Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 26

WWW Wednesday – 24 January 2024

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?

Currently Reading:Death Unfiltered by Emmeline Duncan

I’m about halfway through this one and enjoying it so far.

The Agatha’s by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

I’m about 40% into this one and wishing I was making faster progress. I do like the book I’ve just been focusing on editing my book the past two weeks.

Recently Finished: Flat White Fatality by Emmeline Duncan

This was a fast audiobook listen and I really enjoyed it. I actually prefer this series in audiobook because the narrator does an amazing job bringing the characters to life.

Reading Next:It’s One of Us by J.T. Ellison

I’ve already sort of started this audiobook but I’m only about 26 minutes in. I’m hoping to listen to it over the weekend.

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

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Murder Road

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.

Murder Road by Simone St. James

Thriller

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 352 Pages

March 5, 2024 by Berkley

Blurb:

A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.

July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to be a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.

When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

First off we have a the title. Who wouldn’t want to read a thriller with that title?! I like that this is set in the mid-1990s, which it seems a lot of books have been doing lately. The setting sounds perfectly set up for a tense story. I’ve been meaning to read this author’s books for a while but this one I might have to make a priority!

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

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 15 January 2024

#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! I’m not having the best reading time in 2024. I’ve started a few books but my focus is just not there.

Last Week I Read:She Started It by Sian Gilbert

My library borrow ended on this one before I could finish it and I had to put myself back on the hold list.

Currently Reading:The Agatha’s by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

I’m about 20% into this one and I read a few pages of it (I’m reading it on my kindle app) then jump to the paperback I’m reading and back and forth like that so even though I like it so far I’m not making much progress.

The Bones of The Story by Carol Goodman

This is a reread for me but I wanted to start a thriller about being snowed in during a snowstorm while being snowed in during a blizzard this past week.

Next Read:Flat White Fatality by Emmeline Duncan

This is my next audiobook borrow from the library. I have to catch up on this one since I won an arc of the next book in the series that I want to start pretty soon.

Were you able to jump right back into reading this year or are you in a sort of slump like me? What are you reading this week?

The Sunday Post: Blizzards, Energy Blocks, and Lazy Days

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.

Blizzards, Energy Blocks, and Lazy Days

Hey Book Blogger friends! How was your week. Mine was snowy.

So we had a blizzard (and not the Dairy Queen type). This week we had not one but two snowstorms, the second conjuring blizzard conditions that dumped 13.5 inches of snow on us between Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning. Businesses and schools were closed and my car was buried under a ton of snow.

With the weather and trying to heal from some sort of muscle strain/bruised rib/something on my right side I wasn’t feeling very ambitious. I had reviews to do and I kind of let them go. I’m trying to decide whether to do a bunch of mini-reviews in one post or individual posts. All of these are just pleasure reads and not arcs or anything.

Not feeling ambitious, I did one day of editing my novel and spent the rest of the week watching movies in my spare time. Maybe this week I’ll be more ambitious/inspired.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 8 January 2024

ARC Review: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 15 January 2024

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Murder Road!

Review Catch-Ups

None This Week

None This Week

ARC Review: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 304 Pages

January 9, 2024 by St. Martins Press

Blurb

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins returns with a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.

There’s nothing as good as the rich gone bad.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money―and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

And as Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

My Review:

I binged this author’s backlist earlier in 2023 and this author rocketed to the top of my auto-buy list.

I loved the setting of this story, the author really paints a vivid picture of the house and the town.

This book is filled with unreliable narrators from Ruby’s letters to Jules and Camden themselves. Usually when a book goes between timelines or has letters detailing the past I find myself invested in one timeline more than the other but I was equally engrossed in both which I think is a testament to this author’s writing.

I loved the twists this book took, even though one of them I was starting to suspect in the last few chapters but it was still a delicious twist!

Overall, I loved this book and look forward to reading more by this author!

My Rating:

4.5 of 5 Knives!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 8 January 2024

#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 Book Blogger Friends! Happy New Year! I took a blogging break for the holidays which allowed me to celebrate – and read and listen to a lot of books.

What I Read Recently:Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha ChristieThe Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu MandannaTexas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore A Welcome Reunion by Lucinda BerryThe Twelve Days of Murder by Andreina CordaniThe 30-Minute Pescatarian Cookbook by Dani ColombattoDeath on Cozumel Island by Cindy QuayleHercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie HannahThe Hotel by Louise MumfordCurrently Reading: She Started It by Sian Gilbert

I’m about 50% into this one, listening to it while I’m at the gym and I hate putting it down!

Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan

I just started this one and I’m excited. The first book, A Death in Door County was one of my favorite books of 2023.

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis

I’m about 22% into the ebook of this and I’m not overly enthused. As I knew going in there’s a heavy religious backdrop to the setting and it’s making me uncomfortable. I’m hoping I can get past it but I might skim to the end.

Next Read:

Undecided

What have you been reading lately? What was your first read of 2024?

The Sunday Post: 2024, Shaking off the Cobwebs, and January Goals

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.

2024, Shaking off the Cobwebs, and January Goals

Hey Blogger Friends! Happy 2024! I took the last two weeks off from blogging except for a couple reviews I had scheduled just to enjoy the holidays. I hope yours were great.

I’m having a sluggish start to the year due to SAD hitting me hard and I’m slowing working on getting my ambition back. I have the next 3 days off and I’m planning on catching up on rest.

This month I’m working on a bunch of goals, from starting to get healthier – I’ve started going to the gym with a goal of 4 times per week (unless it’s snowing and I can’t drive there), I’m planning to take a yoga class tomorrow, and I’ve been trying new recipes from my pescatarian cookbook (see the shrimp cakes I made for New Year’s Eve below). I’ve also started self-edits/draft 2 of It Rose From the Ashes this weekend and I’m excited to see how it shapes up more.

Posts from December 18, 2023 – January 1, 2024

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

Audiobook Review: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

My 13 Favorite Reads of 2023

Audiobook Review: A Welcome Reunion by Lucinda Berry

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 8 January 2024

ARC Review: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Audiobook Review: The Twelve Days of Murder by Andreina Cordani

Book Review: Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle

Audiobook Review: Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah

Book Review: The Hotel by Louise Mumford

Physical:eBook:Audiobook Library Loan:

Jaclyn Kot Box

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!