Billionaire Boogeyman

Todd Parker bursts onto the scene with this perfect book for the Halloween season, blowing it out of the park! As a cryptid enthusiast and a lover of all things supernatural and unexplained, this book is right up my ally. The author reached out to me to review a copy and after reading the description, I immediately said yes. 

Kirby Cronin is a videographer and amateur cryptid hunter. He spends his days doing videos for Bar mitzvahs, weddings and dentist testimonials. But his real passion is the unexplained. From Bigfoot to Aliens and everything in between, Kirby has been on a quest to discover the truth since he was a kid.

Vic Mitchum is a homicide detective in Boston. There has been a string of disappearances within the prostitute community and his fiancé Kelsey Moss has just signed on to go under cover as one to find out what's happening to these women. Around the same time, Kirby comes to him and tried to convince him that an elite society of the world's wealthiest men is meeting in a secret museum under the streets of Boston and that they are responsible for the abductions. Vic immediately brushes him off as just another nutjob. That is until Kelsey is abducted, making her the fourth victim, they always disappear in fours. Hes then forced to confront his own skepticism and reaches out to Kirby to help. 

What transpires from there is nothing short of awesome. Without giving away too many spoilers, Ill just say that Kirby is not too far off the mark when it comes to his beliefs about Bigfoot and the elite society of evil men that are indeed meeting beneath the city. Can Vic make it inside this heavily guarded building and rescue Kelsey before she too becomes a victim of whatever these men are holding captive?

This book blew me away. I truly enjoyed the story, and I loved the premise. The characters are well written and believable, and you are really rooting for them as the navigate the lower levels of this so-called museum. You also spend several chapters rooting for the bad guys to not make it out. The ending of the book is so perfect. My only wish is that we got to see Kirby's reaction (and Ill leave it at that to avoid too many spoilers). I was actually tearing up over the ending. The book is a little longer than my average read, just over 4oo pages, but the chapters are short and there is so much action that I could not put it down, instead spending a little over 3 hours reading because I just had to find out what was going to happen. If you love a good action-packed horror thriller, then this is definitely the book for you! I absolutely cannot wait to see what other stories Todd has to tell!

Revelations-The Ancient Ones Trilogy

I read through the first two as fast as I could knowing I had this one as an ARC to read. The first two were really good and this I read through the first two as fast as I could knowing I had this one as an ARC to read. The first two were really good and this one was the perfect conclusion is an epic tale of vampires, love and loss. Although hard to say goodbye to Morrigan, Lucius and David, this book does a fantastic job of wrapping it all up. 

In The Ancient Ones, the author weaves together several different mythologies, including vampires, paranormal, different religions and beliefs. We visit the Romans, the French, the Celts, the Norse, and many more. Cassandra Thompson makes the characters and the settings come alive with her vivid descriptions and the structure of the chapters. Switching through time periods and viewpoints with little effort but in a way that makes sense. 

Although this can be read as a stand-alone, I believe to truly enjoy this series, you need to read them in order. Following the character arcs from the beginning will really pull you in and keep you invested in the story. I cannot wait to see what else Cassandra unleashed on our world. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. one was the perfect conclusion is an epic tale of vampires, love and loss. Although hard to say goodbye to Morrigan, Lucius and David, this book does a fantastic job of wrapping it all up. 

In The Ancient Ones, the author weaves together several different mythologies, including vampires, paranormal, different religions and beliefs. We visit the Romans, the French, the Celts, the Norse, and many more. Cassandra Thompson makes the characters and the settings come alive with her vivid descriptions and the structure of the chapters. Switching through time periods and viewpoints with little effort but in a way that makes sense. 

Although this can be read as a stand-alone, I believe to truly enjoy this series, you need to read them in order. Following the character arcs from the beginning will really pull you in and keep you invested in the story. I cannot wait to see what else Cassandra unleashed on our world. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. 

Human Beings-A Collection

A nice collection of short stories focusing on human behavior. Each story taking a dark path and then goes down a completely different path twisting and turning and ending with a surprise. Nature itself is cruel but there is something about human nature that is even more insidious. There isnt a bad story in the group and you will definitely be entertained if not a little sickened. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. 

PleadMore, BodyMore

"Horror is what happens when evil overtakes the heart"

I'm returning to Baltimore in the latest book from Ian Kirkpatrick. A sequel to Bleedmore, Bodymore. This book starts off right where the first one left off and its imperative that you read the first one, so you know what's going on.

In this book, Joey, our heroine, has returned from Mortem with her best friend Wayland. They are given a job by Charon, to collect other undead Baltimorons, like themselves, and return the souls to Charon. Wayland has gone off the deep end, killing indiscriminately and not caring. Jagger, Joeys, somewhat boyfriend, is trying his best to keep up with her and to keep her out of trouble. For most of the book, these are the three we follow. At some point, Joey meets a medium who offers her a possible second chance. 

This is one of those books, like the first one, where you don't really know what's going on. And although some of it is vague and even when there are somewhat explanations, it just brings up more questions. Yet, despite this, I really have enjoyed both of these books and look forward to a possible third. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. 

Liminality-Book 2 in the Ancient Ones Trilogy

Cassandra Thompson has done it again! I really enjoyed this book, honestly, I liked it more than the first one. The characters continued to grow and evolve, and we got even more in depth with their back stories. Picking up right where the first book left off, the book opens by giving us some background on the first book which was nice and gave just enough info for those who haven't read it and refreshed the memories of those that had. 

Throughout the book, we are given varying viewpoints from each character. Delving us deeply into their history, retrieving lost memories and sharing adventure stories. Cassandra once again takes us on a journey through a plethora of myths and legends. I love all the research you can tell the author did. Weaving Irish, Greek, Egyptian, African and French history all together, in a way that makes sense. Of course, we can forget the vampires and Lycans and the gods and goddesses. 

While normally I would give a little blurb about the plot, if I do that, I risk giving away spoilers from the first book. So instead, I'll just say, this is a fantastic series and well worth a read. The characters, the locations, the in-depth research done for this book makes it nothing less than a beautifully written piece of art. I have the third installment ready as an ARC and have already started it. 

The Ancient Ones

I bought this book for myself on a whim. I have read several other books published by Quill and Crow Publishing House and Cassandra Thompson, so I was fairly certain I would not be disappointed, and I certainly was not! 

The story spans a millennium and takes us to exotic places of the ancient world. Places I can only dream of visiting-Rome, gothic London, Egypt, Greece and Wallachia. Yet her descriptions are so real and in depth you will believe you are right there with the characters. A story of lovers who will always find their way back to each other, lovers who are reborn throughout time. The author also manages to blend ancient religions with vampires and Lycans seamlessly so that you are also never bored throughout the story. 

The story centers on David, a man whose life is fraught with love and war. He is in love with the Morrigan. Gods and immortals yet relatable and vulnerable characters. David is a man who stays pretty much the same since we first meet him, despite being a god, an immortal and a vampire. His love for the Morrigan is intense and something I can definitely relate to. He is the glue of the story, a common thread that connects all the characters. We cannot overlook the more sinister character, Lucius and his lust for the Morrigan and power. David and Lucius are going to have an epic showdown, the question is, who will prevail? 

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. The history, the mythos, the characters, all of it. Romance, darkness, light and friendship. The story not only spans time but also locations. Not just here on earth but also above and below. I really loved the blending of the Egyptian gods with the Celtic ones. The world building here is fantastic. It felt reminiscent of The Vampire Chronicles by Ann Rice. Honestly though, there is so much going on within this story that I cannot sum it all up here. You'll just have to grab a copy for yourself and dive in. 

The Haunting of Ashburn House

I ended up having to read this book in the daytime because it gave me serious heebie-jeebies. I was literally on the edge of my seat and even though my heart was pounding, I did not want to put it down. 

Adrienne is a woman with nothing but one suitcase and her cat, Wolfgang. Her mother has recently passed away. She was then informed that she was the sole heir to an estate in a tiny town called Ipson. Her great-aunt, Edith, having also recently passed, that she didn't even know existed. The house is isolated from the town, in a dilapidated forest area and is known to be haunted, or at least that's why the locals say. In the early 1900's Ediths whole family was murdered, and she was the sole survivor. 

Strange things start to occur once Adrienne moves in. Every night at dusk the birds go crazy and then all leave and its deadly quiet, her fuse box keeps being tripped despite her locking it shut, and she discovers a grave in a small clearing near the house. She decides to go to town and ask around to see if anyone has any information on the house or the family. Turns out, no one in town knew her great-aunt and most of the locals have outrageous stories on how the family was murdered. Even the local library has no information as someone took all the newspapers and cut out all articles on the deaths. 

The house is also riddled with weird instructions. On the walls is carved "no mirrors", the dining table has "it is Friday, light the candle, on the headboard above Ediths bed it reads "remember your secrets" and last but certainly not least, the door to the attic says, "light the candle, your family is still dead". What was going on here and why did Edith carve all of these instructions into the wood around the house? Who is buried in the clearing in the woods? Something is out there; something is coming and it's up to Adrienne to figure out what was going on before she becomes the latest victim.

Darcy Coates is a master of suspense and mystery. She has a way of setting a pace that's slow, but full of tension, with creepy descriptions that will have you looking under your bed and hiding under your covers. You may even start covering all your mirrors. If you love being totally creeped out, then this is the book for you!

Fleshed Out-A Body Horror Collection

A collection of 13 body horror stories that are seriously gross and disturbing yet so good you cannot put it down. A horror book that takes the body in gruesome new directions and will give you a sense of anxiety and uneasiness that will have you looking under your bed or hiding under the covers. Each story takes you on a journey through just how disgusting the human body and the imagination can be. 

Overall, there isn't a bad story in the bunch, but I have a few that I am partial to:

Hair- a disgusting tale of a woman who has a craving for hair and will kill to get it.

Crystalline-a large rock like object crashes into a woman's house and things go from bad to worse for her in a short time.

Doug- really weird and yet I literally couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. 

Roe-a woman who desperately seeks to be alone only to stumble into a situation where she ends up surrounded.

The author does a fantastic job of writing body gore horror in a way that while you might be disgusted, you absolutely cannot put the book down. Several of the stories are connected through a company called LifeLong Corp and I really like that. I felt that each story and character were well written. If you are faint of heart or struggle with gore at all then you might want to skip this one. However, if you love a good slasher film or a gory story, then this is definitely the book for you! Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy for an honest review.