Haunted Florida Boxed Set (1 - 3) by Gaby Triana

 

👻👻👻👻👻

Five "Haunted Horror" Spooks

This is a triple omnibus of three haunting novels so breaking them down book by book with thoughts for each book. 

Island of Bones:

The story revolves around Ellie wanting to go to Key West as her grandmother use to live there and after her grandmother passes on, she decides to take her grandmother's ashes to spread them on the island. But little does she know that her journey to Key West is going to be just a nice trip down memory lane. There is a mystery surrounding Ellie's past as her grandfather disappeared off the coast back in 1951.

What entails is a mystery that is so deep that no one wants Ellie to know anything of the past and Ellie has to endure not only a hurricane that is barreling toward her, but she has to endure a nutty motel manager, visions of the past (Ellie has visions), and hauntings at the motel.

Thoughts:

I really liked this book as it involved mystery, pirates, a haunting, and suspense!
This book just takes off from the first chapter and it barrels quickly all the way to the end. There are lots of twists, turns, danger, suspense, and action wrapped up tightly within its pages. I was very impressed with this book and I loved how the author just brought it all together!

River of Ghosts:

Avila Cypress takes people on airboat tours out to the Everglades and weaves ghost stories of hauntings along with telling the story of a haunted house deep in the Everglades named the Villegas House which is known for having a bad past with murders. Avila is approached by a crew of ghost hunters that have a tv show and they are willing to pay whatever price for her to take them out to the haunted house. 

Against her better judgement and against her tribes warnings from the past about not setting foot on the island where the house is located, Avila decides to go ahead and take the tv crew out there. 

Things seem to go awry the minute they set foot on the island as an unspeakable evil seems to permeate their surroundings and they can feel a heaviness in the air, but it is when they approach the house that things become weird as all is quiet until they hear something drop in the house as the house "knows" why they are there and it is about to show them that sometimes things are better left to the past!

Thoughts:

This story starts off a little slow as there is some world and character building, but once I got to the 30% mark things seemed to slowly start happening within the house and by the time I made it to the 50% mark the book started escalating with the haunting. There is really more to the story but without giving away spoilers it is best to keep it under wraps as there is more of a past tie-in with one of the tv crew and with Avila, but to find out more you will need to read it for yourself. 

There is suspense and nail-biting tension along with whispers on the wind, ghostly voices, and lots of haunting atmosphere within this book but there is lots of twists and turns the further that I got into the story to the point I ended up reading the last 40% of the story within a few hours as I just could not put it down!

City of Spells:

Queylin and a couple of friends runs a new age shop that sells sage and incense but they also will do psychic readings for people that need it. When an elderly man (Dr. Rivera) comes into the shop he has more than thoughts of buying something in mind as he needs help with getting rid of a ghost that is haunting his home. 

When Queylin finds out that the home is the Harding Estate is when she has a tiny inkling of fear as she has heard rumors for years about the place being haunted and try as she might she doesn't really want to go there to investigate, but when Dr. Rivera is most insistent and he tells her that he will pay her a hefty fee for coming out to the house her friends tell her to try it and see if she can open up her psychic ability to the otherworld. 

What Queylin doesn't realize is that there is more to the house than just ghosts and when she ends up staying out there to help she finds out that all is not what it seems with the doctor too as he is hiding a terrible secret and it is a secret that he will keep private no matter what the cost! 

Thoughts:

This story started out a little slow as there was a little bit of world building, but once I reached the 30% mark the book started slowly escalating. The mystery of the ghosts, the house, and the doctor just deepened as there were lots of twists and turns within the story. I never knew where the author was going to take me next from chapter to chapter as tiny things were revealed at a slow pace until after the half way point pieces of the puzzle were coming together. 

The last 20% of the book there was a startling revelation and a major twist that I did not see coming! It shocked me out of my shoes! Which the pace picked up for me and I read the last of the book within just a few hours as I wanted to see how it all ended! 

Out of all three books in this trilogy this book was the whip cream of them all as this story just finished the whole trilogy on a high note for me! I wasn't expecting to finish this omnibus before the new year, but I just could not break away from the story. I had to finish it even I stayed awake for 24 hours to get it done! I am so glad that I did finish it up and I was satisfied with the ending! 

All of the books though together are full of mystery, suspense, ghosts, and spine shivering chills which kept my insomnia fueled for about a month! Lots of sleepless nights with these books! 😊

Attached is the author, Gaby Triana, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/177012.Gaby_Triana

Attached is the author, Gaby Triana, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Gaby-Triana/e/B0045B9682

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4364817911

The House on Rectory Lane by Stuart James

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Tension Terror" Stars

Wow! This was a great psychological crime thriller!

A taste of what lies within:

Jake and Kate are tired of London with all the traffic and noise so they move out to the country where they can get away from it all and have some peace and quiet. The house that they find through a real estate agent is perfect for them as it is tucked away behind some iron gates and just has a couple of so neighbors. 

With any house though nothing is perfect and they find out that the previous occupants of the house - the Prescott's just vanished from the house and no one can seem to find them. That gives them an unsettling feeling as they wonder what happened to them and even thoughts of the house being haunted flitted through their minds. 

With some trepidation they go ahead and settle into the house along with meeting their neighbors Pete and Linda who seem to be very friendly as they welcome them to the neighborhood.  

But even with nice neighbors and the secluded house, Jake feels that there is just something "off" about the house, but when Jake and Kate find a dvd in their house that is a film with the family of the Prescott's is when things become weird and the more they try to find out what happened to the previous family the more they become entrapped within a mystery so entangled they will be fighting for their lives by the time it is all over as you never truly know who your neighbors are and Jake finds out more than he wants to know before it is all over. 

Thoughts:

This is my first time reading this author and was happy to finally read one of his books as I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. I was captured right away with the characters and the mystery surrounding the Prescott's as I was wanting to know why they disappeared. The mystery was so deep that I thought this book would make a great movie as there were so many twists and turns that I had a hard time putting the book down!

The author sets up a slow and building tension within the story bringing the mystery of what happened to the Prescott family finally to life near the end of the book. During the meantime though the mystery and suspense is built up along the way and I felt for the characters as they tried to figure out what they had landed themselves into. 

Other things happen within the storyline to the characters Jake and Kate as they try to dig up what is going on with their house and the neighbors. This book kept me intrigued throughout the story which I ended up reading the last 50% within a few hours as things started to escalate within the story and I just kept reading to see what would happen next. There is a major twist that I didn't see coming which sent this book into overdrive. I have some more books by this author simmering on my kindle that I will need to step into this coming year. 

Attached is the author, Stuart James, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17131046.Stuart_James

Attached is the author, Stuart James, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Stuart-James/e/B07MWZYMZR

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2166702458

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

 

✨✨✨✨✨

Five "Great Gryffindor" Stars

I loved the second book almost as much as the first book! There is a lots more action in this one as well bringing Harry, Ron, and Hermione into more intrigue and danger!

A small taste of what lies within: 

Harry's troubles start right away when he finds a house elf by the name of Dobby in his bedroom. Dobby is there to warn Harry of danger that will be coming to Hogwarts so he tries to sway Harry from going back so he causes a little havoc at the Dursleys which ends up with Harry having bars put on his windows. Thankfully the Weasley boys come to the rescue and is able to rescue Harry taking him back with them to the Weasley home.

From that point on in the story things start to go downhill for Harry as him and Ron have to fly the magical car by themselves so they can get to Hogwarts.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione find out soon enough that there is quite a bit of danger within Hogwarts and they have a big mystery to solve as they delve deep into the school to discover the Chamber of Secrets.

Thoughts:

This was a fun read and again I loved all the characters in this story as well. Lots of suspense, mystery, and tons of action as the three friends jump straight from the frying pan and into the fire as they explore the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets.

Again I could see the movie itself play out before my eyes as I read the book and I was happy to see lots more details in the book which broaden my reading enjoyment. 

Attached is the author, J. K. Rowling, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1077326.J_K_Rowling

Attached is the author, J. K. Rowling, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/J-K-Rowling/e/B000AP9A6K

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3649488569

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

 

✨✨✨✨✨

Five "Magical" Stars

Wow! This book was awesome and excellent all wrapped up together in a bow!

It has taken me a long time to step into this world as far as the books go, but I have already been in this world with the movies as I own the complete dvd set. I just hadn't stepped into the book world part...until now. I have started reading the books in this world and started this one last year. I should have done a binge read of them all but I became ensnared in other books to read. I have since stepped back into reading them and will continue on with the series this next year of 2022. 

I am not going to do my taste within like I normally do with my blog reviews as everyone worldwide knows the story of Harry Potter as this book is now considered a classic, but I will give my thoughts on how the book made me feel.

I loved all the characters even Malfoy as he just gets under my skin, but nothing gets under my skin worse than the Dursleys. They are the worst excuse for an Uncle and Aunt treating Harry the way they did. Dudley of course is a spoiled brat, but thankfully Harry is able to at least get some peace away from all of them when he goes to Hogwarts.

I thought that the book was more detailed than the movie as I could see some different variations throughout the book, but the movie didn't step too far away from the actual happenings that are in the book. I thought that Snape seemed more "mean and hateful" in the book compared to the movie. In the movie, he is more tolerable but in the book he just has a mean streak in him that runs a little rampant.

The friendship of Harry, Hermione, and Ron just meshes together so well in the book that it almost makes them seem like the three musketeers - always together and always in some kind of trouble. There is quite a bit of that "one for all and all for one" going on with them in the story as they would rather stick together then go it alone when it comes to going on their adventure capers around the school.

It is kind of funny but after seeing all the movies and now starting to read the books, I could actually see stuff played out from the movie instead of my imagination. Normally when reading books your imagination makes things up as you read the books of how the world looks, but when reading books that have been converted to movies there is no imagination left as the only thing you see is what you have already seen a hundred times on the movie screen! 😄   The book was still enjoyable, fun, and very entertaining!

Attached is the author, J. K. Rowling, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1077326.J_K_Rowling

Attached is the author, J. K. Rowling, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/J-K-Rowling/e/B000AP9A6K

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3640176578

Stirrings in the Black House by Ambrose Ibsen

 

💀💀💀💀

Four "Evil Entity" Skulls

Author Ambrose Ibsen has done it again by throwing the reader into a haunted house filled with some major hungry entities! These entities are not your typical ghosts as they are something much worse!

A taste of what lies within:

Emil inherits a house from his late uncle so he moves to Portland, Oregon leaving his family behind to go live in the house. There are sparse furnishings in the house including a very nice piano. Once he gets there, the house is pretty mild at first, but then he starts having nightmares and visions to the point where he cannot sleep. The longer he stays there, the house starts waking up and the entities start appearing. 

The entities are not your normal "run of the mill" everyday variety as these evil beings want to not only rule the house they want to claim Emi's soul!

Thoughts:

The book starts out a little slow, but then it picks up pace the further I got into the story. The story just weaved itself around me as I delved further into the book. This author knows how to capture the essence of the haunting and will deliver it with a bang as the climax is reached of the haunting. This book I would consider another one of those insomnia fueled stories that will keep you up all night as you race from chapter to chapter!

Attached is the author, Ambrose Ibsen, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14031995.Ambrose_Ibsen

Attached is the author, Ambrose Ibsen, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Ambrose-Ibsen/e/B00YBXIVS0

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2083737260

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

 

✨✨✨✨✨

Five "Edge of the Seat" Stars

The third book is probably my favorite book!

A taste of what lies within:

Harry blows off a little steam while at the Dursleys which gives the consequences of turning his aunt into a blimp! Harry is fed up with the Dursleys and packs his bags leaving their home to head off to Hogwarts. Feeling stranded, Harry sits down on a curb to gather his thoughts, but is surprised when a bus pulls up that is for stranded wizards.  Though unbeknownst to Harry there is a murderer on the loose "Sirius Black" and Harry is about to find out just what and why Black could be coming after him. 

Harry along with his friends, Ron and Hermoine seem to be right in the middle of mischief again in this story as they try to help protect Harry with what is to come and to solve the mysteries of what is happening within Hogwarts. The more they learn of what is going on the deeper they seem to be in the thick of it! 

That is about the only taste I can give without giving away spoilers! 

Thoughts:

There was a little more action within this story as lots of things take place that keep Harry and company on the move within Hogwarts. The story flows along at a quick pace and with all what Harry and gang have to endure just kept me on the edge of my seat!

I have all the movies, but the books go into so much more detail that it is so satisfying to read them and learn little details within the storyline that the movies do not seem to touch upon. There is quite a bit of action which kept me flipping through my kindle pages at a high rate of speed. This series definitely keeps my insomnia fueled as I seem to stay awake during the night making my way through the storyline. 

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series which is the Goblet of Fire! 

Attached is the author, J. K. Rowling, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1077326.J_K_Rowling

Attached is the author, J. K. Rowling, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/J-K-Rowling/e/B000AP9A6K

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4381922416

The Spider by Amy Cross

 

🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️

Four "Spooky Spider" Webs

Spider Scares!

A taste of what lies within:

Edward Moss has moved back into his home that he had left after his wife, Nessa had passed away. After being gone for two years, he has decided that it is time to move on with his life and he has decided to fix up the house that he had shared with his wife. When Edward starts seeing spiders he wants to kill them so he tries to hunt them down and killing them. 

Edward finally starts losing his grip on reality though when he thinks the spiders are invading his mind and body along with him thinking he sees shadows and a ghost of his beloved Nessa. 

Are the spiders real? Or are they just in Edward's mind? Is Edward really seeing the ghost of Nessa? No spoilers here as you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

I felt sympathy for the character, Edward as he was still going through a mourning process of his wife that had died, so I could see where his mind might not be fully intact as he seemed vulnerable to what was happening in the house with the spiders. 

This book was different and at times I felt a drag-down because it seemed to have a little bit of repetition and slowing of the storyline, but then something would happen to pick the pace right back up. There was a major twist at the end that I didn't see coming which threw the book into overdrive and I ended up finishing it during the night!

With books by this author, I never know what to expect as Amy Cross never stays in one world with her stories. She is always unpredictable with what kind of story she will have next and I love it because I never know what will be waiting for me on the other side of the door!

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5344482.Amy_Cross

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

https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Cross/e/B006DE8I6U

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3071792980

The Bride of Ashbyrn House by Amy Cross

 

👻👻👻👻

Four "Bride Boo Spooky" Ghosts

Spooky Skitters!

A taste of what lies within:

Owen Stone is wanting to get away from the city life and decides to buy an old house far out in the country away from everyone. Owen doesn't believe in spooks and ghosts, so when he finds out that there is a history attached to the old place, he just brushes it off.

Owen finds out the hard way that just because you cannot see it doesn't mean that it isn't there. Cold drafts, whispers on the wind, noises in the night, shadows stirring in the house brings everything to a heart stopping clarity as the Bride of Ashbyrn House has made herself known and she intends to make Owen believe in spooks!

Thoughts:

Author, Amy Cross has done it again with a mix of mystery and spooky chills that skitters along your spine! There was a slow start with a little bit of world and character building, but once the ghost bride makes an appearance is when the book escalates! Lots of creepy atmosphere that brought me inside the house and I could feel what Owen was experiencing as he finally was made aware of the ghost!

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5344482.Amy_Cross

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

https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Cross/e/B006DE8I6U

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2366430041

Note: I read this book back in early 2019 and at some point I am planning on doing a reread of it.  I am adding books from the past onto blogs as it seems that Goodreads reviews are disappearing for some readers so to be safe it is better to add them here to the blog. 

Christmas Shopping by Angel Gelique

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Holiday Horror" Stars

Shopping Nightmare!

A taste of what lies within:

Jilly Carson wants to do some last minute Christmas shopping but doesn't want to do it by herself, so she waits around for her friend, Peyton. Jilly gets a distressing phone call from Peyton saying she will not be coming as she has to babysit her sister. Jilly gets perturbed as she really didn't want to wander around the mall alone but there is nothing she can do so she heads off to buy what she needs and then go home.

If anything would have been that easy as Jilly gets a catcall from a blond stranger and he begins to stalk her around the mall. Jilly does everything she can to avoid him but wherever she seems to go he appears, so she reluctantly lets him follow her out to her car and he climbs inside, but what happens after that becomes a twisted mess and the blond stranger is going to wish he had never met Jilly! 

Thoughts:

This is a quick 20 page romp but it is filled with tension, suspense, trepidation, and twisted horror! This book was a reread for me as I read it back December of 2017, but I just wanted something with holiday horror but in quick snap and this is it! There is actually a lot of "snap" after the stranger climbs in Jilly's car - you know - "snap, crackle, and pop" variety? You might need your gore suit for this one as there is some twisted stuff near the very end of the book. 

Attached is the author, Angel Gelique, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6494965.Angel_Gelique

Attached is the author, Angel Gelique, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Gelique/e/B00J1OJ0RK

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2100999085

Baker's Dozen by Candace Nola

💀💀💀💀💀

Five "Baker Maker" Skulls

This was an excellent anthology!

A "taste" of what lies within:

There are 13 stories that lay within this book and I will list them out along with a cryptic statement for each one. 

Pretzels of Gods by Christine Morgan: You don't want to eat these kind of pretzels!

Apple Pies & Diamond Eyes by Chris Miller: A pie and robbery don't mix!

The Piebird by Ruthann Jagge: Be careful swallowing this pie as you might choke on feathers! 

Next Best Baker by Jeff Strand: Baking cakes becomes twisted!

A Muffin in the Oven by Aron Beauregard: Baby alien? Or something else? 

Blueberry Hill by Carver Pike: Blueberry muffins of a different variety!

They Are Always Watching by Patrick C. Harrison, III: Memories disappear in an unusual way.

My Lil' Cupcake by Lee Franklin: Being called "Lil Cupcake" comes at a great price!

Just a Local Thing by Kenzie Jennings: Is this what is meant by "local flavor"? 

Of Dough and Cinammon by Daniel Volpe: Revenge is sweet.

Homegrown Comeuppance by Rowland Bercy, Jr.: A different type of tree.....alive and free. 

County Contest by Candace Nola: A jam with a special flavor added. 

Death and a Donut by M. Ennenbach: Don't mess with the Reaper!

Thoughts:

Wow! This book was one twisted mess that is wrapped around everything "baking"! This could be considered the "Horror Baking Book" for everyone that loves horror, but beware as the ingredient's within are of the "twisted hell variety" and you might be picking out of your teeth bone and gore matter the whole time you are reading this book!

All the stories just drew me in and I have discovered some new authors to explore as well along with revisiting authors I have read in the past. All in all there is quite a bit of melting goo along with dripping icky trails of wet matter that will leave the extreme horror lovers salivating for more! 

So if you are in the mood for a "baking book" like no other with graphic descriptions of blood, gore, and anything else that you find in a baker's kitchen or bakery, then grab your dessert plate and dish up these delicious "twisted" stories! 

Attached is the author, Candace Nola, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19707718.Candace_Nola

Attached is the author, Candace Nola, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Candace-Nola/e/B07YYW4T7N

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4355031979

Haunted: Asylum (Book 6 in the Haunted series) by Lee Mountford

 

👻👻👻👻👻

Five "Asylum Apparition" Spooks

This was a spooky ride into a lunatic asylum!

A small taste of what lies within:

Sarah Pearson along with Father Luca Janosch is being sent by the Bishop Turnbull to an abandoned asylum that is rumored to be haunted, though the Church fears that something else lurks in the deep dark places of the asylum and they want Sarah and Father Janosch to check it out as it is somehow tied into Sarah's past with Perron Manor. 

Though when Sarah and Father Janosch get to the asylum they are met by a man name "Jake" who lets it be known that he is there to protect them which they don't understand the why of it, but they decide to let him come along. 

Before they enter the place though a security guard (Trevor) intercepts them letting them know that he watches out for the place and he will go along with them inside. Sarah and Father Janosch are wary of Trevor as they don't understand why he is guarding a place that is abandoned, but they shrug it off and let him go with them as well. 

Once they are all inside though things change for the worse as Trevor is not what they thought and the deeper they go, the more Sarah starts having "feelings" of things not being right as her psychic abilities are kicking into overdrive! The asylum comes alive with the ghosts from the past along with something evil and ancient that is stalking Sarah! 

What is stalking Sarah? What is haunting the asylum? Does everyone make it out alive? No spoilers here as you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

This was a great installment in the Haunted series! Though this book took a little time to get going as there was a background buildup to the asylum, but once the characters, Sarah and Father Janosch start exploring the asylum is when the story goes deep into the haunted realm of hell! I was careening through the story from the 30% mark onward flipping through the pages as when things started happening I had a hard time putting the book down! 

From the 50% mark forward I had a hard time going to sleep as so much was happening with the characters that my insomnia stayed fueled for a couple or so nights! 

This series has been rocking along since the first book with ghosts/demons and this book is no exception as it keeps the fast pace moving at breath taking speed! Looking forward to the next installment to this excellent horror series!

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16816627.Lee_Mountford

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

https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Mountford/e/B0716HDW6C

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4382919299

Top 25 Reads of 2021

This was another great year for top reads! I had quite a few four and five star reads this year so it is going to be hard to narrow down the books to just 25, but I am going to try and gather them up the best I can. I am breaking it down into genres the same way I did last year to make it easier and this year I am adding in some digital artwork with all the authors names for each genre. Also will be adding the book links from Goodreads plus my review links from Goodreads as well for each individual book. 

HORROR READS

RONALD KELLY

Irish Gothic: Tales of Celtic Horror

My Rating: Five "Irish Horror" Stars.

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56951919-irish-gothic

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3859945654

CARVER PIKE

Grad Night

My rating: Five "Teacher Twisted" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50767684-grad-night

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3089390773

ERIC BUTLER

The Pope Lick Massacre

My rating: Five "Splatter" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53605848-the-pope-lick-massacre

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3384703233

TOM LEWIS

Hell: The Necromancer

My rating: Five "Shivering Spooks" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59426160-hell

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4301620798

ALAN ASPINALL

Lucy (The Fading Light Book 1)

My rating: Five "Terror Twisted" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55692197-lucy

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3661179406

KEVIN J. KENNEDY 

Halloween Land: A Coming of Age Novella

My rating: Five "Ferris Wheel" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57455236-halloween-land

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3897957900

DUNCAN RALSTON

Infinite (Ghostland Trilogy Book #3)

My rating: Five "Ghastly Ghost" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59580355-infinite

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4332049044

JEFF MENAPACE

Dark Halls

My rating: Five "Haunting Horror" Stars

Goodreads book link:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48511911-dark-halls

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3628112460

BRIAN G. BERRY

The Sleepover Massacre (Slashback Series Book 1)

My rating: Five "Slasher Serial Killer" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57570393-the-sleepover-massacre

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3922440646

CHRISTOPHER MOTZ

Tenants

My rating: Five "Apartment Gory Horror" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44046901-tenants

My Goodreads review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2904260011

JEFFREY CASTON

Food: Winner, Winner, Chicken _ _ _ _

My rating: Five "Freaky Food Fest Competition" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58460253-food

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4089737628

JOHN EVERSON

The Devil's Equinox

My rating: Four "Devilish" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52412294-the-devil-s-equinox

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2865373904

BRIAN MORELAND

Savage Island

My rating: Five "Jungle Jaw Snapping" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58448316-savage-island

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4088078700

DAVID HAYNES

Cryptids

My rating: Five "Creature Feature Cryptid" Stars

Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56676257-cryptids

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4061517133

LEE FRANKLIN

Berserker: Green Hell

My rating: Five "Splatter Gore Matter" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58560223-berserker

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4224572952

JAMES WATTS

Beast of Sorrows

My rating: Four "Wicked Werewolf" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56791951-beast-of-sorrows

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4107874567

JONATHAN JANZ

Dust Devils

My rating: Four "Wild West Vampire" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52214814-dust-devils

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2883872355

D.J. DOYLE

Red

My rating: Four "Twisted Terror" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36003125-red

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4198209543

GLENN ROLFE

August Eyes

My rating: Five" Creepy Chills" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56029578-august-s-eyes

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3771927149

CATHERINE CAVENDISH

The Devil's Serenade

My rating: Five "Demon Dark Arts" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28673142-the-devil-s-serenade

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4233642363

LEE MOUNTFORD

Haunted: Mother Death (Haunted #5)

My rating: Five "Screaming Scary Shiver" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59382152-haunted

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4312729413

THOUGHTS:

Another excellent year in horror! Lots of creatures, demons, ghosts, and creepy crawlies kept my insomnia fueled this year! To all the horror authors - thanks for the dark ride into your twisted minds! 💀👿👻🧛

AUTHORS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR NEW TO ME:

James Watts

Alan Aspinall

Christopher Motz

Eric Butler

Brian G. Berry

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CRIME FICTION/THRILLERS READS

ANNA WILLETT

Small Town Nightmare (Lucy Hush #1)

My rating: Five "Suspenseful" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41555270-small-town-nightmare

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2516425015

J.A. KONRATH

Whiskey Sour (Jack Daniels Mystery #1)

My rating: Five "Serial Killer Thriller" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6415324-whiskey-sour

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2388987302

THOUGHTS:

A great year in crime thrillers too! I know I was up through the nights with suspense and intrigue. Thanks to the crime authors for keeping the tension on full throttle! 👣🔫🔪

AUTHORS DISCOVERED THIS YEAR NEW TO ME:

J.A. Konrath

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URBAN FANTASY/DARK FANTASY READS

GRAEME RODAUGHAN

The Key of Ahknaton (The Metaframe War #6)

My rating: Five "Raging Ramp" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58845476-the-key-of-ahknaton

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4207179481

WILLIAM MASSA

Game of the Wolf (Hexecutioner #1)

My rating: Five "Werewolf Action" Stars

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54219571-game-of-the-wolf

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3553781226

THOUGHTS:

An excellent year in urban fantasy/dark fantasy! Didn't sleep much with this genre either and when I did sleep I had dreams of fighting the good fight! lol  Thanks to the authors for keeping my waking dreams and sleeping dreams active! 🔫🔪🚁💥

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COMPLETE THOUGHTS:

This year was awesome in the book world as I discovered some new authors to explore plus revisited previous authors works. No matter what is happening in the real world I am thankful that the book world keeps taking me deep into a realm of the great imagination of authors! 

My thanks to all the authors for writing these stories that kept me awake nights along with some interesting dreams! lol  Keep up the great work and keep writing those books!