Sonya MacTavish is happy in her job and engaged to be married–until she walks in on her fiance and her cousin having sex in her bed. As her life’s plans are in an uproar, she is hit with another bombshell. Her late father, who was adopted, had a twin, and that twin has left Sonya a gorgeous estate in Maine. The only stipulation is that she has to live there for three years. Sonya ultimately decides to move to the estate and start over her life and her career. But the house has a history of “lost brides” and many ghostly inhabitants. And at least one of them does not want Sonya there.
This was just a wonderful reading experience. The characters and the story drew me in right away. I was immediately transported to this haunted mansion and caught up in the legend of the lost brides. The spirits, some of them fun-loving and one of them definitely not, make this book unique. The distinct personalities of al the spirits are so well portrayed. My only slight critique is that the book ends on a cliffhanger. I hope Book 2 comes out soon because I want to read more of this story!
Nora Roberts has hit a home run with this one, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys magical realism.
I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.
Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.
The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.
BOOK REVIEW
In Florida, 1950, Robert and Gloria’s father is chased out of town on false charges, but his real “crime” was asking for better pay and conditions for African American workers. Their mother has already died of cancer, so they are left in the care of an elderly friend. Then while protecting his sister, Robert kicks the privileged son of the McCormacks, who are wealthy and powerful landowners. With the bang of a gavel, Robert is sent to The Gracetown School for Boys, a strict reform school. This is a place of death, torture, and pain, especially if you are not white. And it is also full of ghosts, or “haints.” Robert’s not the only one who can see the haints, but he can see them better than most, a gift he will soon regret. Meanwhile on the outside, Gloria is desperately working for his release.
This is a heart-wrenching novel with a paranormal twist. The saddest and most horrible fact is that this school is based on a school of another name that actually operated in Florida. The evil that exists in the school is powerfully portrayed through both man and spirit. The fate of many of the young boys who were tortured and killed will leave the reader in tears. The paranormal twist brings the deaths to the forefront in a strong and unforgettable way. Gloria’s role as Robert’s constant who will never give up shines through in a light of hope, as does another special character Robert sees in the school. The evil is personified in so many people, and not just murderers, but racists, corrupt judges, and those who shrugged and looked the other way. It is a well-written but deeply horrifying novel that the reader will not, and should not, forget.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. She is an executive producer on Shudder’s groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror. She and her husband/collaborator, Steven Barnes, wrote “A Small Town” for Season 2 of Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” on Paramount Plus, and two segments of Shudder’s anthology film Horror Noire. They also co-wrote their upcoming Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, “Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!”
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.
A mysterious letter. An offer taken. And the chance to move forward.
When Ava Harrison receives a letter containing an unusual job listing one month after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, she thinks she’s being haunted. The listing—a job as a live-in caretaker for a peculiar old man and his cranky cat in Driftwood, Alabama—is the perfect chance to start a new life. A normal life. Ava has always been too fearful to even travel, so no one’s more surprised than she is when she throws caution to the wind and drives to the distant beachside town.
On the surface, Maggie Mae Brightwell is a bundle of energy as she runs Magpie’s, Driftwood’s coffee and curiosity shop, where there’s magic to be found in pairing the old with the new. But lurking under her cheerful exterior is a painful truth—keeping busy is the best way to distract herself from the lingering loss of her mama and her worries about her aging father. No one knows better than she does that you can’t pour from an empty cup, but holding on to the past is the only thing keeping the hope alive that her mama will return home one day.
Ava and Maggie soon find they’re kindred spirits, as they’re both haunted—not by spirits, but by regret. They must learn to let go of the past to move on—because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong.
Maggie is the heart and soul of Magpie’s Coffee and Curiosity Shop. The shop had belonged to her mother, who was caught in a riptide, disappeared years ago, and is presumed dead by everyone but Maggie. Although her father has been talking about selling the shop lately, Maggie is determined to hold on to Magpie’s, which she still considers her mother’s shop. Maggie also has concerns about her father’s strange behavior lately and is thinking about hiring an aide to live with him. She creates and then discards an ad for someone to care for a cantankerous old man. When Ava receives a strange letter and a crumpled advertisement for a job as an aide to an older man in Driftwood, Alabama, she decides this is the perfect fresh start after the death of her ex-boyfriend. Ava closely guards two secrets. She had epilepsy as a child, and she developed some extrasensory abilities after her last grand mal seizure.
I loved every bit of this book, from the coffee shop, to the town, to the quirky characters. Driftwood is a typical small town where everyone is in everyone else’s business, but it also has some very unique residents. Estrelle, who always dresses in black, might just predict your future or give you bad breath if she chooses. Maggie has a gift for picking out the perfect “curiosity” for friends and customers, and the newcomer Ava’s gifts are special indeed. In addition to gifts, the town holds many secrets, and so much love that the reader will feel pulled right in. There is romance in every corner, but the themes of loss, trusting others, and moving forward shine through. I hope there will be a sequel, because this town already has a place in my heart.
The narration of the audiobook was very well done by Hallie Ricardo and Stephanie Willis, who perfectly captured both the characters and magic of this small town.
I received a free copy of this audiobook via Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Webber, aka Heather Blake, is the author of more than twenty-five novels. She loves to read, drink too much coffee and tea, birdwatch, crochet, and bake. She currently lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, and is hard at work on her next book.
Originally from Bloomfield, New Jersey, Hallie was introduced to the performing arts by her Broadway performer parents. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Southern California’s School of Theatre in Los Angeles and now works as a professional film and television actress and audiobook narrator. She has narrated over 100 titles over the past five years across various genres, including bestselling series Ivy+Bean and most recently the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award winning series Beak and Ally. Hallie is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and is unabashedly obsessed with her two cats, Vinny and Josie.
Stephanie Willis is a professional actress, instructor, and voice-over artist. She is a graduate of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and has taught with Georgia Shakespeare and several other performing arts schools. She also records narration for videos and audiobooks.
Indie Spotlight is my effort to share information about Indie Books with all of you, and I hope you share them with your social media followers as well. Let’s get the word out about great Indie Books! Check out Exodus Team: New Roads by BEBogden. This is a genre mashup that intrigues me: Christian and Paranormal.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
For Maj Newhouse, life revolves around her faith, her friends, Aimee and Kevin Cole, and her projects at the old barn–but that was before Jason Knight walked through the door. The handsome businessman from Chicago has a problem; he has staked his career on rehabilitating a haunted hotel. An encounter with Kevin has led him to the old barn, and Maj is shocked to learn that Knight expects to hire her and her friends as exorcists for his property! Will Maj’s distrust of the charming stranger and her own self-doubt cripple the newly formed Exodus Team before it starts?
BOOK TRAILER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BEBogdon is a Christian entertainer from the Midwest whose passion for writing began with a love for reading. Although a newly published author, Bogdon has been telling stories for years. Through involvement in theater, film, commercial, and voice-over work, she has had the opportunity to breathe life into the written word, and as an avid daydreamer, she is thrilled to see those dreams finally settle onto the printed page.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to The Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a Halloween freebie. Since I don’t read horror or anything too bloody or scary, I decided to post covers of books that include ghosts, witches, or vampires, but are not scary or too violent. Check out my list below. Some of these are books I’ve read and some are books I’m interested in. Some of them are available on Kindle Unlimited.
A grieving widow buys a New England mansion with plans to open up a bed and breakfast. Her first night there, she meets a former resident of the house. He explains to her that he was murdered and wants her help in catching his killer. This is Book 1 of the Salem B&B Mysteries, which has a total of 6 books so far.Mrs. McClure is managing a mystery book shop in Rhode Island, but soon discovers the store has another resident, a private investigator who was murdered in the store 50 years ago. This is book one of nine in the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries.
The Harry Potter series needs no introduction, and it’s full of ghosts, witches, and other magical beings.
Although Twilight does have some violence, it’s not too much for me to handle. I love the fact that the Cullens do not hunt humans and I love the Native American werewolf shapeshifters protecting the town of Forks. I’m Team Jacob. lol.Jane Garbo has tried to live a normal life, but given that she’s a witch, that just isn’t possible. Her family runs a world-famous haunted house in an old mansion in Maine, and when Jane runs out of options she moves back home. What her family has neglected to tell her is that there are serious problems at the mansion, and no one knows what’s at the root of the trouble. If Jane can’t solve the mystery, more lives could be lost. Including her own.This is Book 1 in the All Souls Trilogy. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.This is Book 1 of 4 in the Harper Connelly Series. This is not one of Charlaine Harris’s more popular series, but it’s my favorite. Harper Connelly has what you might call a strange job: she finds dead people. She can sense the final location of a person who’s passed, and share their very last moment. Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver are experts at getting in, getting paid, and then getting out of town fast—because the people who hire Harper have a funny habit of not really wanting to know what she has to tell them.This is Book 3 in the Paige Papillon Mystery Series about a paranormal investigator. I’ve not read this yet but it is available on Kindle Unlimited, so I’m going to check it out.Ophelia Harrison used to live in a small house in the Georgia countryside. But that was before the night in November 1922, and the cruel act that took her home and her father from her. Which was the same night that Ophie learned she can see ghosts. Now Ophie and her mother are living in Pittsburgh with relatives they barely know. In the hopes of earning enough money to get their own place, Mama has gotten Ophie a job as a maid in the same old manor house where she works. Daffodil Manor, like the wealthy Caruthers family who owns it, is haunted by memories and prejudices of the past—and, as Ophie discovers, ghosts as well. Ghosts who have their own loves and hatreds and desires, ghosts who have wronged others and ghosts who have themselves been wronged. And as Ophie forms a friendship with one spirit whose life ended suddenly and unjustly, she wonders if she might be able to help—even as she comes to realize that Daffodil Manor may hold more secrets than she bargained for.I didn’t believe in ghosts…until I became one. Okay, let me back up a bit to the time when I wasn’t dead. I’d been promoted to manager of special events and concessions at Colby Pointe’s much-loved cinema and drafthouse. I was having a ball with my pug, Cleopatra. And to top it off, I’d started dating a gorgeous cop named Scott. Then five days ago, I was strangled at the cinema, and it was all taken away from me. It wasn’t until I met Celeste, my Orientation Specialist and Guide to the Beyond, that I quickly learned that not only was I dead, but there was a good reason for my lingering: to help solve my own murder and put a killer behind bars… Oh, and interesting twist: Scott is the only living person who can see and hear me in my ghostly form. One problem: he’s a skeptic. Will I convince this no-nonsense cop that he’s not going crazy and I am indeed real? And if so, will we be able to catch my killer before they claim their next victim? I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Join Hannah Jenkins in the Hannah the Ghost P.I. series, a paranormal cozy mystery featuring a ghost sleuth, clairvoyant pets, and a murder to solve.
What about you? What spooky but not too scary books do you like?
In the old South, a haint was a ghost or evil spirit. George Haint, originally begun by Helen Diessner in 2012, takes us into the most unusual ghost story you will probably ever hear.
It is not only a ghost story but a short story of murder most foul and takes place in the mid-1800s, in the Virginia City, Nevada, area during the gold- and silver-mining days. The story contains a lot of local history of the area.
This book was written by the late Helen Diessner and her sister Marta Moran Bishop. The audiobook is narrated by Christopher Meglin.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
This is a spooky and surprising ghost story. I thought it was going in a certain direction, but then was completely shocked and scared but delighted to go a different way. It’s a bit darker than I usually read, but worth it. In this ghost story/historical fiction mashup, we learn the history of Virginia City, Nevada during the gold rush and we meet some interesting characters with quite a tale to tell. Go on this short ghostly adventure to a town in the past, and prepared to be a little terrified but completely entertained, for that is what a good ghost story does. Fans of horror, magical realism, and historical fiction will love this story.
The audiobook is a story-length (45 minutes) treat read by Christopher Meglin, who does a wonderful job.
I received a free copy of the audiobook. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
Triggers: Murder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marta Moran Bishop walks in the shoes of her characters and weaves the tapestry of their lives with the threads of her dreams.
Ms. Bishop is a prolific and versatile writer, writing in multiple genres, while continuing to stretch herself and her craft.
Her series The Divide: Darkness Descends (book 1) and The Between Times (book 2) tells the story of a bleak world, where society consists of the poor and the rich and the poor live in squalor, depending only on a prophecy for hope of a better future. It has a touch of paranormal within its pages. She is currently working on Book 3 in the series.
George Haint is a story started by Marta’s late sister, Helen Diessner.
She has written three adult poetry books and a variety of fantasy and paranormal stories. A few of them are stories that her mother wrote over forty years ago and Marta finished, while others are new and vibrant stories.
She currently lives on a small farm in New England with her husband, three horses, cats and a conure parrot named Jack. They help her remember to view the world through a child’s innocence and keep her young and imaginative.
Q&A WITH MARTA MORAN BISHOP
Good Morning, Marta, and thanks for answering my questions today.
Marta: It’s so wonderful to meet you and an honor that you invited me to be on your blog.
Bonnie: Let’s go beyond the bio. Tell us something about yourself that we might not know from reading your bio.
Marta: I’ve worked as a magician’s assistant, and danced in a few TV commercials.
Bonnie: That is so interesting! Where did you work as a Magician’s Assistant, and what commercials did you do?
I worked as a Magician’s Assistant in Chicago. My brother and I did a disco/jazz act and won a few contests. The commercials were for Sugar Twin and a “Women’s Product.” Lol.
Bonnie: This story was conceptualized and started by your sister Helen Diessner, who has sadly passed away. I am so sorry for your loss. Can you tell me a little bit about Helen and what it means to you to complete this story and have it published?
Marta: Thank you for your condolences. Helen is and will always be so missed. She was one of the most intelligent people I ever met. Interested in just about everything, but in particular history, ghosts, mysteries, and had a love of animals and life, with a great sense of humor.
Bonnie: At what point in the story did you pick it up? Did you already know what the ending would be?
Marta: Helen and I had talked over her story, and I read her first few pages, gave a few comments regarding tenses, etc., and at that time she told me who she planned on the first kill to be, but not how to get there. She stopped writing it in 2016 and I didn’t see it again until after her death. What she had written was so good that I knew she’d want me to finish it. She stopped writing about a quarter of the way through chapter three.
Bonnie: Although this is a short story, it contains a lot of information about the mining town of Virginia City, Nevada. What was your (or Helen’s) historical research process?
Marta: Helen lived in the Gold Hill area of Virginia City for many years, and worked for The Way It Was Museum. She read everything they had in the Museum and knew all the legends. The shack on the cover was a picture she took that helped inspire the story.
Bonnie: George Haint seems to be going in a certain direction, and then catches the reader by surprise. Is this something you’ve done in your other writings and can you tell us a little about your previously published work?
Marta: Yes, I have done this in other books and stories I have written or finished that I inherited from my mother’s writings. I am a multi-genre author and prefer to write in first person (even if it is first person horse or cat) when I write I seem to fall into the mind of the characters and they many times surprise me. I’ve written poetry (both children’s and adult), paranormal short stories, dystopian novellas, as well as my award-winning novel Dinky: The Nurse Mare’s Foal, which is written through his eyes about the first year of his life. When a character begins to talk to me too loudly the book or story gets written.
Bonnie: Magical realism/the paranormal is very present in this story. Is this true of any of your other work as well?
Other than my animal stories it is present in all of my other books and stories.
Bonnie: Are you currently working on anything else and can you tell us about it?
I’m currently finishing the sequel to my series The Divide, a dystopian series with magical realism and paranormal mixed in to give hope and save the world. I’m also writing a book based on the premise that Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickenson had a love affair through letters.
Bonnie: The Poe/Dickenson love affair sounds intriguing! What was your inspiration for that and will you come back again to talk about it when it’s ready to publish?
Marta: The idea came out of some poems I wrote between them, way back when someone said I was “Emily to his Poe,” and an “inspiring force in his creative process.” They are published in two of my first poetry books. Absolutely I’d love to come back!
Bonnie: Thanks Marta for your great answers and for joining us today! I look forward to speaking with you again!
*If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
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I know it’s Sunday, but I’m late with SPS because I have the grandkids this weekend. I’m about to drive them back home, which is a 4.5 hour round trip for me. Here is SPS, and sorry it is late.
Self-Published Saturday is my effort to share self-published/indie books with the readers of my blog in hopes that they will share them with their readers. Self-published/Indie authors have to do it all, and any help with marketing is crucial.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Winner of the Firebird Book Award for Fiction. Following the traumatic end of the Knights Templar, a remnant band of knights in hiding attempt to make a new life for themselves in the eastern Byzantine Empire. Chaperoning merchants and pilgrims through perilous lands in the midst of a brewing war, their mettle is put to the test on a daily basis. However, this assignment is unlike any other they’ve taken. Braving infamous clans of assassins and an encroaching army of Ottoman forces, they must escort a girl to safety during a time when their faith is shaken and the girl proves to be more than what she seems. Brought to you by the award-winning author of The Angels of Resistance and the Redeem the Knight Trilogy.
BOOK REVIEW
Torn Asunder is set in the early 1300s after the Knights Templar have been persecuted and destroyed by the King of France. It is about a band of surviving Templars who are just trying to get by and stay alive. They take a job to escort a girl to her cousin, but soon realize she is more than she seems.
This book overall is a unique and solid effort. The character of Parisa is wonderful, and the magical realism/paranormal she brings to the story really lifts it up. But Parisa is not really introduced right away and the story moves slowly until she is. At times I felt the plot dragged a bit and I got a little bit weary as we went from battle to battle without much of a break. I did not connect with the other characters as much as Parisa until near the end of the book. But the idea of a surviving band of Knights Templar is certainly intriguing, and the ending was wonderfully done. Overall, this is a solid story with a great ending. I give it 3.6 stars overall, rounded up to four stars.
Anyone interested in the Knights Templar and magical realism should check this one out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An award-winning indie dark fantasy and science fiction author from Long Island, David V. Mammina’s novels contain a solid storyline, deep character development, and twists and turns that can challenge any reader. Apart from writing page-turners, he also teaches history to middle school students with learning disabilities. Themes of his work include the redemption of fallen heroes, good versus evil, and the unity of those split by their differences in the face of supernatural adversity. Set in post-apocalypse or dystopian eras, fantasy realms, and the present day, Mammina can satisfy any and all tastes in genre fiction.
*If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
Can she uncover the truth about her family before it destroys her?
Following the death of her grandmother, Becca Martin comes face to face with an ancestor she is unaware of; an ancestor who threatens her very existence.
Antony Cardover bears a vampire curse, and he will stop at nothing to sever his ancient bindings.
As she uncovers the dark truth about her family, can Becca embrace the legacy she now bears?
Or will the mistakes of the dead return to kill her?
If you like A Discovery of Witches and The Vampire Chronicles, you will LOVE Marie Anne Cope’s BONDS series.
Step into a world of magic, mystery and mayhem, buy BONDS today!
EXCERPT
Suddenly, she froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, her breath caught in her chest. She stared at Spook as he cowered down in the garden, his ears back, his teeth bared. The hairs on the back of Becca’s neck were now upright, and she shivered as a sudden draught wrapped itself around her. She caught the scent of him as the draught moved through her towards the patio doors, and she saw a dark shadow advance towards the threatened cat. The fork dropped from her hand as she raced towards the patio doors. She yanked the handle, but it was locked. She fumbled for the key. She always left it in the lock. It wasn’t there.
‘Noooooo!’ she screamed as the shadowy figure crouched down in front of Spook and leaned in really close to him.
‘Leave him alone!’ Becca shouted and banged on the glass, hoping to scare Spook, but it was almost like he was in a trance. He didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t even try to lash out.
Becca picked up a chair and smashed it as hard as she could against the glass, but it bounced off. She dropped to the floor sobbing as she watched the figure reach out towards Spook. Suddenly the cat took off, and the figure stood up and stared at Becca.
‘Noooooo!’ Becca screamed, as she stared into the eyes of Antony Cardover.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie Anne Cope is an author of contemporary and paranormal fiction. She grew up in Manchester, moving to North Wales in 2005, where she lives with her three cats, Jasmine, Texas, and Stoker.
She writes for women who want to read gripping stories that combine strong female leads with powerful, provocative storylines, which take them to the edge of their comfort zone.
Marie has always had an interest in the darker side of fiction—particularly in crime and the supernatural—but it wasn’t until her mid-twenties that she began taking a serious interest in writing. She published the first novel in her dark paranormal BONDS series in 2013 and followed it with the second and third novels in the quartet, BROKEN BONDS in 2015 and BONDS RE-BOUND in 2018. The journey ended with ETERNAL BONDS in November 2021, the Kindle edition reaching number one in both the Vampire Suspense and British Horror Fiction categories, as well as number three in Contemporary Fantasy Fiction.
The BONDS series is set against both contemporary and historical backdrops, following the story of the complicated and unusual relationship between Becca Martin, a reluctant witch forced to face up to who she is and accept her gift of the Craft, and Antony Cardover, a man who traded his soul for the chance of vengeance and paid the ultimate price – eternity bearing a vampire curse.
BONDS was a finalist for the 2020 Golden Stake Literary Award at the International Vampire Film & Arts Festival, as well as a quarter-finalist for the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
Marie has published two collections of dark short stories under the series title TALES FROM A SCARYGIRL. The first volume, entitled DARK AND SCARY, moves from the realms of the supernatural into the borderlands where folklore and superstition meet real-world fear, while volume two, entitled DARKLY SINSITER, delves into the darkest vaults of the human psyche, daring the reader to question what lies beneath the surface.
DARKLY SINISTER came out on Halloween 2020, with the Kindle edition reaching number one positions in the Horror Short Stories, British Horror Fiction and British & Irish Short Stories categories, as well as number two in Psychological Thrillers.
Under the pen name M A Cope, she has also published her first children’s book called THE MISFITS. The story follows an unlikely group of supernatural misfits as they embark on an adventure that teaches them it is okay to be different from who they are expected to be; the important thing is to be happy in their own skin.
Marie is working on several other projects at the moment, including a screen adaptation of BONDS and a contemporary romance novel called CHASING RAINBOWS.
At the heart of everything she writes is a simple aim – to tell stories that captivate the reader.
This is another review I did for the May edition of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. It’s true crime meets magical realism. A fascinating combination.
In 1860s New York, Annie Moore is sent to a convent for fallen women after getting pregnant out of wedlock. After the nuns take her baby, she tries to find the child but ends up going into prostitution just to survive. She becomes Bessie and is soon highly sought after by men. She earns her own money, is showered with jewels, and gets the opportunity to travel. However, she longs for a different life. When the man who she thought would return her to respectability betrays her, she begins to seek revenge. Based on a true story, this is a captivating book with a surprise.
The first half of this book stays very true to the real-life story, but then there is a supernatural element that begins midway through. It makes the novel even more interesting and unpredictable. As Annie, the main character is treated abominably by society and the church. As Bessie, she is used by men and madams but still finds a measure of success. After marriage, she eventually realizes that her husband has no intention of living a normal life with her. But by then it’s too late. We travel with Bessie to Chicago, New Orleans, Cincinnati, and Texas, and then into the world of the paranormal as Bessie seeks revenge. The magical realism aspect of this story really sets it apart. The plight of women in those times is evident, and the theme of revenge is explored. This is an intriguing combination of genres—true crime, women’s fiction, and the paranormal—all woven into a compelling historical novel. Highly recommended.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Hadlock’s love of history goes all the way back to junior high, when she was a member of the Junior Historians of Texas, so it’s no surprise her first novel is historical. She studied journalism at Texas A&M University and worked as a broadcast journalist and then in nonprofit public relations before turning her focus to fiction. She also writes screenplays and won the 2020 Dallas International Film Festival’s screenplay contest.
Lyla is having the worst year of her life and then her Mum announces they are moving to a strange new town.
The only silver lining is the signs that a cat has made itself home in the new house.
Lyla quickly finds out though that Shimmer is no ordinary cat….
BOOK REVIEW
Shimmer is a middle-grade fantasy adventure starring a special cat and a girl who is having a rough time. After Lyla’s father dies, her mother decides to move and get a fresh start. Lyla is angry and upset at having to move away from familiar surroundings, and she is instantly bullied at school. On top of that, Lyla would like a cat, but her mother has adamantly refused. Then she begins to hear a cat mewling in the house.
This is a sweet and magical fantasy with a surprise twist in the middle. Although this is a short book, it packs a lot of story into 86 pages and it’s perfect for the middle-grade reader. There are some school fights included, so parents may want to be aware. All in all, this is a sometimes sad, but always sweet adventure with a magical and special feline star. Kids will love it, but so will their parents and grandparents.
I received a free copy of this book via Zooloo’s Book Tours. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Meredith lives in sleepy West Sussex with his wife and two children. He relocated there after suffering a psychosis back in 2000. Writing stories was a childhood love that he lost as he mistakenly believed that imagination had no place in the grown up world.
He likes taking reality and weaving fantastical elements into it. Alan’s writing reflects his belief that life is a journey of highs and lows and the idea that ‘life should be fair’ is an unrealistic expectation to give anyone, especially kids. If you are looking for the sugar coated ‘Happy Ever After’ you have come to the wrong place.
Bonnie Reads and Writes 
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