This book holds stories by fifteen authors and twelve poets all with a running theme: haunted. A macabre trek involving a campfire story, a haunting story involving dolls, witchcraft, vast halls in lonely mansions and forlorn lovers. Horror is not my typical genre, but I really enjoy reading theses anthologies. Each story is unique, and some are downright heart wrenching. If you like haunting stories, this is the book for you.
I received this book for free from Booksirens for an honest review.
3.5 stars
I received this book from Novel Suspects, one the many I have gotten in the last few weeks. I am reading them in order of publishing date and this one was next.
The plot definitely sounded intriguing. Steven Harding is a Literature Professor who is all about his career. He also teaches at a local prestigious NY high school. Ellie Masterson is a young, naive, Masters student at NYU, or is she?
Wanting to celebrate their six-month anniversary, Ellie plans a romantic three-day getaway at a secluded house where no one can bother them. No one else for miles around, no phones, and a snowstorm, sounds perfect, doesn't it? Secrets will be revealed, one of them is not who they seem to be and only one will survive.
I found this book to be intriguing from the beginning. The story is interesting, with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. The chapters are short, and the pacing is fast. I like the back-and-forth perspectives and even the mixed in diary entries. Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I am thankful to Novel Suspects and Grand Central Publishing for sending me this book for free for an honest review.
However, the authors note almost ruined it for me. The me too movement is quoted as being the inspiration for this book. I am going to say an unpopular opinion: you cannot say believe all women and make it true that all women who report such things are telling the truth. Its just not possible. People lie. Thats just how the world is. I think its worth it to all parties to investigate before just blindly believing anything anyone says just not on this topic.
Nati Butler is back and this time she's in Paris. Nati and her boyfriend, Owen are in Paris for a perfume creators awards show. It also happens to be Natis 40th birthday. Her birthday will be celebrated on a romantic river cruise. Unfortunately her birthday celebration is interrupted when there is a death on the cruise. A renowned perfume creator is found dead in the water, apparently thrown overboard. Natis ex-husband is on the cruise( (youll have to read the book as to why he is there) and as he was seen fighting with the deceased, he's an immediate suspect. Nati of course, is on the case, along with her boyfriend Owen and her little dog, Sal. Can Nati solve this case before she has to leave Paris?
The things I like the most about these books are the characters. I love the dynamic between Nati and Owen. I am really rooting for them to get married, and it was hinted this book that kids might be in the cards too! Nati is gaining more and more success with her perfume career, and you can really tell the author does her research in that department. The chapters are short, which I love and the pacing is perfect. This book can be read in one afternoon. I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review.
The story starts out with a bang, or rather a slice. Sara Jensen is brutally murdered by her live-in boyfriend, Martin Tripp. Stabbed to death and left to bleed out on her bedroom floor, Martin immediately confesses. Due to some fancy footwork by his attorney, Martin is acquitted and walk free. A local hot dog joint is one of the main locations mentioned and also happens to be Deks favorite place to hang out. Martin tracks Dek down there and implores him to find out what happened the night Sara was murdered.
Martin gives Dek a deposit of a couple hundred dollars to see if he can find anything that might indicate his innocence with the promise of more money to come. Dek isn't sure this is anything he'd like to be involved in but relents and starts asking questions. And boy, does he get into some crazy stuff. Martin goes missing, someone thinks they saw Sara at a hotel (despite her supposedly being dead), there's a crazy party with elderly women taking their tops off, an explosion at the bank, and a very corrupt little town that Dek is determined to stay in.
All in all, I really enjoyed this story. It could have been shorter, there is a lot of filler and stuff I found to be really boring, like what Dek ate all day and the crazy pierogi cooking grandma. The chapters are short which I like and despite the filler, the story has great pacing. I really was stumped with how he was going to wrap it all up, but in the end, it all comes together nicely. I will definitely be checking out more from this author. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.
Holy cow! What a story! Alexandra Andrews makes quite an entrance with her debut novel! The premise of the story is spectacular, with complex characters and a near perfect setting. The description of Morocco was so intricate, I almost felt that I was there. I like the short chapters and the pacing was quick. A perfect afternoon read.
Who is Maud Dixon? Now that is a question worth asking. What is known, is that Maud Dixon is a very famous author, and everyone is dying to know who they are and if the book they wrote is a real story. Why would someone write under a pseudonym? Are they hiding something, or do they just value their privacy?
Through much of the book we follow Florence Darrow, a meek, non-aggressive woman who works for a publishing house as an assistant editor to a brash, loud woman. Originally from Florida, she, like so many others, came to New York expecting her life to magically change and she wouldn't be the pushover that she is. However, nothing exciting has happened and she's grown bored with her life. She ends up involved with a married man and that's when things take a dive. After she's accused of stalking him and his family, she is fired from the publishing house.
After being fired, she's feeling listless and wondering about her life choices. She puts her resume out and even sends her collection of short stories to some publishing companies. She gets a call from one saying they'd like to interview her to be the assistant to the famous, Maud Dixon. Of course, she immediately takes the job, leaving New York and her sad life behind to go live with Maud in Cairo, New York. When she arrives, she meets Helen Wilcox, aka Maud Dixon. They seem to hit it off right away, Florence, eager to learn how to be less like herself. Helen explains, she writes under a pseudonym because she likes her privacy.
Not too long into her new job, Helen announces that she would like to take a trip to Moracco so she can do research for her next book. Florence is enamored with the country and soaks up all she can when she's not doing work for Helen. They go to dinner one night and the next thing we find out is that Florence is recovering in the hospital from a car accident and Helen is nowhere to be found. She has no memory of what happened and is growing increasingly worried that no one is saying anything about where Helen is.
What transpires from here is one huge explosion with a lot of mini explosions. The plot gets crazier and more twisted as the book reaches its climax and I can guarantee that you will not only not be disappointed, but you will also not want to put the book down. I stayed up way too late trying to sort out the huge twist I never saw coming and asking myself, what did I just read? The line between villain and hero is blurred and if I say too much more, I just might ruin it for you. GO! Get this book and enjoy! I received this book free from Novel Suspects for an honest review. I very much look forward to more from this author.
With chapters like, This Is Your Brain on Horror, A Brief History of Horror, How to Make a Monster, Putting Fear in Your Ears, Why Some Scares Stick with You, Violence and Mayhem, Blood, Gore and Body Horror, and Horror's Long-Lasting Appeal, you would think that this would be a book any horror fan would want to read.
I can definitely see that the author went into a deep dive on all thing's horror. This book not only looks at the real science of how our brains and bodies react to horror but also advice on how to recover from watching a horror movie. This book seeks to not only explain why we love horror so much but also what is happening to us as were watching and/or reading horror. Throughout the book there are excerpts from interviews about certain films and anecdotal, real-life experiences from the author herself.
As huge horror movie fans in this house, I really wanted to like this book. However, it just wasn't for me. I really liked the parts where the book talked about movies, however, this book is very scientific. If you're really into reading a science book, then this is the book for you. The writing is good and it is solid, the author is clearly passionate about horror and science. I would recommend this book to any horror fan with a cautionary note about the science lingo. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.
Willem Gerhardt is a beloved and renowned psychologist. He was adopted around age 8 by a very wealthy, well know and well-respected family, the Gerhardts. Elizabeth Gerhardt took Willem in and from them on he was forever a Gerhardt. Willems life before Elizabeth was tumultuous. His biological mother bore him in prison and his father was absent as well.
He attends college and gets his doctorate in psychology and goes into practice. One day a young patient reveals she was the victim of sexual assault, and a local man is arrested and put through trial where he is exonerated. Days after his release, he is found dead, Dr. Gerhardt their only suspect. He is arrested and put on trial. He is put into the same prison he was born at and is forced to face his past and come to terms with the possibility he may not be leaving prison.
The story itself is very complex. It goes back and forth between the present and the past. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I found frustrating, and wish were better explored. Much of the book is a courtroom scene with lots of dialogue of what would be said in a courtroom. Overall, I really liked the story, the characters, Willem and Elizabeth seemed real and endearing. I am a mother myself and I could feel the love she had for Willem coming off the pages. The twist at the end through me for a loop and I never saw it coming. A great read, highly recommend and I look forward to more from this author.
The cover says, "cozy mystery", I would not classify this as a cozy mystery. Cozy mysteries tend to follow a formula: small intimate town, a murder and someone who is an amateur sleuth, who owns and/or runs a shop, usually a bakery, bookstore or bed and breakfast.
Another extraordinary book from Michele PW! If I could give this 10 stars I would. I absolutely love the Charlie Kingsley series. The fictio...
