Summer of Horror - There Will Be Blood

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature. This week I am focusing on books with "blood" in the title.  I know a few of these are more thriller than horror but they are still either books I've read or have on my TBR. 

These four are actually books I've read.  I absolutely loved The Weight of Blood and recommend this Carrie retelling to anyone who loves horror.  I read Bloodlines and a lot of the remainder of the series years and years ago and actually enjoyed it more than the other popular vampire series at the time, Twilight.

These are books which are actually on my active TBR.  I also managed to feature Blood on her Tongue for last week's topic as well.  

At least three of these are older novels and I am sure many of familiar with Clive Barker's Books of Blood.  I believe I have a vintage copy of Blood Snarl somewhere in my house which I really need to find as well. Nightblood is a Paperback from Hell book, so I hope to get to it someday. 

So, there you have it!  I will be able to squeeze one more of these in before the Summer of Horror ends next Friday and I think I'm going out with a bite and showcasing vampire books.  Make sure you stop by!

So, History Does Repeat Itself

 

TITLE: Death in the Dark

AUTHOR: Bryce Moore

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire

PUBLISHING DATE: August 05, 2025

PAGES: 336   

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: When multiple women are found murdered in their London homes during The Blitz, seventeen-year-old Mary Churchill vows to uncover the identity of the Blackout Ripper, even if it puts her own life at risk. From the author of The Perfect Place to Die and Don't Go to Sleep comes another chilling historical mystery. 

Seventeen-year-old Mary Churchill feels helpless as London is ravaged by air raids and mandatory blackouts. As the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister, she longs to do something important, to help those in less fortunate circumstances. On a night out on the town, she connects with an older woman who is in-between jobs and promises to meet her again the next day. Except she never shows up. Mary has a sense that something is wrong, so she decides to go searching—and finds her brutally murdered. 

Horrified, Mary immediately goes to the police. But there's a war happening, and they don't have enough manpower to fully dedicate themselves to the murder case. So, Mary takes it upon herself to investigate. The deeper she falls into the case, the more shocking murders she finds. All women, all strangled and mutilated. This is her chance to do something to actually help, to find out who is responsible for the murders and make sure they never have a chance to harm anyone else. 

Against the backdrop of bombings and darkness, Mary searches the streets of London for any clues she might ascertain and finds herself in a game of cat-and-mouse with the Blackout Ripper. If only one of them can make it out alive, does Mary have what it takes to make sure it's her?

MY THOUGHTS: Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy a historical mystery, especially when it is set in London. And although this is technically a Young Adult book, I felt it reached outside the typical YA tropes and can stand up against many adult titles similar in plot and theme.

Mary Churchill (yes, her dad is Winston), wants nothing more than to contribute to the fight against Hitler like many of her friends.  However, being a 17-year-old female doesn't provide her with much opportunity to do so.  Mary goes out one night and meets a woman in a club and ends up striking up a lengthy conversation with her.  Mary feels connected to the woman and is very upset the next morning when she finds her murdered.  Mary becomes frustrated because she feels that due to the war, the police do not have the staff to investigate this murder, and several subsequent related murders, sufficiently, so she starts investigating on her own.  Can Mary find out who is doing the killing without getting killed herself?  Will her mother find out what she is doing and pack her up and send her back to the country?  And will the police, who initially were humoring her and "letting" her help realize just because she is 17 doesn't mean she doesn't have a good head on her shoulders?

I really liked Mary as a character.  She was smart, headstrong and showed a lot of initiative.  She feels like she should also contribute to the war efforts and does what she can to do her share any way she can. The murder mystery kept me interested and wasn't overly predictable.  I also liked the war elements that were worked in.  The bombings and atmosphere around the Blitz definitely added to the creepiness of the murder mystery.

I have seen several books by this author, but this is the first I picked up. I will most certainly check out more in the future.  When reading this, I kind of compared it to a YA Veronica Speedwell book so if that's your forte, consider this one as well.  Oh, and as a plus - no romance. Not that I'm opposed to that, but it would have felt contrived with this book and I'm glad the author didn't go there.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Temple Fall

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

February 17, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: Flynn heads with her boyfriend, Jackson, and a group of their friends to spend the night in Temple Fall, a mysterious house up on the moors with a strange history. Breaking in for a night of drinking and teenage debauchery they instead find themselves trapped in a strange nightmare after a joke seance goes wrong. Suddenly forced into strange acts and behaviors outside their character, the tight-knit group starts to fall apart - and then Jackson falls to his death.

In the aftermath Flynn must confront the traumas of her childhood, her upbringing in captivity with her mother who suffered from crippling paranoia and OCD. As a foster child she has been forced to make her own place in the world, to forge a new family out of the few scraps of hope and compassion she has been offered in her life. And everywhere she looks she sees the ghostly figure of a Victorian woman, that no one else can see.

The woman that pushed Jackson.

Reeling from the tragedy the group find themselves split apart, each grieving and trying to survive on their own. But when they start to die, one-by-one, on the very second of their 18th birthday, Flynn must keep them all together to keep her found family alive. And she must dig into the lost secrets of her family past, to stop the curse being passed down to the next generation again.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I need to know more about the ghostly figure that pushed Jackson.  And let's be honest, that cover is gorgeous!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Summer of Horror - Here Kitty Kitty

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature. This week I am focusing on horror books with animals on the cover.  I got this idea off of Alicia over at Kernel of Nonsense.  Thanks for the inspiration.  Also, I've not read any of these and wanted to showcase some lesser known titles that have caught my attention over the years.  Maybe this will make me pick some up.

I know that When the Wolf Comes Home and Blood on her Tongue are pretty recent and popular titles and I already have copies on my shelves thanks to my Aardvark Book Box Subscription.

I believe The Island of Last Things recently came out and I'm hoping my library gets a copy soon.  The other three are Kindle Unlimited finds I've discovered this past year. 

Finally, I recently saw The Nestling on a Booktube video and really would like to read it soon.  It centers around an Indigenous legend and I love those types of books. 

So do you have any animal horror I need to check out.  Extra points if the dog doesn't die.

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Sweet Laurel Falls (Hope's Crossing #3)

 

I must have known I would need something light this month because I suggested to Stormi that we continue our series read of the Hope's Crossing series, or maybe it was her suggestion.  Either way, it was the right one and I devoured this third book in the series.  Read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Storm Reads to see hers.  

 

TITLE: Sweet Laurel Falls (Hope's Crossing #3)

AUTHOR: RaeAnne Thayne

PUBLISHER: Harlequin HQN

PUBLISHING DATE: September 25, 2012

PAGES: 379   

SOURCE: Library 

FROM GOODREADS:  Spring should bring renewal, but Maura McKnight-Parker cannot escape the past. Still reeling from the loss of one daughter, the former free spirit is thrown for a loop by the return of her older daughter, Sage, and the reappearance of her first love, Sage's father. 

Jackson Lange never knew his daughter--never even knew that he'd left the love of his life pregnant when he fled their small town--but he has never forgotten Maura. 

Now they are all back, but Sage has her own secret, one that will test the fragile bonds of a reunited family. 

Thrown together by circumstances and dedicated to those they love, Maura and Jackson must learn to move forward and let go of the mistakes of their past for the bright future that awaits them and their friends in Hope's Crossing.

MY THOUGHTS: It sure doesn't take long for the drama to start with this book.  Preparing for the Christmas holidays at her bookstore, Maura is expecting her daughter to return home from college for a break.  What she didn't expect is that her daughter's father, who Sage had no idea about the identity of, would be with her.

Maura now has to deal not only with the first Christmas without her youngest daughter, but with a whole lot of stress, questions and unresolved feelings that range from anger to resentment to mistrust.

Add in some side happenings in the town of Hope's Crossing, including Jackson dealing with his own estrangement from his father Harry, and a new puppy and the author created an intriguing read that once again had me hoping for a wonderful outcome.

This book was a wonderful installment.  While it starts around the  Christmas holiday, it wasn't overly focused on it and actually spanned a good many months.  I loved how Maura and Jackson worked through the problems that led to their breakup as high school sweethearts, and how they both navigated the issues with Sage and her feelings about being kept in the dark.  And one of my favorite characters turned out to be Harry, Jackson's grumpy and often-mean father.  It was nice to see Harry's character development and the small sliver of his heart which led him to open up to Sage. 

This is a wonderful series I would recommend to fans of Virgin River and I can't wait for the next one.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

March 10, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Demons clash with inheritance claims as secrets unfold and violence is unleashed over twelve harrowing hours trapped in a house with the worst thing family.

When Papi Ramon, the patriarch of the wealthy Abreu family dies, he gives the family one last message in the “One of you is el bacà, the demon that I made a deal with. Get rid of them or you will be damned.” Xiomara, the uncontested favorite of Papi Ramon (and therefore the least liked in the family), watches as everyone dismisses this as the joke of a senile old man and demands the lawyer obtain the previous will Papi wrote.

While the lawyer drives back to his office, a storm breaks out, forcing the entire family—Xiomara’s aunts and uncles and cousins—to remain in the house. And the words of Papi’s will hangs over their heads even heavier than the rain clouds. Over the course of the night, scandal after scandal is revealed to the public about the family. Suddenly a tense few hours of surviving her family turns into a vicious night of recrimination, violence, accusations…and murder.

Xiomara is faced with an impossible uproot a demon and somehow kill it or excise the ghosts that linger within her own family.

And the clock is ticking...

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: First of all I really love this creepy cover.  And I love the concept of storm keeping the family trapped inside the house while they are trying to get rid of a demon.  Wish this one wasn't so far away!

Didn't See THAT Twist Coming

 

TITLE: We Are All Guilty Here (North Falls #1)

AUTHOR: Karin Slaughter

PUBLISHER: William Morrow

PUBLISHING DATE: August 12, 2025

PAGES: 448   

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think. 

Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites. 

For Officer Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home. 

But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did. 

Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?

MY THOUGHTS:  Karin Slaughter has quickly become one of my favorite authors and not only am I trying to catch up on her backlist, now she has created a new series I need to follow as well.  And let me tell you, this is a thriller you don't want to miss.

One summer during the July the holiday, two girls go missing.  Emmy and her father, the local sheriff, investigate and Emmy, who is best friend's with one of the girls' step-mother, never forgives herself for the outcome of the incident.  Now it's 12 years later and another girl has gone missing under similar circumstances.  Emmy and her father again are on the case with Emmy working extra hard to provide this girls' parents with a different outcome.

This author knows how to hit hard.  In We Are All Guilty Here, Slaughter tackles difficult family dynamics, physical abuse, sexual abuse and generational trauma.  The reader is introduced to all various townspeople and for a while, I have to admit I was suspecting everyone of something nefarious.  I really liked Emmy as a character, flaws and all.  And that's another thing this author does so well - create flawed characters, as well as some truly despicable ones too. The mystery elements were intriguing and complex and just when I thought I had things figured out, Slaughter pulled the carrot out from under my nose and told me to guess again.

If you like complex thrillers mixed with police procedurals, then I cannot recommend this author enough.  I was thrilled to discover this is the start of a new series and something happened at the end of this one and the next one can't come soon enough.  Maybe I can convince Slaughter to write a little bit faster.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Changes (Dresden Files #12)

  I can't believe I'm still reading The Dresden Files.  I actually faltered and Stormi and I took off a month and I actually crammed one in right before I read this one (don't tell Stormi) but I feel like I'm back on track and I am finding myself excited to continue on once again.  So, check out my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads to see hers.  I will warn you though, a lot of this book is a spoiler for major things happening in Harry's world, so I may not actually be sharing that much.

 

TITLE: Changes (The Dresden Files #12)

AUTHOR: Jim Butcher

PUBLISHER: Roc

PUBLISHING DATE: April 6, 2010

PAGES: 438   

SOURCE: Library 

FROM GOODREADS: Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden's lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it. Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power. Because Harry's not fighting to save the world...

MY THOUGHTS: I actually left the last sentence of the synopsis off because it is a major spoiler. Stormi recommended I start this installment blind.  I did and I have to agree, it's the best way to go into it.

Once again, just like usual, Harry finds himself in the middle of a mess.  And even I have to admit this book seems messier than usual.  The Red Court is planning an attack that may alter not only the presence of the White Council, but also seriously alter the world as we know it.  Harry finds himself working with his ex-girlfriend Susan, who he hasn't seen in years.  A lot of old familiar faces show up to eventually assist and while I felt the previous novel, Turn Coat, was a bit slow, this one was fast-paced and thrilling from start to finish.  

I can't give a review without mentioning my favorites.  Mouse, Harry's best canine, plays a big role again and even Thomas is in this one more than I thought given the events in the last installment.  Sanya, the Russian Knight who has assisted in the past, also shows up and he provides such comic relief that I can't help but love him.  Finally, there is Murphy.  I have managed to avoid spoilers but if the author doesn't put her and Harry together as a romantic couple soon, I might just scream.

So overall, a wonderful addition to the series.  Some pretty serious things happen, along with some pretty serious decisions made, which make me very interested to start the next book.  However, there is a short story collection which falls between this one and the next I will be picking up next.  If you aren't reading this series, why not?

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

 

The Title Could Have Been Shorter

 

TITLE: The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

AUTHOR: Caitlin Rozakis

PUBLISHER: Titan

PUBLISHING DATE: May 27, 2025

PAGES: 368   

SOURCE: Library 

FROM GOODREADS: Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale. 

When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire. 

As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors and demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society – shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group. 

And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…

MY THOUGHTS: Let's be real for a moment.  My main thought is why can I never get this title right when talking about this book?  Trivial but true.  Thank goodness that didn't stop my enjoyment though and the pretty cover and sprayed edges almost makes up for it.

Vivian's family have recently moved.  She and Aria were hiking one day when Aria was brutally attacked by a werewolf, causing her to contract the infliction.  Now there are living in a magical community they aren't really a part of and don't understand with a Kindergartner who "wolf's out" any time she gets nervous.  Daniel still has his job in the city, but Vivian left hers behind to care for Aria and desperate to fit in when she is clearly a non-magical being, she joins the PTA.  What follows is a lot of mistakes made by many which touch on topics of supernatural beings, decades old town curses, unaccounted for money in the PTA budget and marital woes. Unbeknownst to Vivian, she has basically joined the "mean mom's club" which is driving her crazy and Aria has to get a better grip on her magical abilities, or she will be kicked out of school and the family forced to move once again.

Although all tied in a magical cozy book, the root of (insert long book title) is acceptance and not changing to please others. While I found the book a bit slow in the beginning, I was definitely interested enough to power through.  I think part of my problem was there are a lot of players in this book, and they are all some different supernatural creature with different roles and different family dynamics.  I will say I loved how hard Vivien and Daniel worked to help Aria adjust to her new normal and some of the situations in the book were just plain fun to read about.  Also, there is a small found family element with the werewolf clan, once Vivien and Daniel finally agree to accept their help, and I'm a sucker for found family tropes.

If you are looking for a low-stakes cozy read, then look no further.  I have another book by this author sitting on my shelf and now I'm even more excited to pick it up.  

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Road Trip with a Vampire (My Vampires #3)

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

September 23, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Reformed bad witch Grizelda “Zelda” Watson had hoped to never see another vampire again when she slipped away to sunny California for a fresh start. She'd grown tired of them and their nonsense ages ago. But when a vampire with amnesia unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep with a letter from her old friend Reggie, and asks for her help, she can’t say no. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Peter Elliott is tall and gorgeous, looks great in yoga shorts, and has the kind of dark hair and surly expression Zelda’s been a sucker for for hundreds of years.

Peter isn’t completely harmless—he is fanged, after all—but he’s harmless enough and soon becomes the only person in Zelda’s new life who knows the truth about what she is. If she can help him decipher the cryptic notes in his journal, the only clues to his lost memories, she might as well try before sending him on his way.

But when an alarming message from Peter's past coincides with a clear sign that Zelda can't keep running from her own, they embark on a cross-country road trip for answers—only to find what they're looking for in each other.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I absolutely love this light rom-com with a supernatural twist series. I can't wait to get my hands on this installment.  If you haven't read the first two in the series, I highly recommend them! 

Summer of Horror - Ghostbusters!

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature. This week I am focusing on haunted houses.  I will preface this by saying I've not read all the books I'm showing here so I don't know how heavily the haunted house plays a role. Also, I am featuring one of my favorite books which happens to feature a haunted hotel - my post my rules!

I found so many that I decided to do a special section focusing on YA/Middle Grade horror.  I haven't read any of these but have the whole Mina trilogy on my TBR.

Here are so older books, including my beforementioned favorite.  I've actually read all four of these although it's been YEARS since I read Ghost Story.

I had to showcase some read and black covers as that is one of my favorite color combinations.  I've read the entire Locke & Key graphic novel series and highly recommend them.

And finally, here are a few newer titles.  I read the Grady Hendrix book and really liked it, however, I have an unpopular opinion about The Last House on Needless Street as that book drove me mad!

So, there you have it.  Have you read any of these?  I know there are tons more out there and this was such a fun topic!