Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 60
June 18, 2021
{Book Review} BITTERSWEET by Sarina Bowen
BittersweetTrue North Book 1Sarina BowenContemporary Romance, Second Chance Romance349 PagesBlurb:The new series is set in Vermont. True North is populated by the tough, outdoorsy mountain men that populate the Green Mountain State. They raise cows and they grow apples. They chop a lot of wood, especially when they need to blow off steam. (Beards are optional but encouraged.)
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.
The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.
At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.
Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.
They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.
My Review:
I'd just read two books I really loved, going into Bittersweet I thought no way could I love a third book in a row that much, but boy was I wrong.
Five years ago, Griffin and Audrey spent two steamy nights together when he was a senior and she was a freshman in college. Their chemistry was hot then, but nothing came of it at the time.
Now, five years later Audrey put herself through culinary school after her mother cut her off for not being the perfect child she wanted. Griffin is the patriarch of his family after his father passed away unexpectedly from a massive heart attack two years ago and he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Fate brings Audrey and Griffin back together when the restaurant conglomerate that Audrey works for sends her to Vermont to find suppliers for their farm-to-table initiative. Audrey is not in Griffin's plans and he doesn't trust the company that she works for but their chemistry is even more off the charts than it was five years ago and soon he can't imagine his life without her. But can Audrey see that they're meant to be?
This book is sexy, addictive, and deliciously humorous all at the same time. I enjoyed it from start to finish, reading late into the night because I didn't want to put it down. I can't wait to read the rest of this series and I'm really excited that the next book is about Jude. I loved him as a side character in Bittersweet and hope that he can find the happiness he deserves.
My Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟5 of 5 Stars!
June 15, 2021
I Can't Wait For... All of Us Villains
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 saw this one in a publisher's newsletter and added it to my TBR...
All of Us VillainsAll of Us Villains Book 1by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 400 Pages
November 9, 2021 by Tor Teen
Blurb:
The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.
Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.
The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world--one thought long depleted.
This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly: a choice - accept their fate or rewrite their story.
But this is a story that must be penned in blood.
Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books (Help Support My Favorite Indie Bookstore)
***Will you be checking this book out?
June 14, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books on my Summer 2021 TBR
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 Summer 2021 TBRThis week’s TTT is all about books we plan to read this summer (or winter if you're in the Southern Hemisphere). I got two months free of Kindle Unlimited so I'm planning to read some kindle books I've had my eye on for a while.
1. Say I'm the One by Siobhan Davis
2. Kiss Kiss Fang Fang by Penelope Bloom
3. Bad Prince by Lilian Monroe
4. Rejected by Jaymin Eve
5. Black Sunshine by Karina Hall
6. Origins by Lyla Oweds
7. That Boy by Jillian Dodd
8. Under a Gilded Moon by Joy Jordan-Lake
9. Before You Ghost by Helena Hunting and Debra Anastastia
10. Irresistible by Melanie Harlow
***What books do you want to read this summer?Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor
June 13, 2021
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 14 June 2021
#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! Last week was a perfect example of "It's hot so I should stay inside and read." I don't think we got below 90 all week but now thankfully it's cooling down. It gave me a chance to binge most of a really hot series last week though!What I Read Last Week: Make Me Yours by Melanie Harlow
I enjoyed Make Me Yours nearly as much as Drive Me Wild (Bellamy Creek series book 1). It's a little more heartbreaking than DMW though, so have some tissues handy if you read this one. Call Me Crazy by Melanie Harlow
OMG, I think Enzo and Bianca are my favorite couple in this series! If you like the fake marriage trope you will love this book! And it left me craving Italian food! Currently Reading:Tie Me Down by Melanie Harlow
I'm already on the 4th and final book and I can't wait to see how Beckett's story unfolds. I haven't had much reading time over the weekend so I'm only about 10% into this one. I already know it's going to give me the feels with Beckett's dad after me being a caregiver for my grandmother. Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
I'm about 100 pages into Capturing the Devil and I'm not feeling it so much. It's a reread for me, and last time I read it I didn't get too far either. No idea why. Next ReadTentative Third Week of June TBR
More Info:Say I'm The One by Siobhan Davis
***
What are you reading this week? Have you read any of my recent reads?
June 12, 2021
{Book Review} DRIVE ME WILD by Melanie Harlow
Drive Me WildBellamy Creek Book 1Melanie HarlowContemporary Romance, Opposites Attract Romance312 PagesBlurb:When Blair Beaufort literally crashes into Bellamy Creek wearing a ball gown and a tiara, I should have towed her car, said goodnight, and sent her packing.
I’m a mechanic, not a hotel manager. I've got enough on my plate trying to keep my shop from going under, my overbearing mother off my back, and my baseball team in contention for the league championship. I don’t have time for a former debutante with zero street smarts and a cash flow problem, even if she is crazy beautiful.
Problem is, she’s stranded in my small town, and I’m hiding a protective streak underneath my grumpy exterior that runs deep. So I offer her a place to stay and keep my hands to myself.
For exactly one night.
If only she weren't so gorgeous. So funny. So eager to please. She’s a disaster behind the wheel, but she drives me wild without even trying--at work, at home, in the back of my truck . . . I can’t get enough of the way she makes me feel.
But I know better than to think it can last. She wants a fairy tale, and I’m no prince.
So when it comes time for her to leave, there’s nothing I can do but let her go.
No matter how much it hurts to say goodbye.
My Review:
Opposites attract when runaway former debutante Blair meets gruff, sexy mechanic Griffin in Drive Me Wild which not only packs the sexy times but humorous feel-good antics as well.
I haven't read anything by this author before but I picked this ebook up recently based on another author's recommendation. It grabbed me right away and made me laugh, made me hungry for Blair's recipes, and made me swoon for Griffin. This author is definitely one of my new auto-buy authors and I can't wait to read the rest of the series and see who the rest of the characters are going to end up with.
Bellamy Creek is the type of small town you'd love to move to and the characters are the type of people you'd love to have in your life.
Overall, this book met and exceeded everything I was hoping for going in and I devoured it in nearly one sitting!
My Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟5 of 5 Stars!June 11, 2021
{Release Week Blitz + Review} THE WICKED AFTERMATH by Melissa Foster
The Wicked AftermathThe Wickeds: Dark Knights at Bayside #2Melissa FosterContemporary Romance, MC Romance268 PagesBlurb:THE WICKED AFTERMATH is an emotionally gripping story of love, loss, and hope, with a rich and entrancing happily ever after.
Set on the sandy shores of Cape Cod, the Wickeds feature fiercely protective heroes, strong heroines, and unbreakable family bonds. If you think bikers are all the same, you haven't met the Dark Knights. The Dark Knights are a motorcycle club, not a gang. Their members stick together like family and will stop at nothing to keep their communities safe. Some of the Wickeds’ love stories will be hilariously fun and deeply emotional, others will tear at your heartstrings and include injections of humor, but they will all leave you wishing you could climb between the pages and join them. All Wicked novels may be enjoyed as standalone romances.
When the person you blame for your grief is the only one who can save you from the pain...
Tank Wicked lost his sister and has since vowed to save everyone else in his path. He lives by the creed of the Dark Knights motorcycle club, sworn to protect and respect his community. He selflessly saves lives as a volunteer firefighter and treats the men and women who work for him at his tattoo shop like family. But life isn’t a balance scale where good deeds negate bad things to come, and one foggy night life guts Tank once again. When a car careens over the side of a bridge and into a river, Tank springs into action, plunging into the water to rescue the passengers. Four people go into the river, but only three come out alive.
Leah Yates is just trying to make it through each day. When the man she blames for her grief becomes the only one who can pull her from the depths of despair, she discovers that even hope comes at a price. Maybe this time she won't have to face it alone.
Buy THE WICKED AFTERMATH!KINDLE | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GPLAY | PAPERBACK | Audio, narrated by Lance Greenfield and Jennifer Mack!
AMAZON: https://smarturl.it/WAa_Amazon
APPLE: https://smarturl.it/WAa_Apple
AUDIBLE: https://smarturl.it/WAa_Audible
My Review:
Fair warning: prepare to fall in love with Leah and Tank. But have tissues on hand!
Tank has been intrigued by Leah since she first started working at his parents' restaurant. Is there something about him that makes the young waitress so uncomfortable she can't make eye contact with him and rushes away as soon as she's able?
Leah has a lot on her plate. She raised her younger brother, River, after their father died when she was 18 and he was only 13 and now has adopted and is raising River's two daughters. While Tank is undoubtedly attractive, she feels a smothering sense of grief around him that makes her unable to breathe, a sort of sixth sense she's had all of her life.
When tragedy strikes and Leah thinks her whole world will crumble down Tank, his family, and the Dark Knights step in in the most amazing way, bringing her into their fold and reminding her that she's part of their family now. But will the woman who's always had to step up and take care of others allow someone in to take care of her in her time of need? Or will her fear of letting anyone in drive her away from the man who's been so good to her and her family and makes her weak in the knees?
This book is an emotional roller-coaster. You feel Leah's grief and Tank's desire to make things - if not right maybe a new normal - again. I love his protectiveness and the way he is with June and Rosie. It's adorable. I also love how Tank and his family step in for Leah even though they don't know her that well. It makes you wish there were more people like that in the world. Leah and Tank have really great chemistry and I loved all of the secondary characters and can't wait to read the next books in this series.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had all the elements that I love and once I started reading I couldn't wait to find out how things were going to turn out.
My Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟5 of 5 Stars!ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa's fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summer, Harborside Nights, and the Wild Boys After Dark. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented.
Melissa also writes sweet and clean romance under the pen name Addison Cole.
Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.
Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.
Never miss a brand new release, special promotions or inside gossip again by simply signing up to receive your newsletter from Melissa.
Connect with Melissa online:
Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Fanclub | Google+ | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | Website
June 9, 2021
What I'm Binge-Watching - 10 June 2021
What I'm Binge-Watching is a weekly meme to document all of our favorite binging obsessions. Follow along and let me know what you've been binge-watching lately!There are a few shows I need to catch up on next week and a few I've tried this week to mention...
Continuing
Current Episode: Season 11 Episode 20 - Another Killing in Cork Only one more season to binge after this!
Current Episode: Season 3, Episode 3 - Daredevils!Two of my favorite episodes are coming up this season and I can't wait to get to them.
Current Episode - Season 62, Episode 111 I got behind on Corrie again so I'm going to have to catch up next week. New Obsessions & Recent Binges
Current Episode - Season 1, Episode 4 - Escape
I was really looking forward to this but I'm not sure if I want to keep watching. You've got the main character who has a depressing home life who joins the game after her (white trash crack whore is what I think of her) mother steals $5600 of her money that she was saving to go on to school. Her best female friend who I wouldn't trust as far as I can throw her. The one hot guy (played by Jack Nicholson's son) who I can't tell if he's secretly good or truly bad. The other semi-attractive guy who's out for revenge. And the geeky African American guy who the main character is best friends with and secretly crushing on who I think might be a judge. It's not exactly unique. And the dares or whatever you want to call them are kind of stupid. Did I mention all of the teens on this show look at least 30?!
Current Episode - Season 1, Episode 5 My mom started watching this on her own on Monday and we all spent Tuesday night binging the first 5 episodes. It's pretty good if I make myself forget that there is a British show called Broadchurch which is basically the same show even with the same lead actor, David Tennet. But it's holding my interest.
Just Added to My Watchlist
Current Episode: Season 1, Episode 1 - Strange Love
I've been wanting to rewatch True Blood recently. I never did see the last two seasons of the show.
What are you currently binge-watching? Let me know in the comments!Happy binging!
June 8, 2021
I Can't Wait For... Resurrection 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.I met Hannah through some of my instagram author friends and this book, perfect for fans of Supernatural, sounds amazing...
Resurrection RoadSeries?by Hannah Marae
eBook, Paperback
July 26, 2021 by Somewhere Press
Blurb:
For as long as she can remember, Eden has been on the run.
The open road is the only freedom she’s ever known, the only life she’s ever had. But when the road ends in a backwater town, a mysterious phone call sends her on a new journey.
Lazarus is no stranger to ghosts.
Shades and spirits are his constant companions, it’s the living that set him on edge. The decision to help a troubled mage will find him taking on more than he bargained for.
Becoming a hunter was never part of Zeke’s plan.
He finds himself stepping into all the dark places where horrors lurk and spirits roam free—until a job gone wrong shows him there’s more than one way to deal with a monster.
A missing friend.
A chance to prove himself.
A desire to keep the darkness inside at bay.
Together, the three set out on the long road east, each pulled by a secret.
But a powerful presence lurks in the shadows, eager to make a deal that will change their lives forever.
Add to Goodreads
***Will you be checking this book out?
June 7, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Loved that Made Me Want More Books Like Them
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 Loved That Made Me Want More Books Like ThemThis week’s TTT is all about books we loved that made us want more books like them. The wording was a bit tricky so I'll give you the explanation Jana had - "What I’m thinking is… you read a book and immediately wanted more just like it, perhaps in the same genre, about the same topic or theme, by the same author, etc. For example, I once read a medical romance and then went to find more because it was so good. The same thing happened to me with pirate historical romances and romantic suspense." I'm going to go with first books of a certain genre that I loved that made me want to read other books in that genre, as well as a few of a specific subject that made me look for similar books.
1. Genre: Paranormal Romance
2. Genre: Fantasy
3. Genre: Sci-Fi
4. Genre: Thriller
5. Genre: YA Horror
6. Genre: Historical Fiction
7. Genre: Dystopian
8. Specific Subgenre: Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
9. Specific Subgenre: Rock Star Romance
10. Specific Subgenre: Retellings
***How did you interpret this week's prompt?Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor
June 6, 2021
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 7 June 2021
#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 hope you had a great first week of June! We got the screens on our windows last Wednesday so I've been enjoying the breeze coming in while I read before bed. This past weekend was a scorcher so the open window and the fan felt wonderful. What I Read Last Week: Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
I have no idea why but I just couldn't get into this book. I think it might have something to do with my dislike of the prologue. Maybe I should have skipped over it...
The Wicked Aftermath by Melissa Foster
I really, really loved this book! My review goes up Friday as part of the release week blitz and review tour!
Drive Me Wild by Melanie Harlow
I think I found a new auto-buy author! This book was such a great, fast read and the sexy scenes... wow! Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen
As you may be able to tell, The Wicked Aftermath spurred a contemporary romance binge, and I've been meaning to actually read some of the books I've put on my kindle this year. I wasn't sure after reading and loving The Wicked Aftermath and Drive Me Wild that I would love this book as much but once I got into it I couldn't put it down!Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
I finished my reread of Escaping from Houdini on Saturday. Unlike Kingdom of the Wicked, I can just get swept away with this series and the mystery unfolding. This is still my least favorite of the series because of the way Audrey Rose treats Thomas. I know she claimed it was something to do with a sleight of hand but to me it was just so unfair.Flipcup by Kim Hartfield
I signed up for Kindle Unlimited because I was offered two months free, which works out because I have a lot of ebooks that are KU that I've been wanting to read. Flipcup was a perfect choice for pride month that really fell flat for me. I'm still thinking about how I want to review it but I didn't enjoy it and probably won't read anything else by this author.Currently Reading:Make Me Yours by Melanie Harlow
I obviously loved the first book in this series (Drive Me Wild, mentioned above) and I couldn't wait to read the next book. I'm 30% in and just as hooked as I was with the first book. Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
I'm starting my re-read of Capturing the Devil today. Next ReadTentative Second Week of June TBR
More Info:Call Me Crazy by Melanie Harlow***
What are you reading this week? Have you read any of my recent reads?
