Tag Archives: Paranormal

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The Unwanted

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I have read the previous books in this series and always enjoyed them. While I liked this one it did not hold the same impact that the others did. I don’t think it was because it was shorter but just that the characters did not seem as engaging as at other times. The story was also a little thinner but important to tell. This was more about the two agents than it was about the case that they were supposed to be working. There was a lot of soul-searching and inner dialogue about the past and how it had affected them and not enough about the crime.

Destin Mortin and Caleb Durand had been partners in an FBI unit that was separate but equal to the one run by Taylor Jones. Caleb’s specialty is that he can filter and help a psychic to better handle their gift by making things clearer for them and taking some of the pain and anxiety. Destin’s gift is one that comes with a high price, she excels at tracking rapists but not just any rapists, she tracks the most violent.

When Caleb starts to lose himself in Destin and cannot tell where she ends and he begins he decides to leave. Destin is left heartbroken but blames him for not caring and does not look at herself as part of the problem. When he is brought into a case 5 years later she is not happy to see him because she believes she has moved on. Life can be unfair but sometimes fate gives you a second chance.

This was a nice enough story but I would have been just as happy to have more of the case and a bit less of the emotional stuff. Would still recommend it, just not enthusiastically.

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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Some Will Not Sleep

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Some Will Not Sleep: Selected Horrors by Adam Nevill

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


After reading all the stories and giving each an individual rating I have averaged it out to 2.41 stars for this book. Some of the stories were better than others which is always the case when reading any type of anthology or short story collection. The problem for me was that I did not really find any that I felt truly could be called horror, at least by my standards of the genre. There were some creepy moments in say “Where Angels Come In” or “Mother’s Milk” both of which I liked and a few others. Then you have the ones that I could not figure out why they were even included here like “To Forget and Be Forgotten” which I could not even describe after reading because it did nothing for me or “Florrie” which pretty much gave me the whole story in the first two paragraphs so that I had it figured out right there.

I still want to read something else written by this author since this was my introduction to them. The characters and locales were fine. I could feel for them in a lot of instances and so the writing was not a problem. I would recommend this because though it did not scare or really give me chills that might not be the case for others.



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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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The Strange Case at Misty Ridge

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The Strange Case at Misty Ridge by David Brian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


First time reading this author and it was a pleasant experience. I was not totally wowed by the story but it was still well done. The characters lacked definition and I never felt that I really got to know who they were as individuals. I was expecting something a lot different from what I got though it was a nice change from the usual haunting you get. Would have liked a little more background on the house and town maybe to give some context.

Jack Keswick survived a tragedy that took the lives of a lot of people. Because he was unable to return to his usual work he was able to indulge his passion for paranormal investigation. Jack does not have very many memories of before the accident but has flashes once in a while that gives him a look into what was.

Jack is contacted by Mrs. Featherstone about the haunting in her home and asks for his help to get rid of it. When he goes to her home in Claybrooke he finds that things are not as he thought.

The story seems to be more about Jack and his life and family than about what is happening at Misty Ridge. But I would still recommend this to anyone who likes ghost stories.





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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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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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A Werewolf to call Her Own

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I really do like this series. It’s pretty much light and fluffy with a nice romance that may not go smoothly but you know it will work out in the end. You get just what you need from this book and the others because you just want to be taken away for a while and this does that perfectly. The characters are who they need to be and you don’t need to go super deep because they give you enough. The location is exotic but could be almost any Island paradise you can imagine so it almost tailors to the individual.

Maxim is on vacation from the rigors of being beta to a pack he helped build. He has always had a hard time relaxing but this place seems to be working. Ceara is a young vampire, full blood, who is at Mystic Isle for the solstice but has a bucket list she would love to work on. When Maxim sees the young vamp he is enchanted and wants to meet her, and he gets his chance when she is approached by a demon who scares her. Maxim knows right away that she deserves better than him but cannot help wanting to spend what time he can with her.

Ceara falls fast for the werewolf who rescues her and just wants him to be the one. After being cloistered for so long she just wants to break out and enjoy herself if possible. Maxim could do that for her or he could cause her true heartache.

It kind of bugged me that the spelling of Ceara’s name changed from time to time. Other than that I found everything to be great. Look for that HEA for Ceara and Max.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Cajun’s Captive

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I have read something from this author before and liked it enough to try this series. While this did not grab me out the gate I still did enjoy it. The characters seem thin but I assume they will get more of a lift as this continues since they will likely be seen in subsequent books even though they will not be the focus. I also expect that their surroundings, besides the fact that it is Louisiana, will be more fully fleshed out. This didn’t really give me a chance to see them in my head and become a part of the story.

Sebastian Deveraux is the Alpha of his pack and like all his brothers is sexy as pure sin. He has waited decades for the right woman, his mate. He was sure he’d found her in Amanda St. James ten years earlier, but she ran from him. When she shows up on his porch as a hurricane is blowing in he decides to do anything to keep her with him. Even if that means chaining her to his bed.

Nice enough story but I hope to get more from the rest of the series. Still worth reading.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Jabril

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I enjoyed this second book just as much as the first in the series. The old characters were more well defined and the new characters were pretty much brought in with full personalities that made you either like or dislike them immediately upon meeting them. You knew who was who and who could be trusted in a tense situation.

Jabril Karim is one of eight Vampire Lords and headquartered in Houston, Texas. While Raphael rules through loyalty and respect, Jabril uses fear and threats. Mirabelle is a young woman who was placed in Jabril’s care as a 15-year-old along with her 10-year-old sister. In order to get his hands on her money and control her, he turned her one day after her 18th birthday, but he still needs her because she does not get the bulk of her money until she becomes 25, but after that, he will not need her.

When Mirabelle’s sister runs away to avoid the fate of her sister Jabril hires Cynthia to find her, though he does not believe a woman can do the job. What he wants is to claim Cyn and rub it in Raphael’s face for not making her his. With her arrival in Texas Cynthia decides that what Jabril wants is something she will have to thwart in order to save her sisters who were given to a monster.

While the main story is good we have a secondary story that is just as good and compelling. Enjoy this book and be ready for the next which should prove just as good.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rumor has it Raphael used a private investigator, a very private investigator from what I hear, but one who resisted even that arrogant bastard’s charm.” “You would hire a woman?” “Oh hardly, Asim,” he said with a dismissive flip of his fingers. “Talk to the lawyers and find a proper man for the job. But call this woman of Raphael’s anyway. I want to meet her, and that bastard’s ego could use a good pricking. Do you think he would mind sharing?” “I think he would rather share with a snake, my lord,” Asim said with a sharp smile.

Jabril