The Midwives

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Five "Twisted" Stars

Thrills, chills, and blood spills! 

The cover on this book just gives you the willies, right? Well the storyline will not only give you the "willies" you will have the shivers for days on end even after reading it as the story stays with you long after you put the book down! 

The story literally takes off quick as things happen right away and then its off to the races with the terror as the story just goes into a bloody twisted ride! 

The characters in the storyline are so believable that you feel everything they go through within the story and as the suspense keeps kicking up a notch with every turn of the page, you literally feel that you are in the story!  

I have never been disappointed with anything that author, Duncan Ralston writes as he has that special knack for pulling the readers into the horrors of his mind! What?! You think I am kidding?! Then go grab this book and be prepared to be scared! 

For my full review of the book, Midwives, by author, Duncan Ralston, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3165467730

Attached is the author, Duncan Ralston, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7509031.Duncan_Ralston

Attached is the author, Duncan Ralston, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Duncan-Ralston/e/B00F23Y41Q

The Carrow Haunt

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Five "Spooky" Stars

Haunting ghost stories are always a theme with author, Darcy Coates, as she is able to weave ghostly tendrils around your mind as you read her books. This book "The Carrow Haunt" is no exception and when I read the blurb of the book, I had a feeling this might be really good. I can tell you that I was not disappointed! 

This book reminded me of movies I had watched in the past where someone performs a séance in a haunted house and then the house "wakes up" going into full blown "I am awake" mode. The author lets her imagination run wild with this story and the book takes off into almost an unknown portal of your mind as you read the book. 

The characters in the book capture not only your attention, but also your psyche as you are drawn into the world of house. The house haunting has all the normal phenomena that usually happens when a house goes into berserk mode and this story could easily transition to a non fiction true paranormal story as that is how close author, Darcy Coates writes this story. I am always impressed by how this author writes the ghost stories as almost all of the time they capture that believability.

For my full review of the book, The Carrow Haunt, by author, Darcy Coates, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2361534088

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7734837.Darcy_Coates

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

https://www.amazon.com/Darcy-Coates/e/B00HVNVT0E

How Much To?

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Four "Gagging" Stars

I have been dancing through extreme books for awhile now and I am always curious as to what the next book is going to be that will stretch the limits of the mind! I can actually say that the books I have read so far by author, Matt Shaw, does stretch the mind and I have not been disappointed yet! 

The King of Extreme (that has a nice ring to it actually) has done it again with this book except not so much with the "tear-your-guts-out-bloody-gore" book, but has leaned more toward the "upchuck-make-sure-you-do-not-eat-while-reading-this-story" book! 

Readers do love extreme books - the readers are out there and then you have the readers that will read anything extreme with the gagging reflexes as well. My thoughts are this: If it is horror then I am reading it! Period! 

This story will take you far beyond your imagination and leave you "suspended midair, upside down, over a river raging gorge below" as that is the feeling you will have in the pit of your stomach while reading this book. 

You definitely do not want to be eating while reading this book as the gag reflex feelings will transport you straight to that "hanging in an upside down position with your stomach dropped out into your throat" feeling! 

Trust me when I say that I wasn't eating! No snacks at all! But I did read it quick as I wanted to see what would happen next so I just kept going from one page to the other. 

For my full review of the book, How Much To? by author, Matt Shaw, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3019594578

Attached is the author, Matt Shaw, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1089965.Matt_Shaw

Attached is the author, Matt Shaw, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Matt-Shaw/e/B0034OVM56

Thoughts on Bad Reviews

So is honesty really the best policy on reviews? 

This is something I have been thinking about for a very long time and I have seen reviews that are so bad that I have come very close to not reading reviews from readers as all it does is make me wonder what is truly wrong with the book for the reviewer to trash it so bad? Is the storyline bad? Is the author not clear on what they are trying to convey to the reader? 

Questions just swirl around me as I think about why I should or shouldn't read the book that is being dragged through the mud with the author being dragged along right behind it. Now with that being said I do once in awhile not even read the reviews of the books as I would rather just read the blurb and if it sounds like it might be something I would like then I read the book.

Reviews from other readers sometimes get to be too critical to the point where I would sit and think about if I wanted to even read the book which really shouldn't be that way as I remember when I was growing up there was no social media for books and I would just read the books if the story struck a chord in me - there were no reader reviews to pour over and give me pause of do I really want to read this book or move on to something else. I just read the book if it sounded great and moved on to the next book. 

So getting back to this honesty thoughts on reviews. 

Too much honesty can hurt an author - this is an interesting concept really as everyone wants to be honest on reviews but there can be honesty but not "drag the author through the hot coals by their toes" honesty! If you are a reader doing this to an author by being mean spirited and just want to rant on a review because the book just did not work for you then shame on you. 

I have literally seen readers go on rants through a review - it happens more often than not - I have seen readers cussing a blue streak on the reviews as well just going off on the author. There is no cause in doing that as when doing reviews all that is basically needed in a review is saying what you liked or didn't like about the book. There is no need to go off on a ranting streak of why you didn't like the book - it is no use at all to other readers as readers will more than likely shy away from the book because they get it in their heads that since the one person(s) didn't like the book and was ranting about it then the book must be bad so there is no sense for them to read it either. 

I literally saw this about two weeks ago on Goodreads - I kid you not - a reader gave a bad review on a book and the first person that jumped on there said that after reading the review then they were not going to read the book either. Now interesting enough that book has received quite a few four and five star reviews, but just because a reader didn't like it then another reader decided it wasn't for them either. That reader let someone else make a decision for them of why the book shouldn't be read instead of making up their own mind by reading the book themselves.  

This is a wrong way of looking at it because not all readers are the same - everyone is different with how they read books. So my thoughts on what should be done on a review of a book that a reader doesn't like is that they should put some sort of disclaimer at the bottom of the review that would read something like this: "I did not care for this book, but just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that the next person will not like it - it's just not for me."  Readers can be nice about it if they calm down when they write their reviews.

This is probably why so many authors struggle to get their work noticed as these antics that the readers pull on their reviews because if the reviews are bad then no one is going to want to read the books. All reviewers need to be mindful of how they do their reviews because the books that we all read would not be here on this earth if if wasn't for authors.

Now on the other hand if you are an author/reader and you go into a rant dragging the author over the hot coals shame on you twice fold.  Now this might get sticky but I am just going to stick it out there anyway as it needs to be said. 😊

This leans more toward respect if anything as in my honest opinion authors are truly a rare breed and I would think that they should stick together, but that is not always the case with reviews I have seen. Authors tend to be sometimes more critical because well "they are authors" so they look at things differently and they look at books from an authors viewpoint, but that doesn't mean that they should be raking the author over hot coals of the book they didn't like either. 

There is a way to give a review without "ripping the heart out" of an author as the author that is doing the "ripping" wouldn't want to be on the other end of the "ripping" so when giving out reviews you can be honest but not "heart ripping" honest. 

My thoughts on how I am when writing a review. For one thing I am not a "heart ripper". If I do not like a book I will just say what didn't work for me or just say what was wrong with the book as not everyone sees or feels the same way about a book. I just think that a review needs to be told in a way that will leave other readers maybe wanting to try the book for themselves.

So the moral of the story on these thoughts are:

Try to be nice on reviews as it is truly not that hard on giving out thoughts on how you feel but while the review is being written think of how the person on the other end is "feeling" while reading the review. Also ask yourself these questions while you are writing the review too. Is my review going to be the one that makes or breaks an author? Is my review going to make readers pick up the book or turn away from the book? Does my review reflect what I feel without dragging the author's work through the mud?  

Think about the reviews as you write them as you are in control of your thoughts when writing up the review, but do it in such a way that makes other readers want to try out the book because if the review is written in such a way that makes the book look bad then there will be those select few that will not want to read the book as those readers are usually the ones that rely on the reviews to help them make their decision. Those readers do not think for themselves - they only go by what other readers say in their reviews. 

For you readers that rely on others to make your decisions stop being a follower and be a leader in reviews as a great review always helps not only the author but other readers that want to read the book or books. 

So those are my thoughts on bad reviews. 

Happy Reading Everyone! 

Retribution Ridge

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Five "Thrilling" Stars

This was an enjoyable read when I read this book back in early 2018 as I had a "feeling" that it was going to be good as I had read the author's book The Backwoods Ripper which kept me in state of suspense the whole time reading it back in 2016, so I kind of knew this book would probably be the same way. 

It definitely was a "gripper" and it sent me spiraling through the book at a breakneck speed as I read this book within two days! Could not break away from it as there were lots of twists and turns throughout the book!

I have really started liking these psychological thriller books as these kind of books normally will keep you in state of twisted suspense as you barrel along through them. 

Author, Anna Willett, is one of those authors that is able to grab you from the get-go and keep you "captive" in her world for awhile! 

For my full review of the book, Retribution Ridge by author, Anna Willett, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1804438414

Attached is the author, Anna Willett's profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15315859.Anna_Willett


Attached is the author, Anna Willett's profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Anna-Willett/e/B01HU1SG3E

The Bones of Morden Gray

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Four "Haunted" Stars

I read this book last month and this it definitely a walk on the wild side of life! What more could you ask for when the story takes place inside a funeral home that just happens to be haunted? 

I was pleasantly surprised as there was quite a bit of blood and gore when things hit the fan during the storyline which kept my interest peaked throughout the story. 

I have read a few books by author, David Brian, and I haven't been disappointed yet! Now this book is a hefty read topping at 400+ pages so grab a bottle of your favorite drink, grab some snacks, and sit down in your cozy chair as you step inside this story as when the crap starts to hit the fan you are not going to want to move! 

For my full review of the book, The Bones of Morden Gray, by author, David Brian, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3345074820

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1068132.David_Brian

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

https://www.amazon.com/David-Brian/e/B005OKXVVG

Survive

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Four "Survival" Stars!

Are you in the mood for some psychological survival horror? You might want to check out this book by author, David Haynes as he will send you on a terror ride into fear the next time you decide to go live out in the wilderness! 

The author slowly builds up the suspense as he performs the world building of the story, but when the crap hits the fan then you will be hyperventilating through the book as you will want to see what happens next! 

I became attached to the characters as I was reading this book and when everything started happening, I was hoping that they would overcome this invasion from bad people. I literally had a very hard time putting this book down and read this book in three days as there was no way I could anything else but keep reading this book! 

For my full review of the book, Survive, by author, David Haynes, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2189288141

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6521221.David_Haynes

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

https://www.amazon.com/David-Haynes/e/B00983PM9Y

Ode to Death

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Four "Twisted" Stars

This was a book of short horror stories and poems which I really enjoyed as all the stories had a touch of tense moments along with some interesting "twist" of horrors! 

Believe me when I say "twist" as quite a few of the stories were really twisted, but with some of the stories the author built up the suspense and then has the ability to pull the rug out from under you at the last minute!

I have a few more books by author, Andrew Lennon on my kindle and I am looking forward to reading the rest of his books! 

For my full review of the book Ode to Death by author, Andrew Lennon, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2852283775

Attached is the author, Andrew Lennon, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7257030.Andrew_Lennon


 Attached is the author, Andrew Lennon, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Lennon/e/B00F18CKBS

They Feed by Jason Parent

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Four "Creepy Critters" Stars

Ferocious Crawlies!

A small taste of what lies within:

Tyler Kendrick just got out of prison after being in there for six years for shooting a man in Galveston Park, which he considers an accident. He decides that he will return to the scene of the crime as he wants to get everything clear in his head of what happened that tragic day.

What Tyler doesn't know is that something stirs in the woods of Galveston Park that has been there for a long time. Something hungry, something that can best be described as black and oily critters that have the speed of a cheetah and razor sharp teeth. They love darkness as darkness is their friend and there are millions of these piranha type critters throughout the woods. Not only that but there are other people out in the woods camping and hiking which also come across the oily creatures. What starts out as a romp through the woods, turns into a fight for survival for everyone!

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 was a fun read and not really spooky but just full of "creatures" out in the woods. The story moved at a fast pace with tons of tension and suspense! 

After reading it I decided that camping would not be something I would want to do as it makes you think about "what" is really living out in the woods at night! The creatures in this book only loves the "nightlife" and there is lots of edge of the seat moments throughout the book! 

The book's title is definitely the main theme in this book as the creatures do have a ferocious appetite! With that being said, if you wanted to go camping I would suggest not camping out in a tent - a steel bunker would be better as at least you would be protected from what crawls around at night! 



Attached is the author, Jason Parent, profile page from Goodreads:

Jason Parent

Attached is the author, Jason Parent, profile page from Amazon:

Jason Parent

Attached is my Goodreads Review:

My Review

Note: Updated this blog with digital artwork and added in a little more review content. 

Out of the Shadows by Patrick James Ryan

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Four "Creepy Crawly" Stars

Short stories that pack a punch!

Small tidbits to give a taste of what is inside as there are nine short stories wrapped within:

Over The Edge: Be careful of what you do when you are around people as you never know what or who is in your midst! So tread carefully!

Spider: Do not let one bite you as you might turn into something unnatural. (That is all I am going to say on that story - lol!) :-)

Puzzles: Not your typical jigsaw puzzles - something a little more complex. :-)

The Lonely Deaths of Booker and Chance: Bobbing along in the ocean waters could result in a feeding frenzy. (Let your imagination run wild with that one - lol!) :-)

The Jupiter Chronicles: Nuclear attack dealing with beings not from earth! (No, I am not drawing you a picture! lol!)

Hitchin' A Ride: Your sins will catch up to you eventually. Karma - what goes around comes around!

The Bunker: Even in war there are dark forces from the depths of hell enlisting men to the other side. (Does that sound cryptic? Well if so, then go grab this book and read it for yourself!)

The Ripper Returns: What a twist - possible demonic possession regarding Jack The Ripper? Well....maybe. Anything is possible.

Ma's Eats: There is more than beef in that stew! 

Thoughts:

This was a new author to me and when I saw the book cover it really drew me in as the book just looked like it would be a fun read. I can tell you this - I was not disappointed as I really enjoyed all the stories!

I literally read the book within a day as I could not put the book down and was just entranced with all the stories! Even though it was a short book the suspense and twisted tension of all the stories just grabbed me to the point where I have decided to pursue the rest of this author's books! 

Attached is the author, Patrick James Ryan, profile page from Goodreads:

Patrick James Ryan

Attached is the author, Patrick James Ryan, profile page from Amazon:

Patrick James Ryan

My Goodreads review:

My Review

Update: 5/8/2023

Adding in digital artwork and adding in more review content to this blog. 

Linden Manor by Catherine Cavendish

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Five "Haunting" Stars

The gothic haunting setting of this story captured me right away and when I read it back early 2018 I was entranced with the author, Catherine Cavendish's writing style. 

There is loads of mystery and suspense that surrounded me as I slowly drawn into the storyline. The spookiness of the story and the atmospheric haunting would not let me go till the end of the book. 

This was my first book by this author and since then I have pursued her books adding them to my tbr shelves on Goodreads. I have read a couple of her other books which I loved as well and I have not been disappointed with anything she writes. 

Looking forward to more books from author, Catherine Cavendish and will keep pursuing anything she has coming out! 

For my full review of the book, Linden Manor, by author, Catherine Cavendish, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2103971538

Attached is the author, Catherine Cavendish, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4961171.Catherine_Cavendish

Attached is the author, Catherine Cavendish, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Cavendish/e/B0059GDROQ

Neighbors

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Four "Twisted" Stars

This book was really a "psycho-nutso" book and I am always impressed by how author, Jeremy Bates is able to capture the reader and pull them into his world! I have read a couple or so by him so I knew by the blurb of the book that this one was going to be interesting! I will tell you this right now - I was not disappointed and I read this book within 24 hours too!

The story is short as it is only 92 pages, but it packs a short punch and I was really pulled into the story as it went into high gear about half way through. I would have given this book five stars but I was hoping for a little more engagement between the two neighbors and it was over quick. If I am reading about "twisted psychos" then I want the "twist" to endure a little longer! 😊

I breezed through it way too quick and maybe at some point I need to go back to try to read it slow. Even at four stars I would still recommend this book to anyone that was in the mood for some neighbor "twisting"! :)

For my full review of the book, Neighbors, by author, Jeremy Bates, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2945590263

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5327980.Jeremy_Bates

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

https://www.amazon.com/Jeremy-Bates/e/B007AX4IVM

Dover Demon

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Four "Spooky" Stars

This was a creepy story and once again, author, Hunter Shea knows how to write about the creepy creatures that roam the horror world! 

The Dover Demon is myth, legend, and maybe just a little something more which is brought to life in this book! Lots of freaky twists abounds within these pages and it was a fun time as the author goes on a romping blood fest to bring the creature alive within the story! 

The book became fast paced the more I started reading it and the story took me on a terror ride into Dover, Massachusetts. As always you feel everything the characters are feeling as author, Hunter Shea, throws the reader right into the story and you experience everything the characters are experiencing! 

For my full review of the book, The Dover Demon, by author, Hunter Shea, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2434623065

Attached is the author, Hunter Shea, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5224760.Hunter_Shea

Attached is the author, Hunter Shea, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Shea/e/B007RMLXAA

The Devil's Woods by Brian Moreland

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Five "Spooks in the Woods" Stars

Nail-Biting Tension!

A very small taste of what lies within:

A family unites together to find their father who has gone missing on an archaeological dig on an Indian reservation in the deep woods of Hagen's Cove. The only thing is the woods harbor another secret that the Indians from past generations have warned everyone for centuries.

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

Thoughts:

This was one of the best haunted forest books I had read in awhile and I read this book back in 2017.  It was just a very spooky atmospheric ride! I had already read some books by author, Brian Moreland so I knew that I was in for a scary trip into the forest and I was not disappointed! 

When a forest is haunted because of an old Indian reservation you know that it is not going to be a fun time in the forest! The book is fast paced, but in the beginning the author slowly draws you into the story and then he lowers the boom as once you are in the story there is no turning back!

The characters were believable and it was easy to become attached to them as the story moved along. Lots of atmosphere and ghostly tendrils of spookiness grabs you along with making you literally fear going into a forest after reading this book! 

Attached is the author, Brian Moreland, profile page from Goodreads:

Brian Moreland

Attached is the author, Brian Moreland, profile page from Amazon:

Brian Moreland

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

Sick House

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Four "Twisted" Stars

You know it is probably always a good idea to check out the history of a house before you rent it because once you are in there then your are basically screwed when the haunting begins! 

That is what happened in this story as the family rents a house - ghosts appear - haunting begins then the crap hits the fan and there is no escape! 

I read this book back in September of 2019 and this book was so good that I read it in two days! Could not put this book down and stayed up late into the early hours of the morning reading it! This was my first book by author, Jeff Strand, but it won't be my last as I have a few more on my kindle waiting to be read! 

For my full review of the book, Sick House, by author Jeff Strand, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2263383974

Attached is the author, Jeff Strand, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/207708.Jeff_Strand


Attached is the author, Jeff Strand, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Strand/e/B001K8D3F0