurricane anyway so here’s to a future trip!)

Recently Finished:Ready or Not (Aspen Ridge Book #1.5) by Jenn Plumber

This author is new to me but I really enjoyed this spicy Halloween novella!

Reading Next:The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

This is an eARC that’s out in February 2025. I started it a few weeks ago and I’m about 15% in but I set it aside for a couple October ARCs I had to fit in. I’ll return to it later this week.

What are you reading and loving this week? Have you read any of these?

The Sunday Post: Fall Road Trip

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

Fall Road Trip:

Hey Book Blogger Friends! How was your week? I returned from a 9 day road trip through New England on Thursday and I’m settling back into my daily routine.

I took a blogging hiatus for the last two weeks (except pre-scheduled posts) as I was taking a road trip from Portland, Maine to Mystic, Connecticut from September 25 – October 3!

Portland Head Lighthouse, Portland, Maine

I spent 4 days in Salem, Massachusetts in the middle of my trip and got to visit all of the witch museums!

Salem Witch Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

Other highlights were the Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Cape Cod, the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, and Alice’s Little Haunted Bookshop in Mystic, Connecticut!

Alice’s Little Haunted Bookshop, Mystic, ConnecticutLast Week on the Blog:

ARC Review: I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

Stacking the Shelves: 5 October 2024

This Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 7 October 2024 and WWW Wednesday: 9 October 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Bookish Brags

Can’t Wait Wednesday: A Minor Inconvenience

New Book Mail on My Shelves:

Physical:

eARC:

For more, see this week’s Stacking the Shelves!

Stacking the Shelves: 5 October 2024

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Books Added to My Shelves This Week:

I just got home on Thursday night from a 9-day road trip through New England and while I was out east I stopped at Alice’s Little Haunted Bookshop in Mystic, Connecticut. I also got a few ARCs this week.

Physical:

Did you know I almost went on vacation to Savannah in September 2023? There was a hurricane and I didn’t get to go but I’ve been meaning to check out this book for a while. I found a hardcover copy at Alice’s Little Haunted Bookshop.

eARCs:

The publisher offered me an eARC of Cold as Hell because I’ve read and reviewed Kelley Armstrong’s last 3 releases. I don’t believe I’ve read this series before so I might have to check out the previous book or books.

Ginny Myers Sain is another author I’ve ARC read books by before and this one was available for 48 hours on Netgalley earlier in the week.

Kindle First Reads:

These were the two books I chose this month. An Age of Winters appealed to me because of the witch history.. I spent 4 days in Salem, Massachusetts during my vacation and I’m interested to learn more about witch trials / witch accusations from around the world. J.T. Ellison is one of my favorite authors so I eagerly picked up her next release through Kindle First Reads.

What books did you add to your shelves this week? Have you read any of these?

ARC Review: I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

Horror, Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 336 Pages

October 1, 2024 by St. Martins Press

Blurb:

From New York Times Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a spellbinding new tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted-house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood…

Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future… together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car crash, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press―the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body.

Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium―a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.

The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.

That’s when she finds the first body…. 

In this atmospheric, thrilling new ghost story, Kelley Armstrong’s full talents are on display to thrill, chill and leave the reader guessing how Nicola escapes with her life–if she can.

My Review:

This book is an addicting blend of dealing with grief, ghost story, and tense horror/thriller.

Nicola is a complex character. She’s lived longer than anyone expected with her CF, which I didn’t know a lot about before reading this book and thought was very respectfully represented. Now she’s unexpectedly a widow when she thought her husband Anton would outlive her and she is drowning in her grief – going from phony medium to phony medium trying to contact Anton after a news story made her tragedy infamous.

Her friends suggest one last seance with a respected parapsychologist during a getaway to Anton’s grandmother’s former home that has been converted into a vacation rental. One last shot to make contact.

But from the moment Nicola, her brother-in-law Jin, her friend Shania, and the parapsychologist, Dr. Cirrilo arrive odd things begin happening. As Nicola reflects on the past – on another seance gone terribly wrong – it becomes clear that Anton may not be the only spirit the group has brought back.

This story grabbed me early on and I couldn’t stop reading until I reached the stunning conclusion. It’s tense, well-written, and all of the characters are well rounded and come to life on the page. Nicola is clearly sitting on a secret that unravels through memories throughout the story. Shania seemed too good to be true and definitely has flaws underneath. And Dr. Cirrilo reminded me a bit of Joyce Reardan from Rose Red or an unrepentant Mr. Marrow from The Haunting.

Overall this is a perfect spooky season read and will definitely become a mainstay reread for me for years to come. But it’s more than horror or thriller, it’s a gripping portrayal of dealing with grief while not wanting to let go of the person you love – even though you know they would want you to keep living, especially in Nicola’s case with her medical condition.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives!

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Blood on Her Tongue

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.

Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen

Horror, Standalone

eBook, Paperback, 352 pages

March 25, 2025 by Poisoned Pen Press

Blurb:

“I’m in your blood, and you are in mine…”

The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy’s twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband’s grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. To protect her twin from a terrible fate in a lunatic asylum, Lucy must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister’s condition, but it’s clear her twin is hiding something. Then again, Lucy is harboring secrets of her own, too.

Then, the worst happens. Sarah’s behavior takes a turn for the strange. She becomes angry… and hungry. 

Lucy soon comes to suspect that something is trying to possess her beloved sister. Or is it madness? As Sarah changes before her very eyes, Lucy must reckon with the dark, monstrous truth, or risk losing her forever.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

This book sounds so interesting. I’m getting Mexican Gothic meets vampires vibes maybe? I love historical settings and characters descending into madness so this is definitely on my anticipated releases list.

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 16 September 2024 and WWW Wednesday – 18 September 2024

This week I’m linking up to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date and WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words!

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

WWW Wednesday was created by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was taken over by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. To participate answer the 3 W’s:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So I fell into a book hangover after You Are Fatally Invited last week. It was just so good and I couldn’t find anything to match the vibes. Now I have 2 books from the library on my Libby app to start.

Currently Reading:The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

I’m about halfway through this one and I really like the set up. A main character who reads tarot cards for a living, a sizable inheritance that she may or may not be entitled to, and longstanding family animosity.. I’m here for it.

Hopeless (Chestnut Springs #5) by Elsie Silver

I put off reading this one for maybe too long but I binged the rest of the books back to back and needed a break before Beau’s story. I’m really loving it so far and I’m about 75% through it.

Recently Finished:The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

I felt like this one kind of flopped for me compared to this author’s other works. It just felt like it was missing something plot-wise.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

This book gave me such a book hangover! It’s so good and I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it releases next spring!

Reading Next:Butcher and Blackbird by Brynn Weaver

My hold just came in on this one and I’m eager to start it! I’ve heard really good things!

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

Another library hold, I plan to start this audiobook after I finish The Death of Mrs. Westaway.

What are you reading and loving this week? Have you read any of these?

The Sunday Post: Release Week and Friday the 13th

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

Release Week and Friday the 13th:

Hey Book Blogger Friends! How was your week? I had so much to get done this week that my blogging fell to the wayside.

Friday (September 13th) was release day for my latest novel, It Rose From the Ashes! I had such a wonderful release day. It’s already up to 27 ratings on Goodreads (I know in the long run that’s not a lot but my highest rated book only has 41 so this is a big deal for me as an indie author). My ARC team was so enthusiastic about this release and I’m feeling pretty good right now. Not bad for being pretty sure I was going to quit writing altogether earlier this month.

Friday was also of course *Friday the 13th* so I celebrated it and my release day with an iced latte and a Friday the 13th movie marathon before work.

Last Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 9 September 2024 and WWW Wednesday – 11 September 2024

Release Day Blitz: It Rose From the Ashes

This Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 16 September 2024 and WWW Wednesday – 18 September 2024

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Blood on Her Tongue

New Book Mail on My Shelves:

None this week!