Posts Tagged ‘Horror’

Saturday Screams #61 ~ That Which Grows Wild

Posted: February 2, 2019 in Dark Fantasy, horror, reviews, Short stories and collections
Tags: , , ,
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Welcome to my Saturday Screams where I share books that thrill and chill!

Today I’m sharing That Which Grows Wild, a collection of short stories by Eric J. Guignard. There’s a lot to offer in these pages, including some dark fantasy, horror and the bizarre.

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That Which Grows Wild

by Eric J. Guignard

40725558

Genre: Dark Fantasy / Horror / Short Stories

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My Review

I usually find that when reading a collection of short stories, some of them are great, some are okay and some miss the mark. I was thrilled to find that I was happy with all sixteen tales in That Which Grows Wild.

The book begins with A Case Study in Natural Selection and How It Applies to Love.  I’m a huge fan of dystopian and apocalyptic tales and this one adds human combustion to the mix. The fact that the author made it seem like something that could actually occur was like sprinkles on an ice cream cone. Tasty.

From there I went on to devour the book. I was expecting to need a break somewhere. For my interest to taper off. But, no. I kept right on to the end, encountering tormented beings, creatures big and small, aliens and ordinary people facing difficult and fantastical situations. But that wasn’t all I found. There were some deeply moving scenes and some characters I wanted to tuck under my wing and keep safe from harm.

 I was going to list my favorites but I found myself adding another and then another. The writing is powerful and the stories intoxicating. Eric is a storyteller in the true sense of the word.

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Synopsis

That Which Grows Wild collects sixteen dark and masterful short stories by award-winning author Eric J. Guignard. Equal parts whimsy and weird, horror and heartbreak, this debut collection traverses the darker side of the fantastic through vibrant and harrowing tales that depict monsters and regrets, hope and atonement, and the oddly changing reflection that turns back at you in the mirror.

Discover why, after only several years, Eric J. Guignard has developed an ardent following and earned praise by masters of the craft such as Ramsey Campbell (“Guignard gives voice to paranoid vision that’s all too believable.”) and Rick Hautala (“No other young horror author is better, I think, than Eric J. Guignard.”)

Table of Contents includes:

A Case Study in Natural Selection and How It Applies to Love
Last Days of the Gunslinger, John Amos
Momma
Footprints Fading in the Desert
The House of the Rising Sun, Forever
The Inveterate Establishment of Daddano & Co.
Last Night…
Those Who Watch From On High
Vancouver Fog
A Curse and a Kiss
Whispers of the Earth
A Serving of Nomu Sashimi
Certain Sights of an Afflicted Woman
A Journey of Great Waves
A Quaint Ol’ Bigfoot Tale
Dreams of a Little Suicide

Amazon / B&N / Kobo

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You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

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This Book ….. Will Haunt You

Posted: January 24, 2019 in horror, reviews
Tags: ,
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Got something different to share with you today!

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 Will Haunt You

  by Brian Kirk

42175979

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Genre: Horror

 My  Review

I had high hopes going into this. The synopsis sounded creepy. And while I did get plenty of that, I also got some bizarre scenes. It was hard, at first, to see where the author was going with his story. Once I figured that out, kind of, I kept thinking this would work so much better as a movie. The plot was out there and hard to follow by reading. I enjoyed some parts, especially the twist at the end. Other parts, not so much. I was left wishing I’d gotten more of what I thought this was going to be about. If you like books that take you into the strange unknown and make you think, this might be a good one for you.

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Thanks to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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Synopsis

You don’t read the book. It reads you.

Rumors of a deadly book have been floating around the dark corners of the deep web. A disturbing tale about a mysterious figure who preys on those who read the book and subjects them to a world of personalized terror. Jesse Wheeler–former guitarist of the heavy metal group The Rising Dead–was quick to discount the ominous folklore associated with the book. It takes more than some urban legend to frighten him. Hell, reality is scary enough. Seven years ago his greatest responsibility was the nightly guitar solo. Then one night when Jesse was blackout drunk, he accidentally injured his son, leaving him permanently disabled. Dreams of being a rock star died when he destroyed his son’s future. Now he cuts radio jingles and fights to stay clean. But Jesse is wrong.

The legend is real–and tonight he will become the protagonist in an elaborate scheme specifically tailored to prey on his fears and resurrect the ghosts from his past. Jesse is not the only one in danger, however.

By reading the book, you have volunteered to participate in the author’s deadly game, with every page drawing you closer to your own personalized nightmare.

The real horror doesn’t begin until you reach the end. That’s when the evil comes for you.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Amazon

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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You don’t want to see it coming …… Blood And Rain

Posted: January 14, 2019 in horror, reviews
Tags: ,
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Got a bloody good one for fans of the worst kind of werewolves. Enjoy!

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 Blood And Rain

  by Glenn Rolfe

25547303

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Genre: Horror

 My  Review

I can’t resist a good werewolf story and the first thing that was promising about Blood And Rain was the wicked cover art. Next was the setting. Yeah, I like my critter horror to be set in a small town. The beasts can do a lot of damage and the character list is smaller and easier to keep track of. Especially if you’re like me and enjoy a high body count. Glen Rolfe doesn’t disappoint there.

It’s been many years since the last incident and the town hardly remembers the gruesome killings. Until the killings begin again. It’s a full moon and the people of Gilson Creek, Maine learn of several brutal slayings, apparent victims of an animal attack. Yep, the books starts right away with some very nasty business. I settled in for some more mayhem.

I barely had a chance to get comfortable with the characters before the next full moon. I liked Sheriff Joe Fischer. He’d faced the beast many years ago. Killed it. Burned it. And buried it. But it’s happening again. Was it the same beast? Or a new one? He knew most of the town scoffed at the idea of a real werewolf. Some knew better. As he gathered a group to fight what was sure to come, I admired his courage and ingenuity. Those that knew the beast was real manned up. For those that didn’t he had to do some heavy convincing to get them on board. He had to protect the people of Gilson Creek so he learned all he could about the beast. But, something niggled in his brain. What if it was true. Someone had asked him. “How certain are you that this thing can only hunt at night?” Now he was faced with a fear that the creature could kill at will on the full moon. No longer confined to when the moon was visible in the night sky.

This is where it got insane. The sheriff and his officers were strategically patrolling the town, trying to anticipate where the werewolf would attack and stop it. I was swept up in the worry and anticipation of what was coming. They ran out of time and the bodies started piling up. The attack scenes were gory and terrifying. They came from different parts of town and in many different ways. The beast seemed to relish terrifying and toying with it’s victims and also appeared to have certain ones in mind.

I’m used to authors killing off their characters. It’s a given with any good horror story. However, the author caught me by surprise with some he chose to sacrifice to his beast. And I was caught by surprise again and again. Surely he’d let some survive? But I was kept on the edge until the bloody finale. When the dust finally settled there weren’t many left. Add to that some insight into how the beast thinks and a few crafty twists and the suspense kept me flying through the book. I Read it in one sitting.

A bloody good werewolf story that will have you thinking twice about going out during a full moon. Was that a howl you heard in the distance? What was making those rustling noises in the shadows? Don’t turn around and you won’t have to see it coming.

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Synopsis

The light of a full moon reveals many secrets.

Gilson Creek, Maine. A safe, rural community. Summer is here. School is out and the warm waters of Emerson Lake await. But one man’s terrible secret will unleash a nightmare straight off the silver screen.
Under the full moon, a night of terror and death re-awakens horrors long sleeping.

Sheriff Joe Fischer, a man fighting for the safety of his daughter, his sanity and his community, must confront the sins of his past. Can Sheriff Fischer set Gilson Creek free from the beast hiding in its shadows, or will a small town die under a curse it can’t even comprehend?

One night can—and will—change everything.

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Here is an alternative cover.

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Which do you like the most?

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Other books from the author I plan to read soon.

33816522  36070350  40718680

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

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The Friday 56 #196 ~ The Haunting Of Henderson Close

Posted: January 11, 2019 in horror, The Friday 56
Tags: ,
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Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

 

This is a really fun meme!

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from:

The Haunting Of Henderson Close

  by Catherine Cavendish

41427867

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Genre: Horror

From page 56 in the paperback.

“It’s so peculiar. I know we had a brief falling-out when she let Aisla know I’d experienced something weird in the Close, but I’m sure we cleared that up.”

“You had a weird experience?”

This story moves at a steady pace and oozes atmosphere. I’m very happy with how its going.

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Synopsis

Ghosts have always walked there. Now they’re not alone…

In the depths of Edinburgh, an evil presence is released.

Hannah and her colleagues are tour guides who lead their visitors along the spooky, derelict Henderson Close, thrilling them with tales of spectres and murder. For Hannah it is her dream job, but not for long. Who is the mysterious figure that disappears around a corner? What is happening in the old print shop? And who is the little girl with no face?

The legends of Henderson Close are becoming all too real. The Auld De’il is out – and even the spirits are afraid.

Amazon / B&N

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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

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It wants things …. Ancient Enemy Series ~ Tour and Giveaway

Posted: January 8, 2019 in giveaways, horror
Tags: ,
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Ancient Enemy
Ancient Enemy Series Book 1
by Mark Lukens
Genre: Horror
 
Ancient Enemy – it wants things . . . you have to give it what it wants.
Seven hundred years ago the Anasazi people built massive cities in what is
now the southwestern United States . . . and then they vanished.
Stella, an archaeologist specializing in Anasazi culture, and David, a
mysterious Navajo boy, are on the run from something terrifying. As
they flee up into the snowy mountains of Colorado, they are carjacked
by criminals escaping a botched bank robbery. Caught in a blizzard,
they must take refuge in what they believe is an abandoned cabin.
It’s at this cabin where they will face horrors beyond their imagination.
 
 
Darkwind
Ancient Enemy Series Book 2
 
After a rancher finds ten mutilated bodies at a dig site on the Navajo
Reservation, both Captain Begay of the Navajo Tribal Police and
Special Agent Palmer of the FBI become involved … but the case
leads Palmer back up to Colorado where five more mutilated bodies and
Stella’s vehicle have been discovered at a burning cabin.
Cole, Stella, and David escape the cabin on a snowmobile, heading south to
get David back down to the Navajo lands. Now that Stella believes
that David is a natural-born shaman, she knows that their only hope
of David ever defeating the Ancient Enemy is to find a reclusive
shaman named Joe Blackhorn who can help train David.
But with Agent Palmer and Captain Begay hot on their trail, Cole and
Stella must find Joe Blackhorn and the secrets he possesses before
the Ancient Enemy destroys them all.
 
 
Hope’s End
Ancient Enemy Series Book 3
 
In 1891, in the badlands of northern Arizona, Jed Cartwright, a bounty
hunter and U.S. Marshal, transports a dangerous prisoner back to the
town of Smith Junction. As they travel through the woods, they are
attacked by what they believe are skinwalkers.
As Jed flees the woods, he finds a house where a family has been
slaughtered – the only survivor is an eight-year-old Navajo boy, a
boy traumatized by the horrors he has seen.
As Jed and the Navajo boy make their way north to Smith Junction, a
sudden sandstorm diverts them to the small town of Hope’s End. They
take refuge from the storm in the saloon with some of the
townspeople. But hours later, when the storm is over, they discover
what has happened to the rest of the people in Hope’s End . . . and
the terror is only beginning, everything leading up to a shocking
twist at the end.
 
Evil Spirits
Ancient Enemy Series Book 4
 
It has been seven years since David sent the Ancient Enemy back to its
world in the ghost town that was once the town of Hope’s End.
Cole and Stella have lived in Costa Rica for the last seven years. They
wanted to believe that it was really over . . . but there were always
doubts. And when Stella sees a horrifying vision in the jungle, she’s
certain that the Ancient Enemy has returned.
David, living at his aunt’s house in New Mexico, knows the Ancient Enemy is
back; he can feel it. And now nightmares about a serial killer
possessed by the Ancient Enemy plague him, a killer who will stop at
nothing, a killer who is coming for David. With Joe Blackhorn dead
now, the only person David can turn to is Begay, the former captain
of the Navajo Tribal Police.
Former FBI agent Palmer’s nightmares have returned, and when he’s called in
as a consultant on the recent copycat murders – re-creations of the
massacre at the archaeological dig site seven years ago – he knows
that the ancient evil is back.
Together, they are drawn into one last stand against the Ancient Enemy . . .
but this time the battle will be fought in the Ancient Enemy’s world.
 
 
Mark Lukens has been writing since the second grade when his teacher
called his parents in for a conference because the ghost story he’d
written had her a little concerned.
Since then he’s had several stories published and four screenplays optioned
by producers in Hollywood. One script is in development to be
produced. He is the author of many bestselling books including:
Ancient Enemy, Darkwind: Ancient Enemy 2, Descendants of Magic, The
Summoning, Night Terrors, Sightings, The Exorcist’s Apprentice, What
Lies Below, Devil’s Island, The Darwin Effect, Ghost Town: a novella,
and A Dark Collection: 12 Scary Stories. He is a member of The Horror
Writers Association.
He grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida. But after many travels and
adventures, he settled down near Tampa, Florida with his wonderful
wife and son … and a stray cat they adopted.
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

The Prospero Chronicles ~ Excerpts and Giveaway

Posted: January 4, 2019 in giveaways, horror, Science Fiction, YA
Tags: , , ,
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Splinters
The Prospero Chronicles Book 1
by Fiona J.R. Titchenell & Matt Carter
Genre: YA Horror, SciFi
 
Under normal circumstances, Ben and Mina would never have had reason to
speak to each other. He’s an easy-going people person with a
healthy skepticism about the paranormal; she’s a dangerously
obsessive monster-hunter with a crippling fear of betrayal. But the
small Northern California town of Prospero, with its rich history of
cryptid sightings, miracles, and mysterious disappearances, has no
normal circumstances to offer.
When Ben’s missing childhood friend, Haley Perkins, stumbles out of
Prospero’s surrounding woods and right into her own funeral, Ben
and Mina are forced to work together to uncover what happened to her.
Different as they are, their unlikely friendship may be the only
thing that can save the town, and possibly the world, from its
insidious invaders.
“A snapping, crackling, popping homage to classic horror.”
—Kirkus Reviews.
“Whip-smart
dialogue… genuinely terrifying Splinters, the descriptions of which
will have fans of monster films utterly enthralled… A promising
series opener, this will satisfy those readers who like their scary
stories to be as clever as they are chilling.” —KQG, the
Bulletin of The Center for Children’s Books.
“The stakes are high. The action is intense.” —Washington
Independent Review of Books.
**only 99 cents!!**
,
Prospero splinters teaser 2-1
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Shards
The Prospero Chronicles Book 2
 
When autumn descends on Prospero, California, Ben hopes the normality of
the new school year may offer a reprieve from the town’s paranormal
horrors. Mina knows all too well that there are no reprieves and no
normality to be had in Prospero, but even she can’t prepare for
what the coming year holds.
On top of the vivid hallucinations that have plagued Mina since the
attack on the Warehouse, and the brewing Splinter civil war that
threatens all of humanity, inside the walls of Prospero High, Ben,
Mina, and their expanding Network face a vicious campaign to destroy
their friendship, and a mysterious assassin picking off human rebels
– an assassin with powers like no Splinter they’ve fought before.
Ben and Mina’s one hope rests with a mysterious old man hiding in the
woods outside of town; a living legend who may be able to teach them
how to fight this dangerous new breed of Splinter. That is, assuming
he doesn’t kill the pair of them himself.
“Titchenell and Carter hold nothing back in this solid sequel that thrills and
expands on its predecessor. Aided by swift writing, relatable
characters and unexpected scares, Shards is a chill-inducing
delight.” —David Powers King, co-author of Woven.
“Maintaining the same level of popcorn-munching fun, Titchenell and Carter are
taking The Prospero Chronicles in a promising direction.” —Joe
Dell’Erb, Washington Independent Review of Books.
 ,
Prospero shards teaser
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Slivers
The Prospero Chronicles Book 3
 
Ben
Growing up is hard, and growing up in Prospero is even harder, but I think we
manage. I mean, yeah, my friends and I spend more of our time
fighting a race of shapeshifting aliens than we do hanging out, but
we have our fun. We go to parties, help each other with our classes,
maybe even fall in love…
I’ve no illusions that we live ordinary lives, but they’re our lives,
and I’m going to make sure we make the most of them whether the
Splinters want us to or not.

 

Mina
The truce is temporary. We will not humor the Splinters forever. It’s
only until the Slivers can be stopped, until the army of Shards being
planted among our classmates can be disassembled, until we get our
hands on the thing I’d almost given up believing in.
The humanity test.
For the chance to know, once and for all, who can be trusted, some
dealings with monsters must be excusable. Inevitable. Just like this
feeling between Ben and me.
And that has to be temporary too.
,
Prospero slivers teaser 1
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Stitches
The Prospero Chronicles Book 4
by Fiona J.R. Titchenell
 
This is Prospero’s darkest hour. The few remaining humans trapped within
the quarantine zone are all but defenseless against the multiplying
forces of the Sliver Queen, Locusta. With Ben missing, Aldo among the
enemy ranks, and more steel plates than bones left in her body,
Mina’s passing the hours drowning in morphine and throwing heavy
objects at her guards. 
Stripped of her weapons, her gadgets, and the Network itself, she has just one
card left, hidden somewhere under her oft-sutured skin. It might be
powerful enough to complete her life’s work once and for all… or
to reach the one person who could make her life into more than a
means to an end. But playing it will cost everything she has, or
everything she believes in.
The final chronicle of Prospero waits in these pages.
.
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Prospero stitches teaser 1
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F.J.R. TITCHENELL is an author of young adult, sci-fi, and horror fiction, including
Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of). She
graduated from Cal State University Los Angeles with a B. A. in
English in 2009 at the age of twenty. She currently lives in San
Gabriel, California, with her husband, coauthor, and amazing partner
in all things, Matt Carter, and their pet king snake, Mica.
 
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

First Review for 2019 ~ The Sorrows

Posted: January 1, 2019 in horror, reviews
Tags: ,
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It’s a new year and with some helpful suggestions, thanks ya’ll, The Sorrows won out as the first book I will review in 2019.

This is Jonathan Janz’s debut novel and I had a scary good read.

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The Sorrows

by Jonathan Janz

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My Review

I grew up with a love of horror. Especially hauntings. Having read and enjoyed other books by Jonathan Janz, I was curious to go back and read his debut book. It’s fun to find new authors who give you terrific scary stories and then go back to see what their first books were like. I’m happy to say Jonathan’s writing was just as strong, just as creepy then, as it is now.

What did I get? Two guys are scrambling to meet a looming deadline to produce a score for a horror movie. Lack of inspiration leads to desperate measures and they, along with a few others, head off to an isolated island for motivation. Castle Black, also known as The Sorrows because of its sordid history, seems like the perfect place to find some. Until it isn’t.

This book had me coming and going. You learn about the terrible and mysterious history of what happened long ago on the island. And what happened to others later on who got too curious.

Let’s talk about this latest group of visitors to the cursed island. I didn’t like any of them. I tried to find something to redeem them, but never did. That’s okay. Now and then I like to be on team evil. And I don’t always have to bond with the character’s to enjoy a good story. Especially with horror genres. I can have fun discovering how they meet their maker or pay the price for being so stupid to go there in the first place. Not saying I believe in the supernatural. But, I’ve seen a lot of movies. read a lot of books, and I have a healthy dose of what if. No way would I have went there.

Strange occurrences and plenty of spooky vibes kept this story moving at a steady pace as the island worked its evil intentions, and the author took me to some weird places. Glad I read this. It shows that from the very beginning Janz knew his horror.

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Synopsis

Ben Shadeland and Eddie Blaze are the hottest young music composers in Hollywood. Fresh off an Oscar nomination, they’ve just been chosen to score a big-budget horror movie by Lee Stanley, the most demanding director in film. But Ben, the creative half of the duo, hasn’t written a note since his wife divorced him and got custody of their three-year-old son.

Chris Blackwood is the gambling-addicted heir to the Blackwood fortune, which includes the Sorrows, an island off the coast of northern California. The island and its castle have been uninhabited since a series of gruesome, unexplained murders in 1925, but Chris needs money, and to get it he allows Ben, Eddie, Claire Harden (an aspiring composer), and Eva Rosales (Lee Stanley’s gorgeous assistant) to stay a month in Castle Blackwood.

Eddie is certain an eerie, isolated setting is just what Ben needs to find musical inspiration for a horror film. But what they find is more horrific than any movie.

Amazon

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Saturday Screams #60 ~ Empty Eyes

Posted: December 29, 2018 in horror, middle grade, reviews
Tags: , ,
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Welcome to my Saturday Screams where I share books that thrill and chill!

Today I’m sharing Empty Eyes, another scary good book in the Spine Chillers Series by Nancy Gray.

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Empty Eyes (Spine Chillers)
by Nancy Gray
Genre: Horror
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: October 26, 2018

42630236

My Review

Duane dealt with the beast of black pond. Now Ian has to deal with the creepy kids in the abandoned house in the woods. The Specter Investigator Club is going to be very busy.

It’s Halloween and Ian and Duane plan to make the most if it. Haul in a bunch of yummy candy and enjoy the school festival. Ian had promised his mom he’d not get into trouble, but trouble finds him when a pack of school bullies find him. Forced to run for it, he ducks into a ramshackle abandoned house. It’s supposed to be haunted and he figures they won’t follow him in. When someone does, he’s forced upstairs and encounters two strange kids. They say they want to be friends, but he didn’t need friends like them.

Ooh, this had some creepy atmosphere. The kids from the mirror haunt Ian. They do more harm than good. I easily pictured how creepy they looked and felt their menace.  I thought Ian handled things like any young boy would. He first doesn’t believe what they are. Then he has to figure out how to handle them with only the help of his friend, Duane. He knows anyone else he tells wouldn’t believe him. This rang true for me. I remember not telling adults about things in the dark that scared me. Sure, it was my imagination doing the scaring, but I also knew they wouldn’t take me seriously.

Things get pretty hairy between Ian and the ghostly boys. They are visiting him at night. Appear in his mirror. Then they pull him in to haunt others. He does and says things they make him do. Poor Ian. Some of things they made him do turned his friends against him. I raced to the end of the book to see how he resolved those issues and how he escaped the clutches of the strange boys.

This was creepy fun. I searched library shelves for stories like this when I was younger and still do. Never too old for some spooky adventures and the Spine Chillers Series provides plenty of that. I’ve read several of the books and plan to read any new ones that come out. No bad language or gory stuff so I’d recommend Empty Eyes to middle grade readers who like things that go bump in the night.

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Synopsis

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“You will face a difficult task in the future. The card is reminding you that every person has a part of themselves they like to hide. Even when times are hard, you must not lose yourself.”

Ian frowned as Mrs. Marcas read his fortune. The school Halloween carnival was supposed to be the highlight of Halloween, but something about the card he picked seemed ominous. As he headed for the storyteller, things quickly took a turn for the worst when the school bullies chased him into an abandoned house. Inside, the children with EMPTY EYES decided to make Ian their friend. A black living mass twisted and coiled in his chest and closed in on his heart. Time was ticking away with every infected beat, and if Ian didn’t act quickly he really would lose himself forever.

You can find the Empty Eyes on Goodreads

You can buy Empty Eyes on Amazon

About the Author:

Nancy Gray
Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her young adult fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.
Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.

Other Works by Nancy Gray:
Blood Rain
Blood Moon
Blood God
Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow
Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf
Spine Chillers: The Beast of Black Pond
Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes
Spine Chillers: The Firefly

You can find and contact Nancy Gray here:
– Website
– Blog
– Facebook
– Goodreads


banner Lola's Blog Tours

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Click on the covers for my reviews of other books in the Spine Chillers series.

The Beast of Black Pond  Spine Chillers Big Bad Wolf

And my reviews are coming soon for the newest releases.

43206989  43235934

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Help me choose my first review for 2019!

Posted: December 27, 2018 in Dark Fantasy, horror, Mytery/Thriller, reviews
Tags: , , , ,
26

I have so many reviews to share from some really great books. This year my first review was for Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith and my last review for 2018 will be the latest in his series, Wolves.

Hell Divers (The Hell Divers Series Book 1) by [Smith, Nicholas Sansbury]  Hell Divers IV: Wolves (The Hell Divers Series Book 4) by [Smith, Nicholas Sansbury]

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I’m trying to decide which book to share as my first review in 2019. I’ve narrowed it down to five and would love for you to help me choose which one to do.

Here they are.

The Sorrows

by Jonathan Janz

39655749

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Synopsis

Ben Shadeland and Eddie Blaze are the hottest young music composers in Hollywood. Fresh off an Oscar nomination, they’ve just been chosen to score a big-budget horror movie by Lee Stanley, the most demanding director in film. But Ben, the creative half of the duo, hasn’t written a note since his wife divorced him and got custody of their three-year-old son.

Chris Blackwood is the gambling-addicted heir to the Blackwood fortune, which includes the Sorrows, an island off the coast of northern California. The island and its castle have been uninhabited since a series of gruesome, unexplained murders in 1925, but Chris needs money, and to get it he allows Ben, Eddie, Claire Harden (an aspiring composer), and Eva Rosales (Lee Stanley’s gorgeous assistant) to stay a month in Castle Blackwood.

Eddie is certain an eerie, isolated setting is just what Ben needs to find musical inspiration for a horror film. But what they find is more horrific than any movie.

Amazon

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Bane County

Forgotten Moon #1

by J.R. Rice

30521395

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Synopsis

The large river-island of Bane County has a troubled past; but some histories are eagerly forgotten, especially those written in blood.

Nestled into the foothills of the National Wildlife Refuge, the small rural town of Silver Canyon seems idyllic to most; but a long-slumbering evil is about to reawaken.

Seventeen-year-old Bryce McNeel is your average teenage boy, living on a cattle ranch with his grandparents. Well, average genius, but he prefers to keep that fact to himself, no one likes a know-it-all.

When Bryce learns of a series of grisly deaths and mutilations that occurred decades earlier, his curiosity gets the better of him. Together with his cousin Jackson, Bryce sets out to learn more about the macabre event; but as they delve deeper into the history and legends of Bane County, the two boys are horrified by what they find.

Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself.

As friends and neighbors begin to go missing, or worse, they find themselves embroiled in a battle for their young lives.

Amazon

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How To Save An Undead Life

by Hailey Edwards

36072667

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Synopsis

Grier Woolworth spends her nights weaving spooky tales of lost souls and tragedies for tourists on the streets of downtown Savannah. Hoop skirt and parasol aside, it’s not a bad gig. The pay is crap, but the tips keep the lights on in her personal haunted mansion and her pantry stocked with ramen.

Life is about as normal as it gets for an ex-necromancer hiding among humans. Until the society that excommunicated Grier offers her a second chance at being more than ordinary. Too bad no one warned her the trouble with being extraordinary is it can get you killed.

Warning: This book contains one ex-con/ex-heiress with a pet zombie parakeet who lives next door to her ex-army/ex-crush. Brace yourself, we’re talking more exes than a pirate treasure map here.

Amazon

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Devouring Dark

by Alan Baxter

41128507

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Synopsis

DEVOURING DARK is an urban horror novel about a man plagued since childhood by a malevolent darkness that threatens to consume him. After a lifetime spent wrestling for control over this onslaught, Matt McLeod has learned to wield his mysterious paranormal skill to achieve an odious goal: retribution as a supernatural vigilante.

When one such hit goes bad, McLeod finds himself ensnared in a multi-tentacled criminal enterprise caught between a corrupt cop and a brutal mobster. His only promise of salvation may be a bewitching woman who shares his dark talent but has murderous designs of her own.

The gritty thriller DEVOURING DARK is based on Baxter’s award-winning short story “Shadows of the Lonely Dead” and will be available worldwide on November 6, 2018.

Amazon

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The Current

by Tim Johnston

36387759

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Synopsis

A Stunning New Novel from the Bestselling Author of Descent

Tim Johnston, whose 2015 national bestseller Descent was called “astonishing” by the Washington Post and “unforgettable” by the Miami Herald, returns with another tour de force about the indelible impact of acrime on the lives of innocent people.

When two young women leave their college campus in the dead of winter for a 700-mile drive north to Minnesota, they suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives in the icy waters of the Black Root River, just miles from home. One girl’s survival, and the other’s death—murder, actually—stun the citizens of a small Minnesota town, thawing memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may yet live among them. One father is forced to relive his agony while another’s greatest desire—to bring a killer to justice—is revitalized . . . and the girl who survived the icy plunge cannot escape the sense that she is connected to that earlier unsolved case by more than a river. Soon enough she’s caught up in an investigation of her own that will unearth long-hidden secrets, and stoke the violence that has long simmered just below the surface of the town. Souls frozen in time, ghosts and demons, the accused and the guilty, all stir to life in this cold northern place where memories, like treachery, run just beneath the ice, and where a young woman can come home but still not be safe.

Brilliantly plotted, unrelentingly suspenseful, and beautifully realized, The Current is a gripping page-turner about how the past holds the key to the future as well as an unbreakable grip on the present.

Amazon

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All of these were great reads.

So, what do you think?

Which one do you think I should share for the start of a new year?

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Fatal Folklore …… The Beast Of Barcroft

Posted: December 6, 2018 in audible, horror, reviews
Tags: , ,
17

It’s been too long since I’ve shared some horror and I have a good one for ya. I listened to The Beast Of Barcroft and it was a Cryptid treat.

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The Beast Of Barcroft

Written by Bill Schweigart

The Fatal Folklore Trilogy #1


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NARRATOR: Will Damron
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: November 15, 2016
FORMAT: Unabridged Audiobook
LENGTH:  7 hrs. and 25 min.
GENRE: Horror / Supernatural

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My Review

Right from the beginning I felt almost like I was watching a movie. Cue the music as an ominous scene unfolds and the mystery of the The Beast Of Barcroft began.  I was hooked.

Ben is a sympathetic character. He thinks he’s finally moving up in the world. That his hard work has paid off. That’s until he discovers that his posh new digs are planted right alongside a rundown house riddled with rats and stray cats. His life begins to fall apart. And it changes forever when he sees the creature that killed his beloved dog.

Yep, I thought I should warn you, a dog dies in this story. But the author doesn’t describe it’s death. Just what happens afterwards. When Ben faces the beast, it’s so otherworldly yet so beautiful.

The story moves swiftly then. The mystery deepens, some vital characters are introduced and the horror of the beast takes over.

Wowser. I thought I knew what the beast was. But I was way off. It was something new to me and that’s a huge bonus. I love cryptids and this one prowled right out of folklore in all its shiny newness. Some scenes were more subtle. And some were so intense I couldn’t see how anyone would survive. Some didn’t. Some did, and they want after the beast. The final confrontation seemed hopeless. I braced myself and took what the author dished out. But, wait. It wasn’t over. There was one more violent confrontation. Then it was over.

Now, about the final battle. I thought about it for awhile. Then I decided it worked. Might not be what I wanted, but it worked.

Did I enjoy The Beast Of Barcroft? Yes I did. The audible is over seven hours long and I listened to it straight through. Would I recommend it? In a heartbeat.

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 Narrated by Will Damron

This is the first time I listened to a narration by Will Damron and I’ll be watching for him now. He nailed the characters, male and female, his inflection was on point and his reading was smooth.

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Synopsis

Ben McKelvie believes he’s moving up in the world when he and his fiancée buy a house in the cushy Washington, D.C., suburb of Barcroft. Instead, he’s moving down—way down—thanks to Madeleine Roux, the crazy neighbor whose vermin-infested property is a permanent eyesore and looming hazard to public health.

First, Ben’s fiancée leaves him; then, his dog dies, apparently killed by a predator drawn into Barcroft by Madeleine’s noxious menagerie. But the worst is yet to come for Ben, for he’s not dealing with any ordinary wild animal. This killer is something much, much worse. Something that couldn’t possibly exist—in this world.

Now, as a devilish creature stalks the locals, Ben resolves to take action. With some grudging assistance from a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and the crackpot theories of a self-styled cryptozoologist, he discovers the sinister truth behind the attacks, but knowing the Beast of Barcroft and stopping it are two different animals.

Amazon / B&N / Tantor

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

 

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