Red Hot Murder-Charlie Kingsley Mystery #6

Another extraordinary book from Michele PW! If I could give this 10 stars I would. I absolutely love the Charlie Kingsley series. The fictional town of Redemption is a fascinating, albeit seemingly deadly town. 

Here we are once again in the town of Redemption and once again, Charlie has gotten herself in to a predicament. She runs a thriving tea business and this time, it just night land her in jail, or worse. 

Cherry is a client of Charlies tea business and regularly buys a blend from her for her skin. After picking up a fresh bag from Charlie, Cherry goes home in anticipation of an exciting night her fiancé Marcus is putting together for them. Cherry is hoping that he's finally decided to set a date. However, that is not what happens. Instead, Cherry passes out and when she wakes she discovers Marcus in the kitchen on the floor, dead. Upon waking she calls Charlie to come over and help her, thinking that her amateur sleuthing skills might come in handy. Cherry has no recollection of anything after drinking the tea and it is soon discovered that her tea had been spiked with roofies. 

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of suspects. Amongst Cherry and Marcus there was a group of friends, Lola, Sage, Caleb, and Flynn. They are all suspects. Marcus was also sleeping with Lola and Sage as well as several women around the town of Redemption. He had recently been promoted to a job in Riverview an hour away. Did his philandering have something to do with his murder or was it his promotion, knowing he'd be leaving behind not only his fiancé but his mistresses, hoping to find someone better. 

This was another great story, and I cannot wait to get to the next one. I've already preordered it. This is a fast-paced story, and I could not wait to see what was going to happen next. The main characters, Charlie, Pat and Wyle, are old friends, with solid established histories yet every book reveals more about them, and I love how they interact. I wish Wyle and Charlie would get together already though. The mystery of this story is wrapped up well with a satisfying conclusion. You definitely will not be disappointed with this book. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. 

Her Dark Enchantments

This book really surprised me. A dark retelling of a classic fairytale. With a dark, gothic feel. The book is told from the perspective of Myravelle, a young woman who has lived her life abused and alone. The king has taken advantage of her abilities and has imprisoned her mother. Forced to be a healer for the Sleepy Wood Company, she has the ability to take life from others to wake the soldiers. However, the latest soldier she's been given to use as a sacrifice, hates her and everything she stands for. All too soon they will have to learn to rely on and trust each other.

The whole story is fantastic yet sad. We know from the beginning that Myravelles story does not have a happy ending. The characters are written well and the story flows nicely. Myravelle was not born evil. However, due to her circumstances she was forced to become evil. Rosalyn does a fantastic job of retelling the Maleficent story. We see Myravelle acquire all the elements for her to become the evil witch: the green skin, the black clothes and ring, the horns, even the crow and staff. Each one acquired drew her closer and closer. 

Overall, this is a great story, and you will not be disappointed. Thank you to Booksirens and Quill and Crow publishing for sending me a free copy of the book for an honest review.

There's Something Wrong with Aunty Beth: A Collection of Horror

Another great collection of short stories from a fantastic author. I have yet to be disappointed by anything I have read by Mark Towse. 

This particular collection begins with a great sort of prequel to his book Nana (which is disgustingly weird and great read, go check it out). Each story though separate, definitely have something in common and I love it when authors do this. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes its subtle. A perfect collection of stories to give you the chills, heebee jeebies or worse down right dread. 

A few of my favorites from the collection include:

There's Something Wrong with Aunty Beth

The Fruits of Labour

An Old Romantic

Mother Dearest

Bucket of Chicken

A Bad Harvest

Mount Pleasant House

The Bedroom Window

Wind-Up Toy and Other Stories

This is the third book by this author that I have read. I have yet to be disappointed and if you enjoy twisted, graphic and weird, then this is the book for you.

This book begins with a story called Wind Up Toy. In this story, we meet Simone. He is a quiet, meek kind of man who gets hooked up with a woman named Chaos. She is his master, and he is the slave. But Simone is feeling like it's time to take control. He been on the prowl, looking for a sympathetic ear and he finds it in Tori, a young girl who works for a call-in hotline helpline. She gets hooked and it's not too long after that they meet up. However, all too soon Simones own desires will take over and bad things will begin to happen.

There are five other stories in this book, Jinnism was interesting and King Shit was really strange. I read the other ones too, but Wind-Up Toy was so much of the book, and I felt it was left on a cliff hanger and I literally kept thinking about Simone and his new wind-up toy. All in all, this is a very interesting collection of stories, and you will not be disappointed.

Tiny disclosure: this book is very graphic and can be quite gross at times. If you are not squeamish then you should definitely pick up this book. I received this book free from the author for an honest review.

Colony Collapse: The Shattered Stars-Episode One

I was contacted by Kyle Muntz, a co-author of these stories. I read The Pain Eater by him, so when he reached out to ask me about this series, it was an instant yes. He reeled me in by telling me it's a series where Star Trek meets Firefly, and as a huge fan of both, I couldn't resist. 

This is the first installment of The Shattered Star series with plans to release a new "episode" every three months. 

In this first installment we meet Crum. A young man from an ice planet that has just met a woman from the sky, Fetch. The people of this frost-bitten planet have struggled for over 400 years to make it a home. His father has been a candle bearer, a man who watches for storms for a very long time and his life is almost over. Crum must ask Fetch for help for the people there, however, things don't go quite the way he had hoped, and he ends up having to leave with her. 

The story is just what I was hoping for. Interesting, action packed, well written, with characters that are well established in this first episode with room to grow. The story itself is dystopian without being overly depressing. Fetch and her people definitely seem like an interesting group of people and I am very much looking forward to seeing how Crum does aboard the ship. If you are a sci-fi geek like me then you will absolutely want to check out this series. I received this book free from the author for an honest review.

Episode Thirteen

This was a really fun book to read. Even though its a little over 450 pages, it is a quick read. 

This book follows a paranormal research reality tv show that has the opportunity to explore what is said to be the most haunted house in America. The series, Fade to Black is filming Episode Thirteen in the hopes it will be so explosive it will launch them into a second season.

The house has been abandoned since 1972 when The Paranormal Research Foundation was conducting numerous experiments on humans. The experiments, conducted on willing participants, really did a number on some of them driving them crazy or having lasting effects they cant explain. That same year, the Foundation scientific team just vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. What will the Fade to Black crew find or even worse, what will find them?

The story definitely builds and builds, ultimately climaxing with a shocking revelation. One that you will definitely not want to miss. This is the first book that I have read by this author and if this book is any indication, I will definitely check out his other works. The story also had a bit of a Lovecraftian feel to it and I'm all in for that. This book is like a found footage movie in paper form. I love the way the book is laid out. Its written kind of like in episodes: scripts, journal entries from each cast member, emails to the producers, text messages between one cast member and her sister and transcripts. I really felt each character was well fleshed out and the author made them totally believable. Using the journal entries to tell us about how they're feeling and even divulging parts of their past. I definitely have mixed feeling about the ending but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I received this book free from the publishers.

In Seach of Madness

I love a good anthology and this one was nothing short of absolutely disgusting, but in a good way. 

The book starts off with a banger of a story! Really gross and disturbing. It's broken down into sections. There are 10 stories in the beginning. 

My favorites being: 

-Bastard Bunny

-Cadair Idris

-The Patriotic Prowler

-Milked

-The Covert Kinkster and the Embryonic Eunuch

-The Winner is.....?

My favorite section of the book is labeled Drabbles. Short little quips that pack a punch. I really enjoyed all of them, Fight or Flight being one of my favorites. 

Others being:

-VHS: The Future of Home Entertainment in the 22nd Century

-Donor

-The Invitation

The last section of the book is called Choice Cuts.

My favorites:

-Bank Holiday

-One More Night

-Date Night

-Brain Decay

-Diet

Overall, this is a fantastic sampling of what this author brings to the table in terms of horror. I can honestly say that you will not be disappointed by this collection, and you should definitely check out his other works. I received this book free from the author for an honest review.

The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses

Another brilliant publication from Quill and Crow! I literally could not put this book down. The author, LV Russell, creates an intricate Gothic romance novel complete with haunting twist that I never saw coming.

Theodora is a young woman seemingly all alone in the world. Her mother died when she was very young. Her father passing when she was just eight years old. Leaving her with her aging grandmother and an aging home, Woodrow House. The crumbling home threatening to become not only her grandmothers tomb but also hers. She takes a job as a governess at a local estate, Kingsward Manor. Unfortunately, she is let go after an incident with the lord of the manor. Alone and restless, she returns to her decaying estate. Resigned to just be her grandmother's caretaker. Her grandmother though, has other ideas. After putting out letters to other estates, one answers, Broken Oak Manor.

Once arriving at Broken Oak, she is greeted by Ms. Rivers, who runs the house. She is informed she is to be the caretaker and companion to the little girl who lives at the house, Ottoline. Her father, Cassias Thorne is often ill, and her stepmother is currently staying by the seaside to recover from an illness. During the time she is there she is inexplicably drawn to the lord, Cassias. Nearly every night Theodora hears footsteps in the hall, and they often lead to the attic. The house holding secrets too horrific to tell. Can she figure out what the secrets are before it's too late?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love a good Gothic story and even more I love a great mystery. This book really surprised me. The description intrigued me, but I had no idea that I would like it as much as I did. The author really weaves a story that will keep you hooked until the very end. I received this book free from Booksirens and Quill and Crow Publishing for an honest review.

 

The Girl Who Wasnt There: Secrets of Redemption Book 6

This is one those series that you literally cannot put down. For every book I read, I cannot wait to get to the next one to see what is happening or in some cases, it's a prequel that gives some clues as to what has happened or may happen. 

In this book we return to Redemption. We are once again visiting Becca, who is living in the Aunt Charlies house that was willed to her. It's a famous haunted house within the town that already has a mysterious past. A local woman named Penny has passed away and her housemate Mia is pretty upset over it. Becca decides to attend the funeral to support her friend. While at the funeral, Mia spots a woman there, Wendy, who is the estranged daughter of Penny. 

After the funeral, they go to the reception where Becca has a chance to visit with Wendy. She seems a little strange and, in the conversation, she mentions she has a daughter, Jill. Shortly after their strange encounter, Becca is walking outside the house where the reception is being held and happens to see a young girl around age 10 walking in the woods near the house. When she mentions it to Wendy, she seems upset. Shortly after returning home for the evening, Becca is informed that Wendys daughter has been kidnapped! Except after a search by the police, they discover that there is no daughter, never was. So, what exactly is going on? Becca is convinced that something sinister is going on and starts to investigate. Recently the town has had an uptick in crime, seemingly from gang activity. A strange cult has also moved in, The Church of the Forgotten. But the forgotten what? One very weird thing after another happens and she begins to discover that there are much larger secrets that are being held within the town of Redemption. 

The book ends in a cliffhanger, and I literally cannot wait to see what is going to happen next. This is the 6th book in the series, and I am really hoping that one of the biggest mysteries within the series will be answered: what happened to all the adults that mysteriously disappeared in 1888 in Redemption? Overall, this is another fantastic book by this very talented author. The world building here is incredible and I love how the characters continue to develop. You literally cannot go wrong with this series.

A Paraoxysm of Fear-A Doyle and Braham book #2

This is the second book in the series and the second book by this author that I have read. Both books have ended in a cliff hanger, and I am very excited to see more from this series. In the meantime, I know the author is working on a few other projects and I will definitely be checking those out too. 

John Doyle and Thomas Braham are back with Scarlett as well to find out just who is the mastermind behind the creature that Cordelia turned into in the first book. The book is written in diary form with Thomas, John, Scarlett, and an anonymous person writing entries. The anonymous person writing is being held captive somewhere, by someone and is being put through the same procedures that Cordelia was put through that turned her into a monster. The first book introduces the anonymous writer but, in this book, we finally find out who it is, and I was beyond shocked. I did not see the twist coming. I am very curious to find out who the mysterious people wearing the copper gas masks lurking and watching the duo.

The story is written very well. I really love the diary form that the book is written in as it's nice to see the different perspectives. The character development also continued to grow, and I can see it continuing in the next book. I also love the period this book is set in; in my opinion you cannot go wrong with a historical fiction book. You will not be disappointed with this series. 

Manxiety-A Collection of Disturning Stories

I love a collection of short stories and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. This anthology is unique and different in the respect that the author used his real-life events, nightmares and dark memoirs (his words) to write these stories. He states in the opening that he wanted the stories to evoke emotions and I can definitely attest to that. There were a few stories that I was definitely on edge, and I was teary eyed in a few. At the end of the book, he gives author notes where he explains each story, where it came from and what he was going through during that time. I really liked this feature, and it gave each story a more personal feel. 

Although I really liked each story and there isn't a bad one in the bunch. Here is a list of the ones that are my favorites.

*The Boy In The Center of the Road- As a mom this story really made me anxious. But it's a great story, nonetheless.

*Recalculating- I loved this one, felt very science fictiony but glad the guy got it in the end.

*The Overbrook- I love a good ghost story, especially in a place that is real, and I can google, lol.

*Devlins Manse- Again, I love a good ghost story and in particular a period piece. But the story behind how it came about was equally interesting.

*The Dead Girl- I do not personally have any experience with addiction in this sense but I really felt this story.

*Witness- This story had me on the edge of my seat and I was certain who the killer was and then was wrong, but I really enjoyed this story.

*The Last Waltz- A fantastic story of survival. 

Overall, this is an incredible collection of personal stories that draw the reader in and put them into his world. Many of the emotions he wanted to extract came out while I was reading it. I highly recommend this book if you are also a fan of short stories. Thank you to the author for sending me a review copy to read.