Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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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Diary Of A Haunting
by M. Verano
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Genre: YA Horror
MY REVIEW
Such a creepy story.
I’m always up for a haunting and got a good one here.
When her parents get divorced and her mother uproots them and moves to an old mansion in Idaho, Paige and her little brother have to accept it and adjust.
They probably would have settled in and begun over soon enough, except something is wrong with their new home. Things move around by themselves. Words appear written on the walls. And her brother begins to act strange.
Then there’s the weird neighbor that lives downstairs. What’s his story?
I fell into this story quickly and the author wasted no time building the creepy atmosphere. So many weird things started happening and the suspense built up.
Plenty of interesting characters prowl through the story, and I enjoyed seeing what would happen to who.
With it not being an easy mystery to figure out and plenty of bizarre scenarios, I had a haunting good time.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
When Paige moves from LA to Idaho with her mom and little brother after her parents’ high-profile divorce, she expects to completely hate her new life, and the small town doesn’t disappoint. Worse yet, the drafty old mansion they’ve rented is infested with flies, spiders, and other pests Paige doesn’t want to think about.
She chalks it up to her rural surroundings, but it’s harder to ignore the strange things happening around the house, from one can of ravioli becoming a dozen, to unreadable words appearing in the walls. Soon Paige’s little brother begins roaming the house at all hours of the night, and there’s something not right about the downstairs neighbor, who knows a lot more than he’s letting on.
Things only get creepier when she learns about the sinister cult that conducted experimental rituals in the house almost a hundred years earlier.
The more Paige investigates, and the deeper she digs, the clearer it all becomes: whatever is in the house, whatever is causing all the strange occurrences, has no intention of backing down without a fight.
Found in the aftermath, Diary of a Haunting collects the journal entries, letters, and photographs Paige left behind.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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!
.
Oubliette: A Forgotten Little Place
by Vanta M. Black
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Genre: Paranormal / Horror
MY REVIEW
This is a rather long book but reads quickly as the author transports you back in time and forward to the present, giving you multiple perspectives that enrich this tale of historical horror. And it all starts with a ten-year-old girl, Veronica, suffering from what everyone believes are night terrors.
The author then flashes to the present. Veronica is all grown up and struggling to make it on her own as an interior designer. A mysterious invitation to come to France for the summer and do a complete makeover at the historical Le Chateau du Feu Ardent, which means The Castle Of Blazing Fire, sounds like a dream come true to her. But she could never have imagined the nightmares that await.
Veronica invites her sister, Nikki, to come along. Nikki is a bit spoiled and self-centered but I still found her a delight. She adds that light- hearted humor that provides a break in the suspense, allowing you to fully connect with these two sisters. But all isn’t light and laughter as the two are exposed to something dark, insidious. It will be a summer they’ll never forget, and maybe won’t survive.
Oubliette is filled with historical fact that blends the real and fictional. The author’s ability to do this shines in her descriptions of the different periods. You feel like you’ve stepped in a time capsule and are actually seeing the places she reveals.
The cover was what first caught my attention. I thought I was getting a horror story. And I did. But I also got much, much more, and I highly recommend this tale.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
Veronica knows the monsters aren’t “just in her head”, but no one listens to the headstrong ten-year-old as they tie her to a hospital bed every night.
Years later, after being dumped by her business-partner/boyfriend, Veronica finds herself on the verge of bankruptcy. Then a late-night call promises the perfect solution — a job opportunity decorating a castle in France. Will Veronica risk what little she has left to chase a fairy tale?
When the shadowy things that once terrorized her return, Veronica must decide how much she’ll sacrifice for them, for her sanity, and for her life.
Oubliette — A Forgotten Little Place consists of interwoven stories with paranormal twists. An epic adventure, it spans nearly two millennia.
You’ll be transported to an ancient Pagan ritual, Roman-ruled Gaul, the bloody Inquisition of the Knights Templar, France as it’s ravaged by the Black Death, the duplicitous Reformation, the Paris Catacombs, and the gory French Revolution, while you unravel Oubliette’s cryptic layers.
Vanta M. Black was inspired to write Oubliette after learning about the real oubliette at Leap Castle, the famed most-haunted castle in Ireland. She traveled there, as well as to ch�teaux in France, and to the Paris Underground, for research.
Real paranormal accounts of elemental spirits, ghosts, sorcery and demons, plus actual historical events and legends, all feed into this masterfully-crafted narrative. Additionally, Black’s own encounters with entities known as “shadow people”, serve as the novel’s foundation.
Oubliette delivers blow after blow of mystery, horror, and suspense. This thriller seeps into your soul and doesn’t let go. In the end, as you’re begging for mercy, you’ll also be begging for more.
An eerie suspense novel, in which a grieving woman takes a job at an isolated mansion only to become wrapped up in the curse that seems to have befallen its eccentric owner.
Emily Grace has endured the worst loss imaginable. But can she survive a remote manor haunted by more than just memories . . .? Drowning in grief, Emily Grace has lost everything: her home, her friends, her career. Only one lifeline remains—a job working for an eccentric millionaire. Along with his wife, he’s been building a mansion on a secluded island surrounded by a harsh and unforgiving sea. But when she disappears under mysterious circumstances, Emily Grace is hired to finish the project. Locals believe the house is cursed, but their warnings go unheeded as Emily Grace works to rebuild her life. After what she’s been through, nothing can scare her—except perhaps the attention of a handsome man offering more than friendship. And yet, there’s something strange about this solitary fortress. Accidents. Mishaps. Ghostly whispers through the surrounding forest, footsteps when she’s completely alone . . . Is there truly a curse or is the ethereal specter in the window an omen of something more sinister?
This spooky standalone from phenomenal crime author Elena Taylor will have readers sleeping with the light on for weeks! With vibes of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, fans of Riley Sager and thrillers with light horror elements will love The Haunting of Emily Grace!
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Praise for The Haunting of Emily Grace:
“Taylor doesn’t just conjure suspense—she dissects it, peeling back the fragile layers of identity, memory, and trust until nothing feels safe. The Haunting of Emily Grace is deeply unsettling in all the best ways.” ~ Carter Wilson, bestselling author of Tell Me What You Did “Beautifully evocative and atmospheric, The Haunting of Emily Grace is a one-sitting read. I couldn’t put it down.” ~ Lisa Hall, bestselling author of suspense “gut-tightening suspense” ~ Edward J Leahy, author of the Dan Brady and Kim Brady mysteries
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The Haunting of Emily Grace Trailer:
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Book Details:
Genre: Suspense with a touch of light paranormal/horror
Published by: Severn House Publication Date: November 4, 2025 Number of Pages: 288 pages, Hardcover ISBN: 9781448317370 (ISBN10: 1448317371), Hardcover
Grief is a scab that I can’t stop picking at, no matter how hard I try. It pokes at me now as I sit in my truck on the deserted ferry dock, surrounded by dense morning fog and waiting for the boat to take me across an expanse of dark water to a house rumored to be cursed. My fingers trace a photograph taped to my dashboard. My hand trembles, likely from an empty stomach or sleeplessness, as both are constant companions. But I outline the beloved face, forever frozen, like a precious object in amber. Lost to me in the real world, calling to me from the next. The ferry slides into the dock in front of me with a bump against the pilings. A lone figure moves across the empty deck, while an old, grizzled seaman stays inside the tiny wheelhouse. One captain and one first mate. Tying the ferry off with ropes thicker than my arm, the mate’s actions are practiced and steady. He lowers a ramp and waves me forward. Ever so slowly, I roll across the water, fighting against holding my breath—the superstition I’ve clung to my entire life every time I cross a bridge. The thirty-minute sail to Salish Island, and tiny Monk’s Rock where my new job awaits, won’t allow me the indulgence, so I might as well continue to breathe despite my need to cling to anything, even a silly belief, to keep me safe. After parking the truck as the mate directs, I wait as he shoves bright orange chock blocks around all four wheels, as if, without a barrier, my vehicle might drive itself into the sea. I open my door a crack; our eyes meet. “Can I get out?” “Of course.” The first mate is rugged, with an air of confidence like he’d be good in a crisis. Smooth skin on his cheeks. Bright, inquisitive eyes. Broad shoulders visible under the bulky uniform of dark green waterproof overalls and a yellow slicker. He holds out his hand as I step out. “Careful. Parts of the deck can be slippery when it’s this wet.” Electricity flies between our fingers, and I pull away as if he poses a threat. I don’t want to feel desire. Intimacy is dangerous. But what does it mean that I’m looking at men again? He gives me an odd look. “We’ll be underway in a few minutes.” He walks back to the ramp, where two men unload a battered white cargo van. The three of them quickly stack boxes to one side, lashing them in place. No doubt provisions for an island that’s home to five hundred hearty souls—and me. At least for the time it takes to complete the finish carpentry in one enormous house. I’d once been a very good carpenter. Before my life exploded into hospitals and medical visits, overwhelming helplessness and all the endless paperwork connected to dying. Since then, I’ve done a poor job of putting myself back together. The rough pieces of grownup life refusing to fit a new pattern now that I’m alone. My mentor Bill Thomlinson had started this project less than a week ago but fell and broke his leg in multiple places. After he came through the surgery, metal pins in place, he convinced the homeowner to take a chance on me. “You need this,” he said to me over the phone, his voice surprisingly strong for someone coming out of anesthesia. “I’m done watching you flail. This job can save you. Don’t let me down.” Now I stand on the deck of a private ferry while the engines roar out a steady vibration under my feet, and wonder if I’ve made a terrible, terrible mistake. Crossing to the rail, I pin my eyes where the horizon must lie out beyond the mist. Clouds above and waves below. Indistinguishable from each other because of the heavy air, thick like smoke. My stomach lurches at the thought of everything that swims underneath my feet and the unknown depth of the sea. Breathe in . . . breathe out . . . focus on the future. Focus on the work. All I know about the job ahead of me is that the original carpenter vanished, forcing the owner, Cameron Lang, to bring in someone else, but then Bill ended up with pins in his leg. Given that I haven’t slept in so long that I shouldn’t be trusted with power tools, I hope that whatever the curse is, it doesn’t come in threes. When I feel like I’m losing my mind, it helps to ground myself with something physical, so I grip the hard, cold rail in my hands. No matter how much ending my life is a viable choice, some small part of me refuses to let death win again. The fog brightens, and we cross a physical line in space, plunging into a blue so pure it hurts my eyes. I gasp and grip even tighter as the sky separates from the water, which now spreads out below me in an endless black void. “Not quite got your sea legs?” The first mate watches me with barely disguised curiosity. Salt spray traces tears down my cheeks. I must look like I’m crying. “I didn’t expect to come out of the fog so abruptly.” “It does that sometimes. Now you see it, now you don’t. No matter how often we sail through a bank, it always feels like magic.” “I can imagine.” He lingers nearby. Maybe there’s little to do once the ferry is underway. Although small talk is beyond my ability, part of me longs to hear his voice again, even if I say things that sound insane. The temperature drops as we head further out to sea. We’re soon dodging between uninhabited land masses. “Some of these islands are so low they disappear in high tide.” He gestures to the slopes of land. Rocky outcroppings just under the surface. Dangerous, like unexploded mines in the sand. Panic rises. The water below us taunts me—my troubles will be over if I simply fall into a watery grave. The voice becomes louder and more insistent that I should do something I can’t take back. To keep my mind off the words in my head, my eyes search for the defiant piece of US rock thrusting out of Canadian waters. If I can make it back to dry land, I can get through another day. “That’s what you’re looking for.” The first mate’s breath tickles my ear as he comes closer, speaking over the hum of the engines, the slap of water on the hull, and the cry of seagulls. My gaze follows his arm to the far-off outline of Salish Island, where Monk’s Rock perches off the northern-most end, tethered to each other by the narrowest of bridges. “Take this.” He presses a business card into my hand. “Just in case.” Under his name is a single word, handyman, and a phone number. “Adrian Han?” I look up, his eyes capturing mine. “I thought you were the first mate.” “I’m a lot of things.” His words are casual, but something reflects in his expression, an emotion I can’t put my finger on. “You might realize at some point there’s a project you need help with. Nothing against your skills. Everyone needs another set of hands once in a while.” “I have a helper.” “Chuck, yeah. I’ve worked with him before.” His tone is carefully neutral. My new boss made the arrangements for Chuck to help me with anything that requires two people. Am I going to regret his choice? “How do you know why I’m here?” Adrian’s carefree expression returns. “Emily Grace Turner. Carpenter. Here to finish the End of the World.” It’s a jolt that he knows anything about me when I’ve worked so hard to become invisible. He reads me again, and his tone turns reassuring. “It’s a small town—people talk.” He gestures toward the wood rack that fits over my camper shell and the bumper sticker: Proud Member of the Carpenter’s Union. “Plus, your name was on your ferry registration.” I chuckle for thinking his words are sinister until a darker emotion, one that looks like fear, crosses his face. “That house—” His lips purse as if he holds something back. “Just call if you need help. Anytime.” The island takes clearer shape, and Adrian returns to the wheelhouse, his absence palpable, as if a physical hole remains in the air after he’s gone. He’s taken his fear with him, except for the small part he’s left behind with me. *** Excerpt from The Haunting of Emily Grace by Elena Taylor. Copyright 2025 by Elena Taylor. Reproduced with permission from Elena Taylor. All rights reserved.
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About Author Elena Taylor:
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Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to novels. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo. With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returned to her dramatic roots to bring readers more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in her beloved Washington State, Elena uses her connection to the environment to produce tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community. The third in the series, Kill to Keep, launches summer 2026. The Haunting of Emily Grace is Elena’s first standalone suspense novel. Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she lives on south of Spokane, Washington, with her equines, dogs, cats, and hubby.
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Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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!
,
The Hatching
by Ezekiel Boone
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Genre: Horror
MY REVIEW
Many of my friends wondered why I read this book. I have an irrational fear of spiders. Even the teeniest ones creep me out.
So, while reading The Hatching, and all the way to the end, I swear I felt something tickling the hairs on my arms, tiptoeing up the nape of my neck, and parting the hairs on my head.
A creepy crawly tale of spiders and how humanity panics and does it’s darnedest to destroy itself while trying to stop the onslaught of spiders.
One part that particularly creeped me out was when the spiders did something called kiting. They attached a strand of silk to something and let out more and more as they flung themselves into the air. Can you picture that. Looking up and thousands of the nasty beasts are falling from the sky to devour you from the inside out. Or perhaps they’ll cocoon you and drink you slowly. Yuck and yuck.
I’m surprised I didn’t suffer from nightmares after reading this book. For all of you fans of horror and monsters, I dare ya to read this one.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
The first female president of the United States is summoned to an emergency briefing.Deep in the jungle of Peru, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist party whole. FBI agent Mike Rich investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Indian earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. The Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. And all of these events are connected. As panic begins to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at Melanie Guyer’s Washington laboratory. The unusual egg inside begins to crack. Something is spreading…The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. An virulent ancient species of spiders, long dormant, is now very much awake. But this is only the beginning of our end…
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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!
.
B&B
by Amy Cross
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Genre: Horror
MY REVIEW
Que to the opening of The Twilight Zone. This one gave me the willies.
Bobbie’s done something unforgivable. Now on the run, in the middle of cold winter’s night, she seeks refuge at an old B & B. But this isn’t your normal bed and breakfast. The woman who checks her in barely speaks a word and her face is covered in gauze and the other guests are odd and won’t let her sleep.
She’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. Stay at the Inn with it’s creepy guests and mysterious goings on, or face the killer stalking the snowy streets outside. He likes to kill when the pristine snow covers everything in shining white. The blood looks so red then.
From the beginning, you are pulled into this mystery, and when the weird stuff starts happening, you won’t want to stop until you get answers.
This was creepy on so many levels. A pleasant surprise for this horror fan.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
There’s blood in the snow and a killer behind the next door. But for Bobbie, there’s also nowhere left to run…
When she takes a room at the rundown Castle Crown B&B, all Bobbie wants is to get some sleep and make a tough decision about her future. Unfortunately, the B&B’s other guests won’t give her any peace, and Bobbie soon realizes that she’s stumbled into a world with its own rules. Who is the mysterious bandaged woman? Why is there a dead man in the bathtub? And is something deadly lurking in the basement?
Before she can leave, however, Bobbie learns that the city of Canterbury is being terrorized by a mysterious figure. Every time snow comes, the Snowman claims another victim, leaving their blood sinking into the ice. If Bobbie leaves the B&B and ventures out into the empty streets, she risks becoming his next target. But if she stays, her soul might be claimed by an evil force that will do far more than simply end her life…
B&B is a horror story about a girl with a secret, and a building with a past.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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!
.
‘Nids
by Ray Garton
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Genre: Horror
MY REVIEW
It’s funny that I love to read stories about spiders killing people when I have a huge phobia for them. Just thinking about spiders has my skin twitching, feeling them crawling all over me.
It appears that saying, “Because I can,” rings true in this story. Some people cook up something in a lab, never worrying about what could go wrong. Innocent people start dying, ripped apart.
You getting the picture? A genetically engineered experiment is loose. It’s huge. Crawls on more than six legs. And it’s so very hungry.
The plot never gets old for me. I love movies like this and the author gave me some good old fashioned scares.
It’s been said that there’s a spider within six feet of you at any given time. Creepy to think about, isn’t it?
4 STARS
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Synopsis
Medical research? Genetic experiments? No one knows exactly what goes on inside the sprawling BioGenTech building on the edge of town. But after an enormous explosion at the facility, people in town start turning up dead…and in pieces.
Something is loose in Hope Valley. Something big…and fast…and hungry. It has a lot of legs, a nasty disposition and a big appetite. This is one spider you can’t step on.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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!
.
Keep In A Cold, Dark Place
by Michael F. Stewart
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Genre: Horror
MY REVIEW
I can’t resist a good horror tale, and I very much enjoy ones spun for kids. I sure wish there had been more like this when I was young. But, you’re never too old to enjoy a gem like this.
Being a sweet, kind-hearted lass, Limpy doesn’t know any better when she places the box of eggs she discovered in the sun to warm. When one of the eggs hatches and out pops a cute little critter, she’s overjoyed. But then another egg hatches, and another. And what started as a kind act turns into horror.
Picturing what hatches from one of the eggs, I immediately thought of an evil Tribble or, if you’ve seen Critters, one of those rolling furry things with the sharp pointy teeth. But that’s just when it and it’s litter mates first get started. They eat. They grow. They change. And they are always hungry, always eating. And they don’t discriminate. From produce to living things, such as, perhaps, a cat, it all looks good to them. What could be next? Maybe a human child? Or an adult? That’s more food.
I ate this story up faster than you can say Keep In A Cold Dark Place. There’s a sense of foreboding right from the start. Limpy is a delightful and resourceful young girl. The creatures are cute, then not so cute. And the writing flows nicely, the author keeping the atmosphere building and the tension high.
A scary good story for young lovers of horror and us older fans of things that go bump in the night.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
Reaching for her dream, Limpy unleashes a cute, fluffy, NIGHTMARE …
Keep in a cold, dark place. That’s what’s written like some ancient law on every bag of potatoes the family farms. And it’s where Limpy fears she will always remain.
It’s also carved on a box of spheres she discovers in the cellar. Spheres that hatch.
Cute at first, the creatures begin to grow. Then the chickens disappear. The cat is hunted. And something sets the barn ablaze. To survive, Limpy will need to face her greatest fear. The whole family will. Or they may end up in a cold, dark place indeed.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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!
.
What Lurks Below
by Donald Firesmith
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Genre: Horror
MY REVIEW
I love unexplained acts of nature. Makes for such a chilling plot. When holes start appearing in the Arctic Circle , a team of experts is sent to investigate. Once they arrive, things get worse as more holes appear. And then something straight out of Hell crawls out. A horde of otherworldly creatures that have only one thing in mind. Killing mankind. With nowhere to run, the team seeks shelter in an old station. But the horde won’t be denied, and like an octopus with a sealed bottle full of yummy bait, they will find a way in.
I was almost rubbing my hands together in twisted anticipation before I started this one. Mysterious holes appearing. Something beyond imagining crawls out. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance. Oh yeah. I knew I had to read this book.
There’s a mixed bag of character’s. Ones you come to like and respect and some not so much. The author doesn’t seem to mind killing off either one. Keeps you on edge when things get down and dirty. Which doesn’t take long at all.
The story is strong and there’s a sub plot that makes things even more interesting. Also, the blend of science fiction and horror leaves the story wide open for the author to go in many different directions.
The ending. Well, it’s an end, but also a cliff hanger. That’s because this is really the beginning of something much bigger. I’ll be grabbing the next one immediately. Got a good feeling about this series.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
It’s August in Alaska, and geology professor Jack Oswald prepares for the new school year. But when hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appear overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, Jack receives an unexpected phone call. An oil company exec hires Jack to investigate, and he picks his climatologist wife and two of their graduate students as his team. Uncharacteristically, Jack also lets Aileen O’Shannon, a bewitchingly beautiful young photojournalist, talk him into coming along as their photographer. When they arrive in the remote oil town of Deadhorse, the exec and a biologist to protect them from wild animals join the team. Their task: to assess the risk of more holes opening under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the wells and pipelines that feed it. But they discover a far worse danger lurks below. When it emerges, it threatens to shatter Jack’s unshakable faith in science. And destroy us all…
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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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Razorbacks
by George S. Mahaffey, Jr.
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Genre: Horror
MY REVIEW
A long time ago I watched a movie called Razorback. It was about a killer wild boar. If you’ve never seen one, I can tell you from experience, having been treed by one, that they can get up to 500 lbs or larger, with huge tusks, the better to gore you with.
A man and his son risk driving through a dust storm and wind up in the middle of a huge pileup. Dead and injured people are strewn around and blood is all over the place. As the storm worsens, it brings something with it. A pack of wild boars, with an uncommonly large leader. They smell the blood and close in for the easy pickings. There’s no place to hide, so the survivors must get creative. As if they really stand a chance against these killing machines.
The author wastes no time, putting you right in the middle of a bloody hunt. From there you go on to meet a father and his son. They have quite a twisted story of their own. Once things got bad, the boy really stepped up but I had doubts about the father. Soon it doesn’t matter, as they can’t find these things off by themselves.
One plan after another goes wrong. It gets pretty gory, I’m telling you. Sad that some characters I thought a lot of were killed off quickly. Others took a while to meet their bloody ends.
And the wild boar. Whoa…were they something else. Ever seen the movie Hannibal? That scene with the man eating pigs gives you a good picture of what they can do. No cute little piggies in these pages.
Great start, genuine characters, and some mean ass animals. It’s all good. And I liked the ending. Kind of a nod to into the sunset.
4 STARS
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Synopsis
A terrible pile-up on a deserted West Texas highway. A massive dust-storm cutting off communications and obscuring visibility. A father, his estranged son, and a small band of survivors marooned, waiting for help, unaware of the things that are out in the dust, waiting, watching, drawn by the scent of blood.
Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2025! I’m so excited to be doing this 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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River Of Teeth
by Sarah Gailey
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Genre: Historical / Horror / Adventure
MY REVIEW
Being a southern gal, I’m always looking for stories set in my neck of the woods. The author did a superb job describing the bayous and the muddy Mississippi. I heard the rising shrill of the cicadas, the buzz of the annoying mosquitoes, and the grunt of alligators. Caught a glimpse of huge alligator gars as they rolled on the surface, while being lulled by the back and forth swaying on top my hippo. Yes, I said hippo.
The US Government came up with the idea of importing hippos into Louisiana for a much needed food supply. Sounded like a good idea, but didn’t happen. Except, in this book it did. And now the hippos are feral and eating everything, including humans, making the river a dangerous place. A ragtag group of hippo wranglers enter the swamp to round them up. All is not as it seems.
I read somewhere that in Africa more people die from hippo attacks than any other animal. They hide under the water, move at tremendous speeds, and their teeth are gigantic. In this book you have hippos that the wranglers bond with from birth, making them safe to ride, most of the time. Then there’s the feral ones. No one wants to encounter them. When some of these characters come across a feral, it’s bloody mayhem.
The characters you meet are varied and odd. One of my favorites is Winslow Houndstooth. He’s usually somber and withdrawn, until you shake his hornets nest. Then he’d as easily kill ya as step on an ant. He’s a charmer and I loved how he could make men preen and blush from his attentions.
The writing is haunting, powerful, and visual. Such a superb job for this author’s debut. The good guys aren’t all good and some bad guys aren’t all bad. Action, intrigue, and betrayal keep you glued to the story. And the hippos, I just couldn’t get enough of them.
Do I recommend this book? Most definitely. Will I be reading the second book? He!! yes!
5 STARS
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Synopsis
In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true.
Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two.
This was a terrible plan.
Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge.
