Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 71

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Winter 2020-2021 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 Winter 2020-2021 TBRThis week’s TTT is all about Winter TBRs and I haven't been planning too far ahead on what I want to read but here are a few upcoming releases I definitely want to read this winter!
1. Warmaidens by Kelly Coon
2. Rexor by Ella Maven
 3. The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
4. About Tomorrow by Abbi Glines
5. Lore by Alexandra Bracken
6. You Have A Match by Emma Lord
7. Don't Tell A Soul by Kirsten Miller
8. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
9. Mirror's Edge by Scott Westerfield
10.Moon Child by Gaby Triana
***What Winter 2020-2021 releases are on your TBR? What other books do you want to read this winter? Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!-Taylor

{Release Day Blitz} ABOUT TOMORROW by Abbi Glines

♦ ♦ ♦

About Tomorrow...

I close my eyes as I hear him speak. I take one very long and deep breath hoping to calm the immediate butterflies that take flight in my stomach and hope to slow down the racing of my heart. The voice was slightly deeper but the timbre was one that was achingly familiar.

My actions did little to help, but then who was I kidding? A deep breath wasn't going to fix the effect he had on me and my body's inevitable reaction. Even the memories that would forever haunt me couldn't keep my emotions from triggering at the nearness of him once again.

I used to pray that I'd find the strength to move on from him, from the pain that the end carried, from the emptiness in my chest, but ultimately move on from—the loss of Creed Sullivan and the death of his sister, Cora.

The Sullivans had been the best part of my summers in New England.

Deep down, I knew my ache for all that I had lost was the reason I returned...

But I hadn't expected to see him again—especially not like this.

♦ ♦ ♦

♦ ♦ ♦

Watch the Trailer HERE!♦ ♦ ♦

 Creed had put on a pair of faded jeans and a vintage Def Leppard tee shirt but he’d not brushed his hair. It worked for him but then Creed was the kind of sexy that could wear anything and still turn heads. As a little girl, I’d loved playing with him and as a teenage girl I had fallen in love with him. 

“Hello,” I said so softly- it was almost a whisper. 

“Their coffee is shit,” he said as he walked toward the kitchen. 

I turned my gaze back to the fire. Pretending like we were strangers was difficult. Once there had been so much I wanted to say to him. I’d wanted to ask him why? What had I done wrong? Why had he turned on me without a reason?

 Now, he was here. We were in the same room and I had no words. I couldn’t think of one thing to say. 

I heard him in the kitchen and as much as I wanted to not care that he was here my body was attuned to his every move. Maybe it was my nerves or uncertainty. It couldn’t possibly be more than that. His footsteps were soft and I realized he must be barefoot. The cold wouldn’t affect him like it did me. He was a New Englander. 

He sat down in the chair across from the sofa and his gaze was on me. I didn’t want to look at him. The fire was less confusing and unsettling. I didn’t have to pretend with the fire. Creed however was a different story. How did he expect me to act like we were strangers when there was so much in our past?

♦ ♦ ♦

Read the First Chapter HERE!♦ ♦ ♦ 

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

♦ ♦ ♦

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 14 December 2020

 

#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! Well I fell off the radar again. It's been a stressful few months and my reading has been hit or miss but I'm pushing through to end the year on a good note....
What I've Been Reading Recently: The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle I was hooked at the beginning of this book, even despite all the nautical info dumping but the ending was a huge letdown once you understood what had happened. 
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen I keep asking myself why I waited so long to give this book a try. It was honestly one of the best fantasy novels I've read so far this year and I loved the audiobook. I'm going to be reading the sequel this month and I'm excited to get started!
Lick by Kylie Scott Lick is a reread for me. I've read and loved the Stage Dive series before. Play (book 2, Mal's book) I've read twice but I've been meaning to reread the whole series again. I forgot how much I love David and Ev or how sexy and funny this book is. Currently Reading:Mother of Shadows (The Chosen #1) by Meg Anne I got this huge door-stopper omnibus as a Christmas present to myself and I'm currently reading the first book, Mother of Shadows.  Next Read:The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen I'm definitely excited to see how this duology wraps up! I'm going to start it in audiobook version tonight. 
*** 
What have you been reading lately? Have you met your Goodreads goal? I'm at 70 of my 52 book goal. 

MONSTERS & MIST UPDATE

 

UPDATE:Hi bookdragons, readers, bloggers, and friends. I regret the words I have to say here, it's so cliche 2020, but there's no way around it. I have to push back the release of MONSTERS & MIST. 
I've been trying to push through and get it ready for it's December 29th release but it's become impossible for several very important reasons. 
First, my grandmother has been very ill over the past few months. She's been in and out of the hospital in addition to trying to recover at home but over the past week we found out that a wound she has on her body has become septic, she's in renal failure, and needs a bevy of other treatments. At this time she's chosen not to pursue treatment and transition over to hospice care. With Covid measures we're having a hell of a time trying to find a facility to go to, the hospital isn't really letting us in to see her at this time, and we're all trying to come to terms that this is the end. Whether it's days, weeks, or a month, the strong, fiesty woman who raised me does not have much time left and we want her to be as comfortable as possible. 
Second, with her transition into a hospice facility and eventual passing I lose my day job which makes me unable to keep the apartment I shared with my grandmother so I have begun packing things up to move back into my mother's house. I'm not sure how much time it will take but I'm eking out at least until the end of January to get everything packed up, moved or sold, and the apartment's minor cleaning. 
Lastly, and the main writing-related reason that I am unable to deliver MONSTERS & MIST to you on the release date is that it's not completely ready. Usually a month before publication I sit down and spend a few days reading through the book one last time to catch any spelling or punctuation errors that slipped through all other edits of the book (they're usually minor - the word "they" instead of "the", etc.) and I haven't had enough time to devote to a good read-through in the past few weeks. There are also a few minor formatting issues that need to be hammered out before the paperback edition is ready. 
I don't want to send out a sloppy work that I'm not proud of so for all of these reasons I'm choosing to push the publication date into the new year. The new release date is: March 19, 2021. 
Taylor's Shieldmaidens Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173197950281995
Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/taylorfennerwrites
Thank you for your patience and support! I appreciate you more than you could know! Happy Holidays! 
xo

{Blog Tour} LITTLE LIES by H. Hunting

 

“H. Hunting pens a heartbreaking tale that leaves readers absolutely breathless from beginning to end. One of her best books yet!”
- Stacey Lynn, author

Little Lies, an all-new, angsty and emotional new adult romance from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting writing as H. Hunting is out now!

I don’t want you.
You mean nothing to me.
I never loved you.
I turned my words into swords.
And I cut her down.
Shoved the blade in and watched her fall.
I said I’d never hurt her, and I did.
Years later, I’m faced with all the little lies, the untruths, the false realities, the damage I inflicted, when all I wanted was to indulge my obsession.
Lavender Waters is the princess in the tower. Even her name is the thing fairy tales are made of.
I used to be the one who saved her.
Over and over again.
But I don’t want to save her anymore.
I just want to pretend the lies are still the truth.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gn18sL
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/littlelies
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3aWyq0C
Audible: https://adbl.co/32HTPIe

Add LITTLE LIES to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2IUtW0y

My Review:

Prepare for one angsty read that will tear your heart out then put it back again. I love Helena’s rom-coms but her writing takes on a whole new level with Lavender and Kody’s story. 

From a heart-wrenching prologue to the will-they-won’t-they journey of Lavender and Kody’s relationship, and Lavender coming in to her own confidence and strength this book is something special that will touch a lot of readers.

Rep: mental health / anxiety

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars!

Excerpt

The front door swings open, and the never-ending nightmare that is this day smacks me in the face like a long-expired sausage. Kodiak stands in the doorway wearing only a pair of swim shorts, wet hair sticking out all over the place, water dripping on the damn floor. But God, is he ever glorious. Muscle layered over muscle, thick biceps flexing as he holds the doorjamb, a mischievous grin popping the dimple in his left cheek.
My heart seizes and gallops. I miss this version of him: the one that smiles and doesn’t hate me.
He ruins everything a moment later by bellowing, “Who’s fucking in the driveway?”
His gaze moves to Dylan, who looks as horrified as I feel, but as it shifts to me, his smile drops and my stomach tightens.
“You should really go,” I tell Dylan.
“I’ll see you around.” He disappears into his car and barely has the door closed before he’s backing out of the driveway and screeching down the street.
I adjust my backpack on my shoulder and head for the house, steeling my spine and my nerves because Kodiak is still standing in the middle of the doorway, his face a mask of indifference. I try to brush by him, but he stays where he is, making it impossible.
I sigh, exhausted beyond belief. I just want to go upstairs and have a good, cathartic cry. I try to mirror his apathy. “Can you move so I can get into my house?”
His brow furrows as his eyes move over my face. He lifts his hand, like maybe he’s thinking about touching me. There’s no way I can handle that. I jerk back and swat his hand away. “What are you doing?”
“Your lip is bleeding.”
“Don’t act like you actually give a shit, Kodiak.”
“Tell me what happened.” His voice is low and soft, and for whatever reason, that makes me even angrier, so I lash out, wanting to wound him the way he keeps wounding me.
“You, Kodiak. You happened, and you ruined my goddamn life. Now get the hell out of my way.” I elbow past him, almost tripping over several sets of running shoes.
I head straight for my bedroom and lock the door behind me. I slide down the wall until my butt hits the floor and close my eyes, taking deep breaths.
I imagined the concern in his voice.
I imagined the pain that sat heavy behind his eyes.
We see what we want to, not the truth, especially when it hurts.

About Helena Hunting

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

Connect with Helena
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2kN5wdZ
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2mloUim
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/Zt1xm5
Facebook Fan group: http://bit.ly/2kN5yCD
Website: http://www.helenahunting.com/
Never miss an update! Subscribe to Helena's mailing list:
http://bit.ly/HelenaHuntingNews

H. Hunting

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3huH3ly

{Cover Reveal} THE INVITATION by Vi Keeland

 

Title: The InvitationAuthor: Vi KeelandGenre: Standalone Contemporary RomanceCover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear CreativePhoto: Tamer YilmazModel: Nick BatemanRelease Date: January 18, 2021

BLURB
The first time I met Hudson Rothschild was at a wedding. I’d received an unexpected invitation to one of the swankiest venues in the city. 
Hudson was a groomsman and quite possibly the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. He asked me to dance, and our chemistry was off the charts. 
I knew it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with him, considering the wedding I was at. But our connection was intense, and I was having a great time. 
Though the fun came to a screeching halt when Hudson figured out I wasn’t who I’d said I was. You see, that unexpected invitation I received? Well, it hadn’t actually been addressed to me—it was sent to my ex-roommate who’d bounced a check for two months’ rent and moved out in the middle of the night. I figured she owed me an expensive night out, but I guess, technically, I was crashing the wedding. 
Once caught, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. As I bolted for the door, I might’ve plucked a few bottles of expensive champagne off the tables I passed, all while the gorgeous, angry groomsman was hot on my tail. 
Outside, I jumped into a taxi. My heart ricocheted against my ribs as we drove down the block—but at least I’d escaped unscathed. 
Or so I thought. 
Until I realized I’d left my cell phone behind at the table. 
Take one guess who found it? 
This is the crazy story of how Hudson Rothschild and I met. But trust me, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

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AUTHOR BIO

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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{Release Day Blitz} LITTLE LIES by H. Hunting

 

"H. Hunting delivers what must be the most beautifully written, and certainly emotional New Adult books of the year.”
- LJ Shen, USA Today bestselling author

From New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting writing as H. Hunting, comes a beautifully written and emotional new adult romance, Little Lies, available now!

I don’t want you.
You mean nothing to me.
I never loved you.
I turned my words into swords.
And I cut her down.
Shoved the blade in and watched her fall.
I said I’d never hurt her, and I did.
Years later, I’m faced with all the little lies, the untruths, the false realities, the damage I inflicted, when all I wanted was to indulge my obsession.
Lavender Waters is the princess in the tower. Even her name is the thing fairy tales are made of.
I used to be the one who saved her.
Over and over again.
But I don’t want to save her anymore.
I just want to pretend the lies are still the truth.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gn18sL
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/littlelies
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3aWyq0C
Audible: https://adbl.co/32HTPIe

Add LITTLE LIES to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2IUtW0y

About Helena Hunting

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

Connect with Helena
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2kN5wdZ
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2mloUim
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/Zt1xm5
Facebook Fan group: http://bit.ly/2kN5yCD
Website: http://www.helenahunting.com/

Never miss an update! Subscribe to Helena's mailing list:
http://bit.ly/HelenaHuntingNews

H. Hunting
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/3huH3ly

{Release Day Blitz} HAPPILY LETTER AFTER by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

 

Title: Happily Letter AfterAuthors: Vi Keeland & Penelope WardPublisher: MontlakeGenre: Standalone Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: October 20, 2020

BLURB
From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes a love story about taking chances and the surprises that come with them. 
My love story all started with a letter. 
Only it wasn’t from the man I’d eventually fall in love with. It was from his daughter. A sweet little girl named Birdie Maxwell who’d written to the magazine that I worked for. 
You see, once a year my employer fulfilled a few wishes for readers. Only that column didn’t start up again for months. 
So I fulfilled some of her wishes myself. It was harmless…so I thought. Until one day I took things too far. 
While anonymously granting yet another of Birdie’s wishes, I got a look at her father. Her devastatingly handsome, single dad father. 
I should have stopped playing fairy godmother then. I should have left well enough alone. But I just couldn’t help myself. I had a connection to this girl. One that had me acting irrationally. 
Like when I showed up on their doorstep.

ADD TO GOODREADS




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ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK





VI KEELAND

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.
FACEBOOKPROFILE / PAGE / GROUP WEBSITE TWITTER INSTAGRAM
GOODREADS

PENELOPE WARD

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance. 
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism. 
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
FACEBOOK FACEBOOK GROUP INSTAGRAM TWITTER

OTHER BOOKS BY VI & PENELOPE

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK

Find more books at http://www.vikeeland.com and http://www.penelopewardauthor.com

{Excerpt Reveal} HAPPILY LETTER AFTER by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

Title: Happily Letter AfterAuthors: Vi Keeland & Penelope WardPublisher: MontlakeGenre: Standalone Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: October 20, 2020

BLURB
From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes a love story about taking chances and the surprises that come with them. 
My love story all started with a letter. 
Only it wasn’t from the man I’d eventually fall in love with. It was from his daughter. A sweet little girl named Birdie Maxwell who’d written to the magazine that I worked for. 
You see, once a year my employer fulfilled a few wishes for readers. Only that column didn’t start up again for months. 
So I fulfilled some of her wishes myself. It was harmless…so I thought. Until one day I took things too far. 
While anonymously granting yet another of Birdie’s wishes, I got a look at her father. Her devastatingly handsome, single dad father. 
I should have stopped playing fairy godmother then. I should have left well enough alone. But I just couldn’t help myself. I had a connection to this girl. One that had me acting irrationally. 
Like when I showed up on their doorstep.

ADD TO GOODREADS




PRE-ORDER LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK
RELEASE ALERT




EXCERPT
Copyright © 2019 by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward 
“I cannot believe we are doing this.” Devin and I took the C train to Columbus Circle and stopped at Starbucks before walking over to the carousel. My partner in crime came dressed for surveillance, wearing head-to-toe black, dark sun- glasses, and a wool cap . . . in July. We were lucky it was New York or she might look like the weirdo she is. I, on the other hand, had on jeans and an Aerosmith T-shirt. Because . . . you know . . . Steven Tyler and those lips. I didn’t even care he was probably pushing seventy. I’d still suck on those babies. We took a seat on a bench located to the right of the carousel—not directly in front of it but where we could still see everyone who walked in and out. As we got into position, I started to feel really bad about what we were about to do—invade little Birdie’s privacy. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.” Devin put her hand on my shoulder and applied pressure—just in case I tried to get up. “We’re doing this. Don’t even try to make a run for it.” I slouched back onto the bench. “Fine.” We sat for the better part of an hour, sipping coffee, gossiping about work, and looking around for a little girl and her dad. When I caught the time on my phone, I said, “It’s after eleven. I don’t think they’re coming.” “Let’s give it until eleven thirty.” I rolled my eyes. But screw it, we were in this far—I might as well go along with the rest of the ride. Otherwise, Devin would never let me hear the end of it. At eleven thirty on the dot, I stood. “Let’s go, Lacey.” “Who?” “Cagney & Lacey. It was a show my mom used to watch when I was little. It had two women detectives.” “Well, which one was hotter? Maybe I don’t want to be Lacey.” I laughed. “You can be whichever one you want to be.” I turned to throw out my coffee cup in the basket next to the bench and was just about to start to leave when I spotted a little girl and a man who had just turned into the entrance of the park. They were pretty far off, but I thought it could be Birdie. “Oh my God. Sit! Sit! I think that’s them.” The two of us planted our asses back on the bench at the same exact time. Devin leaned forward and squinted. “Are you sure?” I grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit back. “Don’t be so obvious.” We watched, while completely failing at looking casual, as the man and the little girl moved closer. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, and had on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He was holding the hand of the little girl. And she had on . . . a bodysuit and tutu. It was definitely Birdie! “Oh my God. It’s them!” Neither of us said a word as the father and daughter approached the carousel. When they got close enough so I could finally see their faces, I gasped. “Oh my God. He’s . . .” Devin grabbed my hand. “I call dibs. I want to have his babies.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. While I was expecting a modern version of my dad twenty years ago, the man standing before me was anything but. For the record, my dad is awesome, and he’s not too shabby-looking. But this man . . . was . . . drop. Dead. Gorgeous. Wow. Just . . . yeah. Wow. Sebastian Maxwell had dark hair, bone structure to die for, and full, beautiful lips. I’d joked how Devin thought the guy was a super- model, but this man could actually be a supermodel. He had that longish, messy hair—the kind that he could drag a hand through, and it would look like he’d been both thoroughly fucked and just finished a photo shoot. Yeah, that was him. I was absolutely, positively speechless.

VI KEELAND

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.
FACEBOOKPROFILE / PAGE / GROUP WEBSITE TWITTER INSTAGRAM
GOODREADS

PENELOPE WARD

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance. 
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism. 
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
FACEBOOK FACEBOOK GROUP INSTAGRAM TWITTER

OTHER BOOKS BY VI & PENELOPE

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & AUDIO
PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK

Find more books at http://www.vikeeland.com and http://www.penelopewardauthor.com

{Book Review} SPOILER ALERT by Olivia Dade

Title: Spoiler Alert

Author: Olivia Dade

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 6, 2020 from Avon Books

Format: Paperback, Audiobook, eBook, 
Page Count: 416 Pages

Blurb:
Olivia Dade bursts onto the scene in this delightfully fun romantic comedy set in the world of fanfiction, in which a devoted fan goes on an unexpected date with her celebrity crush, who’s secretly posting fanfiction of his own. 

Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. While the world knows him as Aeneas, the star of the biggest show on TV, Gods of the Gates, he's known to fanfiction readers as Book!AeneasWouldNever, an anonymous and popular poster. Marcus is able to get out his own frustrations with his character through his stories, especially the ones that feature the internet’s favorite couple to ship, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone ever found out about his online persona, he’d be fired. Immediately.

April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s hidden her fanfiction and cosplay hobby from her “real life” for years—but not anymore. When she decides to post her latest Lavinia creation on Twitter, her photo goes viral. Trolls and supporters alike are commenting on her plus-size take, but when Marcus, one half of her OTP, sees her pic and asks her out on a date to spite her critics, she realizes life is really stranger than fanfiction.

Even though their first date is a disaster, Marcus quickly realizes that he wants much more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. And when he discovers she’s actually Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to hide from her.

With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?

My Review:

It's so refreshing to see a "fat" heroine get the hot, fit male lead. It's a type of diversity that is not as popular in contemporary romance and as a plus sized woman I like the representation. 

April seems like a confident strong woman on the surface but behind the scenes (even though she keeps claiming she isn't) she's really insecure about her weight and how people perceive her. She says on the page that she doesn't care about what strangers think only people she cares about but she's a little too sensitive when it comes to her relationship with Marcus and it can put the reader off. 

*Spoiler Warning* 

The drama when Marcus asks her if she wants to go to the gym with him is one example. April sees it as Marcus not liking how she looks and trying to change her and decides to give him the cold shoulder and stop speaking to him. Talk about an overreaction. The guy is an actor - a really fit one at that. Going to the gym is probably just part of his daily routine like some people go to the coffee shop or something. If it were me it wouldn't have bothered me, I do like a nice exercise bike after all and if I got tired I would have made an excuse to sit by the pool or something. And then the fiasco with the buffet. Just because he eats hard boiled eggs and oatmeal doesn't mean you have to.. but whatever. Be a drama queen. Screw up a budding relationship. 

And then when April finds out Marcus's online identity and blows a gasket? Here we go again... seriously I wouldn't have been angry. It would have been like, really? That's so cool! Like finding out your man is superman or something. But of course April overreacts and breaks up with Marcus. 

**

Other than that I really enjoyed the book. I liked Marcus and how on screen he shows this confident, albeit dense celebrity who has it all but behind the scenes he comes from parents that really screwed him up and stomped on his spirit just because he has a learning disability. 

I love the fandom for the show Marcus is on and wish that there was a community like it where I could show my love for a specific show or fandom besides the (sometimes divisive and nitpicky) social media I'm already on.

And I love the chemistry between April and Marcus. Who doesn't wish that a celebrity they like would meet-cute with them and fall madly in love?

There's going to be another book centered around Marcus's co-star Alex and I'm excited to read it. 

Overall, I really loved this book. I couldn't put it down and other than the couple times where I wanted to ask April wtf is wrong with her it was an enjoyable read. I know and appreciate that the author specifically chose a plus-sized heroine to send a message, I just wish writers would realize that not all plus sized woman are so sensitive about their bodies. We are what we are, and we don't fall apart at every suggestion of working out or healthy food. I love healthier food and exercising, I just don't seem to take the weight off. And I do have a man that loves me. Men being attracted to me has never been an issue. But hey, maybe that's just me. 

My Rating: