Category Supernatural / horror

Taken by Shalini Boland @ShaliniBoland @SecondSkyBooks #NetGalley #youngadult #paranormal #romance c#bookreview

yvonnembee

I am delighted to share my review today for Taken by Shalini Boland. This is the 2nd book in The Vampires of Marchwood trilogy. You can read my review of the first, Hidden, HERE.

This has been republished by Second Sky, this is the sci-fi and fantasy part of Bookouture and Hatchett. My huge thanks to the publishers for granting my request this read this title via NetGalley.

Falling in love has never been so deadly…

From USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes the addictive Vampires of Marchwood series. Perfect for fans of K.F. Breene, Sarah J. Maas and Tracy Wolff.

My name is Madison Greene and I was an ordinary teenager until I fell in love… with a vampire. Alexandre is tall, with a sexy French accent and mesmerizing eyes. He makes me feel protected, and he’s completely captured my heart.

At Marchwood House, our sprawling mansion nestled in the English countryside, we’re in our own perfect bubble together. But, in the blink of an eye, everything changes when an old enemy of Alexandre’s sets a trap and rips me away from my boyfriend’s arms.

The ancient demon takes me to his underground city, deep beneath the windswept desert. In the twisting tunnels and enormous vaulted caverns, there’s a bloodthirsty vampire around every corner. I’ve never been so terrified…

It seems like there’s no way out from this underground maze. My life is hanging by a thread, and every second I’m here is a step closer to death. I can’t just sit here and hope that Alexandre will rescue me.

Can I outsmart a city of vampires to escape from this hellish place? And will I ever see Alexandre again?

(Previously published as: Thicker Than Blood)

MY REVIEW

This is the second book in the Vampires of Marchwood trilogy and it follows so well from the first book. Where the first book was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, this second one really does give you something to get your teeth into, so to speak!

Maddie did not expect to share her house with a long-lost and unknown section of her family. As far as she was aware it was just her and her brother Ben, but it turns out she does have more and they are vampires. The first book laid the foundations and this second book takes on a brilliant turn of pace and ups the ante for all involved. When Maddie is kidnapped, her vampire boyfriend Alex knows where he has to go. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game across Europe and back to Turkey, where Alewx and his friends were first turned.

I adore the way the author uses a duel timeline for these books, not only do they give a good idea of the trials of the present-day setting, but they also take the reader back in history. This is where they first became aware of the vampires. The story focuses on a young woman as well as those who live in a Marchwood House. It is such an interesting story and one that I really enjoyed, how a young woman manages to survive. It is also a chance to see how far Alex will go to save Maddie, and yes what she will do to try to save herself.

There are some things that are reminiscent of Twilight, but only small bits. The general feeling of this series is something older and dangerous at play and there are some wonderfully tense and edge-of-your-seat scenes.

This is a horror as there are vampires, so there are sections of blood and guts. But this is also a story about a family coming together and learning to adapt to new surroundings, even though they can only see these surroundings at night!

This story has a good pace to it and it brings the characters together and shows how they get on. It is not all easy though and there is some tension at times but there are things that the author has thought about that make these books very addictive. It has left me eager but also sad to read the third and final book.

This is a really good book, it has tension, a good atmospheric eerie and creepiness that I really liked. A sense of family and friendship and building trust. Ideal for those who like stories aimed more at Young Adult readers but also works incredibly well for older young adult readers! I would definitely recommend this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shalini – I write psychological thrillers and dark adventures, and I live in Dorset, England with my husband, two children and our dog. I only write reviews for books I enjoy!

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

A Psychic Subterfuge by J.P Alters @RandomTTours #horror #paranormal #psychologicalthriller #bookreview

yvonnembee 1 Comment

I am delighted to share my review today for A Psychic Subterfuge by J.P Alters. This is a fabulous book and I absolutely adored it.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my copy of the book and my spot on the tour.

Everything has a plan…

Mary Obosa Jameson, a diagnosed schizophrenic, attempts to take her own life and is admitted to a state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital.


Mary hears voices and has friends that nobody else can see… but what she does not know, is that she is actually a powerful medium and that everything, has a plan.


Whilst admitted to the hospital, Mary makes friends who uncover a fiendish conspiracy. Mary’s life, and the lives of her friends are in great danger and only she can save them, but does she believe?


They are her friends. However, when you are diagnosed with schizophrenia, how do you know what is real, and what is not?


A Psychic Subterfuge is the first book in a series of paranormal thrillers featuring protagonist Mary Jameson, by debut author: JP Alters.

MY REVIEW

I was really intrigued when I read the synopsis for this book and it was one I decided I really fancied. I am so glad I gave this a chance because it was brilliant right the way through. From an addictive and emotional start going through some amazing scenes, events, mysteries, terrors and suspicions to an amazing ending. It has left me wanting to read more in this series as soon as possible.

Mary has non-treatable schizophrenia, she has just been admitted to a world-class treatment centre after trying to end her life. This is top of the art, full of luxurious surroundings and a small group of residents that are helped by staff and nurses. All under the watchful eye of Dr Adelia Sinclair, she has been working on alternative treatments and therapies that allow her patients to go on to live lives out in the community.

Mary is nervous when she arrives, it is so different to the usual mental health units she3 has been in, it is quiet, and clean and she has her own room with nice clothes. There is one thing that she is missing though, and that is the voices of those who have followed her around, some for years. Many think Mary is crazy, but she isn’t. She has a gift and hasn’t yet realised it.

This is such an amazing book to read, it was emotional but not necessarily in the way you would think. The story focuses on Mary, her life, how she came to be in this unit and the people she meets there. In some ways, the author plays on some of the stereotypes of how people with serious mental illnesses are perceived. This works very well with how previous treatments were used. The approach that Adelia takes with her patients in this book shows of progressive modern thinking. This is where again the stereotype comes in, conspiracy theorists. Again it is something that fits with stereotypes and perceptions along with muttering, mumbling, rocking and unacceptable behaviours.

This is a mix of several genres, for me, the mystery was the main one along with a good thriller vibe. I would say this has a strong paranormal element, but within the context of the story, it is one that works incredibly well. I know some people will look at the genres and turn away from this style, but for me, it is the mystery of what is happening and why that makes this book so very good. But then I do lie the odd paranormal read from time to time.

This book delves into some tough issues that people have gone through, they can be tough at times but they are part of the story and one or two are particularly heartbreaking. By the end of the book, I was caught up in emotions that I didn’t expect from this genre. An amazing feeling, with many positives and a definite interest in wanting to read more in this series. It is one I would definitely recommend and I look forward to reading what the author comes up with next.

I also have to mention how brilliant the title is for this book!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A debut, indie author, J.P. loves writing, and in December 2022, self-published the first in her series of paranormal thrillers: A Psychic Subterfuge.
J.P. Alters writes under a pen name. A people person, J.P. has enjoyed many jobs throughout the years, working in either social care or mental health. Currently, she has two jobs, sharing her time between being a mum to three children, her role as a mentor, and working for a homeless charity.
J.P. hopes to write books that are accessible and appealing to many. Most of all, she plans to continue to enjoy the writing ride, and hopes her readers will too!
Subscribe to http://www.jpaltersauthor.com to stay updated, and follow J.P. Alters author on Tik Tok, Facebook or Instagram.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Hide by Kiersten White #NetGalley #mystery #thriller #20booksofsummer #bookreview

yvonnembee 4 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Hide by Kiersten White. This is a mystery thriller that has a supernatural twist to it. My thanks to the publisher Del Rey Books for approving my request to read this title via NetGalley.

This is book 6 of 20 in my #20booksofsummer reading challenge.

The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don’t get caught.

The prize: enough money to change everything.

Even though everyone is desperate to win–to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts–Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she’s an expert at that.

It’s the reason she’s alive, and her family isn’t.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.
Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

A high-stakes hide-and-seek competition turns deadly in this dark supernatural thriller from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White

MY REVIEW

It was definitely the cover that stood out for me when I requested this title to read via NetGalley. Very distinctive and also quite ominous looking!

 The basics of the story are a game of hide and seek, but this version is not the happy one, this one is sinister and it also brings back memories for one of the contestants.

The story is one that flits back and forth through the decades, it is done various times throughout and it is ideal for filling in the history and the timeline of the old abandoned amusement park. Straight away I would be heading in the opposite direction, I mean those places look really creepy and ominous when you see images on the Internet! Thank goodness the author ran with the idea as it turned out to be a cracking read.

The characters are from various backgrounds, some you will get to know better than others, and some you wish you didn’t know at all. But there is a small group that does seem to be ok despite how they are looked upon by others.

The reason for the game of hide and seek is told, but not until later on in the story and definitely not in full, you will have to wait a bit longer for the full details to emerge. There are two sides to this story and what the sides are and what that means for everyone is something that the author has done well. Think of it as like “the have’s” and “the have nots” and then you realise that there are more serious tones that have roots back in the history of the story.

This is partly a horror-style story, and yes there were some eerie and creepy scenes, and this kept up the tension and added to the overall mystery of the tale. It is one of those stories that you can imagine being told by a campfire to scare others at night. Definitely atmospheric and nicely paced as well, with a slower beginning that gradually sped up until a full run for the finale.

I really enjoyed this book and it is the first time reading anything by this author so I am pleased to see there are many other titles for me to read. This is one for those who like a supernatural horror-style story, with some blood, some guts and some eerily creepy moments, It is also a mystery, crime thriller story so I do think it would appeal to many different readers. I really enjoyed this and I would happily recommend it. 

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Camp Death by Jim Ody @QuestionPress #YAFiction #horror #bookreview

yvonnembee 5 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Camp Death by Jim Ody. This is the first book in a new series from Question Mark Horror.

The place had a gruesome past that nobody wanted to talk about…

Camp Deathe is now a great place to spend the summer. Ritchie soon finds a group of outsiders like himself. Teenagers who ignore the organised activities, and bunk off in the old abandoned cabins deep in the woods. The cabins that have a history.

The campfire monster stories were meant to just scare them. Nobody expected them to come true. Then one of the teenagers disappears in the middle of the night.

Something is watching them. It hides in the woods and hunts at night.

Ritchie will have to uncover the secrets of the camp, and understand his own problems in order to survive.

Camp Death is Book 1 in a new series brought to you by Question Mark Horror. For fans of Point Horror, Christopher Pike & Nicholas Pine.

MY REVIEW

It has been many years since I last read any horror books, in fact thinking about it it was when I was a teen and was fascinated by James Herbert, Stephen King and Dean Koontz!

As I have recently read a couple of this authors books I decided to give this new series a go. It is mentioned that this series is similar to the Point Horror books. I have seen these but have not read them, so I don’t know how they do compare.

The story itself definitely had that teen vibe to it, as I followed the story of Ritchie as he discovers that his family is going on a retreat. This is a camp that is called Camp Deathe, and as you can see from the cover the final “e” has been scrubbed out! So even before I got into the story there is a sinister look to the book.

The story was one that I really enjoyed, it does have a horror feel to it as I gradually got to hear the rumours of events from the past. The author has created a nicely paced story that is really intriguing and one that definitely kept me reading. This is definitely aimed at the teen market rather than the hardcore horror readers, but if like me, you haven’t picked up a horror book in a while it does make a great genre switch option.

This does have that sinister, series atmospheric feel to it, movements and shapes blurred and fleeting. It all adds to a great read. It is one I really enjoyed and has left me already looking forward to the next book in the series, which also happens to be my next read.

This is a book that was a quick read, and one I would happily recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton @AuthorSJBolton #BookReview

yvonnembee 7 Comments

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I am delighted to be bringing you my thoughts on the dark and deviously brilliant The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton. I bought this a little while ago and it has been glaring at me from my bookshelf to be read, why oh why oh why did I wait so long……. You can buy this book in various formats from quite a range of places including real book shops, on line book shops and if your in the UK from the supermarket…….. My shopping List= Milk, Bread, Wine, Coffee, The Craftsman 🙂 and also here is a link for Amazon UK to help you.

Synopsis:

Devoted father or merciless killer?

His secrets are buried with him.

Florence Lovelady’s career was made when she convicted coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook of a series of child murders 30 years ago. Like something from our worst nightmares the victims were buried…ALIVE.

Larry confessed to the crimes; it was an open and shut case. But now he’s dead, and events from the past start to repeat themselves.

Did she get it wrong all those years ago?
Or is there something much darker at play?

My Thoughts:

Read the synopsis it gives you a taster of what to expect, but it does not give you any indication as to how this book will really get under your skin. Larry Glassbrook is buried in 1999, he was a convicted for the series of child murders. 1969 is the beginning of events.

Oh my god, where on earth to start with this book? I am going to mention that I am not someone who suffers from claustrophobia but, this book definitely had me with a sense of being closed in … I was sat in the garden reading it…. then I have to mention finger nails even writing this now I am getting a shudder thinking about finger nails being ripped in desperation arghhh, if this was a film I would have looked away, something you cannot do when reading a book. These sort of spine tingling and skin crawling moments are sporadically littered throughout the story.

So from the very outset you are aware of the culprit Larry, he was arrested, charged and sentenced. Jobs a goodun right? Now I am going to mention Florence or Flossie, a young WPC, oh my god how things have changed. Using her own strong character and bloody minded stubbornness she finds herself being involved with the detectives on the case in 1969, sounds great until you realise the patriarchal attitude of male officers at the time. She will be ideal for typing the notes as she is a woman and they are quicker at doing this than men Oh and don’t forget to make the tea. I am so glad that Flossie was portrayed as more than her colleagues thought she was, it was really great to see a female character with occasionally more balls than her male counterparts, even if it did land her in so much trouble. It could also be argued that her male colleagues were just looking out for her, not wanting her to get into disturbing situations. You will make you own decisions about this topic. I am sure I read somewhere ( I hope I got this bit right, gulp) that the author didn’t deliberately set out to raise any sort of awareness about this, and maybe this is why it worked so well for me.

I have to mention the setting of this story, PENDLE….. if you are not aware Pendle has a history with The Witch Trials of the 1600’s. What a setting and how could you not have a book in this area that does not include witchcraft and the occult. I loved the way the author embraced this part of history to include it in the story, it certainly adds to the chills down the spine. There are those that believe in the power of nature, its healing properties, the use of herbs and plants in medicine and in charms or curses, whether you believe in this or not it is up to you. But it added an element of mystery, intrigue and also of a historical interest at the same time upping the suspense even more.

This book is separated into three sections, this gave me a moment to catch a breath and try to arrange my thoughts to some sort of coherent level as I then delved into the next section, and believe me a moment is all you will want to take.

So if you hadn’t already guessed it, this book is bloody awesome. It has so many things going on in it and they are all explained and arranged so that there is no confusion with what is going on. It is about finding the truth, dispelling prejudice and accepting that there are different approaches to finding the truth. I want to write so much more about this book, I am only really skimming the surface here, and about how it made me feel really, but this is all I am giving you 🙂

It’s a suspense filled thriller and murder mystery of the very best sort. I loved it a huge amount as the occult was woven through the investigation. It was spine-tingling and dare I say nail-biting ( I still have the shudders over the nails thing), atmospheric and … hold on …. if you have not got a copy yet, then why the hell not? Take my word for it go and get a copy and see for yourself how fabulously brilliant this book really it.

Would I recommend it? Do you really need to ask LOL? I would definitely, absolutely and highly recommend it!!! xx

About the Author:

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Sharon Bolton (previously S. J. Bolton) is the critically acclaimed author of some of the most bone-chilling crime books ever written. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year and the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2014 she won the CWA Dagger in the Library for her whole body of work. Sharon lives near Oxford with her husband and son.

All images used are from Amazon.co.uk

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Lights Will Never Fade by Jackson Baer @JacksonPaulBaer #BookReview

yvonnembee 1 Comment

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Today I have The Lights Will Never Fade by Jackson Baer. Ideal for readers of supernatural / horror stories. This is available to buy in paperback, eBook and also as an audio-book and you can get a copy from Amazon UK.  I would like to thank the author for my e-copy of this book and also apologise for the length of time it has taken me to  read it xx

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Peyton is a typical Midwest girl – until the Shadow helps her escape the most gruesome murder that the small town of Jenks, Oklahoma has ever seen.

Soon after, she returns home only to find the rest of her family dead.

Haunted by the Shadow ever since, Peyton is not the only one this supernatural being has chosen – and now, no one is safe from its wrath. Escaping to live with her only living relative, Peyton discovers that they both have dark secrets that cannot remain buried. 

Secrets which fuel the Shadow’s vengeance.

In the end, can Peyton prevent any more bloodshed, or is there no stopping this supernatural nightmare?

My Thoughts:

This is an unusual and somewhat quirky book that really intrigued me when I read the synopsis. A supernatural / horror story that tells of the life of Peyton and her family. Peyton is the only survivor after the brutal and bloody murder of her family.

The story obviously focuses on Peyton and gradually the events of her family;s death comes out through a series of dreams, well I say dreams but they are nightmares. Part way through there is a larger section on Peyton’s aunt and the reason for this sudden inclusion becomes more obvious towards the latter end of the story.

Now Peyton as a character I didn’t really like, she comes across as quite emotionless and she was too aware of her own looks. However within the context of her role in the story it does actually make sense. Her life story and how she copes with events seems to be why she has emotionally severed character.

I did get a little confused by another character in the story, the “Shadow” has a supernatural presence and its my own curiosity as to why/ how it has manifested itself. Maybe this is just me wanting to know more rather than just accepting it’s presence, I am curios and well nosy about things so it is sometimes a little difficult for me to just accept things that are supposed to have that mysterious element to them.

That being said I did enjoy the story and the shadow definitely added an element of suspense and a little of the chill factor as well. This type of story would be ideal for readers who like a supernatural / horror story and is one I would recommend.

About the Author:

17155930_10208675062775180_8750491568729042235_n.jpg I’m a professional thrifter who is happily married, the father of four children, and an avid runner. I was born and raised in Georgia, and spent time in Oklahoma, California, Connecticut, and then Oregon, as an adult. I’m a graduate of Oregon State University and now reside in North Georgia, raising my family, near family.

My first book, The Earth Bleeds Red, was released in 2013. It is currently available on the Kindle, in paperback, and as an audiobook on Amazon/Audible/iTunes. My second book, The Lights Will Never Fade, came out in Jan ’18. I’ve recently signed with Evolved Pub for my new contemporary fiction/suspense series, An American Family (Fall 2018).

You can follow the author on his Website and Twitter

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or a share would be amazing 🙂 xx