Bark At The Ghouls

4 of 5 star s Closed my eyes and randomly grabbed this one out of the tbr bookshelf because that's how I'm doing things this year. Oh look, the previous owner was kind enough to leave some of their HAIR in it. Ugh. When I am independently wealthy I am buying all of my books brand new. People are so gross. Megan is a counselor who recently agreed to host a radio show that promises to “slay personal demons”. Unfortunately, Megan lives in a world where real demons exist and now they think she’s after them. Yikes! This seriously complicates her life and brings all sorts of new people and demons into it. Problem is, even though she’s psychic, she can’t read demons and discern the helpful ones from the harmful ones. Greyson Dante claims to be the helpful sort but he’s a demon, and how far can one really trust a demon? Especially a gorgeous demon . . . This book is pretty light and fluffy and fun. There’s nothing too dramatic, gory or heart-wrenching going on. It’s a ...

4 of 5 stars Audio available for review via Audio Book Blast. Check it out here! Two wise cracking lower level thugs take on the job of transporting a so-called werewolf named Ivan to a wealthy weirdo who wants him for nefarious purposes. The two figure it’ll be easy money. There’s no such thing as a real werewolf, right? Things go awry, as they will. This is a novel written by Jeff Strand after all. Blood is shed and sarcasm is spewed hither and fro (along with a few body parts) as our tenacious thugs make one dumb move after another. It’s funny, they reminded me a little of those loveable nitwits from Home Alone at points, but it’s also brutal. This is a black comedy and I’m still not over an early scene involving dogs and probably never will be. But that’s my problem. Anyway, despite my sadness about a particular scene, the writing and the spectacular narration had an insidious power over me and I kept going, even when it took me to places I didn’t particularly wa...

2 of 5 stars I received a copy of this audiobook from   Audio Book Blast   in exchange for a review . This is a collection of monster porn that is so shameless and tongue in cheek (or wherever . . .) that it even dares to put in some swanky porn music in the opening sequence. I don’t think I’ve ever come across that in an audio and it startled me. If I’m being honest, it scared me a little too and I turned the volume nob waaaaay down. Just what HAD I gotten myself into? Warning: These stories were written to unlock your darkest fantasies and innermost desires. They are not for the faint of heart and are not your average erotica. They are not suitable for someone under 18 years of age. Read at your own risk...or delight! Promises, promises . . . So here we go. The Ogre’s Mistress A young widow goes hiking alone, makes it to the summit and then hears some grunts that scare her so much she slides down the mountain and breaks both legs. Man, that s...

I just visited Netgalley on my break to update something real quick-like. After browsing just one of my favorite genres, I've come to the realization that I just "accidentally on purpose" requested six more books.  Uh oh. That place is a danger zone. See you tomorrow . . .

3 of 5 stars This story is not based in any sort of reality. If you know that going in you’ll likely be okay. But I make no guarantees. Tyler is a handsome fellow who suffers a tragedy in his youth and later decides to become a priest. The way I read it (and I could have read it wrong), it seems he did this not because of any true calling but to prove some point to someone that all priests aren’t sexual predators and life ruiners. Umm, sure, okay. Why not just become a counselor and truly help the victims? This all makes little sense to me but why ask why, you know? I suppose if he had gone that route the sex in Priest would’ve been less kinkier? So there is that and that is definitely something. Sooo, when this studly guy in the priest outfit first spies luscious, ruby red lips through his confessional window, he’s aflame with a desire that will not settle down. He imagines all sorts of things he wants to do to those plump lips and they all involve his long neglected dingd...

4.5 stars I was gifted a copy of the unabridged audiobook version of Blood Secrets from Valancourt with no expectation of a review. I’m doing one anyway because that’s what I do. Thanks Valancourt! When things begin, Irene is currently on trial for murder. The story immediately shifts back to a time when Irene was a college student without a worry in the world. She was beautiful, thrived on attention and had her pick of sporty guys. When a new guy arrives on the scene, one decidedly not her type (he has skinny legs and dresses funny), who treats her with indifference, she decides she must learn more about him and insinuates her way into his life. The rest of the story is a big delicious simmering stew of super nasty little secrets and I loved it because I might be a little nosy. Blood Secrets is more of a dark family saga than a straight up horror novel but there is evil here, for certain, and I felt pretty damned uneasy through all of it. It twisted and turned me all...

DNF Some books just aren't meant for you, you know? You can't please everyone and all that. I promised myself I would stop reading books that weren't thrilling me this year because my tbr pile is scary high. I'm sad to say this is one of them. I've listened to more than half of the audio now and I'm calling it quits. The two of us just didn't connect and I'll tell you why (because that's what I do). 1. The opening cruise scene feels like a porn movie come to life. A swinging couple meet two naive exhibitionist virgins ready for fun. Yeah. I think I'm the wrong target audience for this. I need a little romance in my erotica or at least a monster. He doesn't even have to be sexy. But this had neither. I am sad. 2. The book constantly switches from 1st person POV to 3rd person POV. It was distracting and a little confusing at times because I couldn't always figure out who had just walked into the scene. Where the hell had she co...

2 of 5 stars I agreed to review this audio book for audiobookblast because it sounded dark and haunting and emotionally heart-wrenching but it wasn’t any of those things for me and now I feel like a jerk because I didn’t like it very much. If I’m being totally honest, I didn’t even want to finish it but I did even though I had a few moments where I feared this may be in my future. This cheating story line and the way it was presented made me angry instead of sympathetic. There is no other way to say it. I was crazy mad at Sebastian throughout most of the book. He was weak and pathetic when he was young and he weak and pathetic when he became an adult. Reading about him trying to keep his cake and eat other sexier cake too made me a little queasy. Now, I can hear you all saying, “You dumbass. This is a book about cheating! How dare you complain about the cheating?!” Well, to that I say read Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane. That there is a character you will sympathize, empa...

4 of 5 stars Yikes this book is a serious downer. You’d think the lifestyle of a big rock and roll star at the height of his stardom was nothing but luxurious decadence and fun times, right? Well, it is and it isn’t. When you haven’t dealt with your childhood pain, struggle with depression and a crushing loneliness and life on the road seems endless and empty and you self-medicate with sex and heroin, well, things quickly turn into a nightmare. Nikki Sixx, bassist and song writer for Motley Crue, hit it big in the 80’s. He had it all. Fame, money, girls, drugs, booze but he also developed an addiction that nearly ended his life and turned him into a raging, paranoid, dangerous guy. Somehow he miraculously kept a diary in 1987. I don’t know If I buy that or not but I just went with it because his story is so hard to stop reading. In this diary, he details his self-destruction, his depression, his ego and bad attitude and the horrible, reckless things he does when he’s on drugs (wh...

3 of 5 stars This graphic novel is an authorized adaptation of a bestselling X-Files novel that I haven’t read. The book may be awesome but I’ll never know because I have too much to read and this version was a little “meh” for me. I’ve always preferred the monster of the week stories to the gov’t conspiracy plots. I guess this one is a little of both but it just didn’t thrill me. The opening panel features a group of protesters surrounding a research facility. Apparently the evil scientist inside is up to no damn good. The scientist gets a suspicious package in the mail containing a vial of black powder and, uh oh, the lights start flickering, his skin goes all tingly and KABOOM! He’s frizzle fried just like that. Enter Scully and Mulder on the scene. They start poking around because this is an X-Files book and the scientist’s death is a wee bit abnormal.  They don’t get very far though because the scientist’s project is top secret and the military intends to keep it that ...

Road of No Return: Hounds of Valhalla MC by K.A. Merikan DNF  Life is too short to read books that are doing nothing but pissing me off. When the sex scenes start making my eyes glaze over in tedium it's time to DNF. 45% complete before calling it quits. Zak is a tattoo artist and new to town. Stitch is a crusty biker soured on women, men and apparently life. As Stitch is drinking his recent divorce woes away in a local bar, Zak walks in and feelings that Stitch can’t outwardly express start a-stirring. He’s secretly in the closet, probably the reason his wife had had enough (well, there’s also his not-at-all charming personality). The two strike up a conversation, as you will, and Zak offers to cover up Stitch’s misguided tattoo of his ex-wife's name. It’s waaaaay up on his inner thigh but Zak decides to take a look right there anyway, as you will, and agrees to take on the job. After he fixes the tat, well, things happen and then Stitch acts like an ...

My rating: 2 outta 5 stars Some books grab me. Some books don’t. This one didn’t. I realized this after I had to rewind five+ HOURS of audio because I was completely lost after sleep-listening my way through all of the incredibly boring descriptive details and goings-on and tidbits and interviews of whatnot and whoever. This book made me promises. “Night Film tells the haunting story of a journalist who becomes obsessed with the mysterious death of a troubled prodigy—the daughter of an iconic, reclusive filmmaker.” A film maker known for making edgy, underground, horror films and the deep dive into his secretive life. Hello, how could this go so wrong? Well, for starters, I would not describe anything in this book as haunting. Haunting is something that hounds me after I walk away from a book. There isn’t a thing here that disturbed me on any level. Instead, it was filled to the brim with tedious details and boring characters and pages that have no end (I...

My rating: 2 1/2 outta 5 stars   I don’t know where I got this one or where I even heard about it but it is highly likely that I was suckered in by the blurb. Stick “haunting” in your cover copy and this sucker is likely to buy it. A girl's letters to her best friend reveal two lives derailed by anorexia in this haunting debut. Zoe knows she doesn’t belong in a hospital—so why is she in one? Maybe I’ve read too many books or maybe I’ve developed a super smart brain in my old age (hey, it could happen) but I think I know how the major plot twist is going to turn out. I hope I’m wrong. I’d rather be wrong than to predict the twisty-twist before I even get to page 50. Here’s the quickie synopsis. Zoe finds herself being driven to some sort of recovery center by her mom. She has no idea why. She doesn’t have any problems requiring recovery, so says she (if only to herself). But does Zoe ask why any of this happening? No sirree. She sits there passively, letting whateve...

My rating: 4 of 5 stars Will Patton reads this audio! It’s getting all the stars because I love the way that man tells a story. The book begins with one jerk ruining the day of many because he can. Things start out awfully when a maniac named Brady decides to drive a Mercedes into a crowd of innocent job seekers because he feels like it. People die. But Brady is not completely satisfied with his day’s work of murdering the innocent. Now he’s focused on tormenting the now retired officer who was unable to close the case. Brady, who is somewhere in his 30’s, isn’t quite right in the head but is functional enough to work two jobs that still leave him ample time to play out his murderous scenarios. He lives with his drunken momma who he may love a wee bit too much but that’s none of my business . . . What follows is a tense thriller, light on the horror, high on the suspense, with a wee bit of a quickie romance thrown in for maximum emotional impact. Gah,...

My rating: 3 of 5 stars Well, that was something . . . Like father, like son, I guess. This "book"(and if this is a book, then this is a review!) is nutso. I have no words. Read at your own peril. And if ya do, let me know what you thought. View all my reviews