Audiobook Review: The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

Pub. Date:	March 30, 2010
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio
Narrator:	Cassandra Campbell
Length:	9 hrs 50 min

Tis the season for a good ol' spooky read to get in the Halloween spirit, and I love nothing more than ghost stories happening in a grand ol' gothic mansion. Wendy Webb knows her gothic haunted mansions, and I have previously enjoyed her stories The Fate of Mercy Alban and The Vanishing. 

ARC Review: Nightstruck by Jenna Black

Nightstruck 
by Jenna Black
Series:  Nighstruck #1
Pub. Date:  April 5, 2016
Publisher:  Tor Teen
Pages:  304
Format:  eARC
Source:  NetGalley


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

The start of a paranormal horror series from Glimmerglass author Jenna Black.

The night is the enemy, and the city of Philadelphia is its deadliest weapon.

Becket is an ordinary teenage girl, wrestling with the upheaval of her parents' divorce. Her biggest problems to date have been choosing which colleges to apply to, living up to her parents' ambitious expectations of her, and fighting her secret crush on her best friend's boyfriend. That all changes the night she tries to save an innocent life and everything goes horribly wrong.

Becket has been tricked into opening a door between worlds. As dark magic trickles into Philadelphia, strange creatures roam the streets and inanimate objects come to life, all of them bloodthirsty and terrifying. The city returns to normal when the sun rises each morning. The moment the sun sets, most citizens shut themselves in their houses and stay there no matter what they hear.

The magic is openly hostile to most mortals, but there are some it seems to covet, trying to lure them out into the night. While Becket struggles to protect her friends and family from predatory creatures of the night, she is constantly tempted to shrug off her responsibilities and join them.

Nightstruck made me reminisce about the good ol' days when I was in middle school reading R.L. Stine at night in my room by flashlight, and generally freaking myself out. It also reminded me of a young adult version of one of my favorite Dean Koontz books, The Taking. I would recommend it for fans of any of these books and authors, or fans of The Talisman and Black House. It just had that kinda feel and it was a nice change of pace from my usual romance reads.

Review: Little Secrets by Megan Hart

Little Secrets 
by Megan Hart
Pub. Date:  Feb. 2, 2016
Publisher:  Samhain Publishing
Pages:  305
Format:  eARC
Source:  NetGalley


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

With a baby on the way and a brand new house, it seems Ginny and her husband, Sean, are on their way to a fresh start. But strange occurrences and financial strain seem determined to keep Ginny and Sean stuck in the past. Ginny begins to believe the house may be haunted...or that her husband might be trying to trick her into thinking so. As Ginny researches the house's former owner and the tragedy that happened there, it becomes clearer than ever that something is in the house with them. The question is, who...or what...is it?

This book is, in one word, FAH-REAKY!!!! Phew. I love Megan Hart. She has written some of the best and most emotional erotic romances that I have read, but I have never tried any of her books in other genres. I wasn't sure at first how I would like it, but I had nothing to worry about. She could probably write the phone book in a way to evoke an emotional connection.

So our protagonist for the story is Virgnia "Ginny" Bohn. A pregnant Ginny and her husband, Sean, have just moved to a new house in preparation for the baby. Ginny has also stopped working and its being very careful as she has a history of unsuccessful pregnancies. One of the plot conflicts for the story is Ginny's marital problems with Sean. Things are not hunky dory in Bohn-ville. There are issues with fidelity, trust and appreciation. Megan did an excellent job at creating an emotional connection to Ginny. I was drawn into her character and felt her frustrations, aggravations, worry, hope and conflict right along with her.

The other plot conflict for the story is the haunting, spooky and weird things happening at the new house. After the previous owner died, Ginny and Sean bought the house from the estranged son. Ginny learns from a neighbor that the owner's daughter disappeared many years ago and no one knows what happened to her. When weird things start happening - is it the ghost of Caroline Miller that is still hanging around? Trust me when I say that this book is in no way predictable. You will think you know what is going on - but its really so far out of left field that you will never guess. I was totally shocked when everything was revealed.

If you are a fan of this genre, I think you will like this book. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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