Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 50

The Sunday Post: Christmas, Blogging Breaks, and Marathon Traditions

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.

Christmas, Blogging Breaks, and Marathon Traditions

Hey Bookdragons! Happy New Year & Happy Sunday! I took a little bit of a blogging break over the past week to enjoy the holidays and have some self-care. How was your Christmas and New Year’s Eve?

We had Christmas dinner at a friend’s house which luckily meant no clean-up for us. My family really paid attention to my love of crime shows and horror and I got a lot of great gifts and even a couple books… two of which being about the city that holds my heart, Charleston. One is about haunted locations and the other is like a coffee table book. I can’t wait to check them out further.

I also did my annual Harper’s Island marathon. Harper’s Island was a 13-episode horror/mystery series that aired in 2009 and I always watch it, traditionally, on New Year’s Eve although this year I did on the 29th as I had to work NYE.

Now I’m gearing up for No Check Out’s release on the 13th! Have you preordered yet?

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros – Shiver by Allie Reynolds

Can’t Wait Wednesday… A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating A Demon!

2022 Reading Wrap Up

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 2 January 2023

Book Review: The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros – Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Favorite Books of 2022

Can’t Wait Wednesday… End of Story!

Book Review: Her Mates by Jade Presley

Book Review: Hauntings & Havoc by Stacey Rourke

Book Review: Hot Vampire Next Door by Nikki St. Crowe

The Friday 56 – (Book TBD)

Book Blogger Hop: What was the first book you read this year?

My December Haul:

None this Week

2022 Wrap Up

Hey Bookdragons! The end of the year is upon us. It feels like I did so much this year and yet so little.

My Mom and I went to Deadwood in June, I came back to book blogging, I went to a 1950s car festival with my family, watched 100 horror movies in 92 days, got full time at work, and adopted a dog.

On a bookish note, here are 10 of my favorite books I read in 2022, in no particular order…

1. The Reunion by Kiersten Modglin 2. Her Villains by Jade Presley3. The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe4. Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan5. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill 6. The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz7. Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell8. The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling9. Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain10. The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb Most Read Authors in 2022:

Ruby Dixon (20 Books)

Jade Presley (3.5 Books)

Nikki St. Crowe (4 Books)

Favorite Book Cover of 2022Total Books Read: 106Audiobooks Listened To: 7

What were your favorite reads of 2022?

Can’t Wait Wednesday… A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon!

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.

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating A Demon by Sarah Hawley

Standalone, Paranormal Romance

eBook, Paperback, Audiobook, 336 Pages

March 7, 2023 by Berkley

Blurb:

Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.

Why I Want to Read A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating A Demon:

Lately I’ve been craving a book like the Ex Hex books and this one sounds like it has all the paranormal romance, grumpy/sunshine, rom-com goodness I’m looking for!

Would you read this book? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros: Shiver by Allie Reynolds

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.

My book of the week is: Shiver by Allie Reynolds

First Chapter, First Paragraph:

It’s that time of year again. The time the glacier gives up bodies.

A chilling intro, wouldn’t you say?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

The double doors swing shut behind us. And the lights go off.

Blurb:

In this propulsive locked-room thriller debut, a reunion weekend in the French Alps turns deadly when five friends discover that someone has deliberately stranded them at their remote mountaintop resort during a snowstorm.

When Milla accepts an off-season invitation to Le Rocher, a cozy ski resort in the French Alps, she’s expecting an intimate weekend of catching up with four old friends. It might have been a decade since she saw them last, but she’s never forgotten the bond they forged on this very mountain during a winter spent fiercely training for an elite snowboarding competition.

Yet no sooner do Milla and the others arrive for the reunion than they realize something is horribly wrong. The resort is deserted. The cable cars that delivered them to the mountaintop have stopped working. Their cell phones–missing. And inside the hotel, detailed instructions await them: an icebreaker game, designed to draw out their secrets. A game meant to remind them of Saskia, the enigmatic sixth member of their group, who vanished the morning of the competition years before and has long been presumed dead.

Stranded in the resort, Milla’s not sure what’s worse: the increasingly sinister things happening around her or the looming snowstorm that’s making escape even more impossible. All she knows is that there’s no one on the mountain she can trust. Because someone has gathered them there to find out the truth about Saskia…someone who will stop at nothing to get answers. And if Milla’s not careful, she could be the next to disappear…

Would you / have you read this one? It’s a reread for me!

Book Blogger Hop: Did Santa bring you any books?

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings or a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

December 23-29, 2022Question of the Week:Did Santa bring you any books?AOTW:

It’s not Christmas yet so I don’t know! I doubt it, I specifically told my family not to buy me books or bookstore gift cards this year.

What about you? Are you expecting books this Christmas? Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your post!

📖 Book Review: Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell

Stolen Tongues by Felix BlackwellBlurb:

A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned. High up on the windswept cliffs of Pale Peak, Faye and Felix celebrate their new engagement. But soon, a chorus of ghastly noises erupts from the nearby woods: the screams of animals, the cries of children, and the mad babble of a hundred mournful voices. A dark figure looms near the windows in the dead of night, whispering to Faye. As the weather turns deadly, Felix discovers that his terrified fiancée isn’t just mumbling in her sleep – she’s whispering back.

Originally a contest-winning story on reddit.com’s horror community NoSleep, Stolen Tongues has received widespread acclaim and has been optioned for film.

My Review:

I’d seen this book recommended often as being really scary. But I’m a skeptic – a horror fanatic who watches horror movies for comfort, doesn’t scare easily, and has laughed at one or two improbable horror movies (cough.. The Nun… cough). But… this book freaked me out! (In the best possible way of course)

It kicks off strong with the prologue and continues to deliver, as you read late into the night, choking on the sensation of unease clawing at your throat. This book is tense, leaving you on the edge of your seat both dreading and eagerly anticipating what will happen next. I can’t even explain how it gets under your skin – or maybe why is the better word – but it does.

I did feel that the scare factor dipped down a bit toward the end, maybe because I had become used to everything that had happened and was no longer enchanted by the what-next factor but overall it didn’t dim my enjoyment of the story.

I also felt a little confused by the notification of one of the deaths to Felix. He’s told of the death and the nature of the death is hinted at at the time but then it seems like a few chapters later as he’s talking to another character he knows nothing about the details. Not sure if this was intentional or not.

Overall, I can honestly tell you, if you’re looking for a horror novel that packs a punch, this is the book for you! I felt my nerves stretched so taut at times I could have thrown up from the tension. And like I said, I don’t scare easy.

My Rating:

4/5 Stars!

🎧 2023 Audiobook Challenge Sign-Up Pledge

Hey Bookdragons! In 2023 I’m challenging myself to read more audiobooks! The 2023 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 #2023AudiobookChallenge on social media to alert others to your listens and progress!

Challenge DetailsRuns January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023. 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 2023 than you did in 2022.Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)ANY 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 2023 Audiobook Challenge. You can keep track and link the shelf. If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Tweet about the challenge.Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be July 2, 2023, and the last update will take place on December 30, 2023. You’ll have one week to link up and share your progressAchievement Levels

What level will you choose?

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 Choose:

The Stenographer! My goal is to listen to at least one audiobook per month which would bring me to 12 by the end of 2023!

Follow My Progress

Are you joining in? How many audiobooks do you want to listen to in 2023?

Can’t Wait Wednesday… The Midnight Game!

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.

The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy

Standalone, Thriller/Horror

eBook, Paperback, 400 pages

January 5, 2023 by Scholastic Books

Blurb:

Rules of The Midnight Game:
Do not turn on the lights.
Do not go to sleep.
Do not leave the building.

When a group who have met on a creepy Deddit thread decide to meet in real life, they only have one plan in mind: they are going to summon the Midnight Man. And once you start the Midnight Game, you must finish it – there’s no other way out! Six strangers. One night. But how many survivors?

Why I Want to Read The Midnight Game:

I saw this book on my favorite author, Dawn Kurtagich’s Instagram story and immediately paged over to Instagram to see what it is about. It sounds so good! Definitely up my alley. The only problem is I can only find it in physical format on Book Depository so I’ll probably have to order it there.

Would you read this book?

Top Ten Tuesday: 5 Books I Plan To Splurge on For Myself

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: 5 Books I Plan To Splurge on For Myself

This week’s TTT is actually “Books I Hope Santa Brings This Year” but I’m pretty sure I’m the only Bookish person who specifically told my family not to buy me books, bookstore gift cards, or Bookish items for Christmas this year. No this year I wanted to focus on my other interests. But here are 5 books I plan to buy myself either in eBook or Physical format as a treat…

1. Ledge by Stacey McEwan

This is the only book on my Winter TBR that I don’t actually own so I’m finally going to get it for myself.

2. On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry

I saw this one on a blog last week and immediately added it to my cart.

3. Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey

I’ve wanted to read this one since last year.

4. The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill

I listened to the audiobook of this one last month and loved it. Now I want a physical copy, specifically this edition!

5. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

I read Daisy Darker a few months ago by this author and now I want to check out her backlist. I might use my audible credit for this one.

What books do you hope to get for Christmas? Did any of mine make your wishlist? Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your TTT!

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros – The End of Temperance Dare

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.

My book of the week is: The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb

First Chapter, First Paragraph:

They gave her the bed by the window, the one closest to the toy box. That was something, at least. But the very fact that she was there at all, away from home, away from her father, her sisters, her dolls, terrified the girl. Other children were there; she wasn’t the only one. But this did little to soothe her.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

But in a moment, when she scrambled to her feet, she saw that the others didn’t get up with her. They just lay in the grass, lifeless as dolls, their limbs askew, their faces frozen.

Blurb:

Haunting and atmospheric, The End of Temperance Dare is another thrilling page-turner from the author reviewers are calling the Queen of the Northern Gothic.

When Eleanor Harper becomes the director of a renowned artists’ retreat, she knows nothing of Cliffside Manor’s dark past as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a “waiting room for death.” After years of covering murder and violence as a crime reporter, Eleanor hopes that being around artists and writers in this new job will be a peaceful retreat for her as much as for them.

But from her first fog-filled moments on the manor’s grounds, Eleanor is seized by a sense of impending doom and realizes there’s more to the institution than its reputation of being a haven for creativity. After the arrival of the new fellows—including the intriguing, handsome photographer Richard Banks—she begins to suspect that her predecessor chose the group with a dangerous purpose in mind. As the chilling mysteries of Cliffside Manor unravel and the eerie sins of the past are exposed, Eleanor must fight to save the fellows—and herself—from sinister forces.