Category Archives: Horror

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A Christmas Haunting at Point No Point

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This is another author that I have never read before and it seems to have become a theme during Christmas that I find new authors that I like. This is said to be a stand-alone novel but I think that even though it can be read without having read the previous books it still might be a good idea to read them to lend more context to the story. Reference is made to situations and people from previous books which can make it hard to understand what is happening sometimes. This was a really good ghost story with subtle but very interesting and well-thought-out imagery.

Steven’s brother and his family are coming for a visit during the holidays after years of staying away. To make things more comfortable for his brother he decides to rent a location for their vacation that will be neutral and hopefully help everyone enjoy themselves. Steven settles on Point No Point, the oldest lighthouse in the region, which offers the lighthouse keepers’ house as their vacation spot. The family finds their holiday turning into a nightmare as they start to notice changes in each other and try to figure out the haunted secrets of Point No Point things take a turn for the worse.

This was a very enjoyable story that had me from beginning to end as I tried to figure out what was going on along with them. The characters were fantastic and the scenery was what you would expect from the Pacific Northwest right down to the weather. It gave me great visuals. The slow build was perfect and added to the atmosphere that was being built within the house.

I would definitely recommend this book.

My rating: ✮✮✮✮

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The Haunted Forest Tour

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This is the first thing I have ever read by this author and it was a nice introduction to his work. It was not something I was immediately drawn into but it did not take long for me to see that I was going to enjoy it. The characters actually made this whole story for me because I liked them almost from the start and was rooting for my favorites to get out alive. Which is pretty foolish when you have a story that you know is going to have a high body count. You get some standard monsters and some not-so-standard monsters, the main thing is that they are some evil monsters.

Four years ago a forest popped up in the middle of the New Mexico desert on the outskirts of Cromay, a small town that was taken unaware. There were not a lot of survivors that day but those who got out told tales of creatures that made the skin crawl. It didn’t take long for someone to come along and see the possibilities and so the Haunted Forest Tours began.

Christopher Brummit was having a very bad day but then he gets a call from his mother, Mindy, telling him that she has gotten tickets for the Halloween Haunted Forest tour for the two of them. He is excited and does not give his problems any further thought. When they arrive they go through the presentation and finally board a tram that will take them into the heart of the forest instead of the usual trip on the outskirts. What they find inside that forest will be with them forever if they can manage to make it out with mind and body intact.

There is quite a bit of action to find in this story. Some might find it gory, and it does have a bit of gore but nothing too excessive. While I liked the end I think that it was anticlimactic in a lot of ways, it just seemed to be very abrupt. This was a well-paced, roller coaster ride through a monster-filled territory that will thrill most and scare some. I would recommend this to anyone who likes horror with some light comic relief!

My rating: 💫💫💫💫

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12:07: The Sleeping

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I have never read anything by this author before and found that I do like them, though this book could have been a little shorter. While I appreciate the attention to detail from character development to the nuance of the plot, it could have been toned down to make the thriller aspects a bit more thrilling. The supernatural was well represented as were the religious aspects but I never felt any true sense of urgency while reading. That’s not to say that I did not enjoy it because I did, it just never fully engulfed me.

Sleeping collects the Unwanted, a child not created/born from want. They are the guardians of the underworld who feed on tormented souls. When they enter our world they are the ones who haunt those they believe belong in Hell. The Sleeping is relentless and employs whatever means are needed to obtain the souls of those they have laid claim to.

James has seen The Sleeping since he was five years old and has been fighting them since that time. They continue coming for him and he hides as best he can from them, but the things he does keep him firmly on their radar.

No real action to speak of, not scary, just not. As I have said it has a decent story with some characters that will make you hate them or love them but you will feel something about them. I just wish there had been more going on besides all the explaining about what this is and what that is. But someone will enjoy it.

My Rating: 🌠🌠🌠

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Mercy House

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This is another of those authors that I am reading for the first time. One major peeve about this book is that it seems to have more pages than are needed for the narrative, though this is of course only my opinion. You get to know some characters better than others and I feel that the ones you get so much information on are the wrong ones. I wanted more about the couple who show up on such a crazy day as they walk. I was also not really sure about where this was taking place, it seemed to be both isolated and not isolated, never sure of which. Much of the action occurs in the first ten chapters with the remaining being filler with spots of activity.

There is never any explanation as to what happens to the residents or why. That seems like an important omission to me, monster, environmental or alien. I found only one error and that is the mistake in the name of the doctor on a couple of occasions.

Mercy House is a state-of-the-art retirement home that appears perfect on the surface. The truth however is far from this ideal picture shown to prospective residents and their families. These people get to see the lively residents who reside on the first and second floors but not those who cannot speak for themselves. Don and Nikki Laurel are on their way to drop Don’s mother, Harriet, off at Mercy House something she highly resents. When they arrive things seem great but as they make their tour and settle in to enjoy dinner, changes are brewing among those in attendance.

This was not very scary in and of itself. If you are afraid of old people or afraid of what they might do if given the chance then this could be terrifying. This did make me want to try some other work by this author and see what he has to offer. Do recommend.

My rating: 🌠🌠🌠

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The Curse of the House on Cypress Lane #0

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The Curse of The House on Cypress Lane: Book 0- The Beginning by James Hunt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The book didn’t grab me right out of the gate but it got more and more interesting as I got to know the characters and their situation better. While the buildup is slow, it is not exactly subtle. You can pretty much all the connections immediately. This particular book is a novella that purports to be the beginning of things but that is inaccurate because what has been going on obviously began much further in the past than this. But it would have been nice to get some of that background about the house and the people who set things in motion. I have never read this author before and maybe just need to see what his process is for developing stories since everyone’s is slightly different.

The house at the end of Cypress Lane is large and with a history that is entwined with the town of Ocoee, Louisiana. The Cooley family becomes entangled in that history and must fight to stay alive in a situation, not of their making. Owen Cooley has been out of work for the past 6 months with no opportunities in sight. When he is offered a job after a phone interview which would mean a drastic relocation of his family he jumps at the chance without even trying to get any information about the place he is going. This is one of those times when if it’s too good to be true, then you should look behind the curtain. He should have looked for his family’s sake.

This did intrigue me enough to make me want to continue reading about this house and its inhabitants. It did not scare me but it does have an atmosphere of darkness that worked for me. I would recommend it to those who want a horror read with potential.



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If you ever wanted to know what fear and desperation looked like, Owen would tell you to go down to the local unemployment center and look in the eyes of the men and women waiting in line to speak with a clerk. Beyond the bouncing legs, fidgeting fingers, and long exhales riddled with anxiety, you’ll find the worst combination of fear, anger, and hate swirling around their souls. Anger for failing, fear for failing again, and a hate for everything that put them in their situation.

The Curse of the House on Cypress Lane By: James Hunt
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A House By The Sea

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A House by the Sea by Ambrose Ibsen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book rates 3.75 stars from me. I liked some parts and really liked other parts while there were still other parts that I did not like at all. The lead-in is slow and it took me a while to get into the story fully. The characters were just what you would expect from those in the horror genre, stereotypes without a good fleshing out. You have the overwrought and hysterical mother, the unbelieving sarcastic father, the angst-ridden teenager who hides her knowledge, and finally the young and impressionable child who is led astray. Now that is not to say that it is a bad thing but it does make it hard to enjoy sometimes when you know what to expect.

The land on which Winthrop House sits has been shunned since before the settlers came to the area. The natives did not build or go to the area because it was said to be inhabited by some type of creature. When the house was eventually built on the land it was shunned by all the locals and bought by an out-of-town family who knew nothing of its history. Things did not get better with tenants and when they died it was left empty for years.

When Jack Ripley makes it big with a best-selling novel he wants to keep a promise to his wife, she wanted a house by the sea. They think Winthrop’s house is the perfect place for their family to settle and grow. For a few weeks, it is, then things start to happen that dampen his wife’s love of the house. When things start to escalate even Jack has to take notice and decide whether he wants the house more than to have his family safe.

This was not super scary but had some moments that caught me by surprise. This was the first book I have read by this author and while it gave me mixed feelings I want to explore other books they have written, including the second book about this house. The ending is what made it for me. I would recommend this to anyone who likes ghost stories or haunted house stories.



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“Abigail entered the room, leaving the door open behind her, and sat down at the foot of Amy’s bed. “I don’t like this,” she said with a sigh. “You don’t like what?” “Aunty Becca is here,” explained the girl. Amy shrugged. “Yeah? So, what? You love it when Becca comes to visit. She’s a lot of fun.” Abigail tugged at her bubblegum-colored pajama top and shook her head. “No, it’s not good. The man with the doggie-face doesn’t like her being here.” She looked up at her sister narrowly. “At least, that’s what Frankie says. He says that, if auntie Becca is here, we may not be able to play anymore.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, A House by the Sea

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Dark Harvest

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Dark Harvest by Edward Gehlert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I did like the story but could not really decide whether to go with a 3 or 4 star. That may seem a bit wishy-washy but it hit some of my good feelings and some of my bad ones as far as how things were done. I wanted a horror story and what I got was a bible story more or less. I actually avoid stories about the rapture because it is not what I consider to be entertaining.

What I liked was that the characters were each very well fleshed out. You got to know their background and what made them the way they are before they came into contact with each other. The locales were also very well described so that you could picture them clearly. The overall tone of the story is nicely done and keeps you wanting to move forward as you discover new things about what is going on.

What bugged me were the transitions during paragraphs, you can be reading about one thing and the next sentence will be about something completely different or another character. It was sometimes confusing. I was also not happy about the fact that I had to add words while reading because sometimes they were simply missing from the sentence. I was also not thrilled with the bible verse headings for each chapter, though I could deal with that. But the word overhaul used by mistake for overalls, as in bib overalls, did bug me from the time it was first said to the last writing.

Sean Tyler learns a painful lesson at the tender age of 6 years old when his life is changed in a violent and bloody way. The weather has gone crazy and natural disasters are happening around the world leaving destruction in their path. Then a mysterious malady strikes which places children and some adults as well as the elderly into a coma-like state. When they come out of it things go from bad to horrible for those left behind.

I admit it pulled me in completely even with the things that made me a little crazy. The creatures are truly nightmarish and made me want to stay awake to avoid any chance of dreaming about them. I have to read the next book now because I need to know what happens to everyone I have gotten to know.

Of course, I recommend it!



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First Contact

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First Contact by Kat Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my first read by this author and I am glad that I took the time to try it out. The idea behind what the character does for a living is interesting and different from anything I have seen before. The setting is current and therefore makes it easier to relate to the surroundings. The characters themselves are fairly well defined and fleshed out giving you a good idea of who they are and what their motivations are. I was pretty much drawn into the story immediately, even though I had taken a bit of a dislike for the main character right away.

Sloane Osborne is a paranormal realtor, which basically means that she sells haunted houses once she can authenticate there is a haunting. Sloane’s real reason for doing this is to try and contact her dead fiance, Michael, who always said to wait or try things for a year and a day. Sloane has been looking and it has gotten to day 366 and she is hoping beyond hope it will happen.

Sloane has gone to a job in Wisconsin which she has found on her own in the hopes that it will be the one that allows her to make contact and gain her gift/curse of being able to speak with the dead. The house has a feel to it and the person employing her has not met with her. She investigates further in order to see who or what might be in the house. This places her in danger she could not have seen coming.

I did finally warm up to Sloane even if I felt like she was a weak individual in the beginning she showed me she could step up. I ended this really liking the story enough to want to read the next book in the series. There is a total creep factor and some great atmosphere. Not a lot of scares but it has a heavy feel that pulls you in and makes you a part of the hurt and betrayal of the story. Great for a Halloween read or just if you like a good ghost story.

Recommended!



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Ghost Camera

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This is the first book I have read by this author and it has definitely made me want to read some more of their work. While it was not wildly scary or anything it was the type of story I would want to read during the month of October for Halloween. Things start off rather slowly and benign but start to take on a life of their own as you find out more about the camera which is the main focus of things. The characters are alright even if they are a little thin as far as who they are, you get some glimpses of personality which at least allow you to form an opinion about them. This is a relatively short piece and a fast read because it does hold your interest if you like ghost stories.

Jenine is attending a wedding and decides that she would like to create a photo album for the bride that has candid shots of the wedding party and not just the posed shots taken by the wedding photographer. In order to do this, she goes to the lighthouse located close by to take an overhead shot and stumbles across a Polaroid camera. She tries the camera out and finds that it still works but the picture does not only capture the guests who can be seen but some uninvited ghostly guests as well.

Jenine takes the camera to her friend Bree and shows her what it does putting her friend in jeopardy as well though she does not know it at the time. As ghosts seem to be coming closer and things seem to be getting scarier the women try to find help for their situation. But what can they do when they seem to have opened a door to the other side?

There is enough tension and suspense that you should enjoy this short look into the supernatural. I would give this a thumbs up and say go for it!

My rating: ✭✭✭

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Evil Entity

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I like my horror to be scary, even if it is not very long. This was not scary at all but I guess you have to understand since it was not very long. The characters were all straw men with no real substance since you did not even get much of a backstory on even the main. The town was just as superficial since it could have been anyplace it was so generic. Not to say that it was all bad but it really was nothing more than a morsel that I ran through in no time because it was not complicated in the least. Not sure if it was intentional or not but the character’s name made me smile, though I wonder if the author knew who she was.

Josephine Baker is a young alcoholic who is going to live in Hanover House while she continues her rehabilitation after giving up alcohol. Libby owns and runs Hanover House almost like a B&B instead of a halfway house for those recovering from addictions. Josephine finds out the secret of the house but may be too late to get out.

Nice premise but bare-bones horror and the minimal treatment of the supernatural. For a quick read, I would say you can give it a try.

My rating: 🌠🌠 of 5