Hotel Chelsea (World's Scariest Places #6) by Jeremy Bates

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Three "Few & Far Between Spooks" Stars

No Jump Scares Here!

A small taste of what lies within:

A journalist has been handed a job of interviewing residents of the Hotel Chelsea to find out if the hotel is really haunted or if is just stories, but what he discovers is far beyond what he expected!

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This book was interesting and kind of spooky within the first half of the book but it started to meander around some with parts of it dragging here and there. There were quite a few characters within the story to keep track of and even the characters seemed to drag along as well. 

Normally I like to read books by this author but this one just didn't move at a fast enough pace and I was expecting more ghostly stuff throughout the whole book not just a dabble here and there.  The author threw in a twist though at the end of the book which wasn't expected compared to 90% of the story but either way I am glad that I finally read it as I have owned this book for a long time. 

Attached is the author, Jeremy Bates, profile page from Goodreads:

Jeremy Bates

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Jeremy Bates

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

A Gathering of Ghosts by David Haynes

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Five "Gothic Ghostly" Stars

Spooky Haunting Stories!

A small taste of what lies within:

I am not really going to do a small taste on here as this book held six ghost short stories so I will just give a tiny cryptic note on each one.

The Silent Bell: An invention that doesn't go as planned for the inventor.

The Stonegate Manor Collection: Paintings that are not what they seem no matter what they cost.

The Haunting of Reverend Carson: A psychic that pretends to talk to the dead gets his just rewards when the dead pursue him.

The Last Waltz: An invention called a Zoopraxiscope gives one man a glimpse to seeing his long dead wife once again dancing for him.

The Speaking Tube: A son's hatred for his father has a tube that connects to hell letting his father hear the cries and torment from beyond.

The Ghost Train: One man's journey aboard a ghost train will be unforgettable.



Thoughts:

These short stories were all set in the Gothic times and they all wrapped themselves around me as I scrunched down in my cozy chair. I feel that all the stories were fast paced and I loved all the characters within each one.

I have come to love stories by this author and I was super happy to finally read this collection of short stories as it was perfect for this time of year.

Attached is the author, David Haynes, profile page from Goodreads:

David Haynes

Attached is the author, David Haynes, profile page from Amazon:

David Haynes

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My Review

Top 25 Reads of 2024

This year was another year of great books and more insomnia nights as I delved deep into the minds of authors. I stayed in the horror realm this year and ventured out into a little true crime, but other than I stayed within the horror genre and horror is what made the list this year. 

It is always hard to try to figure out what books make this list but I do have 25 books that kept me awake quite a bit during the year. I discovered new authors to explore and revisited authors I have read in the past. 

So without further ado here are the 25 books that fueled many a night and kept me glued to my kindle! All authors are listed in no particular order. 

HORROR/HORROR SUSPENSE

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JULIET ROSE

Stitched Together

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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Stitched Together

JONATHAN MABERRY

Bad Moon Rising (Pine Deep #3)

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

Bad Moon Rising (Pine Deep #3)

J.A. KONRATH

Close Your Eyes

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

Close Your Eyes

J.D. ALLEN

Pentagrams

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

Pentagrams

JASON PARENT

What Hides Within

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

What Hides Within

CATHERINE CAVENDISH

Those Who Dwell in Mordenhyrst Hall

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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Those Who Dwell in Mordenhyrst Hall

JENNIFER MCMAHON

The Invited

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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The Invited

JONATHAN AYCLIFFE

A Shadow on the Wall

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

A Shadow on the Wall

BENTLEY LITTLE

The Handyman

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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The Handyman

GRAHAM MASTERTON

Ghost Virus (Patel & Pardoe #1)

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

Ghost Virus (Patel & Pardoe #1)

RAVEN DANE

Drwg Stones

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

Drwg Stones

GLENN ROLFE

When the Night Falls

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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When the Night Falls

M.J. MARS

The Suffering

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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The Suffering

RONALD MCGILLVRAY

The Candy Witch: Sweet Dreams

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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The Candy Witch: Sweet Dreams

TAMARA THORNE

Moonfall

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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Moonfall

BRIAN MORELAND

Tomb of Gods

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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Tomb of Gods

RONALD KELLY

The Saga of Dead-Eye Book Two: Werewolves, Swamp Critters, and Hellacious Haunts

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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The Saga of Dead-Eye Book Two: Werewolves, Swamp Critters, and Hellacious Haunts

DEBBIE IOANNA

Abberton House

My Rating:  💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

Abberton House

D.E. MCCLUSKEY

The Twelve: A Ghost Story

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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The Twelve: A Ghost Story

JONAS SAUL

The Woman in the Woods

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

The Woman in the Woods

DAVID KEMPF

The Picture of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

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The Picture of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

NICK ROBERTS

The Exorcist's House: Genesis

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

The Exorcist's House: Genesis

JEREMY EADS

The Lodge 

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

The Lodge

TOM LEWIS

The Covenant: A Tale of the Antichrist

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

The Covenant: A Tale of the Antichrist

HUNTER SHEA

Tortures of the Damned

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

My Blog Review Link:

Tortures of the Damned

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New to me authors:

Jennifer McMahon

Jonathan Ayecliff

Raven Dane

M.J. Mars

Debbie Ioana

D.E. McCluskey

Jonas Saul

Jeremy Eads

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Final Thoughts:

This was a horror year for me and with it being my favorite genre I decided to focus more on horror as I have thousands of ebooks stuck in the cloud so I decided to delve deep into them this year.  Normally I read fantasy, dark fantasy and some science fiction but I kept my horror blinders on this year and wanted to roar through some horror books that have been simmering on my kindle with knocking down my tbr a little. 

I feel that by doing it that way I was able to discover new to me authors and then I would sit here wondering why I didn't jump into those books sooner. I love discovering new to me authors and I love to find new stories to explore. 

Looking forward to 2025 with reader happiness as I still have thousands of books to check out from my cloud and I will probably find the next "diamond in the rough" authors that I am always eager to read. 😊 

Till next year! Happy Reading! 

The Woman in the Woods by Jonas Saul

 

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Five "Supernatural Mystery" Stars

Backwoods Horror!

A small taste of what lies within:

Anna Valentina along with three men end up on the wrong train so the conductor takes them all to a sub-station out in the wilderness of Oregon to wait for their train that will get them to their destinations but when the train never arrives the four of them start to explore the backwoods along the train tracks and what they find is beyond belief as what lies deep in the woods will be life changing for all of them! 

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste without giving away spoilers so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and I have owned this book since it came out last year. The mystery of what happens to the characters as they explore the backwoods of Oregon stays a mystery throughout the book till almost the end which I love because the book gave me something to think about throughout the story and the reveal of what was taking place never arose within the early and middle parts of the book. 

The author kept the mystery covered deep till the end of the book which drove the suspense into high gear as I kept trying to figure out what was going on. Loved all the characters in this story along with supporting characters. Normally within stories there will be that one character that you just cannot stand but with this book I really didn't see that with these characters - they were all unique in their own way and they were all shrouded in some kind of mystery. 

The story was almost a slow burn but the author made the story interesting as I kept wanting to know what secret the Oregon woods held for these characters. 

All in all I truly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more books by this author. 

Attached is the author, Jonas Saul, profile page from Goodreads:

Jonas Saul

Attached is the author, Jonas Saul profile page from Amazon:

Jonas Saul

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

The Witches of Ravencrest (The Ravencrest Saga Book 2) by Tamara Thorne & Alistair Cross

 

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Five "Evil Wicked Witch" Stars

Powerful Ghosts & Witches!

A small taste of what lies within:

Belinda Moorland has become a part of Ravencrest Manor as she has settled into her role as governess and now she has become entangled with Eric Manning as there is romance in the air. The Harvest Ball is about to begin which is held every year but things are afoot within the grounds of the manor as evil spirits are coming forth to lay ruin on the property and within the manor!

Though that is not the worst of it as an evil witch ghost has risen up and plans to make Belinda's life miserable. Ravencrest Manor is getting ready to explode with wickedness and Belinda becomes caught in the crossfire! 

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This story is the second book in the Ravencrest saga and once again I was transported back into the story. The story slowly builds up momentum to the point that I was flipping through my kindle as the pace picked up with activity!

The authors keep the story moving at a great clip as more things happen on the manor grounds. The evilness of the ghosts and witches just seeps out of the pages as the story just wraps itself around you. 

Looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what happens next! 

Attached is the author, Tamara Thorne, profile page from Goodreads:

Tamara Thorne

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Tamara Thorne

Attached is the website of author, Tamara Thorne:

Tamara Thorne

Attached is the author, Alistair Cross, profile page from Goodreads:

Alistair Cross

Attached is the author, Alistair Cross, profile page from Amazon:

Alistair-Cross

Attached is the website of author, Alistair Cross:

Alistair Cross

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

The Descent (2005) and The Descent Part 2 (2009)

 

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Five "Cave Creature Action" Stars

Streaming service: Tubi

Date of movie: 2005

Cast (Main): Natalie Mendoza (Juno), Shauna McDonald (Sarah), MyAnna Buring (Sam), Alex Reid (Beth), Saskia Mulder (Rebecca), and Nora-Jane Noone (Holly)

Synopsis of story:

Six friends go on a cave exploration far underground which leads to becoming trapped in an area that is inhabited by strange creatures. 

Thoughts:

I think I saw this movie not long after it came out but don't remember much of it so it was almost like watching it for the first time. This movie has tons of tension, anxiety, creature action when the friends finally get into that part of the cave with the creatures and lots of claustrophobia feelings while watching it too. 

The creatures reminded me of a twisted version of Gollum in LOTR as that is what they almost looked like to me body wise. 

Normally I will munch on popcorn or cookies or some kind of snacks but I felt myself not wanting to eat anything as I was too tensed up but I was drinking water a lot as it seemed that they were making me thirsty with their cave traveling! lol

All in all this movie kept me suspended in the cave with the friends and made me go right away to binge watch the second movie as if I am going to stay in "cave exploring mode" then I might as well do a binge watch. lol 

Movie trailer for your viewing pleasure:

The Descent movie trailer

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Four "Cave Creature More Action" Stars

Streaming service: Tubi 

Date of movie: 2009

Cast (Main): Shauna McDonald (Sarah), Natalie Mendoza (Juno), Douglas Hodge (Dan), Krysten Cummings (Rios), Gavan O'Herlihy (Vaines) and Josh Dallas (Greg). 

Synopsis of story:

No one believes Sarah when she tells her story about the cave creatures and how she lost her friends down in the caves so rescuers decide to go into the caves anyway to search and rescue survivors if there are any. 

Thoughts:

This movie I had not seen but the tension and suspense were still high for me - more for the claustrophobia feelings too but I felt that the characters in this one just were doing some stupid stuff. The action was still good but for some reason I felt that the movie wasn't moving along fast enough like the first movie. 

The creature action seemed to move fast but the character movement through the caves seemed slower. 

Still it wasn't a bad follow up sequel to the first movie but for me it wasn't five stars either like the first movie. 

Movie trailer for your viewing pleasure:

The Descent Part 2 movie trailer

The Twelve: A Ghost Story by D.E. McCluskey

 

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Five "Spooky Shivers" Stars

Creepy Haunting! 

A small taste of what lies within:

John Rydell has been through the wringer with losing his wife and going through a depression stage of grief, but now something is lurking in his house to the point where he thinks he might be going crazy as something is haunting his footsteps and he is not sure what has invaded his home or better yet what does it want! 

That is about all I can give on a small taste so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This is my first time reading a book by this author and it won't be my last! I loved how the story just started out as it pulled me into the spooky world of this author! I found myself reading twelve chapters in one sitting as I could not put the book down! I truly lost myself within the story as my room disappeared around me and all I could focus on was the story itself. 

I loved the character John and I felt for him as things started happening to him. The mystery of the story just kept me suspended in intrigue as I made my way through the story as I was trying to put the puzzle pieces together of what was taking place with the haunting. 

There are some timeline flips though as the story will go back to college days of John and his friends then come forward to the present day. The timeline jumps were smooth and easy to follow so I didn't mind them at all as to know what is happening in the present day as the past has to be slowly revealed. I am not much into timeline jumping but if the story moves along smoothly and the author writes it as such then I am fine with it. 

The spookiness of the story just kept me wrapped within the pages of this book as I could feel the dread slowly starting to seep under my skin. This haunting tale was awesome and I am looking forward to reading more by this author which I have a couple or so more books by him on my kindle. 

Attached is the author, D.E. McCluskey, profile page from Goodreads:

D.E. McCluskey

Attached is the author, D.E. McCluskey, profile page from Amazon:

D.E. McCluskey

My Goodreads Review:

My Review