Book Review: Progressive Entrapment

Title: Progressive Entrapment

Author: Brandon Ford

Narrator: Michael Butler

Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Progressive-Entrapment-Audiobook/B08SJFB4H9

Summary

It begins as innocent fun. Tempting, enchanting…even, at times, sweet. It doesn’t take long, however, before things change. You feel yourself being lured. A haunting – or haunted – voice whispers your name in the darkest of hours. Seduces you. Entices you. Beckons you. You’re addicted…and there’s no turning back.

In this collection of 20 stories, Brandon Ford takes the listener on an extended journey, one that begins in a sun-kissed meadow and ends in a shadowed wood, where razor-clawed creatures prey. 

In “The Dinner Party”, a young wife receives some unusual advice from a talk radio host after she discovers her husband’s infidelity. A budding artist and consummate failure realizes there’s only one way to overcome an undying envy of his overachieving brother (”Painted in Red”). In “Popcorn Video”, a high school senior receives a series of mysterious phone calls while working alone in a mom-and-pop video rental shop. As the world comes to a violent end, a young couple and their small child take cover in an abandoned basement bar, realizing only too late that they’ve made a grave error (”Refuge”). 

Progressive Entrapment is a tantalizing and titillating tome that will leave you breathless with emotion, from sadness to glee to jaw-tensing terror. It is a book that won’t allow you to stop listening. Consider yourself warned.

My Review

5/5 Stars

An intense collection of short stories.

When I finished this book, I had to sit for a few minutes to gather my thoughts. It really was an intense emotional rollercoaster. The way the stories are arranged gives us a steep plunge from the suburban sorrows of a dying relationship, to twisted gore right out of a nightmare.

Every story is written in a way that leaves you feeling something, some more than others. I found it hard to really decide which stories were my favorite, but it’s safe to say that the second half of the book held my attention the most since they were more horror-esque stories written in a way that only Brandon Ford can pull off.

Narration was perfect for this collection.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Book Review: Grave Digger Academy

Title: Grave Digger Academy (Grave Digger Academy #1)

Author: C.A. King

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y4CQ7X6/

Summary


It’s Makayla’s first year in the paranormal academy system. When all three of the schools she applies to deny her entry, there’s only one left. Unfortunately, she’s more interested in finding a way out of Grave Digger Academy than in learning its curriculum.


Gravediggers actually do the digging. Grave Diggers, however, keep buried bodies where they belong—six feet under.


This year’s students are about to learn corpses can be temperamental, and when the dead refuse to cooperate, there’s Hell to pay.

My Review

5/5 Stars

I always love a good story about witches, and this had a definite Harry Potter vibe to it. There are many academies that young people skilled in the paranormal can go, and one that is least desired of all. Grave Digger Academy. With no other options, Makayla finds herself a student of this very academy.

I loved the way that C.A. King introduced the villain and MaKayla’s background in a way that set the foundation for a long-term series. When I start a new series, I’m always hesitate because sometimes authors can info dump in book one or not put any background info at all. Grave Digger Academy fell pleasantly between the two. I was given some information, but definitely not enough to answer all my questions, and those questions are what will keep me intrigued for more books to come.

This was a fun read. Plenty of lighthearted adventures and characters that seem so real, you’re sad to finish the story. I always love a good paranormal academy story, and this definitely left me with that feeling you get from reading a great book.

Book Review: You’re All Mine

Title: You’re All Mine

Author: Ruth Harrow

Narrator: Amanda Parrott

Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Youre-All-Mine-Audiobook/B0934PNZP2

Summary

The worst secrets are often hidden by the shiniest facade….

Heather lives in her dream house, has a handsome husband and a successful career. Famous in her field, she has legions of devoted followers on social media. But all is not as rosy as the Pinterest-perfect picture she lets them see. 

Behind closed doors lurks a more sinister story. Heather would be horrified if people knew about the violent scarlet stain near the fireplace…or the shocking secrets that keep her awake at night and could destroy everything she cares about….

Managing an exciting new project should be a breeze, but when she is forced to work alongside the school bully that made her life hell, a new nightmare starts. Her perfect façade begins unravelling before the watchful eyes of her followers.

Awful happenings start to reach Heather in the one place she should be safe – her home.

Has one of her obsessive fans taken things too far?

Or is the ghost of her distant husband haunting her?

From the best-selling author of the psychological thriller In Her Footsteps, You’re All Mine is a gripping psychological thriller full of twists and turns that you will find hard to put down.

Perfect for fans of Lesley Kara, K.L. Slater, Clare Mackintosh, Teresa Driscoll, and Sarah A. Denzil.

My Review

5/5 Stars

Heather’s entire life is her job. As an interior designer, she’s trying her hardest to be the best she can be. Everything in her house has to be a particular way. Every aspect of her life is scripted. The drawback? In reality, her life is falling apart. What starts as a few things out of place turns into a downward spiral of sabotage and betrayal.

As a workaholic, I found myself relating to Heather on a personal level. She was crafted in a way that made her feel very real, and that was what drew me to keep listening to the story. I really wanted her to succeed, to prevail. The suspense was another aspect of the story that I thought was particularly well done. Every time I thought I had the story figured out, the author would throw in another wrench, and I’d be left just as clueless as before.

If you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I recommend this one. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author in the future.

 This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Book Review: Murder at Lolly Beach

Title: Murder at Lolly Beach (An Eve Sawyer Mystery)

Author: Jane Suen

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QCP533F/

Summary


Eve Sawyer is expecting a fun summer vacation until the chef at a popular food truck is attacked. But he’s not the only victim …

Chef Blake Conway has been stirring up the locals with his campaign for a plastics ban on the quaint town’s littered beach. When Eve’s friend Cassie takes her to visit Blake’s crêpe food truck and they discover he’s being rushed to the hospital, the college journalism student can’t just stand by, especially after Cassie’s beach house is burglarized.

Beach Beat reporter Jake Thorne, who takes Eve on as an intern, mentors her while they race to find the answers. The fuse is running short on suspects who oppose Blake’s proposed ordinance. And a killer is lurking at the small town’s quiet beach, where murders are practically unheard of.

As more suspects are embroiled in this web of mystery and crime, what dark secrets will come to light?


Murder at Lolly Beach is the second book in the Eve Sawyer Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone.

My Review

5/5 Stars

Eve Sawyer is a college student spending her summer break from school at Lolly beach. However, her vacation is cut short when her friend, Cassie, is injured in a home break-in. Plunged into a web of secrets, love, and murder, Eve must catch a killer before more blood is spilled.

I love Eve’s character. She’s very down to Earth, and her inquisitive and brave nature makes her the perfect heroine for this murder mystery. The author did a fantastic job of describing Lolly beach and really putting us in Eve’s shoes. I loved just how many twists this book had and that it wasn’t easy at all to guess who the suspect was.

A must-read murder mystery!

Book Review: Halwyn’s Portrait

Title: Halwyn’s Portrait: A Time Travel Romance

Author: SK Wee

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHPQMSW

Summary


The year is 2015 and a tragic car accident on an icy road in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan sets into motion a series of life-changing events for twins Robyn and Tyler Madison. Determined to rebound from a dead-end job and a failed marriage, Robyn puts her heart and soul into solving a family mystery—a portrait of an unknown man with haunted, melancholy eyes.
On September 14, 1854, during a raging storm, the ship ‘Mighty Molly Raye’ sank off the coast of Grand Island. Robyn’s ancestor, Cecil Dunbar, the lighthouse keeper, managed to rescue the prized cargo but was unable to decipher the instructions for its destination. Robyn, with the use of resources like the internet, feels it’s her duty to solve the mystery.

My Review

5/5 Stars

After a car accident, Robyn finds her life turned upside down. In a series of events, she finds herself obsessed with a family mystery—finding out who the man is in an old portrait. Diving headfirst into the mystery, her journey will take her places she never imagined they could go.

Robyn was a character I found easy to relate to. The way her entire world was written made her seem so real, so easy to understand. This is definitely one of the more enjoyable versions of a time travel romance I’ve read in a while.

Intense and compelling, Hawlyn’s Portrait is the perfect mix of suspense and romance.

Book Review: My Creepy Paranormal Story

Title: My Creepy Paranormal Story (Scary Stories Inspired by Real Encounters with Ghosts, Creatures, and the Unknown)

Author: Dave Hann & H.J. Tidy

Narrator: Lisa Leslie

Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/My-Creepy-Paranormal-Story-Audiobook/B092X5KKMF

Summary

Our greatest fear is the fear of the unknown.

We’ve all had that feeling at some point, that gnawing, gut-wrenching fear that comes from our desire to know, and at the same time, not to know.

When it comes to a paranormal encounter, we try to rationalize that what is happening isn’t real. How could it be? Ghosts, aliens, monsters – they aren’t real…right? It must be something rational. We try to explain things to make ourselves feel safe. We try to believe that the world is still normal. But sometimes…it’s not. 

In My Creepy Paranormal Story: Scary Stories Inspired by Real Encounters with Ghosts, Creatures, and the Unknown, we plunge deep into the terrifying world of the supernatural in a bone-chilling anthology of paranormal encounters from people who’ve experienced the unexplainable. These spooky selections are all based on alleged real encounters of first-hand experiences – stories so strange, they will have you questioning the world you thought you knew. 

From ghosts, to extraterrestrials, to unknown creatures lurking in the dark, you’ll be on the edge of your seat as you take an unfiltered trip through the horrifying realms of the paranormal and beyond. 

David Hann and H. J. Tidy share these stories in an entertaining way while still maintaining the realism that makes them truly bloodcurdling to listen to. Guaranteed you’ll finish this book with more questions than answers as we guide you through these scary stories.

Written in an easy-to-follow, hauntingly gritty, and incredibly gripping style, laced with a deliciously dark feeling of unsettling possibility, each of the stories in this collection transport you to places of mystery and otherworldliness, where real encounters with the supernatural have been documented. The first-person narrative leaves you feeling as if you are inside the story, part of the terror, and wrapped in ghostly arms of diverse experiences of the paranormal.

Satisfy your curiosity while shivers run down your spine with My Creepy Paranormal Story: Scary Stories Inspired by Real Encounters with Ghosts, Creatures, and the Unknown by clicking “buy”

My Review

5/5 Stars

A fascinating collection of short stories ranging from alien abductions, to strange creatures in the woods, to mysterious demons. Just about every spooky creature you can think of makes an appearance. The writing style was crisp and to the point while also leaving plenty of room for suspense and mystery. I love the slow burn feeling of each story that plunges the reader from normal to creepy.

Narration was perfect for the book.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Book Review: Shh…Listen!

Title: SHHHH…Listen!: Practical Parenting Steps to Get Your Kids to Listen That Work! Age 3-8

Author: Sienna Neel

Link: https://www.amazon.com/SHHHH-Listen-Practical-Parenting-Steps-ebook/dp/B08KYQMTRX

Summary

How To Talk and Listen to Your Children: A Practical Workbook for Busy Parents.

Most parents will agree that raising children is the hardest job in the world.

When you have a baby, you spend those first two years struggling with sleep deprivation, crying, diapering, and numerous other responsibilities.

Handling a newborn is tough. But as any parent knows, what comes after the age of 3 makes everything before look like a walk in a park.

It seems like your child learned how to talk overnight, and suddenly, you discover a whole new aspect of your parent-child relationship: communication.

Many don’t even realize how crucial that moment is. Not only does your child now understand what you’re saying to them, but they also use words to express themselves.

It sounds simple enough, but communicating with children is actually more complex than you may realize.

In every interaction, we are driven by our emotions. When you’re an adult, you are able to control those emotions to a certain extent.

For instance, when you talk to someone you don’t like, you’ll try not to show it directly. You’ll suppress and control the dislike you’re feeling, because you know that’s the right thing to do.

Many parents make the mistake in thinking that their children have the same ability, that somehow they choose to have tantrums or screaming episodes at the grocery store, just to spite you.

In reality, your child is behaving this way because they don’t know how to express the same emotion in a calm, controlled way.

It’s up to you as a parent to teach your children how to communicate their feelings and thoughts in a way that doesn’t provoke your anger or resentment.

If you ignore this task, you’re putting the future of the relationship with your child at stake–how you communicate with your children during these early stages of development can have consequences that reach long into their adulthood.

It’s not about disciplining your children–it’s about talking and listening in the right way.

My Review

5/5 Stars

An interesting and practical guide to communicating with your child.

As a parent of a six-year-old, I admit that at times, it can be difficult to communicate. A lot of books say to listen to your child when they have a problem, but that’s not always such an easy thing to do when your child isn’t quite expressing the problem with words.

This book tells you how to decode your child’s body language as well as their words so that you can deepen your bond by understanding one another. Fantastic read for all parents!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Book Review: Stay-at-Home

Title: Stay at Home

Author: Christopher Dowell

Narrator: Clare Radix

Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Stay-at-Home-Audiobook/B08ZDS4M98

Summary

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Tia’s only contact with the outside world becomes tenuous. As she chats with her friends online, Tia comes to learn that one of them is not who they claim to be.

My Review

4/5 Stars

We all remember the quarantine feels at the beginning of the Coronavirus. This novella takes that scenario and gives it an interesting worst case scenario by showing exactly the effects that isolation can have on a person.

Tia, a seemingly normal woman, slowly descends into madness the longer that she’s isolated in her apartment. Even though this was a short listen, I found it interesting, nonetheless.

Narration was well done.

 This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Book Review: The Women of the South

Title: The Women of the South (The Voyage #1)

Author: Hila Har Cohen

Link: https://www.amazon.com/-/he/dp/B086RRK4MW/

Summary


Taken by a rival tribe at a time of war, all Ni-Han wants is her freedom. Discovering her hidden abilities, she needs to decide between love and fate.

Ni-Han is an exceptional, young woman with special powers. When war breaks out between rivaling tribes on the southern continent, she witnesses her parents’ brutal murder and is taken captive.

There, she meets four other captive women. Their shared destiny is an immediate bond, an enduring friendship that survives tremendous upheavals, the hardships of war, and their romantic liaisons.

In time, Ni-Han discovers her hidden abilities, is exposed to family secrets from the past, and falls in love with the handsome Leo.

Will she trust him enough to devote herself to their relationship, or will she follow the path of fate?

Order your copy now and enjoy a story of courage, friendship, loss, love, and the will to survive.

My Review

5/5 Stars

Ni-han has the perfect life until it crumbles in the face of war. After watching her parents’ murder, she is taken captive and forced into a new life where she learns some awful truths about her past. Ni-han is strong. After all she’s been through, she has no other choice. This story was fascinating in the way that no matter what was through at her, Ni-han found a way to get out. Not only did she escape the hardships, but she thrived in them and banded together with those in a situation similar to hers to turn the tides of the war. It’s always so refreshing to see such a powerful female lead and this book was blessed with a cast of inspirational women.

The book is a definite rollercoaster of emotions making it very easy to get lost in the pages and Ni-han’s world. A fantastic combination of suspense and fantasy that will take you on a journey from page one right to the end.