Category: Horror

ARC, Four Star Book, Historical Fiction, Horror, ya

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene Review

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Thank you to Netgalley and Serial Box for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beatrix Greene has made a name for herself in Victorian England as a reputable spiritual medium, but she’s a fraud: even she knows ghosts aren’t real. But when she’s offered a lucrative job by James Walker—a scientist notorious for discrediting pretenders like her—Beatrix takes the risk of a lifetime. If her séance at the infamously haunted Ashbury Manor fools him, she will finally have true financial freedom. If she fails, her secret will become her public shame.

But James has his own dark secrets, and he believes only a true medium can put them to rest. When Beatrix’s séance awakens her real gift—and with it, a vengeful spirit—James finds that the answers he seeks are more dangerous than he could have imagined. Together, with a group of supernatural sleuths, Beatrix and James race to settle the ghost’s unrest before it strikes— or else they might not make it out of the haunted manor alive.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, along with Ash Parsons and Vicky Alvear Shecter, weaves darkness, death, and a hint of desire into this suspenseful mystery for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Crimson Peak.

– Goodreads

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene was a perfect book to start off the spooky season!

Beatrix is a fake. She pretends she can see and talk to spirits. People pay her to talk to spirits for them, but she rationalizes it by saying she’s giving them comfort.
So what happens when Beatrix is hired for a job at a haunted house – and realizes her powers are real?

This horror story was so well balanced. There was character developments, friendships, and even a romance.

The first 30% is definitely slower paced, but didn’t read slower. Once they got to Ashbury Manor the action really picked up and it was so hard to put down. Three people wrote this novel, but it was so seamlessly done you couldn’t tell.

Definitely recommend for horror lovers or those who want something spooky this fall!

Preorder link here!

Are you planning on reading The Haunting of Beatrix Greene? What’s your favorite spooky read? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, Horror, mystery, ya

October TBR

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Okay. Trying this again!! So this month, Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge has added in reviews for points! During our chat with Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner, they said the best way to support authors (for free!) is to write reviews – especially on merchant sites! I’m very excited about this edition and can’t wait to write some reviews!

I’m about 50% into my first book of the month, The Haunting of Beatrix Greene. I am loving it so far and can’t wait to see what happens the last half! Here’s the rest of the books I plan to read:

So as you can see, a lot of witchy and murder books! Our theme at Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge this month is Something Wicked! Plus, witchy, spooky books are one of my favorite ways to celebrate fall!

What’s on your fall TBR? Any spooky books I should add? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, Erotica, Horror, review, Romance, three star book

🧟‍♀️ Hungry for Your Love Review 🧟‍♀️

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🧟‍♀️ Title: Hungry For Your Love
🧟‍♀️ Author: Lori Perkins (anthology)
🧟‍♀️ Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin
🧟‍♀️ Publish Date: September 28, 2010
🧟‍♀️ Book Form: Ebook
🧟‍♀️ Pages: 384
🧟‍♀️ Genre: Horror, Zombies, Anthology, Romance
🧟‍♀️ Dates Read: Mar 23 – Mar 27
🧟‍♀️ Rating: 🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️

Romance ain’t dead…it’s undead. In this thrilling zombie anthology, horror fans will finally get their fill of zombie-on-zombie action, zombie-human love, and zombie smut. Because why should vampires have all the fun?

– Goodreads

What an interesting read. I chose to read this book this month because it had been on my TBR the longest. I kept it during one of my Down the TBR posts! I wanted to see how zombie romance was done. It was interesting because the stories were all very different, but had a lot of the same elements – like zombies eating animal brains instead of humans.

I loved reading the intro by Lori Perkins that showed how she decided to write zombie romance. Everyone said it couldn’t be done. Well guess what guys? She did it.

Some of the stories were cringey. One was so explicit in the violence I almost felt like I couldn’t read it. Some were cingey in the ‘oh it’s a zombie having sex with skin falling off’ way.

My favorite story was White Night, Black Horse by Mercy Loomis. It involved voodoo and sorcerers and gave me old school New Orleans vibes. It instantly stood out to me and was a story I kept thinking about.

Overall, this book wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad. Most stories weren’t awful, just meh. Middle of the road. White Night, Black Horse was the only stand out to me. I might have liked this book more had I read it a few years ago when I was super into The Walking Dead and zombie stuff. If you’re a fan of zombies, I would definitely give this a try. You’ll see them in a whole new light!

Have you read Hungry for Your Love? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, blog tour, contemporary, Horror, three star book, ya

📚 24in48 Wrap up 📚

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I had so much fun participating in the 24in48 readathon! I’d love to participate in more, so if you know of any let me know!

I read a total of 8 hours and 32 minutes. I wanted to hit 12 hours, but I did have my almost 3-year-old at home. Sunday he was more energetic than usual, and I was utterly exhausted. I got a lot of reading done after he finally passed out. I read about 4-ish hours a day, which I think is more than I read in a normal weekend! I really liked clocking my time. It also made me focus and just read – not check fb or twitter every 2 minutes. It worked so well for me I may try to start tracking daily time or weekly time!

As a reminder, here are the books I wanted to read –

Here’s how I did:

All in all, I am super proud of how I did! I think adding an extra two hours a day would have been pretty tough for me with my kid here. If he was at his grandparents I think it wouldn’t have been an issue at all!

Did you participate in 24in48? What’s your favorite readathon? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, blog tour, contemporary, Erotica, Five Star Book, Four Star Book, Horror, ownvoices, Romance, three star book, thriller, ya

January 2020 Wrapup

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Yall, this was NOT my month. I said I wanted to read 15 books a month. Well. I only got to 9. I was in a super huge slump for a majority of the month and I’m not sure why.

Anyway, I’ll tell you what books I read, my monthly stats, and how my Goodreads goal is looking!

EBOOKS READ

  1. Grey by EL James – 3 stars. Not my favorite. Took me almost a week to read.
  2. The Center of the Universe by Ria Voros – 3.5 stars. Much better than Grey, but not my favorite book of the month.
  3. Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith – 5 stars. Favorite book of the month and maybe top 5 of the year?! Yes, it was THAT GOOD.
  4. Idol Thoughts by JS Lee – 4 stars. Cute, fun reverse harem featuring a K-Pop group. Great slump buster!
  5. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher – 4 stars. Had some great twists. The middle of the book had me so surprised.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

  1. I’m a Therapist and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter by Dr. Harper – 3.5 stars. I thought these were real stories. They were not. Ending got kind of weird.
  2. Call Me God by Jim Clemente – 4 stars. Great book about the DC Sniper and how the FBI profiled them.
  3. Evil Has a Name by Paul Holes – 4 stars. Great follow up to I’ll Be Gone in the Dark about the Golden State Killer.
  4. Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen – 4 Stars. It made me want to take up being an at-home detective! But really, he is doing great work.

Now for some stats!

First off, my Goodreads goal. 9/165. I’m 4 books behind schedule. I already have a plan for next month and I’m hoping to hit it!

I read 1697 pages and did 14 hours, 32 minutes of listening! My average rating was 3.88 stars.
I read three nonfic, two contemporary, two erotica, one horror, and one thriller. There were seven adult books and two YA. I only read one ARC this month. One of my books was #ownvoices!

What does your monthly wrap up look like? Did you read any of these books! Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, Horror, middle grade, mystery, two star book

Monster on the Moors ARC Review

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  • Title: Monster on the Moors
  • Author: J.M. Kelly
  • Publisher: Top Publications, Ltd.
  • Publish Date: October 31, 2019
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 280
  • Genre: Mystery, Horror, MG
  • Dates Read: Sept 27 – Oct 29
  • Rating: ★★

Monster On The Moors is an MG-YA horror thriller that takes place in the eerie North York Moors of England. Clairvoyant Bobby Holmes, his American cousin Brenda Watson, and their friends, wise guy Stevie and Michael (who is challenged by Asperger Syndrome), are drawn into a deadly mystery. They are hunted by an ancient wolf creature controlled by evil witches of British lore. When one of their friends is captured, they must rely on the investigations of a librarian who is more than he seems, the mystical gifts of a gypsy king, a mysterious stranger at the center of it all, and their own wits in a desperate race to save their friend and come out alive.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sheesh. Okay. So, I got this book because I thought it would be a good Halloween read. I was mistaken.

Okay, and I know it took me almost a month to read. I started it, then had to put it down because it was taking so long to finish. 280 pages felt like forever. So I started, put it down, picked it back up. Again. And again.

When I got Monster on the Moor, I thought it was YA. I was so confused because the writing and dialogue was just… childish. I then did some research and discovered it was MG. Okay, that makes more sense. But Bobby and his band of friends go off investigating and in the woods on their own. I know I wouldn’t let my MG-aged child do half of what these guys did in the book. The character’s actions and thoughts were very YA-aged, but the dialogue was MG-aged, so I was just confused. I really spent most of the book trying to figure out their ages.

Another thing that made this book hard for me were the descriptions. They were very wordy, and I lost track of what we were describing. It ultimately made the book very hard for me to get into.

Now for some positives. There was autism rep in this book, which is always nice to see. This is also part of a series, but JM Kelly did a great job of giving enough backstory where you didn’t have to read the first book.

Would I recommend this book? I hate to say, I would not. The actions/voices of the characters didn’t match and it was just too hard to get into.

Until next time…

ARC, Horror, LGBT, mystery, three star book, ya

Wilder Girls ARC Review

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It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unpopular opinion: I really enjoyed this book.
….until the last two – three chapters.

Thanks, giphy!

What I liked:

So I had heard pretty meh reviews about this book. It was good until about halfway in, or the ending was bad, or whatever. I still went in with a pretty open mind, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book until the end.

It’s a medical mystery, which I love. There’s something making the Raxter island sick, and no one can figure out what it is. There’s a doomed boarding school on the island. They’ve been cut off for a year and a half. The Navy sends supplies periodically. The girls learn to survive. I absolutely loved that aspect.

The first chapter grabbed my attention and I did not want to put this book down. I was mad when I had to work and couldn’t read. I was right there along side the girls trying to figure out what was making the whole island sick. It was a fast paced story and I read it in about 4.5 hours total.

On another note, I think this would make a super cool movie if they revised the ending!

What I didn’t like:

The chapters were long. I like to stop reading at the end of the chapter, so sometimes I was struggling to stay awake and find an ending point. That’s just a personal preference.

They described wounds the girls got.. and it was gross. Even for me as a nurse.

There was, what felt like to me, a weird random romance that didn’t really make sense.

Some of the characters seemed super petty, but they are also teenage girls so i guess that’s to be expected? It was just a turn off for me.

And then the ending. It just seemed like there was no resolution. You figure out what was making everyone sick, but you never saw the aftermath. I want to know what happened after they found out! And I want to know other things which I won’t say here because ~spoilers~. It just left me wanting.

Would I recommend?

Ugh, what a tough question. I guess I would, but I would tell them that the ending was not what you want. Like, it was a super good book up until the last few chapters. The last few chapters is why I gave a 3.5 star rating instead of four. Just sooo disappointing.

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, Five Star Book, Horror, mystery, Romance, ya

House of Salt and Sorrows ARC Review

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Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

– Goodreads

So, this is probably my first gothic, horror-ish novel and I am here. for. it!

Thanks, giphy!

What I liked:

“We are born of the Salt, we live by the Salt, and to the Salt we return.”

House of Salt and Sorrows was a great mix of fantasy, mystery, gothic horror, and a little bit of romance thrown in. Now, I am a granny. 9pm? I’m in bed usually asleep. But this book kept me up LATE – and by late I mean 1030pm. I could not put it down! The night I stayed up reading I got up to go to the bathroom and I thought, well, I’m kind of thirsty. I was at a rather creepy part of the book. I looked down the long, dark hallway and thought, nah. I’m ok. I don’t need water. And I got back in bed. No lie. It creeped me out!

The descriptions of this novel brought it to life. I usually have a hard time picturing what I’m reading, but Erin made it so easy! I loved the descriptions of the castle, the dresses, and all the creepy things that I won’t mention because I don’t want to spoil it!

The start was a little slow, but once I hit about 30% I did not want to put this baby down. It was so good!

Two funny things about this novel: first, I think I am being called to make squid ink risotto because it is everywhere in my life. It was on Queer Eye, it was on Master Chef, and now it’s mentioned in this novel! So I think I need to find a recipe. Also, my sister hates names that end in -leigh. Well, the main character is Annaleigh and every time I saw her name I smiled and thought of my sister in law. She said she wouldn’t read it because of the name. I told her she was making a grave mistake.

What I didn’t like:

The only reason this book isn’t getting five stars is because of the pace at the beginning. Maybe I’m just hard to please, but it felt slow. But like I said, after 30% I just wanted to devour it!

Would I recommend?

Yessssss! It was the perfect mix of fantasy, horror, mystery and romance. It had everything you could ever want in a novel. And this is a debut! I’m expecting more great things from Ms. Craig. I can’t wait to read the next one!

Get this novel here!
| Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble |

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacort for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Until next time…

fantasy, Four Star Book, graphic novel, Horror, middle grade

The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York Review

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  • Title: The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York
  • Author: Kory Merritt
  • Book Form: Ebook
  • Pages: 128
  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
  • Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
  • Rating: ★★★★


Discover the horrible fate of Jonathan York as he sets out on his journey through a spooky forest with an alarming party of travelmates!

Jonathan York has led a boring life — a pointless degree from the community college, a lackluster job at the General Store, and never any desire for something more exciting. But when fate leaves him stranded in a sinister land, he finds himself seeking an adventure of his own. Along the way he encounters ghoulish thieves, ravenous swamp monsters, a dastardly ice cream conspiracy, and a necromancer bent on human sacrifice.

In this beautifully illustrated, four-color novel, Jonathan York’s life takes a decidedly spooky turn!

– goodreads

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a huge graphic novel reader. Honestly, I read them when I think I won’t finish Book Battle criteria. They’re just not really my thing. But man, am I glad I picked this one up.

The art is amazing. It gives off a very creepy, Nightmare Before Christmas type vibe. That was exciting since that’s been my favorite movie since I was like, three.

The story was just as good as the art! Jonathan York gets lost in a swamp. He and three other people find shelter with an old man and woman, if they tell them a story. Jonathan doesn’t have a story worth telling, so he gets kicked out and ends up in a very story-worthy adventure.

I can see how this reads a middle grade. This is all about finding yourself, overcoming your fears, and not living life on the safe, boring side. I was enthralled with the book from the very first page and couldn’t put it down.

I would recommend this to anyone who has kids struggling with who they are, or even adults! Also, anyone who likes Nightmare Before Christmas-esque art will love this!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, Four Star Book, Horror, mystery

Little Darlings Review

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  • Title: Little Darlings
  • Author: Melanie Golding
  • Book Form: E-Galley
  • Pages: 304
  • Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
  • Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Horror
  • Rating: ★★★★.5


“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.

A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.

Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.

Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

-Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe. If this isn’t the TRUEST thing. Yall. I don’t read horror. I’m a baby. This book reminded me why. But would I recommend it to EVERYONE? Yes, yes I would.

Little Darlings was probably the creepiest book I’ve ever written. And it started so soon! Like, no buildup. Just creep factor 1000. So this is about Lauren, who has twins, and is convinced that the Lake Lady switched them with changelings. Did she? I still don’t know, man. Not to say the book doesn’t give you resolution – it does! But it still leaves you wondering is that what really happened?!

Aside from the creep factor, questioning yourself, and wondering how we got to where we are, this book shines very important light on post-partum depression and post-partum anxiety. I suffered with both after the birth of my two year old, and still struggle today. I remember thinking the same things as Lauren. Checking him 100 times a night to make sure he’s breathing. Not really trusting anyone else with him, because what if they do something wrong? I think that is where the book hit me the hardest. It’s easy for people to say, ‘Oh, she’s crazy.’ But was Lauren crazy? These thoughts were very very real to her. It was way too easy to put myself in her shoes and question everything.

Little Darlings gave me nightmares, guys. I read it before bed twice, and each night had super freaky dreams. For that reason, it took me a little longer to read since I could only read it during daylight hours.

This book blew me away. I would recommend it to anyone who likes horror or a good psychological thriller. Maybe not if you just had a baby, though.

Until next time…