Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 25

Audiobook Review: A Welcome Reunion

A Welcome Reunion by Lucinda BerryBlurb:

From the bestselling author of The Perfect Child comes a short thriller about a couple faced with the terrifying return of a girl they once called their own who threatens everything they hold dear. Janie is the last person Hannah and Christopher Bauer want to see again. But Janie’s moved back to Clarksville. She’s no longer the frail child Hannah and Christopher adopted over eleven years ago. The child who destroyed their lives. Now Janie is out of juvenile detention—a beautiful, confident young adult—and publicly promoting her new tell-all memoir. At just eighteen, Janie has a violent and tragic story to share, brimming with grisly details. Details the public can’t get enough of…and that the Bauers can’t bear to relive. Janie has taken a new name and claims to have reformed her sociopathic ways. She’s ready to make amends. But when the Bauers refuse to meet with her, she takes matters into her own hands. After the social worker formerly assigned to the case makes disturbing revelations about Janie’s calculated behavior, the Bauers brace for Janie’s next move, determined to protect their family—at any cost.

My Review:

A Welcome Reunion is a short story sequel to The Perfect Child. I haven’t read The Perfect Child but I will definitely go back and see how this story began.

This reminded me a bit of a story I once saw on 20/20 or Dateline about a couple who adopted a child and eventually returned the girl due to disturbing behavior.

This was a compelling, well written story about where the girl came back into this family’s life years later but she’s now being treated as a victim of the trauma she endured previous to being adopted and likened to a celebrity. But has she really changed? Or is she still a sociopath?

The narrator was well done on the audiobook and follows the perspective of the adopted mother and the social worker that was initially on the case.

It was definitely a creepy, thrilling read and I’d like to read more by this author.

My Rating:

5 of 5 Stars!

My 13 Favorite Reads of 2023

Hey Bookdragons! Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Are you ready to say goodbye to 2023 like I am? Tomorrow I will be doing a binge re-watch of one of my favorite horror miniseries, Harper’s Island but today I’m listing out my 13 Favorite Books of 2023!

1. The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy2. Lightlark by Alex Aster3. The Family Game by Catherine Steadman4. The Villa by Rachel Hawkins5. The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton6. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney7. Summer Rental by Rektok Ross8. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros9. The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman10. The Only One Left by Riley Sager11. The Last One by Will Dean12. You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose13. A Death in Door County by Annelise RyanReading Stats:Books Read: 131Audiobooks Listened To: 42Favorite New-to-Me Authors: Rachel Hawkins, Jeneva Rose, Rebecca Yarros, Rektok Ross, Elsie Silver, Catherine Cowles

What were your favorite reads of 2023? Have you read any of my favorites?

Audiobook Review: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (Hercule Poirot #20) by Agatha ChristieBlurb:

In Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, the holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder-and the notoriously fastidious investigator is quickly on the case.

Christmas Eve, and the Lee family’s reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man. . .

This title was previously published as Murder for Christmas and A Holiday for Murder.

My Review:

Just in time for the titular holiday I sat down and listened to Hercule Poirot’s Christmas… in one sitting.

In the beginning it was a bit hard for me to keep track of all of the sons but I admit the fault being on me as I was distracted and doing other things.

The set-up is easy enough, an elderly father invites his children home for Christmas. There is the devoted son, the son who went into parliament, the long absent son who is always in trouble, and the son harboring resentment and hate years after the death of their mother. The fifth child, a daughter, is dead and her daughter is also in attendance as well as the son of a former business partner. But Simeon Lee is no lovable old man and he didn’t invite his family home to resolve bad blood.

This one involved a bit of a locked door murder, which I personally love. And as usually Poirot is on the case! With many twists and turns I thought for sure a couple times I know who the murderer was but the reveal was very interesting! A little bit of “look over here at these suspects while over there I do that.”

I’ve read a few of the Hercule Poirot books since September and this is probably in my top 4.

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady HendrixBlurb:

New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

Like his novels The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and The Final Girl Support Group, How to Sell a Haunted House is classic Hendrix: equal parts heartfelt and terrifying—a gripping new read from “the horror master” (USA Today).

My Review:

This was the kind of book that after finishing it I had to ask myself, “WTF did you just read?”

I went into this book expecting another haunted house story. Set of course, like other works by Grady Hendrix, in my favorite city, Charleston, South Carolina and the surrounding area.

The true horror comes in when Louise walks into her newly deceased parents’ house and you realize there is a huge doll and puppet collection. Yeah, Louise was one of those people. I didn’t think dolls were creepy — then I read this book.

With trademark wit infused into this book and dripping with such a sense of southern-ness this book is more than horror. It’s so unflinchingly relatable between Mark and Louise’s squabble after their parents’ death, characters so developed you feel like you’ve met people like this before, and then the author throws you a curveball.

I almost DNF’d this book halfway through when I saw where this was going. I thought this book was too out there. But then I kept reading.

I thought it was very well written and truly bizarre, intending that to be taken as a compliment. I mean who ever heard of a radical puppet collective before this book… suddenly all those childhood mementos I held onto might make me sleep with one eye open.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Knives

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Only If You’re Lucky

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.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacey Willingham

Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 384 Pages

January 16, 2024 by Minotaur Books

Blurb:

Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can’t say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.

And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It’s a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she’s been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered… and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

A tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

I’ve struck out so far with this author’s books but this one sounds like something I might like. I like that it’s set in South Carolina and that it’s at a college as that’s a trope (is it a trope? Setting?) that I enjoy… thrillers set at colleges and boarding schools. Wish me luck on this one.

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

2024 Audiobook Challenge Intentions

Hey Bookdragons! In 2024 I’m taking the enjoyment I found in audiobooks in 2023 and challenging myself to read even more audiobooks than last year (or even just as many)! The 2024 Audiobook Challenge is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer and the team at That’s What I’m Talking About!

How it Works:

Choose your level and get those audiobooks ready. Whether you are an audio virgin or an addict, they’ve got a level for you.

Use hashtag #2024AudiobookChallenge on social media to alert others to your listens and progress!

Challenge Details:Runs January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024. You can join at any time.The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2024 than you did in 2023.Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)All genres count.Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, etc. I recommend creating a shelf on Goodreads titled 2024 Audiobook Challenge. You can keep track and link the shelf. Grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. You can post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or X, Threads, Mastodon, your blog etc. about the challenge.Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be July 6, 2024, and the last update will take place on December 28, 2024. You’ll have one week to link up and share your progress and enter giveawayAchievement Levels:Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+Over-Achiever (Power Listener) 75+The 100 Club (Audiobook Addict) 100+I Can’t Hear You (earbuds always in) 125-150 Audibly Addicted (listening to all the books 24/7) 150+ Last Year I Chose vs. Last Year I Listened To:

Last year I chose the Stenographer, aiming to listen to 12 audiobooks, 1 per month.

Instead I listened to: 41!

2024 Goal

This year I’m picking the “My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+” but I’m hoping to listen to 4 audiobooks per month and get a total of 48!

Follow My Progress

Are you joining in? How many audiobooks do you want to listen to in 2024? How many did you listen to in 2023? Did you meet your goal? Pass it?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 18 December 2023

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Hey Bookdragons! Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I managed to finish two books last week besides the one I was reading last Monday. I just started a Christmas audiobook and one of the books I got from the holiday book exchange I did with some bookish/author friends…

Last Week I Read:Shadows of You by Catherine Cowles

This was such a good read! It’s book 4 in this series but can be read as a standalone. I can’t wait to binge this author’s backlist!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

I loved this one! The setting was great, there was plenty of familial drama, and oh, the twists! This author is definitely one of my favorites.

How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

I love that this book, along with the two others I’ve read by him, were set in Charleston. This was such a bizarre read I’m still processing it. My review will be up sometime this week.

Currently Reading:Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

Just in time for Christmas I’ve started Hercule Poirot’s Christmas. I’ll probably be finished before next Monday but I’m planning a hiatus from posting next week for the holidays.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

I’m about 2/3 through this one and loving it! My friend Natalie gifted it to me along with two other books for our holiday book exchange! I’ve been dying to read it but I seem to be on a perpetual 6 month hold through the library so I’m grateful to have my own copy. I’ve been splitting time between the audiobook when I can listen (thanks to my Spotify premium subscription) and the paperback when I can’t.

On Deck (Next Up):Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore (Reread)

My annual New Year’s Eve rereading of Texas Gothic.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

At 28 hours, 16 minutes listening time (even played at 2x speed) I will not finish this one before the end of the year, but at least I’ll get started!

What are you reading this week? What do you think your last book of 2023 will be?

The Sunday Post: Holiday Book Exchange, Making Plans, and the (Almost) Finished First Draft

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.

Holiday Book Exchange, Making Plans, and the (Almost) Finished First Draft

Hey Book Blogger Friends! Happy Sunday! There’s less than 2 weeks left of 2023! I’m still trying to keep track of all the things I need to get done before the end of the year.

Some of my bookish/author friends and I did a Holiday Book Exchange and I got my books this week! I love the 3 books that were chosen for me and I can’t wait to read them.

With the new year approaching I’m thinking of the goals I want to make for 2024 – for writing/publishing, for travel, for life, and for my health. This year I decided to take on a mostly pescatarian diet, which I’ve doubled down on recently deciding to cut out the few beef items I still ate periodically. In 2024 I want to exercise more and lose a little more weight. So I’m making plans for that.

Speaking of goals, I didn’t think I could do it with how low-energy I’ve been the past few weeks but the first draft of my next book, It Rose From the Ashes, is almost complete. I’m in the middle of a very tense chapter right now and then I only have one more chapter to go to wrap everything up. Then it’s moving on to the second draft! Hopefully, if all goes well I’ll take a break and be starting on draft 2 as we go into the new year.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 11 December 2023

Can’t Wait Wednesday: One of Us Knows

Audiobook Review: It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman

Book Review: Shadows of You by Catherine Cowles

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 18 December 2023

2024 Audiobook Challenge Intentions

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Only If You’re Lucky

Audiobook Review: How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Holiday Book Exchange:ARC from Author:

2024 Audiobook Challenge Sign Up

Book Review: Shadows of You by Catherine Cowles

Shadows of You (Lost and Found Series #4) by Catherine CowlesBlurb:

It was supposed to be a fresh start. A small town where I could hide my little girl from the shadows that haunt us. A place where I could keep us safe.

The last thing I expected was him.

A surly, broody mountain of a man who helps me save an injured deer in a snowstorm.

Now, Roan Hartley keeps showing up with his glowers and grimaces. But they only make his rare smiles and the gentle way he talks to my daughter mean that much more.

When forces from my past find us, Roan is determined to keep us safe—even if that means sleeping on my ancient couch every night.

As days turn to weeks, his touch has my walls crashing down. But someone out there doesn’t want me to find happiness. He doesn’t want me left breathing at all…

My Review:

From start to finish I loved everything about this book.

While I’m jumping in at book 4, I have one of the earlier books in the series and I’ve been following the author’s newsletter for a while, though she is a fairly new to me author. In fact this is my first book by her and I want to go back and binge her backlist.

The characters are so well developed. Aspen and Roan are perfectly balanced sunshine/grumpy characters and Cady is so adorable. There are so many quotable lines.

Shadows of You isn’t just a small town romance; there’s a mystery going on as well and the threats of Aspen’s past as well as a burgeoning serial killer stalking the town builds an unputdownable read.

Overall this was a great read and I’ll definitely check out the author’s other books.

My Rating:5 of 5 Knives!

Audiobook Review: It Waits In The Woods by Josh Malerman

It Waits In The Woods (Creature Feature Collection) by Josh MalermanBlurb:

Some chilling campfire tales ring too true to ignore. For one young woman, an urban legend calls her into the woods in a spine-tingling short story by the bestselling author of Bird Box.

The dense Michigan forest. Haunting wails. The clip-clop of demon hooves on a bridge to nowhere. It’s more than a tall tale to Brenda Jennings, whose sister disappeared in those woods one fateful night. Three years later, on a solo stakeout in the dark, Brenda goes in after her. She’s desperate for answers, and terrified to find what lies waiting on the other side of that bridge.

Josh Malerman’s It Waits in the Woods is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.

My Review:

I wish I would have listened to this over Halloween!

It Waits in the Woods is a perfect story bite for anyone who grew up telling spooky stories with their friends and who still love a good urban legend.

Though short, this book fully brings you into the setting and has you on the edge of your seat as Brenda enters the woods, recording what she sees, and stumbling upon a dark creature that was just supposed to be a story.

The narrator on the audiobook was good, I especially liked when she did the creature’s voice – definitely eerie when you’re listening in the dark by yourself.

I would love to read more about this creature, maybe an origin story or it luring in another victim. Like all short stories of course I want them to be longer.

Overall, this is a perfect spooky listen for a chilly night by the fire. You might just sleep with one eye open.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Stars!