Book Review: Left to You

Title: Left to You

Author: Daniel J. Volpe

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LNZF5JY

Summary

What would you do to save a loved one?
Robert’s mother, Helen, is ravaged with cancer. Every day could be her last, and Robert dreads losing
the last member of his family. Robert’s friend and Holocaust survivor, Josef, tells him an unholy story
and leaves him a way to save his dying mother. But, as with everything in life, the salvation comes with a
steep price.
Will Robert accept what’s left to him and save his mother? Or will the cost be too high, weighing
Robert’s soul down to the depths of Hell?

My Review

5/5 Stars

When Robert Sinclair strikes up a friendship with a seemingly nice old man, the last thing he expects to encounter is a demon.

Left to You is such a wild ride of a story. From paranormal, to historical, to horror, this book encompasses a wide range of genres in the most genius way. The choices the characters make throughout the book were so difficult and heart wrenching, and I think part of the horror comes from the fact that in those situations, many of us would’ve taken the same path as the characters.

By the time the story concluded, I wasn’t ready for it to be over. The ending left me haunted, and I’m gonna think about it for a while.

 I can’t recommend this book enough to fans of dark emotional stories.

Book Review: Woom

Title: Woom

Author: Duncan Ralston

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075H3MRQ6/

Summary

“Trust me when I say, this is messed up.” – MATT SHAW, author of Sick B*stards.

“I believe pain lingers,” Angel said. “Do I believe in spirits? In the supernatural? Probably not.”

The Lonely Motel holds many dark secrets… and Room 6 just might possess the worst of them all.

Angel knows all about pain. His mother died in this room. He’s researched its history. Today he’s come back to end it, no matter the cost, once and for all.

Shyla, a plus-sized escort, thinks the stories Angel tells her can’t be true. Secrets so vile, you won’t want to let them inside you.

But the Lonely Motel doesn’t forget. It doesn’t forgive. And it always claims its victim.

“This book is a wet dream of abnormal sexual psychology.” – Mort Stone, My Indie Muse

WARNING: Don’t buy this book if you have a weak stomach, if you’re easily disturbed, or if you’re looking for a light horror read. THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK. Seriously. You’ve been warned.

My Review

5/5 Stars

Dark and gritty.

Not at all what I expected, and I mean that in the best way.

I couldn’t guess what would happen next, and the chemistry between Angel and Shyla was real and kept me reading right up to the end. Very twisted ending that left me unsure of how I felt, but I think the shock value of it is what makes it so very compelling.

Book Review: The Secrets of Cedar Farm

Title: The Secrets of Cedar Farm

Author: Carissa Ann Lynch

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Cedar-Farm-unforgettable-thriller-ebook/dp/B09BKM8KZT

Summary

The brand new thriller from USA Today bestselling author, Carissa Ann Lynch. Perfect for fans of John Hart, Jane Harper and Shirley Jackson.

‘Incredibly powerful, riveting and emotionally charged, this thriller will stay with you long after the last page is turned’
Ellie Midwood

Behind every family is a story.
But some stories are darker than others. 
 
Norah Campbell was an addict. The loss of her fiancé drove her to despair; she lost custody of her daughter, Gemma, and control of her life. 
 
Now Norah is in recovery and she wants Gemma back. But to do so she must move in with her eccentric aunt and uncle, and they refuse to give up control without a fight. When strange occurrences keep happening at the farm and Norah makes a gruesome discovery, she soon realises she’s living with a monster. 
 
As her mental health spirals out of control and she is tempted to relapse, she begins to wonder if she is also a monster.
 
This is a novel about addiction and recovery, and the strength of a mother who must fight in order to save herself and her child.

My Review

5/5 Stars

Full of twists and turns, this newest book by Carissa Ann Lynch kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. Highly recommended!

Book Review: Over the Hedge

Title: Over the Edge

Author: Paulette Mahurin

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BM8QVLF

Summary

During one of the darkest times in history, at the height of the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1943, members of the Dutch resistance began a mission to rescue Jewish children from the deportation center in Amsterdam. Heading the mission were Walter Süskind, a German Jew living in the Netherlands, Henriëtte Pimentel, a Sephardic Jew, and Johan van Hulst, principal of a Christian college. As Nazis rounded up Jewish families at gunpoint, the three discreetly moved children from the deportation center to the daycare across the street and over the backyard hedge to the college next door. From the college, the children were transported to live with Dutch families.

Working against irate orders from Hitler to rid the Netherlands of all Jews and increasing Nazi hostilities on the Resistance, the trio worked tirelessly to overcome barriers. Ingenious plans were implemented to remove children’s names from the registry of captured Jews. To sneak them out of the college undetected past guards patrolling the deportation center. To meld them in with their new families to avoid detection. Based on actual events, Over the Hedge is the story of how against escalating Nazi brutality when millions of Jews were disposed of in camps, Walter Süskind, Henriëtte Pimentel, and Johan van Hulst worked heroically with the Dutch resistance to save Jewish children. But it is not just a story of their courageous endeavors. It is a story of the resilience of the human spirit. Of friendship and selfless love. The love that continues on in the hearts of over six hundred Dutch Jewish children.

My Review

5/5 Stars

This is one of those reads that sticks with you because it’s hard to overlook the fact that it’s based on true events. In this story, we are introduced to three Dutch citizens, members of the Dutch resistance, who put their entire lives on the line in order to save hundreds of Jewish children from facing cruel fates at the hands of the Nazis.

The three main characters were written in a way that made me want to root for them. Their situation was harrowing, and their cause was good, but the battles they were up against seemed so impossible that I couldn’t put the book down until I found out their fate. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions: victory and betrayal, hope and despair, happiness and sorrow, good and evil.

Book Review: Telling Tales

Title: Telling Tales

Author: Jill Griffin

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N9X9LT6/

Summary

Readers will take delight in this charming, wonderfully wide-ranging treasury of original, often poignant, humorous short stories.

There is much to love in this delightfully witty anthology. There is a smooth mix of fiction and reflections. Family, love, loyalty and hope mingled with loss, envy, and revenge, all woven together in a captivating look at the sometimes odd absurdities of human nature. Every tale is touched with the author’s sharp sense of humour, and portrays the reasoning that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously.

A perfect night-stand book, that you can dip in and out of, as you muse and reflect on life’s ups and downs. From family secrets, to ghosts and revenge, there is a whole host of delights waiting inside.

Review

5/5 Stars

I think the best thing about this anthology is the way the stories are lined up to truly give you a rollercoaster of emotions by the time you reach the end of the book. Though each story seemed to have its own sort of mood, I love the way each one had an unpredictable twist. All in all, a captivating read.

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Book Review: Willow (The Sinful Seven #3)

Title: Willow: A forbidden age-gap Rockstar Romance (The Sinful Seven Series Book 3)

Author: Connie Lafortune

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097T5HK3R 

Summary

Age is just a number, right? Not if he’s the CEO of my record label and technically my boss…

On stage, I come alive.

I know I’m an essential part of The Sinful Seven. I revel in the roar of the crowd.

As the music thumps, I find my place under the stage lights.

For a few short hours, I can just be me.

Not the murderer’s daughter.

Caleb wants to break down my defenses. He thinks he can save me from myself. Little does he know, others have tried. All have failed.

I have a secret I carry with me every moment of every day. One that caused me to build walls around my scarred heart, with strict rules set to protect myself.

No huge age gap.

No kids.

Never let him get too close.

Being with him would break every single rule. But, whether I’m ready to admit it or not, he just might be worth the risk. I pray I’m not making a mistake. If my heart breaks again, there will be no putting the pieces back together.

My Review

5/5 Stars

Willow is close to her bandmates, and with their help, and her general love of music, finds herself able to move past every tragedy that life throws her way. When she meets a record producer at a party named Caleb, she’s intrigued. He’s older than her, but she has faith in him. Faith she didn’t think she could put in anyone else again. The only problem is that they both have secrets they’re keeping from one another. Will Willow be able to take down the walls she’s carefully constructed to let him in?

Though this is the first book in this series that I’ve read, I really liked Willow’s character and the entire background. The setup of the band and the dynamics she has with each member was very believable. The slow burn romance between Willow and Caleb was tastefully done and really kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would go down between the pair next. All in all, this book is an emotional rollercoaster that fans of the genre will adore. 

Book Review: Against Blood

Title: Against Blood (A Detective Cliff Husto Thriller #2)

Author: Jack King

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08G9NYYF7/

Summary

Houston is falling apart. Gang violence in the streets, crazed neo-fascist cults, and violent mischief abound, steeping the Texas city in chaos and bedlam. And to make matters worse, twisted half-truths and mounting conspiracies behind closed doors threaten to set the worst of the worst against each other in an all-out city-wide war for power and vengeance. As tension mounts and deadly plans are made, HPD senior detective Cliff Husto is reluctantly drawn into the fray.


But when what he thinks are just minnows in a sea of crime devolve into a series inexplicably clean murders of military personnel, Husto is faced with his most baffling case yet. The detective must now unravel the web of conspiracies and vendettas entangling Desert Storm veterans suffering from PTSD, a group of Islamic college students on the path to radicalization, and hard-line, racist American nationalists. Husto must extinguish the rapidly spreading criminal wildfire tearing through the streets of the city before it is too late.

My Review

5/5 Stars

A thrilling page turner, Against Blood is the second book in the Detective Cliff Husto series. In this one, Husto finds himself deep in a mess of crimes involving Desert Storm veterans suffering from PTSD. Taking place in Houston in the early 1990’s made this an interesting read to see how the crimes would be solved without some of the more modern techniques to help out.

There are plenty of well-developed characters throughout the story, and I adored the way the author had them all come together. Another part of the story that I thought was well done was the way the author handled the topic of PTSD. It was respectful and realistic, painting a picture of what life is like after trauma. Not only this, but it also handled other delicate subjects like racism and radicalized terrorism.

This book will be a definite favorite for readers of crime thrillers and mysteries.

Book Review: Golem

Title: Golem

Author: PD Alleva

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CV5823C/

Summary

“An extraordinary psychological horror book. Excellently written, with a twisted, spiraling, unexpected end that will leave you speechless.” ~ TBM Horror Experts

Detective. Angel. Victim. Devil.

A haunting tale of suspense, loss, isolation, contempt, and fear.

On November 1, 1951, war hero John Ashton was promoted to detective. His first assignment: find the district attorney’s missing daughter. But his only lead is Alena Francon, a high society sculptor and socialite committed to Bellevue’s psychiatric facility. 

Alena has a story for the new detective. A story so outlandish John Ashton refuses to heed the warning. Alena admits to incarnating Golem, a demonic force, into her statue. A devil so profound he’s infiltrated every part of New York’s infrastructure. Even worse, he uses children to serve as bodily hosts for his demonic army, unleashing a horde of devils into our world. 

When Alena’s confidant, Annette Flemming, confirms the existence of Golem, John is sent on a collision course where fate and destiny spiral into peril, and the future of the human race hangs in the balance. 

The Devil Is In The Details!

Fans of The Silence of the Lambs, Clive Barker, John Connolly, old Stephen King, and Anne Rice will be fascinated by this edge of your seat psychological horror thriller with a story that rips out the heart of humanity and throws it on a slab to be feasted on. 

My Review

5/5 Stars

Chilling and compelling, Golem is a twisted story that follows a recently-promoted detective, John Ashton, as he’s set to search for a missing child. When his only lead is an ex-socialite, Alena, who’s been in a sanitarium, he isn’t sure what to believe. He’ll quickly be pulled into a web of horror and terror, leaving him with no other choice but to believe her tale is the truth.

I thought Alena was a fascinating her character. Her choices and character growth (or destruction) or the course of the novel was very well-done. Though John has his secrets under a mask, the longer I read, the more fascinating I found his character to be as well. Alena and John became an unlikely pair as the story progresses.

It’s not very often that I read horror novels that take on the Golem myth, but PD Alleva absolutely nailed it here. While the stories I have read before spoke of gentle, guardian Golems, the idea of one turning on their creator is terrifying and such an interesting twist.

All in all, Golem is a psychological tale that will invoke all the creepy feelings.