Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard. If that's not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in some kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather twists things around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can't get any worse.
But they do—when Helen comes.

4 Stars
​Wait till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn is a dark, creepy, twisted ghost story and more. Hahn also throws in the struggles of a newly blended family moving to the country and all the stress that that entails. 

I have to say Heather was the perfect evil step-sister. I could feel Molly's frustration pour from the pages when Heather intentionally did things to cause a rift in the family. 

While we only see glimpses of the ghost of Helen most of the time, Hahn made her a spooktacular ghoul that will have you second-guessing what you see in the night.

Wait till Helen Comes is a perfect MG Horror.

​"One need not be a chamber to be haunted..."

Charlotte brings her baby girl home from the hospital to the usual sleep deprivation and worries of a new mom, but something else has changed. Nightmares and moving shadows fill her with dread, and something or someone seems to be watching her.

As her daughter grows, so does Charlotte's fear. Whoever is watching has a message and will do anything to make her understand.

Even tear her family, her faith, and her self apart.
​

​This was one of the hardest reviews I have had to write. I devoured That Pale Host in a day. When I closed the book I was left feeling gobsmacked. I went into this story expecting a ghost story but what I discovered was a haunting tale of depression, abuse, sacrifice, and love. The raw emotions invoked by McCary were tangible. The fear, palpable.

The story was a slow build but I couldn't put the book down once I started. Even though I am not a mother, the MC, Charolotte, resonated with me.

McCary addressed several taboo issues in the Christian world as well. She showed us that evil can lurk in even the most sacred places and within ourselves.

It's hard to review That Pale Host without including spoilers. But trust me, it's well worth the read. 

4Stars
​Lynn

L.G. McCary is an old school Whovian (Fourth Doctor is her Doctor) and a lifelong Trekkie. She has a bachelors in psychology which means she knows enough to mess with readers’ heads but not enough to diagnose their problems. She is the wife of an Army chaplain and the homeschooling mom of four rambunctious kids. 
​
She writes supernatural and science fiction with intense emotional cores, complex characters, and plots that twist your brain in knots. Her Christian faith fuels every creative work, whether it’s a short story about sentient snowmen or a novella about a purveyor of potions disturbing the peaceful town of Pucklechurch.
​
Her first novel, That Pale Host, won third place in the speculative category at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference Foundation Awards.
​
Her short story, “Rendering,” was selected for the Rebirth anthology from Havok Publishing and is available on Amazon! Find L.G. on her website www.lgmccary.com.

I'm a huge fan of Melanie's work.  With her new Blood & Magic Series, she takes her edgy clean brand a bit edgier and a lot steamier.  Melanie is bringing the heat with bad boy Gabe and his sultry huntress Lennon. Be still my heart! This series is comprised of three action pack novellas, each hotter than the one before. No worries though, while Gilbert's writing is saucier and darker, she still sticks to your clean brand.  You can read the series for FREE in KU or snag yourself the complete season one in a paperback.

Even the villain will do the right thing…for the wrong reason.

Vampires are driven by blood, and Gabriel Zach is no exception. In over one hundred years, he’s never smelled anything as divine and exquisite as the blood of vampire hunter, Lennon Stewart. And he’s never met anyone who drives his lust through the roof quite like her.

But Gabe isn’t the only monster who’s attracted to Lennon’s scent. An attack by a mysterious monster leaves the hunter in the arms of her worst enemy: Gabriel, the vampire stalking her. If he’s not strong enough, he’ll devour her before he’s ready.

Lennon’s job is to kill monsters, but Gabe’s job is to keep her alive, if only for selfish purposes. At the end of the day, will both make it to sunrise alive? ​

Once you choose, there’s no going back.

Gabriel Zach’s villainous past comes back to bite him with the arrival of a hunter intent on dusting him. Fearful for his life, Gabe makes a hard decision: stay home. But seclusion means no blood, no women, and no Lennon Stewart.

Gabe’s world deteriorates further when Lennon shows up on his front doorstep, covered in blood. With Berkley Stewart on board, Gabe and Easton begin to hunt down the monster responsible. Only, once bitten, there’s no changing fate.

Lennon is dying and the clock is ticking. Will magic be enough to save her or will Gabe need to drink his favorite hunter dry to save the huntress from a fate worse than death?

For fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vampire Diaries, and K.F. Breene. ​

Vampire retirement is a thing, right?

Lennon’s in need of help and Gabe’s the only one who can offer it. However, it comes with a price, a price Lennon will pay to help avenge a hunter’s death. But when they find out what murdered the hunter, even Gabe has the good sense to be scared.

As if a hunter-killing monster on the loose wasn’t bad enough, Gabe’s past is being revealed one piece at a time. Even Lennon can’t help but see the real man behind the arrogance. If Gabe can’t keep the walls up that he’s built around his memories, he could lose every relationship he’s built.

Protective roles have switched and Gabe’s not sure if anyone has his back. Still, one thing remains the same: hunters want Gabe dusted.

For fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vampire Diaries, and K.F. Breene. ​

FACEBOOK ~ AMAZON

I read The Collector last year as part of my Spooktacular Reads but since I am featuring book 2, The Collected, I am including it again! K.R. Alexander is the perfect author to feature for Halloween!

​Josie always liked visiting her grandmother in the countryside. But when her mother loses her job in the city and they're forced to relocate along with Josie's sister, Annie, she realizes she doesn't like the country that much. Especially because Grandma Jeannie has some strange rules:
1. Never leave your windows open after dark.
2. Don't bring any dolls into the house.
3. And never, ever go near the house in the woods behind their yard.
Soon though, Josie manages to make friends with the most popular girl in the sixth grade, Vanessa. When Vanessa eventually invites Josie back to her house to hang out, Josie doesn't question it. Not even when Vanessa takes her into the woods, and down an old dirt road, toward the very house Grandma Jeannie had warned her about.
As Josie gets caught up in her illicit friendship with Vanessa, Annie is caught in the crossfire. What follows is a chilling tale of dark magic, friendship, and some verrrrrry creepy dolls.

​From horror superstar K.R. Alexander . . . Something horrible happened to Josie -- something so horrible she won't talk about it. But when the horror returns for her little sister, Anna, she's back in the battle against a fearsome force that manifests in diabolically deadly dolls.

It's been five years since Josie squared off against the evil Beryl and her killer haunted dolls. She hasn't talked about it since, and likes to pretend it didn't happen. Too bad she didn't tell her younger sister, Anna. Because Anna is now the one being drawn in to the evil -- and the evil has some new tricks this time.

Join me tonight at 7:30PM ET on 2 Girls & A Book for a bookish chat with Melanie Gilbert & Heather Karn. Their book, Dark of Night releases September 29th. One looking participant from tonight's show will win a ARC!

​Henley Stark is no angel, but she is a survivor.
Disowned by her witch coven as a teenager, Henley was driven to Amos, a vampire loan shark. There’s little Henley hasn’t done to keep a roof over her head and food in her stomach as Amos trained her for his purposes. It all comes to a head when Amos assigns Henley and Alex, her newly found mate, to a job that can only lead to death.
Going up against the greatest threat the vampires have ever known, it’s clear one or both of them will not survive the encounter. However, as Alex begins to soften toward her, Henley must decide if giving them a chance is worth the effort, especially when she’ll likely be dead soon anyway.
Can Henley find her worth and true love before the mission ultimately claims her life?
For readers who enjoy books by K.F. Breene, Heather Hildebrand, Jaymin Eve, and Karen Lynch.

​An action packed, edge of your seat, twist you don't see coming, paranormal romance from the dynamic duo of Gilbert and Karn! I can't wait for more!

I started this book shortly before midnight and swiped the last page around 3am this morning.

I love the tough as nails, smart mouthed, witty MC Henley! The heat between her and Alex is on fire! And that twist!!!!!

Facebook ~ Amazon

Facebook ~ Amazon

I am looking forward to my interview tonight with the stunning Vanessa Burton. I have some serious hair envy goin on over here!  Join us tonight at 7:30 PM ET on the 2 Girls & A Book facebook page. There will be an open Q&A with Vanessa at the end.

If you follow my page I have been gushing about the Heartmender Series for the last 2 months. I even posted a TikTok video about it. You can find it at  @lynn_2girlsandabook.  Cammie Larsen, with Monster Ivy Publishing, designed all 3 amazing covers and as you read each book you will then see then amazing symbolism in each cover.

Let's dive in and talk about the books!

​In the land of Barracks, the economy thrives on the barter of their citizens' most precious commodity—a human heart. Each year, the Heart Reign festival is thrown for those who have become of age to trade their hearts for their deepest desires. And this year is Adelaide Tye's year to trade.

After despising Heart Reign for years, Addie endures her Extraction and discovers that her heart isn’t gray and dying, like all other hearts in Barracks, but bright red, alive, and teeming with power.

With a warning from the extractor of hearts, Addie rushes through Heart Reign to make her choice—trade her heart to Schism, the monster who took her brother years before, or go in search of the Mender—a mythical man said to purify hearts and save her own heart. Either decision will rip her away from the one man who has always been by her side.

Knowing there is only one real choice to make, Addie jumps through Schism’s red door and is thrust into a dark and dangerous realm where she is faced with making a trade she may not survive.

For fans of Stephanie Garber's Caraval and ABC's Once Upon a Time.

​Heartmender has been sitting on my shelf for over a year. I was drawn to this book because of the cover. It’s beautiful and I needed it on my shelf. So there it sat looking all pretty and decorative but really had no other purpose. Then book 2 came out with an equally stunning cover. I had to own the series. My collection could not be incomplete, so I ordered the second book and placed it on my shelf. Prior to the third and final book releasing, a friend recommended I read the series. Easily swayed by this friend’s excellent taste in fiction, I dived into book 1, Heartmender.

Y’all… why didn’t more people tell me how great this book was? I was hooked from page 1. The characters were so detailed and alive. The story was well paced and intriguing. I loved how Ophidian’s challenges followed the seven deadly sins. Great tie in! If he offered me a lazy room filled with books and a comfy bed, Ophidian would have had me. The MC, Adelaide, was selfless, loving, caring, and smart. I couldn’t help but cheer her on through the seven doors.

I loved the way the author took religion and weaved it into a fantasy novel. The story was beautifully written. I can’t wait to continue the series.

​Heartrender... more like epic battle, white knuckle, edge of your seat, remember to breathe, greatness!

I like that the author included multiple POVs but I found myself reading multiple chapters in one POV due to the jaw-dropping cliffhangers. I skipped around a lot but it all made sense.

Burton has fantastic world building skills. I felt like I was in the story experience it all from the first book. I cannot wait to see what adventure Burton has in store next. for her readers

​V. Romas Burton grew up bouncing up and down the East Coast where she wrote her first story about magical ponies at age seven. Years later, after studying government and earning an M.A. in Theological Studies, V. Romas Burton realized something even bigger was calling out to her--stories that contained great adventures and encouraging messages. Her debut novel, Heartmender, has won several awards including: First Place in Young Adult for the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Second Place in Juvenile/ Young Adult for the 2021 Illumination Book Awards and tied for Third Place for Young Adult Fiction- Fantasy/ Sci- Fi in the 2020 Moonbeam Children's Awards. You can find future updates and news on her website: www.vromasburton.com

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If bad a**  female leads, sassy, nerdy sidekicks, hot hellhounds, and sultry fae are your thing then look no further than this fast paced, exhilarating fantasy series from Becca Vincenza. The completed series is available for free in Kindle Unlimited. 

The Heartmender Trilogy from V Romas Burton will easily go down as one of my favorite series of 2021.  Vanessa detail to world building, engaging characters, a thrilling storyline helped me to quickly devour the 3 book series in no time.
Vanessa will be my guest next Thursday (August 19th). I am looking forward to discussing this series and her new book coming out next Fall with Monster Ivy Publishing.

I am still trying to wrap my head around this next book. I received an ARC of That Pale Host by LG McCary from Monster Ivy. Going in I thought it would be a ghost story but what I got was so much more. I read this book in a day and when I finally closed the book I was left feeling gobsmacked. That Pale Host is a  haunting tale of postpartum depression, abuse, sacrifice, and love. The raw emotions invoked by McCary were tangible. The fear, palpable.

The story was a slow build but I couldn't put the book down once I started. Even though I am not a mother, the MC, Charolotte, resonated with me. Her feelings left from the pages.

The book releases on October 5th, but you can find out more about the story and preorder your copy at monsterivy.com.

I started the Faltering Souls series by Haven Cage last year. While it is only a trilogy, I kept getting side track by other projects. I did the complete series from Audible. Since I stared working from home in March of 2020 I find it harder to focus on audiobooks where as before I was in the car two hours a day. Any hoo, book 1, Falter is my fave in the series. Book 2 is dark, sultry, and twisted. The final book was all about ripping my heart out as the final stand between good and evil transpired. This series is not for the faint of heart. It talks about religion and spirituality, but it is not Christian fiction. There is bad language, sex, lust, all the dirty little sins. But I told tell you that to turn you away from the series, This trilogy also deals with love, sacrifice, and faith. You see the best and the worst in people and the trials that made them the ay they are. I love  the series. The gritty darkness, the trials, and the love. And a side note to the author... I'm Team Archer so I am not sure how I feel about that ending. 

Now this next tid bit of info I have for you must be kept on the down low! Stacey Rourke is releasing Rotting Reign early!!!!  In fact, if you head over to Amazon right now, it's available! I am diving into my copy tonight and honestly I am a bit afraid. The early reviews say Rotting Reign has one heck of an ending. I love Rourke's quirky style in the first book, Corpse Queen, and I can't wait to get back to Carnage Crossing. This series is available in Kindle Unlimited.

I had a blast with chatting with Kristiana Sfirlea last week. Here's a link to that show in case in you missed it.

My guest tonight is the amazingly talented Kristiana Sfirlea. Be sure to join us on the blog's Facebook page at 7:30 eastern for an open Q&A with the author.

Sometimes the end of the rainbow...is the belly of a beast.

When the Blackouts' search for the legendary Wishing Mist leads them to a maple syrup festival in the town of Mapleton, sticky situations abound. Bodies are going missing from the local funeral parlor, hellhound gypsies prowl the woods, giant, automaton teddy bears may or may not be staging a hostile takeover, and there's a whopping good chance that will-o'-the-wisps, the magical inhabitants of the Wishing Mist, are behind it all.
Even with help from their future selves and a time traveling diary, Rose and Marek have their hands full (and not just with ice cream cones from a parlor that services the living as well as the dead). The will-o'-the-wisps were responsible for bringing them together five years ago, and now it looks like the only way to stop their mischief is to find the Wishing Mist and wish it out of existence--will-o'-the-wisps included.
Some thank-you for the greatest friendship in the multiverse, huh?

Other Retailers available at monsterivy.com
​

​Legend Seeker. Part-time Ghost Hunter. Time Traveler.

Thirteen-year-old Rose Skylar sneezed a magical storm cloud at birth, and it’s followed her around ever since. But when Stormy causes one too many public disasters, Rose is taken to Heartstone, an asylum for unstable magic. Its location? The heart of a haunted forest whose trees have mysteriously turned to stone.

They say the ghosts are bound to the woods … then why does Rose see them drifting outside the windows at night? And why is there a graveyard on the grounds filled with empty graves? Guided by her future selves via time traveling letters, Rose and Marek—best friend and potential figment of her imagination—must solve the mystery of the specters and the stone trees before the ghosts unleash a legendary enemy that will make their own spooks look like a couple of holey bed sheets and destroy Heartstone Asylum.

Letters from the future are piling up. Rose can’t save Heartstone herself. However, five of herselves, a magical storm cloud, and a guardian angel who might very well be imaginary? Now that’s a silver lining.

But will they find what killed the ghosts before what killed the ghosts finds them?

FACEBOOK ~ INSTAGRAM ~ WEBSITE
​

BOOK 1
Kristiana Sfirlea knocked it out of the park with her debut novel Legend of the Storm Sneezer. This story marries multiple genres into one brilliant story with time travel, ghosts, angels, and so much more. The MC, Rose, stole my heart. I cheered her on from page one.

Sfirlea did such an outstanding job with book one that I cannot wait to see what she does in the next installment.

BOOK 2
​Once again Kristiana Sfirlea has hit a home run. She has a talent for weaving a complex, magical, and somewhat horrifying tale of granny snatchers and killer teddy bears. Yeah, you read that right! I'm feeling relieved that at my age most of my stuffed animals are packed in a tote in the closet. Save for a few precious ones on my bookshelves, but they would never... Would they? I digress. 

I love that while LOTRE is a fun, adventurous, and wild ride, at the heart of it this story is about family (not just the blood ones), friends, and faith. This is the perfect series to read with your kids but is enjoyable enough for adults too.  I seriously want to visit Mapleton and eat rigor mortis cream at the Two Parlors. Maybe minus the Scare Bears though. 

If you love magic, time travel, all sorts of wild creatures, and unique characters then LOTRE is the book (the series) for you!
​

5 Stars
Lynn Shaw

Heartmender has been sitting on my shelf for over a year. I was drawn to this book because of the cover. It’s beautiful and I needed it on my shelf.  So there it sat looking all pretty and decorative but really had no other purpose. Then book 2 came out with an equally stunning cover.  I had to own the series. My collection could not be incomplete, so I ordered the second book and placed it on my shelf.  Prior to the third and final book releasing, a friend recommended I read the series. Easily swayed by this friend’s excellent taste in fiction, I dived into book 1, Heartmender. 

Y’all… why didn’t more people tell me how great this book was?  I was hooked from page 1. The characters were so detailed and alive. The story was well paced and intriguing. I loved how Ophidian’s challenges followed the seven deadly sins.  Great tie in! If he offered me a lazy room filled with books and a comfy bed, Ophidian would have had me. The MC, Adelaide, was selfless, loving, caring, and smart. I couldn’t help but cheer her on through the seven doors.  
​
I loved the way the author took religion and weaved it into a fantasy novel. The story was beautifully written. I can’t wait to continue the series.

​V. Romas Burton grew up bouncing up and down the East Coast where she wrote her first story about magical ponies at age seven. Years later, after studying government and earning an M.A. in Theological Studies, V. Romas Burton realized something even bigger was calling out to her--stories that contained great adventures and encouraging messages. Her debut novel, Heartmender, has won several awards including: First Place in Young Adult for the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Second Place in Juvenile/ Young Adult for the 2021 Illumination Book Awards and tied for Third Place for Young Adult Fiction- Fantasy/ Sci- Fi in the 2020 Moonbeam Children's Awards. You can find future updates and news on her website: www.vromasburton.com

If you are looking for an edge of your seat psychological thriller, look no further than Mary Gray's The Girl At The Hanging Tree. ~ Lynn 

Gemma Louise Coldiron has two personalities. One is herself - easygoing, curious, and travel-hungry. The other is a dictatorial other half named Tansy, who only lets Gemma come out of their Victorian mansion to do the shopping every two weeks.

Gemma also has amnesia, and Tansy’s too busy painting macabre art to be forthcoming about their past. The town speaks to Gemma about a “Mr. Hardin”, and it doesn’t take her long to learn she was married to the oil tycoon before he mysteriously went missing.

While Gemma begs Tansy to tell her more about their life with the handsome stranger, Gemma soon learns that the town harbors a secret society. And Mr. Hardin? He was the leader.
​
If Gemma can’t figure out what happened while maintaining her volatile relationship with Tansy, the town will assume Gemma killed Mr. Hardin - and even more alters will take root in Gemma’s already crowded mind.
An acutely observed modern-day psychological thriller that plunges into the daunting abyss of mental illness, community indoctrination, and cult group-mind.