GAME ON: TEMPTING TWENTY-EIGHT (Stephanie Plum #28): Janet Evanovich CROSSROADS: Laurel Hightower WHEN DARKNESS LOVES US (Paperbacks from Hell): Elizabeth Engstrom MY LIFE HAD STOOD A LOADED GUN: Emily Dickinson THE WOODS ARE ALWAYS WATCHING: Stephanie Perkins PARTUM: E.V. Knight THE CUC…

Well, here we are again. We've almost reached the end of another year. And boy did 2022 turn out to be quite a weird, and often shitty, year. I thought 2021 was bad, but things are not getting better. Nope. I'm not sure what's happening to the cosmic order of things, but it fe…

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay My rating: 2 of 5 stars Well, this turned out to be a big disappointment. 🫤 I was really looking forward to reading this book because the premise sounded very intriguing. An end-of-the-world scenario that puts a family in the midd…

This is the story of a house. The cabin lies deep in the woods, where the trees are so dense it's easy to miss. On the outside it might look like it's crumbling, crawling with weeds, but on the inside it's warm and cosy. A fire crackles in the fireplace. Dinner simmers on th…

Lost Souls by Kelley Armstrong My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love the Cainsville series , so I always look forward to checking out short stories/novellas set in this world. The disappearing hitchhiker is an urban legend that's been around for years, but when Patrick brings the case…

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've had this book on my TBR pile for a while, and I certainly shouldn't have waited so long to get to it because it turned out to be amazing. The last house on Needless Street holds as many secrets as…

Writing Poetry in the Dark brings together some of the most successful contemporary genre poets to discuss topics related to creating dark and fantastical poetry. While there are countless books available for the aspiring poet, there is a lack of resources specifically for and on specula…

Face your fear . . . or become your nightmare. Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town, nineteen-year-old Ness has been terrified - terrified of some other Nightmare murdering her, and terrified of ending up like her sister. Because in Newham,…

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've wanted to read this book for a while, but for one reason or another, it kept slipping away from me. So, I decided to get stuck into it first thing Monday morning. And fell into it instantly. Iris and her two old…

Wild Place by Christian White My rating: 5 of 5 stars Yesterday I decided to go through some of the books I've found in local Street Libraries, to see what did and didn't grab my attention. By the time I got to this one, I stopped because I couldn't put it down. It's…

As November winds down, I thought I'd post my final thoughts about this year's  NaNoWriMo  WIP and my personal experience with this annual event. Anyone who's been reading my blog the last few years knows that I spent most of 2021/22 working on revising the backlog of first dr…

JUST ANOTHER DEAD-END JOB. DEATH. IT'S A DIRTY BUSINESS. When Diya Burman's best friend Angie dies, it feels like her own life is falling apart. Wanting a fresh start, she joins Slough & Sons - a family firm that cleans up after the recently deceased. Old love letters. Porcela…

The Erotic Modern Life of Malinalli The Vampire by V. Castro My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've spent this weekend reading some really cool novellas, and this one is another to add to the list. Malinalli is in Dublin for business, but when she stops into a pub along the way, she spot…

Venus Falling by Sarah Jane Huntington My rating: 5 of 5 stars I enjoy reading Sarah's stories because they always feature memorable characters, interesting settings, and creepy situations. And this one was another hit. When The Venus stumbles on a strange colourful swirling clos…

Monday mornings aren't supposed to be fun, but they should be predictable. However, on this particular Monday, Stephanie Plum knows that something is amiss when she turns up for work at Vinnie's Bail Bonds to find that longtime office manager Connie Rosolli, who is as reliable as …

Hey! It feels like I posted my latest writing update only a few days ago... Wait a sec. I did ! 😅 Thats what happens when you get so close to The End that it's the only thing you can think about. Seriously, this story consumed my brain SO MUCH, I had to get it finished. ASAP. So, th…

Hello again! How are you today? I hope you're doing well during these truly weird times. 😳 As the title of this post states, this is the third week of NaNoWriMo . Although I technically reached my 50k goal last Friday , the story wasn't over. So, I kept writing until I reached th…

Dracula Daily by Bram Stoker My rating: 5 of 5 stars Well, I finished reading this today and enjoyed it as much as the first time. This is a great vampire story, but it's also a terrific story about friendship, loyalty, and how far someone who cares/loves you is willing to go. …

Hey! How are ya? The world is such a weird place at the moment. A new wave of Covid has hit Oz, but everyone's still pretending it's over. Ugh. And there's another useless rich asshole trying to ruin something that didn't need his meddling bullshit. Yes, I'm talking ab…

Hey! How are you? I can't believe it's  NaNoWriMo  time again. But after all the revision I completed this year, I was looking forward to getting stuck into something new. I spent a good chunk of last month thinking about, taking notes, and adding to my inspirational/research pics…

The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've had my eye on this book for a while and couldn't wait to check it out. Once upon a time, Lily published a successful and well received book. But after her husband got sick, she lost the spark. T…

Since I've already signed up, it's time to write my annual National Novel Writing Month blog post. 😅  The first time I took part in  NaNoWriMo  was all the way back in 2006. 😯 Since then, it's become a tradition for me. I only skipped it once (because of editing).  And now t…

Carlota Moreau: A young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatan peninsula, the only daughter of a genius - or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol, an outcast w…