Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2026! I’m so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!
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I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!
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Wild Spaces
By S. L. Coney
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Genre: Horror / Fantasy
MY REVIEW
Well, the synopsis sure hooked me. A young boy was living his best life with his supportive parents and his trusted companion, his dog Teach. His grandfather descended on this idyllic life and everything changed.
If you notice that I didn’t give the boy’s name, it’s because the author only named one character, the dog, Teach. I enjoyed the character’s being named as what they were, not who they were. It allowed me to see them for myself, and as the foreboding and darkness fell upon the family, the more clearly I saw them.
Right from the beginning I could feel the suspense looming over the events even before anything really occurred. It was almost like a flavor sprinkled over the words. And as my curiosity grew, I anxiously waited for the other foot to drop. Boy, did it. And in a way I was hoping it would. This may be a coming of age tale but it also had some pretty dark, disturbing and scary elements. Gotta love it when your heart rate speeds up.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
Robert R. McCammon’s Boy’s Life meets H. P. Lovecraft in Wild Spaces, a foreboding, sensual coming-of-age debut in which the corrosive nature of family secrets and toxic relatives assume eldritch proportions.
An eleven-year-old boy lives an idyllic childhood exploring the remote coastal plains and wetlands of South Carolina alongside his parents and his dog Teach. But when the boy’s eerie and estranged grandfather shows up one day with no warning, cracks begin to form as hidden secrets resurface that his parents refuse to explain.
The longer his grandfather outstays his welcome and the greater the tension between the adults grows, the more the boy feels something within him changing —physically—into something his grandfather welcomes and his mother fears. Something abyssal. Something monstrous.
Secrets. Betrayal. And the woman left to pick up the pieces.
At seventy, Katrina Johnson thought she understood the shape of her life. She was a devoted wife, a mother who did her best, and the keeper of a Victorian farmhouse that had held her family’s joys and sorrows for generations. Then her husband dies and everything she believed about her marriage begins to unravel. As grief gives way to long-buried secrets, Katrina faces a devastating medical diagnosis, mounting financial pressure, and the very real possibility of losing the home that defines her past. Old fractures in her family deepen. Her relationship with her daughter remains painfully distant, while her son, caught between loyalty and resentment, attempts to hold what little remains together. When Katrina is forced to rent out rooms in her farmhouse, the presence of a young tenant unsettles her in ways she can’t ignore, awakening memories and betrayals she thought she had survived that now refuse to stay buried. Katrina now must confront the cost of the choices she made to preserve her marriage. With the past pressing relentlessly into the present, Katrina must face the life she built through silence and sacrifice and the parts of herself she left behind. She must decide whether reclaiming herself requires embracing the very wounds that shaped her. Tender, reflective, and emotionally resonant, this novel explores love, betrayal, identity, and the quiet courage it takes to begin again. It asks a haunting question at the heart of many lives: when so much has been lost, is it still possible to choose yourself?
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Praise for All That Was Left Unsaid:
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“Through an emotionally engaging plot and nuanced characters, Danielle Dragona’s All That Was Left Unsaid elegantly explores the process of discovering the person you want to be and figuring out how to get there.” ~ IndieReader Approved Review “In All That Was Left Unsaid, Danielle Dragona has created complex characters involved in fragile relationships. The plot is intensely charged, and a couple of bombshells are dropped, which threaten to destroy these relationships. The author has a way with words as well, identifying old age as the evening of life and the bucket list as the Love List. This story is about nurturing and valuing all our relationships, no matter their source.”” ~ Donna Stevenson, Readers’ Favorite ★★★★★ Five-Star Review “All That was Left Unsaid is a poignant, powerful novel, exploring heartfelt, realistic issues. Readers will connect with the characters and their intense emotional journeys, finding the story both heartbreaking and beautiful, yet ultimately uplifting. Danielle Dragona’s lyrical style will appeal to fans of Anita Shreve and Jodi Picoult. An outstanding debut!” ~ Valerie Biel, award-winning author of Haven and Beyond the Cemetery Gate “All That Was Left Unsaid by Danielle Dragona is a heartfelt story. The book was beautifully written, and the author handled sensitive topics with great care. I enjoyed reading the book and found myself pondering over it.” ~ Alma Boucher, Readers’ Favorite ★★★★★ Five-Star Review “… the author, takes you on a heart wrenching yet heartwarming ride through the main character’s journey of self discovery and self healing. The book will make you cry, will warm your heart and make you root for all the characters in her book. If you only read one book this year, I recommend reading this one because you wont regret it!” ~ Vered Cecilio “This book is great! I couldn’t put it down! Danielle really takes you along an emotional rollercoaster of Katrina’s journey and has you feeling what Katrina is feeling. The character development throughout the book is beautiful and the twist at the end, amazing! I love when a story has a good twist! I highly recommend this story!” ~ Nicole Stallone
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All That Was Left Unsaid Trailer:
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Book Details:
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Published by: Book Publishing Plus Publication Date: July 15, 2026 Number of Pages: 274 ISBN: 9798950388514
At once, I’m transported back to the night when the image of what I thought was our perfect family erupted like a raging volcano. We were seated at our dinner table for Sam’s fifty-fifth birthday. The smell of freshly baked lasagna floated through the air like a scrumptious cloud atop our laughter, and the aroma of my spiced apple tea greeted my nose with its irresistible fragrance. Up until a few months prior, Sam and I were having our fair share of marital issues as well as intermittent difficulties from his untreated PTSD that lingered on, so we decided to restore our love for each other to get our relationship back on track and inject some happiness back into our bond. Except for a few hiccups, which were to be expected, I truly believed we were on the path to regaining what we’d lost. Filled with a renewed commitment to strengthening our marriage, I anticipated his birthday with such eagerness that year. To that end, I commissioned a surprise gift specially made just for him. I purchased a watch he had been ogling, and had it engraved with the words, “When I met you, time stopped,” with the date of our marriage underneath. We sang Happy Birthday, and when I went to the counter to cut his birthday cake, instead of placing a slice on his plate, I positioned the box with the sparkling bow on it instead. With zeal, I requested he open it. He unwrapped the dazzling box, his robust hands deftly undoing the multicolored ribbons. As he revealed the treasure, his eyes lit up brighter than a star in a glittering night sky. When he read the engraving, a smile emerged like gold on his face. I fastened the watch on his wrist and kissed his lips, which tasted of red wine. Just as our celebration was winding down, there was a knock at the door. I opened it with the plate in my hand that housed Sam’s precious present a short time before. A younger woman with luxuriously long brown curly hair and emerald green eyes was on the other side, wearing a little purple dress with sunflowers and white stiletto heels. When I gazed at Sam to discern who this woman could be, his eyes glazed over, and the blood drained from his face, rendering him as white as a ghost. “Sam, who’s this?” I asked as my eyes searched his, my heart beating out of my chest. “I’m so sorry, Katrina,” was all he could say, guilt and remorse plastering his face, mixing in one ugly heap. “Sorry for what?” I gasped, but deep down I knew, and everything I thought was true crashed down around me like meteors striking at my heart. “Tell her who I am,” the woman bellowed as she shoved herself into our home, the aroma of her cheap perfume gagging me. “Gloria, what are you doing?” Sam moaned plaintively, and life as we knew it shattered all around us into irreparable pieces. “You’ve been telling me you were going to leave for years. It’s just excuses after excuses. Be honest with your family. Be honest with yourself,” she shrieked, the veins bulging out of her neck in a fit of rage, her words punching me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. “How could you do this to me, Sam, to our family?” I howled as the glass plate that held bliss and love moments earlier slid out of my hand, crashing onto the floor into a million pieces like our life together. My body went numb. “I thought you loved me.” “I do, Katrina,” he protested, but the words were hollow, and I felt nothing except ice and emptiness. “You’re such a phony, Sam. He tells me how much he loves me all the time, and how he wants to leave you,” Gloria bellowed, spitting in my face. Billy shot up out of his chair like a blazing rocket ship. “Get the hell out my house you pathetic whore,” he screamed ominously, in a pitch I never heard before. “I’m your father’s whore, and he loves every minute of it,” Gloria declared with a caustic snicker. “Enough, Gloria,” Sam retorted viciously, his eyes ablaze with anger that his secret had been unleashed into the world. “Don’t talk to me like I’m some submissive and docile woman with no backbone like you tell me she is,” she spewed, her perfectly manicured index finger pointing in my direction. “This is it, Sam. You either make up your mind, or I’m done, and this time I mean it. Oh, and happy birthday. I hope I made it a special one,” she screamed, slamming the door behind her. My legs buckled, and I fell to my knees in despair, plummeting into the glass shards from the broken plate that sparkled like gems, cutting my skin as I tried to push myself back up. Tears streaked down my face like a raging waterfall. I couldn’t catch my breath. I was drowning, sinking into hell. Disbelief suffocated my brain, disorienting me as I realized what I was living before was a lie. Billy helped me to my feet as Sam sat motionless in his chair, his face expressionless and vacant, a stranger to me now. In the months that followed, I realized that I was weak. I was submissive and docile. I couldn’t let go. Instead of hating him, I started to loathe myself for not being able to leave, for loving him so much that I was willing to accept the lies, the deceit, and the infidelity. I despised my powerlessness, and in turn, I detested myself. *** Excerpt from All That Was Left Unsaid by Danielle Dragona. Copyright 2026 by Danielle Porciello. Reproduced with permission from Danielle Dragona. All rights reserved.
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About Author Danielle Dragona:
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Danielle Dragona has always possessed a passion for the written word. As a child, she kept fledgling journals, but as she matured into young adulthood, the chronicles acquired a more complex narrative, dissecting feelings, beliefs, and working through challenging emotions originating in childhood while trying to find the meaning in it all. Danielle is captivated by the human condition—riveted by its beauty even amidst chaos, tearing apart the messiness of existence to ultimately unearth the glimmering pearl. As an explorer of emotion, she continually works to uncover what lies beneath the surface in an unapologetically raw, real, and authentic manner. When she’s not writing, Danielle enjoys travelling, exploring new places, historical sites, music of all kinds, spending time with her family and friends, and being a perpetual student of life. She has a degree in English literature from William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ and lives in Northern New Jersey with her husband and young son.
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Superstorms flatten cities. Coastlines collapse. Climate change is no longer
theoretical—it is lethal. When a near-apocalyptic storm nearly kills
their family, teenage siblings Jimmy and Lizzie Marshall urge their brilliant
but reluctant father, nanoscientist Greg Marshall, to deploy a technology
before he’s brave enough to release it.
WhiteGrass—a self-replicating nanotechnology capable of removing carbon
from the atmosphere is the parent technology. It saves golf courses and ski
resorts and the towns they serve. Icarus could reverse climate change on a
global scale. It could also reshape global power forever.
To protect the technology, Greg and his wife Ginny, an elite AI expert,
reprogram the world’s most advanced humanoid android, Valada. Designed
as property—an object without rights—Valada begins to evolve,
developing emotional awareness, moral judgment, and something disturbingly
close to humanity.
As governments unravel and climate disasters accelerate, a covert alliance of
oligarchs, corporations, and political power brokers moves to seize
WhiteGrass/Icarus for themselves. Led by the President of the United States,
the syndicate will stop at nothing—surveillance, blackmail,
assassination—to control the technology that could save the world or
enslave it.
They deploy their own deadly android.
Now the Marshalls are trapped in a global sci-fi political conspiracy, hunted
by forces with unlimited resources, as skyscrapers fall, cities burn, and
artificial intelligence begins to ask questions no human is prepared to
answer.
“We call it ‘Climate Change,’” Lizzie interrupted,
“because it’s not just the heat.”
“It’s everything—the rains, the droughts, the storms, the
sea level… even the acidification.” It could change everything.
At its core, WhiteGrass is a gripping near-future climate change thriller about family survival, technological power, and the terrifying moment when
artificial intelligence stops serving humanity—and starts judging it.
Blending nanotechnology science fiction, AI humanoid emotional evolution, and hard-science realism, WhiteGrass delivers relentless pacing, cinematic stakes,
and deeply human emotion. It is a story about parents willing to risk
everything to protect their children—and a world forced to confront
whether it deserves saving at all.
Perfect for fans of near-future disaster thrillers, technothrillers with
political intrigue, and science fiction where artificial intelligence becomes
human, WhiteGrass is a powerful warning—and an unforgettable ride.
Richard H. Smith, MSc., is a futurist, technologist, and climate policy expert
whose career has placed him at the intersection of nanotechnology, artificial
intelligence, healthcare innovation, and climate change foresight for more
than three decades. Drawing on real-world experience working alongside
scientists, engineers, Fortune 50 companies, and Ohgovernment agencies, Smith
writes hard science fiction grounded in plausible futures, where technology
collides with political power, ethics, and human survival.
Smith’s professional background spans leadership roles in nanotechnology
R&D, AI-based medical diagnostics, strategic technology forecasting, and
science policy, including serving as research director at a major university
medical center and founding multiple technology ventures. He has advised U.S.
and international governments on emerging technologies and was formally
trained on climate change science by Al Gore, giving him a rare combination of
technical depth and policy insight.
Raised in Virginia, Smith built his career while raising a family—an
experience that deeply informs the emotional core of his fiction. Today, he
lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a coastal community already facing the
realities of sea-level rise. He teaches courses on climate change and coastal
vulnerability, witnessing firsthand how future scenarios are rapidly becoming
present-day realities.
WhiteGrass is Smith’s first full-length novel and the culmination of a
lifetime spent studying how advanced technologies shape—and
endanger—civilization. The novel explores nanotechnology, climate
collapse, political conspiracy, and artificial intelligence becoming human,
all through the lens of family survival in a destabilized near-future world. A
prequel, The Iliad Virus, is available now, with the sequel Icarus Rising currently in development.
Smith writes with one driving purpose: to expose uncomfortable truths about
climate change, technological power, and political control—while telling
a story compelling enough to feel like a blockbuster movie unfolding on the
page.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2026! I’m so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!
.
.
I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!
~~~~~
Night Magic
By Jenna Black
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Genre: Horror / Urban Fantasy / YA
MY REVIEW
After loving the first book, Nightstruck, I had high hopes for this next book. The ending had left me very concerned for Becket. She wasn’t herself anymore, fully embracing the change.
Becket wasn’t recognizable anymore. She looked the same but her sense of self was buried, pushed aside since becoming Nightstruck. It really saddened me. The influence of her boyfriend took her farther and farther out of reach of her friends and family. The city was in peril as were the residents and Becket couldn’t care less.
This book was intense. It was creepier and darker. More character development, something I always appreciate, and more danger amped up my anticipation. And the finale…. woop woop.
5 STARS
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Synopsis
Jenna Black returns to the quarantined city of Philadelphia, where an unsuspecting seventeen-year-old has unknowingly unleashed a dark power that transforms the city into a monstrous hellscape in Night Magic.
Philadelphia is locked in the grip of an evil magic that transforms its streets into a nightmare landscape the minute the sun sets each night. While most of the city hunkers down and hopes to survive the long winter nights, Becket Walker is roaming the darkened streets having the time of her life.
Once, the guilt of having inadvertently let the night magic into the city―and of having killed her onetime best friend―had threatened to destroy her. But now she’s been Nightstruck, and all her grief and guilt and terror have been swept away―along with her conscience. So what if she’s lost her friends, her family, and her home? And so what if her hot new boyfriend is super-controlling and downright malevolent?
Mesmerized by the power and freedom of not having to care about anyone but herself, Becket is sinking ever deeper into the night magic’s grasp. But those who love her refuse to give up on her―even if she’s given up on them. If they can’t find a way to help Becket break the night magic’s hold, the entire city might soon find itself shrouded in perpetual night. But the last thing Becket wants is to be “rescued” from her brand new life, and she will fight tooth and claw to stay exactly where she is.
Billionaire businessman Sloane Davidson needs a wife—fast. And although Halayna
Tanaka is ten years younger than him, and an enticing temptation he managed to
resist years ago, she’s perfect for the role. But she thinks he’s some
gold-plated scumbag and wants nothing to do with him.
After a devastating string of bad luck, Halayna is struggling to stay afloat in
a world that keeps knocking her down. So when Sloane, her best friend’s
brother, offers a marriage of convenience as a solution to both their problems,
she’s tempted. The thing is she can’t stand him. He may be the sexiest man on
the planet, but he’s also arrogant, infuriating, and overbearing. She shouldn’t
want him. Shouldn’t even give him the time of day. Yet, her body ignites with
desire whenever he’s around.
Is selling out to a billionaire worth it? Especially if he tempts her beyond
her control. Or is this marriage of convenience the path to the love she always
dreamed of?
Running as if her ass was on fire, Halayna took the steps two at a time and burst into
her bedroom suite, slamming the door behind her. Struggling to get air into her
lungs, she paced the length of the room a couple of times before collapsing
face first onto the king size bed.
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What the heck had just happened?
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One minute, she and Sloane were talking, laughing, and eating, and in the next
minute, they were hugged up together kissing.
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“Oh my God!” Halayna groaned into the mattress as the full weight of what they’d
done hit her. He was her best friend’s brother. A man who was so far out of her
league, it was laughable. Yet, he had kissed her, and it hadn’t been just any
kiss, but a kiss that had her questioning her sanity.
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Sloane kissed me… and I liked it… a lot.
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Oh man, she more than liked it. She wanted a repeat. A repeat of his full,
demanding mouth taking what he wanted from her. A repeat of the way he held her
close to his big, hard, muscular body, and she wanted a repeat of how good it
felt being held in his strong, unyielding arms.
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For those few minutes, with their tongues tangling, all Halayna’s thoughts and
worries had fallen away, and in their place had been a peace she hadn’t felt in
months or maybe even years. Sloane had somehow made her feel more cherished
than she’d ever felt by a man. Which was saying a lot since she’d been engaged
to be married and supposedly crazy in love with Owen.
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She snorted at the thought. Talk about her picker being off when it came to
choosing men. It was a good thing her relationship with Owen had imploded.
Marrying him would’ve been a huge mistake because kissing and being with him
had felt nothing like what she had just experienced.
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Kissing Sloane had felt like a dream. Like something straight out of a sexy fairy tale,
an X-rated fairy tale. But this wasn’t a fantasy. His kiss and the way he’d
held her had been very real. She still felt his lips covering hers and the
taste of him lingered on her tongue.
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How was that possible when it had been just one kiss? One soul-stirring, passionate
kiss.
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It was clear she and Owen hadn’t had a strong connection. Not like what she had
felt a short while ago with Sloane, and that realization had her shook. She
almost married a man she was sure she’d been in love with. Yet, she never felt
the intense desire and passion swirling inside of her. Never felt that
I-can’t-live-without-you vibe.
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How was that even possible?
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Halayna flipped onto her back, and as her heart rate slowly went back to normal, she
stared at the ceiling, her mind reeling at these new realizations. The most
shocking one was Sloane wanting her to agree to a marriage of convenience… with
him.
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She shook her head. Sloane Davidson, the wealthiest man she’d ever known, had asked
her to marry him. He wanted her to be his fake wife. No, not fake. Just
convenient. Wait. Not convenient. He wanted a marriage of convenience. But what
the hell did that even mean?
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USA Today
bestselling author Sharon C. Cooper loves anything involving romance with a
happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. She writes
contemporary romance, romantic suspense, as well as romantic comedy. She enjoys
rainy days, carpet picnics, and family game night. Her stories have won
numerous awards, including The Rochelle Alers Best Series award for her
Atlanta’s Finest Series (2022) and The Beverly Jenkins Author of the Year award
(2021). When she isn’t writing, Sharon loves hanging out with her amazing
husband, doing volunteer work, or reading a good book (a romance of course). To
read more about Sharon and her novels, or to sign up to be notified of her
latest releases, visit www.sharoncooper.net
Publication date: October 9th 2026
Genres: Adult, Thriller
“This is an excellent read for those who want true psychological crime built around family secrets. Very highly recommended.” Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
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Amber clings to the wreckage of a shattered life; a hermit drowning in the ghosts of what used to be.
When someone dumps a mutilated body on her wilderness property, a cryptic clue makes her the prime suspect. To clear her name, she must confront the dark secrets of her tragic past while a shadowy executioner is closing in.
When the blade of death whittled my family of three down to only me, I ran. Grief had scraped me empty, so fourteen months ago I fled to a shack in the northeastern Washington wilderness. I was seeking sanctuary and hoping the pines would mend my shattered soul. Maybe that was too much to expect of the trees. At least they didn’t judge the monument to my failure; a recycling bin overflowing with wine bottles.
The morning light struggled through my grimy windows and poked at my hangover. I took my coffee mug outside and stood on the splintered porch of the small cabin. The air was deceptively still and heavy, carrying the sharp scent of sunbaked pine needles and the silent, shimmering threat of an approaching scorcher of a day. My cabin sat at the dusty elbow of two dirt roads. Between my door and the ditch was half an acre of thigh-high, dewless grass that stood stiff and dry alongside leggy wildflowers and a single tree.
The western hemlock tried for the heavens at nearly two hundred feet, and it was the area under the tree that drew my critical gaze. A woman sat in the tall grass, back against the tree. What was someone doing way the hell out here?
With an eye roll I left the house and stormed toward her.
“Hey!” I shouted.
The strap of her checkered sundress had fallen from one shoulder and as I reached her, I lifted a hand to tap her arm. As my finger got close, a cloud of flies lifted and re-settled into gaping, torn flesh. The wind shifted direction and a thick miasma of putrid decay stung my nostrils. I stumbled backward as my stomach lurched.
Dead!
I couldn’t stop the tremor in my jaw; my teeth clattered together as I whispered broken words, “I-I should check to be sure . . .”
But my voice trailed off because nothing that smelled like that could be anything but gone.
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About Author Wendy Roberts:
Wendy Roberts is an armchair sleuth, fan of all things mysterious but a huge chicken at heart. Her mind is often in the secretive, cloak and dagger world of intrigue while her physical presence is usually at home or on the road in her camper van. Wendy resides in Vancouver, Canada where she happily writes about murder and is always at work on her next novel.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2026! I’m so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!
,
I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!
~~~~~
A Bite Above The Rest
By Christine Virnig
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Genre: Fantasy / Halloween / Middle Grade
MY REVIEW
There be monster’s in Samhain, Wisconsin. Big Ones. Little ones. Some with wings and fangs and fins. Not such a surprise for a town that keeps their decorations up year round. They even wear their costumes every day. But wait…… I mentioned monsters so…. are they really costumes?
Caleb was not happy about moving to Samhain. The town was weird. The residents were even weirder. His refusal to buy into the Halloween obsession doesn’t earn him any points. He does find a friend in Tai and that’s going to be important as he discovers the secrets of his new town.
Caleb and Tai were such a delight. I loved every bit of their investigations into the strange goings on. Their texts back and forth and the quirky illustrations just added to this super fun book.
In my younger years I would have devoured A Bite Above The Rest. As an adult, I did eat it up, smiling and laughing all the way.
5 STARS
Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster and Author Christine Virnig for a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
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Synopsis
A boy moves to a Halloween-themed town only to realize there may be more to the tourist trap than meets the eye in this fast-paced romp of a middle grade novel perfect for fans of The Last Kids on Earth and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library !
When Caleb’s mom decides they are moving to her childhood home in Wisconsin, Caleb is not thrilled. Moving schools, states, and time zones would be bad enough, but Mom’s hometown is Samhain, a small and ridiculously kitschy place where every day is Halloween.
Caleb is not a fan of Halloween when it only happens once a year, so Halloween-obsessed Samhain is really not the place for him. How is he supposed to cope with kids wearing costumes to school every single day ? And how about the fact that the mayor is so committed to the bit that City Hall is only open from sundown to sunup to accommodate his so-called vampirism? Sure enough, Caleb becomes an outcast at school for refusing to play along with the spooky tradition like the other sixth graders. Luckily, he manages to find a friend in fellow misfit Tai, and just in time, because things are getting weird in Samhain…or make that weird er .
But there’s no way the mayor is an actual vampire, and their teacher absolutely cannot really be a werewolf—right? Caleb discovers Samhain is so much stranger than he ever could have imagined. As one of the only people who realizes what’s happening, can he save a town that doesn’t want saving?
For ten years, the Utopia Tower experiment has been a resounding success.
Conceived by a tech billionaire, the state-of-the-art apartment complex offers
a life-changing opportunity: rent-free living for residents who adhere to the
“Five Pillars of Harmony” and maintain the building’s pristine reputation. It
is a tight-knit community where neighbors look out for one another, ensuring
that nothing endangers their sanctuary and their right to continue living
there.
Antonio, a young lawyer, moves into the tower to care for his grandmother,
eager to join this idyllic social experiment. But the veneer of perfection
cracks when two young men—both considered bad apples and threats to the
community’s serenity—die in unusual circumstances within a single month.
Despite warnings to leave well enough alone, Antonio suspects a connection and
digs deeper. He discovers that, in a building designed for total harmony,
asking the wrong questions can make you the next problem to be handled. Is
there a killer hiding among the residents? Is the billionaire founder
protecting his investment? Or is the truth far more terrifying?
In an environment where preservation of the collective is the prime directive,
how far will the community go to protect itself?
Perfect for fans of Black Mirror, Blake Crouch, and high-concept tech
mysteries.
About Author Kevin G. Chapman
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Kevin G. Chapman is an attorney specializing in labor and employment law and
an independent author. His seven -book (so far) Mike Stoneman Thriller series,
includes Lethal Voyage, Winner of the 2012 Kindle Book Award, and Fatal
Infraction, the #1 Police Procedural of the year (CLUE Blue Ribbon Award).
Kevin’s stand-alone mystery/suspense/romance, Dead Winner was the winner of
the CLUE Blue Ribbon for best suspense/thriller, and Kevin’s most recent
stand-alone mystery, The Other Murder, was the Grand Prize Winner of the 2024
CLUE Award (best over-all mystery/suspense/thriller). Kevin has also written a
serious political drama, A Legacy of One (2016). Kevin is a resident of
Central New Jersey and is a graduate of Columbia College and Boston University
School of Law. Readers can contact Kevin via his website at
www.KevinGChapman.com.
Dreidels and Dead Ends (Bad Hair Day Mysteries) by Nancy J. Cohen
Dreidels and Dead Ends (Bad Hair Day Mysteries) Cozy Mystery 19th in Series Setting – Florida Publisher : Orange Grove Press Publication date : June 23, 2026 Print length : 246 pages Paperback ISBN-10 : 1952886392 ISBN-13 : 978-1952886393 Kindle ISBN-13 : 978-1952886409 ASIN : B0GWQMWF7Y
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A daring holiday heist at the local history museum sends hairstylist Marla Vail on her most tangled case yet.
When salon owner Marla Vail agrees to speak at the local history museum’s gala opening for a new exhibit, she expects applause—not a catastrophe. But shortly after she takes the stage, a thief steals the featured diamond-studded hairbrush, leaving behind an empty display case and a badly injured security guard.
Marla’s friend, museum curator Becky Forest, begs for her help in recovering the prized heirloom before the mayor uses this scandal as an excuse to cut their funding. To make matters worse, the antique hairbrush comes with a curse, and suddenly bad luck is spreading through town faster than a botched dye job. As Hanukkah festivities begin, Marla would rather be lighting candles than chasing clues, but with Becky’s job at stake, she takes on the case.
Her trail leads to a knot of suspects including the hairbrush’s owner, his greedy cousin, shifty museum staff, and a reclusive collector of mystical antiquities. Instead of enjoying menorah lights and latkes, Marla discovers murder, lies, and larceny. She’ll need sharp wits and a holiday miracle to save the museum and to keep the truth from being brushed aside.
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About Author Nancy J. Cohen
Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and the RONE Award, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook, have won the FAPA President’s Book Award, the Royal Palm Literary Award, and IAN Book of the Year. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2026! I’m so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!
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I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!
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Horror Library, Volume 9
Editor Eric J. Guignard
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Genre: Horror / Adult
MY REVIEW
I was so lucky to be introduced to this Horror Library back at the beginning. Appreciating how difficult it must be to tell a story in fewer words, put you in that story, develop characters and move the plot quickly has made me a huge fan.
I also love finding new authors in genres I love. I’ve sure found so many, and including new ones in this volume. And there are some familiar names in the lineup too.
With 30 stories it would take up so much space to review them individually. So, while I’m not one to mention favorites, I’m making an exception. Here are my top five in no particular order. Found You, Before His Time, Third Floor Windows, The Drowning Kind and I don’t Wanna Go To Mexico No More, More, horror,More.
So many stories. So much individuality. So many chills and thrills. Fans of the unexpected and fearful will enjoy these sips of the known and unknown. I sure did.
5 STARS
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Synopsis
The +Horror Library+ anthologies are internationally praised as a groundbreaking source of contemporary horror short fiction stories–relevant to the moment and stunning in impact–from leading authors of the macabre and darkly imaginative.
Filled with Fears and Fantasy. Death and Dark Dreams. Monsters and Mayhem. Literary Vision and Wonder. Each volume of the +Horror Library+ series is packed with heart-pounding thrills and creepy contemplations as to what truly lurks among the shadows of the world(s) we live in.
Containing 30 all-original stories, read Volume 9 in this ongoing anthology series, and then continue with the other volumes.
Shamble no longer through the banal humdrum of normalcy, but ENTER THE HORROR LIBRARY!
Included within Volume 9:
– In “Head Over Heels,” a sentient unicycle enacts long-sought revenge against those who have wronged it.
– In “Eyes Without Their Lids,” a couple with no memory of their prior lives, awaken in a doorless room and in full sight of a camera that watches all they do.
– In “False Witness,” a man whose life was saved by a mysterious voice finds himself in the midst of a worse fate.
– . . . and more!
– Also including a special guest-artist’s gallery of Michael A. Livolsi!
