Tag Archive for: spooky season

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Look in the Mirror & Wrong Place Wrong Time

 

Happy spooky season!  Sharon here with another edition of Thriller Thursday.  This week I am reviewing Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman and Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister.  I have only read one other book of Steadman’s before and have never read anything by McAllister, but I am happy to say these two books were awesome. I love finding new to me authors and so glad I found Catherine Steadman and Gillian McAllister, I look forward to reading more from both of them.

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Look in the Mirror & Wrong Place Wrong TimeLook in the Mirror Goodreads

Author: Catherine Steadman

Publication Date: July 30, 2024

Publisher: Ballantine Books

I first came across Catherine Steadman last year when I read The Family Game. I loved it so much that as soon as her newest book, Look in the Mirror, came out I bought a copy and I am happy to report that I loved this book as well.

The story is told mainly from the POV of Nina and Maria. There are a few other POV’s, but Nina and Maria are the two protagonists of the story, and I loved them both. They were both strong and determined women. I loved watching them fight back and not just give up and accept whatever horror awaited them.

Nina’s father recently passed away and she discovers that she has inherited a house he had in the British Virgin Islands. Nina had no idea her father had this house. The house is state of the art. How did her father have the money to build this house? And why did he keep it from her? Nina travels to the BVI and after she has been in the house for a couple of days, she realizes that she may not have known her father as well as she thought. Why would her father build a house like this and what is up with the room in the basement? Nina must use everything her father taught her to survive the terror that is awaiting her.

Maria is a medical student who has taken time off and is now a nanny for the superrich. All she needs is another year of nannying and she will have enough money saved to fund the rest of her medical school. But Maria’s latest job could be her last. When she arrives at the house on an secluded estate she is given a list of rules, among them; Do not under any circumstance go into the room in the basement. When her boss and his two children do not show up, Maria spends her days lounging by the pool and in the sauna. But then her curiosity gets the better of her and she enters the room in the basement. Maria is now in the fight for her life.

I don’t want to say too much and spoil things, especially on how these two women are connected. But I will say what a wild ride this book was. Look in the Mirror gave me so many horror movie vibes. There was so much suspense and tension throughout the whole book. I did figure a couple of small things out, but not the major reveal at the end. That just blew my mind and gave me major chills.

I definitely now need to check out some of Catherine Steadman’s older books, because she has me hooked.  If you are looking for a Catherine Steadman book to dip your feet into, then I highly suggest Look in the Mirror4 stars

 

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Look in the Mirror & Wrong Place Wrong TimeWrong Place Wrong Time Goodreads

Author: Gillian McAllister

Publication Date: August 2, 2022

Publisher: William Morrow

I have never read anything by Gillian McAllister before and don’t even remember how I came across Wrong Place Wrong Time. But it sounded so good, and the library had a copy available, so I borrowed it immediately and now that I have finished the book, I will be buying a copy for myself because I need this in my collection.

When the book opens it is midnight on October thirtieth and Jen is waiting up for her eighteen-year-old son Todd to come home. As she is watching through the window, she finally sees him, but then another man emerges from the dark and Jen witnesses Todd just walk over and stab and kill this man. Todd is arrested and Jen is determined to help her son. Why would he just stab someone and show no remorse? But when Jen wakes up the next morning it is actually the day before the stabbing and none of that has happened. What is going on? Each time Jen goes to sleep and wakes up it is further in the past. First it is just a few days and then weeks and then months and years. Jen realizes somewhere in the past something happens to make Todd kill this man and she needs to figure out what it is so she can fix it and stop her son from becoming a murderer.

OMG, I love time travel books and Wrong Place Wrong Time was no exception. I loved the concept of going back in time and trying to figure out what the jumps mean to Jen. I really cannot say anything that happens because anything would be a spoiler. I did figure a couple of things out as we were going back in time but figuring them out did not in any way take away from this story. Even though I did figure some things out, there were still a few twists that caught me off guard.

I loved all the characters in this story. Especially Jen as this is told from her POV. I loved her determination in trying to find a way to help Todd. Even when some things came to life that could alter her future life, she did not let that deter her. I was so invested in trying to figure out what was of importance with each jump back. I loved how even the events that seemed minimal at the time took on a bigger picture when Jen went back even further in time.

I am so glad I came across Wrong Place Wrong Time. And now want to check out more reads by Gillian McAllister. If you like books about time travel, then Wrong Place Wrong Time is the book for you.   4 ½ stars

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books I’m Planning to Read During Spooky Season This Year

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is supposed to be Characters from Different Books Who Should Team Up (or date, be friends with, etc.) (Submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext).  I unfortunately blanked out and couldn’t think of anyone so I decided to go rogue this week and share some books I’m planning to read during spooky season this year. I know it’s only August, but these books are already calling to me, thanks in part to a virtual event I attended recently where several of Berkley’s wonderful authors gave presentations to tease their upcoming releases.  It was such a fun event and I’m now even more excited than I already was about their new books.

You can click on the links below to read synopsis of each of these books.

 

10 Books I’m Planning to Read During Spooky Season This Year

 

VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE by Isabel Cañas

MY ROOMMATE IS A VAMPIRE by Jenna Levine

BLACK SHEEP by Rachel Harrison

IN CHARM’S WAY by Lana Harper

THE FAKE MATE by Lana Ferguson

A DEMON’S GUIDE TO WOOING A WITCH by Sarah Hawley

GOOD BAD GIRL by Alice Feeney

HUNT ON DARK WATERS by Katee Robert

THE ONLY ONE LEFT by Riley Sager

THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando

 

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Are you planning to read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Witchy Reads for Your Spooky Season TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is actually supposed to be Favorite Book Settings.  I’ve done similar topics a few times and couldn’t think of any book settings I hadn’t already covered, so I thought it would be fun to go rogue and share some of the latest witchy reads that have come out in 2021.  I know not everyone enjoys scary books for spooky season, so I’m hoping I’ve found enough of a variety of titles that everyone can find something they enjoy.

 

10 Witchy Reads for Your Spooky Season TBR

 

1. THE ORPHAN WITCH by Paige Crutcher  – “Mystical, magical, and wildly original, THE ORPHAN WITCH is a great story from an exciting new voice in fantasy. Persephone May is a witch for the ages, a tough, uncompromising, powerful time walker with a wicked gaze and a heart of gold. Her journey to find her family and herself and the lost witches of Wile Ilse is both rollicking adventure and intimate exploration. If Alice Hoffman and Sara Addison Allen had a witchy love child, she would be Paige Crutcher. Do not miss this beautifully realized debut!”— JT Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of HER DARK LIES

2. PAYBACK’S A WITCH by Lana Harper  – Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The L Word in this fresh, sizzling rom-com by Lana Harper.

3. THE BOOK OF MAGIC by Alice HoffmanMaster storyteller Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of the Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel brimming with lyric beauty and vivid characters. The Book of Magic is a breathtaking conclusion that celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love.

4. THE NATURE OF WITCHES by Rachel Griffin  – Practical Magic meets Twister in this debut contemporary fantasy standalone about heartbreaking power, the terror of our collapsing atmosphere, and the ways we unknowingly change our fate.

5. THE EX HEX by Erin Sterling  – New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.

6. THE WITCH’S HEART by Genevieve Gornichec  – When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology.

7. THE WITCH HAVEN by Sasha Peyton Smith  – The Last Magician meets The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy following a young woman who discovers she has magical powers and is thrust into a battle between witches and wizards.

8. WITCH PLEASE by Ann Aguirre  –  Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls in this adorable witchy rom-com with: 1) A bisexual virgin baker with a curse, 2) A witch looking to avoid romantic entanglements, and 3) A chemistry between them that causes literal sparks

9. HOUR OF THE WITCH by Chris Bohjalian  – A twisting, tightly plotted novel of historical suspense from one of our greatest storytellers, Hour of the Witch is a timely and terrifying story of socially sanctioned brutality and the original American witch hunt.

10. CACKLE by Rachel Harrison  – A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.

 

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Question:  Do you have a special TBR for spooky season?