Blackout by Tim Curran

 

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Five " Horror from the Skies" Stars

What Has Appeared from Outer Space?

A small taste of what lies within:

Jon and Kathy head to bed after being at a neighborhood party most of the day, but then sometime during the night Jon wakes up to weird lightning that is going on outside. Jon is wondering why Kathy is able to sleep through it and he soon finds out that Kathy is no longer in bed. 

While Jon goes on the hunt to find out what happened to his wife he realizes that a lot of his neighbors are out and about but what is worse is when black tentacles drop from the sky and then the neighbors start hearing the screams! 

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste so if you are intrigued then go read this book! 

Thoughts:

This book is told in first person of the character Jon as he weaves a story of what happened in their neighborhood. The author, Tim Curran delves deep into the characters in this story as you come to learn their fears of what is actually out there.  

The book is fast paced and I had a hard time putting it down as so much happens in this story from the beginning when the character Kathy disappears all the way to the end of the book when everything is revealed of what is laying in wait in the skies above! 

This book reminded me of "B" movie horror flicks mixed with science fiction which kind of puts the book between the Twilight Zone and the X-Files. This is my second book by Tim Curran and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. 

Attached is the author, Tim Curran, profile page from Goodreads:

Tim Curran

Attached is the author, Tim Curran, profile page from Amazon:

Tim Curran

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

Ghosts by Kevin J. Kennedy & KJK Publishing

 

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Four "Short Stories Spooky Terror" Stars

There are 13 short stories about ghosts within this anthology so I am going to list each one with a cryptic note next to it just to hand out a small taste of what to expect when reading this book.

Nine Lives by Veronica Smith - Cats will protect in the afterlife as well. 

Claims Report by Candace Nola - Cutting corners can be risky. 

Room within a Room by Michael S.A. Graziano - Shower images come to life. 

Red Celluloid by Brian Moreland - Ghosts of war. 

The Scratching by Harrison Phillips - Something moves within the house. 

I Am Not a Haunted House by Dexter McLeod - Houses have secrets too. 

Ghosts of Randall Farm by Lee Mountford - Not everything is at it seems. 

The Autopsy by Devin Cabrera - Being a coroner isn't all its cracked up to be.  

I Faked a Haunting by Christopher Robertson - The truth will set you free. 

Weighted Blanket by MJ Mars - Just a normal blanket, right? Not likely! 

Passenger Th13teen by David Owain Hughes - Stay away from public transport. 

Bus Route X39 by Ryan Colley - Confused and bewildered on a bus ride. 

My Dead Wife's Diary by James Kaine - Is there an apparition or not? 

That is about all I can hand out with a small tastes with cryptic notes within those stories so if you are intrigued then go read this anthology of ghost stories!

Thoughts:

I thought all the stories were great with lots of atmospheric details weaved within each story. I have found some new authors to explore and I revisited authors I have read in the past. This is the first time I have actually read an anthology which the focus for the whole book was wrapped around ghosts. 

As always I love stepping into books that are put out by KJK Publishing as Kevin J. Kennedy always finds cool authors to put in his books and I have read quite a few of these anthologies which I am never disappointed with the stories that are found within. 

Set forth below are all the authors and their Amazon Author profile links:

Author/Publisher - Kevin J. Kennedy - Amazon Author Link

Kevin J. Kennedy - KJK Publishing

Author Veronica Smith - Amazon Author Profile

Veronica Smith

Author Candace Nola - Amazon Author Profile

Candace Nola

Author Michael S.A. Graziano - Amazon Author Profile

Michael S.A. Graziano

Author Brian Moreland - Amazon Author Profile

Brian Moreland

Author Harrison Phillips - Amazon Author Profile

Harrison Phillips

Author Dexter McLeod - Amazon Author Profile

Dexter McLeod

Author Lee Mountford - Amazon Author Profile

Lee Mountford

Author Devin Cabrera - Amazon Author Profile

Devin Cabrera

Author Christopher Robertson - Amazon Author Profile

Christopher Robertson

Author MJ Mars - Amazon Author Profile

MJ Mars

Author David Owain Hughes - Amazon Author Profile

David Owain Hughes

Author Ryan Colley - Amazon Author Profile

Ryan Colley

Author James Kaine - Amazon Author Profile

James Kaine

Dark Spirits: The Watcher (Book 1 in the Dark Spirits series) by Lee Mountford

 

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Four "Boo Spooky" Stars

What Lies Within Parson Hall?

A small taste of what lies within:

Jodie Callaghan is a paranormal investigator who decides to check out a haunted location on her own called Parson Hall. As she is snooping around in the building she becomes cautious as a stranger arrives (Joe) who is also there to roam the building. Little does Jodie know that Joe has some devious plans set for why he is there in Parson Hall which ends up creating ghostly chaos that could kill them both! 

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 book grabbed me right away as I was thrown into the mystery of the haunted building Parson Hall as I was wondering how creepy this book was going to be since the author, Lee Mountford loves to tinker around with ghost/haunting stories. 

I was not disappointed as this book has tons of atmospheric scenes with quite a bit of ghost/haunting action as well which kept me reading into the late hours of the night!

The pace moves quickly throughout the book and kept me in suspense of what was going to happen next. The reason that this book is not getting five stars is because the character Jodie kind of got on my nerves.  The character Jodie just seemed out of tune with the paranormal activity that was happening around her and yet she is a paranormal investigator that is supposed to know something about being one.  

I thought the other character Joe was more believable with what he was doing in the story. Otherwise beyond the character problem I thought the book was great and kept me wanting to continue reading the story to the end. Looking forward to reading book two in this series at some point soon to see what happens next with the character Jodie. 

Attached is the author, Lee Mountford, profile page from Goodreads:

Lee Mountford

Attached is the author, Lee Mountford, profile page from Amazon:

Lee Mountford

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

My Review

How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

 

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Four "Island Terror" Stars

"Let The Games Begin"

A small taste of what lies within:

Ruth along with a few of her friends are invited to a secluded island (Prosperity Island) by an online influencer (Eton) who has invited all kinds of people to participate in survival games. The winners are rewarded with prizes if they can beat out their competition and hopefully do not get hurt in the process.  

Ruth is a survivor from an infamous cult that had got some media attention in the past and she soon learns that the island is connected to her past but what is the end game and why was she chosen by Eton to be on the island?  

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 a different type of book by author Darcy Coates as she has stepped far away from her haunting/ghost stories and has stepped into the psychological horror genre.  This story grabbed me from the get-go as I was able to get to know the character Ruth and her friends right away. Then the story moves to the island and the pace of the book picks up speed when the survival games start. 

I really liked all the characters in this book along with the supporting characters but the reason that this book is not getting five stars is because the survival games just seemed to stretch out and though different things were happening within the story there seemed to be just a little bit of a drag slow down in some parts of the book but then the pace picks back up. But it just reminded me of a roller coaster with speed - slow down then speed up and that went on throughout the book which drops this rating down to 4 stars. 

Other than that the book was great and kept my attention when the survival games kicked in plus the mystery of how the character Ruth's past was connected to the island. I would recommend the book to deserted island/survival horror fans. 

Attached is the author, Darcy Coates, profile page from Goodreads:

Darcy Coates

Attached is the author, Darcy Coates, profile page from Amazon:

Darcy Coates

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

My Review

Acolytes of the Dead by W.D. Gagliani and David Benton

 

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Five "Evil Erotica Horror" Stars

What Evil Lies Within the Chambers Mansion?

A small taste of what lies within:

James Blackstone, a professor of Egyptian lore is hired by billionaire Alton Chambers to write his autobiography while also working on hieroglyphs that are tied to a tomb and Egyptian sarcophagus that lies within the mansion. 

Though James doesn't realize it at the time but something is totally off with the billionaire and his family as there is an ancient evil that lies deep within the mansion and it might cost James everything he owns to learn the secrets that Chambers and his family are hiding! 

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 both these authors and it won't be my last as this story careens along at warp speed as so much happens within the pages of this book that there was no time to breathe! There is tons of erotica sex that lies within these pages as well but there are also tons of Egyptian lore that takes this book deep into unknown horror! I literally had a hard time putting this book down as I would put it down for a little bit and it just seemed to be compelling me to pick it back up to read some more which I did! 

The pace is fast and there were some "chiller thriller" moments too that kept me turning the pages of my kindle at sonic speed. This story was written by two authors but the story flows along so well that I couldn't tell the difference of who wrote what scenes and that is how great this book is as I was just captivated by the historical horror that happened within that it seemed as if one author wrote the whole book! Looking to read more books by these authors in the future! 

Attached is the author, W.D. Gagliani, profile page from Goodreads:

W.D. Gagliani

Attached is the author, W.D. Gagliani, profile page from Amazon:

W.D. Gagliani

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

David Benton

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

David Benton

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

Exorcism (The Ravencrest Saga Book 3) by Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross

 

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Five "Spine Tingling Spooky" Stars

Something Else Is Haunting the Halls of Ravencrest! 

A small taste of what lies within:

Belinda Moorland is becoming more attuned to the ghostly happenings in Ravencrest but things are about to become more interesting as odd things start happening in and around the Greek Pool. Everyone is on edge as a sinister presence slowly forms within the grounds of Ravencrest and it will take all of them to figure out how to stop the evil from spreading! 

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 and series! 

Thoughts: 

This third book was one spooky story as lots of creepy things happen that kept me on the edge of my seat! There is quite a bit of backstory with Ravencrest this time around that gives more insight on the haunting of the grounds. 

The authors (Thorne and Cross) threw all kinds of creepy curves into this story which kept me turning pages long into the night! I love this series so much and I am looking forward to reading book four soon to see what happens next on the property of Ravencrest! 

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

Tamara Thorne

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

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 Black Testament (Book of Shadows #4) by Michael Penning

 

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Five "Skin Shiver Spooky" Stars

What Lies in Wait Within A Cursed Village?

A small taste of what lies within:

Anna Jacobs has been sent on a mission to help a family in an abandoned village that has been cursed but she thinks there might be something truly evil that has invaded the village along with the family which could be tied to hell itself! 

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 fourth installment in the Book of Shadows series could be read as a stand alone however things are mentioned here and there from previous books so it might be best to read the books in order. 

Once again I was transported back into the world of Anna Jacobs and all the characters that she comes across in her travels. I really liked all the characters in this book and the author weaves a tale of imaginable horror that gripped me throughout most of the book! 

Author, Michael Penning's writing style breathes atmospheric details of everything that takes place and will keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the story. When I read this author's stories I am always taken straight into the heart of the book and feel like I am right there experiencing whatever the characters are going through! This story is one spooky tale that goes deep into the occult and brings the creepiness of the story alive on the page! Looking forward to reading book five in the series which will be out soon to see what lies in store for Anna Jacobs. 

Attached is the author, Michael Penning, profile page from Goodreads:

Michael Penning

Attached is the author, Michael Penning, profile page from Amazon:

Michael Penning

My review from Goodreads:

My Review