This was definitely my favorite book of August. Loved it so much! Suuuuuper fascinating.

Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl! This was great. I wasn‘t quite sure what to expect; it has some extreme horror elements, but I don‘t think it really qualifies as such. Definitely son TWs though. GREAT ending.

I loved this! I think it was an ARC book, just based on the mistakes inside. But the story was delightful! I love dragons, and this was just what I wanted. Could‘ve used more smut, but I really liked this story.

Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl! Through the Eyes of Desperation: The Red Version, by Aron Beauregard. Red is so far in debt he doesn‘t know how to climb out. To save his mother and to find his daughter, he has to brave Shadows, an underground casino where violence, drugs and flesh are worth more than money. Will he survive?
This is an extreme horror novel, so TW for everything. All. The. Things. More in comments…

I loved this! It‘s a perfect blend of sciency stuff with the poisons and true crime. Absolutely fascinating. And I appreciate how the author managed to make a lot of the science understandable to a non-science person like me.

Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl! This was super fun, kind of like if squid games had a baby with hostel. It‘s fun, well written, and keeps you invested. The ending was a bit meh, but the overall story was great.

I went to a Romance Con at my local library, and Janna MacGregor was there (along with many cool authors AND Julia Quinn!). I bought this trilogy from Janna herself, and almost immediately started the first one. It‘s predictable, but in the best way. It‘s a very fluffy, fun escape.

Indie Author Brawl! Alex inherits his uncle‘s trailer after his (the uncle) unexpected death. To try to make peace with his past and the man who raised him, Alex reaches out to the dead. But who, or what, will answer the call? I thought this was a great read, very suspenseful, some good gore and haunting writing. 100% recommend!

Really enjoyed this! I did not know how it was all going to the end, and I loved all the twists we took to get there.

It was hard, between this one and You Like It Darker. But…this one edged in front for me.

Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl! I really liked this one a lot. The premise of being stalked is terrifying, and more so if it‘s your child. It‘s a creepy story that had me invested and stressed from the beginning. And up too late at night finishing it because I couldn‘t put it down.

I was expecting WAY more smut. There was some, but it took about 3/4 of the book to get to and it was very short. Otherwise, a delightful story that I quite enjoyed.

Soul Searchers, by Justin Boote. Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl contender. John and Cathy move into a haunted house, where the spirits want Cathy to find their killer. Susanne is a medium, and with her ability to communicate with spirits—her friends she calls the Soul Searchers—she attempts to help Cathy find the murderer. Thoughts in comments.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! The enemies-to-lovers trope is always fun, AND this made me laugh out loud several times. I needed a fluffy break from all the horror/thrillers I‘ve been reading, and this hit the spot.

Indie Author Brawl! This is the story of a ghost from his novel Welcome to Nightmare Island. Knowing this is an origin story, I knew jones was going to murder a bunch of people then die. There wasn‘t any suspense, but it was fun seeing the birth of the ghost. HOWEVER, the author did no research on the 60s, and that took me out of the story. For instance, the first 911 call was made in 1968, yet in this book it existed. Not the only out-of-time…

Quick read, less than 250 pages. The twist…at first I was bugged, felt a little ripped off, but the more I thought about it the more ok with it I became. I really enjoyed the psychology parts of the book; super fascinating.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Some of the stories have already started to fade in my memory, but some will live forever. Danny Coughlin‘s Bad Dream is hands down my favorite; I couldn‘t put it down, racing to the end to find out what happens. However, I did DNF Rattlesnakes; the grief in that one was too much for me. I haven‘t read Cujo, knowing the end, and this sequel was…sad. I hear if you stick with it, it‘s fantastic and creepy.

This one took the top spot for June!

I was so excited to get this book when it came out. I got it at a bookstore called Butcher Cabin Books in Louisville. I love the cover; the jacket on my copy feels cool too. The story was interesting, as we bounced among present day, the past, and the screenplay. Fun story, great ending.

BoH Indie Author Brawl! This was FUN. I got creeped out reading this in bed, even though my husband was asleep next to me. It‘s kind of like if the short horror film The Other Side of the Box had a baby with The Ring. It‘s a quick read at about 115 pages, and I 100% recommend!

You know, it was ok. It‘s a very quick read, since the chapters are short and each one is a cliffhanger. But there we are WAY too many red herrings, and the climax was so short compared to all the buildup. The romance was forced and felt like an afterthought. So, I‘d give it a “meh.”

Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl! Wow. There was a moment, a split second, where I legit thought I might throw up. The story was ok; I kept thinking while I was reading how much I would take to do the things (I would not have won, because it would take massive amounts of money). But it is an extreme horror/splatterpunk, and that‘s exactly what you get. 🤢

I was not expecting how dark this book got. It was a fast read, but I was invested in the characters and cared about what happened to them. Very well written with a satisfying ending. But damn it went to a dark place.

Well this was fabulous. I got this from a horror book store, Butcher Cabin Books, in Louisville. The person working there recommended it. The story is wild, and I was here for all of it. 100% recommend.

Loved it! It has some spooky moments, and the villains are awesome. It also has a beautiful, melancholy feel to it that resonated with me.

I recently found this series as I was unpacking boxes in my basement, boxes we haven‘t opened in 15 years or more. So of course it brought me back to when I was a teen (maybe young adult?) and loved it. I remembered nothing, so it was like reading it for the first time. And I really enjoyed it! It was pretty much non-stop action, and the world building was really fun. I‘m not sure when I‘ll get to the next book, but I will eventually!

Indie author brawl! This was super depressing. I almost stopped it several times, but I‘m glad I kept with it. I‘ve never read Room, but I heard a lot of comparisons with it, in that both are told from the point of view of a child. The afterword by the author made this story all the more heartbreaking.

I don‘t have many books to choose from this month, since one of the books (by the light of dead stars) took me FOREVER to get through. Even so, Slashtag was my favorite! It was a very hard decision between it and the Betsy faria story.

I asked my oldest kid for something fluffy with a HEA, and this is what they handed me. It was everything I wanted. Romance, humor, heartache, a touch of mystery, and lots of smiles.

Indie Author Brawl! I don‘t know why it felt like I was reading this book for 43 years, but it did. It‘s a good book, if a bit long. It has the feel of an epic book, with lots of characters coming together in unexpected ways. Some of the scenes are genuinely creepy. I‘m not sure I‘m invested enough to read a sequel, but I enjoyed this.

So here‘s the thing. While I was reading this, it was fine. Not great, but it was entertaining, though it had some grammar issues. BUT, when I read the afterword by the author, I got a big hit in the feels and it changed my perspective on the story. Based on that info from after I read it, I liked it. It‘s emotional and personal for the author, and I appreciate that. It kinda makes me want to reread it with that in mind.

This was fascinating! I have listened to the podcast The Thing About Pam, so I knew the overall story. But this goes into a much deeper dive. The first trial is infuriating! And while the author clearly loves himself (he makes a point to talk about how good looking he is), he was a great lawyer, and it‘s a really good book.

Book of Horror Indie Author Brawl! This was AWESOME. A group of celebrities get roped onto a reality show where they have to survive in a haunted mansion. It has everything: ghosts, possessions, childhood trauma, gore, betrayal, medical horror, all stirred up and with a dash of Cabin in the Woods added in. LOVED IT.

For the month of April I had to go with this delightful book. I‘m reading the second one now. Swoon.

After witnessing a crime, Anthony takes his family and runs from the mob boss to a campground property he hasn‘t been able to sell. But that campground is still haunted by the cult that used to live there, and they want out. This has some genuinely creepy moments (well, quite a few of them) and some gore that had me reading/peeking through my fingers. Great indie author brawl entry!

I loved this! In my head Chris was like a Jason Mamoa type quarterback. Could‘ve used more 🌶️, but I loved the story.

Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl! This was a hard read, because the conversations between miller and her mother were so triggering. That trapped feeling of having your words twisted and your mind messed with is suffocating and traumatic, and the true horror of the story. The rest was just icing on the cake.

Interesting book. I had read that it‘s one of the best revenge stories, so I was excited to read it. And it was a great revenge story, it just took a long time to get there. 200+ pages of getting to know the characters and their lives did make the last 100 pages satisfactory, but I did have to remind myself this was written in 1980. Overall, good slow burn revenge.

I liked it. The world building is interesting; like, did the storm create the powers? Or was the storm a result of the powers manifesting? Why some kids and not others? Good thing the story continues online!

Love it! Slow burn, but so worth it. I wouldn‘t say it‘s scary, but it has creepy and cringey moments and some great gore. Interesting that a feminist novel is written by a man.

This was fine. I didn‘t find the ending THAT shocking; it seemed like a book I‘ve read many times (as in not very unique). I disliked all the characters, except the dog. At least it‘s a quick read.

I‘m late because I forgot. Still, Bunker Dogs was definitely the best book I read in March. And of course it made it into the Indie Author Brawl in Books of Horror!

Super interesting read! The way the profile matched up with Bell is amazing. The story is fascinating and devastating, and I very much enjoyed the legal aspects of the book.

I adores this book!! A superhero and a super villain?? Yes, daddy! I loved everything about this. I smiled so much, I laughed some, and the 🌶️🌶️🌶️? 🤌🤌🤤

The last of three books a student gave me to read at the beginning of the year! I liked it though. It was very fast-paced and a quick read. I kiiiiiiinda want to read the rest of the trilogy, but I probably won‘t.

Austin is having problems at school with bullies, and problems at home with his divorced parents. His mom, ever treating him like her therapy patient, gets him Elvis, a therapy dog. Except, Elvis isn‘t all he seems to be… It‘s kind of like if you were sitting around thinking “what if David berkowitz was a teenager today? What would that story look like?” The book is fun, kills are good and gory, and I recommend! A Boy and His Dog, C.I.I. Jones

This was so interesting. A few things I had to look up since I didn‘t know the terms, but otherwise the court stuff was super fascinating. I have never been on a jury, and I‘ve heard it‘s boring, but being on a case like this would maybe be worth it. Either way, great book. The cockroaches though…😳

I really enjoyed this fast read. It reminded me a lot of We Need to Talk About Kevin, but like the YA version of that, mixed with some The Bad Seed vibes. With chapters only around 2-4 pages each, it‘s easy to do the “just one more chapter!” thing.

This was intense! I can‘t say too much without spoiling it, but it is a RIDE. Certainly creepy at times, definitely gory, and a lot of fun. And the artwork is gorgeous. I mean this cover is ❤️❤️❤️❤️