Blogmas Day 18: Netgalley Arcs I Need To Read #6

Hey guys! It’s time for another update on the Netgalley arcs I need to read. I ended up reading 11 this year which I feel is really good. I did try to make it a point to read some of the older ones I had on the list. I’m pretty sure the oldest one I had was from 2017 and I read that. So I’m very happy about that. I have requested some books. I’ve been trying really hard not to but sometimes I just can’t help myself. It’s hard when a book just sounds so good. Anyway let’s dive in to see what books I still need to read.

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Blogmas Day 12: Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag

Hey guys I thought it would be fun to do the Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag. I did this tag back in 2018 and 2019. I’m not sure why I skipped it in 2020 but I’m back to do it again. I always have fun with this tag. The two years I did it I had different scores. I’m really excited to see what my score is this year. So let’s dive in!

Blogmas Day 3: November Wrap-up

Hey guys! It’s been so long since I’ve done a wrap-up. Last time I did one was in February. My reading ended up being put on hold for a bit and I wasn’t reading a lot. Thankfully I’ve been in a good reading groove. I’ve pretty much been reading books back to back so I’m really happy about that. I’m sure things will slow down with how busy December will be. Anyway, I’m excited to share with you the books I read in November. So let’s dive in!

Blogmas Day 18: Netgalley Arcs I Need To Read #5

Hey guys! So I figured it was time for another Netgalley update. I am still backed up on e-arcs. I do have some on my TBR for the next couple months. I have decided if I don’t read the ones from the last couple years then I won’t worry about reviewing them. I keep saying I want to get on top of my e-arcs and I keep slacking. This year has been a mess so I’m giving myself a pass. So let’s dive in to see what arcs I need to read from Netgalley.

Arc Review: It Came from the Multiplex: 80s Midnight Thrillers

It Came from the Multiplex: 80s Midnight Thrillers by Joshua Viola (Goodreads Author) (Editor, Contributor), Warren Hammond (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Angie Hodapp (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Alvaro Zinos-Amaro (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Dayton Ward (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Kevin Dilmore (Contributor), Betty Rocksteady (Contributor), Keith Ferrell (Contributor), Gary Jonas (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Mario Acevedo (Contributor), Orrin Grey (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Sean Eads (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), K. Nicole Davis (Contributor), Stephen Graham Jones (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Steve Rasnic Tem (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Kevin J. Anderson (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Paul Campion (Introduction), Jeanni Smith (Foreward), Bret Smith (Foreward)

Genre: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction
Pages: 316 pages
Publication Date: September 15th 2020
Publisher: Hex Publishers

Plot: Welcome to tonight’s feature presentation, brought to you by an unholy alliance of our spellcasters at Hex Publishers and movie-mages at the Colorado Festival of Horror. Please be advised that all emergency exits have been locked for this special nostalgia-curdled premiere of death. From crinkling celluloid to ferocious flesh—from the silver screen to your hammering heart—behold as a swarm of werewolves, serial killers, Satanists, Elder Gods, aliens, ghosts, and unclassifiable monsters are loosed upon your auditorium. Relax, and allow our ushers to help with your buckets of popcorn—and blood; your ticket stubs—and severed limbs; your comfort candy—and body bags. Kick back and scream as you settle into a fate worse than Hell. Tonight’s director’s cut is guaranteed to slash you apart.

Edited by Joshua Viola
Produced in collaboration with the Colorado Festival of Horror
Cover art by AJ Nazzaro and Joshua Viola
Story art by Xander Smith
Header art by Aaron Lovett

Contents:
FOREWORD: Bret and Jeanni Smith, INTRODUCTION:Paul Campion, ALIEN PARASITES FROM OUTER SPACE By Warren Hammond, RETURN OF THE ALIEN PARASITES FROM OUTER SPACE By Angie Hodapp, NEGATIVE CREEP By Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, HELLULOID By Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore, RISE, YE VERMIN!
By Betty Rocksteady, THE CRONENBERG CONCERTO By Keith Ferrell, CREATURE FEATURE By Gary Jonas, INVISIBLE By Mario Acevedo, SCREEN HAUNT By Orrin Grey, THE DEVIL’S REEL By Sean Eads and Joshua Viola, ON THE ROCKS By K. Nicole Davis, COMING ATTRACTIONS By Stephen Graham Jones, LATE SLEEPERS By Steve Rasnic Tem and SPECIAL MAKEUP By Kevin J. Anderson

Arc Review: Little Secrets By Jennifer Hillier

Little Secrets By Jennifer Hillier

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Adult, Suspense, Contemporary
Pages: 352 pages
Publication Date: April 21st 2020
Publisher: Minotaur Books
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: Four hundred and eighty seconds. That’s how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado’s four-year-old son.

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.

Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student—Instagram famous—and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he’s rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn’t her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he’ll be the last. She’s falling for him—and that was never part of the plan.

Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek’s lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.

From the author of Jar of Hearts, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him.

Mini Arc Review: Fangs By Sarah Andersen

Fangs By Sarah Andersen

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novel, Humor, Adult, Fiction
Pages: 112 pages
Publication Date: September 1st 2020
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: A new gothic romance story from the creator of the enormously popular Sarah’s Scribbles comics.

Vamp is three hundred years old but in all that time, she has never met her match. This all changes one night in a bar when she meets a charming werewolf. FANGS chronicles the humor, sweetness, and awkwardness of meeting someone perfectly suited to you but also vastly different.

Arc Review: The Crow Rider By Kalyn Josephson

The Crow Rider (The ​Storm Crow #2) By Kalyn Josephson

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT
Pages: 368 pages
Publication Date: July 7th 2020
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: The thrilling conclusion to the epic Storm Crow duology that follows a fallen princess as she tries to bring back the magical elemental crows taken from her people.

Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res’ show of strength is the only thing that can help her.

But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can’t trust but can’t seem to stay away from.

As the rebel group prepares for war, Res’ magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be.

Arc Review: Venus in the Blind Spot By Junji Ito

Venus in the Blind Spot By Junji Ito, Yuji Oniki (Translator), Jocelyne Allen (Translator), Masumi Washington (Editor)

Genre: Horror, Manga, Adult
Pages: 272 pages
Publication Date: August 18th 2020
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: A “best of” collection of creepy tales from Eisner award winner and legendary horror master Junji Ito.

This ultimate collection presents the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story “Human Chair” and fan favorite “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” In a deluxe presentation with special color pages and color illustrations from his most recent long-form manga No Longer Human, every page invites readers to revel in a world of terror.

Blogmas Day 7: Book Review – The Family Upstairs By Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs By Lisa Jewell

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
Pages: 352 pages
Published: November 5th 2019
Publisher: Atria Books
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.