Bark At The Ghouls

This one wasn't meant for me. My 2 Cents for Free! The Unworthy Released September 2023 Source: Purchased See more @  Goodreads This is a short book and I'm rather glad for that fact because I did not enjoy it very much. It takes place in a world ravaged by climate change and plagued by illness and religious zealots. This story focuses on a violent religious cult-like group that places women in different groups. Our main character is in "The Unworthy" group and they are kept in the dark about outside goings-on and forced to believe the earth is basically unhabitable for all forms of life. They all seem to dislike each other, but I suppose that's to be expected in this bleak world. It's all very unpleasant. I don't know how to gently put this. This book bummed me out. I enjoyed  Tender Is the Flesh  but this one didn't hit the same. Terrible things occur and I'm not saying that to be all hyperbolic. If you need a content warning, let me know. This w...

This is a strange little folk tale. My 2 Cents for Free! The Cellar Below the Cellar by Ivy Grimes Released March 2026 Source: ARC See more @  Goodreads This is a strange little coming into your own story about a woman who finds herself trapped at her grandmother’s house by circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Jane was visiting her grandma when a loud pop awakened her from sleep to find the sky glowing. It’s not aliens (that we know of!) but a mysterious aurora-like light arrived and apparently doesn’t have plans to leave. It knocked out power and forced them to live off the grid. This actually feels like a not so bad option in 2026. Technology has gone poof and they learn to help out their walkable neighbors in their teeny community. Well, some of them anyway. Some are just bossy, entitled and excellent at overstepping but that’s how some people are so it felt realistic. This is a slower paced, odd little book with some quirky characters. Jane is the main character. She’s 30ish ...

                New Books This Week! 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.  It's a super-sized release week this week because I'll be skipping next week due to busyness. Look at all of these good sounding books! HORROR,  HORROR-Adjacent & THRILLERS Accumulation by  Aimee Pokwatka A twisty, searing, conversation-starting novel about a filmmaker-turned-housewife who moves into her dream house and is forced to consider whether it's the house or herself that is haunted. When documentary filmmaker turned stay-at-home mom Tennessee Cherish moves into the the dream house her husband bought for her, a brighter future seems to be on the horizon. Even if her husband is frustratingly absent due to his new high-paying job. Even if their two young child...

I envy those of you who compose thoughtful reviews of everything you read! I tend to be an all or nothing type of person and when I'm feeling worn out I just stop reviewing and blogging which isn't the best thing for a blog. I may start doing a quickie wrap up post and including short snippets of the books I didn't fully review or finish for whatever reason. That way I won't feel the pressure of utter failure. This is what April looked like and below are the books I've (so far) missed including on the blog due to no fault of their own. *I've just started The Last Witch & Girl Dinner for the Horror Spotlight discord readalong. The Last Witch is making very angry at the men and I have zero thoughts on Girl Dinner as I'm only on chapter 2. Full review is coming for The Cellar Below the Cellar. *I've since finished (or attempted to) these two books and added them to this round-up. And here's my joyful reading partner, Benny Ben Ben who is so h...

This book is being released by a new publisher with a new cover. I read and reviewed it back when I was on a blog hiatus and missed posting here so what better time than now to finally do so? My 2 Cents for Free! Cross Roads by Laurel Hightower Reprint April 2026 Source: Purchased See more @  Goodreads What’s there to say about this book that hasn’t already been said hundreds of times over by people far more eloquent than myself? I guess I can say that the thought of reading it scared me because when so many people promise a heart-crushing read my expectations sometimes ruin the experience for me. I was more worried about being let down than I was about any of the content I might find inside the book. And there’s some heavy stuff in this book. If you’re feeling low you might want to save this book for a day when you’re better equipped to get through it. Or keep a lighter book handy to read in-between chapters which is what I did because I don’t allow myself to sit with grief and su...

This is a slow burn story with a creepy undertone. My 2 Cents for Free! The Fourth Wife by Linda Hamilton Released March 2026 Source: Netgalley See more @  Goodreads The Fourth Wife is a haunting historical story set in 1882 about a heartbroken young woman who marries a man who gave me some serious Bluebeard vibes early on. But a man killing wives and accumulating new ones isn’t the focus of this book. Though this man does accumulate wives, it’s because he’s allowed to do it by his religion even if it’s illegal. Hazel is a young woman with impossible dreams of marrying her love and playing her piano but instead she’s forced into a plural marriage with three other sister-wives and their offspring because men rule over all positions of authority and she’s been born into this hell. The Fourth Wife explores her life with these women in his creepy moldering manor as he dips in and out doing whatever the eff he wants to do. Toss in some terrible nightmares/visions, some secrets (y...