March - Top Monthly Reads - 2023

 

My "Five Top Reads" of this month are as follows and in no particular order:

Through the Surface by Juliet Rose - 5🌟

The Cursed Among Us by John Durgin - 5🌟

Churn the Soil by Steve Stred - 5🌟

The Horror Collection: Sapphire Edition by KJK Publishing - 5🌟

Chasing Ghosts by Justin Boote - 5🌟

I am adding in a "Runner's Up" as it is just hard to have a top five when I read more cool stuff than just "five" books! 😁

Runner's Up (two books) (in no particular order)

The Pumpkin Man by John Everson - 5🌟

Ahab by David Kempf - 4🌟

That is my wrap up for March! :) 

Shot Girl by J.A. Konrath

 

🌟🌟🌟

Three "Gun-Nut" Stars!

Psycho Will Travel!

A small taste of what lies within:

Jack Daniels is back but under a different name (Jill Johnson) as things happened in the last book "White Russian" that threw everyone for loop and Jack along with her husband Phineas had to go off the grid and had to acquire a different name. Jack is also confined to a wheelchair and is having some life struggles as she tries to get her head together and keep her marriage intact. 

An unseen force is headed her way though as a psycho is on the loose and they both are on a path where they will collide to the point where Jack will have to figure out how to survive against a gun-toting crazy nut that just wants to kill people!

That is about all I can give on a small taste so if you want to know more then you need to read this series. The series is not stand alone - the books must be read in order as things happen in the previous books to the main characters which rolls over into the next book. 

Thoughts:

Normally I would have given this book four or five stars but this book reads more like a guns manual with gun laws that I just could not get that rating up to what I normally give out for this series. There are hardly any chuckles found within this book either as the character Harry McGlade is almost absent from this story and the rest of the characters including Jack are almost in a depression state. 

It was a struggle to read this book as I wanted to escape reality with some humor and just disappear into the world of Jack Daniels but almost the whole book is a heavy dose of "gloom and doom" about what happens within the story. 

There was some action within but normally there are some funny quips being tossed out by Harry as he keeps this series lively but with him being mostly absent from this story that made this book just downright depressing and I was happy to be done with it finally. I even read other books as I kept laying this one down and that is why it has taken me near two months to read this book as I just kept wanting to read something less depressing. This book also was a long drawn out 432 pages which was a lot of pages keeping me wrapped within a depressed state of mind. About a hundred less pages would have been a whole lot better. 

The author does state in the book that he went in a different direction with the book being wrapped around guns so he did dish out a warning and I knew that going into it but what I didn't know was that the book was saturated with depression of what the character Jack was going through with her problems and the book made me feel depressed. 

I am getting ready to step into the next book in the series which is Chaser and it is supposed to be back in the regular groove of the series along with Harry being back more in this book so I am looking forward to more humor/chuckles and less bleakness/despair. 

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/4524963029

Decimated Dreams (Slattery Falls Book Two) by Brennan LaFaro

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Twisted Terror" Stars!

Nail-Biting Suspense!

A small taste of what lies within:

Travis and Elsie Morland along with their daughter, April have slipped into peaceful tranquility since all what transpired in Slattery Falls years before and they have tried to get on with their lives. But the town of Slattery Falls has never really been in their rearview mirror as it has just lingered out of reach readying itself to make its presence known once again. 

When their daughter April is snatched out of their home and they do not know what happened to her - they finally realize that she might be in the town of Slattery Falls as something or someone has come back from the dead or so it seems so they head back to the town to see if they can find her!

That is about all I can give out with a small taste without giving away spoilers so if you are intrigued go read this series! 

Thoughts:

I was so happy to step back into this series as I wanted to see what happened with the characters and the town of Slattery Falls. This book just kept me in its clutches from the first page as I have hardly wanted to put it down! 

The pace of the book just picked up and I was rocking along at a high rate of speed throughout most of the book. I gave up reading anything else and just concentrated on this book as I really wanted to stay focused within this story. I read the last 30% of the book within a couple of hours as I just could not let it go and the room disappeared around me as I fell deep into the storyline. Another great book by this author and looking forward to reading the last book in this series for the wrap up of everything! 

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/5436355027

The Summoning by Bentley Little

 

🌟🌟🌟

Three "Mysterious Vampires" Stars!

Creepy Suspense!

A small taste of what lies within:

In the small town of Rio Verde in Arizona strange things are happening in the local graveyard as bodies are being dug up and disappearing from their caskets. People are being killed and drained of their blood. 

Lots of mystery is seeping throughout the town as everyone thinks there is some kind of serial killer stalking the streets but when some of the bodies have puncture holes in the neck which suggests that maybe there are vampires involved, but there is no such thing as vampires or is there? 

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 go read the book!

Thoughts:

This book was kind of a long drawn out story as I felt that there was just too much fluff that slowed the story down. This story could have been shaved down quite a bit as reading around 450 pages with most of the story being in slow mode just seemed to drag a lot in spots. Things did happen in the beginning of the book but then for some reason it just took time for the story to take off into the unknown. 

There also seemed to be an overabundance of characters that kept me from getting too attached to any one of them. The only difference with this story is that the author went in a different direction with the vampire in this story as he didn't stay within the traditional  elements of the vampire lore. 

It has been a long time since I read a book by this author, but I felt this book was not one of his better ones. Though I have owned this book for awhile and I am glad that I finally read it. Will continue to read this author as I have a few more books by him on my kindle. 

Attached is the author, Bentley Little, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2998.Bentley_Little

Attached is the author, Bentley Little, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bentley-Little/author/B001IR18G4

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3994507063

The Cursed Among Us by John Durgin

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Wicked Witch" Stars!

Creepy Grave! 

A small taste of what lies within:

In the small town of Newport mystery surrounds a killing that took place 20 years before when the one of the town's own went on a killing spree, but things are not always what they seem as something evil lies within a lone grave out in the woods of the town. 

When friends Howie, Ryan, Todd, and Cory stumble across a grave while they are out filming for their school film class is when everything goes south as they uncover a grave that has some kind of ritual stones over the top of it. The friends do not realize that what they have discovered could lead to the death of the town as the evil being lying within the grave is a witch and she is about to bring her evil might down on the town of Newport with a vengeance! 

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and I was impressed by how quick I was drawn right into the story! The writing style just flows along and slowly drew me into the story bringing the small town and all its happenings alive on the pages! I loved all the characters as I felt that I could just see them in my mind's eye as everyone went through the happenings within the town. 

The story never slowed down once as in fact the pace picked up as the story started to escalate once the friends discovered the grave out in the woods. The last half of the book I stayed up late into the night reading it as the story kept getting faster with more things going on and I just could not sleep as I kept wanting to see what would happen next! 

Looking forward to reading more by this author as I have another one of his books on my kindle that is simmering and I will be stepping into it soon. 

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22261926

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

https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-Durgin/author/B09TS2WPYH

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4827965274

Through the Surface by Juliet Rose

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Terrifying Occult" Stars!

Shivering Spooky Suspense!

A small taste of what lies within:

Iris Brubaker moves onto a small island off the coast of Maine as she inherited a lodge from her grandmother. When she meets Ledger Elliott she doesn't realize that they are both on a path of bad things to come and they will both be involved in things beyond their control as the rumored secrets of occult dabbling that used to be within the lodge will be coming to a boil and what lies dormant within the lodge along with being involved somehow with Iris is about to explode into their world!  Iris along with Ledger are about to be caught up in a chaotic event that could lead to a path of destruction!

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

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and all I can say is "WOW" - this book was one scary ride into the world of the occult along with demonic activity! I can actually say that I had some wicked and wild dreams with this story as it delved deep into my psych as I was reading it, which to me is always a good thing as it means the book is superbly great to have that kind of affect on me. 

I loved the writing style of this author as Juliet Rose pulled me straight into the storyline right away when I first picked up the book. I was only planning on reading a chapter or two then ended up reading a few chapters taking me up to about the 15% mark in one sitting as I just could not put this book down!

I loved the characters and all the supporting characters in this story as I became attached to each one of them. The suspense and mystery of the storyline moved along at a quick pace which kept me wrapped within this story for the last 48 hours. Looking forward to reading more books by this author soon as she has some more books out there to read. 

Attached is the author, Juliet Rose, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21850927.Juliet_Rose

Attached is the author, Juliet Rose, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Juliet-Rose/author/B09C6QLMNV

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5286049726

Churn the Soil by Steve Stred

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Frightening Folklore" Stars

Spooky & Suspenseful!

A small taste of what lies within:

A small settlement called The Border is home to people that want to be away from civilization and they have no trust for any authority outside their own way of life. They have their own elders that they confer with in case they need to discuss matters of importance. 

When the murder of a teenager happens in the settlement someone calls in the outside law enforcement to have it checked out and the townspeople do not want the law coming in as they take care of their own, but when officers Brown and Reynolds ends up losing one of their own is when the stakes have been raised and "whatever" is out there killing will be brought to justice one way or another!

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

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author as far as a full novel as I had just finished reading one of his stories in an anthology this month and I read a story in an anthology last year as well. This was a great creepy creature feature story with tons of folklore weaved throughout the story along with some police procedure tucked in the book as well. 

I loved the suspense and spooky vibes radiating off the pages of the book which kept me wrapped in a cocoon of mystery as I delved deep into the storyline. There was some creature carnage thrown in for good measure and I had to grab my gore suit for this one as the chaos goes into full throttle when the story goes into overdrive!

Looking forward to reading more books by this author as I own a few more by him tucked away on my kindle. 

Attached is the author, Steve Stred, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16356875.Steve_Stred

Attached is the author, Steve Stred, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Steve-Stred/author/B01MS029YA

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5156498403

Crimson Deep (John Decker #3) by Anthony M. Strong

 

Five "Creature Bloodfest Buffet" Stars

Extinct Terror Thriller!

A small taste of what lies within:

The aquifer that lies within the Florida backwoods is being explored by some researchers as they want to test out their new remote submersible named LISA but when LISA gets attacked by some kind of creature and the researchers lose contact with it they wonder what is swimming around down in the fresh water aquifer as nothing is supposed to be that deep. 

In the meantime, bank robbers that pulled off a bank heist in Georgia are headed to those same backwoods as there is place they can hole up till things quiet down but what they do not know is that they are about to come face to face with the creature that is roaming the woods. 

When the sheriff of the region (Bill  Gibson) is called in to check out a couple of murders he calls in his friend, John Decker to help him out as something is just not setting right with the murders and he needs a helping hand, but what everyone finds out is far worse than they could ever have imagined as what is swimming around in the aquifer should not even exist and what is worse which they do not expect is that it can come on the land as well! 

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

Thoughts:

I have been enjoying this series of John Decker and there is always something new that Decker finds himself caught up in as he has become sort of a creature feature expert in a short period of time. 

This book had all kinds of creature feature action along with graphic scenes of gore, blood, and extreme carnage. The author goes into deep descriptive details of the killings within the book and it was a good thing I had my gore suit on as it was needed for this book! Looking forward to reading book number four to see what trouble Decker finds himself in next! 

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/5411975176

The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Haunting Heebie-Jeebie" Stars!

Terrifying Ghosts!

A small taste of what lies within:

Lilian Chesterfield works for a company that is wanting to turn the abandoned hospital of St. Philomena which use to be a military hospital into luxury housing. As Lilian along with David part of her team tries to see what they will need to do in order to get the building fixed they are confronted with forces out of their control trying to stop them from working on the place. 

When two surveyors are struck down with odd calamities within the building it makes Lilian wonder if some activists in the area are trying to impede their progress of the luxury housing being complete - Lilian doesn't believe in ghosts so the thought never crosses her mind but as more weird things start happening within the building their thoughts are about to change as what haunts the building makes its presence known and before long, Lilian will come to realize that hauntings do exist! 

That is about all I can give on a small taste without giving away spoilers so if you are intrigued then go grab this book!

Thoughts:

This story was one spooky ride into the haunting realm of Graham Masterton's mind! I was captured right away with the storyline and though there was a tiny bit of a slow burn with the story it didn't take long for it to escalate with the haunting. The mystery of what is actually haunting the building takes some time, but I felt that it was more of a suspenseful buildup for the revelation of "who" and "what" was doing the haunting. 

The mystery deepens the further I became involved in the storyline and I really liked the characters Lillian and David - though Lilian was a little aggravating not realizing that the place was haunted - after a few incidents in the book she was still not convinced that it was anything other worldly but other than her being "in the dark" some of the time, the story was still very good. Also there are some descriptive gore scenes within the story as well which was a nice change of pace from the haunting. All in all the story was an excellent creepy haunted house story that kept me encased with a few nights of insomnia. Another great book by this author and the book will be going on my favorites shelf. 

Attached is the author, Graham Masterton, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10275.Graham_Masterton

Attached is the author, Graham Masterton, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Graham-Masterton/e/B000APAM8K

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4833853538

The Horror Collection: Sapphire Edition by KJK Publishing

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Screaming Horror" Stars

Since this book is an anthology then I will be listing out the short stories with a cryptic note next to the story. There are 19 stories within the pages of this book.

Steve Stred

The Oak - A boy gets help from a tree.

Tom Deady

The House on Royal Street - A ghost saves the day.

Nick Roberts 

Noose - Revenge on bad men.

R.E. Sargent 

Cursed - Stealing something is bad karma.

Veronica Smith

The Last Meal - Death arrives painfully.

Christina Bergling

Enjoy Your Show - Shadow lurking in movie theatre.

David Sodergren

The Upstairs Neighbor - Misunderstood situation turns bad.

R J Roles

Blueprint - Wishes do come true.

Graham Masterton

Anti-Claus - Bad Santa!

Eric Butler

In Search of the Blue-Footed Booby - Bird watching goes south in a bad way!

Matty Bob Cash (a/k/a Mathew Cash)

Christine and Tracey - Witches get more than they bargained for. 

Shaun Hutson

Skin Flick - Twisted doppleganger.

M. Ennenbach

Lost in Ephemera - Comic book hero lays down carnage!

John Durgin

Letters to Santa - Justice is served in a twisted way.

P.J. Blakely-Novis

The Long Con - Ghosts do exist.

Nicole Lombardi

The Blood Witch - A vampiric creature won't let go!

DE McCluskey

A Disturbed Sleep - A creature takes over the human host.

Gord Rollo

All That Glitters - A golden monster.

Mike Duke

Blood on the Road - Chaos and mayhem of a werebear.

Thoughts:

All the stories in this anthology were impressive! Lots of horror, gore, carnage, twisted tales romp through this book and I felt that I was in the midst of all the stories as the authors within this book brought these stories to life on the pages of this book!

Another great anthology put out by KJK Publishing and lots of great horror lies within the pages of this book! If you want to step into blood and guts with mind twisting thoughts then go grab this book and be prepared to not leave your cozy chair as you will be pulled down into the depths of all these authors minds! 

Authors Goodreads profile links listed below:

Steve Stred
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Tom Deady
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..

Nick Roberts
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

R.E. Sargent
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Veronica Smith
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..

Christina Bergling
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

David Sodergren
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

RJ Roles
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Graham Masterton
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Eric Butler
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Mathew Cash
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Shaun Hutson
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

M Ennenbach
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

John Durgin
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

P.J. Blakey-Novis
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Nicola Lombardi
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

DE McCluskey
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Gord Rollo
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Mike Duke
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Publisher - Kevin J. Kennedy
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5452895.Kevin_J_Kennedy

Attached is my Goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5170324770

Blood Kin by Ronald Kelly

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Bloody Fang" Stars!

Blood Bite Vampire Action!

A small taste of what lies within:

Green Hollow, Tennessee is home to Craven's Mountain where Josiah Craven lays in restful slumber in an unmarked grave until Dud Craven accidentally "digs" him up. From that moment forward, all hell breaks loose on the mountainside and the town as Josiah becomes unleashed in full vampire form. When Josiah decides to go after all his "blood kin" is when the story goes into full blown vampire action which sets the pace for the book at full "vampire" throttle!

That is about all I can give on a small taste, so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

When I first read this book back in 2020 it was my first time that I had stepped into this author and what a ride it has been since that time!  This book "Blood Kin" by author, Ronald Kelly, was an amazing book and it took me on a thrilling ride into vampire horror that just oozed with vampire lore!

I was so entranced with the storyline that I just could not put this book down and wanted to keep reading all hours of the night to see how the book played out! Classic vampire story with all the cool weapons and accessories that you would have in a vampire story mixed in with some interesting characters that brought the story more to life!

I was so impressed by this story that I immediately started adding Ronald Kelly's books to my tbr. The southern gothic writing style of this author just grabs you from the get-go and keeps you wrapped within his stories. 

Highly Recommend this book!

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/783444.Ronald_Kelly

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

https://www.amazon.com/Ronald-Kelly/e/B0055Q14YK

For more thoughts on this book please see my review on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3437332274

Chasing Ghosts by Justin Boote

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Spooked-Out Haunting" Stars!

Creepy and Suspenseful!

A small taste of what lies within:

Doug and Angela, police officers are sent to investigate a murder that they think could be someone just messing around, but what they find is far worse as the home where the murder took place has a bad history of murders in the past. 

The house they soon learn is haunted and "something evil" lies within the house which could be the main source of all the bad the house has had to endure in the past, but can the officers combat evil and rid the house of the haunting manifestation?

That is about all I can give on a small taste and there are no spoilers here as you will just have to read the book to learn more!

Thoughts:

This book was one spooky and creepy ride as the author slowly built up the suspense within the story! I could just feel the dread and atmospheric conditions of the haunting vibrating off the pages of the book as I would read it late into the night! 

Justin Boote has become one of my favorite authors as his story telling just seems to flow along in any story he writes. Normally his books have some carnage and extreme situations but this book he took it in a different direction with haunting and ghosts. 

This book kept my insomnia fueled a few nights and one night I was so wrapped up within the story that I just kept reading as I couldn't put the book down! Another great book by this author and it will be going on my favorites shelf! 

Attached is the author, Justin Boote, profile page from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16317222.Justin_Boote

Attached is the author, Justin Boote, profile page from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Justin-Boote/e/B073Q44SZP

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5154448613

David Haynes - Books Read

This list comprises all the books I have read by this author along with star ratings and links to the blogs I have done for these books are listed below each book. However, not all books have blogs yet so in that case I will post my review from Goodreads. 

The books are listed in no particular order. 

BENEATH THE BOARDS - 5🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2020/10/beneath-boards-by-david-haynes.html

BONE SNOW - 5🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2020/09/bone-snow-by-david-haynes.html

BOO - 4🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2020/11/boo-by-david-haynes.html

BOOKSHOP FROM HELL - 4🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2020/04/this-book-is-one-of-my-favorites-by.html

DEAD CROW - 4🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2020/05/dead-crow.html

THE SKITTERING - 5🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-skittering-by-david-haynes.html

CRYPTIDS BOOK TRILOGY:

CRYPTIDS (Book One) - 5🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2021/07/cryptids-by-david-haynes.html

DESTROYING ALL CRYPTIDS (Book Two:) - 5🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2021/07/destroy-all-cryptids-by-david-haynes.html

ROSE (Book Three:) - 4🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2023/01/rose-cryptids-3-by-david-haynes.html

KLONDIKE SLAUGHTER - 5🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2022/05/klondike-slaughter-by-david-haynes.html

THE UNDERTAKER'S CABINET - 4🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-undertakers-cabinet-by-david-haynes.html

SURVIVE - 4🌟

Blog link of book:

https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/2020/07/survive.html

THE MACABRE COLLECTION - 3🌟

Goodreads review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1831869397

(NOTE: As I read more books by this author - the books will be updated on this blog.)

Ahab by David Kempf

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four "Ride The Whale" Stars!

Short story horror action!

Very small taste of what lies within:

Have you ever rode a whale? Well after reading this story you might think twice of wanting to try it! 

That is all you get on a small taste as this story is super short and I cannot say anymore without giving away spoilers so if you are intrigued then go read this book!

Thoughts:

Author, David Kempf writes these cool short stories and what I have read so far makes you think about things. The stories get right to the point and there is no buildup of suspense - you become involved right away into the stories and the writing just flows along. 

Looking forward to reading more books by this author as it seems he has quite a few 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/5350409372

The Pumpkin Man by John Everson

 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five "Crazy Pumpkin Carving" Stars

Dark Magic Themes!

A taste of what lies within:

Jenn inherits a cottage from her aunt Meredith that she barely knew and doesn't understand why her aunt left the cottage to her. Jenn is struggling over the loss of her father that was murdered and is iffy on going to a cottage that she knows nothing about but when her friend, Kirsten talks her into taking a chance on it - Jenn decides to go and Kirsten goes with her. 

Jenn and Kirsten are not there long when spooky things start happening within the cottage and when they both start exploring the place they find more then they bargained for as they learn that aunt Meredith was dabbling heavily in the dark arts and the legendary bogeyman that is known in those parts that has been dubbed the Pumpkin Man is somehow maybe connected to the cottage!

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

Thoughts:

This story by author, John Everson just flows along as the minute I stepped into the book I was drawn right away into the storyline. I have read quite a few books by this author and I usually always just slip right into his stories as they are mostly always fast paced with drawing the reader right into his world.

This book was no exception - I became caught up in the storyline and really liked all the characters as I was drawn into what was happening within the cottage. There is quite a bit of suspense and mystery folded within the story as well along with some spooky scares weaved in that kept me on the edge of my seat. 

Another great book by this author and I will be adding it to my favorites shelf. If you want to read something spooky around Halloween then add this book to your Halloween tbr and let this author take you into the dark recesses of his mind! 

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/130045.John_Everson

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

https://www.amazon.com/John-Everson/e/B002BMHL52

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5061279474