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. 

Premeditated Myrtle-Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #1

I have been a lifelong reader of mysteries. I remember reading Nancy Drew as a kid and I grew up watching Columbo, Murder She Wrote and Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett. I received this book and the following three from the publisher and after reading this one, I am totally in love with this series. 

The story centers around Myrtle Hardcastle. A twelve-year-old girl who is whip smart and wise beyond her years. She lives with her father, and her governess, Miss Judson, her mother having passed on earlier in her life. Myrtle has been spying on her neighbors and is convinced the lady of the house has been murdered. 

The book is set in 1893, a time when girl children, and children in general, were meant to be seen and not heard. However, Myrtle is not your typical child, let alone, a typical little girl. She is precocious, clever and does not have a filter. The cast of characters in this story is perfectly put together. From her father to her governess, the cook and a new addition to her family, the neighbor cat, Peony. I can tell the author did research in to detective procedures for the time. Of course, in the end, Myrtle is able to figure out who did it and save the day. 

I really love this series and cannot wait to dive into the next one. I have a twelve-year-old daughter myself and she will definitely be reading this series as well. Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for sending me the first four book in this series. 

The Twisted Dead-Gravekeeper #3

This is the third book in the Graveyard Book series, and it is absolutely fabulous! 

Keira, Mason and Zoe are back and this time they are in more danger than ever before. The story begins with Keira cleaning up the cottage she lives in after it was set on fire as a threat by a local. Shortly after, all three of them receive a letter from a local recluse, Dane Crispin. His family founded the town, and he is the last remaining relative. They decide to go because no one has been in his house in decades and he's very reclusive, often wandering at night through the town. 

When they arrive, Dane asks Keira for a favor. It seems a local boy who has befriended Dane, has told him that Keira has experience with ghosts. Dane feels his house is haunted and when Keira uses her second sight what she sees is very disturbing. The ghosts from his family are feeding on him, feeding on his energy. Keira tries to banish them only to find she can't and she's not sure exactly how to go about doing it. But she's not willing to give up just yet. 

Mason also has a favor for her. He reveals the reason he left the university he was at. He was too focused on being the best and when he heard a scream on the campus he was on, he ignored it and it ended up being one of the most liked students on the campus being murdered. He wants Keira to go to the campus and see if his spirit is still there. They head off to the campus and Keira uses her second sight and finds that while his spirit is not there, she was able to feel the area and see through a vision who killed him. They then head off to the cemetery where he is buried to see if his spirit is there.

Once they arrive at the cemetery, Keira is immediately on high alert as the symbol on the gates leading to the cemetery is the exact symbol of the people that are hunting her. What she discovers at the cemetery is more disturbing than she could have ever imagined. She also begins to discover part of her past and some of her amnesia is clearing. She does however gather enough energy from the cemetery to defeat the ghosts at Dane house.

I think that is all I am going to reveal for this review. Suffice it to say, this series is a must read if you love a good paranormal mystery. I really like the slow reveal of why Keira has amnesia, why she's being hunted and why she has this gift. This book does not wrap up all the questions, but it does a good job of starting to. The characters continue to develop and I'm happy to see Harry continuing to make an appearance and hopefully Dane will now that Keira has helped him with his ghost problem. Overall, this is one book that I literally could not put down, a real page turner with a lot of suspense mixed in, I received this book free from Netgalley for an honest review. 

The Ravenous Dead-Gravekeeper #2

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have not read anything by Darcy Coates that I haven't absolutely enjoyed. This book was no exception. This is the second book in the series, and I cannot wait to read the next one!

Keira is back with her friends, Mason the local sort of doctor, and Zoe the conspiracy theorist. Shes living on the premises of the church, near the graveyard in a little cottage where she can use her ghost seeing abilities to help the spirits cross over. Keira is at home one night when she hears what she thinks is a spirit crying out for her to help. When she gets to the gravesite, she is very wrong. Instead, she is met with a shade instead. A malevolent spirit who ends up hurting her and she is left with trying to figure out just what is keeping him here. 

In the first book we learn that Keira has no idea who she is. She ended up in the tiny town of Blighty and cannot remember her past. All she knows is that she was being chased by someone and managed to escape and that's how she ended up at the church where Adage hid her. In this book, she is spotted by the very people who are hunting her and although she manages to escape again, she is definitely on borrowed time. 

Keira is focused on this shade and what exactly this spirit wants. She manages to solve the mystery but not without consequences. The last 5 or so chapters were so action packed, I literally could not put it down. I had to find out what was going to happen to Kiera, Mason and Zoe as well as Adage. I really love the characters of these books and have grown attached to them and I am fully invested in what is going to happen to them. Especially the secret Keira has but doesn't know she has. 

Murder In Times Square-The Deirdre Mystery Novels Book One

This is the first book I am reading by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to more from not only this author, but this series.

The story centers around Deirdre Flanagan. She is 19 years old, a model and amateur detective who lives in New York. Her mother, having passes when she was a baby, was raised by her father and uncle. Her father was a famous boxer who now owns his own boxing gym.

The beginning of the book opens with a bang. A young, attractive woman falls to her death from the top of Times Square One, wearing a designer dress. Deirdre immediately notices the dress as one she had previously worn and even things, she recognizes the woman yet can't place her. Using her connections with the police department through her uncle the Captain at NYPD Midtown South, she's able to start investigating what might have happened to this young woman.

I don't want to say much more of the story as it would give too many spoilers. I will say that there are many twists and turns, a major secret from her father will be exposed and she will be able to help solve the death of this young woman. I can tell the author is well versed in New York and either did a lot of research into the modeling world or has connections to it. The author uses real world locations, events and people to make the story more real.

I really liked the character of Deirdre. Shes a strong, independent woman, who knows what she wants and doesn't apologize for it. I love that she's a near expert shooter and that she likes to eat her M&Ms in color order. Overall, this is a great book and I very much look forward to more from this series. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review.

One Last Shindig

Another great novella by the fantastic and master of disgusting descriptions, Mark Towse. I have yet to be disappointed by anything he's written, and I will continue to read whatever he puts out. 

Towse seems to have a penchant for writing disgusting things about elderly people, not sure why, but I love it. This novella had a slight comedic tone to it, yet it was also scary in the atmospheric sense. In this story, a group of elderly people are on a a bus trip to see some glow worms in a cave. Along the way, things start to go terrible wrong, and they must choose to fight or die.

Making the book center around a little girl and a group of elderly people lends it a sense of vulnerability and also resilience. The little coastal town they are heading to descends into carnage and chaos and at first, we're not sure why or what's going on. We see people of all kinds just turning on each other with no explanation or reasoning. It becomes a matter of survival in the purest sense. 

I really enjoyed this story. At the end of the book is a short story called Watch Me Fly about a man who decides he's going to be a superhero in the town he lives in. Unfortunately, things do not go the way he hopes and well, let's just say, it doesn't end well. 

The Long Way Home

I have read several books by Megan Mayfair, and she consistently writes great stories!

Peri Carlisle lives in Melbourne in a house her grandmother left her with her flat mate Dev. Shes attending university to get a business degree and in her free time she buys boxes of returned items from a large retailer. She gotten some pretty great things and what she doesn't want or need, she sells at a flea market. This particular box contains a beautiful tennis bracelet, that looks real, and contains a cryptic note that reads " There's something I need you to do. Love always, Logan." Peri immediately decides she needs to find who returned this bracelet. She decides to post the note to social media.

The other part of this story involves a woman named Tabitha Williams. Her husband, Logan, has recently passed away from a heart attack and she is still reeling from it. She lives in Pearl Point, on the coast and runs a successful yoga studio. Her assistant, Heather, is on social media and sees the post, mentioning it to Tabitha. Tabitha is taken back by the post but reaches out to Peri and discovers that it is indeed the bracelet she returned. While talking Tabitha tells Peri she should see Pearl Point and to look her up if she ever comes her way. 

Peri's life isn't going the way she wants. Shes having hearing issues and sitting in class at university is getting increasingly hard. Shes not even sure she wants to continue getting her degree. Her flat mate Dev seems interested in her and after a failed kiss attempt, Peri gets really embarrassed and decides maybe its time for a change of scenery. She books a flight and heads off to Pearl Point. When she arrives, she looks up Tabitha and they start to form a friendship. 

Tabitha is beginning to discover that things with her husband's business were not as they seemed. She had an inkling he was having money problems, but never did she think he might be into something illegal. As the story progresses, Tabitha is in for a very big shock. Her friendship with Peri continues to grow and she just might find love again, with her neighbor, Rich. 

I really enjoyed this story and couldn't wait to turn the page to see what was going to happen next. The book is fast paced and well written. I really liked Peri. She spontaneous and fun. Tabitha is closer to my age and there was a lot that I could relate to in regard to her character. A fun mystery with a little romance thrown in. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. 

ARCRANIUM

I have read several books by Mark Towse and so far, I have yet to be disappointed. This is my first-time reading, Daemon Manx. 

The story is set in 2032. Four horror authors, Noah, Mike, Alex and Yas, are having what turns out to be their last writers meeting at a local pub called The Gardener's Arms. They are sitting around debating who is the scariest author. Who is the most original and who is tired and worn out using the same old formula and tropes as always. 

Noah has a suggestion on just how to figure out who is the scariest author amongst them. He lets them in on a secret he's been working on during his day job. A device known as Arcranium. In the program, the AI seeps into your deepest thoughts, fears, anxieties and darkest desires. You can also allow others to experience your thoughts etc, as well. He offers to allow them to experience the program and in turn, find out once and for all which of them is the scariest storyteller. 

Each author takes their turn and each one ups the ante each time. The program also allows the authors to tap into each other's fears and deep memories using their emotions to really mess with them. The session was set up with a safe word so that if things get too intense, they can opt out. 

This story was very interesting, and I really enjoyed it. The AI program really reminded me of "the box" that the Riddler uses to take over the Gothamites in Batman Forever. It's also has a very cyberpunk feel to it. The book is fast paced, and the descriptions are incredible. Very graphic and detailed, making it feel like you too are on this journey with them. The end of the book has one little story from each author, and I am very interested in reading more from Manx. 

If You Tell- A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and The Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood

As a long-time reader of true crime, I often think I've read it all. I've read everything horrific that one person can do to another, but once again, I have been proven wrong. This book really had me shaking my head and hugging my kids. 

The book centers around three sisters, Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek. They were tortured by the mother, Shelly (mostly) and their father, Dave, as well, their entire lives growing up. Nikki got the majority of it; Sami was the golden child but did get some and Tori got some after her sisters left but not near as bad as her oldest sister. Her mother also tortured to death two "friends" of the family, and a nephew. 

During the course of this book, I was just in shock over the "punishments" that Shelly would put her daughters through. Things no person, let alone a child should ever have to endure. As a mother myself I cannot imagine treating my children in any way but loving and caring. I felt the author did a good job of showing just how sadistic this woman is. Even going all the way back to her early childhood where she would put crushed glass in her siblings' shoes. Who does that? She is also extremely manipulative, able to take control of two "friends" emotions and lives to the point that they died, were murdered, by her. 

Her husband was no better. Not only going along with everything she demanded but participating in the abuse himself. As well as disposing of the bodies as the murders. They both ended up in prison, but for not near long enough. Dave got just under 15 years and Shelly got 22. Her release date was 2022. I cannot believe that someone who is so sadistic, and evil will be allowed to roam our world again. Personally, I believe she should have put through the same torture she put her children and others through and then she should have been put to death. 

The only saving grace of the story is the bond the sisters maintain and the strength they have found to move on the best way they can. They could have kept the truth to themselves, but they stepped out and told the truth. To try to get some justice for Kathy, Ron and their cousin Shane. 

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. The descriptions of the torture and punishment that Shelly put her kids and others though is sickening. To read some of it and think to yourself, she's doing this to a child, is very hard to comprehend. It also makes you think about all the kids out there who live like this every day and no one has a clue. Even though this is a graphic story, its well worth a read. Maybe someone reading it will see the warning signs in someone they know and save a life.