"I Am NOT a Serial Killer" by Dan Wells

  "I am NOT Serial Killer" has been on our library shelves for a few years now, and at the urging of my younger sister and a fellow librarian, I finally moved it to the top of my TBR list.

If you are looking for a dark murder mystery with supernatural vibes, then look no farther!

If you are a fan of the TV show "Dexter",

Or "Criminal Minds",

Or if you are a fan of Barry Lyga's "I Hunt Killers" trilogy,

Then, I strongly recommend "I Am NOT a Serial Killer".

The Book: 

John Wayne Cleaver is a 15 year old teenager.

He is obsessed with learning about serial killers. Reading about them, building profiles on them, writing reports about them, etc. 

He works in a morgue with his mother, his aunt, and his older sister.  He helps embalm the dead before burial.

Oh, and he is a clinically diagnosed sociopath.

John knows he is different than other people. Emotions, attachments and basic empathy are not something he possesses, and from his obsessive study of serial killers, he knows that he has all the major markers of a budding serial killer.

He is fascinated by the dead.

He likes to watch people and stalk them.

He has dark fantasies that would horrifying his family if they knew.

But John also knows that these behaviors are wrong. He knows it is wrong to stalk people, he knows it is wrong to fantasize about death even if he feels nothing. 

So John has rules for himself to prevent himself from going down this path. He is determined to NOT become a serial killer.

However, when a serial killer comes to town and starts murdering the residents of Clayton County, John finds himself tempted in a way he has never been before. 

As the bodies start to pile up, John decides that he is going to let his own monster out and end the serial killer before someone else dies. 

But what John discovers is darker and more horrifying than anything he could have imagined, and now that his own monster has been let out, there is no going back. 

Overall, this was a pretty dark story, which makes sense as the narrator is a sociopath, but the story itself was fast paced and highly engaging.  There were several pulse pounding moments that had goosebumps spring up on my arms and chills running down my back. This was NOT a boring mystery.

MILD SPOILER

I must admit that there were times that I felt more sympathy for the "bad guy" than I did for John. John is a hard character to root for as there is nothing more driving him than his own dark needs and a basic knowledge of right and wrong. The "Bad Guy" in this story had motivations that I could understand even if they made him a monster. 

Read the book and you will know what I am talking about. 

Overall, I would give this book 4.5 stars.

There are 2 other books in the series, but I will be taking a break from this series for now. I think I am going to go find a nice fluffy comedy to read next. 

"The Voice Upstairs" by Laura E. Weymouth

 That. Was. Creepy.

(Rubbing my arms and trying to shake off the goosebumps.)

A haunted nursery.

Disembodied voices singing childhood rhymes.

Bed covers being slowly pulled off while you sleep.

Nightmares about corpses coming out of the walls.

 

(Another shiver)

If you're looking for a creepy paranormal mystery, then "The Voice Upstairs" definitely fits the bill.

Wilhelmina Price has never fit in with the other village people of Thrush's Green. Ever since her mother's untimely death. Wil has had the gift, or curse, of being able to see a person's spirit leaving their body days or even hours before their death. When Wil first realized she had this ability, she tried to warn people of their impending demise. Of course, they didn't believe her, and when those people actually started dying, the village people came to fear and despise Wil for her "unholy" gift. 

As a result, Wil has only ever had one true friend: Edison Summerfield, the youngest son of a local Lord.

When a maid on the Summerfield estate dies in the same suspicious way that Wil's mother did, Wil decides she is going to get a job as a maid on the Summerfield Estate and use her gift to find out what happened to the maid, and ultimately, what happened to her mother.

But Ed Summerfeld has been keeping a secret from Wil. 

He's being haunted.

Eerie noises. Disembodied voices. Furniture moving. Doors slamming. Frightening Dreams.

Ed believes he is being haunted by the spirit of his dead brother, Peter, who died in the war. However, no one experiences any of these events except for him. This terrifies Ed because if Wil, with her connection and power over the dead, can't sense that he is being haunted, then it means his family is right and he is losing his mind. 

Set in the 1920's, this historical paranormal murder mystery was a highly entertain read. I read it in one day. I definitely enjoyed the creepy vibes that the haunting created, and the twist ending caught me off guard. 

An elegant ghost story with a sweet romance intertwined. 

"Hatchet Girls" by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

 Lizzie Borden took an ax. 

And gave her mother forty whacks, 

And when she saw what she had done, 

She gave her father forty-one.

This book would have made an excellent horror movie!

I love horror stories that are inspired by true events.  I love making connections between the true story and the author's reimagined story as they twist and mold those events into something completely new.

"Hatchet Girls" is based on the real life events of the Borden family.  The Borden family was a rich and prosperous family, but not a very happy one. Andrew Borden, the father and family patriarch, was a somber and tight fisted man who like to control his money and his family. His first wife passed away when his two girls were quite young, and he eventually remarried a woman named Abby. 

No one really knows what happened that fateful day, but the popular belief is that Lizzie Borden just snapped. She was fed up with her father controlling every aspect of her life, so while he was out, she went upstairs to her stepmother's room and killed her with an axe, striking her multiple times. Her father came home later, having no idea of his wife's fate, and laid down on the couch to rest. While he was resting, Lizzie Borden killed him with the axe as well. 

However, Lizzie Borden was never convicted for these murders. 

During the trial, there was never enough information to prove that Lizzie was the murderess, and fingers were also pointed at Lizzie's uncle and even disgruntled business partners as the potential murderers. 

So someone got away with murder.

"Hatchet Girls" is a novel inspired by the mystery surrounding the Borden family and intertwines those events with the supernatural as history repeats itself in a present day setting.  

One hundred years after the Borden murders, tragedy has struck again. 

In the town of River Falls, a wealthy businessman and his wife have been murdered in their upscale home that is located just miles from the historic Lizzie Borden home. And when Tessa's older brother Vik is the prime suspect in the double homicide, Tessa knows she is going to have to do everything in her power to prove his innocence and expose the real murderer.

Tessa's hunt for the truth leads her into the dark history of River Falls, and the supposedly cursed forest that her brother was hiking in on the night of the murders. There is something different about that forest, something sinister.  

Did something happen to her brother that night in those woods? Or is some sinister force reaching out from the beyond to ensure that history repeats itself?

Gothic vibes, VERY creepy descriptive scenes, and a engaging method of storytelling that flashes back and forth between the night of the murder and the aftermath makes this a quick and compelling read. 

Perfect for fans who love horror, murder mysteries and the supernatural. 

"The Do-Over" by Lynn Painter

 **** I read this book in 1 day!

The Do-Over is the perfect YA romance. A little bit of angst, family issues, good friends for a support system, a reclusive but highly attractive lab partner who has hidden depths, and hilarious situations that keep you turning page after page. 

What would you do if you found yourself stuck in a time loop, endless reliving your worst Valentine's Day over and over again? 

You just might go a little crazy.

Emilie had a plan for a perfect Valentine's Day. 

1. Surprise Josh, her boyfriend of 3 months, with the perfect Valentine's Day gift.

2. Tell Josh she loves him.

3. Have a perfect, romantic Valentine's Day.

However, nothing goes according to plan.

1. She crashes her car into the back of Nick Stark's (her hot and broody Chemistry partner) truck.

2. She's late to school so she doesn't get to give Josh his Valentine's gift.

3. She definitely doesn't tell Josh she loves him when she finds him in a compromising situation with his ex-girlfriend. 

And that was only the first few hours of the day. 

After her train wreck of a day, Emilie justs wants to sleep and forget all about it. 

But when Emilie wakes up the next morning, she realizes that it is Feb 14th .... again.  This begins an endless cycle of horrible Valentine's Days, and Emilie is convinced that if she can just pull off the perfect Valentine's day, then she can finally make it to February 15th. 

Hilarity ensues as Emilie's Valentine's Days continue to crash and burn in outlandish and mortifying ways. Despite the new ways her life falls apart each day, one thing stays the same.

Nick Stark.

No matter what she does, Emilie keeps running into Nick Stark...literally. 

And with each new Valentine's day, Emilie begins to see her life and the people in it in a new light, and if she is ever going to escape this time loop, she is going to have to try something different.

So for the first time in a long time, Emilie starts thinking about what she wants and the kind of person she wants to be. 

This is the perfect light hearted romance if you are looking for something to read for this Valentine's Day. 

"Belladonna" by Adalyn Grace

  Overall, I loved this book! It gave me Wuthering Heights vibes with an Agatha Christie mystery thrown in. 

Five Stars!

All her life, Death has followed Signa Farrow.

He was there when her parents and all the guests and staff members of Foxglove were mysteriously poisoned and died at a party when Signa was just a baby. 

He was there throughout her childhood as a string of guardians, who were more interested in Signa's money than her welfare, perished within a fews years of accepting Signa into their homes. 

Now, he has followed Signa to Hawthorne Manor. 

Despite their own recent tragedies, the Hawthorne's, a distant relation to Signa's parents, have graciously invited Signa to live with them for the next 6 months until she turns 19 and is able to claim the inheritance that her family left to her upon their deaths. 

Signa discovers that her hope that Death will not follow her to her new home is in vain when she arrives at Hawthorne Manor only to discover that her cousin, Blythe, has contracted a mysterious life-threatening illness. It is the same illness that took Blythe's mother, Lilliana,  just months before. 

Signa can feel death's presence in the cold and unsettling Manor.

But that is not the only presence she senses.

Lilliana's spirit is not at rest, and her ghost haunts to grounds, crying and wailing in the night. The Hawthorne family is plagued by her restless spirit and Blythe's impending death. 

Signa is determined to stop Death from taking anyone else from her and Signa feels like, for once, she might be able to help because she has secrets of her own. 

Signa can see ghosts and she is tied to Death in a way that no other mortal have ever been. 

Signa suspects that Lillian's death wasn't due to an illness at all, and someone is targeting the remaining members of the family. Her best chance to save her new family is to ally herself with Death in order to catch the murderer before they strike again. 

As Signa and Death begin to work side by side to catch the murderer, the connection between them grows, and Signa realizes that there is more to Death than she ever could have imagined. 

This amazing gothic murder mystery has just the right amount of intrigue, suspense, plot twists, and romance to make a great book! I was hooked within the first few pages.  Signa was an intriguing character who really found herself as the story progressed. She was so unsure of who she wanted to be when the story began, but through the trials she experienced, she was able to take hold of her destiny and become who she was meant to be. 

Death was swoon worthy! He was so mysterious in the beginning, and as revelations were made throughout the story, you better understood his role in Signa's life and in her future. 

I am looking forward to starting book two!

"A Taste For Love" by Jennifer Yen

 "The Bachelorette" meets "The Great British Baking Show" in this romantic comedy about food, family, and finding what makes you happy.

Liza Yang has never been good enough for her mother. She's not a model like her beautiful, intelligent older sister, she doesn't want a sensible career like accounting, and she does NOT want to date any of the Asian American boys that her mother is constantly trying to set her up with. 

The one thing Liza has always been passionate about is baking. Liza's mother is the owner of one of the most popular bakeries in the city, and Liza's passion for creating and experimenting with new recipes is one of the few things she has in common with her mother. 

In an attempt prove her skill and passion for baking, Liza agrees to help her mother judge their annual junior baking challenge contest, which her mother's bakery puts on every year as a scholarship opportunity for young bakers.  However, on the first day of the baking challenge, Liza finds herself the star of her own personal bachelorette reality show. Instead of choosing talented, aspiring bakers, her mother has selected 10 Asian American young men that have been pre-approved to date Liza.  If that isn't embarrassing enough, her mother also provided them a detailed bio on Lisa and offered her up as a prize. Not only will the winner receive a scholarship, but this year's winner will also receive six private baking lessons with Liza. 

When Liza realizes what her mother has done, she is beyond embarrassed and her rebellious tendencies urge to her to push back against her mother's ridiculous plan. There's only one problem: James Wong. He's handsome, stoic, gruff and surprisingly kind at times, and Liza finds herself irresistibly drawn to him despite her resolve to not give in to her mother's scheming. 

As Liza battles her growing feelings for James, and fights for her mother's approval, she realizes that just like some of her recipes, life doesn't always go as planned, and the best recipes are often created when you follow your heart. 

This was a super cute romantic story that is perfect for readers who are looking of a light, feel-good read. The descriptions of all the different food that appeared in this book made me want to crawl inside it so I could taste it all for myself!

"You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight" by Kalynn Bayron

 I just closed my library copy of Kalynn Bayron's "You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight" and I honestly am not sure that I can collect my thoughts enough to write a coherent review. 

I am just sitting here in a mild state of shock as I try to process this story and that ending. 

 

If you are a fan of 80's and 90's slasher flick like the "Friday the 13th" franchise, the "Halloween" series, the "Scream" saga or any other horror movie of this type, then you NEED to get a copy of this book today!

Charity is the official Final Girl of Camp Mirror Lake, a remote location where guests pay to be terrified in a full contact terror simulation based on the popular slasher film, "The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake". Charity's job is simple. Play the part of a fellow guest, help give the clients the ultimate terror experience, and survive the night. 

But this year, things aren't quite going as planned. As the end of the season approaches, Charity and her friends find themselves short-staffed when some their Camp Mirror Lake coworkers decide to bail on them before the final game of the season. And then weird things start happening...

A dead owl left on the cabin's steps.

Previously locked doors being found unlocked and open.

Shadowy figures seen inside their hidden tunnels.

A dark hidden history about the camp comes to light. 

Charity and her friends begin to realize that they aren't the only ones at Camp Mirror Lake, and they are about to learn the true meaning of terror. 

As in watching any slasher-flick, I like to think that I will be able to guess the plot twists and surprises that will be coming within the story. However, this story had me constantly coming up with theories and then discarding them as new information was revealed and as characters were introduced or killed off. There were so many surprises in the last 50 pages of the book that my head is still reeling! I don't want to say more or I will be giving away too much, but this is is definitely worth the read!

The story was extremely fast paced, jumping into the action on page one, and when the story did slow down, the creep factor of the scenes was hair raising. The characters were all likable and while some of the side characters were a bit one dimensioned, it didn't take away from the story. 

If you need a suspense filled, action packed, slasher story, RUN to the library or a bookstore today!!!

 

 

"The Serpent's Touch" by Marina Simcoe

 I felt like I really took a risk when I picked up "Serpent's Touch" by Marina Simcoe. While the cover was beautiful, I was so afraid this was going to turn into some kind of cringy monster erotica.

I have never been so glad to be proved wrong!

4.5/5 stars

This is honestly one of the sweetest romances I have read in a long time. There is definitely some spice in books one and two, but the real prize is the slowly built romance between human girl, Amira, and the captured Gorgonian, Kyllen. This is a reluctant allies/friends to lovers romance that has all the feels. 5 stars for the romance alone!

The story starts with Amira, a 24/25 year old woman who works for a magical menagerie featuring magical beings from another realm. She was found by a member of the menagerie when she as a child and all of her family had all been killed. They took her in and gave her food and a pile of rags to sleep on in exchange for her working at the menagerie taking care of the animals, taking tickets for shows, and catering to Madam, the owner and leader of the menagerie. Despite the wonder and people around her, it is a sad and lonely life for Amira.

Then, Amira discovers a large wooden crate with Madam's new, reluctant, star exhibit. But Amira discovers the "exhibit" inside sounds like an intelligent, compassionate person, not a magical beast like so many other beings in the menagerie. She begins speaking to the man in the crate, a medusa like male named Kyllen who claims to be a Gorgonian. They begin sharing stories about their lives and about their worlds, and a tentative friendship forms. Amira feels like for the first time she has found a friend, and Kyllen believes Amira is his only hope of escaping his crate and returning to his own world. 

When Kyllen finally asks Amria for her help, she has to decide if she has the courage to defy the Madame and help free Kyllen, or if she will stay in her safe, if lonely, life with the menagerie. 

Obviously, we all know what she picks or it wouldn't be much of a story. 😉

The characters were wonderful, imaginative, and very likable. As much as I love the enemies to lovers trope, this was a refreshing change. The romance in the story started out soft and sweet and then morphed into something deeper and infinitely more precious. I loved how protective Kyllen was of Amira, and Amira's selfless and kind nature made her an enjoyable narrator.

The only reason I gave this review a 4.5/5 stars is because I expected a bit more action in the climax of the story. Instead of a showdown with high stakes to claim their freedom, it was more a bump in the road on their way to freedom. I can't say more without getting into spoilers. 😇

I will definitely be reading more books by Marnia Simcoe and definitely more books set in this world.

The audiobook was AMAZING. My only complaint is that I had to increase the speed when the male narrator was reading the chapters as he spoke significantly slower that the female narrator. This was a bit inconvenient when I was listening in my car and I had to change the narration speed back and forth between the narrators. Other than that, it was wonderful. 💗

Begin Again by Emma Lord

 

Need a cute, sweet college romance?

Then, look no further than "Begin Again" by Emma Lord. 

"Begin Again" is Emma Lord's 4th book and is a cute romantic comedy about what happens next when all of your carefully made plans go awry. 

Andie Rose has dreamed all her life of attending Blue Ridge State University and following in her mother's footsteps. She's going to go to Blue Ridge State with her High school sweetheart Connor, major in Psychology, compete in the ribbon hunt so she can join a secret society, graduate, start a radio show, become a TV personality, marry Connor, and write a memoir about her amazing life.  It's the perfect life, mapped out in detail. 

What could go wrong?

The answer is...a lot. 

Andie doesn't get accepted into Blue Ridge State after high school. Despite being very bright, Andie's grades suffered after she devoted too much time and energy ensuring that her boyfriend, Connor, got the grades he needed to get accepted in Blue Ridge State with her. Ironically, Connor heads off to Blue Ridge State and Andie goes to a local community college after high school. 

But Andie always has a plan. 

She will go to the community college for a semester, raise her grades, get accepted as a transfer to Blue Ridge State at semester, and everything will be back on track. She will be attending her dream school, following in her mother's footsteps, and she will be with Connor.

This is where the story begins. 

Andie has been accepted into Blue Ridge State as a transfer student, which is almost unheard of . Her life is finally back on track.

Now, she is going to surprise Connor at his apartment tell him the good news. 

Only, Connor isn't there.

After finding a stranger living in Connor's apartment, Andie calls her boyfriend, excited to begin their life at Blue Ridge together, only to find out that Connor has transferred to the local community college. To be with her.

With her carefully laid out plans once again starting to fall apart, Andie has to make some tough decisions about her future, and how she is going to "fix" this mess.

But despite the chaos going on in her personal life, Blue Ridge State is everything Andie hoped it would be and more. 

An amazing roommate, an underground radio show, and a potential new love interest cause Andie to take a closer look at her life and force her reevaluate all of her carefully laid out plans. Because sometimes when everything seems to fall apart, the only thing you can do is "Begin Again".

This sweet romance, despite it mostly lighthearted tone, had a lot of depth to it and addressed issues such a parent death, grief, dysfunctional families, guilt and much more. 

Andie was a sweet, endearing character who found a place in my heart simply through how much she cared about the people around her. Her friendship with Shay and Valeria is what every new college student dreams of. 

At times, I did find the pace of the story a little slow, but the witty banter between Andie, Shay, Valeria, and their RA Miles kept me engaged. I even laughed out loud a few times.

So if you are looking for a story to warm your heart and put a smile on your face, then get your copy of "Begin Again" today. 

"Prince of the Doomed City" by Sylvia Mercedes

 Intriguing...

4.5 stars round up

I picked up "Entranced: Prince of the Doomed Cities" when I saw a review on Facebook about book 3 in this series "Ensorcelled". 

My first impressions were:

1. Magical librarian/library

2. Dark & Broody Prince

3. Enemies to Lovers

YES, PLEASE!

Obviously, I had to begin with book one. 

There are strong "A Court of Thrones and Roses" vibes with a healthy dose of "The Cruel Prince" thrown in for good measure. However, the unique world and magic system that Mercedes has created definitely set this book apart from other Fae Romantasies. 

Clara Darlington is an obligate, a human bound into the service of the Fae, for a crime she can't remember committing five years ago. To atone for her crime, she is forced to served the princess of the Sun Court and obey her every command for 15 years. If Clara fights her obligation, she suffers intense pain and risks having years added on to her sentence. So Clara serves the princess by working in the Sun kingdom's library, taking care of a rare and valued books. Being a librarian is an important job in the Fae world for one reason.

The Fae cannot read.

In Mercedes's world, the Fae simply do not have the ability to read. Their minds are not wired that way. As a result, they are fascinated by the written word, stories, and the humans' ability to read and write. But Mercedes takes this concept a set farther, and it is revealed that certain humans can create magic, or spells, through the written word. I won't go into too much detail here because I don't want to spoil any of the reveals later in the story.

Clara still has ten years left of service to the Fae, but she has found a balance to her life that makes her obligation tolerable. She serves her time in the library, avoiding the cruel princess as much as she can, while tutoring a handsome fae lord (who claims to have some human blood in his veins) to read, and returning to her home once a month to check on her brother, who is struggling with a drug and alcohol addiction in her absence. She is eager to return to her life back in the human world, but she knows her time in the Fae world could be much worse. 

But Clara's tenuous balance is destroyed one night when a noswraith, a hideous and dangerous monster, has found its way into the library. Before she knows it, the senior librarian is shoving a quill and and a blank book into her hand and telling her she is the only one who can stop the monster from destroying the library or worse. Having no idea what the senior librarian is talking about, Clara is thrust into the library to deal with the beast.

And Clara discovers a hidden power within herself that she has no memory of ever possessing.  

However, this power could also be her undoing. 

The Prince of the Doomed City, Prince Castien, the half-human son of the Fae King of the Sun court, has taken notice of her gift. Despite his obvious loathing for her, he wants her to come serve in his library in the Doomed City, a land of eternal twilight that houses some of the Fae world's most dangerous monsters, and the library in the Doomed City is where most of the the monsters are held. 

As Clara is thrust into this world of darkness and monsters with a prince who can barely stand the sight of her, her world and her perception of her role within it begin to change. Truths about her past are revealed, and Clara starts to wonder if she is exactly where she is meant to be. 

I found the magic system of this world very compelling, but book one has left me with quite a few questions about how the system actually works. I am hopeful that these questions will be addressed in book two. 

Book one also ended a bit abruptly. There were a couple of major loose ends that were not addressed. It was not exactly a cliff-hanger, but more of a large whole that wasn't filled before the last page. 

The little troll children were one of my favorite parts of this book. They were so cute! (in a trollish kind of way.) I hope they continue to play a role in the story. 

I am eager to read the novella that gives us a few chapters of the prince's point of view from book one. He seems like a great character, deep and complex. I am so happy that there was no insta-love in this book or any attempt at  a bully-romance. It is just a complicated connection between two people. I can't wait to see how this develops. 

I will be continuing on to book two soon, but I am not going to rush as the last book in this series doesn't come out until Spring 2024!