Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 54

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books Set at Boarding Schools and Colleges

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 I Love That Are Set At Boarding Schools and Colleges This week’s TTT is a back to school freebie so I've chosen books that I love that are set at boarding schools and colleges! I'm obsessed with thrillers set in boarding schools and colleges and I love dark academia vibes! 
1. Private by Kate Brian

2. Privilege by Kate Brian
3. Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
4. Initiation by K.E. O'Connor
5. The Black Witch by Laurie Forest
6. She was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell
7. The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
8. In The Hall With The Knife by Diana Peterfreund
9. The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
10. Reputation by Sara Shepard

***What did you choose for this week's school freebie?  Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor

Book Blogger Hop - 26 August 2022

Book Blogger Hop

 About the Book Blogger HopThe 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.
August 26 - September 1, 2022

AOTW: It depends, is this an author I know or have worked with before? I get a lot of unsolicited, spam emails to my blog email and even on Instagram asking me to read and review their books. Most of these authors I have never heard of before and have never interacted with on social media. On top of that, their books are rarely in genres I read. So all of those requests go straight into my spam and delete folders. 
If it’s an author friend of mine or someone who I have worked with before and I just don’t have the time to review due to work or life schedules, I’ll definitely promote their books on social media and talk them up as much as I can. 
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What about you?  Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your post!

{Release Day Frenzy} DARK FATE - A Shifter’s Fury by Karley Stafford

Title: Dark FateAuthor: Karley Stafford Publisher: Self-published Release Date: Aug 24, 2022 Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy Pages: 350 (approx.)Format: Paperback | Ebook | KU Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Fate-Shifters-Karley-Stafford-ebook/dp/B09MFZL7FV/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=119LY2EMD2AWQ&keywords=dark+fate+karley+stafford&qid=1661285496&sprefix=dark+fate%2Caps%2C420&sr=8-1
Synopsis: I am the alpha’s daughter, the alpha apparent, heir to our pack. A position I never wanted. I wish I could relinquish it to Cole, my shadow and second. But my father would be devastated, and the pack would surely ostracize me.
My world goes to hell when my father makes a deal with the Cavell Wolves, known widely for their cruelty. The deal in which I will marry Jasper, the heir to the savage northern pack. The last thing I need is a male to be by my side to become the Alpha my father raised me to be. What he doesn’t know, I’m already in love with a witch whom I would burn the world down for.
After a night gone wrong, betrayed by someone I trust, I find myself at the mercy of Marrock, my heinous father-in-law-to-be. Learning first hand of the atrocities he’s willing to commit to get what he wants. But I will not let him break my spirit.
Author Bio: Debut Novel – 2022
Karley Stafford is a busy bee who decided she wanted to add to her real-life never-ending story of constant tasks and dabble in the art of becoming an author. She is an advocate for mental health and writing has allowed her a healthy tool to heal.
Aside from her full-time career and her new venture as a wordsmith, full-time student, she also runs two companies; Literary Bound Tours (Co-owner) & Venom & Villainy where she curates designs to satisfy the dark & bookish hearts.Karley lives in Canada, as a single mom. Her family unit is whole with their two dogs Rogue & Kylo. She is a self-proclaimed ginormous nerd who loves anything and everything magical.
SOCIAL LINKS: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookishqueendom 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/563336201607708 
•Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karleystaffordauthor
Bloggers/Bookstagrammers Participating in this Release Day Frenzy: Ashley – @jacleomik33
Zoe – @shh.lilysreading
Elsie – @elsiequailwrites
Kasandra – @betweenhogwartsandvelaris
Jessica – @whatjessireads
Jordan – @booknook.sisters
Brandy – @better_0ff_read
Taylor – @taylorfennerwrites
Chelscey – @chelscey
Lianne – @lianne_the_bibliophile
Cristiana – @theshakespeareana
Taylor – @25thavenuewest
Kirsty – @fiction_vixen18
Carly – @literary_valkyrie
Lois – @squeakeysundergroundlibrary
Taylor – @mother.of.all.romance
Dani – @my_heart_is_booked
Candy – @purpleshadowhunter
Briana – @bbyo.dabb

I Can't Wait for... The Kiss Curse!

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.
I'm looking forward to this one to kick of the Spooky Season... 
The Kiss CurseThe Ex Hex #2by Erin Sterling
eBook, Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook 320 Pages
September 20, 2022 by Avon Books
Blurb:
Welcome to Spooky Season!! The follow-up to Erin Sterling’s New York Times bestselling hit The Ex Hex features fan favorite Gwyn and the spine-tinglingly handsome Wells Penhallow as they battle a new band of witches and their own magical chemistry.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop.org
Why I Want To Read The Kiss Curse:I enjoyed The Ex Hex earlier this year and I was really excited to hear that there would be a second book centering around Gwyn and Wells. I hope it's as humorous and addictive as the first book!  
***Will you be checking this book out? Have you read The Ex Hex? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday: 8 Series & Standalone Books I Wish Had More Books

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: 8  Completed Series I Wish Had More Books This week’s TTT is all about completed series we wish had more books. I actually don't really read a lot of series, I'm more into standalones or if I do read series it takes me ages to finish them  and by that point I'm usually fine with them being completed. Here are 9 series and standalones that I do wish had another book to follow-up. Some of these series never actually got completed and I'm still wishing for a final book. 
1. the Annabelle Lee Series by Stacey Jay This is actually not a completed series. There were two books with me fully anticipating a 3rd book that just... never came. I wish it would have been finished!

2. The Goddess Test Series by Aimee Carter Before all of the Hades/Persephone retellings everyone loves now, the Goddess Test was one of the OGs of Hades/Persephone retellings. While Kate and Henry's story wraps up at the end of the trilogy, I thought there was going to be a spin-off series and I guess it just never panned out. It's a shame. 

3. Goodnight Series by Rosemary Clement-Moore Surely there must be more Goodnights we could read about! I love this family so much for there to only be two books! PHIN! PHIN needs her own book! Please Rosemary???
4. Gravebriar by Casey L. Bond Gravebriar is a standalone but I would love more books set in this world! Maybe about some of the other witch families?

5. The Thousandth Floor Trilogy by Katharine McGee I don't even know where she would go with another book, but I love this series so much. 
6. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie Another standalone I wish would have a sequel. I would love to see Alice and Carter return to the house as adults. 
7. Clue Mystery Series by Diana Peterfreund I don't know if I exactly like how the last book ended. I know things were mostly wrapped up but I'd love to see the crew solve more murders and see where they went after leaving Blackbrook Academy. 
8. Stormheart Series by Cora Carmack
Okay, Okay, I know this is unfair to really, really want the third book to come out considering the author has a ton of health problems, I just really hate to be left hanging and hope this trilogy gets completed someday. 


***What completed series do you wish had more books? Did any of mine make your list? Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 22 August, 2022

#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! It's been a busy couple weeks both at home and at work. I decided to DNF one of the books I mentioned last week while I savored another fantasy novel. Then I was surprised with book mail from Entangled Teen and it sounded to good I had to start it right away. Here's what I've been reading... 
What I Read Last Week:Gallant by V.E. Schwab I keep trying with this author's books but I think I'm at the point where I've tried and failed to get through 4 books by her (A Darker Shade of Magic, City of Ghosts, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, and now Gallant) so I'm giving up and writing V.E. Schwab off as an author whose books I just don't enjoy. It's not that the writing was bad, that's not at all what I'm saying. It's just that the story didn't hold me. It was predictable and a bit too young for my reading tastes. DNF @ Page 153
Fire Heart by Emma Hamm I've been wanting to read this author's books for a while now and when I saw a The Bookish Box exclusive edition of it come up on PangoBooks I decided to get it since I had some PangoBucks and a credit from selling. I loved this book so much! I definitely will check out more by this author and I can't wait to read the next book.Currently Reading: Fate Touched by Becky Moynihan I started Fate Touched at work on Thursday and although I didn't have a ton of reading time, it was so easy to fall back into this series. Becky is a master storyteller and if you haven't discovered the A Touch of Vampire series yet, what are you waiting for?
The Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen Entangled Teen surprised me with a book box for this book and it looked so good I put it at the top of my TBR list. I just finished Fire Heart last night so I'll be starting this one sometime today.   Next ReadThe Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling I've been trying to make myself wait to read this one until closer to the beginning of September but I can't wait any longer! The ARC has been sitting on my shelf begging to be read. 

*** 
 What are you reading this week? Have you read any of my recent reads?

The Sunday Post: Retro Festivals, Surgeries, and Cover Reveals - 21 August, 2022

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

Retro Festivals, Surgeries, and Cover Reveals Hey Bookdragons! How have you been? I missed last week's post because I was at the Symco Hotrods and Kustoms Weekender here in Wisconsin. It's a weekend of classic cars, dressing up in 1950s garb, and camping (although my mom and I didn't camp because we only live 12 miles away). Last week I revealed the cover of my upcoming book, No Check Out. If you missed it, the link to my post will be below with "Last Week on the Blog." This past Tuesday my mom had her second lung surgery and it went really well. The doctor took out the middle lobe on her right side as well as part of the bottom lobe that had the cancer in it. Now she'll have 60-70% lung capacity over both lungs (her left was done in July) which is better than the 45-50% originally thought. I hope you've been having a great weekend! 
🍀  It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 8 August, 2022 🍀  Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Hilarious Book Titles 🍀  I Can't Wait For... Green Monsters! 🍀 Book Blogger Hop - 12 August, 2022🍀 {Cover Reveal} No Check Out by Taylor Fenner 🍀 Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Love That Were Written More Than 10 Years Ago 🍀 I Can't Wait For... The Ballad of Never After! 🍀 Book Blogger Hop - 19 August, 2022

🍀 It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 22 August, 2022 🍀  Top Ten Tuesday: Completed Series I Wish Had More Books 🍀  I Can't Wait For... The Kiss Curse! 🍀 Book Blogger Hop -  26 August, 2022


Learn More:Chaos & Carnage by Stacey RourkeReaper vs. Ripper by Stacey RourkeReaping a Pain in the Axe by Stacey RourkeReaping Rasputin by Stacey RourkeThe Devil You Reap by Stacey RourkeThe Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen

💀 This Week I Bookmarked:  DAISY DARKER PREORDER SWEEPSTAKES Hyde Manor HOW I READ 100 BOOKS IN ONE YEAR (AND HOW YOU CAN, TOO)

Book Blogger Hop - 19 August 2022

Book Blogger Hop

 About the Book Blogger HopThe 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.
August 19 - 25, 2022

No, I don't. I usually reread my review before posting to check for grammatical errors but that's about it. 
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What about you? Do you run your reviews through editing software before posting? Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your post!

I Can't Wait for... The Ballad of Never After!

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.
I may already have 2-3 editions of this book preordered... 😂 
The Ballad of Never AfterOnce Upon A Broken Heart #2by Stephanie Garber
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook 384 Pages
September 13, 2022 by Flatiron Books
Blurb:
The fiercely-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Once Upon a Broken Heart, starring Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts on a new journey of magic, mystery, and heartbreak.

Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop.org
Why I Want To Read The Ballad of Never After:I devoured the audiobook of Once Upon A Broken Heart in February. I was afraid I wouldn't love it as much as the Caraval books but boy can Stephanie Garber deliver! I'm so excited to find out what happens next and if The Ballad Of Never After is the ending of a duology (which I'm hoping it is).  
***Will you be checking this book out? Have you read Once Upon A Broken Heart or the Caraval Trilogy? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Love That Were Written More Than 10 Years Ago

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 I Love That Were Written More Than 10 Years Ago This week’s TTT is all about books we love that were written before 2012! Looking through my Goodreads shelves, it's interesting to see how long ago some of my favorites were written and published! Some of them feel like just yesterday. (Although just to be clear, And Then There Were None was published way, way before I was born! 😆)
1. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (2006)
2. The Revenant by Sonia Gensler (2011)
3. If She Only Knew by Lisa Jackson (2000)
4. Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore (2011)
5. The Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan (2001-2003)
6. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (2010)
7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (1939)
8. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (1996)
9. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill (2009)

10. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie (2010)
***What books do you love that were written more than 10 years ago? Did any of mine make your list? Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor