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The Monarch of the Glen
The Monarch of the Glen
Neil Gaiman | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
15 of 230
Book
The Monarch of the Glen ( American Gods 1.5 )
By Neil Gaiman

He was not sure what he had been looking for. He only knew that he had not found it.

Shadow Moon has been away from America for nearly two years. His nights are broken with dangerous dreams. Sometimes he almost believes he doesn't care if he ever returns home.

In the Highlands of Scotland, where the sky is pale white and it feels as remote as any place can possibly be, the beautiful and the wealthy gather at a grand old house in the glen. And when the strange local doctor offers him work at the party, Shadow is intrigued.

He knows there is no good reason for him to be there.

So what do they want with him?


A brilliant novella catching up with Shadow! Fab little addition to the 1st book!
  
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!


Jessie is still hurting from her break-up with her ex over a year ago until a handsome man walks into the coffee shop where she works and gives her tingles. Something seems strange about him and she won't rest until she finds out who and what this mysterious stranger is.


The flow of this story is brilliant. You can feel the emotions flowing through the characters and how they grow. It does make me a bit jealous of their relationship as it's so tender and loving - why can't mine be like that!?!


I enjoyed the storyline a lot more than I thought I would and I was able to read through it quite quickly. There wasn't any point where I felt I was stuck, lost or confused about the plot.


I would recommend you read this book.
  
The Burning Girls
The Burning Girls
C. J. Tudor | 2021 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
111 of 235
Book
The Burning Girls
By C.J. Tudor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo move to Chapel Croft, they're far from welcome.

The closed-off community, deeply suspicious of outsiders, is watching them carefully.

Yet Jack has more frightening concerns.

Rumours of the town's secrets are spreading like wildfire, while strange happenings haunt Jack and Flo's every move.

The past is catching up with Chapel Croft - and with Jack - and it's darker than anyone could have feared . . .

This was really really good almost 5⭐️ something just held me back and I’m not sure what! Well this had a few unexpected turns at the end that I didn’t see coming and reading as a mother it can be quite chilling. Highly recommend this is the first time I’ve read C.J. Tudor it won’t be the last!
  
122 of 235
Kindle
Marked by the Alpha ( Bare Botes 1)
By Aria Cole and Mila Crawford
⭐️⭐️

Gavin is the Alpha of the Bare Mountain Clan, and although he's content, there's something missing in his life.

His mate.

But when a snowstorm hits his area, he never expected to find her.

Alone, abandoned, and left to die, Liza was deserted by her pack in a strange territory. Always the lone wolf, her mismatched eyes and inability to shift has marked her as an outcast from birth.

But this unexpected adventure never prepared her for what she'd find.

Her mate.

Because what she'll find out is that when a member of the Bare Clan mates... it's for life.

This was just a fast forward mating “story” with all the characters apart from 1 of just sex lol it was wham bam thank you man!! 😂
  
BL
Broken Luna ( Broken Trilogy 1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
124 of 235
Kindle
Broken Luna ( Broken Trilogy 1)
By Paulina Vasquez
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do you believe in Myths? Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, it does. Lucy lost everything four years ago in a rogue attack. She's been abused, starved, rejected, and broken. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, strange things start to happen, things that only happen once every century. She finds friendship in the most unlikely place and escapes to find her true self with the help of the most dangerous Alpha.

I enjoyed this it was a really good read I wanted to go up to 4 ⭐️ but somethings were niggling at me like the communication between them and their Wolf it was a bit dumbed down in places, also felt it was quite rushed in a few places. But it was good and I read it with 24 hours.
  
The Best Horror of the Year Volume 1
The Best Horror of the Year Volume 1
Ellen Datlow | 2009 | Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
56 of 250
Book
The Best Horror of the Year Volume 1
Edited by Ellen Datlow

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments!

I will post in comments a short comment on each story!

An Air Force Loadmaster is menaced by strange sounds within his cargo; a man is asked to track down a childhood friend... who died years earlier; doomed pioneers forge a path westward as a young mother discovers her true nature; an alcoholic strikes a dangerous bargain with a gregarious stranger; urban explorers delve into a ruined book depository, finding more than they anticipated; residents of a rural Wisconsin town defend against a legendary monster; a woman wracked by survivor's guilt is haunted by the ghosts of a tragic crash; a detective strives to solve the mystery of a dismembered girl; an orphan returns to a wicked witch's candy house; a group of smugglers find themselves buried to the necks in sand; an unanticipated guest brings doom to a high-class party; a teacher attempts to lead his students to safety as the world comes to an end around them...

What frightens us, what unnerves us? What causes that delicious shiver of fear to travel the lengths of our spines? It seems the answer changes every year. Every year the bar is raised; the screw is tightened. Ellen Datlow knows what scares us; the twenty-one stories and poems included in this anthology were chosen from magazines, webzines, anthologies, literary journals, and single author collections to represent the best horror of the year.

Legendary editor Ellen Datlow (Poe: New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe), winner of multiple Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, joins Night Shade Books in presenting The Best Horror of the Year, Volume One.

1. Cargo by E.Michael Lewis
So chilling and so sad! This is short I dedication to the families of those children in Jonestown and the men and women who brought the bodies home.

2. If Angels Fight by Richard Bowes
This is about a man searching for his friend who was possessed by an Angel. On this journey you see and find out that this Angel left his friend and left a trail behind him to follow. His family never gave up he managed to find his friend and Angel Michael and return him to his home one last time. Only question was did he bring him home to find his sister to posses or to say goodbye to his mother?.

3. The Clay Party by Steve Duffy
A group of settlers embark on a journey for a new life in California in 1846, the journey does not go as expected. I was a bit bored at the beginning but certainly had a twist at the end.

4. Penguins of the Apocalypse by William Browning Spencer
This is brilliant! A man fighting his personal battles with alcohol! Now is the pulka and penguin freedom movement real or a fragment of his imagination while under the influence? Either way it was entertaining!

5. Esmeralda by Glen Hirshberg
This is a very strange little story involving the end of all books,pens and paper! Very odd!

6. The Hodog by Trent Hergenrader
A good old fashioned urban legend!

7. Very Low Flying Aircraft by Nicholas Royle
Not one for me didnt really grip me.

8. When the Gentlemen Go By. By Margaret Ronald
This was a bit chilling and I would love to have read more about these “Gentlemen” who come at night to make bargains!

9. The Lagerstatte by Laird Barron
Grief does strange things to our minds and body! This was quite chilling.

10. Harry and the Monkey by Euan Harvey

This really plays on every fear a parent has when their kids go missing especially in a place and time where children are vanishing!

11 Dress Circle by Miranda Siemeinowicz

12. The Rising River. By Daniel Kaysen
This was strange and after reading it I’m still not sure what’s happening 😂😂

13 Loup-Garou by R.B. Russell
I enjoyed this strange litte story set in my hometown of Birmingham. A little french film causes a little drama in this mans life.

14. Girl in pieces by Graham Edwards
This was my favourite! So far fetched into a world of monsters a detective helps a Golum save a girl cut to pieces! So much fun

15 It washed up by Joe R. Lonsdale
Wow how to pack a punch in 2 pages! Loved it!

16 The Man from the Peak by Adam Golaski
Brilliant short full of mystery blood and gore! Very well written.

17. The Narrows by Simon Bestwick
This actually chilled me I’d hate sending my child to school and have something like this happen which of course is totally possible.

I loved this book of small tales and discovering those writers I wouldn’t normally be exposed too!
  
Mrs. Fletcher
Mrs. Fletcher
Tom Perrotta | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
As a divorcee in her mid-40s, Eve Fletcher is struggling with the fact that her only son, Brendan, is heading off to college. Suddenly, Eve is truly alone for the first time. Shortly after she takes Brendan to college, Eve receives a strange text message reading, "U r my MILF!" Baffled, the message takes Eve down a strange path that includes an obsession with MILF-related porn. Suddenly, her regular life--work as the Executive Director at the local senior center, taking classes at the community college, and her various friendships--seems somewhat tinged by her porn habit. Meanwhile, Brendan isn't finding college all he thought it would be. His fellow chauvinistic/jock roommate is suddenly shunning him and his partying habits are catching up with him. Before they know it, Eve and Brendan are on a collision course for some crazy and interesting situations.

First of all, don't bother with this novel if you can't handle sexual or porn references in your reading: let's just get that out there. There are all sorts of said references in Perrotta's latest and while you could argue that they are plot driven, it certainly gets to be a bit much at times.

For me, this one was a tad odd. Parts of it I really enjoyed; others, I just found bizarre and strange (and I've read other Perrotta works, so I know somewhat what to expect with him). The early parts of the novel were almost tender and hit a bit close to home, as I'm the only child of a single (also divorced) mother. The relationship between Eve and Brendan is interesting and well-explored, and you certainly have sympathy for Eve. In fact, many of the adults in this novel are so incredibly sad and lonely--and they have some extremely realistic moments and situations.

Alas, Brendan is really just insufferable, and you can't help but like Eve a little less as the result. I rarely enjoyed any of the sections told from his point of view. As the novel progresses, it increases its perspectives--bringing in the secondary characters--and you really do get drawn into their lives. Perrotta is an engaging writer and while not all his characters in this one are likeable, nor do they always act rationally, they are dynamic. Indeed, this is often just a plain old weird and bizarre novel. Some places I found myself thinking Is this really happening?? (Oh it was.)

So, in the end this is an amusing tale--with a surprising depth--that offers a fairly accurate portrayal about society and sexuality/gender. The characters are certainly interesting, even if pieces can be ridiculous and preposterous. The ending left me feeling a little let down, which was a tad disappointing, and kept it from being higher than a 3-star review for me.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.