audiobooks

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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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: 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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Review: Wildewood by Jessica Thorne

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WildewoodWildewood by Jessica Thorne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wildewood follows Alex as she returns to her ancestral home, Wildewood, after the passing of her twin brother, Theo. Alex has made it a point to stay away from the family’s sprawling gothic estate, and this is her first visit in years.

She lost her father there, and now her brother, both in mysterious circumstances. She wants nothing to do with the property, and just plans to assess it and sell it. It would certainly be a desirable location for a luxury hotel.

Arriving at the property, she encounters Nick, the handsome groundskeeper and her late-brother’s best friend. Nick seems determined to stop Alex from selling the property, but what business is it of his anyway?

After Nick saves her from a near fatal fall, Alex begins to feel an unnatural pull towards the man. It’s like whispers in her ear, thoughts suddenly in her head, it’s overwhelming.

As Alex digs into her family history, and the history of the house, she makes some disturbing discoveries. She may be forced to face some dark truths, and will Nick end up being a help or a hindrance? Time will tell.

This is a good story. I don’t real a lot of Fantasy Romance, but I thought I would give this one a try because of how prominent it sounded like Wildewood, the property, was in the plot. I do love unsettling gothic stories where a place becomes a character unto itself.

This definitely checks that box.

The property itself was very well developed, and included a dark, mysterious forest surrounding the house. I loved the atmosphere and the way unsettling things start occurring during Alex’s stay, increasing as each day passes.

Alex started to feel unmoored, and she was anxious to figure out what was going on with this house, and I liked the mystery surrounding that. The aspect that lost me was unfortunately, the romance. It was okay initially, but then just got a bit heavy-handed for my tastes.

And I hear you, maybe I shouldn’t read Romantasy then, and while I mostly agree with you, I have found some Romantasy novels that I’ve loved, so I know it’s possible. I think it just all depends on the romance itself. Once it borders into cheesy territory, I’m out.

Nevertheless, I know a lot of people are going to love this. Particularly, if you’re more into Paranormal-type Romance stories. This property is very creepy, and Thorne does deliver that atmosphere and sense of uncertainty.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is very well narrated. Aoife McMahon’s voice and style of narration was perfect for this story.

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Review: Heart of Glass (Wonderland #2) by Jennifer Hillier

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Heart of Glass (Wonderland #2)Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Heart of Glass is a follow-up to Jennifer Hillier’s twisty 2015-release, Wonderland. Set at an amusement park, Wonderland ended up being a 5-star read for me. I had a blast with it.

I never expected to be returning to the world of Wonderland, so was delighted when I first heard about Heart of Glass. After all this time though, could it stand up?

This worked great for me!

I’d heard some mixed things about it, so was a little nervous going in, but yeah, I had such a fun time with it, and would recommend it to anyone else who loved Wonderland.

In this book, there’s a few different things happening. It kicks off with a True Crime podcast that interviews The Carnival Killer, the man who was sent to prison for the killings from the 1st-book.

He shocks the nation when he claims that one of the victims, a local high school girl, wasn’t killed by him. He was with her that night, he admits, but he did not kill her.

It’s been 25-years. Why would he be saying this now?

Regardless of his motives, this startling recantation sends shockwaves through Seaside, the small town home of Wonderland. We then get the perspectives of Barb and Nicolette, the two best friends of the murdered girl, Lorelei.

We find out what has become of them since their best friend was brutally murdered. They were with her that night, they met The Carnival Killer, who was calling himself Sam at the time. They witnessed him and Lorelei making out, but what else happened that night? Lorelei never returned home, and their lives were forever impacted by that fact.

Not only do we get the podcast, and the two women’s perspectives, but we also get flashbacks to the past and what really happened on the night that Lorelei disappeared.

I found this to be incredibly well-plotted. I was hooked from the start. The audiobook production was fabulous and featured some of my favorite narrators. It also included fun sound effects, which made it extra engaging, IMO.

I do think perhaps the audio format would be the best way to take in the story actually. So, if you have that available to you, I highly recommend it.

Another notable aspect of this is the reality show angle. Nicolette, in her life since Seaside, has become a star on a popular reality show, think Real Housewives. So, there’s a lot in here just about that and her life, which was fun.

Even though I don’t watch reality television, the exceptions being some competitions shows like Survivor, DWTS and The Traitors, I have found that I really enjoy the incorporation of reality tv characters in my fiction for some reason.

It was fun for me too just seeing Barb and Nicolette as adults. Their lives had both changed so much since they were teens, and it was interesting watching them coming together again for a common goal.

I love Hillier’s writing. She’s great at character creation, and always has fantastic pacing and fun reveals. She never fails to draw me in and keeps me invested and at the edge of my seat. This was such a delightful and engrossing read.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to whatever Hillier has coming next!!!

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Review: I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy

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I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark DetoursI Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a Horror short story collection from Nat Cassidy. This collection starts out with his previously published novella, Rest Stop.

Somehow, it’s unclear to me how, I hadn’t yet read Rest Stop prior to this, and I loved it. What a way to kick off a collection. It really set the tone for the numerous stories that would come thereafter.

I loved the variety in this collection, but also the overriding theme of these locations. I felt like it was a clever idea to frame a collection around. I really enjoy reading fiction with a true sense of place, think The Overlook in The Shining, a place that becomes a character unto itself.

And while not every story reached that level of place for me, I think you could see the idea of that in each story. How these various places, most seemingly normal, under the right circumstances could bring all the horror we crave.

So many of these stories gave me thrills and chills. I was locked in once I started, excited to see what each new story was going to present.

The audiobook was also very well done. There were some cool, fun sound and voice effects, and I felt that helped to elevate a few of these stories for me. My favorite was Laughlines. I love Epistolary format anyway, and found that one to be creepy AF.

I would definitely recommend this collection, both to fans of Cassidy, and to new Readers of his work. I think this could be a great introduction to his writing style if you’ve never read from him before.

Thank you to the publisher, Shortwave, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, please be sure to read Cassidy’s Author’s Note, and in this case, Story Notes. He’s the king of the Author’s Note for me.

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Review: They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough

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They Say a Girl Died HereThey Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

They Say a Girl Died Here is set in Harper’s Creek, a small farming community known for the murders of two young women, killed exactly three years apart. The presumed murderer was killed by the police as they tried to apprehend him. In local lore, he’s now known simply as the Farmhand.

Anna is new to town, moving there with her Mom and younger sister. They’re caring for her ailing Grandma, but even though Anna’s new, she’s heard all about the murders and the Farmhand.

As the three-year anniversary of the last murder approaches, Anna’s little sister is scared that the Farmhand could return, and because of a game she played with her new friends, she’s afraid she could be his next victim.

Anna, lacking in patience for anyone around her, insists to her sister that that’s ridiculous and she has nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, though, Anna does wonder if the police actually got their man.

Anna’s Grandma, who is starting to lose herself to dementia, has mentioned dead girls on a couple of different occasions in reference to their own home. These comments, though potentially meaningless, do help to further fuel Anna’s interest in the murders.

We follow Anna as she starts digging for the truth, both in the surrounding town and within their house. Anna’s not exactly a likable, or truly reliable narrator, so I wasn’t sure what the ultimate conclusion was going to be, but I did enjoy going along for the ride.

There are some great aspects to this book. I enjoyed the overriding mystery and the small town setting quite a bit.

Sadly, there were also things I didn’t like as much however, including Anna’s attitude. I did think she showed growth over the course of the story, but the 1st-half with her was pretty brutal. I don’t need to like characters, but I just found her personality so grating. It was almost unpleasant.

She was super negative and bit disrespectful to everyone around her, including her family, which tends to rub me the wrong way.

As mentioned above, I did like the overall vibes and mystery. The Farmhand had become an urban legend around Harper’s Creek, with the local kids using the story to scare one another. I thought that was fun and realistic to how a small town would be in the aftermath of something like that.

Pinborough never fails to capture my attention, so I did enjoy my time with the story for the most part. I just feel like in comparison to her other works, this won’t stand out as a favorite for me. It’s fairly forgettable.

Nevertheless, it’s still a very solid story, especially in comparison with a lot of others on the market. I’m a huge Pinborough fan and love to pick up new stories from her and will continue to do so in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, one of my faves, and she did a great job bringing the story to life.

I certainly felt like Maarleveld’s narration was a good fit for Anna’s character, and I would definitely recommend the audio format if you’re going to be picking this one up. It made the story even more engaging.

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Review: Nightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine

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Nightmare on Nightmare StreetNightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I found Nightmare on Nightmare Street to be such a joy to read. It’s like Stine took all of his favorite tropes from the Goosebumps series and mixed them all together into one Spooky story that’s perfect for a young audience.

Stine pulled every weapon out of his bag of tricks for this one, but instead of feeling like a big ole’ mess, it actually felt well-constructed, engaging and like a true nightmare come to life for these kid characters.

The audiobook had fabulous narration. It made the story extra engaging. Great work by Dan Bittner, and I enjoyed the Foreward by James Murray as well.

In the story, we follow two separate sibling duos, Joe and Sadie, and Sean and Addie. I had the most fun with Sean’s perspective. Some of the things he experienced, I could see how that would super freak you out as a kid.

Actually, even thinking about some of it as an Adult freaked me out a little bit, NGL.

There’s one school day in particular, that Sean had, each new event got more startling and honestly, by the time he reached home at the end of the day, I did actually have goosebumps. That was a super fun section.

Overall, this is a strong showing for Stine, IMO. It’s perfect for kids who love a bit of spookiness in their lives. I’d highly recommend this for the young readers in your life, or for yourself, if you’re like me and love staying young at heart through spooky-ooky reads!

Thank you to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was cute and fun. I’m glad I picked it up!

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Review: I Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas

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I Am the Monster Under the BedI Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

I Am the Monster Under the Bed is an Adult Horror novel following an MC named Willa. When she was a child, she had an invisible entity living under her bed. She would talked to it and about it, saying a lot of creepy things that had her parents frazzled.

Through past perspective chapters, the Reader learns a bit about that time in Willa’s life, and how those experiences shaped the adult she would become.

Another formative experience for Willa occurred when she was a Senior in high school. She went into the woods with six other teens and was the only one to walk out. That’s right, the other six died in the woods that night.

This incident devastated their small town of Rapture, Maine, and Willa took the brunt of the blame, becoming a social pariah in an instant. She was always considered strange, but that night catapulted her to a new level of infamy.

The case went unsolved, with most locals thinking Willa was responsible for the deaths. They considered her a killer. Willa left town and started a career as an artist under a different name. She’s tried hard not to look back.

In the present perspective, Willa is now 32-years old. She’s been successful in her pursuits as an artist, though she lives a reclusive life. After an expose exposes her as the sole survivor of the Rapture Mystery Slayings, it seems Willa’s wall of privacy has been shattered.

In the midst of all this, she receives a call from an old classmate that her beloved art teacher has passed away. This is a woman who changed her life, and Willa feels compelled to return to Rapture to pay her respects.

With a great amount of trepidation, Willa returns to the small town she thought she’d never see again. The reception is mediocre, at best, and hostile at worst.

The narrative shifts back and forth between past and present, filling out the whole picture of Willa’s life and the truth of the goings on in Rapture. I did like this. It’s a good story, but I’ve been torn on how to rate it.

My experience with the novel could best be described as unbalanced. There were moments Zinnikas had me completely dialed in and then others when I was slightly rolling my eyes. I was also confused at times, which I attribute more to the way the story was put together than to the actual plot, or characters.

I feel the audiobook production could have done more to make the past/present perspectives more distinctive from each other. It was tough in the audio to really feel grounded within the story, but yeah, it was still good.

I’m so torn. My heart says round up to 4-stars, but my head is saying 3.5-stars is a more realistic rating based on my experience. The concluding bits also dipped a wee bit into eye-roll territory, which is never a good thing.

Overall, I did love the concept of this story, as well as the building of tension. I also really enjoyed Willa as a main character and thought that she had a compelling backstory.

What let me down was the execution of the past/present perspectives as a whole, and the concluding action scenes. I am pleased with the experience for the most part though, and will pick up any future works by Zinnikas.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This is a great read for the Spooky Season!

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Review: Traps and Specters: Stories by Philip Fracassi

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Traps and Specters: StoriesTraps and Specters: Stories by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Traps and Specters: Stories is a short story collection from the brilliant mind of Philip Fracassi. I don’t have much to say on this besides the fact that it’s great. The tales are varied and I feel like there’s something within for everyone.

Even though not every story blew me away, they all felt very Fracassi. By that I mean, they were all creative, well-written and with an overriding sense of dread threaded throughout. My favorite was The Haunted Treehouse. That was so fun. It just felt like a Classic Horror story.

I highly recommend the audiobook if you’re going to pick this up and have it available to you. There are two separate narrators, Sean Patrick Hopkins and Patricia Santomasso, each getting their turn to read separate stories.

I really enjoyed how it was done that way. It helped each story to feel distinct from the ones before or after. I also felt like the quality of the narration had a very classic Horror feel to it. They felt like true storytellers, bringing Fracassi’s ideas to life. Where’s the campfire?

For me, this collection was an absolute win. I love Fracassi’s writing. He has texture and strong atmosphere. Boys in the Valley is one of my favorite Horror novels of all time, and instantly assured my position as a big ole’ Fracassi stan.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Media and Shortwave, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would recommend this collection to any Horror Reader who enjoys short stories. This is a fun one!

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