Bark At The Ghouls

Amazon never responded to my inquiries about my 18 years worth of missing reviews and their removing my ability to review on the site but yesterday both returned. I am extremely wary of them now and will no longer review there, nor will I add in any links on my blog pointing to them.  I'm glad the reviews are back but I think it only happened because of my big mouth on social media. My ranking is still in the gutter too. I feel so used and discarded, lol.
They are gonna get nothing but the ol' side eye from me from here on out.

Today I'm sharing a silly bit of fluff I read a bit ago because who doesn't need that nowadays?


Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
Audiobook Paranormal Fiction
Released 2007
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books

Weddings are never easy. But when you're Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor, they can become downright deadly...

In the days leading up to The Big Day, Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor seems to have a full house - and the wedding guests have yet to arrive. Along with her human buddies, there's a ghost, a werewolf, and a Fiend crashing at her place. And though her fiancé, Vampire King Eric Sinclair, conveniently disappears when the conversation turns to seating charts and flower arrangements, he does manage to make his oh-so-sexy presence known at other moments.

Betsy knows the next few weeks won't be smooth sailing - but she never expects just what's in store for her. Cold feet are no surprise, especially with an undead groom. But when Sinclair truly goes missing - …

Because the last few months haven't been shitty enough, I went over to Amazon to post my review of Carmilla and this happened:


Apparently Amazon decided to delete 18 years of my reviews from their website with no notice, no warning and absolutely no reason.They also revoked my reviewing priveledges and dropped my ranking from 1,500-something to #55,806,921 over night. They left up reviews from the year 2000 and older and I haven't a clue why they're still there but I'm guessing they'll disappear soon too. Why'd this happen? I don't write false reviews, I don't inflate review ratings and I don't even know any authors personally unless you count a book signing  I recently went to where I was too shy to speak to any of them!


I've been told by others who have had the ban hammer of Amazon dropped upon them that it is because someone either flagged my reviews for whatever reason and/or it is because they think I'm having "relationships" wi…

Tired of zombies? Read this anyway!


Rabid Heart by Jeremy Wagner
Horror Fiction
Released October 2018
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books

How far would you go for love when all you love is DEAD?

Six months after the Necro Rabies pandemic has turned the world into hordes of rabid undead known as "Cujos," 21 year-old Rhonda Driscoll discovers her zombified fiancé, Brad, in her old hometown.

Fearing that her Marine Colonel father will kill undead Brad, Rhonda flees, taking a road-trip with Brad in tow in hopes of starting a new life in a frightening and uncertain world complicated by numerous perils, pure horror, joy, heartbreak, and unconditional love.


These Are My Thoughts:

People say they’re sick of zombies or werewolves or vampires or demons or gawdforbid tentacles and I get it but I am not one of those people. I will read everything and anything if the writing is engaging. This is why one day my piles of books shall be the death of me. I don’t really care if the monster has be…

A reread that doesn't disappoint!


Naked In Death by J.D. Robb
Mystery Thriller
Released July 1995
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows that her survival depends on her instincts. And she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and suspect in Eve's murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about - except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

These Are My Thoughts:

I read this when was it first released in 1995 and decided to give it a reread on audio hoping it would hold up so many, many years later. 23 years later, actually! How did that happen? This book is older than my kids. Older, probably, than a few of my friends here too! Obviously, I remembered nothing about it…

Carole @ Carole's Random Life In Books has created a fun feature called Books from the Backlog to spotlight neglected and unloved books that have been sitting on your bookshelf for too long.
If you would like to join in, click the pic above to find out more.




My Neglected Book of the Week is The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes which has a 3.49 rating on Goodreads. My friend's reviews are all over the map and range from 2's to all the stars. They say things like, "The thing was this book reads so slow that I kept falling asleep" and "The Shining Girls is a horrid and nightmarish tale but so completely intense and unforgettable that it's certain to leave a lasting impression" and "frustrating"  and "This was a very cool book with a fantastic premise and executed brilliantly. I think it deserves 5 stars for keeping me so hooked, and that's exactly what I'm going to give it". I trust these people, all of them! This is why it co…

This book was a struggle.


House of Fallen Trees by Gina Ranalli
Horror Fiction
Released August 2009
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books

"Two men have the carcass." 

These words, heard over a crackling telephone line, change writer Karen Lewis's life for the worse. Months earlier, her brother went missing in the small rural town of Fallen Trees, Washington. And now she finds out he willed his half of a bizarre bed and breakfast to her. "Two men have the carcass." Is this ominous phrase enough to draw her into the mystery of Fallen Trees? Is the answer to her brother's disappearance located there? Or is it just a trap, something designed to draw her into a nightmare world and break her sanity? What horror awaits Karen in the House of Fallen Trees?
Here Are My Thoughts:

Well, I am sad to say that this book didn't work for me. I was very excited to start it and I LOVED the gorgeous cover but I didn't enjoy this story. It was very dream-like and that's …

This a Jack Ketchum story and like all of his stuff, it is rough to read.


Stranglehold by Jack Ketchum, narrated by Chet Williamson
Horror Fiction
Released April 2011
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books

Lydia McCloud meets Arthur Danse at a wedding party in Plymouth, N.H., and she thinks he's a man she could grow to love. Arthur sees things differently. In Lydia, he sees the sort of woman people always want to protect. He decides he's going to show her she wouldn't always be protected. Once their only child, Robert, is born, Arthur's behavior worsens. When the courts become involved, the nightmare really begins. This scathing novel is an indictment of a justice system that makes a mockery of its very name.
My Thoughts:

Ketchum throws you down into the muck that is the worst of humanity, pins you there and rubs your face in it. If you haven’t read him before you should know this before jumping in. Stranglehold takes an unflinching look at the kind of real life horror that…

I love Chuckles Book Cave's feature "Around the Blogs with Chuckles" so much that I'm going to do one too. There are never enough hours in the day to be a creeper on all the blogs and social media outlets so here's a recap of some great posts, articles and news tidbits you may have missed while you were out living your life.



Do you ever order directly from publishers? 
Valancourt Publishing reports that Amazon continues to remove their books and state on many of their listings that remain that they are 1-3 months out and none of this is true. Please read more HERE

HWA Announces Summer Scares Program
Book Riot reports on an amazing summer program that will help introduce new readers to the horror genre. Get them hooked young and they'll be hooked forever. I spent entire summers reading nothing but horror so this program warms my heart. Read more about it HERE

The Goodreads Group Reads Have Been Chosen for November
And they're FREE!  Our group of moderators at…

October may be over but my horror reading will never come to an end!


October 2018
Reviews Posted (clicking on cover will bring you to my review)


New Purchases




And these are all of the reasons that I am broke right now. The first pile was purchased at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Fair. They are all signed! I met two fellow blogging friends, Char of Char's Horror Corner and Andi of Andreya's Asylumand it was so great to meet them in person. Next year I hope I can overcome my shyness a little better. It didn't stop me from spending all of my money in about ten minutes though! 
NEWS & REMINDERS: We continue to be busy little bees over at theLadies of Horror Fictionwebsite. We have new reviews, guest posts, interviews and episode #2 of the podcast was released on Tuesday. You can listen to it here. Toni talks about the history of Halloween, urban legends featuring women, new releases, current reads and a whole lot more. 
Our Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Community Wide Rea…