Review: Death Under the Hammer (The Stamford Mysteries #4) by E.C. Bateman

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Death Under the HammerDeath Under the Hammer by E.C. Bateman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Death Under the Hammer is the 4th-installment in E.C. Bateman’s The Stamford Mysteries series. These Cozy Mysteries follow Felicia Grant, who has returned to her home village of Stamford to help her Dad run their family-owned Auction House after her Dad has a health scare.

At this point, Felicia has been back in the village a while, and is well acclimated to her new life there. Granted, a lot has happened since her return, including a few murders, which she always seems to find herself involved in solving.

Part of Felicia’s job is providing valuations to clients looking to unload some possessions. At the start of the novel, Felicia goes to the home of some elderly clients in order to appraise some items that they’re hoping to sell at auction.

It’s quite the lot, and since the clients are older and have mobility issues, Felicia gets on with it, while the clients wait in another room sat by a cozy fireplace. Upon completion, Felicia goes to say goodbye and finds her clients dead, stabbed to death exactly where she left them.

Felicia is understandably horrified. This happened while she was in the house. She thought they were the only three people there, but clearly not. Making matters worse, Felicia is now considered the number one suspect for the crimes.

No stranger to a random homicide investigation, Felicia teams up with her best friend, Cassie, to try to discover the real killer before its too late. The hub of their investigation is the insular neighborhood the murdered couple lived in, and boy oh boy, do these neighbors have drama.

This was another fun installment. I did find the mystery quite intriguing. The set-up was great, and the fact that Felicia was right there when it happened, just a few rooms away while the murder was taking place, helped to increase the stakes. It was a head-scratcher. How and why, were questions I continually asked myself while reading.

As usual the story was also replete with the small village vibes that I adore. Felicia, Cassie and all the rest, feel like old friends at this point. I look forward to whatever is next.

I will say, we didn’t get as much of Felicia’s family in this one, particularly her ex-husband and son, so I hope they play a larger role in the next mystery. I almost missed them in this one. I did love the bits with Felicia’s Dad though, and the exploration of their somewhat complicated relationship.

Again in this installment, we also have Pettifer and Jess, two local officers involved in the investigation as well. It was nice to have them back. I do enjoy both of them, and we did learn a bit more about Jess in this one.

I think we’ll be getting another book in the series, but I’m not sure how many more are planned. Regardless, I’ll be here for every one. I would definitely recommend this series to other Cozy Mystery fans, particularly if you enjoy small village vibes and quirky characters.

Thank you to the publisher, Cliffhanger, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to whatever is next for Felicia and friends!

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Review: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

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Play NicePlay Nice by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Rachel Harrison. She’s easily one of my favorite authors. From her stories, the sense of humor she includes and her MC’s characterizations, I’m confident we would be besties if we ever met IRL.

I’ve been lucky enough to read all of her releases early and actually did receive this as ARC. It’s my favorite cover of hers and I was so excited for it, but then I sat on it for a year. I have an e-copy, a hard copy and the audiobook, yet I never read it until now, over 13-months later.

This novel even includes some of my favorite things: a haunted possessed house, complicated family dynamics and an MC returning to their childhood home after a long time away, being forced to face their past and perhaps solve a long-standing mystery of some sort.

Harrison was checking all the boxes for me. It was like a gimme I was gonna love this, yet I let her grow stale and dusty on my shelves like a real jerk. I admit it. Contrary to the optics, I don’t have all my sh*t together, something the MC in this book, Clio Barnes, can certainly relate with.

How fitting…

Clio lives a glamorous life as a stylist and fashion influencer in NYC, but she harbors a dark secret. Clio’s family went through a lot of drama when she was young. After her parents divorce, they lived in a possessed house, at least that was her mother’s assertion and it shattered their family.

Ultimately, Clio, along with her two older sisters, ended up being removed from their mother’s care in favor of their father, and they remained estranged from her moving forward. Even though no one believed her, Clio’s Mom, Alex, was insistent that what she experienced in that house was real; it was possessed.

She even wrote a book about it, one Clio never read.

After Alex’s untimely death, the possessed house now passes to Clio and her sisters. Her sisters want nothing to do with it. In fact, they won’t even return for the funeral, but Clio decides it can be a new project. House flipping is great content and she’s not about to pass it up.

We follow Clio as she moves into a house she barely remembers and is forced to face all that happened there. She ends up discovering a tattered copy of her Mom’s book, with annotations specifically for her.

Left in the house to her own devices, reading her Mom’s words, memories start to resurface, and Clio begins to believe that her Mom may have been right. Something malevolent is living in this house and it begins to make its presence known.

I loved this. I became so invested very quickly. Personally, I found Clio relatable. Yeah, she could be a bit off-putting at times, but I fully believe that was simply defense mechanisms she’d built up due to everything that had happened to her in her early life.

Her journey in this house, and the things she discovered, were not easy, so she was definitely dealing with a lot. I loved how even when she was discovering uncomfortable things, she didn’t back off. She could have. She could have left well enough alone, but she was driven to find the truth no matter the cost and I respected the hell out of that.

There was a lot of messy family drama and I live for that kind of thing in my fiction. If written well, I just find it so engrossing and can be absolutely swept away, as I was here.

I also love how Harrison packed this full of some difficult topics, but she also brought enough humor and action that it never felt bogged down, or depressing. That’s something I always love about her books. The content is rich, but the stories somehow always manage to still be fun. It’s a challenging thing to balance, but Harrison does it so well.

I’m so happy that I finally picked this up. I’ve never waited this long to read a Rachel Harrison release, and I assure you, I’ll never do it again. I loved this so much. My heart is full. It’s a fantastic novel.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Rachel Harrison is a gem. I’m a fangirl for life!!

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Review: Murder on Charity Lane (Marigold Cottages Murders #2) by Jo Nichols

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Murder on Charity Lane: A Marigold Cottages MysteryMurder on Charity Lane: A Marigold Cottages Mystery by Jo Nichols
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Murder on Charity Lane is the 2nd-book in the Marigold Cottage Murders series by Jo Nichols. The 1st-book, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, took me completely by surprise when I read it in August of 2025.

I love a Cozy Mystery, so it shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise, but for me, it was the level of attachment that I developed to the cast of characters that really surprised me. They’re such an odd group, but so endearing. and the way Nichols developed them all, they felt like old friends by the end of that book.

Starting this latest installment, even though it had been over a year since I finished that 1st-book, it honestly felt like being reunited with that friend group. I was instantly right back in it with them.

This one starts up months after the conclusion of the last book, and things have been pretty quiet at the Marigold Cottages. Mrs. B, the dynamic leader of this group and owner of the Cottages, invites a young woman, CJ, who she knows from the local YMCA, to move into a vacant cottage.

CJ is an assistant for a local millionaire philanthropist, and it is around her that our new mystery revolves.

At a dinner party hosted at his house, CJ’s employer takes a vicious tumble down the stairs and dies. His much younger wife insists that she saw CJ push him.

Well, this couldn’t possibly be true! Just ask Mrs. B. CJ is much too nice of a girl to do something like that, and she loved her employer like he was her own father.

But if CJ didn’t kill him, who did? And with CJ as the number one suspect for local law enforcement, it looks like it’s time for the Marigold Cottages Murder Collective to reconvene and try to find the identity of the real killer.

This was another fun mystery. Nichols is great at plotting her mysteries, keeping the Reader invested and engaged. The group of characters has such a fun dynamic. It’s super enjoyable following along as they investigate. Each person brings their own strengths and weaknesses to the table, and it’s fun watching them help each other out.

I have no clue what the plan is for this series, like how many books it’s slated to be, but I will be here for each and every one. I feel like in the Cozy space it’s very unique to have such a mixed group of characters. They’re all so different, as far as ages, backgrounds, etc., that it makes it extra interesting.

The found family vibes are off the charts, so if you’re someone who loves that type of element included in your stories, you should definitely check this out. Also, I highly recommend the audiobook, which is so well narrated by Meg Price and Jim Meskimen. I was sad when it was over.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and reviw. I’m really hoping this series continues on for a long, long time. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

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Review: ‘Twas the Night by Kevin Johnson

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'Twas the Night: A Novel‘Twas the Night: A Novel by Kevin Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

Halley Belanger, a young reporter, is on the trail of some missing kids, and intel leads her straight to a tiny little town in Maine called Yule. It’s a strange place where Christmas isn’t just a holiday, it’s a way of life.

Arriving in the town, Halley finds herself at a defunct B&B run by an eccentric older couple, Barry and Bob. Disturbing things start happening right way. Yule itself is disturbing. Halley ends up stranded in this creepy little town.

Tensions run high. Will she ever be able to leave?

‘Twas the Night is a fun read. It’s a true Christmas Horror, made extra fun by the great banter that Johnson included. I loved Barry and Bob. They made the story for me. Also, Halley though. She was a determined MC and I liked following her as she faced some pretty intense challenges.

The concept of the town was compelling, and I liked the darker side of Christmas lore that Johnson delivered. Personally, I think this would be a great holiday movie along the same lines as Krampus.

After all, Christmas is a messy business!

Just let the above image sit with you for a bit.

Honestly though, I would recommend this to any Horror Reader who is looking to get in the mood for the holiday season. Not all is joyous and bright in this book, but for some of us, that’s just how we like it.

I would also highly recommend the audiobook. The narration by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw was very well done. I felt like Halley was actually just telling me her story. Hutchinson-Shaw definitely brought the action to life, which I always appreciate that energy and conviction in narration.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow and HarperAudio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this and am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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Review: Monstera by Delilah S. Dawson

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MonsteraMonstera by Delilah S. Dawson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Monstera. Monstera. Monstera.

I anticipated this book for so long that I may have inadvertently set myself up for failure. Granted a 3.5-star rating is a good rating don’t get me wrong, but I was predicting this would be 5-stars for me, so was a little sad when it didn’t quite meet those lofty expectations.

This story follows Lucy, a reclusive young woman, who at the start of the novella is moving into a lovely new apartment in downtown Savannah.

Lucy has been suffering living for years under the strong arm of her overbearing Grandfather, but after his death, Lucy finds herself in the position to start afresh.

Even though the landlord is a bit of a creeper, the apartment itself has everything she could ever want, including a beautiful green space in the back. Her downstairs neighbor, Saskia, a power-lifter with a green thumb, is also quite intriguing to doe-eyed Lucy.

The two women are drawn together, and Lucy finds herself on the verge of her very first, true adult friendship. As the women grow closer, they discover they share a lot more in common than just an apartment building.

Okay, yeah, so this was fine for me. I thought it was a little plain and predictable, if I’m being honest, but you certainly can’t fault the writing, which is wonderful. Further, if you’re just here for the Sapphic vibes, that part is great. Besides that, I didn’t feel like it had much going on.

IDK. I was underwhelmed.

There is a ton of detailed character work though, so for people who enjoy more character-driven stories, this could be a huge hit. I think it’s clear that Dawson took a lot of time and care developing these two main characters, as they were very well-fleshed out.

I think for me, I was just expecting something a bit darker and more deranged. I wanted thrills and chills, in addition to the Sapphic vibes. I just feel like I didn’t get that.

Nevertheless, this is just my opinion and just because it didn’t necessarily knock me out of the park, it could be a new favorite for you. Don’t take my word for it, pick it up for yourself and see what you think.

I would definitely recommend if you pick it to try to get the audiobook. The narration from Laura English is perfect for Lucy’s character. It really helped keep me invested in the story, when I might have not been as motivated otherwise.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Though not my favorite from this author, I’ll definitely be back for more!

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Review: Doe by Rebecca Barrow

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DoeDoe by Rebecca Barrow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Doe is a YA Horror novel that weaves in elements of Fantasy and a touch of Magical Realism. The writing isn’t your typical, natural prose. It does read like a novel in verse, and that is one of the tags here on GR, but I’m not sure how accurate that is. I’m no expert on verse, or poetry.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook though. It had a magical feel about it, with a darker subtext shadowing all the action. Well, that is until it came out of the shadows. In this way it reminded me a lot of Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin, which I loved when it released in 2020.

This novel follows a high school cheer squad. Mainly via Maris, the Captain of the squad. The girls are like a family, as it seems to be them against the world.

Though they don’t get a ton of respect from their fellow classmates, or really even their families, they love what they do and always stand by each other. They’ve worked hard for their places together, as a team.

When their Coach, who they practically worship brings in a new girl, Genevieve, an outsider, who Coach raves about, to join the squad, there’s an instant rivalry between Maris and the newcomer. Maris is not about to let some tumble queen newbie come in and steal everything she’s worked for.

Then there’s Doe, an ancient, decaying beast trapped in the form of a deer for decades. There’s a whole long history to Doe that I won’t get into here, just know she’s tied to the town and she’s on a bit of a mission.

Maris dreams of Doe, and they form a bond, but she doesn’t know that Doe actually exists. If called upon, if summoned, could Doe help her get rid of Genevieve?

You’ll have to read it to find out.

I liked this. It’s definitely different, and while I’m not sure I got everything out of it that the author wanted me to, I still enjoyed my time with it. It was refreshing to have a different style of narrative structure, and I loved the idea behind Doe.

I also was a high school cheerleader, though it sounds like our squad had quite a bit more success than this squad, I could definitely understand the friendships the girls had and their drive to show up for one another. The bonds of teammates run deep, as they should.

Overall, I’m happy with this one. I appreciate that Barrow took a risk with this, and wrote something a bit outside the box. I don’t think it will be for everyone, but for the Readers that enjoy the writing style, I think it could really hit.

Thank you to the publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Rebecca Barrow.

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Review: Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm

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Our Cut of SaltOur Cut of Salt by Deena Helm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Our Cut of Salt is one of those novels where I feel like I shouldn’t even be reviewing it. Who am I to provide my opinion on what is clearly a passion project for an author with more knowledge on this subject than I could ever have?

Then I remind myself that I’m not judging anything, all I’m doing is providing my opinion based on my personal reading experience. I’m not a critical reader. I’m not really ever evaluating the merits of a story, I’m just relaying the experience I had with it to y’all, so you can decide for yourself if you would like to read it or not.

I’m only mentioning this, because when I got to the end of this book, it was really hard for me to come up with a star rating. It was almost like when you read someone’s memoir, like how do you ‘rate’ someone else’s life story.

I know this is a fictional account, but it’s based in a difficult reality. Would I recommend you read it? Yeah, I absolutely would. It’s excellent.

A heart-wrenching, beautifully-told story of generational trauma, identity and place. Though quite Literary, which isn’t a go-to subgenre within Horror for me, I am so glad that I stepped outside my comfort zone and read it.

I was so impressed with the way Helm told this story. The structure really pulled me in. We’re following Marina, a Palestinian-American woman, who returns to Palestine to visit her recently deceased Grandmother’s childhood home. Her Grandmother, Nuhad, left Haifa in 1948 after the Nakba, but always kept the city in her heart.

Marina’s Mom, Haifa, named for the city that her own mother lost, also plays a prominent role in the story. We get all three women’s perspectives in a story that spans generations and helps to show the repercussions and length of war, occupation and resulting generational traumas.

The audiobook, narrated by Victoria Nassif, helped to bring this difficult story even more to life for me. I was swept up in Nassif’s narration and absolutely flew through this. I highly recommend that format if you can get it.

Another aspect of this that I really appreciated is that there is a place that becomes a character unto itself. I love when that happens. You don’t see it very often, but when it’s done, and done well, I think it can be so impactful.

An example would be Tiffany McDaniel’s On the Savage Side, where a local river is given a perspective on the tragedies happening within a town. I always love a true sense of place in a story and the way this is done is great. The history and feeling, the desperation. It’s so well done.

As someone who believes history can be held in the lands around us, the good and the bad, the feelings and traumas that may have occurred on the grounds we walk on, I don’t feel like that ever really goes away. You can feel it if you’ve ever been to certain places with a deep or dark history. I love when an author brings that idea to their stories like this.

As a haunted house story, this is absolutely unique and a truly powerful story. While not something I would typically gravitate towards, it did read a bit Literary for my tastes, I still walked away awed and impressed.

Helm should be so proud of this story. I think it’s going to deeply impact a lot of Readers.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m excited to read more from Helm in the future. This was a very well written story.

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Murder Most Haunted (A Midge McGowan Mystery #1) by Emma Mason

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Murder Most Haunted (A Midge McGowan Mystery, #1)Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a retirement gift, Midge McGowan receives a ticket to take part in a weekend ghost-hunting tour of an isolated mansion. There’s a handful of another attendees, such as a know-it-all paranormal investigator, and a former pop star.

Midge keeps her past as a detective to herself, and is fairly quiet as the weekend kicks off. The other attendees personalities are big enough, she really doesn’t need to say much. When a snowstorm strands the group after a murder takes place, Midge thinks, it’s just her luck.

It’s not just the murder though, there are other mysterious things happening around the mansion, and people’s behavior begins to reflect the pressure they’re under. Midge begins to investigate.

Is something paranormal responsible, or is there an evil human in their midst?

I had a lot of fun with this book. The audiobook was well-narrated and I enjoyed Midge, as well as the other misfit characters. It was such an odd group, and their interactions kept me on my toes.

I’m not quite sure why the overall rating for this is a bit lower, but I had a blast with it. I love when weather plays a role in a story, usually trapping a cast in some horrible situation, and that’s exactly what happened here. A blizzard made it impossible for help to reach them after the murder, so they were really left to their own devices.

Midge was definitely the odd person out amongst this group, but I like how over time, she started making in-roads with certain characters, and they came to appreciate her in their own ways. She definitely brought some knowledge and skills to the mansion that surprised them all.

There’s a sequel to this releasing soon and I’m excited to pick it up. I believe it’s a mystery set on a train, which is another thing I love. I would recommend this to Cozy Mystery readers who like a bit of substance. It’s a Cozy, yes, but it does have some darker subject matter and it also gets a little more serious at times.

Overall, I thought this was a great start to a series. I’m sure the further I get into it, the more attached I’ll get to Midge. She certainly is a bit different for a protagonist, and I find her to be refreshing.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to continuing on with this series.

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Review: The Need by Megan Mostyn-Brown

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The NeedThe Need by Megan Mostyn-Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up **

I finished The Need over 10-days ago, and I’ve been putting off writing this review. I am honestly at a loss for words. I really don’t have much to say about it.

It was rough for me. I can see its merits though, so wanted to give it at least a 3-star rating upon finishing. In hindsight though, sitting here now, trying to come up with something to say, I’m struggling.

The concept is great. I liked the idea that in the world of this story, there are people who carry a genetic disorder that requires them to eat human flesh. We follow a family, Talia, and her two teen children, Sam and Rosie. Talia and Sam have the condition, but Rosie does not.

Because of their ‘need’, no matter where they go, they end up getting in a spot of trouble, usually meaning Sam will kill and eat someone they know. After that happens, they need to flee. They live under assumed names and it’s a very lonely, nomadic lifestyle, especially for Rosie.

That’s the basic set-up, and in the beginning my interest was definitely piqued. I was excited to see where the author would take it, and I was happy that we were getting all three perspectives in the family. I thought initially we would just be getting the kids, so I was glad when we got our first section of Talia’s perspective.

However, soon we were getting a lot more other perspectives outside of the family, that to me, were the downfall of this story. I would have much rather stayed focused on their immediate family and gone from there.

It also, somehow, became incredibly boring. There was nothing happening, certainly nothing with the kind of intensity, or gore, I’m looking for when I pick up a Horror novel of this type.

Overall, the execution felt messy. Honestly, I hated how many different perspectives there were. I know I mentioned it before, but I just can’t get over that decision.

I almost feel like if the author was going to do that, all the perspectives, it could have worked better as a series, maybe a trilogy, like Justin Cronin’s The Passage series. That way, we could have some characters being followed in the 1st book, different ones in the 2nd, and then maybe everyone together in the 3rd.

In fact, now that I’ve said that, this does remind me in some ways of The Passage, a series I DNFed after the 1st-book. Maybe if you loved that series, this could work for you. I also think this could work for readers of Darker Literary stories that are more character-focused, than plot-focused.

At the end of the day, I’m glad I gave it a shot, but it’s definitely a bit of a disappointing read for me. Alas, we can’t love them all and that’s just my opinion. If it sounds interesting to you, you should absolutely give it a shot.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it!

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Review: Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak

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Look What the Cat Dragged InLook What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Look What the Cat Dragged In follows a successful young illustrator, Penny Padget, who has a series inspired by her beloved cat, Popcorn. She’s under-pressure to crank out the 4th-installment when Popcorn goes missing, via an open window, in a horrendous snowstorm.

Penny immediately rallies the troops, aka. her friends, but in spite of leaving no stone unturned, they’re unable to locate Popcorn. In the aftermath, Penny is obviously devastated. How can she move forward with her sweet angel, her best friend, her muse, Popcorn, missing?

Penny’s boyfriend, Dean, who she lives with, tries everything to cheer her up, but nothing seems to work. Nevertheless, he persists and wants to return to their normal life. He ends up talking her into joining him for a very lavish work event set at a private estate.

It’s there that Penny meets, Godfrey, a opinionated male cat who takes an instant liking to her. Seeing how Godfrey has literally attached himself to Penny, Godfrey’s owner implores Penny to cat-sit for her while she travels overseas. After a brief discussion, Penny reluctantly agrees.

Not long after Godfrey enters their home, things begin to change, and not in a good way. Penny is losing time, hearing things and having disturbing nightmares. Godfrey’s behavior has also changed. He’s gone from attentive and affectionate to downright creepy and stalkerish.

Dean is zero help. Penny has a hard time explaining all the things that are happening whilst he’s away at work, but even when she does, he brushes off her concerns. Then her health begins to fail. She’s being changed. It’s like she’s under attack by some malevolent force.

We follow Penny as she desperately tries to get to the bottom of what is happening in their house, and to her. She’s in a tough spot, with unbelievable claims. Will anyone be able to help her escape her dire circumstances?

I had an absolute blast with this book. I found it so utterly compelling and entertaining. It’s fun and wacky AF, and just so creative and satisfying. If I had to comp it, I would describe it as Black Sheep meets Rosemary’s Baby, with CATS!

The audiobook is fantastic. The stellar narration of Stephanie Németh-Parker truly brings Penny’s character to life. I felt like her delivery was spot on for what Penny might have been feeling in certain moments. It just made the story so engaging for me.

I highly recommend the audiobook format if you can get it.

I loved how Rekulak presented the more occult elements as well. It had a richly-dark humor to it that I found so fun. I know a lot of people don’t like horror and humor mixed, but for me, it’s one of my favorite combinations.

I’m a spooky-ooky, horror-loving girlie, but I also like having laughs with my stories. Sure, there’s a time and place. If you have a grief-focused Horror novel, I wouldn’t pepper in TOO much humor, but with a story like this, absolutely. Bring it on. I think Rekulak did a great job balancing the creepiness with the lighter, entertaining bits.

And for the most part, the humor for me was just Penny’s thoughts; her dry delivery of all the things happening. It was wild, and like, if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry, you know?

I think this is my favorite novel from Rekulak thus far. It checked off so many of the things I look for when searching for a story like this. I wouldn’t say it was perfect, but I didn’t really need it to be. I still had an amazing time with it and I can’t wait to get a hard copy for my collection.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This has cemented Rekulak as a must-read author for me. I cannot wait for whatever is next!

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