This is not my first walk on the dark side with Calvin Demmer. This short story collection brought horrible surprises to light and the evil stalking the pages never let up. Definitely cringe worthy. I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Through The Ravenous Night by Calvin Demmer.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Secret societies, serial killers, malevolent criminals, and other evils stalk these pages.
A short story collection.
Genre: Anthology, Horror, Short Stories, Thrillers
117 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2024
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Calvin Demmer is a dark fiction author. His debut collection, The Sea Was a Fair Master, was released in June 2018. When not writing, he is intrigued by that which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.
His Brother’s Dragon by Maggie Tideswell is Book II of the Tasmanian Vampire Colony trilogy. It picks up where His Brother’s Mate left off, so I recommend reading the series in order.
Harriet was in love with Enso. She would do anything to be with him, even if that meant becoming a vampire. Benji, Enso’s brother, is obsessed with her. By him becoming her ‘father’ and changing her, it makes her off limits to him. There was a crazy quadrangle going on and I wondered if Harriet would ever be safe in the colony.
Mariah is Benji’s wife, pregnant with his child. She is also a dragon. He continues to deny that she is his mate, and in His Brother’s Dragon we will get the answer.
Steamy sex scenes, vampire and dragon slayers, obsession, and danger surround the characters, which are well rounded and continue to develop throughout the series. The action keeps the pace of the novel moving along, keeping me involved, having to know how it will end.
The trilogy will be wrapped up with Suzanne’s story in Her Brother’s Keeper.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy I received from BookSprout and Maggie Tideswell.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He killed her! Her friend drank all her blood and killed her! Is she a vampire now?
The thing is, she’d wanted him to. For Enso, so that they could be together for all eternity. The wife Benji had hidden from her is a dragon shifter! Harriet didn’t know dragons were real, but then again, she’d thought vampires were no more than a thumbsuck by one of Hollywood’s own. Now she is one of them—for love. Benji insists that Mariah is his wife, not his mate, even though they are having a baby together. In his mind, Harriet is his mate, even after she is officially mated with Enso, his brother. Harriet is now his daughter; she can’t be his mate, but his libido refuses to read that memo. What will it take to convince him of what is right under his nose? He and Mariah are more like enemies than a loving, married couple. Everything changes when Mariah and the baby disappear without a trace. Did they go home with her parents as they’d tried to convince her to, or was their disappearance due to something more sinister? After all, two slayers have been seen in the vicinity of the colony, one of them a dragon slayer. When Leila’s brother Abe contacts Suzanne, Benji and Enso’s sister, the suspicion is that he is spying on Leila’s behalf, but it turns out that he has a proposition for Suzanne that has nothing to do with his sister. Find the answers to all these questions in the second installment of the Tasmanian Vampire Colony.
Genre: Dragons, Paranormal, Supernatural, Vampire
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2024
Series: Tasmanian Vampire Colony #2
ABOUT MAGGIE TIDESWELL (from Amazon)
Bestselling international author of spooky paranormal romance, urban fantasy romance, and fantasy romance, Maggie Tideswell has a passion for romance. She combines things that can’t be explained with sweaty bodies and rumpled beds in a way that will make your toes curl and your hair stand on end.
Maggie lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with her husband Gareth and a cat called Auntie. She just can’t do without perfume, her tea and the internet. She is nearly as passionate about food as she is about creating alpha heroes every woman will fall in love with, just as she does, every time.
Follow Maggie on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-tideswell
Subscribe to Maggie’s Ghoulies & Ghosties newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/h4o5m6
December 30, 2024 – January 31, 2025 Virtual Book Tour
MY REVIEW
Lethal Wilderness Trap by Susan Furlong is a fast paced thriller that I read in one sitting. It has a light Christian touch and had me rapidly flipping pages as the mystery unfolded. We have plenty of suspects and the villains were hidden amongst the red herrings. The characters felt real, and I quickly became involved in their outcome. Sure, the romance happened quickly, but when you know, you know. Having a K9 companion adds a nice touch and he plays a significant role in Lethal Wilderness Trap. I’ll have my eyes open for more from Susan Furlong.
4 Stars
Synopsis:
Trust means everything…
when danger hits too close to home.
Hunting a never-caught killer, Special Agent Nolan Shea learns of a new victim. But the body on Ava Burke’s land puts her and her young daughter, Rose, in someone’s lethal sights. With a trail of shocking clues pointing to her family’s involvement, Ava starts to question everything she holds dear and is soon desperate to uncover the truth with Nolan. Step after step, they confront their fears. But will finally cornering a murderer out in the wilderness become a trap they can’t escape?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
Book Details:
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense Published by: Harlequin Publication Date: January 21, 2025 Number of Pages: 208 ISBN: 9781335980427 (ISBN10: 1335980423) Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Harlequin
Author Bio:
Susan Furlong grew up in North Dakota where she spent long winters at her local library scouring the shelves for mysteries to read. Now, she lives in Illinois with her husband and children and writes mysteries of all types. She has over a dozen published novels and her work has earned a spot in the New York Times list of top crime fiction books of the year. When not writing, she volunteers at her church and spends time hiking and fishing.
Fear Of The Light by Ross Harrison is the eight novel in the Nexus universe. I have missed all the previous novels, except Forge Of The Assassin, but never felt lost. Sure, I didn’t know how all the characters came together, so I do highly recommend beginning at the beginning to get the full benefit.
Fear Of The Light is about the gunslinger, Archer, and the assassin, Juni. They are a couple…with secrets.
Archer is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse. The sins of the father have passed down to him, but Juni is the one paying the price. She has been taken, and each day brings her closer to death.
Ross Harrison has created a fantastic science fiction world that I got lost in. There are lots of characters, but be careful of who you choose as your favorite. Not all of them will make it to the end. The suspense hovers over the pages, and I am waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Every time I turn around, the danger increases.
When I got to the end…
It left me wondering…what comes next.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
– The eighth novel in the sweeping science-fantasy NEXUS universe and sequel to Fear of the Dark –
The gunslinger and the assassin. Star-crossed. Hopeful.
He’s dangerously in love. He’s willing to sacrifice everything. And he’s dying.
She’s unstoppable. She’s unbeatable. And she’s been taken.
An enemy they never saw coming has accomplished the he has kidnapped the assassin Juni Lien. To keep her alive, Travis Archer must face a series of ‘trials’, each pushing further away everyone who cares about him and leading to devastating consequences.
To save each other from the one foe neither of them can fight, they must each unravel the mysteries of the past. But as they dig deeper into this deranged kidnapper’s motives, they’ll uncover shocking secrets lurking in the shadows. As the truth is dragged into the light, an intricate web of deceit, manipulation, and misdirection threatens to destroy everything they’ve fought for.
If there’s one truth the kidnapper has spoken, it’s Hope is a lie.
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction
483 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2024
ABOUT ROSS HARRISON
Ross Harrison is the author of novels and short stories in the realms of science fiction – specifically space opera and science fantasy – thriller, noir, and steampunk. He has been writing since childhood, and occasionally likes to revisit those old stories for a good cringe and nervous laugh. He also talks about himself in the 3rd person because it seems more professional.
Ross lives on the UK/Eire border in Ireland, where he moved from England in 2001, hoping the rain will help his hair grow back.
Bending The ARC by Nicholas Gretener is a story that pits lawyer, Steve Shane against a team of lawyers from the notable firm of Todd Ives Tillington. The disparity between them makes the outcome seem like a forgone conclusion. Not so fast.
How can the scales of justice be balanced? Enter LawForce, a legal SWAT team led by Steve Shane to do just that.
I had thought all the battles would take place in the courtroom, but that is not the case. On land and sea, Steve Shane will struggle to save Wildcat Oil & Gas from the Green Action Coalition.
Wildcat Oil & Gas is plagued by accidents, each more deadly than the last. But, things are not as they seem. At times, Nicholas Gretener had me sitting on the edge of my seat, tightly gripping my ereader as I raced through the pages to see what was going to happen next. Not all the characters will survive and I did not take their deaths lightly. I may have even shed a tear or two as the book came to its conclusion.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bending The ARC by Nicholas Gretener.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jonathan Hendrix, the youngest U.S. Attorney General in history, knows that bending the arc won’t happen on its own, help is needed. He is determined to curb runaway civil jury awards that are threatening to destabilize the economy.
Graduating law school, Steve Shane is a top wall street prospect. Shunning the big firms, he sets up his own practice and six years later has developed a solid reputation as a commercial litigator.
Hendrix recruits Shane to create LawForce, a government-supported, legal SWAT team to be deployed in key cases where an inequality of counsel threatens bad verdicts. Their first case – Green Action Coalition v. Wildcat Oil & Gas.
A medium sized oil and gas company, Wildcat is plagued by an apparently random series of environmental accidents. Not accidents according to the Green Action Coalition, a leader in the new era of aggressive environmental litigation, but evidence of a pattern of negligence. The damages sought by the GAC have the potential to destroy Wildcat. Acting for the GAC is a high-powered team of legal eagles from the blue-chip firm of Todd Ives Tillington, led by senior partner Andrew Tillington III. Wildcat appears hopelessly outclassed . . . then Shane is retained.
Shane and LawForce discover they are in for more than just a tough legal battle as they negotiate the twists and turns of the case to its explosive courtroom finale.
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
399 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2024
ABOUT NICHOLAS GRETENER
Nick is a retired lawyer and engineer, based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He splits his time between Calgary, Canada; Wengen, Switzerland; and Maui, USA.
He can usually be found writing on a laptop somewhere, skiing down a piste, hiking up a mountain, or rafting down a river in canyon country.
He is convinced that if people read more, the world would be a better place. It doesn’t always have to be heavy. Read something that will stretch your mind, then enjoy a beach read. Rinse and repeat.
Welcome to Sleighville, where it’s Christmas 365 days of the year. The holliest jolliest small town has taken a hit and Lila Hansley, a public relations expert, has come to town to repair their image. She’ll be working hand in hand with the mayor Bryce Stuart.
Bryce not only has a town with public relations at an all time low, but so is his personal life. His wife has beat him down and he needs a makeover too. Could Lila be the answer to both problems?
No sooner do they get over one black mark against the town, but then someone is murdered. It seems like every time they turn around, something bad is happening. Lila is determined to fix it.
We have a mixed bag of characters, most of whom I met before in Dashing Through The Fear, Book I, Griffin and Eve’s story. We have more mystery than suspense, but there is danger surrounding Lila. She can’t…won’t…run from it. She will face it head on.
Looking for a feel good story for the holiday season? Looking for something to make you feel warm and fuzzy all over? Why not try an Amanda Siegrist novel. She loves to give you happy ever afters.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From USA Today bestselling author Amanda Siegrist comes an intense holiday romantic suspense series that will make you swoon and hold you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Welcome to Sleighville…where mayhem meets murder.
Mayor Bryce Stuart’s quaint Christmas town is in crisis. With holiday cheer fading faster than melting snow, he turns to a PR firm for a total holiday makeover. Amidst the tinsel-draped chaos and unexpected divorce papers, Bryce is determined to save his town even as his personal life unravels.
Lila Hansley, a PR whiz, would rather dodge snowflakes than deck the halls. When her grinch of a boss tasks her with reviving a town where yuletide seems cursed, she finds herself tangled in more than just stubborn locals and tacky decorations. Between Bryce’s infectious Christmas spirit and his soon-to-be ex-wife’s icy interference, Lila’s job becomes a real-life holiday mayhem.
But when mischief escalates to murder, Sleighville’s revival takes a sinister turn. As tensions rise and secrets surface, Bryce and Lila must navigate a web of small-town intrigue where someone’s silent night just became permanent.
Can they uncover the mystery before their Christmas miracle becomes another holiday homicide? Or will Sleighville’s dark secrets bury their efforts deeper than the winter snow?
Don’t miss book two in this suspenseful Christmas series where you’ll find holiday joy all year long!
The entire Sleighville (each book can be read as a standalone.) Dashing Through the Fear (Book 1): Griffin & Eve Here Comes Chaos (Book 2): Bryce & Lila
Love! Gimme some love and heaps of romance. I have a sappy heart that just loves two people meeting, going through the cycles of a relationship, and ultimately, falling in love. Give me a good book like that and I’m a happy camper:)
I write contemporary and romantic suspense, but I am partial to suspense. I just love a good mystery.
Besides writing, I love baking, crafts, and baseball…oh, and meeting new people. *smiles*
Ivory’s Fight (Prey Security – Artemis Team) may be the first book in the series, but I have met these characters before. It is great to be back with them.
Ivory had been kidnapped when she was a baby, her captor teaching her how to be an assassin. She had been rescued by Prey, and her and her sister’s now work for them. She is on an undercover mission when she finds herself rescued by Roman Morales, who also works for Prey Security. She is searching for a group of children who have been kidnapped, and Roman wants revenge, after his sister’s death. They decide to work together.
There are triggers with human trafficking, rape and torture.
I love that this series is about the four sisters that were rescued by Prey. I know Jane will put them through the wringer, dragging their baggage out in the open for all to see, and helping them find their happy ever after. I can hardly wait to crack open the next book in the series.
I love Jane Blythe’s writing. She weaves romance and suspense seamlessly, putting her characters through hell to come out the other side with a happy ever after.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Falling in love has no place in a mission of revenge.
Abducted as a baby, Ivory Smith was trained to be one thing; a killer. Rescued before she could fulfil her captor’s purposes now she works for Prey Security’s Artemis Team taking down human traffickers. What should be a typical undercover mission becomes anything but when not only does she meet a man who intrigues her but she comes face to face with her abuser.
Former Delta Force operator turned DEA Agent Roman Morales lives for one thing; revenge. Growing up surrounded by addiction he’s determined not to fall down the same hole, which means keeping everyone at a distance. Until he meets a beautiful, brave woman determined to help him get the revenge he craves, he just doesn’t think he has anything to offer her in return.
USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!
Blood Lasts Forever is not my first Jeff Gunhus novel. His writing is amazing and there is never any hesitation when I am offered a copy for review.
Fifteen year old Wyatt Bucks is a bully. When he turns up dead, no one in the small town of chambers questions it. It only took one mistake for someone to hunt him down and make him pay. The Fab Five have taken a blood oath to take their secret to the grave.
It’s twenty years later, and the past has come calling. Jeff Gunhus did a great job of creating a story and characters that are realistic and gripping. The details enabled me to visualize the scenes as they unfolded.
I wondered what would happen at the cabin. I figured someone must have broken the blood oath, but who and why was the big question. It didn’t go down the way I thought it would, but that’s not surprising with Jeff Gunhus. He is a master at creating suspense and roller coaster ride stories, keeping me flipping pages, eager to know what comes next.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Not every death is a tragedy.
When fifteen-year-old Wyatt Bucks is found dead in the Sagasett River, the small town of Chambers breathes a collective sigh of relief. Wyatt was a troubled youth, feared and despised by many. But his death, deemed an accident by the local sheriff, leaves a chilling legacy that will haunt the town for decades.
Twenty years later, Mitch Ansel, now a middle school teacher, receives a call that resurrects the nightmares of his past. Alongside his old friends, the Fab Five, Mitch is forced to confront the dark secret they’ve buried for years—a secret that ties them to Wyatt’s death.
As the friends reunite at a remote cabin, they must navigate a web of deceit, fear, and violence. Each carries scars from the past, but none are prepared for the revelations that await them. Mitch’s terrifying visions of Wyatt and the relentless pull of their shared guilt threaten to unravel their lives and sanity.
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2024
ABOUT JEFF GUNHUS
Jeff Gunhus is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year-old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 30 on Amazon, have been recognized as Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists and reached the USA TODAY bestseller list.
After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active life in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel or on JeffGunhus.com.
OMG, I sure didn’t see where this was going. Each book of the Lair series by D V Sullivan has been filled with action and I have loved every minute with Arie and Adrian. Each book drew me deeper and deeper into their world. I didn’t see a way for them to survive, let alone have a happy every after.
They are on a mission. A mission to take out Adrian’s maker, the cruelest vampire of them all. They will find out if he can become human again.
Arie was able to lure people to her side, risking life and limb. She had never considered herself a leader, but there are those that are willing to follow. Unfortunately, not all will survive. I do love an author that is so confident his story can stand after killing off a character or two or three or…
Wow, just wow. There were so many things I loved about Lair Reckoning. The whole premise, a ‘Below Deck’ world was a novel approach. Why would vampires want to live on yachts? Because D V Sullivan wanted them to. He was a deckhand in the Mediterranean, so he has first hand experience of what the workers go through. Then you just need to add vampires to the mix.
My thanks go out to D V Sullivan for passing along the first three books in the series. The ending of Lair Reckoning wrapped up one story, but I see more adventures on the horizon.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Will Arie finally free Adrian so they can be together? Things have not gone as planned. Aurora Strand has run away from an abusive past and fallen in love with billionaire yacht owner Adrian Voper—a vampire. In order to turn him back into a human so they can be together, she must hunt down and destroy his maker, the Commodore, leader of all seafaring vampires. But now that the Commodore is aware of their plan, Aurora must take matters into her own hands—by infiltrating the Commodore’s yacht as a stewardess so she can take him out herself. Little does she know that this boat is a horror show where women are hunted for sport, and that in facing the Commodore she will have to face her abuse. How? She must offer herself up as concubine in order to get close enough to assassinate the Commodore, and to do so she must first be tasted by his blood son, who may or may not be an ally. Will she be exposed? Or will she be tempted by possibilities that may just cost her Adrian?
D.V. Sullivan has been a deckhand in the Mediterranean, a bartender in New York and an English teacher in China. Now that he’s no longer hosing salt off yachts during high-wind gales, he writes from his lair in the Pacific Northwest.
WOW. I read Bound By Blood by Shawn David Brink at a breakneck pace. I was engrossed from the opening pages and could not stop reading. I love good vs evil and angels and demons. Brother was pitted against brother.
Seth had found salvation, but his twin, Jason had chosen to join the Kinship. The Kinship is a cult and they are vying for the human souls of the church, but they need the brothers to fulfill a prophecy.
Shawn does an excellent job describing the battles fought. I couldn’t ‘look’ away.
I do love how he wraps the ending up in a tidy package.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A demonic cult and a Christian church battle for territory. Combat lines are drawn. Angels and demons square off as brother goes against brother. The spoils of war are human souls. Who will rise victorious, and at what cost?
Genres: Horror 296 pages, Kindle Edition Published August 15, 2024by Wise Words Publishing
