Monthly Archives: December 2024

Review – The Apartment: Fear Stalks The Halls by Kevin Bachar @KevinPangolin

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THE APARTMENT : Fear Stalks the Halls (Part 3 Houses of Horror Series)
THE APARTMENT : Fear Stalks the Halls (Part 3 Houses of Horror Series)
THE APARTMENT : Fear Stalks the Halls (Part 3 Houses of Horror Series)

 

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

As a youngster, Kevin Bachar had biked to Roosevelt Island and had become so curious, he went to the library to learn about the place. A lot of what he learned is now part of this novel, The Apartment: Fear Stalks The Halls. The apartment building used to be a lunatic asylum, so it’s the perfect setting for a horror novel.

Kat is the star of the show, so I’ll tell you about her. She was different than other people. She had a gift, but to her it felt like a curse. When her and her boyfriend moved to Roosevelt Island, it caused a disturbance. Her boyfriend was changing, going from right handed to left handed. She also noticed that her limp, a genetic disability, was gone. She was seeing ‘people’ in the hallways.

Murders were happening on the island. We have numerous suspects, and, boy, did I get this wrong. I love it. I had to race through the pages, couldn’t stop. Kevin led me down a road and I followed blindly. The ending was so unexpected and I love an author able to leave me with my jaw hanging open. That’s why I’m always happy to review one of his books.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Star

GOODREADS BLURB

An unholy being is unleashed in the terrifying novel From the EMMY-award-winning producer and screenwriter of the LIONSGATE horror film THE INHABITANT. What if the horrors of the past seeped into the present? THE APARTMENT is a place where every hallway, door, and staircase leads to madness. And where a serial killer by the name of THE HARVESTER has decided to stalk their victims.

Benjamin and his girlfriend Katherine move to New York City. Instead of stylish Manhattan, or hip Brooklyn, the couple end up on Roosevelt Island, a spit of land in the middle of the East River.

It’s secluded and steeped in sordid history. The place was once known as the ‘Island of the Damned’ when it was home to a prison, a small-pox hospital, and a mysterious building where strange experiments occurred.

Katherine starts to feel isolated and is tormented by terrifying dreams. She also notices changes in her boyfriend, subtle things and some not so subtle, like how he now eats with his left hand. Even his voice sounds different to Catherine, but is all this in her mind, or has Benjamin become host to a horrifying entity from the past?

  • Genre: Fiction, Horror
  • 264 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published December 20, 2024

ABOUT KEVIN BACHAR

Kevin Bachar is a national EMMY award-winning natural history documentary filmmaker and WGA writer. The elevated horror film he wrote – The Inhabitant – https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/the-inh… – was released through Lionsgate and is available on most streaming services.

If you’ve watched National Geographic, PBS, or The Discovery Channel over the years you’ve seen his work. He’s the idiot in the water filming sharks or crawling into caves to photograph vampire bats. You can see Kevin at work filming sharks here – https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2703407897/…

The natural world has always captured his imagination and the supernatural world inspires his stories. Through his journeys, he’s interviewed scientists who’ve enlightened him, heard folk tales that have frightened him, and seen quite a few things that have challenged his skeptical mind.

His collection of short stories that weaves together the natural world and the supernatural world entitled, DREAD, is available on Amazon. He’s currently working on his second collection entitled – CREEP.

Complimenting his writing, Kevin has lectured and given presentations at prestigious institutions such as Rutgers University, American University, and the Rubin Museum of Art.
To keep up to date with Kevin’s movies, documentaries, and books –
www.kevinbachar.com
https://twitter.com/KevinPangolin
https://www.instagram.com/kevinbachar/
https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinbachar?l…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEKM_m…
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423190/

MY KEVIN BACHAR REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Welcome To Sleighville – Here Comes Chaos by Amanda Siegrist @amanda_siegrist

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Welcome to Sleighville, where it’s Christmas 365 days of the year. The holliest jolliest small town has taken a hit and Lila Hansley, a public relations expert, has come to town to repair their image. She’ll be working hand in hand with the mayor Bryce Stuart.

Bryce not only has a town with public relations at an all time low, but so is his personal life. His wife has beat him down and he needs a makeover too. Could Lila be the answer to both problems?

No sooner do they get over one black mark against the town, but then someone is murdered. It seems like every time they turn around, something bad is happening. Lila is determined to fix it.

We have a mixed bag of characters, most of whom I met before in Dashing Through The Fear, Book I, Griffin and Eve’s story. We have more mystery than suspense, but there is danger surrounding Lila. She can’t…won’t…run from it. She will face it head on.

Looking for a feel good story for the holiday season? Looking for something to make you feel warm and fuzzy all over? Why not try an Amanda Siegrist novel. She loves to give you happy ever afters.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

From USA Today bestselling author Amanda Siegrist comes an intense holiday romantic suspense series that will make you swoon and hold you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Welcome to Sleighville…where mayhem meets murder.

Mayor Bryce Stuart’s quaint Christmas town is in crisis. With holiday cheer fading faster than melting snow, he turns to a PR firm for a total holiday makeover. Amidst the tinsel-draped chaos and unexpected divorce papers, Bryce is determined to save his town even as his personal life unravels.

Lila Hansley, a PR whiz, would rather dodge snowflakes than deck the halls. When her grinch of a boss tasks her with reviving a town where yuletide seems cursed, she finds herself tangled in more than just stubborn locals and tacky decorations. Between Bryce’s infectious Christmas spirit and his soon-to-be ex-wife’s icy interference, Lila’s job becomes a real-life holiday mayhem.

But when mischief escalates to murder, Sleighville’s revival takes a sinister turn. As tensions rise and secrets surface, Bryce and Lila must navigate a web of small-town intrigue where someone’s silent night just became permanent.

Can they uncover the mystery before their Christmas miracle becomes another holiday homicide? Or will Sleighville’s dark secrets bury their efforts deeper than the winter snow?

Don’t miss book two in this suspenseful Christmas series where you’ll find holiday joy all year long!

The entire Sleighville (each book can be read as a standalone.)
Dashing Through the Fear (Book 1): Griffin & Eve
Here Comes Chaos (Book 2): Bryce & Lila

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
  • 290 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published December 13, 2024 by Amanda Siegrist

ABOUT AMANDA SIEGRIST

Amanda Siegrist

Love! Gimme some love and heaps of romance. I have a sappy heart that just loves two people meeting, going through the cycles of a relationship, and ultimately, falling in love. Give me a good book like that and I’m a happy camper:)

I write contemporary and romantic suspense, but I am partial to suspense. I just love a good mystery.

Besides writing, I love baking, crafts, and baseball…oh, and meeting new people. *smiles*

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook / Instagram

MY AMANDA SIEGRIST REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – Ivory’s Fight by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor #romanticsuspense

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Ivory’s Fight (Prey Security – Artemis Team) may be the first book in the series, but I have met these characters before. It is great to be back with them.

Ivory had been kidnapped when she was a baby, her captor teaching her how to be an assassin. She had been rescued by Prey, and her and her sister’s now work for them. She is on an undercover mission when she finds herself rescued by Roman Morales, who also works for Prey Security. She is searching for a group of children who have been kidnapped, and Roman wants revenge, after his sister’s death. They decide to work together.

There are triggers with human trafficking, rape and torture.

I love that this series is about the four sisters that were rescued by Prey. I know Jane will put them through the wringer, dragging their baggage out in the open for all to see, and helping them find their happy ever after. I can hardly wait to crack open the next book in the series.

I love Jane Blythe’s writing. She weaves romance and suspense seamlessly, putting her characters through hell to come out the other side with a happy ever after.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Falling in love has no place in a mission of revenge.

Abducted as a baby, Ivory Smith was trained to be one thing; a killer. Rescued before she could fulfil her captor’s purposes now she works for Prey Security’s Artemis Team taking down human traffickers. What should be a typical undercover mission becomes anything but when not only does she meet a man who intrigues her but she comes face to face with her abuser.

Former Delta Force operator turned DEA Agent Roman Morales lives for one thing; revenge. Growing up surrounded by addiction he’s determined not to fall down the same hole, which means keeping everyone at a distance. Until he meets a beautiful, brave woman determined to help him get the revenge he craves, he just doesn’t think he has anything to offer her in return.

  • Genre: Fiction, Military, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
  • 276 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published May 9, 2023
  • Series: Prey Security, Artemis Team #1

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – Blood Lasts Forever by Jeff Gunhus @jeffgunhus

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Blood Lasts Forever is not my first Jeff Gunhus novel. His writing is amazing and there is never any hesitation when I am offered a copy for review.

Fifteen year old Wyatt Bucks is a bully. When he turns up dead, no one in the small town of chambers questions it. It only took one mistake for someone to hunt him down and make him pay. The Fab Five have taken a blood oath to take their secret to the grave.

It’s twenty years later, and the past has come calling. Jeff Gunhus did a great job of creating a story and characters that are realistic and gripping. The details enabled me to visualize the scenes as they unfolded.

I wondered what would happen at the cabin. I figured someone must have broken the blood oath, but who and why was the big question. It didn’t go down the way I thought it would, but that’s not surprising with Jeff Gunhus. He is a master at creating suspense and roller coaster ride stories, keeping me flipping pages, eager to know what comes next.

 

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Not every death is a tragedy.

When fifteen-year-old Wyatt Bucks is found dead in the Sagasett River, the small town of Chambers breathes a collective sigh of relief. Wyatt was a troubled youth, feared and despised by many. But his death, deemed an accident by the local sheriff, leaves a chilling legacy that will haunt the town for decades.

Twenty years later, Mitch Ansel, now a middle school teacher, receives a call that resurrects the nightmares of his past. Alongside his old friends, the Fab Five, Mitch is forced to confront the dark secret they’ve buried for years—a secret that ties them to Wyatt’s death.

As the friends reunite at a remote cabin, they must navigate a web of deceit, fear, and violence. Each carries scars from the past, but none are prepared for the revelations that await them. Mitch’s terrifying visions of Wyatt and the relentless pull of their shared guilt threaten to unravel their lives and sanity.

  • Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
  • 272 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published November 11, 2024

ABOUT JEFF GUNHUS

Jeff Gunhus

Jeff Gunhus is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year-old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 30 on Amazon, have been recognized as Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists and reached the USA TODAY bestseller list.

After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active life in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel or on JeffGunhus.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

MY JEFF GUNHUS REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Explosive – Lair Reckoning by D V Sullivan @bydvsullivan

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

OMG, I sure didn’t see where this was going. Each book of the Lair series by D V Sullivan has been filled with action and I have loved every minute with Arie and Adrian. Each book drew me deeper and deeper into their world. I didn’t see a way for them to survive, let alone have a happy every after.

They are on a mission. A mission to take out Adrian’s maker, the cruelest vampire of them all. They will find out if he can become human again.

Arie was able to lure people to her side, risking life and limb. She had never considered herself a leader, but there are those that are willing to follow. Unfortunately, not all will survive. I do love an author that is so confident his story can stand after killing off a character or two or three or…

Wow, just wow. There were so many things I loved about Lair Reckoning. The whole premise, a ‘Below Deck’ world was a novel approach. Why would vampires want to live on yachts? Because D V Sullivan wanted them to. He was a deckhand in the Mediterranean, so he has first hand experience of what the workers go through. Then you just need to add vampires to the mix.

My thanks go out to D V Sullivan for passing along the first three books in the series. The ending of Lair Reckoning wrapped up one story, but I see more adventures on the horizon.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Will Arie finally free Adrian so they can be together? Things have not gone as planned. Aurora Strand has run away from an abusive past and fallen in love with billionaire yacht owner Adrian Voper—a vampire. In order to turn him back into a human so they can be together, she must hunt down and destroy his maker, the Commodore, leader of all seafaring vampires. But now that the Commodore is aware of their plan, Aurora must take matters into her own hands—by infiltrating the Commodore’s yacht as a stewardess so she can take him out herself. Little does she know that this boat is a horror show where women are hunted for sport, and that in facing the Commodore she will have to face her abuse. How? She must offer herself up as concubine in order to get close enough to assassinate the Commodore, and to do so she must first be tasted by his blood son, who may or may not be an ally. Will she be exposed? Or will she be tempted by possibilities that may just cost her Adrian?

  • Genre: Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural, Vampires
  • 311 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published August 1, 2024 by Transmarinia Press

ABOUT D V SULLIVAN (from Amazon)

D.V. Sullivan has been a deckhand in the Mediterranean, a bartender in New York and an English teacher in China. Now that he’s no longer hosing salt off yachts during high-wind gales, he writes from his lair in the Pacific Northwest.

MY D V SULLIVAN REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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Sherry’s Shelves 12.15 – 12.21.24

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Hi Everyone. Well, Christmas is right around the corner. Hubby and I are going to stick around home, watch some football, and who knows what else. Do you have any plans?

LAST WEEK ON fundinmental

COMING UP ON fundinmental

  • Sherry’s Shelves
  • Explosive – Lair Reckoning by D V Sullivan
  • Review – Blood Lasts Forever by Jeff Gunhus
  • Review – Ivory’s Fight by Jane Blythe
  • Welcome To Sleighville – Here Comes Chaos by Amanda Siegrist
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!