Stirred (Jack Daniels #8) by J.A. Konrath and Blake Crouch

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Fight to Survive" Stars

Action Galore!

A taste of what lies within:

Jack Daniels is back in this installment but not as a lieutenant as she retired, but she is still very much in the thick of things as though she is retired the bad guys didn't get that memo! One of the most evil villains that Jack has ever come across (Luther Kite) is back to try and make Jack pay for everything that she had done to him in the past. He is willing to go to "extreme" lengths to make sure that Jack and her friends suffer tremendously with pain and torture. 

Though within this installment, Jack is pregnant - Phineas is the father - Phineas is wanting to marry Jack but she is hesitant as it seems that everyone she loves somehow gets a bullseye on their back from the villains that are chasing her so she is up and down on a decision, but when Luther goes through with an elaborate plan to end all their lives, Jack wishes that maybe she should have agreed to marry Phineas! 

That is about all I can give on a taste without giving away spoilers, so if you want to know more then you will need to read the book! 

Thoughts:

This installment I think was one of the best in the series as there was continuous action throughout the story - lots of tension and nail-biting suspense. I kid you not - I read the last 60% in just a few hours as I could not lay the book down. I even was reading the book till around 3 in the morning - I would sleep a few hours then I would just pick it right back up to continue the story. 

Major twists and turns in this story kept me glued to the pages along with more quips and humor by Harry McGlade that kept me laughing. The stuff that comes rolling out of McGlade's mouth keeps me in stitches and it is the only thing in the book that breaks up the tension. I love the humor that is weaved into the storyline as it is definitely an ice breaker. 

This installment was also collaborated with author Blake Crouch as Luther Kite is his character in the Andrew Z. Thomas books, so this installment was extra special as I was able to have the best of both worlds in this book. The ending in this book had a major twisted revelation that sent me careening at a high rate of speed toward the end of the book. 

Now I am going to have to read Rum Runner next which is book #9 in the series and hopefully will be jumping into that book this coming month sometime as this book sort of ended on a cliff hanger and I need to see what happens next. I don't want no grass to grow under my feet for the next installment so I better get to it as soon as I can! lol 

Highly recommend this series and if you have not read this series then you are missing out! :)

Attached is the author, J.A. Konrath, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/137270.J_A_Konrath

Attached is the author, J.A. Konrath, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/J-A-Konrath/e/B000BCH4EM

Attached is the author, Blake Crouch, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/442240.Blake_Crouch

Attached is the author, Blake Crouch, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Blake-Crouch/e/B001H6U8X0

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4047757357

The Whispering Dead (Gravekeeper #1) by Darcy Coates

 

👻👻👻👻

Four "Mysterious Apparition" Spooks

Ghostly Whispers!

A taste of what lies within:

Kiera wakes up in the woods with no idea of how she ended up there and she has a nasty bump on her head, but worse than being knocked out is to know that someone is hunting her. She runs through the woods trying to escape whoever is chasing her and she stumbles across a parsonage out in a cemetery. Adage, the pastor, takes her into his home and hides her just in time before the "someone" is pounding on the door wanting to know if the pastor has seen her, but the pastor ends up lying to the person and they go away. 

After chatting with Kiera and learning that she has a case of amnesia, Adage puts her up in a guest cottage that sits at the back of the cemetery till he can find out in town who she might be. As Kiera settles into the cottage, she realizes that she has the gift of second sight as she is able to see restless souls that wander the cemetery. When she finds out from Adage that there is a ghost mystery surrounding the area from a woman's murder that took place in the 1800's she decides to try and investigate of why the soul of the murdered woman has not moved on. 

With the help of a shop keeper in the small town of Blighty named Zoe and the help of a local doctor intern named Mason, Kiera sets out to find whatever she can on why there are restless spirits in the area along with finding out more about herself and how she came to end up in that area with only the memory of her name. 

That is about all I can give a taste on without giving away spoilers, so you will just have to read the book. 

Thoughts:

I thought this book would be more spookier and would have more shivering chills but really the book was more of a mystery/ghost story which was fine to me as it still drew me into the storyline as I wanted to know more about the lead female character, Kiera. 

The story was up and down as it seemed to drag in parts, but then the last half of the book took off into a state of suspense and tension when Kiera learns some facts about the area and she starts encountering more ghosts that are earth bound. 

This is the first book in the Gravekeeper series and the book still did not tie up loose ends about Keira as she still does not know where she came from or anything about her past. There were some other unanswered questions with different things in the book, but I feel like with any series not everything is going to be wrapped up in the first book and that is why I will be looking forward to the rest of the series to see how everything pans out in the future books. 

I will eventually move into the second book which is "The Ravenous Dead" as I want to find out what Kiera discovers about herself along with where her next ghost adventures will take her. 

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

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3805395439

Slattery Falls by Brennan LaFaro

 

👻👻👻👻

Four "Evil Entity" Spooks

Malevolent Entity!

A taste of what lies within:

Three friends (Travis, Josh, and Elsie) are amateur ghost hunters and they go find different places that are haunted, but normally they sneak into the places that are abandoned to test out their ghost hunting skills. 

The three of them eventually set their sights on a small town in Massachusetts named Slattery Falls as there is a house there that is suppose to be reeking with evil forces and they want to experience it for themselves. What they don't realize is that the "evil force" has been following them through their lives and it knows that they will be invading its domain as when they step foot in the house their fate is already sealed and doomed! 

Thoughts:

I really liked this story as I am a sucker for ghost hunting stories and usually will read the true tales about them or watch those true paranormal shows on tv, so I was really looking forward to reading this story. I can actually say that the story drew me in quick and the author set the pace just right for this story. This was a new author to me and the writing style just flowed along in the book. 

There were some spook moments for me within this book as well as some different things happened with the friends as they were exploring the haunted locations and even though the story is fictional I could just visualize how close to the real life ghost hunting could be with the descriptions by the author. 

Looking forward to reading more books by this author and I have one more author added to my ever growing horror author list. 

Attached is the author, Brennan LaFaro, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20859521.Brennan_LaFaro

Attached is the author, Brennan LaFaro, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Brennan-LaFaro/e/B08R6PT1NT

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4277509065

The Troop by Nick Cutter

 

💀💀💀💀💀

Five "Wicked Worms" Skulls

Twisted Terror!

A taste of what lies within:

Tim Riggs, scoutmaster for a group of boy scouts takes a few of them on a camping trip to an island off the coast of Canada as it is a once a year ritual. Everyone is having a good time and telling bonfire ghost stories until a "strange man" invades their domain. There wouldn't be anything strange about anyone showing up except they are on a island that is not suppose to have anyone else there. 

The man looks like a walking cadaver and he is very sickly, but when Tim decides to help him as the man says he is hungry and wants some food, that ends up being the biggest mistake of Tim's life as the man is a carrier of something that will not only endanger Tim's life but all of the scouts as well to the point that they wish they had never helped the man as what eventually reveals itself will make them wish that they never went to the island!

Thoughts:

This story was insanely twisted and seeing that quite a few of my friends have read the book, I wanted to experience it for myself. There is quite a bit of body horror with descriptive and graphic details laid out by the author which takes this story deep into the author's crazy and messed up mind!

I can say that I have read some "twisted" and "grossed out" stories before so this book was almost like an appetizer to what else I have read in the past and believe this, I have read some whacked out stuff so I just prepared myself for whatever was heading my way and I was very impressed with this author as now he racks up there with all those other books I have read in the past so he can share a shelf with those authors.

First time reading this author, but it will not be my last! Also I suppose that I have a stomach of steel as not once did I get squeamish and having my gore suit on was a definite must with this book. This story is definitely for hard core horror fans as I can see where some people would not be able to read this stuff as the graphic descriptions with what happens to the characters in this story is not for the faint of heart. 

There was some animal torture though in this book which I really didn't care for so those parts I skipped as I won't read about animals being hurt but other than that this book was definitely a book I won't soon forget! Looking forward to reading more by this author! 

Attached is the author, Nick Cutter, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6984661.Nick_Cutter

Attached is the author, Nick Cutter, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Nick-Cutter/e/B00E6ZYOSY

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2105900026

A Witch's Lament (The Salem Witches Book 1) by Cathy Walker

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Mystery & Magic" Stars

Magical Mayhem!

A taste of what lies within:

Skye wants to be on her own without her parents, so she throws caution to the wind by buying a house in the heart of Salem as she feels that she is drawn to this house for some reason. The house has sat abandoned for a long time and no one in Salem seems to want to live there, but when the townspeople find out that Skye is moving in, tongues start wagging and the news spreads like wildfire. 

Detective Jerome Phips is especially curious as to why this stranger would want to buy "that house" as he has personal reasons for not wanting anyone to move into the house as his mother disappeared from there when he was a boy. 

When Skye starts checking out the inside of the house, she ends up releasing a latch in the library which opens up a secret wall panel and a skeleton falls out. After she calls the police and Detective Phips shows up on her doorstep things become complicated as Skye realizes that she was meant to buy this house as it is in her blood to be connected to a house that once belonged to witches. 

Detective Phips is not only trying to solve the disappearance of his mother he is also trying to solve murders around his town, but when he clashes with Skye on how she is connected to the house is when things become awry as they both decide that things surrounding the history of the house might somehow be related to the murders. 

Thoughts:

When I picked up this book to read I didn't realize that I would be so drawn to the story as this is a new author to me and the pace of the book just flows along. The author just drew me right into the story of Skye and how she is connected to this house in Salem. The mystery of the house, the city, and the characters just kept me entranced into the book. 

I could tell that the author did extensive research of the witches from that era as it shows with all the extensive detail of those historical times. I was also impressed at how the story just played itself out and how the author weaved the characters around to fit the storyline. More things happen within the storyline as characters are revealed that want to do harm to Skye and Jerome along with rituals being performed and there is a historical knife that is imbued with powers, but to see how everything comes together you will just have to read the book. 

Attached is the author, Cathy Walker, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3137863.Cathy_Walker

Attached is the author, Cathy Walker, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Cathy-Walker/e/B00QT6LQAW

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3275347432

Wrath (The Faithful and the Fallen #4) by John Gwynne

🛡️🛡️🛡️🛡️🛡️

Five "Epic Battle" Shields

Wow! An Epic Battle End!

Thoughts:

So much happens in this last book that it is best not to single out characters that play their roles within as there is just too many things going on at the same time within this story. 

With this being the last book the war of the Banished Lands is more fierce and there is lots more fighting and death that abounds within these pages. All races within this story choose their sides and they all come together in one epic battle trying to end this war so peace can once again reign upon the Banished Lands. 

The main characters that I have been reading about through all the books are making their last stand against the evil foes that are wanting to lay waste to their home and family. Evil and Good clash together in this last book which sparks the dark and light trying to out do each other as the battle rages on. 

The author, John Gwynne, brings each thrust of a blade and a shield to life on these pages along with tons of blood and broken bodies that lie within. The pace is fast and swift with hardly no let up as with this last book it is just one big battle. I literally read the last 50% of the book within about six hours almost reading straight through as I just could not lay the book down! Too much going on with the storyline and I was too keyed up to the point I felt that I was in the battle right along with the characters. 

There is quite a bit of emotion wrapped within this book too as some characters are not left standing at the end, but I knew that some would fall by the battle side because not everyone will be walking off into the sunset. 

At some point in time I will be stepping into more series by this author as I want to see what else he has out there for me to get entangled within. For now I will rest and recoup after that long and arduous quest into the Banished Lands. 

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5898355.John_Gwynne

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Gwynne/e/B00A7RL2X0

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2267257069

Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

 

👻👻👻👻

Four "Paranormal Photo" Spooks

Ghosts Galore!

A taste of what lies within:

Jenine is attending a wedding and wants to get better pictures of everyone so she goes into a lighthouse that is not far from the wedding party, but while in there she finds an old polaroid camera. Jenine picks it up as she decides that maybe she would like to have instant pictures so she decides to take a couple of pictures from it since the camera still has film. 

But what Jenine doesn't know is that she opened up a pandora's box as the camera is not only old but is unique in that the pictures it takes contain ghosts. When Jenine is looking at the photos she has taken with the camera and sees the ghosts in the pictures she takes them to her friend, Bree to make sure that it is not some kind of photo glitch. The two of them realize that the camera is dangerous when the ghosts start following Jenine around and then they start making contact with her. 

When the ghosts start getting more aggressive is when Bree springs into action and hunts down a paranormal ghost hunter, but even a ghost hunter might not be able to help as when the ghosts cross over into this world there might not be no way to stop them!  

Thoughts:

This was a great short ghost story that has lots of atmosphere and ghost action! Author, Darcy Coates has always been a great ghost story teller and when I want to dip my toes in a haunted house or the haunted realm I usually seek out her books. 

This book was no exception as it keeps the pace going with the characters (Jenine and Bree) plus the ghost action intensifies as the story moves along! One more "Coates" book to add to my ghost collection. 

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

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4373399487

The Suicide Lake (Book of Shadows - Vol II) by Michael Penning

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Witchy Wicked" Spooks

Awesome Sequel!

A taste of what lies within:

Abigail Jacobs heads out to a lumber mill camp in the Adirondack Mountains after her sister shows up at Abigail's house needing help as her sisters husband, Duncan had sent word that there are suicides happening at the lumber mill and no one knows the reason why. So Abigail heads to the camp as something doesn't seem right and it could very well be some type of haunting. 

Duncan decides to sneak Abigail in under the guise of being a school teacher for the children of the camp as it will be easier for Abigail to do her investigations without anyone interfering and he doesn't want anyone to know that Abigail is a witch as that might not settle well with the families that live at the camp.

While Abigail is there someone else commits suicide and Abigail has to figure out what is making the people in the camp perform these heinous acts upon themselves as all the suicides are mostly gruesome in nature. Abigail is going to have to resort to her witch ways to investigate the suicides and the only way to find out what is going on is to commune with the dead. 

But the more she investigates the more she realizes that she might be in over her head as it might not be ghosts causing the suicides but something more ancient and evil which she will have to figure out how to stop it without anyone else dying!

Thoughts:

This book takes place years later after the first book "All Hallows Eve" and this time the character, Abigail is all grown up and has become a witch ghost hunter even going so far as to raising the dead to get the answers she seeks. This story just flowed along and as much as I loved the first book I do believe this second book was even better!

The setting of the book is set back in the 1800's and the characters within this story became attachable - a few I loved and a couple or so I wanted something to happen to them as they made life miserable for Abigail. 

The writing style just flows along at a swift pace and I found myself being slowly drawn into the story making me want to stay there in that timeline to see how the character, Abigail was going to vanquish the evil that had enveloped the lumber mill camp. I will be curious to see what Abigail is up against in her next adventure against evil and looking forward to future books by this author. 

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20231153.Michael_Penning

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

https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Penning/e/B087F59C7G

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4340043429

The Fourth Monkey (4MK Thriller #1) by J.D. Barker

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "See and Speak No Evil" Stars

Crime Thriller Suspense!

A taste of what lies within:

Detective Sam Porter has been chasing the Four Monkey Killer for years but with a stroke of luck that he never saw coming a bus hits a man believed to be the serial killer. Sam concludes that it is the killer as the serial killer for the last five years has been sending out white boxes with body parts inside and this body is in possession of one of those boxes.  Sam also finds something in the pocket of the dead body which he learns is a diary and Sam along with his team need to decipher the diary to learn where the next victim could be before it is too late!

That is about all I can say without giving away spoilers so I will just give you some thoughts on the book.

Thoughts:

This is my first time reading this author and I was just drawn right away into the storyline as almost right away something happens and I was encased straight into the mystery of the book. As I delved further into the storyline the suspense and mystery of the story became chilling as I would stay up nights reading the book. 

The book goes back and forth with the character Sam reading from the diary that is found on the killer and then Sam and his team trying to figure out where the last victim could be. There are chapters with the victim too which you are able to get inside their mind as they struggle with staying alive and wondering if they will be rescued. 

Tons of psychological tension flows within these pages and the writing style just flows along. The pacing of the book is fast with the chapters rotating from one thing to another which kept me in state of suspense! The detective dialogue was fun to read as there was some banter here and there throughout the story. Just when I thought the whole book was wrapped up with a bow there is a major twist thrown into the story that kind of pulled the rug out from under me as just because the killer is "presumed" to be dead does not mean that he is dead. Definitely will be pursing the rest of the books in this series as I want to find out what happens next!

Attached is the author, J.D. Barker, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8224327.J_D_Barker

Attached is the author, J.D. Barker, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/J.D.-Barker/e/B005FCUYU4

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2858526801

Donn, TX 1969 by Eric Butler

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Harvesting Horror" Stars

Scary Scarecrow!

A small taste of what lies within as this is a very short story:

Frank and Jane are on a road trip with her sister, Mary and Mary's friend, Cindy, but they are planning on dropping Mary and Cindy off at college first then they have plans of their own, but things go awry when Frank takes a detour off the main highway and they end up crashing their car not too far away from cornfields. 

Not too long after the car crash, crows swoop in disrupting the scene causing everyone to flee into the cornfields which turns out to be the biggest mistake of their lives as something is just not right with the cornfields and besides crows that are after them there is something more deadly that stalks the cornfields and it is looking for a sacrifice! 

Thoughts:

I was wanting a short horror story to jump into that would give me "chills and thrills" so I jumped into this book as I have had this book for awhile but just now reading it. The author has been releasing these horror short serials, so I have been grabbing them as they release. 

This was my first one of those books and I literally read this book within a few hours as there is quite a bit of horror action right away with no let-up through the book. Crows, cornfields, and a scarecrow- what could possibly go wrong?! Read the book and you will find out!

Looking forward to the other books in the series! 

Attached is the author, Eric Butler, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19755309.Eric_Butler

Attached is the author, Eric Butler, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Butler/e/B081FQHVQV

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4278153842

Ruin (The Faithful and The Fallen #3) by John Gwynne

 

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

Five "Raging Battle" Swords

Emotional and Action Packed!

Thoughts:

Wow! Wow! Wow! This third book in this epic fantasy series was a no holds-barred type of story as the war of the Banished Lands went into high gear. 

This time I am just going to give a small highlight of two main characters:

Nathair has taken his role of King way beyond a ruling as he has taken the path of meanness and cruelty as he devours the Banished Lands in war destroying anyone or anything that stands against him.

Corban is now a warrior and he continues to fight for his family and his friends. With his wolfen Storm by his side Corban feels that he can be the victor over whatever is brought his way and he can be the "hope" that everyone needs in this war. 

Once again there are tons of characters and lots of moving parts within this world. There was more emotion with this book as with any war there are going to be casualties and death. There seemed to be more death than anything and some characters that have been in all the books so far up to this point fall in battle. 

I had quite a "few widen-eye-hitching breath moments" as the battle went into full force and characters that I had become attached to fell in battle and even some of those that fell were killed in a gruesome manner. 

The fight scenes in not only this book but the whole series so far is flawless! I do believe that this series would make a great movie franchise as all the characters are vivid and the battle scenes are top-notch. 

Though there is lots that happen within this book with all the emotional upheaval with the characters and the war, there is tons of emotion near the end of the book as the author just had to wrench heart strings with every sword and axe swing! But what gave me a jolt which I never saw coming is that the author threw in a major revelation regarding the war and I wasn't prepared for that twist in the storyline and then to follow it up there is another major jolt when the author creates an emotional cliff hanger that comes close to ripping your heart out!

Now I am going to have to go grab the last book to see what happens at the end of this war and to see who survives and dies within those pages! Looking forward to finishing up the series with the next book Wrath. 

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5898355.John_Gwynne

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Gwynne/e/B00A7RL2X0

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2267256709

Blood Seance by John Kaden

 

👻👻👻👻👻

Five "Scary Séance" Spooks!

Chills and Thrills!

A taste of what lies within:

Glen and Susan Kellerman move into a mansion in Pacific Palisades and leave their home in Beverly Hills behind. The mansion seems perfect for them and their two kids as Ginny and Ryan will get their very own room. Though things are not all what they seem and they are not in the house very long when things start happening. Scratching noises in the walls making the Kellermans think they might have mice or worse - rats;  cracks appear out of nowhere running up the walls, whispers and cold drafts come out of nowhere.

As time goes on though, Ginny starts having bad dreams about a man performing a ritual but then Susan has weird dreams too and they wonder what is actually happening in their house. They find out that the house use to belong to a movie actress back in the 1940's and something happened to her as she came to a bad end. 

When they start to investigate what happened to the actress is when things in the house go into overdrive as sometimes things that happened in the past does not want the present to intrude upon its domain and when Ginny's bad dreams become something otherworldly with blood rituals is when the Kellermans learn that maybe moving into this mansion was not a good idea at all as what is laying dormant in the mansion has been waiting a long time for a soul! 

Thoughts:

First time reading this author and I was thinking in the beginning of the book that I might end up laying the book down as I wasn't really feeling anything with the story and the characters, but this author had a surprise up his sleeve as the more I read the story the more things started happening in the book which pulled me more into an intriguing mystery of the movie actress and the mansion. 

The pace picked up and the mystery deepened with the movie actress to the point where I just stayed glued to my cozy chair as I wanted to know more about what had happened in the past. The book goes back and forth between the past and the present which normally I am not fond of time jumps, but it flows at a smooth pace so it was easy to keep up with what was going on. The past chapters explain more of the actress and what led to the possible haunting of the house then the present chapters of course tell what is happening with the Kellermans and what they have to endure with the haunting. 

Lots of haunting action near the last 30% of the book which sent the book into overdrive and I could barely put the book down! I have another book by this author simmering on my kindle so I will be interested to see what that book is like as well. 

Attached is the author, John Kaden, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6804421.John_Kaden

Attached is the author, John Kaden, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Kaden/e/B00AN7VC6G

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4442917901

A Suburban Haunting by Matt Shaw

 

👻👻👻👻

Four "Haunting Tormented" Spooks

Spooky Vibes!

A taste of what lies within:

Craig Stubbings has inherited a house from his Uncle Bill that he thought had disowned him and when Craig realizes that the house really belongs to him then he moves his wife and children out of their flat where they were living and into the house. 

When they move in though they end up having a problem with aunt Mavis (Uncle Bill's wife) as she tries to talk them both out of living there as she says the house is "cursed" and no one should live in it as the house ended up changing Bill, but they just ignore her as they think she is just upset that she was cut out of the will and that Craig ended up with the house. 

But as time goes on things begin to happen in the house as the children see a man wandering the house among other things that happen within the house - slamming doors, cold drafts, etc. 

When Craig and his family finally realize that something really is going on it could be too late and the warnings from the aunt might be true after all, but will they all make it out alive? 

Thoughts:

This book was a different type of story as normally a book by Matt Shaw has more blood and guts strewn all over the place, but this book was more of a haunted/psychological horror which to me was gripping. The haunting was kind of a typical ghost story, but then near the end of the book there is a major twist which took the story into a whole different direction and one that I wasn't expecting. 

So I would consider this book a "twisted haunting" as it kept my attention and then Matt Shaw pulled the rug out from under me near the end of the book leaving me dangling there in mid-air with a look of "what the hell" happened here when I made it to the end of the story! So if you are in the mood for a haunted house story with a twist then go grab this book! 

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

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2994594486

Tales From The Parkland by Ronald McGillvray

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Five "Terror Thriller" Stars

Wow! What a collection of stories! 

Most of the book is a collection of short stories so I will list out the story with a cryptic statement next to it. The last 30% of the book is a short novella that kept me entranced and riveted to my cozy chair which I will mention that story in here also. 

The Garbage Collectors: A different type of boogeyman that ransacks the garbage.

Ubiquity: Spider creature invasion! Flee before it is too late!

Bogeyman: Losing a job has repercussions for the employers. 

Big Boy: Zombie invasion? 

Squealer: Tattletale sister gets her just reward. 

Underneath the Stairs: The basement is a scary place! 

Typo: The wrong url site could get you killed!

A Night Out: Be mindful of your date as you never know what they will turn into! 

Acid Rain: Don't get caught in the rain or else!

Orphans: A plan of attack backfires! 

A Late Night Call:  Dreams/nightmares can come true!

Novella - Harmony:

A very small taste on this story because of it being short:

Two men (James Cross and Major Warrant) have been sent in to take care of a situation at Fort Harmony which involves a very delicate matter that might or might not get them killed. Fort Harmony is a research facility and there has been a security breach with some creatures escaping. Cross and Warrant are sent to do whatever it takes to get the situation under control and to find out what caused the breach. 

That is about all I can give out on a taste without giving away spoilers on that story so you will just need to read the book if you want to learn more of this story! :)

Thoughts:

This was a great short novella story and just kept me glued to my seat as I just could not put the book down! All the short stories were great too and just kept me flipping through my kindle pages to find out what the next story was going to be about. 

This was a new author to me and the writing style just flowed along at an intense pace! The more I read each story the more I wanted to keep reading which kept me encased into my cozy chair as I just could not seem to leave the book alone. I read this book in about 48 hours with the last half of the book read during the night last night and today! Another author added to my "discovered" list and looking forward to reading more by him. 

Attached is the author, Ronald McGillvray, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21690247.Ronald_McGillvray

Attached is the author, Ronald McGillvray, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Ronald-McGillvray/e/B09B9FX1T1

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4223029604

I Call Upon Thee by Ania Ahlborn

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Spooky Shadow" Stars!

Spooks and Shadows!

A taste of what lies within:

Maggie Olsen's world is turned upside down when she gets an urgent message from her sister, Arlene that she needs to come home as tragedy has struck the family and there has been a terrible accident. When Maggie finds out that her sister Brynn has passed away she is devastated so she hurries home for the funeral leaving her boyfriend behind in the middle of a hurricane, but storm or not she needs to get home to be with her family. 

Once Maggie steps foot in the old homestead where her sister Arlene now lives things become almost surreal as Maggie remembers things that happened to her there along with Brynn and something that they did long ago when they were young which involves a cemetery, an old doll and a oujia board. 

The more that Maggie is in the house the more she "thinks" she sees shadows and she has a feeling that something is watching her. Though Arlene doesn't believe in such things and thinks that Maggie is having mental issues because she is distraught over Brynn passing away. But what Arlene doesn't know is that Maggie has come home and the shadow that lurks in the house is ready to play. 

Thoughts:

The story itself was creepy and chilling as the author weaved an atmosphere of spooky dread around the character Maggie.  I thought the story was too "wordy" with lots of "play by play" detail of every little thing that happened to Maggie. 

Also there are time jumps which I am not fond of as the author goes back and forth between the past and the present to tell the story of what happened to Maggie and Brynn when they were young with the cemetery, the doll and the ouija board, then it jumps forward to the present to what happened to Brynn and what Maggie has to deal with in the house with Arlene. 

Attached is the author, Ania Ahlborn, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4867939.Ania_Ahlborn

Attached is the author, Ania Ahlborn, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Ania-Ahlborn/e/B0053A0B1U

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4433434034

The Art of Human Hunting by Sea Caummisar

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Bloody Brutal" Stars

This book was so extreme it was worthy of my gore suit!

A taste of what lies within:

A few friends get together every year to go hunting, but they are not hunting animals - they hunt people. They have a competition that they do among themselves just for the sake of pain and torture. The competition consists mainly of creating human art from the contestants and bragging rights for the whole year of who can create the best "art forms". 

That is about all I can say without giving away spoilers so if you love to read extreme horror and want a little more "gristle" in your diet then go grab this book. I would advise to wear a gore suit as it will get messy!

Thoughts:

This was a short read so I saw this book pop up a day or so ago and realized that I did not have this book in my "Sea" collection of books that are simmering on my kindle so I grabbed it. I thought that with it being a short romp then I would just jump into it for a couple of hours to see how it all played out and (wow) this book was one gory mess! 

One more extreme ride into the dark and bloody mind of this author with quite a bit of gore creativity found within and it was definitely "gore-suit" time! 

Attached is the author, Sea Caummisar, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18941984.Sea_Caummisar

Attached is the author, Sea Caummisar, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Caummisar/e/B07PFS4H42

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4446567726

Valor (The Faithful and the Fallen #2) by John Gwynne

 

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

Five "Action Packed Warrior" Swords

This sequel was action packed to the hilt!

Thoughts:

This book, Valor is loaded with so much action that I could hear the swords and shields clashing and banging together as I read the story! Again for this series I am not giving a taste of what is within or a backstory because there is just so much happening within this story with so many characters that it is hard to narrow it down of what happens within as with this book the action and the characters kick it all up a notch.

I will mention about three main characters though to give you an idea of what is happening:

Nathair is now high king as something happened in the first book which hurled him into this role and he has actually taken his role of high king to a whole new level as he will do anything to conquer anyone who stands in his way even if it means combining forces with Rhin, Queen of Cambren. 

Corban is slowly becoming a warrior and he was pushed more into that role when things went to hell in a handbasket from the first book as war came a calling and Corban had to fight for his friends and family.

Cywen (Corban's sister) is believed to be dead by Corban and her mother which they had to escape from their homeland when the war intensified but Cywen is very much alive and has to figure out what she will have to do to survive the warriors that have taken over her home. 

As before there are tons of supporting characters and enemies with enemy leaders that are throughout this story. Though with this book there is tons more action, deception, and death that lies within these pages. The book is more fast paced than the previous book as more things are happening constantly within along with more twists and turns that kept my insomnia fueled!

I read almost 30% within few hours as the action just intensified and kept me moving at a high rate of speed which unlike the first book there was tons of world building but this book has moved past all that and is more of warrior/fighting story. Looking forward to continuing on with the series and reading the next book which is Ruin. 

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5898355.John_Gwynne

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Gwynne/e/B00A7RL2X0

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4389949210

It Sleeps at Dawn by Anthony Renfro

 

🧛🧛🧛

Three "Fanged Vampire" Stars

Old fashion vampire short story!

A taste of what lies within:

Lothar Eustace has a delicate appetite and no one knows what he really does when the sun goes down as he presents himself as "normal" to people in the town, but when the sun goes down he becomes something "feared". 

Two guys (Brian and Danny) are visiting the town in their RV and making their way through that area to do some ghost hunting. They visit a bar and learn from the locals that there is a house that might or might not exist that could be haunted. When they leave the bar they decide to go check out the house to see if they can find it, but what they don't know is that they are being followed and they might be having a very bad evening!

Thoughts:

That is about all I can reveal without giving away spoilers as this was a very short story. The book has two extra stories within that are excerpts from a couple of other books by this author which made this first story really short. 

This was a great story and my first time reading this author, but I am giving it three stars because for me it was just way too short. I would have loved to learn more about the vampire character, Lothar as the author doesn't really go into any detail about the character at all. You are just thrown into a story without any kind of world building of the town, the area or the vampire. The story does flow along at a great pace and the visuals of the vampire doing what he does best were really good, but I just felt that there should have been more to the story of  the vampire, Lothar. 

Attached is the author, Anthony Renfro, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6469341.Anthony_Renfro

Attached is the author, Anthony Renfro, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Anthony-Renfro/e/B0075Q5G4C

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4426464139

Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen #1) by John Gwynne

 

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

Five "Fearless Fighting" Swords

Epic Debut!

Thoughts:

The world within this story centers around the Banished Lands which has been known for death and strife in the past with many wars of spilled blood. This world is so big and there are tons of characters within this book that it is best to just give thoughts of the storyline instead of going into a story detail of what happens within. 

This is my second reread of the first book but I plan on reading the rest of the series within the next few months as I want to see how it all turns out and how it all ends. 

This first book is detailed and follows a few characters. Each character has his own chapter and it rotates back and forth throughout the book. 

Certain characters found within that the story follows closely are:

Corban - who is young and impressionable but wants to learn how to fight and stand up for himself. He would like to be a warrior. 

Veradis - wants to be a warrior and he ends up joining with Prince Nathair in his warband

Cywen  - Corbin's sister who looks out for Corbin as Corbin seems to get bullied quite a bit and Cywen is always there to take care of the bullies. 

Nathair - the son of High King Aquilus - seems to do everything his father wants done. 

There are other characters that come into play as well like supporting characters throughout the storyline that all have important roles to play within this story. They are so numerous that it would take forever to list them all, so the best thing to do would be to read the book to experience it for yourself. 

The story is loaded with detailed descriptions of this world along with the characters that are folded within the storyline. There are different villains as well roaming throughout the book which includes: giants, dragons, elementals, etc. The Banished Lands are about to enter a God-War which will bring all races together in a fight for survival. 

This first book was amazing with how the author went into deep detail of everything that happens with not only the characters, but the world of the Banished Lands. The author goes into explicit detail with the characters bringing you in close to the characters and how they feel and what they think as they play a part in this story. 

Looking forward to reading the second book, Valor for the continuing saga of the Banished Lands and its people. 

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5898355.John_Gwynne

Attached is the author, John Gwynne, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Gwynne/e/B00A7RL2X0

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2012540678