Mise en Place (Food #4) by Jeffrey Caston

 

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Five "Blood & Bones" Stars

Fast Paced Horror! 

A small taste of what lies within:

The Kingdom of Pacifica is supposed to be considered the land of freedom and Dan'nell and Sonya decide they want to live there to enjoy the opportunities that Pacifica will provide. They both get a rude awakening when they arrive in Pacifica as nothing is what it seems as the kingdom is far from the wonderland that they both imagined and they will have to figure out how to keep from being the next donor!

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

Thoughts:

This next book in the series goes more into the twisted mind of this author as this story has a little more emotion wrapped within the horror of what lies in wait for the characters, Dan'nell and Sonya. This series of the Kingdom of Pacifica has characters that you will come to love and to hate as you read through the series. 

Once again the author pulls you right into the storyline and keeps up the pace of the story along with some twists and turns never slowing down as once the story unfolds then the pace picks up as it feels like you are on a bullet train barreling along at a high rate of speed as things within the book go into overdrive! I had to grab my "gore suit" as well as there was some splatter that started flying and I needed to suit up! Looking forward to the next installment in this series! 

Attached is the author, Jeffrey Caston, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20027977.Jeffrey_Caston

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

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jeffrey-Caston/author/B084TQYBM7

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5298356625

The Coldwater Haunting by Michael Richan

 

👻👻👻👻👻

Five "Spooky Suspenseful" Ghosts!

Atmospheric Haunting!

A small taste of what lies within:

Ron Costa buys a home out in the middle of nowhere that needs quite a bit of fixing up. He wants to get it repaired and ready for his wife and son to move into it, but he is not prepared for the place to have house guests already. Ron isn't there long when some ghostly activity starts making its presence known but Ron is a big skeptic when it comes to hauntings as he just doesn't believe in spooks! 

When Ron asks his friend Jake to come and help him get the house repaired, Jake finds out quick that Ron's home has ghosts but when Jake invites his girlfriend, Freedom (who dabbles in the paranormal) over to check out the house things go from bad to worse as the ghosts become more active to the point that Ron and Jake have to seek out professional help to be able to come to terms with what is haunting the house! 

That is about all I can give on a small taste so if that has piqued your interest then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This book grabbed me right away when I first started reading it as the ghostly activity starts not too long after Ron arrives at the house and starts tinkering around with it. By the time the character, Jake arrives on the scene, the story has picked up some pace, but the story does fluctuate a little bit on pacing as it slows down in spots then picks back up in other spots. 

Once I was able to get past the 55% mark the story blows wide open and the pace picks up faster. By the time I made it to the 70% mark I could barely put down the book as the ghost activity goes full throttle which kept me reading the book late into the night and not wanting to put it down to go to sleep! 

I have read a couple of books by this author in the past and loved them so I wanted to get back to reading his work as he does know how to write spooky ghost stories! Really happy that I read this book and kept my ghost meter running at a high rate of speed! 

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7134729.Michael_Richan

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

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-Richan/author/B00DCIMZ6O

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5145191595

Ghost Town by Mark Lukens

 

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Five "Suspenseful Mystery" Stars

Nail-Biting and Twisted Fun!

A small taste of what lies within:

What would you do if you went to sleep in your bed and then woke up somewhere in the desert with five strangers? You would be flipping out, right? 

That is what happens to six strangers as they end up in the desert not knowing how they were transported there. The mystery deepens for the six people (Beth, Adam, Eugene, Tony, Carla and Ray) as they try to figure out why they are there, but when they see what looks to be a town of some kind in the distance and they make their way there things become even stranger as they all have to work together to figure out how to solve the puzzle of what is happening to them and how they can get out of their situation so they can go home!

That is about all I can give on a small taste as if that has intrigued you then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This story was one twisted mystery and when I first started reading it I became captured in what was happening within the story to the point I could not put the book down as I wanted to find out what was going on with these characters. Very fast paced and I really didn't see the major twist coming till it hit me as I was so wrapped within the story that I never saw that rug pulled out from under me! lol  

I have read a couple of books by this author before and really enjoyed them. I do own a few more by him on my kindle that I need to step into at some point. This story though took me on a twisted roller coaster ride! 

Attached is the author, Mark Lukens, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7309096.Mark_Lukens

Attached is the author, Mark Lukens, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mark-Lukens/author/B00G8GYUUG

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1813986825

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

👻👻👻👻

Four "Haunting Hell" Ghosts

Twisted Spooks!

A small taste of what lies within:

Judas Coyne a retired death metal rock star likes to collect unique horror items and he is always looking for something new to add to his collection. He learns that there is a dead man's suit for sale on the internet that has a ghost attached to it. So how can he refuse to not add that to his collection as that would be an unique addition, so he buys it without a second thought. 

Though when the suit arrives in a "heart shaped box" and Judas tries to figure out how he is going to display it the suit becomes "active" as now Judas is being stalked by the ghost and when Judas decides to find out more about the ghost stalker he learns more than he wanted to know about the suit's previous owner which will send him on a roller coaster ride into hell!

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

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading author, Joe Hill, and yes I know I probably should have read him sooner but there is just so many authors to step into that I just had not got around to reading him yet  - till now.  

This was a great spooky story and I was captured right away with the premise of a ghost attached to an article of clothing. I loved the character Judas and felt bad for him as he tried to endure the ghost along with the haunting in his house. The story kind of reminded me of a few true ghost stories I have read about "haunted objects" and how they affected people that bought them. 

This book was a fast page turner as it takes off right away - there is hardly any world building as the author, Joe Hill just throws you right into the story and once the story fully kicks in I was holding my breath through some of it as I wasn't sure what would be happening next! Looking forward to reading more by this author and I felt that even though he has his own style of writing I could feel that "King family" vibe to it. 

Attached is the author, Joe Hill, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/88506.Joe_Hill

Attached is the author, Joe Hill, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Joe-Hill/author/B001IGSNRW

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5070800697

The Dismembered by Jonathan Janz

 

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Five "Gothic Ghastly" Stars!

Twisted Suspense! 

A small taste of what lies within:

Arthur Pearce is trying to get over his ex-wife and piece his life back together so he decides to travel and get away from it all. Arthur is an author and wants to find some place where he can write. On his travels he meets a young woman (Sarah Coyle) who ends up telling him about a count (Richard Dunning) who has enthralled her sister, Violet and they are to be married, but she fears that Richard is not the gentleman that he leads everyone to believe. 

Arthur really doesn't want to get involved but Sarah persuades him to help her find out if Richard is on the up and up or if he is something totally different and Arthur finally relents that he will help Sarah. Though what they both find out is beyond imagination and when the both of them are in the thick of it they wonder if they will be able to extract themselves from the situation that they find themselves in and hope that they can escape with their lives!

Thoughts:

This was a gothic horror story like no other I have read as author, Jonathan Janz writes a gothic tale and then adds some twists to it turning the story into almost an extreme horror novel! 

Believe it or not, I had to grab my gore suit for this one as what lies within the pages will have you turning pages faster than lightning as when the "twists start coming" you will need to be ready!  Another great book by this author and my "Janz" book library grows in leaps and bounds! 

Attached is the author, Jonathan Janz, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4389526.Jonathan_Janz

Attached is the author, Jonathan Janz, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Janz/e/B008IIP7J0

Attached is my Goodreads review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5272329220

The Madness of the Invisible Man by David Kempf

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Four "Wicked Wishes" Stars

Spooky Short Story!

A very small taste of what lies within:

Griffin is invisible and seeks the help of his friend, Morris to help him become visible, but with anything there is always a price to pay!

That is about as cryptic as I can give on a small taste as this story is super short - just 16 pages so if that small synopsis has tickled your fancy then go read this story! 

Thoughts:

I love to read short stories but normally I grab books that are in anthologies. So happy to have read this short little romp as it was quite entertaining. First time reading this author and it won't be my last. Looking forward to checking out the other books he has out there. 

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4056257.David_Kempf

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

https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Kempf/author/B0037BMI40

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5277200566

Rose (Cryptids #3) by David Haynes

 

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Four "Wild Wendigo" Stars

Cryptid Action! 

A small taste of what lies within:

Shaw is back along with his dog (Girl) as they are wrapped within an upheaval of cryptid chaos as there are hunters tracking down everyone that is not "human" and killing them. There is no where left to hide, but Shaw is not the only one dealing with the hunters as Lenny (the ex-cop) and Dandy (the cryptid hunter) are having to deal with the way of the world as well. 

Through it all they try to protect Rose (the child is part human and part cryptid) but she has special abilities that could help bring peace to the everyone though it will take everyone down into the pits of hell to try and keep her alive as the hunters do not care about the lives of the cryptids and before it is all said and done there will be a magnitude firefight to end all cryptid life!

That is about all I can give on a small taste so if you want to know more than you will need to read this trilogy of books!

Thoughts:

This last book in the trilogy opens up with lots of "fur and fang" action as the story opens up more about the child Rose. The pace stays fast as well as there seems to be an endless onslaught of cryptid fighting in this book. By the end of the book I was exhausted as there was so much action that it wore me out just reading it! lol 

I will have to say that these books are not stand alone - you must read them in order to understand what is happening with these characters as everything is connected that goes back to book number one. 

This was a great wrap up to this trilogy and looking forward to reading more books by this author as I have read quite a few already and wanting to see what else he has in store in the future. 

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/stores/David-Haynes/author/B00983PM9Y

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5221993883

White Russian (Jack Daniels Mystery #11) by J. A. Konrath

 

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Five "Terror Thriller" Stars

Nail Biting Suspense!

A small taste of what lies within:

Jack is back but kind of in secret as to the criminal world she is considered "dead" but when a message from a serial killer is sent to Harry McGlade that Jack's partner is still alive and being held prisoner, Jack decides to come out of hiding to help Harry track down not only the killer but to rescue her old partner! 

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

Thoughts:

I love this crime thriller series by Konrath and I have been trying to stay steady on reading the series. I own almost all of the books on my kindle so it makes it easy to read this series a little at a time. 

With this book there is a slow buildup of suspense which starts to heat up when Jack joins Harry on his adventure. As always there are quite a few chuckles as Harry is being Harry with all his antics and Jack has to put up with Harry's jokes while trying to stay focused on the job at hand. When the lead starts flying though is when the book goes into overdrive as Jack and Harry end up getting more than they bargained for when they end up at their destination. 

Looking forward to continuing this series and to see what happens next in the book, Shot Girl. 

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/stores/author/B000BCH4EM/

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5242933018

Seed by Ania Ahlborn

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Sinister Spooky" Stars

Scary Possession!

A small taste of what lies within:

Jack Winter and his wife Aimee along with their two daughters, Charlie and Abby are involved in a car accident which was caused from something that Jack saw in the road and though they are okay things start going awry with one of their daughters (Charlie) not too long after the accident and the family has to deal with a demonic presence in their home which slowly tries to take over Charlie.

That is about all I can give on a small taste as to know more you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

This was my first book by Ania Ahlaborn when I read it back in 2017 and this is the book that got me hooked on reading more of her work. This story was intensely creepy and kept me spooked out throughout the story. The pace was fast along with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I have a few more books that I need to read by this author which I will be doing that in the future. 

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/stores/Ania-Ahlborn/author/B0053A0B1U

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2072131011

Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Gory Greatness" Stars

Horror Thriller Tension!

A small taste of what lies within:

Will Burgess and his friends are trying to cope with life in general, but they seem to have other worries when legends become all too real for their town of Shadeland as creatures that live in the caverns surrounding the town start making their presence known. On top of that, a serial killer has escaped and he is also making his way toward the town which when everything comes together it is going to become survival for the town of Shadeland and lots of blood running through the streets! 

That is about all I can give on a small taste as if you want to know more then you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

This was my first book by this author as I read this book back in 2017 and haven't forgotten what a great book it was too! This is what set me on my "Janz" path into his works. 

I also just did a reread of the book too as I have Jonathan over in in my Goodreads group, Nightmares and Dreamscapes this month (March 2024) and this book was just a great the second time around! 

The story of the book is wrapped around a "coming of age" theme that resonates throughout the book but also brings the horrors alive on the page as the kids in the town have to confront more than just bullies. There was a little world building in the beginning of the book, but then things start happening quickly and it all goes to hell in a handbasket quick as the pace picks up along with some edge of the seat tension!

I am looking forward to the sequel that is coming out soon too as I want to find out what happens next in this story. 

Attached is the author, Jonathan Janz, profile page from Goodreads:

Jonathan Janz

Attached is the author, Jonathan Janz, profile page from Amazon:

Jonathan Janz

Attached is my Goodreads review:

My Review

The Ghost Pirates: Sea Horror Novel by William Hope Hodgson

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Supernatural Spooks" Stars

Atmospheric Haunting!

A small taste of what lies within:

Jessop decides to sign with a ship called the Mortzestus but hears rumors that it could be haunted - though quite a few of the crew laugh it off but then when Jessop slowly starts encountering unusual activity for himself is when he becomes a believer. Seeing shadows in places where there should be none and seeing ghosts of men flitting out of the corner of his eye is when he wonders if the rumors are true, but when crewmen start dying in unexplained ways is when things take a spooky turn!

Thoughts:

Something a little different for me as I don't normally read the older horror classics unless the books are well known. I have had this book on my kindle for about three years and decided to step into it for a challenge in one of my groups. 

I am happy that I read it as I was surprised by how quick I became involved in the story as the haunting takes place early on in the book. The story is told in the first person of the character Jessop and what he went through on his journey aboard the ship. First time reading this author though I have a some of his books on my kindle that I need to read eventually. The book was written in 1909 but it holds up well to an atmospheric haunting. I had to get use to the pirate jargon but once the story unfolded it was easy to keep up with what was going on aboard the ship. 

I felt that this book was a good comparison to the classic horror movie The Fog - once you have that image in your mind with the pirates and ghost ship then you will be able transport yourself back to pirate days aboard a haunted ship. 

Attached is the author, William Hope Hodgson, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51422.William_Hope_Hodgson

Attached is the author, William Hope Hodgson, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APUWH6

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3664996611

Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny by Eric Butler

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Gore and Goo" Stars

Macabre Mummy

A small taste of what lies within:

A local legend comes to life and stalks Archer Park causing gory mayhem along with a student that wants to teach the teacher's assistant, Mary a lesson for her throwing him out of class but it all comes out in the wash when the events collide together! 

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

Thoughts:

This was a short romp into some descriptive bloody and gory horror from this author! The minute I started reading about "icky and gooey" stuff I knew I had to grab my gore suit and was able to get it on just in time before the splatter hit the fan! 

Another great book by this author and something just a little different but had a short punch of blood and guts to keep it interesting and to keep me reading! :)

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:

The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Screaming Suspense" Stars

Creature Action!

A small taste of what lies within:

A brother and sister (Ryan and Jane) along with a couple or so friends get together to go stay in a cabin out in the woods that use to belong to Ryan and Jane's father to have some fun, but what they do not except is that "something" watches them from the woods and it is hungry for some fresh blood!

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

Thoughts:

There was a little bit of action in the beginning of the book and then there is a slow buildup of suspense that took me awhile to find out what was going on and to find out what kind of creature was waiting within the story. 

After the 50% mark though there is more of a revelation of the creature and then the story starts to slowly escalate driving the suspense up to full throttle which eventually leads to a blood and gore fest. 

The only thing I wasn't too happy with were the characters - they were constantly doing stupid things and it was like watching those horror movies where instead of the characters running away from danger they run straight into it. That is how the characters were in this book and this is the reason for the story not being a five star read. I would have liked for at least some of the characters to have had a lick of sense but alas there was none with them. This is my third book by this author and I have a few more I want to read by her in the future. 

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/stores/Ania-Ahlborn/author/B0053A0B1U

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5165554997

Cold Sanctuary (John Decker #2) by Anthony M. Strong

 

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Five "Supernatural Suspense" Stars

Creature Feature Rampage!

A small taste of what lies within:

John Decker is back with tracking down another mysterious creature that is laying waste to some townspeople out in the wilds of Alaska. John is hired by a town council woman (Mina) as she has heard that John hunts supernatural creatures as she thinks something is hunting her people and she needs to put a stop to it. 

John accepts the challenge of hunting down the creature even under protest from the town sheriff as the sheriff is not a believer in anything supernatural and just thinks there is a killer on the loose, but there is a rude awakening for everyone involved as "something" does exist and it is on a rampage that will decimate the town if John Decker does not take care of the situation ASAP!  

Thoughts:

I have really been enjoying reading this series as there is tons of action with lots of creature features running amok in these books. The writing style of this author is smooth and I just seem to fall into the stories with ease. 

The pace is quick as it seems that something happens right away in the story and then someone has to reach out to Decker to bring him on board. Once Decker arrives then there is a slow build up of suspense with him trying to figure out how to approach the situation but in the meantime there is something happening with the creature as well so there is constant action and suspense all at the same time. This book is no exception as tons of things are constantly happening in this story that kept me on my toes and the story just flows along with some suspense and tension. 

Another reason I love this series so much is that it is a mix between supernatural horror mixed within a crime thriller as I read quite a bit out of both genres so it makes for a fun read to have a book that has both genres within. Looking forward to reading the third book in this series soon. 

Attached is the author, Anthony M. Strong, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14779336.Anthony_M_Strong

Attached is the author, Anthony M. Strong, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Anthony-M-Strong/e/B019L8RBBC

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5091145370

Abominable Snowman by Brian G. Berry

 

⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄

Five "Snowman Stalker" Stars

Bloody and Gory Snow Romp!

A small taste of what lies within:

Two killers that are in a cult of the Vampiric Lord of the Red Star are on the run when one of them gets killed and the other one stuffs a snowman full of organ parts doing an incantation over it. When the deputies finally track them down and takes care of business that is the least of their worries because the snowman that has the bloody parts inside slowly starts coming to life and once it gains full power nothing will stop it from going on a bloody rampage! 

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

Thoughts:

This was a perfect read for this time of year as I wanted to snuggle down in my cozy chair with a cup of hot chocolate while reading about a killer snowman! Trust me when I say there is no "Frosty the Snowman" within these pages as you will only find a snowman that loves blood and gore as it attacks the townspeople in this story. 

Another great story by author, Brian G. Berry as there is action literally right away in this story and the momentum does not slow down at all. The pace is fast and when the snowman (who is really the main character in this book) goes on his bloody spree the story escalates to the point I was flipping through my kindle pages to find out what was going to happen next. 

It was a good thing that I had my gore suit handy as it was definitely needed for the gore splatter in this book! Another book added to my favorite shelf by this author.  

Attached is the author, Brian G. Berry, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21022968.Brian_G_Berry

Attached is the author, Brian G. Berry, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Brian-Berry/e/B08M413RDW

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5189878549