Author: megs14malloy

Review: The Bell in the Fog (Evander Mills #2) by Lev A.C. Rosen

~ megs14malloy

The Bell in the FogThe Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Bell in the Fog is the 2nd-installment of Lev A.C. Rosen’s Evander Mills series. If you are unfamiliar with these books, it’s a Queer Historical Mystery series, and it’s amazing.

I really enjoyed the 1st-book, Lavender House, when I read it in 2022, but I actually enjoyed this one even more.

I wouldn’t say it was because of the mystery components, or that this one is better written, it’s more increased enjoyment because of how attached I am to these characters now.

Evander Mills, who goes by Andy, is a fantastic MC. He is everything I would want a lead to be. He contains a lot of depth. I love his back story and watching him forge a new path for his future.

Admittedly, in addition to the great stories, quite a bit of my enjoyment comes from the fabulous narration of Vikas Adam, who so far has narrated all three of the installments.

We are told these stories solely through Andy’s perspective, and Vikas Adam IS Andy to me. I will never be able to hear another person reading as Andy and believe it.

The tone and quality of Adam’s voice channels such a period-appropriate film noir feel to these audiobooks; I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you are going to read them, you really should check out at least one of the audiobooks if you have them available to you.

To help set the scene, it’s 1952, in San Francisco, and Andy is trying to get his private detective business off the ground after being let go from the SFPD after getting caught in a compromising position at a gay bar. He’s in desperate need of a new case when a familiar face walks through his door, but it’s not someone he’s excited to see.

It’s James, Andy’s lover from his time in the navy, who mysteriously disappeared years before. Even though he wants to immediately kick James out, Andy, ever the gentleman, decides to let him state his case.

James needs help. He’s being blackmailed. He wants to find the person behind it and put a stop to it before his entire life and career is flushed down the drain.

Andy is not pleased to see James again, but honestly, he can’t afford to be picky. A case is a case, and blackmail shouldn’t be too hard to clear up.

The web of deceit is much thicker than Andy could have anticipated though, and soon, everything seems more at risk than ever. We follow Andy in a fast-paced scramble as he tries desperately, not just to protect his client, but everyone he holds dear.

Y’all, this is such an engaging mystery and entertaining series. I feel like it needs more buzz, as I’m not hearing enough people chatting it up.

The classic Detective Fiction vibes are here, but super gay. I love the setting, the entertaining cast of characters and the representation, which includes a wide range of Queer identities and romances.

The community that Andy has found himself, though often complicated, is also heartwarming. There’s something about these characters sort of carving out a safe space for themselves in an otherwise hostile world; it’s hopeful, while at the same time not negating the serious dangers they face day-to-day, which I appreciated.

The early-1950s setting enhances this story by allowing Rosen to give a subtle, respectful nod to those who came before. To show what they went through, it’s eye-opening and was handled in such a tactful way.

As you can tell, I love this series. I’ve already started the 3rd-book Rough Pages, and I am hoping there are many, many more to come.

I feel like I haven’t come across too many Queer Mystery series, so if that is something you also feel is lacking in your reading life, you definitely need to check this one out.

With this being said, Queer or not, this is a great mystery series, period, and I hope more people discover, and love, Andy Mills and friends!

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Review: Rough Pages (Evander Mills #3) by Lev A.C. Rosen

~ megs14malloy

Rough Pages (Evander Mills, #3)Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

I love this series with my whole heart. Andy Mills is a phenomenal main character and I adore the classic film noir vibes just rolling off these pages.

The mystery, relationships and setting are all equally fantastic and compelling. I need more!

If you’re unaware, Rough Pages is the 3rd-installment to Lev A.C. Rosen’s Evander Mills series. These are Historical Mysteries set in early-1950s San Francisco and follow a diverse cast of characters.

This story kicks off with Andy being drawn back to Lavender House for a missing person case involving Pat, the butler. Pat has been volunteering his time working at a book store specializing in a subscription service for Queer books.

The proprietor of that bookstore, Henry, has mysteriously gone missing, along with his address book containing the list of all their subscribers. Trust that in the early-1950s, this is a very valuable list. If it falls into the wrong hands, a lot of people would be in danger.

Andy discovers the book shop also had begun publishing Queer books, and it appears someone didn’t want them to release their latest project.

Evidence leads Andy to believe there’s a mafia connection and that they may have purposely held onto the subscriber list for future blackmail purposes.

It’s a race against time as Andy tries to put the pieces of this dangerous puzzle together before his whole world comes crashing down around him.

The mystery, again, was great and I have become so incredibly attached to this cast of characters. It’s not just Andy, but also the found family he has surrounded himself with since his termination from the police department.

I loved how at the start of this, he returned to Lavender House, which he didn’t do in the second book. So, that was fun to revisit that special place and I like how Rosen incorporated those characters again.

The film noir, classic detective fiction, vibes are so strong in this series. I urge anyone who has a soft spot for those classics to pick this series up. Rosen has nailed that style and when I am reading one of these mysteries, I can see it all playing out in my head like my movie. I love it.

Andy went through so much in this one. He has a budding relationship and he did have to confront a bit of his past again, this time in the form of his former employer.

There were high stakes, tense moments, as well as discussions about books and sharing of stories. I appreciated how a lot of the plot revolved around this idea of subversive books. That was an interesting avenue of exploration.

This series doesn’t get enough hype, IMO, so just know, it comes with my highest recommendation. I haven’t come across a lot of Queer Historical Mysteries, but I have a feeling, even if I had, this series would still be the tops.

In addition to the overall series recommendation, I also highly recommend the audiobooks, if that’s an option for you. They’re all narrated by Vikas Adam, whose narration style lends itself so well to the film noir feel of these stories. Vikas is Andy to me.

Thank you to the publisher, Forge Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. I am not sure what the future holds for this series, but I certainly hope we get a lot more cases to solve with Andy and friends!!

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Review: The Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson

~ megs14malloy

The Last Witch in EdinburghThe Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Last Witch in Edinburgh is a novel I went into wanting to know as little as possible about the plot. I had heard it had incredible atmosphere, and that was enough to sell it to me.

As the story began, I was fully immersed. It actually kicked off on my birthday, the 18th of September, but in 1824. Obviously, we are in Edinburgh and we are following Nellie Duncan, a young woman at a perilous time in her life.

Her mother is gone, she lives with her father, a drunkard, and her younger brother, who she tries her very best to care for. She’s the responsible adult in their household.

Unfortunately, Nellie loses her job after a misunderstanding with the lady of the house, who she once considered her surrogate mother. After that, Nellie is set adrift.

Not only is Nellie’s personal life in turmoil, but society itself is also a dangerous mess, with witch hunts and hangings going on left and right.

Nellie’s misunderstanding with her past employer, and her growing beauty, make her afraid of attracting the wrong attention. She keeps very much to herself, just hoping to avoid any unwanted attentiveness.

It’s while under the cover of darkness that she first comes into contact with the women from Rae’s Apothecary. Nellie ends up finding purpose and place within their shop, and maybe a little more with the enticing Jean Rae.

Thinking she’s finally found a home, Nellie’s heart is shattered when disaster strikes. She spends the next two centuries fleeing from the world.

Okay, so the initial set-up, I was so into it. I loved the setting of 1820s Edinburgh and all the dangers that Nellie was facing within her day-to-day life.

I enjoyed learning about her family and felt real empathy for her position. Once she became enmeshed in the Apothecary, things began to slow down for me. I was still enjoying it, but didn’t feel quite as engaged.

Then the shift. I didn’t know the two centuries part. It is in the synopsis, I’m not spoiling anything by telling you this, but for me, I did not anticipate that time jump.

Once I was no longer in 1820s Scotland, the magic completely disappeared for me. I appreciated the feminist topics explored, but while in the first half they were incorporated smoothly into the overall narrative, for me, the 2nd-half felt forced and too heavy-handed.

The experience for me was so split as to feel like two different stories. The first-half of the book was a solid 4-star read. The second-half, I was straight-up bored, NGL.

If I had to rate the second-half of this book on its own, it would be a 2-star. Hence why I have decided on the 3-star rating. This seems the most fair way to explain it.

I will take the blame for this. I wanted the entire thing to be atmospheric and historic, full of lush settings and period-specific dangers. When it wasn’t that, I couldn’t help but be disappointed.

I do think the author did a great job of creating the lore around this tale though. There are many strong attributes, so please don’t let my slight disappointment derail you from picking this up.

Even though this one let me down a little in the end, Marielle Thompson’s writing is beautiful and I would absolutely be interested in picking up more of their work.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for providing me a copy to read and review. I would highly recommend the audiobook, if you do choose to pick this up. It’s fabulously narrated by Siobhan Waring.

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Rereading Rage by Stephen King, Writing as Richard Bachman

~ megs14malloy

RageRage by Richard Bachman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rage is the first short novel that King published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. After the Carneal incident in December of 1997, King allowed Rage to go out of print in the United States.

You can mainly find this now in rare original copies, or in old versions of The Bachman Books, which released in 1985 and was comprised of a bind-up of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man.

I am lucky enough to have a 1st-edition hardback copy of The Bachman Books, which is how I read this story. It’s been in my family since it was published and is one of my most treasured books.

This was a reread for me, but I haven’t read it since the 6th, or 7th grade, many years before 1997. I didn’t remember too much about it except for the setting and the basic premise.

This is a well-written story. It contains wonderful character work and succeeded in pulling me in. The entire scene is set in Mrs. Underwood’s Algebra classroom, after our MC, Charlie Decker goes berserk ((his words)), kills the teacher and takes the rest of the students hostage.

We follow, fly on the wall style, all that goes down inside that classroom after Charlie takes control. I loved the dynamics and conversations amongst the students.

It’s very dialogue heavy, but in such a way that keeps you engrossed as you see an evolution of the character’s opinions within that space. By the end, it gets very Lord of the Flies as the teens develop their own system of self-reflection, judgement and even, punishment.

I really enjoyed the themes explored, especially those involving the experience of teens, or kids, and the various pressures they can feel from those in authority positions, as well as their lack of autonomy, and how that can backfire if pushed too far.

King has always showed an interest in the mind, and psychology, but that was most evident to me in his earlier works. You clearly see that interest within this story, and I loved the way he incorporated that into Charlie’s character and these events.

I understand and respect King’s opinion on this story. I do. In a way though, I think it’s a shame this story isn’t more readily available, as it does offer up a lot of important food for thought and discussion.

There are mentions of the violence children are exposed to and how that effects them over time. I think this would make an incredible Book Club pick. It would be so interesting to see how various Readers interpret this story.

I’m glad that I took the time to reread this one. I obviously have way more grounds to appreciate it as an adult reflecting back on my youth, than I did as a child picking it up.

I would recommend this if you can get it!

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Rereading ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

'Salem's Lot‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As with many King’s, I loved this even more upon reread.

This story will always hold a special place in my heart, but more than that, I’m considering proclaiming it my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME!!!

πŸ–€πŸ’šπŸ–€πŸ’šπŸ–€πŸ’šπŸ–€πŸ’šπŸ–€πŸ’šπŸ–€πŸ’šπŸ–€

‘Salem’s Lot was the first King novel I ever read. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say it shaped who I am as a Reader.

The year was 1987, I was 9-years old and I have never turned back. Surprisingly, this is one of the few early-Kings that up until now, I had only read once. I’m so excited that I finally revisited this childhood favorite!

The standout to me, as with most King novels, is the detailed character work and incredibly-palpable sense of place. This book also has some terrifying scenes as the drama builds, and it’s truly hard to put down once you start.

I love this entire cast, Ben and Mark, as well as Father Callahan, being personal favorites. As luck would have it, MAX is set to release an new adaptation of this one and I am anxiously-anticipating it. I can’t wait to see how they choose to bring it to the screen.

King’s stories are always better as books, but the trailer looks promising. I’m willing to give it a shot.

If you haven’t read this before, you should. An absolute classic and besides Dracula, arguably the best vampire novel ever written. It’s perfect for this time of year, as you can sit back and truly let the atmosphere overtake you.

There’s nothing else I really feel compelled to say about this. I love it so much, it would be impossible to capture in words how special this story is to me. This won’t be the last time I read it, that’s for sure.

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Review: The Store by Bentley Little

~ megs14malloy

The StoreThe Store by Bentley Little
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Social Horror is one of my favorite subgenres of Horror.

For me, it’s a safe way to explore and consider a lot of pressing issues plaguing society. It feels safer than being out in the real world anyway.

Clever authors are able to create stories that reflect society back to us, making the issues maybe more in your face than a quieter, more literary-style narrative would.

The issues are exaggerated, but not to an extent that lessens their significance, it’s done more in a way that says, how ridiculous is this that this happens?

I feel like in the past few years, Social Horror has had a real heyday. Rightly, as there’s a lot of oppressive societal issues that deserve this spotlight and attention.

The Store, published in 1996, explores a major topic that was of very serious concern at that time, which was the expansion of certain retailers in small town markets.

Reading this I was transported back in time. I graduated high school in 1996, and the circumstance set-up brilliantly in this story by Little, actually happened in my hometown of Oxford, Maine.

If you grew up in small town America, and are around the same age as me, let’s just say Gen X, you may find this book as horrifyingly relatable as I did, and I would definitely recommend it. Who doesn’t love a terrifying trip down memory lane?

Before Wal-Mart came to town, our area was populated with family-run businesses. You know the kind where you know the owners and their kids go to school with you.

After the Wal-Mart announcement, like why are they coming to some random town in the mountains of Maine, now we all know, but at that time, it was a puzzler, I remember the adults in my life were not happy.

They tried to put up a fight, as did many others, but all to no avail. A piece of real estate was purchased, previously home to nothing but trees and wildlife, this was stripped and the largest building, by far, in our area was erected.

Within a few years, when I would go home to visit, after leaving for college, most small businesses had closed. Now when I go back to the area, it’s hardly recognizable as the place I once knew and called home. You would be very hard pressed to find a family-run business now.

Bentley Little beautifully captured this unique period of time in such a brilliant way. I feel like, after scanning some other reviews, this story would be most appreciated by those of us who may have shared in this type of experience.

I think for those who watched this scenario play out, it’s very easy to get into the mindset of these characters and to understand their motivations and the types of pressures they were experiencing.

I love how Little told this story as well. You get snippets from numerous characters that help to build out the town and the events occuring with the coming of The Store.

For many Readers, you can think of it as a sort of Stephen King style, ala Salem’s Lot or Needful Things, where you get a piece here and there from characters all over town to create a sense of place and building drama. I love that style, as it really allows you to dig into what makes these places tick.

Our main focus however is Bill, his wife, Ginny, and their two teenage daughters, Samantha and Shannon. Their involvement with The Store provided me with all I needed to keep me absolutely glued to the pages.

This is a truly unsettling story. I loved the Horror elements, the uncomfortability I felt while reading it, it was no joke. Little definitely didn’t hold back on the horrors of The Store.

Overall, I was really impressed with this. I’ve heard so much about Bentley Little, and even own a few of his books, but this is the first one I have picked up. I am definitely interested in getting to more from this author.

If they are anything like this one, I’m in for a good time!

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Review: Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert

~ megs14malloy

Sleep TightSleep Tight by J.H. Markert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In a nutshell, Sleep Tight is a lot to work through.


Austin Powers In A Nutshell


It’s an interesting story, but it’s also hard to track. I couldn’t even attempt to guess how many character names we learned over the course of this story. It was one of those situations where I got to the end and would hear a name and be like, who’s this?

I will not even attempt to get into the actual plot with you…

I really enjoyed the initial set-up, hearing the story of Father Silence, and meeting our MC, Tess. There were also a lot of the bits towards the end were I felt fully invested, but the middle part got muddled and my attention definitely wavered because of that.

I guess I would say I felt similar with this author’s earlier two works that I’ve read: The Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby. Markert has exciting, ambitious concepts, but I’m not sure their execution always ends up working out for me.

To be fair though, I enjoyed this more than I didn’t.

I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy Gritty Crime Thrillers that swerve into Horror territory. This one succeeds in capturing that gritty, dangerous feel and I did feel like it progressed at a fast clip throughout.

Some of the aspects of this definitely worked better for me than others, but overall, I think it’s a good book. I would also recommend the audiobook, as that was well narrated by the always fabulous Andi Arndt.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing me with copies to read and review.

J.H. Markert continues to intrigue me with his creative concepts and dark atmosphere. Though this wasn’t my favorite of his, I still felt it had a lot of strengths. I will def be picking up whatever he releases next!

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Review: Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

~ megs14malloy

EynhallowEynhallow by Tim McGregor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this story. Eynhallow is a darkly-creative, visceral and heart-breaking. I read it with equal parts horror and empathy. Oh, my heart…

This book first came on my radar after seeing a few trusted Book Friends’ glowing reviews. I really didn’t look into it too deeply, I just took their word for it.

Holy moly, am I glad that I did. It’s set on Eynhallow, year 1797, in the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland. This is a desolate, and extremely remote location, with only a handful of families roughing out a life there.

As an island resident myself, I understand the challenges, but during this time period, I cannot even imagine. There’s no ferry schedule to count on when you need an escape…

I listened the audiobook, and the narration by Angela Ness, a Scottish voice actor, brought incredible authenticity to it. The main character is Agnes Tulloch, and I truly felt like she was telling me her story.

I am not going to say anything about the events of the book. I feel it is best to go in knowing as little as possible and just let it all envelope you.

I found it so easy to become fully immersed in the story. The atmosphere is rich, and honestly, quite bleak. I felt everything Agnes went through over the course of the story. The ups-and-downs, the emotional roller coaster that often felt close to derailment. I felt it.

This is the 2nd-novella that I’ve read from Tim McGregor, and it’s also the 2nd 5-star rating. His quality of writing, the attention to detail in his storytelling, his ability to channel emotion through the narrative, it’s just top notch.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Horror lover, but in particular my atmosphere girlies, fans of Classic Horror and Historical Horror lovers. You know who you are.

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Review: The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power, edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker

~ megs14malloy

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and PowerThe White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power by Terry J. Benton-Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

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From the publisher:
13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR.
13 TIMES WE SURVIVED THE FIRST KILL.

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power is a YA Horror Anthology with something for every Reader.

Spoiler Alert: I loved it!

Everything from the set-up preceding the stories, to the diversity of topics, the subgenres of horror displayed, to the narration was fantastic. I def recommend the audiobook.

The stories included are as follows:

1.) All Eyes On Me by Faridah Abike-Iyimide. Buzzwords: Circus setting, clowns, ‘good for her’ Horror, Queer.
2.) Hedge by Kalynn Bayron. Buzzwords: Sibling relationship (brothers), grief, argumentative teens, hedge maze, Eco-Horror.
3.) The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake. Buzzwords: Korean-American MC, sibling relationship (sisters), rich kids behaving badly, revenge ghost.
4.) Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon. Buzzwords: Indigenous MC, LGBTQIA+, Body Horror, (view spoiler).
5.) The Protege by Lamar Giles. Buzzwords: Absent parents/kids fend for themselves, sibling relationship (brothers), magician ((the showman kind, not the magic school kind)), Secret Society.
6.) Docile Girls by Chloe Gong. Buzzwords: Asian-American MC, High School drama, Teen Scream, Slasher, Revenge Thriller.
7.) Grey Grove by Alexis Henderson. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, paranormal, podcast element, cold case investigation, seance.
8.) Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson. Buzzwords: Mixed media, obsession, disturbing behavior, hiding in plain sight.
9.) Heaven by Adiba Jaigirdar. Buzzwords: Futuristic, post-apocalyptic, Eco-Horror, creature feature, isolation.
10.) Break Through Our Skin by Naseem Jamnia. Buzzwords: Iranian-American MC, non-binary MC, Persian culture, archeology, gender identity, ancient entity.
11.) Wasps by Mark Oshiro. Buzzwords: Latinx MC, gentrification, generational story/responsibility/lore.
12.) Hell is Other Demons by Karen Strong. Buzzwords: Demons, possession, religion, Queer.
13.) The Road to Hell by Terry J. Benton-walker. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, Queer, haunted house, sense of place, unique perspective.

I really appreciated the diversity of topics which these authors brought to the page, and also, the arrangement of the stories within the collection.

I was always excited to see what was coming next. There were no two stories, even remotely similar, close to one another. It kept me fully-engaged and on my toes.

As someone who loves many Horror subgenres, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but some standouts for me were from Edgmon, Giles, Gong, Jackson and Strong. With this being said, I would be happy to pick up more work from each and every one of these talented authors!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

‘Tis this season for this type of collection and I absolutely recommend it for your Autumnal TBR!
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Review: Murder in the Scottish Highlands (An Ally McKinley Mystery #1) by Dee MacDonald

~ megs14malloy

Murder in the Scottish Highlands (An Ally McKinley Mystery #1)Murder in the Scottish Highlands by Dee MacDonald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

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Murder in the Scottish Highlands is the 1st-book in the all-new Ally McKinley Mystery series.

This series is set in the, you guessed it, Scottish Highlands, and follows recently retired, Ally McKinley, who fell in love with the small village of Locharran while on holiday. Shortly thereafter, she purchased the dilapidated old malthouse to transform it into a B&B.

After an extensive renovation, the B&B has now opened and Ally is slowly adjusting to life in Locharran. It’s quite a change of pace for her in comparison to bustling-Edinburgh.

Her new life is up-ended though when her first paying customer, an American tourist, Wilbur Carrington, is found dead with a dagger in his back in the Malthouse courtyard.

Murder is not good for business. Ally needs to get this mystery cleared up and quickly if she has any hope of actually making the Malthouse B&B a success.

The local police seem baffled, so Ally decides to take matters into her own hands. As a retired television researcher, Ally is used to digging deep to get answers. She doesn’t plan to stop until she figures out the truth behind Carrington’s murder.

This was so cute. IMO, a great start to a new Cozy Mystery series. I loved how quickly MacDonald kicked it off, delivering us a body in the 1st-Chapter, which was great as it left so much time for solving the mystery.

I also really enjoyed Ally as a main character. She’s smart and resourceful. Additionally, I found her reasons for being there and her motivations behind the B&B understandable.

The setting, as well, was really fun. I felt like MacDonald succeeded in bringing all the small village vibes. Even the landscapes were described beautifully. I had no issues picturing where we were and I was loving every minute of it.

It was occasionally wonky in places, but overall, it kept me smiling and engaged throughout.

I feel like, as with many Cozy Mystery series, I will enjoy each consecutive book more and more as I become attached to this quirky cast of characters. There’s a lot of room for this series to grow. I’m looking forward to it!

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I love getting in on a Cozy Mystery series early, and I def plan to stick with this one!

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