Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 30

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Until the Stars Fall

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.

Until the Stars Fall (Immortal Reveries #1) by Vanessa RasanenCover Not Revealed Yet

Fantasy

ebook, Hardcover

February 13, 2024

Blurb:

The last time a fae king took a human bride it started a war.
This time it could prevent one.

One of the few humans at the palace, Lykke has served the royal family her whole life, enjoying their protection from the fae who hate her kind. Unfortunately, nothing could protect her heart from falling in love with her best friend–the prince. Even if he returned her love, he could never marry a human, let alone a servant.

But holding onto her mother’s words that love can conquer all, she refuses to give up, no matter the costs.

As the crown prince, Connor is preparing to be king and doing his best to rebuild the king’s armies and neutralize a rebel threat. Tasked with also ensuring his younger brother ends his licentious ways and marries a neighboring princess, he thinks things can’t get any worse. Until a human servant–a woman he saved years ago–catches his brother’s eye and threatens to ruin everything.

When Lykke finds herself sentenced to death for murdering a fae noble, she’s shocked to see it’s the older brother—Connor—who steps in to save her. And not in the way she expected.

In a world jaded by war, where love is weakness, a fae prince finds himself torn between his desire to save his country and his growing love for a human. He can’t save both, but how can he choose between his duty and his heart?

Until the Stars Fall is the first in a new fantasy romance collection of interconnected stand-alones, sweeping you to a magical war-torn world. This fated mates tale with a fake engagement brings you a noble fae prince who falls first–and hard. Loosely inspired by the movie, Sabrina, this slow-burn romance will have you swooning.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

I’ve started Vanessa’s other series and enjoy it so far and I keep seeing her teaser posts for this book on social media and it sounds like something I would enjoy.

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

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books on My Fall 2023 To-Read List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books on My Fall 2023 To-Read List

This week’s TTT is about the books we want to read this fall. I’ve gotten some really good books lately that I can’t wait to read.

1. The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo

This has been on my TBR for a while and what better time of year to read it than the spooky season?

2. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

This was recently recommended to me by my tattoo artist while we were discussing books during my last appointment. It looks really unique!

3. Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

It took me forever to get my copy of Court of the Vampire Queen from The Bookish Box so it made sense to wait until this spooky season to start it.

4. The Last One by Will Dean

This along with Court of the Vampire Queen are on my immediate TBR.

5. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

This is the October pick for the book club I’m in. I also want to try to fit in How to Sell A Haunted House

6. How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix7. The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson8. A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

This is on of my most anticipated fall releases and I can’t wait to get my copy!

9. Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

I just ordered this one and I’m going to take it to work and wait for reactions. It sounds darkly hilarious

10. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while and since we’re not getting the 3rd Ex Hex book from Erin Sterling this fall I need a cute witchy read.

What books are on your fall 2023 TBR? Did any of mine make your list? Have you read any of these?

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: A Multitude of Dreams

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Socrates Book Reviews where you share the first paragraph of one of the books that you are currently reading. Each week bloggers will choose a book or books of the week (which will be one of the books that you are currently reading) and that book will take part in this book blog meme.

This week I’m participating with A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford!

First Chapter, First Paragraph:

Eldridge Hall was a castle built on lies.

In the highest chamber of the tallest tower, where it was drafty on even the stillest day, Seraphina stood at the sole window’s ledge. Even that window was a lie, for it had been hastily boarded up years ago, and a window that couldn’t be seen through was just another wall. Any minute, the ebony clock in the great hall would send out three booming chimes, announcing the start of another elaborate dinner the kingdom couldn’t afford.

Blurb:

THE BLOODY PLAGUE

IS FINALLY PAST, BUT WHAT FRESH HORROR LIES IN ITS WAKE?

PRINCESS IMOGEN OF GOSLIND has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle-she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends further into madness, it’s at great risk of being revealed. Rations dwindle each day, and unhappy murmurings threaten to crack the facade of the years-long charade being played within the castle walls.

Nico Mott once enjoyed a comfortable life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived the mori roja’s aftermath. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence?

When Lord Crane sends Nico to search for more plaque survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to break out. They will each have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven if they’re going to survive the nightmares ahead.

What do you think? Would you keep reading? I’m about halfway through this fantasy retelling of The Masque of the Red Death.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 18 September 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.

Happy Monday Bookdragons! How was your weekend? I didn’t get much reading done over the last week because I had some vacation days that I ended up doing quite a few out-of-the-house things on.

What I Read Last Week:Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

My library hold on this audiobook came in so I set aside A Multitude of Dreams to listen to it. Werewolves aren’t my favorite but I like this author and it wasn’t a bad listen.

Currently Reading:A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford

I’m about halfway through this one and hoping to finish it in the next day or two to move onto some other reads.

Next Reads:

eBook: The Last One by Will Dean

Audiobook: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Physical: Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

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

The Sunday Post: Busy Week, New Wheels, and Fresh Ink

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.

Busy Week, New Wheels, and Fresh Ink

Hey Bookdragons! How was your week last week?

Despite having vacation days I still had a jam-packed exhausting week. I decided catching up on sleep and having a little staycation was better than driving nearly 4 hours north just to enjoy one day and drive home another 4 hours so I did some things I’ve been putting off.

Tuesday I went car shopping for my winter car. The car I’ve been driving is a Camaro which only has read-wheel drive which is unrealistic to attempt to drive in a Wisconsin winter that is fast approaching. I had done some research and there were a few cars I liked but I ultimately tried my favorite first and I am now a proud car owner of my first only-mine car.

Thursday was walk-in day at a tattoo shop I’ve been meaning to try so I took a chance and got my first bookish tattoo! I love how it turned out!

Other than that, I took a day trip on Wednesday and did a little Halloween decor shopping then on Friday I saw A Haunting in Venice!

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

Book Review: Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review: The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 6 Check-In

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

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: A Multitude of Dreams

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books on My Fall 2023 To-Read List

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Until the Stars Fall

The Friday 56: A Multitude of Dreams

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 7 Check-In

Physical:Corrupt Shadows Deluxe Hardback

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 6 Check-In

Hey Spooky Season Fiends! It’s finally starting to feel like fall here in Wisconsin! Welcome back for our week 6 check-in! If you’re just joining us, Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 is a 92-day celebration of all things spooky, cozy, and halloween vibes from August 1-October 31st, hosted by me, Taylor Fenner: author, book blogger, and all around spooky season lover. We have Spooky Season Bookish Bingo all season long and a readathon and Instagram photo challenge coming up in October. Link up on the original post here.

Week Six

This week I watched a few spooky season staples and watched one of my most anticipated movie releases for the last half of 2023…

Reading:Currently Reading:

I’m about 40-50% into A Multitude of Dreams. It’s a fantasy retelling of The Masque of the Red Death with blood-drinking monsters masquerading as men and a strong Jewish rep.

I’m hoping to finish Such Sharp Teeth yet this weekend. I’m 65% in and it’s a fast listen.

Watching:

This week I watched:

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

The Uninvited (1944)

A Haunting in Venice

Harry Potter 1-3

Creating:

I did a few things this week since I had vacation time so my reading and writing time slowed and I only managed to add 3,331 words to It Rose From the Ashes but I soared past the 40k word mark this week!

Tell me all about how you’ve been celebrating Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 this week and remember to tag me on socials so I can see your posts and use hashtag: #taylorfennersspookyseason2023

Book Review: The Only One Left by Riley Sager

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Adult, Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 400 pages

June 20, 2023 by Dutton Books

Blurb:

Bestselling author Riley Sager returns with a Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.

At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.

My Review:

After two so-so releases, Riley Sager is back on top of his game and reminded me why he’s one of my auto-buy authors!

If the creepy Lizzie Borden-esque rhyme and the delightfully atmospheric cover weren’t enough to draw you in let me tantalize you a little more: dysfunctional family with secrets all around, a slightly unreliable narrator/sub-narrator, dual timelines, and twists that hit one right after another!

The characters were all so fleshed out, especially Lenora who literally had no verbal dialogue the entire book but you felt so much like you could see and understand beyond the invalid façade. Then there is Mrs. Baker who gives Baby Jane Hudson (from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane) a run for her money – and you’ll understand why the deeper you get into the book. And flashy Jessie just leapt off the page, I could see her in all her colorful glory. This book is chock full of morally gray characters you’ll be dying to unwrap the layers of.

Then there is the setting… a crumbling mansion atop a crumbling cliff in small town Maine. A house that is literally on the precipice of falling into the ocean. And Jessie’s Murder House tour was fascinating.

Overall this book was eerie and atmospheric, tragic and heartbreaking, and dare I say relatable to anyone that’s ever been a caregiver for a loved one. I couldn’t put this one down and I’m eager to see what Mr. Sager’s next book will bring!

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

(This book was killer)

Book Review: Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

Horror, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 304 Pages

September 12, 2023 by St. Martin’s Press

Blurb

A standalone horror novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who’ve fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out…and failed.

When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.

There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it… But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone―or something―that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.

My Review:

I have such mixed feelings for this book. But at least I didn’t DNF it.

Did it have a good setting? Yes. Sufficient scenes of horror? Yes and no. My issues with this book are mostly the characters and the reveal of the events in the book.

None of the characters were particularly likable but I hated the main character most of all. Laney was just… pathetic. Yes, this awful thing happened to her in high school but she’s basically become a doormat ever since. Her husband leaves her post-Covid lockdown with no explanation and she just lets him go. Her best friend stops speaking to her in college with no explanation and she just lets her go. Her other friend didn’t believe her after the incident that happened in high school but she still wants to be her friend even though the bitch is a troublemaking liar. And then there is her obsessive overprotection of her “niece” Madison. And I figured out her reason early on but everyone keeps saying how smart and mature Madison is and yet they all treat her like she’s a toddler not a 16 or 17 year old girl, almost an adult. It was so annoying.

Anyway, Laney rents out her island summer home on what I assume is supposed to be like AirBnB or VRBO or something similar. And she’s had a lot of issues with renters disrespecting her property and not staying out of areas/personal property that they have been told not to. And Laney just sort of sighs and takes it. Again.. total doormat. But the latest renter has reported blood and scratch marks in one of the bedroom closets so Laney and Madison go out to investigate. A lot of weird satanic wannabe type stuff has been showing up on the property lately but Laney has thus far brushed it off. When they get there Laney’s ex-husband Kit and Laney’s ex-bff/Kit’s sister Jayla are there to help. And then her frenemy from high school Sadie shows up with her brother Garrett who makes Laney’s skin crawl – for good reason. And by the end of the night one is missing and their only way off the island is gone.

Sounds like the set-up for a great locked-door/cut off from the world thriller/horror right? What I wouldn’t give for this book to have had a crazy slasher in it. Or a murderous member of the party ready to settle an old wrong. But alas the author takes a supernatural turn in this book. Which I guess shouldn’t surprise me considering this is the author of Bitten (which I did enjoy).

While the author does paint a clear picture of the gore and carnage through the book, it’s like she couldn’t make up her mind. Am I writing about zombies? Vampires? Demons? Eh make it look like all three then give an eye-roll worthy reveal and make it all about saving Mother Earth and not littering or whatever.

I feel like this book had so much potential and it just failed to live up to it.

My Rating:

3 of 5 Knives!

(I Lived to Tell the Tale)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 11 September 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! I’m heading on vacation in a few days and trying to decide what book(s) to bring with me now that I finished a few of last week’s reads.

Last Week I Read:The Only One Left by Riley Sager

I loved this book! I’m still thinking about the ending. If this book isn’t on your radar this fall it should be!

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

I enjoyed this one but I’m more excited to see the movie adaptation.

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

I stopped reading this at about 35%. It’s the September pick for the online book club I’m in but I was so bored reading this. There is too much verbiage of Spanish words where unless you speak the language you have to sort of guess what they mean (or use Google translate which was no help at all) and the author way overwrites. Plus the vampires were like an afterthought or a metaphor for the white people invading the area.

Currently Reading:A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford

I’m about 50 pages into this one and it’s not bad so far. I like the female MC’s perspective better than the male’s but we’ll see if that changes.

Next Read:The Last One by Will Dean

I think this is the book I want to bring with me on vacation this week. It looks really good and I’ve been excited to read it.

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

The Sunday Post: Long Weekend, Vacation Time, and Weather Whiplash

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.

Long Weekend, Vacation Time, and Weather Whiplash

Hey Bookdragons! Happy Sunday! How was your week?

To me it’s always confusing when there’s a holiday on a Monday. Everything gets screwed up a little. Labor Day came in the middle of my three days off work but I spent last Sunday and Labor Day catching up on sleep then went for a manicure on Tuesday and had a nice lunch out.

Tomorrow I start my 6 vacation days. Tomorrow I have to get an oil change in my car (boo), Tuesday I hope to go car shopping for the winter car I need (rear-wheel drive sucks when you live in a snow prone area), and then Wednesday I’m off to Michigan for a few days of relaxation. I can’t wait to recharge.

We had the weirdest weather this week – from 100 degrees and humid to high 60s and comfortable seemingly in the blink of an eye. Not that I mind that I’m packing hoodies for my trip instead of shorts.

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

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: The Only One Left

Can’t Wait Wednesday: In These Hallowed Halls

Audiobook Review: Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Friday 56: Vampires of El Norte

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 5 Check-In

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

Book Review: Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

Taylor Fenner’s Spooky Season 2023 Week 6 Check-In

Book Review: The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Physical:eBook:

Small Town Romance Stories