​Carolyn Ridder Aspenson is hands down my favorite cozy mystery writer. The only thing that makes this particular series even better is that it is a paranormal cozy. Witches and warlocks and shifters, oh my!

Abby's book is literally writing itself and the events on the screen are happening in real life. This installment is fraught with danger and suspicion. Just when I thought I had the "who done it' figured out the author through me a curveball.

And let's just say a certain someone in the series isn't who or what he or she appears to be. Can you say bombshell?

If you have seen once of my WRAP UP videos on #FangirlThursday then you know what a huge fan of Eric Asher I am. The dude is AH-MAZING! I cannot wait to interview him on the show on July 16th.

And if you've seen my show then you also realize that I listened the the Audible series backwards. Yep, I started with Book 3. Oops. The stories still made perfect sense so at least there is that. 

​Asher just keeps knocking it out of the park.

I grew up hearing old wives tales about things that go bump in the night or roam woods the woods at night. I always thought it was just my grandma's way of getting me in the house at dark. Eric Asher has taken those wild tales about bigfoot, the giant panthers, and others to create this new wild and crazy series. It's like the show Paranormal Caught on Camera but on steroids with claws, fangs, and sometimes fur! I love the MC. Mason's snark and humor are classic Asher traits. And I am adding getting snockered with a sasquatch to my bucket list!

The narrator, Joel L Froomkin, is perfect! I can picture myself right in the thick of things.

​Another snark filled series from Eric Asher and I love it. All those creatures you thought were made up are real in this Templars Novella. Nonstop action from beginning to end.  I was on the edge of my seat in a few scenes.

​Another homerun from Asher!

​Eric is a former bookseller, cellist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.

Stalk Eric on FACEBOOK 

Woo hoo! I got my groove back!  I finally got back on track and finished reading books that were looming on Goodreads list.  I don't know why I was in such a funk trying to finish Third House by Heather Karn because oh my goodness, she saved the best for last.

I kicked the month off with a middle grade horror rec from Kelly Martin. The Collector by K.R. Alexander was a spine tingling page turner.  This author is moving to the top of my TBR list. 

I also completed the Chantilly Adair series by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson with Praying for Peace. I had this one in audio but I wasn't thrilled with the narrator so I grabbed the ebook to finish.  I also read Spooks For Sale, a new series from this author. It wasn't my fave but I still enjoyed the story. 

I read an ARC from one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Kirke. She has a brand new serial about her More Than Magic crew. Book 1 dropped on June 20th. The new series is more a urban fantasy mystery. i am stoked to read it!

Lastly, I caught up on the audiobooks from the last two installments in the Vesik Series by Eric Asher. This man is a genius at world building. I am just in awe of his work. 

I also finished the week with The Ghost Files Book 3 on audio too. My word, this one nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought I was going to have to call Apryl Baker out. 

***Click on the author's name to be taken to their Amazon page. All books EXCEPT K.R. Alexander are available in Kindle Unlimited at the time of this post.

​With the identity of their enemy coming together piece by piece, Koda, Raven, and the team race against the clock to find him before he finds Koda. That isn’t easy with their list of limited safe places dwindling one by one. Somehow, the Lich is always one step ahead of them, and suspicion falls on one person: their prisoner. But all may not be as it appears.

In this epic continuation of Koda’s story, trust will be tried, tears will be shed, and bonds of love will be formed. The fate of Third House hangs in the balance, as does the fate of the world. Can the last Head of Third House save those she loves or are they all doomed to fail?

Author Note: It’s recommended for full details about the fall of St. Louis that you read Zero Tolerance before Third House as this incident will not be discussed in detail so that it will not ruin Raven’s prequel novel.

​Third House is the thrilling conclusion to the First Blood Trilogy. We see Koda as the leader she was born to be. Non stop action filled with plot twists the reader does not see coming.

This series by Karn is my absolute favorite of her body of work!

​What’s worse than being abducted by aliens? Being told you have to choose one as a mate.

Cammie's having an average teenage bad day, complete with her car dying on the side of the road, when she’s attacked from behind. As soon as she wakes up, everything Cammie knows about space and extraterrestrials is turned on its head. First, she’s on a real spaceship whose crew proves that aliens aren’t little green people. Second, there are more alien races than she’d considered, and some are at war. If that wasn’t enough, the ship’s captain, Kilani, is adamant he’s not taking her back to Earth for one glaring reason: she’s classified as a Mate, a female able to bear children.

With Kilani’s race dying out, they’ve become desperate to find a solution, but Cammie wants nothing to do with it. All she wants is to return to Earth, that is until Kilani starts showing her what space travel is all about, and that a lonely captain might be just what she’s looking for. However, the question remains for both of them: by the time they reach Kilani’s home world, will he have convinced Cammie to choose him as a Mate, or will she continue to fight to return home?

​Coming off the high that the author's First Blood Trilogy left me on, the bar was set way up high for this one. Mate Level 8 is a scifi romance from Heather Karn. This story already had two strikes against it for me. 1. Enemies to lovers (sorta) 2. Alien abductions. Despite that, I found this to be a quick fun escape from reality.

Cammie is kidnapped by aliens who are studying other races for an infertility cure for their own race. The author took Cammie (and me) on an inner galactic adventure to new planets. Cammie is full of spunk and sass. Despite the differences in species, she takes it all in stride with an open mind and an open heart. Cammie's love interest, Ki, is amazing. All races of males could learn the art of wooing a woman from Ki.

The reader could easily parallel things happening in our world today to this story. If only everyone were as open minded and loving as Cammie.

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: Don't bring any dolls into the house. And never, ever go near the house in the woods behind their yard. Soon, though, Josie manages to make friendds with the most popular girl in the sixth grade, Vanessa. When Vanessa eventually invites Josie back to her house to hang out, Hosie 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 very creepy dolls.

​The Collector is a spine tingling page Definitely not for the faint of heart or doll collectors. Part mystery, all horror.
Rundown house in the woods✔
Scary witch✔
Creepy dolls✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔times a billion

I loved this middle grade horror and definitely plan on snagging up more books by this author.

​My name is Alyssa Grey, and I have no idea what I’m doing… in life, love, with my magic powers—you name it.

Working as a personal assistant to the busiest realtor in the small Southern town of Swan Hallow always kept me plenty busy, but then my boss’s partner died and I got a promotion... Just without the extra pay.

Now I’m showing old homes, and every single one of them is haunted. As a witch, I’m not supposed to be able to see ghosts. But I do. And they know I do. And I know they know I do. And, oh boy.

Worse yet, an apparition that looks an awful lot like my boss’s dead partner has come knocking, and demanding I solve her murder. I’ve been given an ultimatum: help or die. It looks like I can’t really trust anyone any more. Will my cat, mouse familiar, and a new shapeshifter friend be enough to help me get the job done in what little time I have left?

​One of the keys to a great mystery is keeping the suspense and surprising the reader when the 'whodonit" is revealed. Aspenson nailed it in this one. I definitely didn't see that one coming.

​

Ghost talking can be murder…

Castleberry Historical society manager Chantilly Adair is excited to finalize the proposal plans for the old Baptist church just outside of town, officially marking it as a registered historic property.

But that excitement turns to confusion when she finds a dead body hidden in a janitor’s closet in the basement, and the former pastor’s spirit hovering nearby.

Impeded by the cantankerous spirit Chantilly knows is hiding something, she must pick her way through the mystery of a long-ago fire and the dead guy stuffed inside the closet.

Can Chantilly discover how the two crimes are connected, and will she find out who the killer is before she becomes the next victim? ​

​Another 5 star installment in the Chantilly Adair series.

I love that in Praying for Peace a potential crime from decades ago is died to a present day murder. To solve this 'whodunit' Chantilly must unravel today's mystery but finding outwhat really happened at the church fire all those years ago. This one weaves a suspenseful web.

For me it is Thelma and Charlie's love that steals the show. Aspenson writes the best secondary characters.

​Never again must another Arcanist rise…

They say it took one hundred magical beings to defeat the first Arcanist. Great care was taken to ensure the secret to his malevolent power died with him. Now the brutal reign of the Arcanist has become little more than a scary bedtime story. And yet, the descendants of his loyal followers are sworn to find a way to bestow his dark magic upon another. If they succeed, they’ll unleash a new terror upon an unsuspecting world.

Now, magics are vanishing without a trace. It’s up to Jen Maddox, a young witch working for the Magical Enforcement and Secrecy Agency, to find out why. Jen soon learns that those responsible for the disappearances will do whatever it takes to stop her investigation... including using an ancient, forbidden magic. With each clue uncovered the mystery grows, pointing towards one unthinkable scenario — an Arcanist is once again rising.

Magic Betrayed is Book One in the Urban Fantasy series, Rise of the Arcanist, featuring witches, vampires, werewolves, and more. It is a New Adult spin-off of USA Today Bestselling author Elizabeth Kirke’s award-winning More than Magic series. If you like your magic mixed with a little mystery and sweet romance, dive into your copy today.

*Rise of the Arcanist is a six book serial, with each installment releasing a month apart. You do *not* have to read the original More than Magic trilogy to enjoy it.*

​Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the MTM Trilogy and I am stoked to be back with my friends. This new series takes place five years later and while You do not have to have read the More Than Magic Trilogy to follow along with the new serial but it will add background on all the characters and their relationships.

Magic Betrayed is book one in the author's six-book serial, Rise of the Arcanist. The new series is much darker and more sinister than the trilogy. Magics have been disappearing and it is up to our group to figure out why. Part fantasy, part mystery, all awesomeness, I flew threw the pages of this story. And that ending! Edge of my seat! Of course I can't go into detail because of spoilers but trust me, one-click now.

​A haunted mage. A weapon lost. Sometimes, the dead return...
To save a life, Zola must find an anchor to transfer a blood knot of untold power, and she knows exactly who to turn to. An old ally, Ward, is gifted in the ancient arts and may hold the key to Vesik’s salvation.
With his team by his side, Ward embarks on a quest through the outskirts of The Golden City, which is rife with Unseelie Fae and Irontouched alike. Their only hope is a dangerous meeting with a highly trained cadre - who balance their loyalties on a knife’s edge.
As they embark on their path of knowledge and terror, tables take a jarring turn when a long lost apprentice, believed to be claimed by the darkness, makes a ghoulish return. The time for peace is near the end, and Ward must trust in those who rarely trust themselves in order to fulfill his mission

​I love that this series literally picks on the next page from the previous one. The war rages on while Zola and crew try to find another piece of the puzzle to create a new anchor for Sam and Vicki. In this installment, we focus on Ward and met his long lost apprentice, Heather.

The world building and layers make this an epic series. While I love delving deeper into the many characters, the suspense of Damien's predicament is killing me!

Eric Moon is a fantastic narrator for this series. It amazes me who she can keep all the individual accents and nuances for each voice she lends to the story.

A demon unleashed. A queen restored. A quest into a realm of fire and death...
The Burning Lands once again beckon Vicky as she and Zola fight to release Tessrian on the realm of the fire demons. Traveling aboard an ancient ship known as the Bone Sails, the infamous pirate Graybeard takes the helm. But all is not what it seems.
Together, they must fulfill Vesik’s promise on their journey to obtain an ancient and powerful coin that can restore the power of a Titan and sever the magic of the Mad King. Time is running short, and failure will shatter the world around them.
But the Burning Lands have sunk their spindly claws into Vicky once more. Danger lurks around every corner after the fall of Prosperine left the realm in chaos. Completing their quest falls on the shoulders of a forgotten destroyer, a necromancer’s master, and a pirate who’s stolen history might prove the end of them all...

I love that the author is delving into other characters' backstories while completing their quest to find an anchor to transfer the blood knot and ultimately try to save Damien but... I NEED THE ENDING! I am on the edge of my seat. I love the series, the people, the world, and one the hand I don't want it to end but I can't take this abuse. I need to know how it all ends.

Erin Moon, the narrator, is fantabulous at tearing this story from your speakers and bring it to life.

I read about half of this one and then I picked it on audio and started it over. This installment was gut wrenching! How many concussions are too many concussions? #AskingForAFriend Poor Mattie cannot catch a break in this one. Between constant head trauma, meeting her bio dad, and the death of someone close to her, the author did everything she could to destroy Mattie and quite frankly me. This one packed the feels.  I seriously balled like a baby at one point. 

This is a phenomenal series from Apryl Baker and the narrator Krista Kurtzberg was fantastic at bringing the story to life. 

​***The following 5 books in the serial will be released on the 20th of each month.

​Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the MTM Trilogy and I am stoked to be back with my friends. This new series takes place five years later and while You do not have to have read the More Than Magic Trilogy to follow along with the new serial but it will add background on all the characters and their relationships.

Magic Betrayed is book one in the author's six-book serial, Rise of the Arcanist. The new series is much darker and more sinister than the trilogy. Magics have been disappearing and it is up to our group to figure out why. Part fantasy, part mystery, all awesomeness, I flew threw the pages of this story. And that ending! Edge of my seat! Of course I can't go into detail because of spoilers but trust me, one-click now.

​Never again must another Arcanist rise…

They say it took one hundred magical beings to defeat the first Arcanist. Great care was taken to ensure the secret to his malevolent power died with him. Now the brutal reign of the Arcanist has become little more than a scary bedtime story. And yet, the descendants of his loyal followers are sworn to find a way to bestow his dark magic upon another. If they succeed, they’ll unleash a new terror upon an unsuspecting world.

Now, magics are vanishing without a trace. It’s up to Jen Maddox, a young witch working for the Magical Enforcement and Secrecy Agency, to find out why. Jen soon learns that those responsible for the disappearances will do whatever it takes to stop her investigation... including using an ancient, forbidden magic. With each clue uncovered the mystery grows, pointing towards one unthinkable scenario — an Arcanist is once again rising.

Magic Betrayed is Book One in the Urban Fantasy series, Rise of the Arcanist, featuring witches, vampires, werewolves, and more. It is a New Adult spin-off of USA Today Bestselling author Elizabeth Kirke’s award-winning More than Magic series. If you like your magic mixed with a little mystery and sweet romance, dive into your copy today.

*Rise of the Arcanist is a six book serial, with each installment releasing a month apart. You do *not* have to read the original More than Magic trilogy to enjoy it.*

Want to see how it all began? 

Semester Aboard
​
Sun, sand, and… stakes?

From USA Today Best-Selling author, Elizabeth Kirke, comes a tale of magic on the open sea!

Jen Maddox knew a summer study abroad, with a cruise ship as her campus, would expand her horizons. But she could never have fathomed how life altering the sea would be.

With seagulls cawing overhead and whitecaps crashing against the hull, Jen catches a glimpse of something not humanly possible. She would have believed it to be a dream, had certain enigmatic passengers not gone out of their way to cover it up.

Determined to discover the truth, Jen finds herself face-to-face with a nightmarish creature prowling the ship on the hunt for its next victim. Can she learn to tap into the newfound energy swirling around her in time to save all those aboard? Or will the vessel sink under a tidal wave of looming darkness?

Semester Aboard is the award-winning first book in the Urban Fantasy series, More than Magic, featuring witches, vampires, werewolves, and a host of other paranormal creatures. If you like your magic mixed with a little mystery and sweet romance, you’ll want to sail away with this one today.

​

• The Book of the Rune
• Vesik, Book 13
• By: Eric Asher
• Narrated by: Erin Moon
• Series: Vesik, Book 13
• Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 04-21-20

A haunted mage. A weapon lost. Sometimes, the dead return...
To save a life, Zola must find an anchor to transfer a blood knot of untold power, and she knows exactly who to turn to. An old ally, Ward, is gifted in the ancient arts and may hold the key to Vesik’s salvation.
With his team by his side, Ward embarks on a quest through the outskirts of The Golden City, which is rife with Unseelie Fae and Irontouched alike. Their only hope is a dangerous meeting with a highly trained cadre - who balance their loyalties on a knife’s edge.
As they embark on their path of knowledge and terror, tables take a jarring turn when a long lost apprentice, believed to be claimed by the darkness, makes a ghoulish return. The time for peace is near the end, and Ward must trust in those who rarely trust themselves in order to fulfill his mission.

​I love that this series literally picks on the next page from the previous one. The war rages on while Zola and crew try to find another piece of the puzzle to create a new anchor for Sam and Vicki. In this installment, we focus on Ward and met his long lost apprentice, Heather. 

The world building and layers make this an epic series. While I love delving deeper into the many characters, the suspense of Damien's predicament is killing me!

Eric Moon is a fantastic narrator for this series. It amazes me who she can keep all the individual accents and nuances for each voice she lends to the story. 

Hello book nerds! Starting now you can pop in here on #fangirlthursday for a list of books I will be chatting about on the live Facebook show.  You'll get the book/audiobook blurb, buy links, and my full review. No more jotting down down notes during the show or forgetting that title you wanted to add to your TBR. It will all be here. You can also look in the archives under #fangirlthursday for past info joining forward. Hope you guys enjoy this new feature.  ~ Lynn

​Welcome to Holiday Hills, where the coffee’s fresh and there’s magic in the air...

I have a perfect life. I recently rented the most adorable little apartment on top of my favorite bookstore coffee shop on Main Street in Holiday Hills, the charmingest of charming small southern towns. 

I spend my days ghostwriting a cozy mystery series for a well-known author, and maybe just a minute or two crushing on the town’s police chief. But of course, I’d never let that cat out of the bag. I'm still dealing with my recent divorce, and no matter what my bestie says, I'm so not ready for anything in the romance department.

Speaking of cats, my little Burmese Cooper follows me around like he’s my guard dog. Thankfully, Holiday Hills is animal-friendly. Everyone’s got a cat or dog, and that crazy old woman on the back end of town has the funniest talking parrot.

Oh, that crazy old woman...she’s a local celebrity, which can be a lot of trouble for her daughter. How do I know? Because that’s me. I’m the crazy old woman’s daughter.

The good news is everyone loves my mother, including me. The bad news is she recently died, and when she did, she opened up a whole new world for me - one I’d always thought was fictional. The magical world. 

Now, I have witchy powers, a talking cat, and a knack for finding dead bodies in my quaint little town. Ones that haven't died by accident.

My name is Abby Odell and I’m a witch. Who knew? I sure didn’t. Thanks for that, Mom.

Another superb story from Carolyn Ridder Aspenson Aspenson combines two of my favorite genres, paranormal and mystery. In this witchy new series, Abby discovers she is a witch, has a talking cat named Cooper, and a murderer hot on her heels. This fast-paced new series has me hooked. Cooper steals the show with his snarky cat attitude. There's A New Witch in Town is classic Aspenson.

Jamie Moore is great as the narrator! I love her laid back impression of Cooper the cat. I hope she will continue to be the narrator on the remainder of the series.

The Dead Boy's Club
​Club Dead, Book 1
By: Rue Volley
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-09-20
Language: English
Publisher: Three One Six Audio

Fifteen-year-old Harper J. Ellis lives in Juniper Hollow, a hotbed for paranormal activity. Here, the dead outnumber the living ten to one, and strange occurrences are a way of life. Most of the residents choose to ignore the odd quirks of the small Victorian town.
But not Harper.
She’s perfectly content to spend her days in the graveyard, reading paranormal romance books at the foot of a tombstone. Like many girls her age, she obsesses over boys. However, it’s her taste for all things strange and unusual that prompt her to start a club.
A pulse isn’t required, but a flair for ghoulish fun is. Care to join?

This story was nothing that I expected it to be. I had the audacity to think I had it figured out. Nope. I imagined Volley cackling a wicked laugh as she penned this story and threw in a curveball to end all curveballs. Seriously, I thought i knew who was who and what was what. And I did have an inkling of the truth, but that ending. OMG that ending.  Bravo Mrs. Volley! 

Caitlin Kelly nailed it as the narrator! I love all of the unique voices she lent to this story.

One prince. One witch. One fate.
The upheaval in my life began the moment a prince stumbled into my house and asked me to read his fortune. Any other night, I might have made an excuse to get him to leave, but this was no normal visit. My fingers prickled to touch him. So, I granted his request by handing him a single wishbone. When he snapped it, the wish...bled.
Hearing me suck in a shocked breath, he asked what it meant. Such an ominous omen could only mean one thing: His death was imminent. Fate revealed that he wouldn’t die of natural causes. Someone wanted him dead. Stunned by the revelation, the man I now knew as Prince Tauren disappeared into a night I feared he wouldn’t survive.
The following day, I received an invitation to the castle. While it seemed the prince believed I could intervene and uncover who was plotting his death, his motives didn’t stop there. I was being summoned to join 12 other women in vying for the opportunity to be his wife and future queen. Going could mean jeopardizing my plans to reclaim my heritage and resurrect the House of Fate. But staying would guarantee Tauren’s death, and the blood of his wish would be on my hands.
When Wishes Bleed is a young adult fantasy romance perfect for fans of Adrienne Young, Cora Carmack, and Kiera Cass.

​Wow! Just wow! Hello book hangover. I haven't had one of those in a long time. Casey Bond never fails to deliver the BEST stories. When Wishes Bleed is phenomenal. The narrator, Aleksi Graves, is spectacular in her rendition of the tale. I haven't been this wrapped up in a story in a long time.

I felt this story in my bones. Sable as Fate was extraordinary. Bond never fails to unleash a unique and magical story.

Vendetta 
Veiled Series Book 3
Author: Stacey Rourke
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing 
Publication Date: May 14, 2020


​Splashed across every media outlet are claims I’m a violent murderer. A menace to society that must be stopped at all cost.

I… would love to see them try.

An enemy of the Nosferatu hides in plain sight. His lone goal– to watch the world burn. As the newly appointed vampire queen, I’m done allowing my people to suffer for his twisted agenda.

Dorian Gray thinks he knows pain.
He believes he owns the market on public manipulation.
He hunkers under the belief that his power and status make him untouchable.
I can’t wait to prove him wrong.

A darkness has rooted itself in me, one older than the first vampiric bloodline. An unimaginable strength courses through my veins, and I will use it to make Dorian bow before me. They call me the Dragon Queen, and I own the title. Because I, alone, know that the malevolent essence within me is one no man could ever tame.

​This cover is amazing and completley encompasses the ending in the previous book.

Vincenza is the ultimate bad a**! What an ending! Rourke ripped my heart out but made up for it with Vlad sexiness.

All I can say is long live the Queen!

The upheaval in my life began the moment a prince stumbled into my house and asked me to read his fortune. Any other night, I might have made an excuse to get him to leave, but this was no normal visit. My fingers prickled to touch him. So, I granted his request by handing him a single wishbone. When he snapped it, the wish … bled.

Hearing me suck in a shocked breath, he asked what it meant. Such an ominous omen could only mean one thing: his death was imminent. Fate revealed that he wouldn’t die of natural causes. Someone wanted him dead. Stunned by the revelation, the man I now knew as Prince Tauren disappeared into a night I feared he wouldn’t survive. The following day, I received an invitation to the castle. While it seemed the prince believed I could intervene and uncover who was plotting his death, his motives didn’t stop there. I was being summoned to join twelve other women in vying for the opportunity to be his wife and future queen.
​
Going could mean jeopardizing my plans to reclaim my heritage and resurrect the House of Fate. But staying would guarantee Tauren’s death, and the blood of his wish would be on my hands. ​

​Award-winning author Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She loves letting the figments of her imagination spill onto the blank page.


​

You can find more information about Bonds books via the following links:
Website: www.authorcaseybond.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorcaseybond
Twitter & Instagram: @authorcaseybond

✨✨✨
If the path becomes lost, can you find your way home?

Pierre Danville is the reluctant heir to the Danville clan of Fae. As if that’s not bad enough, Fate has chosen his future bride for him, and Pierre’s not impressed. All he wants is freedom to choose his Destiny.

Petrina envies her friends who marry for love and are properly courted by their Fae men. Instead of courting, Petrina and Pierre are forced into the woods where they can be alone and work out their problems.

A witch is at work in the Danville Forest. Her prize is a young Danville heir with his Destiny. If Pierre and Petrina don’t work together, it could spell the end for the Danvilles.

This is a prequel Novella in the Fae Brothers' Ever Afters Series.

​Gilbert packs quite a punch in the prequel to her Fae Brothers Ever Afters series. It was a roller coaster of torent emotions. I loved it!

5 STARS

The village of Krume is plagued by a haunted wood and a hungry witch. It’s been that way for as long as Hans and Greta can remember, though they have never seen the witch themselves; no one has.
When men start to disappear once again in the cover of night - their bloody hearts turning up on doorsteps - the village falls into frenzied madness.
Hans and Greta, two outcast orphans, find themselves facing accusations of witchcraft and are met with an ultimatum: burn at the stake, or leave the village forever. 
With nowhere else to go, they abandon their only home.
As they venture into the strange forest, their path is fraught with horrific creatures, wild and vivid hallucinations, and a mysterious man tied to the witch's past.
The Shrike is watching, just beyond the deep darkness of the woods.

​

5 STARS

The Shrike and The Shadows is a dark and twisted take on the Hansel and Gretal fairytle. I love this retelling! The author delivered a fast paced thrill ride that left me on the edge of my seat.

The narrator, Ryan Haugen, lent the perfect voice to the story as it leapt to life from my speakers.

What Lurks Below is a smartly written dystopian novel from Jordan Thompson.

At Colony, no one knows where the children came from. No one talks about how they were babies when they were ripped from their parents to be raised in the Tin Can.

No one knows, that is, except Amelia. At thirteen, Amelia remembers a mother who loved her. She remembers fresh peaches and ice cream—not the calorically rationed food that tastes like stagnant swamp water and chemicals.

Desperate to hold on to her memories, Amelia shares her past with her younger brother, Alex. She teaches him about the reality of The Garden and its power to provide safety and love.

Soon, Alex learns that life at Colony is more dangerous than he thought. He spies an enormous, black ... something ... lurking in the water, while no one seems to notice it at all.

Fear of the creature has Alex thrashing his sheets in bed. His marks drop, and Council insists on Amelia telling them what is wrong. Amelia tries to keep up appearances, but Council refuses to believe her and locks her up.

If Amelia isn’t willing to forgo the love she felt and the life she had back Then, Council will throw her in the water to meet whatever it is that lurks below the Tin Can.

For fans of The Giver, this dystopian-charged fantasy will show readers the valiance of holding on to one’s beliefs and the value of true sibling love. ​

Crystal's 4 Star Review

There were so many layers to this book. There is no wrong interpretation. The writing is phenomenal. The relationship between Amelia and Alex is tight. There were so many twists and little hints. My mind is blown. For being a Middle Grade book of sorts it kept my interest right to the end.

I recommend this to anyone 10 and up!
There were so many layers to this book. There is no wrong interpretation. The writing is phenomenal. The relationship between Amelia and Alex is tight. There were so many twists and little hints. My mind is blown. For being a Middle Grade book of sorts it kept my interest right to the end.

I recommend this to anyone 10 and up!