By Their Cold Fingers

This is the fourth book by Timothy Bryan that I have read, and I have yet to be disappointed. His horror filled books are nothing short of brilliant. I received this book free from the author for an honest review.

The story takes place in Greenland, in 1408. It begins outside a remote Norse village where we find, Erik and his son Kristian are fishing in a effort to get enough food for themselves and the village for the upcoming winter. Times have been harder than usual as the winters seem to get more and more brutal as the years go by. The town has very few livestock and not enough hay to feed the ones they have. Their net is suddenly full of fish, and they can't believe their luck. That is until Kristian sees something caught in the net and starts pulling. A dead clergyman from the Eastern village is dead, the fish eating his corpse. Hes been gutted. Who or what could have done this? The island is plagued by an ancient evil. Can the villagers come together to overcome it, or will they have to flee their beloved homeland?

The twenty chapters of this book are nothing short of spectacular. The characters are interesting and well fleshed out. The setting descriptions are so vivid, it's like you're actually there. Greenland has long been a fascinating place to me that I had hoped to see one day. The story has horror and supernatural elements to it and has nice pacing, complete with twist ending. A must read for any horror fan. 

Tales from Brackish Harbor: An Anthology of Eldritch Horror

This is the fourth anthology from Quill and Crow Publishing that I have read, and I have yet to be disappointed. This one in particular channels the vein of cosmic horror with a definite Lovecraftian feel. From the forward: "What makes cosmic horror so frightening is the mystery and ambiguity of the creatures that exist outside the realm of our understanding, that are never fully revealed".

The story takes place in Brackish Harbor. An island in the Atlantic Ocean that was founded, sometime in the 1920's by a scientist seeking immortality. What was once a bustling fishing town it has long since dried up. Why? What is happening on the remote island that would cause tourists and fisherman to stop coming to it? While there are those who are so loyal to the island that they choose to stay, many have left or have gone missing. Are the rumors of otherworldly creatures and peculiar experiments responsible for the islands fate?

I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology. The second I was notified that Cassandra Thompson had a new anthology ready on Booksirens, I immediately grabbed it! I was intrigued by the Lovecraftian aspect of it. My husband is always trying to get me to read Lovecraft and now I just might. There was not one of the twelve stories in the book that I disliked. Well written, entertaining, with vivid descriptions and ambiguous monsters, this book is definitely worth picking up. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review.

The Bone Flower

The Bone Flower is a sad, yet mysterious Gothic love story set in 1800's England. Edward Monteith is a young man who has money, but not much else. While spending time at his local gentleman's club, he is surrounded by men who are scientists, explorers, and he listens as they recount the stories of their adventures and their forays in to the supernatural. One of them suggests that he attend a seance with them and when he does, he is enthralled with one of the young women there, Settie, a woman he has also seen selling flowers on the street. 

Edward and Settie begin a whirlwind romance. Spending weeks together in a little cottage by the sea. But Settie feels hidden away and tells Edward to make her his wife and be out in the open or she will leave forever. They are very much in love but also worlds apart. She from a Gypsy family and he afraid his father would never accept her.

This book is part ghost story and part Gothic mystery. Its beautifully written, touching on topics that were taboo for the time and I can tell the time period was well researched. It's a slow and steady read but I would also say a page turner because I could not stop reading it. I received this book free from the publisher for an honest review. 

The Pain Eater

This story was weird and gross, yet I could not stop reading it. I love a good horror story, and this was no exception. 

The story revolves around two brothers, Steven and Michael, from Michigan who are reunited after the death of their father. They have never been close and are not close with their mother either. She is annoying to them and after she ran off with her boyfriend, they blame her for much of their unhappiness. Michael is 17 and now alone in the house he shared with his father, so Steven has offered to move in with him until he turns 18. Soon after the funeral, Michael is sitting in the backyard when the cat he's been taking care of limps up, vomits and dies. The cat has vomited some sort of creature. The brothers soon find out that the creature eats pain. As time goes by the relationship between Michael, Steven and the creature turns sour. 

The story is pretty straight forward but you can choose to look deeper into it if you'd like. Either as a story about deep loss and grief and all that encompasses or a weird tale of a creature that literally eats pain. The family is completely dysfunctional. I did not like any of the characters. They were mean and hateful to each other and had no redeeming qualities. I felt the sex scene was completely unnecessary and gross, and not in a weird horror way. Despite the characters and their behavior, I did like the story. The idea of something that can take pain away is very intriguing. I think we all have pain we'd like to have removed. If you like weird horror that's a little on the gross side, then this is the book for you. 

HellTown: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod

As a huge fan of the true crime genre, this story stood out and I was excited to get to it. The basis of the story is about Antone Costa who terrorized Cape Town in 1969, said to have killed 4 women although he was only convicted of 2 murders. 

The author of the book inserted dialogue that may or may not have happened between people at times and I felt that was disingenuous. There were full chapters devoted to Kurt Vonnegut Jr and Norman Mailer, as well as others. With the book being so long already, I felt these were mostly filler and not necessarily pertinent to the story. I ended up skipping whole chapters because of this. I can tell the author did extensive research into this topic but when I'm reading a story about a particular serial killer, I really just want to read about that person and what exactly happened regarding their crimes. 

This particular book just fell flat for me. While the original topic is interesting the filler is not. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.

Harley James and the Secret of the Falcon Queen-Book 3

Harley James and her trusty sidekick, Daisy, are back again, this time in Scotland! Harley is the daughter of the famous archaeologist, Russel James. They travel all over for his job and each time, Harley is embroiled in saving the world from some unknown threat. This time the threat is the mysterious Magnus Murdoch.

The story opens around 600 years ago and follows a Scottish queen, Queen Catherine. She is trying to find a place to hide her secret diary that the locals believe hold spells, as they believe she is a witch. The king is away, and she fears the locals will soon exact their revenge against her.

Magnus is looking for the diary and the group that Harley belongs to, S.M.A.L.L has contacted her again to help them recover the diary, so it doesn't fall into his hands. Deacon is back to help too. The queen left a series of clues to find her diary and maybe even a way to destroy it. Can they find the diary before Magnus does?

I really love this series. Even though it is technically for kids, I find the stories, clever, entertaining and interesting. I love a good mystery and would have enjoyed these when I was a kid, had they been around. I received this book free from BookSirens for an honest review.

The Perfect Neighborhood

An idyllic town, safe and secure with little crime, what could possibly go wrong? A neighborhood rife with gossip, secrets and oozing from drama involving hypocritic moms who would rather shove their kids onto electronics than actually mother them, this is a must-read book.

The book opens with several people gossiping about the model/actress Allison Langley and how she snuck out and left her husband Chris and has seemingly disappeared. How could this happen? How is he holding up? Where did she go? This is definitely more interesting than who is throwing what party or who didn't get into the prestigious preschool nearby.

This break-up is the talk of the neighborhood until 5-year-old Billy Barnes fails to return home after walking home from kindergarten, his mother reeling from the guilt she feels for allowing him to walk home instead of picking him up. His babysitter, Cassidy, was running late meeting him and now she's racked with guilt as well, but for other reasons. What secrets is she hiding?

Billy is missing for weeks when another child goes missing. Cassidy is watching, Amy-Pat and her two brothers when, while changing the baby, Amy-Pat manages to go outside and disappear. Is Cassidy somehow connected to these two disappearing? Who has the children? Will they be found safe or is something more sinister at play?

I am definitely drawn to the mystery/thriller genre. Neighborhood gossip can be interesting and as a mom, children missing is always something in the back of my mind. The story is told from several perspectives and each one gives you insights as to who might have the children, but I have to admit, I had no idea who it was and was pretty surprised to see who the kidnapper was. The chapters are short, and the writing is perfect. The story is plausible. A definite page turner that I could not put down. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.

The Evil that was Done-Secrets of Redemption Book 3

Throughout books 1 and 2, you keep reading about "the evil that was done" several people say it but there's no real explanation. Until now. This book gives insight into exactly what evil was done and who did it and why.

In this book we return to Rebecca, still living in her aunt's house, trying to decide what to do. Stay and try to make a life of her own, in the house where she feels most at home, or return to New York where her parents have her whole life set up for her. A place where she will feel stifled and sad. While trying to decide what to do, people start disappearing, again. This isn't the first time this has happened in the town of Redemption. But all too soon, Rebecca starts to realize that she is being set up. Strange things keep occurring to her, but why? Why is someone following her, planting evidence in her home and making her look like a killer? She has no idea why but her Aunt Charlie, (who appears to her in dreams) has the answers, but Rebecca must find them before it's too late. Can she find the evidence of a long dead crime and clear her name before it's too late or will she suffer the same fate?

All I can say is WOW!! I could not put this book down. Rebecca finally starts to stand on her own two feet, breaking away from her parents and deciding to embrace her free spirit, artistic side. I am happy to see that she will be staying in Redemption, to be her own person and hopefully she will continue her relationship with Daniel. The writing is fantastic here! I love the characters and very much look forward to the next book. 

This Happened to Jessica-Secrets of Redemption Book 2

This is the second book in the Secrets of Redemption series. After the first book, I immediately started this one to see exactly what happened to Jessica that fateful night that Rebecca cannot remember. What secrets will be revealed, and can Rebecca remember, before it's too late?

The last book left Rebecca alone after another failed marriage. Shes living in the house her Aunt Charlie left her, trying to decide if she should stay and start up her aunt's tea and tincture business. Some people in the town just want her to leave, still blaming her for Jessica going missing, as she was the last one to see her alive, or was she? Rebecca still can't remember exactly what happened that night and now more strange events are happening around her. Another 16-year-old girl has gone missing and now more than ever, Rebecca has got to remember what happened that night. 

Another fantastic story by this author. I love that the books go in reverse order. I could not put this book down. The characters are believable and endearing. I love Rebecca and her friends and I'm really anxious to see if things pan out with Daniel, her teenage crush, sort of boyfriend. The town itself is also very intriguing and I love the paranormal elements that go with it. I guarantee if you like paranormal mystery books, then this is the series for you.