The Sentinel by Jeffrey Konvitz

 

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Five "Spooky Supernatural Suspense" Stars

Who or What Lives in the Brownstone? 

A small taste of what lies within:

Allison Parker is a model that would love to live in an apartment in Manhattan and she gets her wish when she sees that there is an apartment for rent in the paper - an old brownstone. After she moves in though things kind of go wonky as her neighbors are kind of on the bizarre side and she has learned that an old priest lives on the top floor but no one seems to know much about him.  

As time moves on things go from mysterious to strange when Allison learns from the real estate agent that there is no one else living in the building and there are no neighbors except for the priest! 

What happened to the neighbors? Were they there or in her imagination? What is up with the priest that lives alone on the top floor? Is the brownstone haunted? 

No spoilers here so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and I have had this book on my tbr list for a long time. Decided to finally step into it as the cover alone just creeps me the hell out and I knew that this story was going to be a doozy and I was right! The whole book was a suspenseful horror mystery and I had a hard time putting this book down!

I kept wanting to read it and sometimes I would read late into the night. The author just wrapped me up with the spookiness of the story and sometimes the pace of the book was fast as I would keep flipping through the pages of my kindle trying to figure out the mystery of what was happening to Allison!

There is a sequel to the book that I need to read at some point plus there is a movie that I have never seen either. Looking forward to eventually stepping into the sequel and if you want a book that is going to fuel your insomnia then this is the book! 

Attached is the author, Jeffrey Konvitz, profile page from Amazon:

Jeffrey Konvitz

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

 

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Five "Bloody Roses" Stars

Do You Really Know What's Growing in Your Garden?

A small taste of what lies within:

Something strange is going on with Sam Montgomery's mother and she intends to find out what has made her mother act weird. Sam decides to visit her mother to see if she can figure out why her mother is acting strange. 

Though as Sam delves deep into the mystery of her mother and the house that used to belong to her grandmother, Gran Mae the more she realizes that something is dreadfully wrong and everything seems to be tied to the Rose garden! 

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

Thoughts:

This was my second book by this author and I was not disappointed! Lots of mystery and suspense that eventually turns to horror later on in the story kept me riveted to the book! 

I didn't want to read anything else but this book which is unusual for me as normally I am reading two or three books at once but I felt that I needed to stay focused with this book as the mystery deepened within the story and wouldn't let me go. I wanted to find out what was happening within the story so I wasn't able to lay the book down!

I loved all the characters in this one and this book goes on a roller coaster wild ride about halfway through the book which kept me glued to my kindle as I didn't know what was going to happen next! Another great book by this author and I am planning on reading more of her books in the future. 

Attached is the author, T. Kingfisher, profile page from Amazon:

T. Kingfisher

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

My Review

The Bride of Ravencrest (The Ravencrest Saga Book # 5) by Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross

 

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Five "Spine Tingling Specter" Stars

Can Anyone Survive the Wrath of the Bride?

A small taste of what lies within:

Belinda Moorland is back along with Grant, Eric and quite a cast of characters in this installment as something lies deep within the mansion that they need to slowly deal with before it is too late! 

What lies deep within Ravencrest Manor is the ghost of Amelia Manning (the Bride) as her husband Lionel died in war not too long after they were married and now she has been asleep within the manor for a long time until she is awoken and when the Bride wakes up she is not happy at all which as time goes on she lets "all" of Ravencrest know that she has returned! 

Will Belinda, Grant, and Eric along with supporting characters be able to stop her?  

No spoilers here and that is about all I can hand out with a small taste so if you want to know more then you will need to read the book to find out what happens! 

Thoughts:

This book was one creepy and spooky story with quite a bit of ghost action as well which kept me on the edge of my seat in a few parts of the book. When the Bride wakes up is when things go from quiet to rumbling as the Bride starts to cause a little chaos within the manor! 

The main characters of Belinda, Grant, and Eric keep this story moving along at a fast pace. The supporting characters of Essie, Ryan, Cordelia and Riley also keep the story moving quickly - all the characters mesh well with each other making the story come to life on the pages of this book! Looking forward to the next book in the series to see what happens next and what Belinda, Grant and Eric have to deal within the next installment. 

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 Amazon:

Alistair Cross

Attached is the website of author, Alistair Cross:

Alistair Cross

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

 

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Five "Wicked Witchy Spooky" Stars

Do You Really Know Who Your Neighbors Are?

A small taste of what lies within:

Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse move into an old apartment building called the Bramford which has a somewhat seedy and mysterious past. The neighbors, Roman and Minnie Castevet take a great interest in Rosemary and Guy to the point that they all become quite close however when Rosemary has a weird dream about rituals in her apartment is when she wonders if it was all real.  

When Rosemary becomes pregnant is when things begin to escalate as Roman and Minnie become more attentive to the needs of Rosemary and would do anything to make sure that she is comfortable. Rosemary begins to wonder if they are really concerned for her welfare or are they after something else? 

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

Thoughts:

I had read this book many years ago back in the early 90's but it has been so long ago that I didn't remember any of the story so it was like I had read it again for the first time. 

This book was one creepy ride into the occult zone though I didn't realize that the occult was really involved until further into the story as the author makes everything subtle and mild weaving a suspenseful mystery of what is taking place within the Bramford. 

The pace of the story moves fast and I had a hard time putting this book down as I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next! I became so involved in the story that I was up till the early morning hours as the book picks up speed after the 50% mark so I just wanted to keep reading. I can see why this is considered a classic horror story as it just kept me in a state of suspense, mystery, and creepiness! 

Amazon Author Profile:

Ira Levin

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

I Bought a Haunted Christmas Tree Farm by Sam Whittaker

 

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Four "Tinsel Tree Terror" Stars

When You Inherit a Farm Always Check for Spooks!

A small taste of what lies within:

Roger and his family have inherited a Christmas tree farm but though he doesn't really know much about growing trees he doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth so he moves his family to the farm. 

However as time goes on there are some quirky things that happen on the farm that makes the family wonder what they got themselves into and wondering what is happening on the farm with the weird things happening to them.

Thoughts:

This was my second book by this author and I really enjoyed the story. The book is set up as an Advent Calendar where you would read a chapter every day however I just read the whole thing as I became caught up in the story line and wanted to keep reading. 

The story had some spookiness to it but different things that happened in the story made me chuckle some too. It wasn't a scary horror story but just a fun and festive holiday horror book that captured my attention. Looking forward to reading more books by this author as it seems he has quite a few books out there. 

Attached is the author, Sam Whittaker, profile page from Amazon:

Sam Whittaker

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

Top 25 Reads of 2025

I know I say this every year about "this year being a great year for books" and it is true - every year is a great year for reading books as I tap into the minds of authors and see what lies beyond my horizons. 

This year I once again hovered around the horror realm and I did stray a little bit into true paranormal along with some true crime but the books that made this list are either horror or have some type of horror within them and as most of you know horror is my favorite genre. 

It is always hard to try to figure out what books make this list but I do have 25 books that kept my insomnia fueled throughout 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 and all authors are listed in no particular order. 

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HORROR/HORROR SUSPENSE

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JOHN EVERSON

My Blog Review Link:

Five Deaths for Seven Songbirds

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

                    

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CATHERINE CAVENDISH

My Blog Review Link:

The Stones of Landane

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

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JOHN DURGIN

My Blog Review Link:

The Envelope

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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JEREMY EADS

My Blog Review Link:

Reptile

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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GRAHAM MASTERTON

My Blog Review Link:

Heirloom

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

                               

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DUNCAN RALSTON

My Blog Review Link:

Helloween

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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WILLIAM MASSA

My Blog Review Link:

The Exorcist's Code

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

                  

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TAMARA THORNE & ALISTAIR CROSS

My Blog Review Link:

Five Nights in a Haunted Cabin

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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JED KENT

My Blog Review Link:

Behind These Walls

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

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THOMAS SMITH

My Blog Review Link:

Something Stirs

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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DAEMON MANX

My Blog Review Link:

The Ojanox 1: Scream in the Dark (The Ojanox Series Book 1)

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

 

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PHILIP FRACASSI

My Blog Review Link:

Boys in the Valley

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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JEFFREY CASTON

My Blog Review Link:

FOOD: All Hate the King (Food #5)

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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MICHAEL PENNING

My Blog Review Link:

Devil Music

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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J.D. ALLEN

My Blog Review Link:

Tombstones

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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STEVEN PAJAK

My Blog Review Link:

The Devil's Doorway

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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W.D. GAGLIANI & DAVID BENTON

My Blog Review Link:

Acolytes of the Dead

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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TIM CURRAN

My Blog Review Link:

Blackout

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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JEFF STRAND

My Blog Review Link:

Your Body Will Never Be Found

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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CANDACE NOLA

My Blog Review Link:

Shadow Manor

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

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DAVID IRONS

My Blog Review Link:

Night Creepers

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

                                   

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JEFF DEGORDICK

My Blog Review Link:

Ghostlords (The Haunted Hamlet #4)

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

                                  

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SAM WHITTAKER

My Blog Review Link:

I Bought A Haunted Thanksgiving Table

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀

                            

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NICK ROBERTS

My Blog Review Link:

The Exorcist's House: Resurrection (The Exorcist's House #3)

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

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LEE MOUNTFORD

My Blog Review Link:

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

My Rating: 💀💀💀💀

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New to me Authors:

Jed Kent

Thomas Smith

Daemon Manx

Philip Fracassi

Steven Pajak

W.D. Gagliani 

David Benton

David Irons

Sam Whittaker

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Final Thoughts:

This was another great year for horror and I spent lots of time in my favorite genre this year. I have more horror books than any other genre stuck in my cloud - literally thousands of books are in there and 90% of them are all horror. So this year I decided once again to stay within my favorite genre and knock some more horror books off my tbr shelf. 

By staying within horror I found some new to me authors and visited authors that I have read in the past. There are tons of great horror books out there still that I need to read and explore. Looking forward to stepping back into the horror realm in 2026! 

Till next year! Happy Reading! 

The Yuletide Butcher by Mike Duke

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Four "Merry Slasher" Stars

Will the Police Catch Their Man? 

A small taste of what lies within:

The Yuletide Butcher is hard to catch as law enforcement have been pursuing the killer for years as he only kills the day after Christmas and he is long gone before they arrive on the scene. 

As the police are tied up with trying to catch a killer, Jack Randall an upstanding citizen of the community hates his life and wants to get away from his family but things start to go south when the police start looking his way on maybe somehow being connected to the Butcher!

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 was my first time reading this author and it won't be my last. I fell directly into the storyline and stuck with it as I put down my other books I was reading to just read this book. The pace is fast with this story as it moves quickly with different things happening. 

I really liked the characters in this book and I kind of had a feeling of the mystery of who the Butcher could be and the brutality of the killings just slams into the story as it kept me rooted in my easy chair! Looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future. 

Attached is the author, Mike Duke, profile page from Amazon:

Mike Duke

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

My Review