I pulled Noir: A Crimson Shadow Novel by Nathan Squiers from my TBR, where I added it on 2.16.2020. This is the perfect time of year to share this Occult Horror story.
He has had an abusive upbringing, but there is so much more to the story. As his eighteenth birthday approaches, he gets caught up in the supernatural world and learns his true destiny. Poor Xander. His father missing. His mother murdered in front of his eyes. Now, someone wants him dead. Thank goodness, he has a couple supernaturals by his side, getting him ready to face the biggest challenge of his life.
I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy this, seeing I think it was written for a younger audience, but the more I read the more involved I became. This is the first book of seven and I would love to watch him grow and become the man he is meant to be.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Xander Stryker wants to die. Ever since witnessing his mother’s murder at the hands of his abusive stepfather when he was a boy, he has spent every day trying to reach that goal. But every night he’s denied the death he craves. As his eighteenth birthday approaches, a chance for change is offered when his life is plunged into a supernatural world of vampires and other creatures of darkness.
Caught in the depths of this new reality, mysteries of his vampiric lineage begin to unravel and he’s offered the ultimate choice: Continue on with his wretched human life or begin a new one as the vampire prodigy he was always meant to be.
Unfortunately, the supernatural world can be just as unforgiving and brutal as any other and Xander’s choice is met with disastrous consequences.
Now, with a little support and even less hope, the chaos of his new world collides with his torturous past and threatens to crush him once and for all.
ABOUT NATHAN SQUIERS
Nathan Squiers, along with his loving wife & fellow author, Megan J. Parker, two incredibly demanding demons wearing cat-suits, and a pair of “fur baby” huskies, is a resident of Upstate New York. When he isn’t dividing his time between writing or “nerding out” over comics, anime, or movie marathons, he’s chasing dreams of amateur body building. If he can’t be found in a movie theater, comic shop, or gym, chances are “the itch” has driven him into the chair at a piercing/tattoo shop… or he’s been “kidnapped” by loving family or friends and forced to engage in an alien task called “fun.” His Crimson Shadow series has gained international recognition and has been a bestseller in urban fantasy and dark fantasy. His novel, Curtain Call, won best Occult & Paranormal Thriller in the 2013 Blogger Book Fair Awards.
In 2016, he became a USA Today bestselling author and since then, has been on the list four times.
Learn more about Nathan’s work at www.nathansquiersbooks.com
Because The Girl From The Basement by Michael B Chikondi is the third book in the Idle Hands series, I am not going to go into specifics and spoil anything for you. I will, however, tell you how much I have enjoyed learning about Michael’s complicated brand of vampires. We have politics, betrayals, killing at the drop of a hat, conspiracy and machinations for power. Sound familiar? Sound human?
Sinjen is a fascinating vampire. Sure, he will kill at the drop of a hat, but he has his own set or morals. I find his neediness funny and sad at the same time.
Sinjen is working with Lord Aster, investigating the rogues, but when he meets Eve, it becomes all about Eve. She is not who or what she appears to be. He has a complicated relationship with Miriam, a human and an order of monks have an extreme dislike for his kind. We have a lot of action and players involved in, but Sinjen is a master at maneuvering around and manipulating others.
Brace yourself for The Girl From The Basement, Book 3 of the Idle Hands series, by Michael B Chikondi. With this series, you will need to begin at the beginning, with Book I, Like Father Like Son.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
After the events in the Highlands, Sinjen begins to work with Lord Aster to uncover the truth about the rogues they discovered. As the vampire couple begins to integrate into Nightfall, Sinjen is sent away, in search of the fledgeling who escaped their clutches. By the time he meets Eve Morgan, something is wrong. Either someone got here before him, or Eve might be something abnormal. While he gets to the bottom of it, he finds he has two other problems. Miriam’s safety, and an order of monks with a particular dislike of the undead.
Michael B. Chikondi is not to be trusted, but the creature agrees to a meeting in its burrow. We enter with trepidation, given that the thing has no doorbell. As we crawl through the narrow tunnel, gored out by its own teeth, by the texture, we hear what can only be described as a hacking cough.
“Can we approach?” we call.
“No soliciting.” the voice returns.
“You sent for us; you told us to ask you questions. You know, for promotional reasons.”
“Ask.” the dread voice responds.
“Alright, who are you?” we try.
“A creature of mist and shadow, half-mad, I used to go out, I did, and know those…humans. Not now, not since…the pen.”
“You found a pen? That’s why you became a writer?” we ask, now terrified, trying to gauge how fast we can leave the burrow. The photographer has already left us, chewing off his own watch, caught on a tree root.
“Yes, but now…I hunger…”
We are not proud; we turn tail and flee, before it can leave its den. We aren’t paid enough to get a full bio. We can only pray someone buys its books, so that the thing never comes out on its own.
Ed. What the hell is this? This isn’t what we requested. Just some nonsense and an artist’s rendition of what one of my people saw before he contracted rabies? Eh, whatever. Plenty more writers in the sea.
Eat, Pray, Hex (Crescent Moon Mysteries) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting – Florida Independently Published (October 13, 2023) Number of Pages: 246 Digital ASIN : B0CH5J8MTL
Step into the mysterious world of weird Florida, where surprises and spirits are as common as sun and sand…
Amelia Matthews never anticipated inheriting a hotel in in a small southern town, but life’s twists and turns have led her to the Sunshine State. Under the hotel’s quirky, rundown façade lie haunting secrets—an unsolved murder and a restless spirit who keeps turning off the air conditioner. In the summer. In Florida.
From the moment Amelia reluctantly walks through the door of the Crescent Moon Inn, she embarks on an unwelcome spectral adventure. Her companions on this eerie journey include the sassy feline Freddie Purrcury, the overly enthusiastic and hilarious Liz with her New Age bookstore, and the charmingly handsome local historian, Oliver.
Then Amelia discovers her hidden psychic abilities. As spooky happenings escalate, she can’t help but wish for a few minutes of peace. And maybe a margarita.
She faces a decision: sell the inn and run, or embrace her new destiny as a paranormal sleuth. In this spine-tingling cozy mystery, Amelia Matthews unravels the secrets ofREC the inn’s haunted past while navigating psychic powers, an ornery cat, and a quirky crew of new friends. If she doesn’t solve the mystery, she just might become the inn’s next ghostly inhabitant…
Join Amelia in a captivating, laugh-out-loud adventure as she embarks on a quest to uncover the truth, and you’ll find yourself immersed in a world where the line between the ordinary and the supernatural blurs.
RECIPE
The Enchanted Eternity Park is one of Cypress Grove’s biggest tourist attractions. People come from all over to gawk at the intricate granite and marble headstone carvings. They also come for something else: the recipes.
An entire wing of the cemetery is filled with people whose final wishes were to have their favorite recipe engraved on their tombstone. In Amelia Matthews’ short time here, she’d found some delightful recipes.
Here is a recipe that is featured in EAT, PRAY, HEX!
This is the recipe that Amelia found on Janice Dover’s gravestone in the Enchanted Eternity Park.
According to Liz, Janice had been a trailblazer in the culinary world long before toffee bits were available pre-packaged in the grocery store. In the early 1960s, when Cypress Grove was much smaller and sleepier, Janice had perfected the cookies with toffee bits.
Janice’s snickerdoodle cookies were renowned for their irresistible melt-in-your-mouth quality. They were a closely guarded secret until she crossed into the other realm, and the recipe was made available to all.
Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup toffee bits
Instructions
Butter Conjury: Preheat the oven to 350. In a cauldron — okay, a mixing bowl —blend the softened butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until it becomes one harmonious mixture. This is your base spell, so make it enchanting.
Cream of Mysteries: Sprinkle in the cream of tartar, the baking soda, and just a dash of salt. Mix it until your concoction is as smooth as a witch’s brew.
Egg Alchemy: Add the eggs one by one, as if you’re hatching dragon eggs. Stir in the vanilla essence, which is basically the potion of dreams.
Flourish of Flour: Gently introduce the of all-purpose flour, a bit at a time. Watch as your dough transforms.
Toffee Treasure Hunt: Carefully fold in the toffee bits, like discovering hidden treasures in a mystical forest. Let the dough embrace these morsels.
Cinnamon Enchantment: In a separate bowl, mix the remaining sugar with the ground cinnamon. This is your enchanting dust.
Shape-shifting Time: Roll the dough into small orbs of delight. These orbs are your magical cookies in the making.
Cinnamon Sugar Sorcery: Roll your dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mix until they shimmer like like a sparkly vampire.
Baking Magic: Place your sugary orbs onto a baking tray and let them bake in the enchanted oven at 350°F (175°C). They’ll transform into golden-brown wonders over 10-12 minutes.
Cooling Charm: Let your snickerdoodles cool on a wire rack. They’re gathering their magical strength.Summon the Taste Testers: As you bite into one of these mystical creations, you’ll realize you’ve just unleashed a toffee-infused snickerdo
About Tara Lush
Tara Lush is a Florida-based author and journalist. She’s an RWA Rita finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and the winner of the George C. Polk Award for environmental journalism.
She was a reporter with The Associated Press in Florida, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations under the name Tamara Lush.
Tara is a fan of vintage pulp fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, 1980s fashion, tropical chill, kombucha, gin, tonic, seashells, iPhones, Art Deco, telenovelas, street art, coconut anything, strong coffee and newspapers. She lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and two dogs.
Her debut mystery series is published by Crooked Lane Books.
Yeah, I was stopped in my tracks by the cover for Let Me In by William Friend. I have been looking for horror books for the month of October. The cover sold me and I thought, I’m up for a good haunted house story. Let Him In by William Friend is so much more than that. I guess you can even call it a psychological thriller, because I couldn’t sort out whether it was all in him mind, if his twin daughters were sociopaths, or if there was an evil presence in the house.
Alfie’s wife had died in a freak accident and he was left to take care of the girls on his own. His mother is, well, a helicopter parent and his sister in law, who turns out to be his wife’s twin, cannot bear to be around them. It amplifies his feelings of inadequacy.
He pours some tea into my favorite mug, black and speckled with stars, and we sit at the table. The stars appear only when the mug is hot. By the time around half have been snuffed out, it’s safe to drink.
It’s writing like this that adds that something extra in the details that I love so much. Funny how something so inconsequential sticks out for me.
I was all over the place with Let Him In. I couldn’t figure out WTF was going on and the creep factor was operating at a high level.. My head was spinning…and…when I reached the end…well…if you are a horror lover, you might just want to find out for yourself. I would love to know if you end up as surprised as I was.
I did have a problem with some of the children’s dialogue, seeing they are so young, seven years old. Also, Let Him In seemed slow at times, but maybe these two elements were meant to lure me in, keeping me curious, making me HAVE to know how it will end.
For a debut novel, William Friend has done an excellent job with his first endeavor into writing. I feel he will have an amazing career and I can hardly wait to see what he comes up with next.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
William Friend’s haunting debut Let Him In is a creeping, gothic psychological suspense about a young, newly widowed father struggling to raise twin daughters obsessed with an imaginary friend.
“Daddy, there’s a man in our room…”
Alfie wakes one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a shadowy figure in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare.
He isn’t surprised that they’re troubled. Grief has made its home at Hart House: nine months ago, the twins’ mother Pippa died unexpectedly, leaving Alfie to raise them alone. And now, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. The girls set an extra place for him at the table. They whisper to him. They say he’s going to take them away…
Alfie calls upon Julia—Pippa’s sister and a psychiatrist—to oust the malignant tenant from their lives. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and someone watches him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters’ minds, with dark and violent consequences.
Whatever this “friend” is, he doesn’t want to leave. Alfie will have to confront his own shameful secrets, the dark past of Hart House, and even the bounds of reality—or risk taking part in an unspeakable tragedy.
Expected publication: October 3, 2023 by Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 9781728275192 (ISBN10: 1728275199)
Language: English
ABOUT WILLIAM FRIEND
William Friend is a fiction writer based in Hertfordshire. His debut novel, BLACK MAMBA, was published in the UK in June 2022, and will be published in America in October 2023 under the title LET HIM IN. He is currently working on his second novel.
Ashleigh and Marci are chatting. You know…girl talk. Marci has her sights set on the bartender, so she slips Ashleigh a card, insisting she call the exclusive escort agency. Maybe she can end her dry spell.
When Ashleigh talks about her vibrator, she had me cracking up, as did the dialogue between the two girls. I am always up for some laughs.
I had a fabulous time hanging out with the girls and the Monster Escort Agency has me intrigued. Sure, we had hot, steamy, instalove, but that’s okay. I expected no less with a story told in 52 pages. I loved the idea of requesting a ‘book boyfriend’ and Ashleigh’s was a vampire. No surprises, but lots of fun. I think I will enjoy making a return visit and see who does what to who.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
After a considerably long dry spell, Ashleigh finally succumbs to peer pressure and does the unimaginable.
She contacts an exclusive escort agency.
To her astonishment, they unveil a unique service catering to her preferred literary realm: paranormal romance. Yet, what she could never have foreseen was the agency’s arrangement for a night of passion with a creature straight out of her beloved books—an actual, bona fide vampire.
Katya Ensmore resides in rural Saskatchewan with her #writingbuddy a Great Dane aptly named Khaos. When she is not spending time with Khaos, she can be found writing or hiding behind her iPad buried in the digital pages of a book.
When it comes to literature and film, she enjoys all things supernatural. She has been writing since she was a child. She currently has several works in progress with hopes to publish more in the near future.
October has set me in the mood for some vampires. I had added The NIghtlife San Antonio by Nathan Squiers to my TBR on 2.16.20, so I hit two goals in one. Knocking a book off my TBR and sharing some Halloween Horror.
“I’m never going to be the good guy. She told me to accept who I am, and she was right.”
Oh yeah, I am on a vampire kick and The Nightlife San Antonio by Travis Luedke is next on the list. Some steamy romance is on the agenda and I’m sure there will be some danger from the Mexican Mafia.
Picking her up in the hospital parking lot, in a hospital gown, couldn’t be a warning to him could it? Add the fact she has amnesia and has no idea why someone is after her, wanting her dead, we are sure to have a dangerous adventure in store for us.
They both did everything they could to deny the immediate attraction, but I think we all know it is undeniable and, sooner or later, they will act upon it. Won’t they?
I couldn’t help but laugh as I read his thoughts. Not psychically, but through the written word. Travis Luedke adds humor to the danger, as does the fact that Adrian is a sociopath that is a germaphobe. He wants to be normal and tries to act the part, but slips up…a lot.
The Nightlife San Antonio by Travis Luedke is an action packed supernatural thriller filled with steamy sex, dangerous mafioso, and betrayal. What a fun ride it was and I look forward to reading more of the The NIghtlife series.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Vampires, Mafia & Mayhem: The Nightlife San Antonio is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy.
All she wanted was to escape the police. All he wanted was to get laid. They both got more than they bargained for.
EMT on call, Adrian Faulkner resuscitates a beautiful woman after a Mexican mafia shootout. He can’t explain why he picks her up in the hospital parking lot three days later and then ducks the San Antonio police and the Feds. Well, the hot sex might have something to do with it.
She needed to hide. With no memory of even her name, she didn’t know from who. She only knew she wasn’t safe.
Adrian soon learns she is much more than a damsel in distress, and he’s stuck with her. It isn’t long before the past she cannot remember begins to catch up with them both… THE NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO is a non-stop thrill ride through the shadowy borderworld of mafia politics and vampires – and sex.
Travis Luedke is a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romance, best known for his violently sexy NIGHTLIFE SERIES. Find Travis catching a third degree sunburn with his wife and children in San Antonio, Texas, while plotting world domination through erotic paranormal badassery.
Most famous for his Nightlife Series novels, Travis lives vicariously through his writings. He invites you to enjoy his macabre flights of fancy, but be warned: The Nightlife Series is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy.
Olivia Boothe found me through Book Sirens and I cannot stress how happy I am that she approached me. Her Hell’s Angels series is MIND BLOWING! I can’t get enough of it!
I LOVED this book soooo much I am sitting here, trying to think of a quick hook to share with you to express how much I loved it. I looked for synonyms for excellent: very good, outstanding, magnificent, exceptional. and fantastic are only some of them…and they still don’t fit the bill.
Descension: Knights Of The Serphim by Olivia Boothe is the second book of the Hell’s Angel series. I gave the first book, Afterworld: Road To Redemption 5 stars. I did the same for Descension, but if there were more stars, I would have given them. This may be my favorite book of the year, but you do need to start with Book I. It will be so hard to not spoil anything for you, so I can only tell you my feelings as I read.
It’s five months later. As Jax and the others are out scavenging, thoughts of The Walking Dead enter my mind. They need gas for the next push to Sanctuary. They don’t even know if it exists, but it is their best hope. They have gotten too comfortable in the quiet town…
The demons that attack are constantly changing, as Olivia Boothe uses her creative imagination to bring forth the creatures from Hell. Angels battle angels. I love that Samael holds a prominent place in Descension. So much is easier to visualize because I have watched Lucifer.
The action was at a fast pace, never letting me catch my breath. The danger surrounds us, I mean them. The characters will put their lives on the line, repeatedly, never wanting to lose one of their ‘family’. The romantic scenes were sizzling hot…adults only please.
Want to know why Samael fell? Has God forsaken them? Who will survive?
At page 2223 on my ereader, when the beast is stalking Jax, the descriptive writing of the step by step stalking, painted such a vivid picture, it was imprinted on my mind. Another outstanding moment was at 2254 when…well, I can’t tell you. It would spoil such a fantastic part of the story that caught me so off guard.
Fuck this. Sometimes when you needed to get shit done, you’re better off doing it yourself. Tightening my ponytail…
It’s writing like this that adds those personal realistic touches, that makes me love this book so much. That, and Kate is such a badass warrior.
I was a woman…..And the cursed demons who took my family were going to hear my roar.
That is the last line and it has me salivating…wanting the next book. I HAVE TO KNOW. I sure hope Olivia is writing fast.
BUT, there is a bonus chapter. I do love that. It tells Samael’s story.
Descension has all the good bits and pieces of novels I love. Add Supernatural, The Walking Dead and Lucifer together, do a little tweaking here and there, with Olivia Boothe laying her personal mark on it with her excellent writing and storytelling, and consider my MIND BLOWN!
I don’t think this review came close to telling you how much I love this story, this series. If fantasy, angels and demons, paranormal and supernatural, and apocalyptic, dystopian books are your jam, you gotta grab this series!!!!!!
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
WE BELIEVED THE APOCALYPSE WAS THE END. WE WERE DEAD WRONG. THE WAR FOR MANKIND HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.
Five months ago, we won the battle for New York City, but the streets are once again overrun with the Damned, the zombie-like creatures carrying the deadly virus meant to wipe-out the world’s population. Except this time, they have evolved. They are no longer the mindless husks left behind by the infection.
Hungry, depleted of resources, and believing Mikha’el and his legion of angelic warriors have forsaken us, Jax and I lead a group of survivors to Albany in search of The Sanctuary, a community that promises protection and the hope for a new future.
But things quickly tip south when our group is ambushed by a brand-new enemy, and Jax and I are once again thrust into the fight to save humanity.
We may have defeated three of the four Horsemen and delayed Samael’s escape from his fiery prison, but Beleth, the Horseman of Death and the Devil’s mightiest lieutenant, is still at large, and he’s amassing an army far more dangerous than anything we could have conceived.
With a bounty on my back and a cadre of holy assassins on my tail, Jax and I are running out of time. We must collect all four Creation Stones and close the Gates before Samael escapes Hell and completely rips open the veil between our worlds, obliterating what remains of Earth’s last survivors.
Get ready for another action packed ride full of thrills and steamy romance as Kate, Jax, and their canine companion, Hank, return in this post-apocalyptic tale.
*For audiences 18 years+ Please check author’s website for full list of CW/TW
Genre: Adult, Angels and Demons, Apocalyptic, Dark Romance, Dystopian, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 10, 2023
Series: Hell’s Angels, Book II
ABOUT OLIVIA BOOTHE
REAL LOVE AS IT IS. MESSY, COMPLICATED & SINFULLY ADDICTIVE.
Born in Colombia and raised in New Jersey since the age of eight, Olivia always dreamed of becoming a story teller.
If you enjoy deadly-hot romance novels with deep, layered plots, she’s your gal. Because it’s not just about the first kiss and the happily ever after, it’s about everything in between.
In addition to writing contemporary and paranormal romance, Olivia is currently working on an adult contemporary fantasy.
Fun Facts: When not locked away in her writing tower at the wee hours of the night, Olivia works a government 9-5 job and manages a house full of males (a husband, three sons, and a doggo named Hunter). On occasion, she summons her tribe for a night of wine and shenanigans. Dark chocolate is her kryptonite, she hates/loves to ugly cry during movies, and is a die-hard Bon Jovi fan.
Don’t forget to subscribe to her newsletter to receive exclusive news and updates such as book releases, giveaways, sales, events, sneak peeks and bonus material for upcoming projects.
Witchy and Supernatural Power of the Feminine Fun Facts!
Compiled by Author Catherine Stine
Before people had hospitals and surgeons to fix people, they had midwives and herbalists. When babies or moms died in childbirth, or the herbal fix was insufficient to cure what we would now know was a fatal disease, who do you think was blamed? The same women who delivered babies and gave expert herbal remedies! In a fearful and ignorant world, they were labeled as witches, or agents of the devil.
***
Ironically, in ancient Rome even though women were housebound with zero political power, the most revered, influential people were the high priestesses presiding over the oracles, such as the one at Delphi. These women were said to be able to predict the future, wield supernatural powers and have innate knowledge of the divine realms. Greek citizens would go on pilgrimages to seek out their womanly wisdom.
***
In Chaucer’s and Boccaccio’s European middle ages (mid 1300s) people were expected to be devout in their Christianity. Many believed literally in the devil and the power of witches. Interestingly, as devout as they were to the going religion, they also prayed to the sprites and night nymphs of their recently dropped Pagan beliefs. They also believed in Fortuna, or the wheel of Fortune: that fortunes rose and fell by the whirl of a wheel, often portrayed by a beautiful woman, Fortuna. How’s that for supernatural female power!
***
During the Victorian Era in 1899 Charles Godfrey Leland published a book called Aradia or Gospel of the Witches. This Aradia goddess, the incarnation of Diana/Artemis was going to bring magic to the Victorians and hopefully free women from the oppression of the times.
***
Tamsin Blight 1798-1856 was a famous English witch healer, able to remove curses or spells from a person. She was also said to have put spells on those who displeased her. She was also known as Tammy Blee and Tamson.
***
In the 1920s and 30s there was a craze for psychics, card readers, and mediums who claimed they could communicate with people’s dead relatives. Harry Houdini, the famous magician, ironically made it his life’s work to try and debunk these folks. Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the Sherlock Holmes series was a huge believer in the supernatural. He had heated debates with Houdini.
***
The Tarot fascinates me. I collect cards for their variety and amazing images. They are thought to have originated all the way back in ancient Egypt, as a cosmic source of wisdom and divination of the future. The Egyptian word TAR means royal and ROmeans royal – thus the royal road to wisdom. Later, in northern Italy, a complete deck for card playing and gambling was devised. In France in the 1700s, a “cartomancer” named Jean Baptiste-Alliette created the imagery in the decks we often see today. There are cups, swords, wands, and pentacles. And the Major Arcana cards that hold great symbolism, such as the hermit, the world and the death card (which can also mean rebirth!)
Tagline: Supernaturally on the case! Celestine LeBlanc and Luna Finley are the Sleuths of Shadow Salon.
Book Description:
Celestine, witch and wolf shifter has a talent for prophetic drawings. She’s shocked when she draws her landlord Ray with his eyes gouged out and a strange winged-mermaid leaning over him. Later she finds an eyeless Ray dead on the sidewalk. All she wanted to do was open a gallery, but first she must apprehend his killer. In a note she found after he died, Ray revealed he wasn’t just a leather-smith but a supernatural pirate mage. Years back, his Jekyll crew trapped the evil Demon Three Eyes clan. Ray had feared they’d escaped, were stalking him, and would soon wreak havoc on Savannah.
Oryn, a fellow student in Celestine’s continuing ed art class, is a fae and a thorn in her side, when he asks nosy questions about the case. Yet, she’s drawn to him when he’s her masseur at the spa she frequents, and he’s clever at brainstorming leads regarding Ray’s case. He insists his air magic could come in handy.
When pirates in Ray’s old crew are murdered, their body parts stolen, Celestine puts more horrifying clues together. She’ll need everyone on board, including Oryn and Luna, a mermaid asking to show her sea-glass sculptures at Celestine’s new gallery—the very same mermaid in Celestine’s tragic drawing of Ray. Otherwise, the lethal monstrosity Demon Three Eyes is unleashing on Savannah will destroy the city and everyone in it.
This series may appeal to fans of Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris.
Mics were thrust in
her face as she stepped toward the front stairs.
“How do you feel
about Ray Bartello’s murder?”
“Do you have a
statement for the press?”
“Is it true that your
drawing predicted Bartello’s death?”
“Why would you draw
him eyeless?”
“Are you the
murderer?”
She waited until that
last crappy question—more an accusation—to say anything. Then she stared at the
reporter. With scalding rage contained in a deceptively quiet hiss, she said,
“Ray Bartello was a good friend of mine. I’m heartbroken by his passing.”
She glanced at Oryn
for moral support. His slightly narrowed eyes seemed to say, Go slow, you don’t
owe them. She agreed. After the supernatural attacks, she was not going to hint
that she knew a damn thing, because the more that bad entities knew she was
trying to figure out the case, the more they would try to maul, even kill her.
Oryn gave a faint nod, his eyes tinting green. She went on.
“I know nothing about
how this happened. You could camp here for days, and I still couldn’t tell you
more. The proper place to provide any tips or leads is to the Savannah Police.”
As she pushed through
the group, Oryn walked slightly behind her, since the reporters were busy
photographing them together, no doubt fuel for salacious media.
“How do you know Miss
LeBlanc? Are you dating her?” some ballsy reporter asked Oryn. He didn’t
answer.
“Did you know Ray
Bartello? Did you or Miss LeBlanc have a fight earlier on the day he was
found?” asked another.
“Can you tell us
anything more about the case?” asked a third.
Oryn face wrinkled in
disgust. “Look, Miss LeBlanc needs peace. She’s said what she can. Yes, we’re
friends, not that it’s your business,” he added sharply. “You may as well go
get some sleep. Camping out here won’t get you what you seek.” He swept his arm
around
Celestine, and they
hurried up the stone stairs leading to her place.
Oryn stopped on the
stoop while Celestine unlocked the door. “So, I’ll see you at class tomorrow?
Will you be okay?” he asked. “If you want, I can cast a few air wards around
the house so you can get a worry-free night’s sleep. Otherwise—”
“It’s not your job to
protect me,” she said, gazing up at him and realizing how very much taller he
was, next to her five-foot, seven-inch frame. Good goddess, the man must be six
and a half feet tall if he’s an inch.
About the Author:
Catherine Stine is a USA Today bestselling author of paranormal, urban and historical fantasy, all with romance and suspense. Witch of the Wild Beasts won a second prize in the Romance Writers of America’s Sheila Contest. Other novels have earned Indie Notable awards and New York Public Library Best Books. She lives in New York State and grew up in Philadelphia. Before writing novels, she was a painter and fabric designer. She’s a visual author and sees writing as painting with words. Catherine loves spending time with her beagle Benny, writing about supernatural creatures, gardening and meeting readers at book fests. Learn more at catherinestine.com
Echoes of other Times is the eighth book in Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Spook Town Mystery series. I have been loving these intriguing characters and reading about their eventful lives. There is never a dull moment in Spooky Town, so let’s begin.
We start off with a homeless young man. There is something unusual and special about him and when he meets Myrtle…well…he may find his place in this world.
The residents of the town are beginning to come out of their hibernation after the pandemic. Myrtle…scootering around town…I love this woman. I can see her, motoring around, singing a Perry Como song at the top of her lungs. Her heart is so big, as are many others in the town. They have suffered many horrors, but never turn their backs on those in need. I love where Kathryn Meyer Griffith takes this part of the story. I had an idea of what would happen, but it is so much better than I anticipated. My heart went out to the boy, as did others.
Glinda is a psychic and the spirit world is talking to her…loudly. She reads tarot cards and the messages she’s receiving are warnings of what is to come.
Abigail has a big role to play too. She is an artist and when she meets an older woman and offers her a ride, her world expands, as does Theodora’s. That saying, ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ applies. I love the Pay It Forward aspect that makes an appearance.
I have fear for the characters. I have known Kathryn Meyer Griffith to take them out on occasion and I have a heavy sense of trepidation the more I read. Their hearts are so big and welcoming, they stick with you long after the book is read.
It’s great writing like:
…the loss had again driven home the truth that no one lives forever and life was brief. A person should try to be happy. If one wanted to do something, they should do it now. Treat each day as if it were one’s last.
I feel Kathryn Meyer Griffith puts her heart into her characters and they shine.
4 Stars
GOODREAD BLURB
Frank and Abigail, and the town of Spookie, have survived the last horrific year and a half and are moving on with their lives. They’re sending their two children, Laura and Nick, off into the world to seek their futures. Abigail is preparing for another art gallery show, her theme this ghosts . Frank is preparing to fully retire, for the final time, from his part-time deputy’s job at the sheriff’s department…after he helps the sheriff solve one last case. A missing husband. A case that doesn’t end up anything like either of them expect, when it leads to vile murders. Then Myrtle, while scootering around in town, is befriended by a strange barefoot boy who seems to be homeless…and special in many unusual ways. Glinda, Myrtle’s grandniece, the psychic, has a secret. All the other quirky citizens of Spookie are here as well living their everyday lives amidst the fog and the mysteries. There are now nine Spookie Town Murder Mystery books.
Genre: Fiction, Ghosts, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Witches and Wizards
383 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2022
Series: Spooky Town Murder Mysteries, 38
ABOUT KATHRYN MEYER GRIFFITH
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over fifty-one years ago now, and now have had thirty-six (romantic horror, thrillers, SF Thrillers, horror novels, romantic SF horror, romantic suspense, romantic time travel, historical romance, and murder mysteries) novels, and thirteen short stories, published from many traditional publishers since 1984. But since 2012 I’ve gone into self-publishing in a big way; and upon getting some of my older books’ full rights back for the first time in 36 years, self-published all of them along with my newer novels. My seven Dinosaur Lake novels and nine Spookie Town Murder Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away, Ghosts Beneath Us, Witches Among Us, What Lies Beneath the Graves, All Those Who Came Before, When the Fireflies Returned, Echoes of Other Times, and Waiting Beyond The Veil) are my best-sellers.
I was married to beloved Russell (who passed away on August 27, 2021) for over forty-three years; have a son, two grandchildren, and a great granddaughter, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois. I have a quirky cat, Sasha, and live in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my late brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.
Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Love Is Stronger Than Evil, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II: Apocalypse, Witches plus bonus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (The Fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (The Fifth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Those Who Came Before (The Sixth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), When the Fireflies Returned (The Seventh Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Echoes of Other Times (The Eighth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Waiting Beyond The Veil (The Ninth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Spooky Short Stories Collection, Haunted Tales, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising, Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation, Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars, Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Dinosaur Lake VI: The Alien Connection, Dinosaur Lake VII: The Aliens Return, Dinosaur Lake VIII: For Love of Oscar…coming soon. Memories of My Childhood (short story collection) and my Christmas Magic 1959 non-fiction autobiographical short story.
Just a Fika: Coffee, Connection, and a Matchmaking Ghost Grandmother Beck Erixson Publication date: October 3rd 2023 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Family.
They’re always meddling in your love life
Even after they’re dead.
Brooklynite-and genealogist-Ingrid Ekstrom accepts a surprise request from her typically estranged family: to become the live-in caretaker of their shared historic house in the sleepy Jersey Shore town of Aegir Haven. A fun-loving cousin is quick to introduce Ingrid to the local handyman and bluegrass musician. As he fixes up the place, Ingrid digs into the house’s past and learns about the family she barely knows.
And then Mormor-her long-dead grandmother-shows up, acting as though not being in the spirit realm is perfectly normal.
Ingrid’s always yearned for stronger family connections, and it’s nice having Mormor around. Mormor tries to set her up with a young real estate attorney who’s closer to her more thunderous, god-like personal standards than the musician with keen senses Ingrid is falling for. As lore and legends mingle with real life, she’s torn. Mormor’s fantastical family sagas can’t actually be true, right?
“Mormor?” I mouth to her. Numbness spreads inside of my shoulders, and I let my arms fall to my sides.
“Did you say something?” Kurt asks.
“Oh, I asked if you needed more.” Think, think. What is she even doing? “Sugar. Do you need more sugar?”
“Nah, I prefer black coffee.” He leans to catch my gaze. “How did you sleep?”
“Pretty well.” Can he not see the massive distraction wandering around us?
His eyes trace up and down my face, which is fair considering I’ve already memorized the sculpted lines of his.
Ignore her. She’s not real. “You know how it is when you sleep in a new bed, it takes a lot to find the right position.” I cringe at the poor phrasing.
“We can get you a new mattress.” He laughs. “Consider me an extra set of hands.”
“For breaking in mattresses?” Nope, that’s not what he meant, and yet it flew from my mouth.
“I didn’t mean…” Kurt fidgets with his mug and can’t seem to hide the shades of pink in his cheeks. “Your cousin said you could use some help with the house.” He clears his throat. “Unless this wasn’t about repairs.”
“The little I know about my family, I wouldn’t put it past her.” I take a sip of the icy drink. “Don’t worry. I don’t throw myself at strangers.”
He chokes on a sip and blinks in response.
Bail out, I need to bail out. “Any help you can give with the house is much appreciated.”
The woman is still looking straight at me. She sticks out her tongue and crosses her eyes before pulling the newspaper closer to cover her face. Mormor? But it can’t be. Mormor is dead. The air is playing tricks on me.
Author Bio:
Beck Erixson writes about the beautifully awkward world of navigating the journey to true happiness through friendships, love, and family—be it blood, found, or chosen. Her stories enhance the importance of positive interconnection, even when we feel lonely. She lives on the Jersey Shore, and can often be found either writing by the river, or in it in some way. Her short stories have appeared in Many Nice Donkeys, and Full Mood Mag.
To enter, follow @beckerixsonauthor, repost an image of the book, and comment using the hashtag #JustAFika between 10/01/2023 and 10/10/2023 on Instagram to be entered into the giveaway. Open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States and Washington D.C. (excluding HI and AK) —
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