Bark At The Ghouls

This is a good choice if you want to escape the world for a bit. My 2 Cents for Free! The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst Released July 2025 Source: Purchased Audio See more @  Goodreads Once upon a time, Terlu was lonely because people always thought her “too much” and she used magic when she wasn’t supposed to (because magic is reserved for the “well-schooled”) and created a sentient plant to keep her company. She was discovered, made an example of, and harshly turned into a statue and stuffed into a closet for years. This all happened previously and is spoken of in “ The Spellshop ” (which you don’t have to read in order to enjoy this story, but you'll probably love it if you enjoy this one). This story begins when Terlu is awakened six years later. There’s a lot of bad self talk going on in Terlu’s head. She feels she’s too much, and that she pushes her friendship on people when they don’t really want it and she beats herself up a whole damn lot. She doesn’t come acros...

This is a great horror/romance/dark fantasy blend. My 2 Cents for Free! Untethering Dark by Desirée M. Niccoli Released February 2026 Source: Netgalley See more @  Goodreads This was a lovely monster romance that was genuinely horrific, but also slightly cozy and even a little sweet without ever feeling cheesy. That’s the combo I’m always looking for in a horrormance/monster romance but it’s a hard balancing act and this author managed to do it. The plot is also well plotted. I know, I have a way with words, haha. A lot of these types of stories tend to lack a substantial plot in lieu of the characters getting together and then it’s usually dropped once the romance gets going but that doesn’t happen here. It reads like a dark fairytale with some splashes of horror, and it might not be for everyone because it does get gory, the characters are morally gray and there is some animal brutality. Fortunately, the animal deaths are not tossed in for shock value and make a lot of sense in t...

         New Books Because You Deserve Them! This is where I spotlight the sparkling new weekly releases that are tempting me so you can succumb to temptation too. The focus will be on dark fiction and romance with the occasional thriller tossed in that catches my eye. My post is late this week because I spent my blogging hours finishing my gothic nightgown instead. Now I'm fully ready to run screaming into the night! That's my little shadow wolf howling in the corner, lol. HORROR, H ORROR-adjacent & THRILLERS An Impossibility of Crows by Kirsten Kaschock A story of mothers, monsters, and the science of longing In this daring and evocative tale, Agnes Krahn, a chemist trained in Philadelphia, returns to her childhood home after the death of her father. Just a stone's throw from the haunted fields of Gettysburg, the small town of Letort, Pennsylvania is where the Krahn family has lived for six generations—bound by twisted folk wisdom and an uncanny kinship wi...

This was such a fun romance especially for an X-Files fan. My 2 Cents for Free! Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe Released August 2024 Source: Library Borrow See more @  Goodreads This was adorable and I would read these types of romances all day, every day if I could find more. It's fun, it's sweet, it's super cute and it has the Mulder/Scully dynamic going for it from the first meeting. The third act scared me because I despise that kind of thing (I'm being vague so not spoilering this review) but it's short lived, thank all the gods and dogs. There's also a cat here named Cthulu. Books need more of those, imo. I'd recommend reading it if you want something light and fun and who doesn't need a little bit of both? Final Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐1/2 Publisher Plot Synopsis  The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy. Hallie Barrett's life has i...

The one that nearly fell through the cracks . . . My 2 Cents for Free! No Child of Mine by Nichelle Giraldes Released September 2023 Source: Netgalley See more @  Goodreads This is a very late review (sorry author, publisher & Netgalley) because I needed a long break from arc reviews. I’m not sure what drew me to this title two years ago but it was probably the haunting cover. It looks pretty spooky but that baby carriage and the blurb should’ve clued me in. The story is pretty much as the blurb promises. A pregnancy drama with spooky overtones but unfortunately for me it was heavier on the pregnancy drama than the spooky and probably because of that it really dragged in spots. There are two timelines featuring two different couples and for nearly the entire book I had no idea how they tied together. It was a little jarring as they switched back and forth with little tying them together but eventually everything came together. I can’t say it all worked for me but I didn’t hate ...

         New Books Because You Deserve Them! This is where I spotlight the sparkling new weekly releases that are tempting me so you can succumb to temptation too. The focus will be on dark fiction and romance with the occasional thriller tossed in that catches my eye. For a short while I was posting all the horror books I could find but there are too many of them and it was taking up too much of my reading time. Unless there is a really slow week, going forward I'll only showcase the ones I plan on eventually reading. HORROR.  HORROR-adjacent & THRILLERS Dollface by Lindy Ryan Barbie meets Scream with a 90s nostalgia twist in this horror romp from Bless Your Heart author Lindy Ryan. Horror author Jill has just moved to suburban New Jersey, hoping to fit in with the new PTA moms and maybe not weird everyone out with her Final Girl coffee mug. You know. Make some real friends. But then a plastic face-masked serial killer begins slashing their way through...

I had no idea Kelley Armstrong was writing in the horror genre (and has been for a little bit). Guess I don't know everything, lol. My 2 Cents for Free! The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong Released October 14, 2025 Source: Netgalley See more @  Goodreads This is the Horror Spotlight Discord pick for February 2026. You can join us anytime here . We vote on 3 books each month and discuss it all month long. It's casual, stress-free fun. We often host buddy reads too. I don’t think I’ve read a Kelley Armstrong book since Dime Store Magic and Bitten in 2004. Yikes, that was over 20 years ago! I gave both books a 4 but she somehow fell off my radar when I started reading more horror and less pnr. This brings me to The Haunting of Paynes Hollow which leans more on the horror-side so here I am again. The cover is lovely and should’ve given me a clue or two about the supernatural aspect here, but I never pay close enough attention and just jump in. “Hollow” in the title w...