The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. : Book 1) by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co.:  The Screaming Staircase by [Stroud, Jonathan]

3 Stars

Publisher: Disney Book Group, Disney-Hyperion

Date of publication: August 26th, 2014

Genre: Children’s Fiction, Middle Grade, paranormal

Number of pages: 401

POV: 1st person

Series: Lockwood & Co.

The Screaming Staircase – Book 1

The Dagger in the Desk – Book 1.5

The Whispering Skull – Book 2

The Hollow Boy – Book 3

The Creeping Shadow – Book 4

The Empty Grave – Book 5

Where you can find The Screaming Staircase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead, she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately, this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by specters, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humor and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

Trigger Warning: Suicide after the fact, Murder after the fact

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First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson: Book 1) by Darynda Jones

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1)

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 1st, 2011

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Romance. Suspense

Number of pages: 321

POV: 1st person

Series: Charley Davidson

First Grave of the Right – Book 1

For I Have Sinned – Book 1.5

Second Grave on the Left – Book 2

Third Grave Dead Ahead – Book 3

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet – Book 4

Fifth Grave Past the Light – Book 5

Shimmer – Book 5.5

Glow – Book 5.6

Sixth Grave on the Edge – Book 6

Seventh Grave and No Body – Book 7

Eighth Grave After Dark – Book 8

Brighter Than the Sun – Book 8.5

The Dirt on Ninth Grave – Book 9

The Curse of Tenth Grave – Book 10

A Very Charley Christmas – Book 10.5

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight – Book 11

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave – Book 12 (expected publication date: October 31st, 2017)

Charley Davidson #13 – Book 13 (expected publication date: October 31st, 2018)

Where you can find First Grave on the Right: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and a full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can’t she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.

Trigger Warning: None

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The Emperor’s Harvest (formerly Refugees) by R .A. Denny

The Emperor's Harvest (Tales of Tzoladia Book 1) by [Denny, R.A.]

4 Stars

Publisher: 

Date of publication: April 9th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 288

POV: Alternating 1st and 3rd person

Series: Mud, Rocks, and Trees

Refugees – Book 1

Where you can find Refugees: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

I love to listen to Baskrod’s stories. He describes warlike men with natural armor who hibernate in rocky caves and peaceful people who soar through the air in a forest of giant trees. His tales are full of foreboding dreams and ancient prophecies; royal palaces and strange creatures. My brother laughs at me. He says that the old fisherman makes it all up. But everything Baskrod has ever predicted has come true. So I have always believed his stories.

UNTIL NOW

Baskrod appears to have gone mad. He claims that the emperor is sending a murderous horde of evil men to destroy our village. “They will drink your blood!” he yells, wide-eyed while standing in the marketplace waving his trident. He repeatedly begs me to escape with him. But it is harvest time, and I must stay to help my family in the fields. Anyway, the emperor has no reason to turn against us. We pay our tribute.

If only we had listened to Baskrod.

The emperor planned his own harvest. His reapers were ax-wielding horsemen. And they were not harvesting crops. They harvested my people.

Now I am the sole survivor from my village. Baskrod claims that the one God has chosen me. He says I must travel to the distant capital of Tzoladia to save the world. Maybe Baskrod is right. Maybe it is my destiny. But I’m nobody. How can I save the world?

Continue reading “The Emperor’s Harvest (formerly Refugees) by R .A. Denny”

Saviors (The God Jars Saga: Book 1) by Devon Vesper

Saviors

5 Stars

Publisher: Magelight Press

Date of publication: September 19th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQIA

Number of pages: 222

POV:

Series: The God Jars Sags

Saviors – Book 1

Avristin – Book 2 (expected publication date: October 31st, 2017)

Where you can find Saviors: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Trust is more terrifying than any weapon.

Valis’ father wants to sacrifice him to the evil God, Qos. His uncle wants to use him as a magical battery and sex slave. All Valis wants is to live in peace, without fear of constant abuse. When he escapes his father’s sacrificial knife and runs away, he lands in the camp of his two saviors, Kerac and Darolen, holy Aesriphos warriors powerful enough to put his family in their place.

But trusting anyone could be fatal, and the warriors ask the impossible: to sell his father’s farmstead and abandon his old life to join their monastery.

They’re his only hope and when he learns to trust them, they’re the father figures he always wanted, but Valis isn’t sure he’s strong enough to put aside his fear and start over.

The God Jars Saga is a nine-book slow burn medieval M/M fantasy romance.

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Adelaide, the Enchantress (Delaneys of Killaroo: Book 1) by Kay Hopper

Title: Adelaide the Enchantress

Author: Kay Hooper

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 10th, 2017 (original publication date: August 1st, 1987)

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Number of pages: 192

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Delaneys of Killaroo

Adelaide the Enchantress – Book 1

Matilda the Adventuress – Book 2

Sydney the Temptress – Book 3

Where you can find Adelaide the Enchantress: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Addie Delaney was racing for her life, for enough money to make a cherished dream come true when the only man who’d ever stirred her blood challenged her to resist him. The beguiling jockey, whose voice could tame animals and whose touch could bewitch men, astonished Shane Marston with her beauty and fragility-and her strength. The American horse breeder who was known as the sleekest, sexiest Thoroughbred in racing circles felt he’d go out of his mind if he couldn’t run his fingers through her flaming hair, and caress the velvet softness of her skin. Addie reveled in Shane’s savage need and echoed his demands with wild pleasure, but she ached at denying him what he desired most — her promise to give up the danger of the track. Could he believe that giving his love kept her safe in his heart forever

Trigger Warning: None

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His Convenient Husband (Love and Sports: Book 1) by Robin Covington

3 Stars

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Indulgence

Date of publication: October 9th, 2017

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA

Number of pages: 175

POV: 3rd person

Series: Love and Sports

His Convenient Husband – Book 1

Where you can find His Convenient Husband: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

NFL football player Isaiah Blackwell lost his husband three years ago and is raising their teen son alone. He lives his life as quietly as his job allows, playing ball to support his family but trying not to draw unwanted attention. His quiet life is shaken up when a mutual friend introduces him to Victor, a visiting principal ballet dancer who is everything Isaiah is not.

Brash and loud, Victor Aleksandrov has applied for political asylum to avoid returning to Russia, where gay men are targeted and persecuted. He’s been outspoken about gay rights in his home country, and if he doesn’t get asylum, going back to Russia is a death sentence.

Their one-night stand turns into a tentative friendship, a relationship they both agree is temporary… until Victor’s denied asylum. Isaiah can’t offer Victor a happily ever after, but he can propose something that’ll keep Victor in the US and safe… marriage He just doesn’t expect his new husband to dance away with his heart.

Continue reading “His Convenient Husband (Love and Sports: Book 1) by Robin Covington”

Catching the Player (A Hamilton Family Series: Book 1) by Diane Alberts

Catching the Player (A Hamilton Family Series Book 3) by [Alberts, Diane]

3.5  Stars (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads and Amazon)

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Indulgence

Date of publication: October 9th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 190

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Hamilton Family Series

Catching the Player – Book 1

Where you can find Catching the Player: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

It all started with a bet…

Kassidy Thomas decided to stop hiding behind her past and start living, but she didn’t quite bet on that start including her singing a horrible song in front of the most handsome bachelor in the NFL, Wyatt Hamilton. She also doesn’t think he’d then consequently ask her out on a date but turns out when you’re actually living life…crazy things happen.

He needs to win…

Wyatt Hamilton is a player in every sense of the word. Married to the game, he has no interest in relationships, love, or even second nights with the same woman. But from the second the girl-next-door beauty Kassidy knocks on his door to deliver a singing telegram, nothing goes as planned. He can’t stop thinking about her and keeps showing up on her doorstep for more. That is until the unthinkable happens…

And all bets are off.

Continue reading “Catching the Player (A Hamilton Family Series: Book 1) by Diane Alberts”

69 Million Things I Hate About You (Winning the Billionaire: Book 1) by Kira Archer

69 Million Things I Hate About You (Winning The Billionaire Book 1) by [Archer, Kira]

4 Stars

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Indulgence

Date of publication: October 9th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 228

POV: 3rd person

Series: Winning the Billionaire

69 Million Things I Hate About YouBook 1

Where you can find 69 Million Things I Hate About You: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

After personal assistant Kiersten Abbott wins sixty-nine million dollars in the lotto, she suddenly has more than enough money to quit her impossibly demanding job. But where’s the fun in that? She decides to stay and exact a little revenge on her insufferable ass of a boss. 

Billionaire Cole Harrington quickly figures out something’s afoot with his usually agreeable personal assistant. When he finds out about the office pool betting on how long it’ll take him to fire her, he decides to spice things up and see how far he can push her until she quits.

The game is on, with everyone waiting to see who will crack first. But the bet sparks a new dynamic between them, and soon they realize they just might have crossed that fine line between hate and love.

Continue reading “69 Million Things I Hate About You (Winning the Billionaire: Book 1) by Kira Archer”

Bad Reputation (Bad Boy of Sports: Book 1) by Nicole Edwards

Bad Reputation (Bad Boys of Sports, #1)

Title: Bad Reputation

Author: Nicole Edwards

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: October 3rd, 2017

Genre: Romance, Sports

POV: Alternating 1st person

Series: Bad Boys of Sports

Bad Reputation – Book 1

Where you can find Bad Reputation: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Meet the most wanted players in sports . . . one ridiculously hot alpha male at a time.

Chase: With a nickname like “Sin,” it’s no wonder they call me the bad boy of hockey. Opponents curse me. Fans scream my name—in the arena and in other, much more private places. Penalties or not, I’m not afraid to dish out a little pain. But pleasure? That’s my weakness. And no one knows it better than my best friend, Cassie Desrosiers. I’d have to be blind not to notice her rocking body and teasing grin. So when she invites me along on a trip to Vegas, my curiosity isn’t the only thing that’s aroused.

Cassie: Chase Barrett is a world-class A-hole. As his best friend, I’m allowed to call him on his BS. Who else is going to do it? Certainly not the puck bunnies swooning at every flex of his biceps. Everyone knows that Chase is the love-’em-and-leave-’em type. There’s no such thing as commitment for the king of casual hookups. So why should I care? Maybe because all work and no play makes me a sexually frustrated girl. It’s time to put the hockey stud at my beck and call to good use . . . but after a week in Vegas with Chase, I might never want to go back to the real world.

Trigger Warning: None

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The Bellringer: Volume 1 (The Year of the Red Door: Book 1) by William Timothy Murray

The Bellringer: Volume 1 of The Year of the Red Door

Title: The Bellringer

Author: William Timothy Murray

Publisher: Penflight Books

Date of publication: June 6th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Year of the Red Door

The Bellringer – Book 1

The Nature of a Curse – Book 2

A Distant Light – Book 3

Eighteen Objects of Power – Short story companion book

The DreamWalker – Book 4

To Touch a Dream – Book 5

The Fall of the Faere and Other Stories – Short Stories

Where you can find The Bellringer: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

For centuries, the Great Bell was silent…

It remained undisturbed, nearly forgotten by history, hidden away in the ruins of an abandoned fortress. The enchantments within its iron slumbered, its secrets protected by silence. Until someone discovered how to ring the Bell, other secrets would remain safe.

One day, while running an errand, a young store clerk took a wrong turn, then another, until he found himself deep within the old fortress where the Great Bell waited.

It waited for him.

And when the hapless clerk rang the Great Bell and released its enchantments, his troubles began. For he had become the Bellringer. He claimed it was all an accident, that he did not mean to ring the Bell. Fate, it seemed, thought otherwise, and proof of the Bellringer’s destiny began to emerge just as the world spiraled into war. Revolt and treachery worked to break apart the Seven Realms. Armies were on the march. The faraway King, obsessed with his own power, seemed unwilling or unable to prevent the looming catastrophe.

Perhaps a new King was needed…if only someone could penetrate the secret of the King’s power and take the throne before it was too late. It was foretold that the person who discovered the True Name of the King would become the next King. But who was capable of such a thing?

The Bellringer.

===================================

About The Year of the Red Door:

244 Days Remain.
That is all.

Uncanny things are taking place in the world, mysterious powers are stirring, and there are signs of coming change. Like pieces on a gameboard, ancient forces are moving into position, gathering strength. Many sense the portents and see the signs, but few know their meaning. Fewer still understand what must be done. But who is there to do it?

In only 244 days, six intrepid travelers must cross thousands of miles, to the far edge of the world, to find a place that may not even exist. A legendary place called Griferis where a new king may be prepared, trained, and judged for worthiness. It is their bid to find that place, to discover the secret Name of the King, and to make one of their companions the new King. But hope is thin, and time runs out. Can the Name be found? Can the Usurper use it to take the throne? And will it make any difference? It already seems too late.

In the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Dickens comes a new heroic tale, a story of ageless love and brave determination, of tragic loss and the hope of redemption. During this quest, mythic powers arise from the ancient past, fate collides with destiny, and the world edges swiftly to its final destruction or to its ultimate fulfillment. Only the Bellringer can tip the balance of fate, but the world is almost out of time…

Trigger Warning: None

Continue reading “The Bellringer: Volume 1 (The Year of the Red Door: Book 1) by William Timothy Murray”