Haunter's & Hauntings: Part One (Haunter's Tale) by J. Michael Roddy

This book is a collection of histories & stories collected from the people who create and run haunted attractions. This book encompases a variety of those who specialize in scaring us. We are given a glimpse into these people's lives, and their stories. They share why they have chosen to devote their lives to scaring others and where Their inspirations for their haunted attractions come from.

I received a review copy of this book and enjoyed reading it. I had never really thought about where the ideas for a Haunted House come, nor how much work goes into not just the design, but the amount of small details necessary to make not just something spooky, but something truly amazing and memorable.

The variety Of the tales in this book was fascinating. From simple haunted hayrides, to world record holding haunted houses, and even stories of actual haunting. If you enjoy hearing about what makes various styles of  haunted attractions so entertaining, then you'll likely enjoy this book.

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The Soundtrack to your Scream by Sarah Saedo

Joan Sclacht is a Lorian Hollow Guardian. She helps to protect the human citizens of the town from those who would hurt and cause destruction to others, as well as keeping the peace among all the citizens of the town.Those who have spent their whole lives in the town know that the founding families are not human, and many of them have spent years training and joining the Guardians to help protect people. Others have no idea about the hidden dangers lurking in the town. And when someone begins killing people, removing tongues, eyes, and then sewing  the mouth shut, it’s up to the guardians to solve these murders.

I read a review copy of this book. It was an unusual horror novel with some interesting twists. Not everything is as it seems, and that will make tracking down this mysterious murderer that much more difficult for Joan and the other Guardians. Judas Lorian, One of the immortal members of the founding families, loves Joan, but can never tell her. He is immortal, with secrets that he cannot share with her because she is human. Long ago he loved and lost a human, and he has yet to forgive himself for that tragedy. And that is only one of the complications going on in this book.

I cannot go into much detail here, as I am afraid that would cause me to accidentally give away some of what is happening, and thus spoil the story for you, but I will say that I am interested in seeing what happens in book two in this series.

If you enjoy horror stories that involve some mystery, murder, and quite a bit of gore with a touch of the supernatural attached, then I think you will likely enjoy this book.

Amazon Associates Statement

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

New Moon Rising by Chelsea Burton Dunn

Vee, Shane and Patrick are in the process of moving into their new home. It has been a very chaotic move, and before they even have a chance to get unpacked, another crisis arises, leaving Vee once again without her mate and a hole where she should be able to feel him, Thomas and Tommy are also gone in the same manner, Duflanc is still after Vee, his vampire nest having devolved into chaos without him keeping the younger vampires controlled, and another Werewolf pack is attempting to take control of Shane’s territory. And that’s only the quick summary of what is happening. There’s a whole lot more than that going on in this book as well.

I received a review copy of this book, and I honestly could not put it down until I’d finished it. This story had me hooked from the beginning all the way through to the end, and I am going to be watching and waiting for my chance to read the next book in this series as well. This book is an emotional one, and had me nearly in tears more than once. The characters all stand out, not just because they are strong, but because they feel real. You can easily picture the characters and guess at how they will react to the events that are happening around them.I was sympathizing, cheering, and sitting on the edge of my seat with the events happening in this book. I really enjoyed it. (I am trying not to give anything away, because that would lessen the effect for you as you read it, so you’ll just have to grab a copy for yourself if you want to find out what I’m talking about.) 

If you haven’t already read the previous books in this series, I do recommend beginning with book 1. While you can piece together what has happened along the way if you start at a different point, I really believe that you’ll enjoy the whole series much more if you begin at the beginning. You’ll also feel much more invested in the characters and events happening in this book if you’ve read the previous ones. (This is the fourth book in this series, and the characters have definitely grown and developed quite a bit since the first book.)

If you enjoy books involving Werewolves, Vampires, Witches, Fae, Waters, and other paranormal creatures,l then I think you’ll enjoy this book. And if you’ve been reading the previous books in this series, I think you’ll love this book. I know I did.

Amazon Associates Statement

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

The Warden and the Clocktower by Steve Conoboy

Hannah Warden is a Wyrder. Ever since her father died suddenly, she has been the sole Wyrder in the idyllic seeming town of Overmere. Every night without fail, she leads a ghost walk through the town, telling the stories of the unsettled ghosts who reside in town. Some may think this is just a spooky nightly walk, where tourists are being told tales of imagined ghosts. But in Overmere, the ghosts and hauntings are real, and without the nightly walk where their stories are remembered, they would become unsettled and begin to wreak havoc once again. Tonight, Hannah’s new apprentice is joining her for his second ever ghost walk. He is new in town and has a bit of a temper, but Hannah desperately needs the help. She expects it to be a relatively calm night, but it turns out to be anything but quiet. The ghosts are unusually unsettled and easily provoked. Hannah hasn’t had such a rough night in a very long time. The question is why are they so agitated?

I read a review copy of this book. It was a delightfully spooky story, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was also a quicker read than many of the books I have been reading lately. (Of course, to be fair, many of the books I have recently read have been unusually long.) I enjoyed the characters and the tension created by both the spirits haunting the locations and among the characters on the walk themselves. It was a fun story and one that is a good choice for a Halloween season book to read. It’s spooky, with at times a suggestion of gory happenings, though such instances do not graphically take place during this story itself.

I think that anyone who enjoys stories that are somewhat creepy or eerie, who enjoys mild spooky stories, and can handle stories involving haunted toys as well as location will enjoy this book. I also think that anyone who has ever been on a ghost walk or who has thought about participating in a ghost walk will enjoy reading this story. Although I suspect that in our world, most ghost walks are not as full of agitated and angry spirits as the ones in this story seems to contain. (At least I hope not, though some locations just might have a few such hauntings of their own.)

This book was the first book in a series. (I think there are only two books in the series, though I am not entirely certain if there are or will be more at some point.) I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading book two in this series at some point. And with this being the Halloween season, it’s a good time to check this one out for some spooky and fun reading.

Mail Order Bride’s Promise, by Florence Linnington

Clara moved from England to America with her sister, brother-in-law, and their baby boy. She had been looking forward to a grand adventure in a new land and had just accepted a position working for a family in Chicago, but just before boarding the train to leave, she received word that her sister and brother-in-law were killed in an accident, leaving Clara as Elija’s only living relative. She couldn’t abandon him, but also couldn’t find a job that would hire her with a baby to care for. Just as she was running out of hope, she saw an advertisement seeking a mail order bride for a man in colorado. Taking a chance, she started writing to him, and soon found herself on her way to Colorado expecting to get married. Only when she got there, Adam had no idea who she was. It turned out that his father had been matchmaking, and had neglected to tell either of them that he’d sent for a wife for Adam. As you can guess, this did not go over well with either Clara or Adam.

I read a review copy of this book and as always, enjoyed reading Ms. Linnington’s latest book. The two main characters in this story had a unique set of problems, made more difficult  by Adam clearly suffering from PTSD after the war. These challenges only strengthened the story, along with a few other challenges that I haven’t named here. This book definitely has a lot going on, and was one that I found very entertaining. It deviates only slightly from the pattern of most mail-order bride stories, but I feel it added something to the inevitable happy ending that I always look forward to in Ms. Linnington’s books. I will note that this book is pictured on Amazon with the title of Mountain Bride’s Promise” on the cover art, but in order to actually find it on Amazon, you need to look for the title of Mail Order Bride’s Promise. I’m not sure why there is a discrepancy in the title of this book, but when I first looked for Mountain Bride’s Promise to post my review on Amazon, I could not find it until I looked up Mail Order Bride’s Promise instead.

If you enjoy Mail Order Bride stories with a bit of a twist, slow-burn romance stories, stories that deal with a couple dealing with post-war PTSD, or are just looking for a nice, story that is easy to read and is usually guaranteed to have a happy ending, then I think you will enjoy this book, As always, I did.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Lost and Found by Alex Andre

Long after the “E”  rendered machines inoperable, society has changed. Within the remains of cities, people who refer to themselves as “Rats,” search for usable items to trade or sell, though with as much time that has passed, little seems to remain. Park Yun-Mi is a young “Rat” who believes she is meant for great things. But her beginning is a rough one, leaving her with a great deal to prove to herself as well as others.

I received a review copy of this book, and while I did enjoy it, I do need to mention  that it is over 500 pages long and contains an attempted rape. The characters are interesting, but there is a great deal of necessary set up to the story before it becomes really clear what the story is about. Because of all the necessary setup to this story, and also likely due in part to the length, it feels like the plot moves somewhat slowly, though that may in part be an illusion due to it being a longer than usual book. (I expect that book two in this series will go much faster now that we have the history and background information already, and yes, I would be interested in reading book 2 in this series at some point.) 

I will say that for longer than I expected, I was trying to figure out where the story was going, but even when not yet realizing what the story was supposed to be about, I was still enjoying it. It’s not often that I read something that keeps me guessing for so long. I enjoyed reading this book.

I think anyone who enjoys post apocalyptic stories that involve a variety of people, cultures, and societies. Will enjoy this book. There is a lot going on in this story, and I have only scratched the surface of it in my review of this book. If you’re looking for a story with a variety of characters and parts to the overall story, this is the book for you.

https://amzn.to/4dst5gm (Amazon link)

https://books2read.com/u/47Bv98 (Books2Read link to other vendors

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

Shadow and Bone written by Leigh Bardugo Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

Alina Starkov has always been of little importance. She was raised in an orphanage with her best friend Mal, and the two of them joined the army together: Alina as a mapmaker and Mal as a tracker. But where he has always been amazing (he can find anything even when it appears to most as if there are no tracks), she has always been someone who appeared merely average, nothing special. At least until their entire group was almost killed in the Fold. (An area of total darkness that tears the country of Ravka in two.) It is almost impossible to cross the Fold without attracting the attention of creatures that live within the darkness. The Greshia possess abilities that help them fight against these creatures, and sometimes they succeed, sometimes less so. And when Mal and Alina are sure to be killed within the Fold, abilities that Alina didn’t know she possessed awaken. She is a sun summoner, and her light can chase the darkness away, hurting the creatures of darkness trapped in the Fold. But Alina is an untrained Gresia, and has no control over power she didn’t know she had. How can one girl become the savior of the entire world?

I listened to the audiobook edition of this book after having watched the two seasons available on Netflix. There is no season three and season two, while it ties up the story begun in season one very nicely, also leaves you hanging on what was meant to happen in season three, So I bought the audiobook through audible to listen to while I exercise. The story in book one (this book) is very similar to the Netflix season one episodes with only very few changes to the story. (I would guess those changes were made in the video production for added visual effect that you wouldn’t really see from the book, and adds to some of the horror of what happens to Alina and Mal on their journey.

In the audiobook version, the voices of each character are very distinct from each other. The narrator did a fantastic job narrating this book. And while I knew what was going to happen from having watched the Netflix version, I still very much enjoyed listening to this book. There were some slight differences in the book from the show, and I think I preferred the book version, though as I mentioned above, I can very much understand why those changes were made in the Netflix series.

Overall, this is a story that I would gladly recommend for anyone who enjoys fantasy, magic abilities, pre-industrial war stories, friends to lovers stories, romantic problems, and found family. All in all, there is a little of something for almost anyone in this book, so I would definitely suggest giving it a try, whether you chose to read it yourself, listen to the audiobook version, or even just watch the series on Netflix. (Though with no season three planned, you’ll likely need to read book 3 to find out what happens after the dramatic cliffhanger at the end of season two.)

https://amzn.to/3MWHu9y (Amazon link)

https://books2read.com/u/b56jAO (Books2Read link to other vendors)

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.