The intriguing cover for What Doesn’t Kill You by Ken Brosky caught my eye and I had to check further. I am glad I did, because I love creature features and stories that put characters to the test…and they will be. Not all will survive and I love that too. (evil grin)
Emma rolls into town, bringing with her a gift that will change the town forever. It invades the town slowly, and has a sweetness to those who claim its gift. Don’t we all know that nothing comes without a cost, and no on knows what the cost will be.
Valerie and Danny are the stars, but they are not alone. Some of the most surprising characters are those staying at the halfway house, seeking help for their addictions.
In a small town, there are no secrets, and Seven Sisters is in dire need of anything that can help the people, since Highway 55 became the Old Highway 55. How many towns have died because progress has passed them by? Why do they stay, when there is no future? What would be the lure that would compel people to move on? Does Emma know?
For Seven Sisters to survive, residents will be put to the test, needing the courage to fight for what is their lives. They will need to work together. They will need to draw from deep inside and find the strength to overcome their fear.
What Doesn’t Kill You by Ken Brosky was not exactly what I thought it would be, but the more involved I became, the more the characters drew me in, the more the tension built. The pacing and action allowed the suspense to build and I did not see the end coming. I do appreciate an author that can make me say, “Well, I sure didn’t see that coming.”
I felt the rating jumping between a three and a four. Whenever that happens, a four it is.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of What Doesn’t Kill You by Ken Brosky.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Valerie Miller and her younger brother have spent their entire lives in the dreary town of Seven Sisters, where most people are resigned to a bleak future of debt and despair. But when a mysterious woman with a dark past arrives, she brings with her a gift that could transform the town’s fortunes – and the lives of Val and Danny.
This extraordinary woman’s power is both awe-inspiring and terrifying, capable of unleashing a force that will shake Seven Sisters to its core. The stakes are high, and danger is omnipresent. Can Val and Danny rise to the challenge and seize the opportunity to finally break free from the suffocating grip of their hometown? Or will they fall victim to the terrors unleashed by this enigmatic figure? One thing is certain–when the sun rises on Seven Sisters, nothing will ever be the same again.
Part creature-feature, part survival story, What Doesn’t Kill You will keep you on the edge of your seat as Val and Danny fight for their lives and all of Seven Sisters.
Genre: Fiction, Horror
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 5, 2023 by Timber Ghost Press
ABOUT KEN BROSKY
Here’s the short and skinny:
I got my bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from UW-Eau Claire
I got my Master’s Degree in Writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
I wrote a bunch of books and short stories.
Some got published, many did not.
I self-published a YA series, which was awesome.
More stuff got rejected.
I sold a book to Kindle Press.
I wrote a mystery novel.
Sometimes, in between this stuff, I do woodworking.
The dark net is filled with monsters. It’s frequented by thieves, drug dealers, child predators, and cold-blooded killers. But Mr. Sticks is the most fearsome of them all.
Mr Sticks, Mr Sticks, master of tricks,
Tallas a shadow and wide as a mouse.
Call him and tease him, but don’t displease him…or you might end up stiff as Barb Klaus.
That was the hook for me. The cover makes me think supernatural horror, but the dark net makes me think horror of the two legged kind. Sure did make me curious and I pushed it to the top of my reading list.
Let’s talk characters: Lucia is the main character. Finley is her sixteen year old sister. Their parents are no longer together, and the fact that Finley has gone missing doesn’t affect them at all. If Lucia hadn’t come home, no one would be looking for her. Brian Van Pelt is her old boyfriend, and her sister’s current boyfriend. I immediately disliked him and everything I thought about him being a douche came to light. The only redeeming quality he had was that he was willing to help her search for her sister. Peter is a computer whiz and comes on board to help them navigate the dark web and search for Finley.
Lucia does exactly what I kept telling her (LOL) not to do and l lost a lot of respect for her, but she was willing to put her life on the line to find out what happened to Finley, so I have to give her kudos for that.
Mr Sticks was definitely creepy and not easy to figure out. I felt like yelling through my ereader at Lucia. Everyone knows you don’t go off on your own. Nothing good comes of it. But, if she didn’t stay persistent, she would have had no answers at all. I give her a lot of credit for going the distance, but, boy of boy, did she make some boneheaded moves.
My rating is what it is because of my inability to figure it all out…and I was still left shaking my head and thinking WTH. Seeing Mr Sticks is a series, the story is not over and I am curious where Jeffrey Hale will take it.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Mr Sticks by Jeffrey Hale.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The dark net is filled with monsters. It’s frequented by thieves, drug dealers, child predators, and cold-blooded killers. But Mr. Sticks is the most fearsome of them all.
Mr. Sticks uses the dark net to locate the lost and vulnerable; to lure young men and women into his web. And once he has a fly in his web, he doesn’t let go.
Nobody knows what happens to Mr. Sticks’ victims, after the dance is done, but Lucia, an office administrator from Eaton, Colorado, is determined to find out. Before her sixteen-year-old sister becomes another notch on Mr. Sticks’ belt.
Genre: Fiction, Horror
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2019 by Sands Press
Series: Mr Sticks #1
ABOUT JEFFREY HALE
Jeffrey Hale is no stranger to suburban horror. He’s been accosted by goat-human hybrids, chased by inbred wenches, attacked by giant killer bees, and survived countless hours of prime-time television. When he isn’t busy fighting for his life, he can be found reading, writing, playing the bass guitar, or otherwise making a damn fool of himself.
Roni Wright thought she had everything; huge home, successful husband, kids, and a brilliant career. That is until the worse pandemic in 100 years swept away the shallow façade of her life and she nearly lost it all.
This is the story of how a broken family navigated the most difficult year of their lives and found hope in the middle of so much loss. You will recognize many of the things that nearly broke us all as we struggled with pandemic restrictions and the new normal. But you will cheer as they work their way out of darkness into a better world.
Book Details
Genre: Family & Relationship, Biographical Fiction
Published by: Fossil Creek Press
Publication Date: May 2022
Number of Pages: 170
ISBN: 978-1-7362417-2-1
Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Read an excerpt:
April 2020 – When It Rains, It Pours
On April 1, I picked up my calendar, as I did at the beginning of every month—usually to see what we had coming up and to schedule more—and started crossing off everything. I had already crossed off the March trip to Paris. Now I crossed off this month’s planned trip to the banking conference in San Francisco. I slashed through the conference in New York. And with a little more pain, I crossed off the two Broadway shows to which I had tickets. An old college girlfriend was going to go with me to one and Dan the other. Broadway closed. New York closed. All crossed off, as was the St. Louis Symphony concert to which we had tickets. Canceled. Hockey, canceled. Three birthday parties, canceled. My appointment at the nail salon, canceled. Hairdresser, canceled. Canceled, canceled, canceled. April was looking so gloomy.
The only exercise I was getting was walking through one of our beautiful parks with the kids. Sometimes, we took bikes and rode a trail. But with April came gloom and rain and even that little bit of escape became impossible. Then the St. Louis County Executive closed all county parks. We were now required to wear a mask if we were out in public, especially indoors, and to stay six feet apart wherever we were. The gloom was growing daily. My life had no order. We were in free fall.
On April 9, we got a big shot in the arm, as it were, when $2,400 appeared in our checking account—a gift from the U.S. government. Officially the money was part of the Economic Impact Payment, but the payments were more often called stimulus checks. We just called it salvation. Like many families, we weren’t sure how we would make ends meet. This money was a gift from heaven—or the government, depending on your point of view.
By the second week of April, our school district was making an effort at learning. They asked parents to pick up “home learning packets” from the school. When I drove up to the school, someone handed me the packet for our kids’ grade levels. But when I got home, there was little explanation about the work. It was terribly disorganized and made little sense to me. Katlin wanted to learn more, and Oliver wanted to learn less. I just wanted more alcohol. Lots more. I decided hard times called for hard alcohol. Wine was OK now with lunch, but by dinner time, I needed a cocktail.
I set up a place in the basement family room for the kids to study. I tried hard to make Oliver work on letters and sight words. He would work with me for maybe thirty minutes, then he’d start disrupting everything I did. He’d rip papers and run away. Meanwhile, Katlin was trying to figure out her lessons with great frustration. She didn’t know what was wanted of her, and I couldn’t figure it out either. Oliver did everything in his considerable ability to disrupt our efforts. Most sessions ended with all three of us crying.
Not only was I failing at trying to teach my kids, I was failing at keeping them out of Nathan’s living room office. Every time Oliver ran away from me, he ran right into one of Nathan’s meetings. No order. No peace. No joy.
—
Excerpt from Finding Light in a Lost Year by Carin Fahr Shulusky. Copyright 2022 by Carin Fahr Shulusky. Reproduced with permission from Carin Fahr Shulusky. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Carin Fahr Shulusky was born and raised in west St. Louis County. She attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she received a B.J (Bachelor of Journalism). After college she worked in advertising for GE and Monsanto. She was the first professional woman in her division of each. After 25 years in Marketing, she created her own firm, Marketing Alliance. She was president of Marketing Alliance, from 2002 – 2014. She is a past-president of the Business Marketing Association of St. Louis. Carin Fahr is married to Richard Shulusky. They have two grown children and one marvelous granddaughter. Grandma Carin has a life long love of cooking, even writing her own cookbook. In 2014 Carin retired to devote full time to writing. Her first book, In the Middle was inspired by her own battle to care for her beloved mother, Dorothy Fahr. Many of the stories Carrie Young’s mother tells her in In the Middle came from Carin’s mother. Carin is a lifelong member of Pathfinder Church in Ellisville, Missouri, where she volunteers in early childhood.
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
This is a giveaway hosted by Providence Book Promotions for Finding Light in a Lost Year by Carin Fahr Shulusky. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
If you have been coming to fundinmental for a while, you probably know how much a cover can influence me. That is why I invited Barbara Casey here to tell us her thoughts. Take it away Barbara.
THE ARTFUL EXPRESSION OF BOOK COVERS
One of the things I am most pleased about in
writing The F.I.G. Mysteries is the fact that my publisher is also a
professional and extremely talented artist. From the beginning when she first
published Book 1 – The Cadence of Gypsies
– she sensed the emotional tenderness underlying the story. The cover she
designed – an obscure symbol found in the Voynich Manuscript – expressed that
emotional tenderness perfectly. At that time, I wrote The Cadence of Gypsies as a stand-alone novel. After it was published,
however, my publisher convinced me to expand it into a series. The original
cover metamorphosed into something different that was perfect because it now
tied in with the other covers on The Wish
Rider, The Clock Flower, The Nightjar’s Promise, and now, The Seraphim’s Song.
Each cover symbolizes the main underlying
theme of the book in a beautiful and sensitive expression. Books 1 through 4
have focused on the personal emotional journeys of Carolina and the females of intellectual
genius as they search for answers to explain why they were placed in an
orphanage and who their biological parents were. With those answers for the
most part found, The Seraphim’s Song elevates
Carolina and the F.I.G.s to another level of understanding. There are new
questions; more answers are needed. This involves an ancient artifact that, in
fact, is a key to all knowledge in the universe that has been hidden in a cave
in China for as long as the planet Earth has existed. The cover shows a “key”
surrounded by colors of the universe. It is beautiful, and it is perfect.
It is really nice to visit with you again. Thank you for inviting me and for your continued interest in my books. All best to you and your bloggers. ~Barbara
I am so happy to have you here and look forward to ‘seeing’ you again soon, Barbara.
The Seraphim’s Song by Barbara Casey
GENRE: Fiction/Mystery
BLURB
Book
5 – The F.I.G. Mysteries
Many changes have taken
place at Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women while Carolina and
Larry were on their honeymoon in Frascati, Italy, on the Granchelli farm. The
newlyweds have been given a larger bungalow; Ms. Alcott, niece of the founder
of Wood Rose, and Mrs. Ball, assistant to the headmaster, have moved into a
bungalow together; and Jimmy Bob, caretaker and night watchman at Wood Rose has
moved from his family home down the road a bit into a small bungalow on the
orphanage property with his hound dog Tick, as well as his new cat and her
litter of kittens. Most important, thanks to the persuasive powers of Ms.
Alcott and Mrs. Ball, the F.I.G.s have been given a forever home at Wood Rose.
Summer is coming to an
end and the F.I.G.s will soon return to the universities to complete their
special projects. They are starting to feel anxious, and the coping mechanisms
they have used their entire lives are starting to work overtime. Dara’s
thoughts turn to an unknown language, possibly from another world; Mackenzie
focuses on the relationship of math to music; and Jennifer keeps hearing the
note of B flat minor and is drawing dark swirls on her canvas board.
Deadly forces and
natural disasters are unleashed into the world when Milosh, the evil young man
who placed a curse on Carolina when she searched for her mother, steals an
ancient artifact—a “key”—from an archaeological site near Puli, China on the
Yellow Sea where he is working. This artifact, when paired with a certain
note—B flat minor known as the Seraphim’s song—opens a portal that enables man
to communicate with the gods.
When the key gets lost
in a storm, Carolina comes into possession of it through Jimmy Bob’s dog, Tick,
and when she does, she hears Lyuba, her gypsy mother, tell her that time is
running out. The F.I.G.s and Carolina must go to the forbidden cave on the
Yellow Sea, the place where the early gypsies are believed to have settled
before travelling into Europe. For it is there where the key must be returned
before all is destroyed.
EXCERPT
As she usually did in the early, pre-dawn hours, Lyuba was
digging roots, in the dark of the crescent moon, and every so often replanting
a good piece of a root to grow next year.
The day before she had picked herbs, during that time when the essential
oils are at their strongest, before they could get evaporated by the midday
sun. Where she searched was her favorite
place, the place where the energies were strongest. Surprisingly, it was the old church graveyard
built on a slight mound just outside of the rural Italian village of Frascati,
which is why the other gypsy women stayed away.
Unlike Lyuba, they feared being so near the dead. They believed that
being near death would hasten their own, therefore they refused to go there.
Lyuba, however, saw death as the natural and necessary progression of life, in
another form, in a different dimension. She found comfort and solace in its
nearness.
A creek ran nearby, and a tall, unkempt yew tree grew near
the entrance to the graveyard, poisonous, but giving off positive
energies. It was a place Lyuba knew
well, having discovered it from earlier times when the travelers came this way.
It was there where she found peace.
She would prepare her potions from the roots, bark, and hard
seeds she gathered and make decoctions by soaking them overnight and boiling
them the next day. Some of the
decoctions she would add honey or sugar to; others she would thicken into syrup
or add lard to make ointments and salves.
The freshest herbs she saved for her oils.
Once her potions were ready, she would take them into the
village to sell. Coughs or colds,
rheumatism, cuts and bruises, burns—it didn’t matter. She knew what remedy was necessary to relieve
pain, create lustrous hair, revive the impotent, whiten teeth, cure
constipation, or simply heal the broken spirit.
Unlike others who only pretended, she had the gift.
As she scraped pieces of root and bark, and gently picked
the seeds from the plants she revered, she suddenly paused, aware of something
different in the air around her—an unseen potent force. She stood up and,
closing her eyes, listened quietly as she sniffed the air. There was an
unfamiliar strangeness surrounding her. She felt the slight tremor of the earth
and somewhere very far away, she heard the low-pitched hum.
It was a sound she knew well for it had been given to every
civilization from the beginning of time. Used in all of the major
religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Zoroastrianism and
Christianity—it was the sacred universal sound.
A single sustained note, a mantra, it was the melody of the angel that
acted as the means of communication between the gods in the heavens and the
humans on earth. It was the seraphim’s song.
But something was wrong; the single note was slightly
off-key. The pitch wasn’t quite right. Then, because she was a choovihni and
had the knowledge of the universe coursing through her veins, a cosmic
consciousness that had been passed down to her from her mother, her
grandmother, and her great grandmothers through all time, she sensed darkness
and evil.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Originally from
Carrollton, Illinois, author/agent/publisher Barbara Casey attended the
University of North Carolina, N.C. State University, and N.C. Wesleyan College
where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English
and history. In 1978 she left her
position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at
North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own
manuscript evaluation and editorial service.
In 1995 she established the Barbara Casey Agency and since that time has
represented authors from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan.
In 2014, she became a partner with Strategic Media Books, an independent
nonfiction publisher of true crime, where she oversees acquisitions, day-to-day
operations, and book production.
Barbara has
written over a dozen award-winning books of fiction and nonfiction for both young
adults and adults. The awards include the National Association of University
Women Literary Award, the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award, the Independent
Publisher Book Award, the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel, the IP Best Book
for Regional Fiction, among others. Several of her books have been optioned for
major films and television.
Her
award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in
both national and international publications including the North Carolina
Christian Advocate Magazine, The New East Magazine, the Raleigh (N.C.) News and
Observer, the Rocky Mount (N.C.) Sunday Telegram, Dog Fancy, ByLine, The
Christian Record, Skirt! Magazine, and True Story. A thirty-minute television special which
Barbara wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh,
North Carolina. She also received
special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of
Albanian children’s stories. Her award-winning science fiction short stories
for adults are featured in The Cosmic Unicorn and CrossTime science fiction
anthologies. Barbara’s essays and other
works appear in The Chrysalis Reader, the international literary journal of the
Swedenborg Foundation, 221 One-Minute Monologues from Literature (Smith and
Kraus Publishers), and A Cup of Comfort (Adams Media Corporation).
Barbara is a
former director of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida, where she served as
guest author and panelist. She has
served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin
Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003. In 2018 Barbara received the prestigious
Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for
her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing
and other areas. She makes her home on the top of a mountain in northwest
Georgia with three cats who adopted her, Homer – a Southern coon cat, Reese – a
black cat, and Earl Gray – a gray cat and Reese’s best friend.
Today I am excited to share the release of Historical Serenade: Seven Tales of Romance. This collection of historical romances will transport you from the comfort of your home. For a limited time you can own the digital edition for 99 cents. It is also available for Kindle Unlimited. Learn more, order your copy, and enter the celebratory giveaway!
Historical Serenade: Seven Tales of Romance
From authors Lane McFarland, April Holthaus, Barbara Bettis, Dawn Marie Hamilton, Karen Muir, Ria Cantrell, and Ruth A. Casie comes a collection of Historical and Time Travel Romances.
Let them serenade you with their spell-binding tales filled with danger, deception, revenge, honor and passion as we take you back in time on a journey spanning the Medieval Highlands through England’s Golden Age to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
HEART OF THE HIGHLANDS: THE RAVEN by April Holthaus
As the king’s personal guard, Eamon MacLeish’s loyalty has never been questioned until a mysterious lass seeks an asylum for a crime, she claims she did not commit. Adelyn Scott would welcome death over marriage but had no idea her wish would come true when she discovers her husband’s body on the night of their wedding.
As Adelyn and Eamon piece together clues surrounding her husband’s murder, Eamon must choose between his loyalty or his heart.
SILVERHAWK by Barbara Bettis
Seeking revenge again his father, Sir Giles kidnaps the man’s young betrothed, only to find himself thwarting her repeated escape efforts. Lady Emelin won’t let a blasted mercenary destroy her last chance at a home and family, yet when she learns they must track down English traitors, she reluctantly assists. Eluding searchers and enemies like, Giles and Emelin discover that their past goals don’t matter; only a future together will do.
JUST WITHIN A HIGHLAND MIST by Dawn Marie Hamilton
A trio of pesky pixies have plans for Gregor MacLachlan’s heart. While hunting, a wayward shot from his bow nearly hits a strange lass who appears as if by magic. Emily Smith follows a child in her care onto a forbidden mound in the woods and wakes in a strange bed, in a place and time not her own. Can she find love in the arms of the dark-eyed stranger who becomes her champion?
DAGGER’S DESTINY by Karen Muir
In Medieval England, after Lady Katherine de Grey’s family is murdered, she is rescued by a childhood friend, Sir Richard Weston, and they are forced to marry. Richard resents the edict and intends to petition for an annulment. But, Katherine has other plans. With each caress of her dagger, she empowers herself to fight for her destiny. All she has to do is convince her new husband that the woman he truly desires is already his wife.
TO LOVE AN IMPOSTOR by Lane McFarland
Disguised as Nicholas Barlow, a ruthless, old businessman during the day, the Flintlock Brigand’s leader at night, and Captain Randolf, in between, Nicholas ruins constables who failed to show Bristol’s orphans mercy.
Diana Fleming, daughter of Bristol’s wealthiest gentry, returns to beg her father for help raising of ten orphaned children, but instead discovers her father died because of Nicholas Barlow. Now penniless and desperate, she’s determined to destroy the man who murdered her father.
CELTIC PERIL by Ria Cantrell
Tom Callum landed a spot with Celtic Storm as the lead singer and front man. When he reaches Scotland, he is drawn to seek his heritage and uncover the mysteries of his past. He is fascinated with a painting of a girl, Jenna Brandham of the Clan MacCollum, who lived more than six hundred years ago. Jenna tugs at his long forgotten memory. Tom will soon be plunged into a world of intrigue, deception and peril. The past and present collide in an adventure that brings danger at every turn. Only love will give Tom the strength he needs to thwart an attempt on King Richard’s life. Will Tom be able to survive his leap into the past? Will he be able to survive his return to the present, only to leave his heart behind?
THE MAXWELL GHOST by Ruth A. Casie
Traitors, deception, murders and ghosts run rampant at Caerlaverock Castle. Jamie Collins and Laura Reynolds, long-time friends find their destinies intertwined with hidden passions, but all is in jeopardy when Laura becomes the murderer’s next target. Jamie will find he needs some ghostly assistance to save Laura and declare his love. No magic…a love that lasts an eternity.
Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned– but when that woman is a witch, hell is nothing but a tropical vacation.
I’ve been summoned to pronounce sentence on the men who have conned, lied, deceived, stolen or abused my worldly sisters. The time of laughing in the face of justice is over for, at least, one such man. His sins have been exposed and when he attempts to place me on his list of victims, he discovers that he made a fatal error.
An eternity of suffering is nothing compared to the fate I have in mind for him as he realizes there’s no escape from the truth. The question remains: how high a price should be paid to heal the pain he caused?
BDSM/AP lifestyler Breanna Hayse strives to give her readers truth and reality of the BDSM/Age-Play/Total Power and Erotic Exchange lifestyle.
Who am I?
I’m a native Californian gone ‘wild’, and had the opportunity to travel the globe and discover the world through the eyes of both a Marine Intelligence specialist and a BDSM lifestyler. I left the service to go into hospice nursing and grief counseling, eventually working as a marriage and family therapist for those involved in alternative lifestyle development. This experience has allowed me to gain unique inspiration for my books and offer realistic plots and relatable characters.
In 2004, my husband, John, and I joined forces to work with both submissives and dominants- teaching, training, listening and loving. Our goal was to take the mystery and fear out of the lifestyle and mentor people in safe, consensual and healthy relationships.
My first book, The Game Plan, was published in 2012 and opened the door to the now-booming world of Age-Play literature. Since that time, I’ve devoted my ‘spare’ time to writing, researching, community involvement, and private and group pro bono counseling in deviant behavior, alternative lifestyle, and addiction recovery.
I was formally ‘dungeon trained’ as a Domme before discovering my submissive side when I joined the service. My scenarios are pulled primarily from either personal experience or observation, including spending time in BDSM clubs as the safety/medical officer. My multi-faceted background allows me to glean from many avenues and give a unique and intelligent literary experience through elements of fantasy and fiction. I also discuss the questions and psychology of the lifestyle in a manner that is fun and informative, and based on ‘the real deal.’
I live with my husband, musician, and fellow-author, John Hayse, and two border collies in southern California. We practice a 24/7 D&S relationship with speckles of AP (and many trips to Build-A-Bear), and happily spend every moment together that we can. My hobbies include my puppies, hiding my vanilla salt-water taffy where John can’t find it, exotic art, collecting inspirational trinkets, and developing my own paddle line. You can also see me as a featured author/instructor in professional conference settings and as a Sexpert for kinkyliterature.com.
J P Choquette asked me if I would like to read Silence in the Woods and I gave her a quick yes. I love anything to do with the woods and a good scare, maybe meeting Bigfoot, gotta go for it. How about you? Would you go looking for Bigfoot?
Four went into the woods…only one came out…with a harrowing story that got him locked up in an asylum.
The group of friends had went into the woods to photograph the elusive creature that was reputed to be the cause of missing people.
The book alternates between when they went into the woods and Paul’s story after he came out…alone.
Paul is determined to return. He feels that his wife, Jane, is still alive and hopes their friends are too. BUT…there is more than Bigfoot on the loose and he will, again, have to fight for his life.
We have plenty of mystery, action and horror. Also a bit of Indian mythology going on. So all I can say is…be careful of those hieroglyphs and hikes in the woods. I love stories about the woods and I would and do enter…willingly. Would you?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Silence in the Woods by J P Choquette.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
What Castle Rock does for Maine, Monsters in the Green Mountains does for Vermont.
In
1917, four friends and photojournalists set out in the woods looking
for answers. Why have so many hikers and hunters gone missing in the
area of Shiny Creek Trail?
The two couples anticipate a great
adventure, one they’ll tell their kids about someday. No one imagines
the evil lurking in a remote cave. A horrifying discovery leaves one
person dead and two others missing.
Two months later, Paul, one
of the four, returns to the forest to find his wife. But will he find
her before someone—or something—finds him? Silence in the
Woods is the long-awaited prequel to Shadow in the Woods and delves into
the frightening territory of the supernatural and the human mind.
Readers
of books by authors like H.P. Lovecraft and John Saul will enjoy this
twisty-turning, supernatural survival story set in the remote
wilderness. Occult horror fans looking for an edge-of-your-seat suspense
minus most of the gore will find a perfect fit with the first book in
the “Monsters in the Green Mountains,” series.
What is real and
what is folklore? Are monsters like Bigfoot still alive in the deepest
areas of Vermont’s Green Mountains, or just characters in stories told
around the campfire? Folk legends come to life in this heart
rate-accelerating suspense mystery novel by J.P. Choquette.
ABOUT J P CHOQUETTE
J.P. Choquette is the author of thriller novels set in Vermont. Her books, “turn pages, not stomachs,” and frequently tie in the themes of art, nature and psychology. A lover of Gothic books and movies, J.P. enjoys being in nature with her family, spending time in old cemeteries and visiting junk shops.
Learn more about the author at her website, www.jpchoquette.me, where you can grab a free short story and enter into a monthly book giveaway.
There are more than animals in the water, and they want YOU.
How do you protect yourself?
A little mystery and plenty of danger, as the four kids try to survive and make good their escape. I enjoyed this novella, but I was never really scared, just curious.
What is it? Who and how will they survive?
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Four teenagers. A cottage by the sea. Something comes at night. Something comes with the tide …
They Come at Night was originally published in Danish, but is now available in English.
The Knowing by Brit Lunden is part of the Bulwark Anthology, a collection of nine novellas. Brit’s debut novella, Bulwark, gave birth to this collection that takes place in the quiet little town of Bulwark in Georgia, USA.
The novella I am sharing today is The Knowing by Brit Lunden. I am anxious to revisit Bulwark and see what will happen today.
The Knowing, the feeling that you are going to meet someone special.
Brit Lunden recaps the happenings from the first novella, Bulwark, and I always like that refresher. Sometimes it’s a long time between readings.
We met JB in Bulwark and now, his mood turns to the past and the love of his life, Ellie. He had known he would never leave Bulwark. Farm work it will be, not a football hero, even though he was that good, Bear Bryant wanted to recruit him. I love that addition to the story. I don’t believe there is a soul alive in Alabama who doesn’t know who Bear Bryant is.
So not what I was expecting, but it turned into a wonderful tale of love, second chances and maybe a little bit of magic.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Knowing by Brit Lunden.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Bulwark- a wall or stockade that protects or sometimes hides the truth from the outside world.
Bulwark, Georgia, isolated, hidden. Who knows what strange things can happen when the rest of the world can’t see you? JB Stratton is alone in the world, and all he has left are the memories of his beloved Ellie. Dirt poor JB and wealthy Ellie feel an instant connection that is as intense and primal as the blood red earth of their home. Unseen roots connect them, pulling them into an impossible relationship. Will the memories of past lives help or hinder the path of their love? Based on the original novella Bulwark, by Brit Lunden, The Knowing continues the story of a town isolated from the rest of the world where the impossible becomes plausible, and logic is determined by reality.
ABOUT BRIT LUNDEN
Brit Lunden is a prolific author who’s written over 50 books in assorted genres under different pen names. Bulwark was her first effort in adult fiction and was chosen by several of her fellow authors as the basis for a new series, A Bulwark Anthology. Using her characters, they are creating new denizens in spin-off stories to this bizarre town. Brit Lunden lives on Long Island in a house full of helpful ghosts.
Well, what can I say about these characters…that they leave a lot to be desired is putting it mildly, as they will throw each other under the bus as the mystery surrounding the murder brings forth some misdirection and plenty of suspects that may keep you guessing as the last drink is drunk and the party has ended.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Last Dinner Party by Carly M Duncan.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
When Jeanie D’Alisa is
found murdered in her bedroom after hosting a dinner party in her home,
detectives Anna Cole and Kristy Hicks are called to investigate the
crime. Known within her community for her generous, yet unpredictable
nature, Jeanie’s secrets unfold as family, friends and neighbors become
suspects. Anna and Kristy discover stamped passport pages revealing
travels unknown and a curious relationship between Jeanie and the
charming salesman who frequents the apartment building. Meryl, Jeanie’s
devoted and needy friend, further complicates the investigation when she
phones Jeanie’s sister who is studying abroad and lies to her about the
cause of death. Through a muddied pool of misdirection and betrayal,
will Anna and Kristy be able to assemble the clues in order to bring
Jeanie’s killer to justice? The path to solving the mystery becomes
tangled with faces of loved ones who are revealed to be foes in this
story about the lengths people will go to in order to save themselves.
