Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 63

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences

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 Titles that are complete sentencesThis week’s TTT is all about book titles that make complete sentences. I'm not sure about this one... we'll see how I do... 1. Send Me Their Souls by Sara Wolf

2. Don't Turn Out the Lights edited by Jonathan Maberry

3. Meet Me on Love Lane by Nina Bocci

4. Don't Go Stealing My Heart by Kelly Siskind

5. A Lie for A Lie by Helena Hunting

6. No Place Like Here by Christina June

7. She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell

8. A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

9. See How She Dies by Lisa Jackson

10. There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
***What book titles did you come up with?Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 17 May 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.
Happy Monday Bookdragons! I've been taking advantage of my library's hoopla borrows the past week and enjoying a bunch of audiobooks and ebooks... 
What I Read Last Week: Shadow Touched (A Touch of Vampire Book 1) by Becky Moynihan Becky is such a talented author and I loved this paranormal romance novel. Vampires are coming back to popularity in books lately and this is the first one I've really enjoyed recently. This has all the elements to love - vampires, werewolves, witches, secrets, swoon-worthy boys, great friendships, and steamy chemistry between the main character and her love interest.
The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones This was my first book by Stephen Graham Jones although I've seen his books recommended by booksellers before and added them to my TBR. The Last Final Girl is a satirical homage to the campy 80s horror that fans know and love. The way it reads (or is told as I listened to the audiobook) is like you are watching a movie that pans from one character's perspective to another. It is like you're watching a movie, and I love how that was done because I enjoy books that are unconventional. If you like the horror genre and know it's not to be taken seriously, you'll enjoy this book. I recommend listening to the audiobook!
The Second-Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street by Cory Putman Oakes
I saw this book on bookstagram but I can't afford to buy books right now. Luckily my library's Hoopla had it and I was able to enjoy this cute middle grade read. I don't often read middle grade but I loved everything about this book! I even teared up a little bit when a couple of the ghosts Moved On... I know, I know... I'm a 28-year-old woman blubbering over a book written for young readers. I'll definitely buy a copy of this in the future to add to my collection. 
Currently Reading:Fresh Brewed Murder by Emmeline Duncan
This is a book I saw on a Can't Wait Wednesday post a month or so back. I'm not the biggest fan of cozy mysteries but this one is an interesting mystery without having all the squeaky-clean aspects of a Hallmark movie. I love the complexity of Sage's background and how she's overcome her mother's infamy to become the full-rounded person she is. As a coffee addict I'm also enjoying all the coffee references. I'll finish this audiobook tonight (only 50 pages left) and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this series!
Next ReadNo Way Out by Fern Michaels
I remember my grandmother reading Fern Michaels's books over the years but I always thought they were more in the romance genre so I didn't read them. But when I saw this book on the library's Hoopla and read the description I added it to my borrow's list. 
*** 
 What are you reading this week? Have you read any of my recent reads?

{Cover Reveal} THE SPARK by Vi Keeland

Today I'm helping Give Me Books Promotions and Vi Keeland reveal the cover of Vi's July 12th release, THE SPARK!
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Title: The Spark Author: Vi Keeland Genre: Standalone Contemporary RomanceCover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear CreativePhoto: Jakub KozielModel: Alessandro Dellisola Release Date: July 12, 2021

BLURB Before I even met Donovan Decker, I knew his shoe size.
You see, I’d gone away for a few days, and in my haste to get out of the airport, I’d grabbed the wrong suitcase.
After checking out the expensive footwear and tailored clothes, I dialed the number on the luggage tag hoping maybe Mister Big Spender might have my bag.
A deep, velvety voice answered, and as luck would have it, he had my suitcase, too.
Donovan and I met at a coffee shop to do the exchange.
Turned out, it wasn’t just his voice that was sexy. The man holding my luggage was absolutely gorgeous, and we had an immediate spark.
He got me to admit that I’d snooped in his bag and then convinced me to make it up to him by letting him buy me coffee.
Coffee led to dinner, dinner led to dessert, and dessert led to spending an entire weekend together. Donovan wasn’t just handsome with a panty-dropping voice. He was also funny, smart, and surprisingly down to earth for a man who wore seven-hundred-dollar shoes.Did I mention he also did my laundry while I slept?
Definitely too good to be true.
So what did I do to repay him for his kindness?
I waited until he was in the shower, then ghosted him.
My life was too complicated for such a great guy.
In the months that passed, I thought about Donovan often. But New York City had eight-million people, so what were the chances I’d run into him?
Then again, what were the chances I’d run into him a year later…when I’d just started dating his boss?
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Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-five languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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What I'm Binge-Watching - 13 May 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!
I got a bit behind on one of my CBS shows so I caught up on that this week, while last weekend I mostly binged horror and lifetime movies with my mom. 

Continuing

Current Episode: Season 9 Episode 22 - Love's Deadly Desire I'm almost done with season 9. There were some episodes I liked, some I only watched to get past them. Someday I'll have to compile a list of my favorite episodes... 

 

New Obsessions & Recent Binges

Bob Hearts Abishola - Season 2 Episode 18 - God Accepts Venmo Including this week's episode, I was 5 episodes behind. I love this show but sometimes it's not on every week and I forget to check (since we don't have cable it's not as simple as turning the channel on Monday night at 7:30 to check.). This show always makes me laugh, I can't get enough of it. 
Current Episode: Season 62, Episode 97
This isn't really a binge-watch, I watch Corrie as it airs but I have to include it this week. Between the writing and the acting, the current storyline deserves some sort of award. (I live in the US so I don't know if the UK has some version of The Emmys). My heart broke for Nina and Seb and their families and friends over the past week. 

Just Added to My Watchlist

Current Episode: Series 1, Episode 1 I'm planning to rewatch this soon. My mom has never seen it and I really think she should!

What are you currently binge-watching? Let me know in the comments!Happy binging!

I Can't Wait For... MY CONTRARY MARY!

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 loved the Janies books and I can't wait to read the first "Mary" book...

My Contrary MaryMary, Book 1by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
YA Historical Fantasy Retelling
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 512 Pages
June 22, 2021 by HarperTeen

Blurb:
Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀
⠀
Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀
⠀
Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.
Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books (Help Support My Favorite Indie Bookstore)
***Will you be checking this book out? 

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books with Nature on the Cover

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 Nature Themed Book CoversThis week’s TTT is all about book covers with nature-themes (flowers, trees, animals, etc.) 1. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

2. A Wicked and Beautiful Garden by Katie McGarry

3. Shiver by Allie Reynolds  
 
4. Moon Child by Gaby Triana  

5. Winds of Salem by Melissa de la Cruz

6. Hideaway by Nora Roberts

7. The Winter Witch by Karpov Kinrade and Heather Hildenbrand 

8. Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
9. The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

10. Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

***What are some of your favorite nature-themed book covers? Did any of my picks make your list?Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor

{Release Day Blitz + Review} A WICKED AND BEAUTIFUL GARDEN by Katie McGarry

 
Hey Bookdragons! Today I'm helping spread the word about Katie McGarry's newest release, her adult fantasy debut, A WICKED AND BEAUTIFUL GARDEN!! I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and it was amazing!

Title: A Wicked and Beautiful Garden

Series: Witches of the Island Book 1

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Release Date: May 5, 2021 from Katie McGarry LLC

Format: eBook, Paperback

Page Count: 308 Pages

Grab Your Copy:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble eBook | Barnes and Noble Paperback | Google Play | iBooks, Kobo, and Other eBook Retailers

About the Book:

Twenty-eight year-old Cassie Strega can’t escape fate.

All she wants is to live a normal, quiet life delivering the babies in her small town. But when she discovers she comes from a lineage of witches, her life becomes extraordinary—in the gravely dangerous type of way.
Then, she’s reunited with her first love.
Orion, the sultry Fae warrior who broke her heart years before, is searching for a baby. Not just any baby, but the queen of the Fae who will one day lead them in their final battle against the demons determined to rule the world. The same baby who has been calling to Cassie for help in her dreams.
Fighting the intense attraction of their former blood bond, Cassie and Orion work together to find the child. But when the heartbreak that nearly destroyed Cassie nine years before looms once more, she’ll have to decide whether getting involved in the supernatural war is worth losing everything, including her life.

My Review:I've always found Katie McGarry's YA contemporary romance books bingeable and her fantasy debut does not disappoint. 
I immediately liked Cassie. She's a strong, smart character who is so good at helping others. I was able to really connect with the character because I was raised by my grandmother and she passed away last year, so I could kind of understand why it was hard to talk about her grandmother, even if the other characters didn't understand. 
Then there is Orion. *Swoon* Seriously, this guy oozes sex appeal and the tension between the two throughout the book was palpable. Their relationship is the ultimate slow-burn dance, the I-shouldn't-want-you-but-I-do trope. 
9 years ago, Cassie was in an "accident" and believed Orion died in that accident now he's back and very much alive. But Cassie isn't that lovesick puppy she was at 19 and she isn't about to just fall at Orion's feet. Orion is searching for a baby, the future Queen of the Fae that will tip the scale of the battle between Fae and Demons forever - and he believes Cassie can help him find the baby. 
Cassie has been dreaming about a baby for a while now. The child needs help and is reaching out to her. And when the world wakes up and realizes witches are real (and that Cassie is one) and a new, dark wave of witch hunts become the norm Cassie has no choice but to go with Orion. 
As Cassie and Orion search for the baby, twists and turns linger right around the corner drawing you deeper and deeper into the story. I read this book in 3 days and couldn't put it down. 
This book is perfect for urban fantasy/fantasy-crossover readers. It keeps you guessing what is going to happen next and just when you think you know, something else happens to throw you off and the ending leaves you dying for the next book. 
My Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟5 of 5 Stars!
About the Author:KATIE MCGARRY is an award winning and critically acclaimed novelist of the Witches of the Island series (A Wicked and Beautiful Garden), the Pushing the Limits, Thunder Road, and Only a Breath Apart series and the standalone novel, Say You’ll Remember Me. Katie is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is currently living out her own love story with her husband, three children, her affectionate dog, Rachel, and her very needy cats.

Connect with Katie online:

Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Tiktok: @katiemcgarryauthor

What I'm Binge-Watching - 29 April 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!
Last week a major show I was looking forward to premiered on Netflix. I binged it earlier this week along with my other weekly binging.

Continuing

Current Episode: Season 9 Episode 1 - Murder In Milan I'm looking forward to watching this episode tonight, it's one of the later episodes I really like. (Last season brought me The Witch's Curse, one of my favorites). This one guest stars Cesar Romero!

 

New Obsessions & Recent Binges

Shadow and Bone - Season 1 (FINISHED) Was this show everything I was hoping it would be? Eh, that's a hard question to answer. The first 2 1/2 episodes kind of dragged for me before picking up at the end of the third episode then I could get into it. But honestly one of the major factors that kept me watching is the hotness that is Ben Barnes 😍 But I also really loved Jesper and Inej though. 
Current Episode: Series 1, Episode 3 -  Daguerreotype I started watching this last week. I'm not loving it, but it's not bad. 

Just Added to My Watchlist

Current Episode: Series 1, Episode 1 I remember seeing previews for this when it first went on Acorn and I think I'll watch it after I finish watching Dead Still. Add it to my nightly rotation in between Midsomer Murders on Tuesdays, Corrie on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, and adding Agatha Raisin back in on some day... perhaps Thursday. 

What are you currently binge-watching? Let me know in the comments!Happy binging!

I Can't Wait For... LONG LOST!

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 don't read a lot of middle grade books, but I read and enjoyed a YA book by this author a year or two back and this one sounds really good... 

Long Lostby Jacqueline West
Middle Grade Fantasy Mystery
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 288 Pages
May 11, 2021 by Greenwillow Books

Blurb:
Eleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist.

When Fiona’s family moves to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated to the town by the long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance.

Soon Fiona begins to notice strange similarities that blur the lines between the novel and her new town. And when she looks for the book again, it’s gone. Almost like it never existed. With stubbornness and a little help from a few odd Lost Lake locals, Fiona uncovers the book’s strange history. It’s not a novel, but the true story of an unsolved century-old crime filled with clues to the mystery. Lost Lake is a town of restless spirits, and Fiona will learn that both help and danger come from unexpected places—maybe even the sister she thinks doesn’t care about her anymore.
Add to Goodreads | Amazon | Snowbound Books (Help Support My Favorite Indie Bookstore)
***Will you be checking this book out? 

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Animals From 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: 10 Animals from BooksThis week’s TTT is all about animals found in books. They can be real, mythical, main characters, sidekicks, companions/pets, shifters, etc.  1. Tag (Naomi's dog) from The Obsession by Nora Roberts
I've never forgotten the "pants of humiliation" that go with the "cone of shame" 😆
2. Tea'a Deava from The Bone Witch Trilogy by Rin Chupeco
I know these were technically monsters Tea was supposed to have made her own, but I really liked her relationship with them throughout the books. 

3. Diable (the cat) from RoseBlood by A.G. Howard    
4. Abraxos (Manon's Wyvern) from the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas I definitely have a soft spot for Manon's flower-sniffing/eating Wyvern 

5. Clayton Danvers (Werewolf) from the Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong
Clay is one of my favorite book boyfriends (although I watched and loved the show first). 


6. The Tree-Climbing Houdini Goats in Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Because who couldn't love goats that could escape their pen by climbing trees in order to torment the dogs? 😆 


7. Syrinx (Bryce's Chimera) from House of Blood and Earth by Sarah J. Maas

8. Easton (Werewolf) from Midnight Mate by Heather Hildenbrand
I loved Easton and Cat in this book. 

9. The *Fox* in Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston
The fox was pretty much the only thing I liked about this book.


10. Gifford from My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

***What are some of your favorite animals/pets/shifters from books.Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor