All posts by Jo-Anna W

Anthology, Horror

#Review – Scary Stories You Can’t Un-Read by BJ Rawls

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A bone-chilling collection of nightmarish tales that will haunt your dreams.

“Brutal, unforgiving, and masterfully crafted, these stories strip away all hope and leave only terror.” — Writing Axis

Enter the world of SCARY STORIES YOU CAN’T UN-READ, where salvation is a distant memory and every page delivers a fresh nightmare. From scientific horrors beyond comprehension to ancient terrors wearing familiar faces, this anthology plunges into humanity’s darkest fears with surgical precision and relentless brutality.

This collection features six unforgettable tales of terror, madness, and cosmic dread, including:

THE LABORATORY A medical assistant’s routine shift becomes a descent into biological hell when he witnesses something that should never have been born.

CATS The beloved pets humanity has cherished for millennia reveal their true nature in a global nightmare that redefines the meaning of predator and prey.

THE TOILET A simple plumbing problem unleashes something ancient and hungry from the depths beneath the city.

THE LAST TRANSMISSION Mars holds secrets that mankind was never meant to discover, and one survivor learns that some knowledge comes with a price too horrible to pay.

THE NECRONOMICON PROTOCOL An archaeological discovery triggers a chain of events that threatens not just humanity, but the very fabric of reality itself.

THE RIGHT MATE Loneliness drives a woman to try online dating, where she discovers that some matches are literally out of this world—and hungry for more than love.

Perfect for fans of Lovecraftian horror, body horror, alien terror, The Thing, Event Horizon, Dead Space, and Clive Barker, this book is a merciless exploration of humanity’s insignificance in a universe that doesn’t care if we survive. Each story is a masterclass in mounting dread, featuring detailed scientific horror, impossible creatures, and protagonists who discover too late that some doors should never be opened.

Warning: This collection contains graphic content, disturbing imagery, and themes that may not be suitable for all readers. Proceed with caution—these nightmares are designed to linger.

Read it if you dare. Sleep peacefully if you can.

I kept seeing this book on TikTok and I caved and finally read it. Man oh man am I glad I did. I stayed up way later than I intended and read this in one sitting. It was a lot of fun but I have to say, I am very glad my husband was home. Horror books just hit differently and this one left me feeling a little uneasy.

Each story in this book is very different than the one before it. There are a few short ones and a couple longer novella sized stories.

I have to say that the one about cats, is my favourite. It definitely made me look at my own cats and go “Don’t you even think about it.”

I looked to see if this author had more books but it doesn’t look like they have a lot published, so hopefully they get more out there because I would love to read more.

I enjoyed the writing and it pulled me into each story.

I definitely suggest reading this one if you like anything horror related!

Good luck sleeping.

One-Click – https://amzn.to/472ZE3f

Horror, Kindle Unlimited, short story

#Review #ShortStory – Hell Hath No Fury : Short Horror Stories For Adults: Vengeful Spirits Unleashed: A Haunting Tale of Secrets, Survival, and Ghostly Revenge in a Victorian Home by J.K. Russell

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Dive into “Hell Hath No Fury,” a chilling ghost story set in a decrepit Victorian house that promises a fresh start for a father and his daughter but quickly turns into a nightmare. As they settle into their new home, eerie occurrences and violent hauntings escalate, revealing the vengeful spirit of a woman wronged. Bound by blood and desperation, they must uncover the dark secrets of the house and confront the spectral fury. Will they find peace or will the ghost’s wrath consume them? Unearth the mysteries within these pages and experience a spine-tingling journey you won’t forget.

Dare to turn the page—your next favorite ghost story awaits!

This is another short story by J.K. Russell and while it was similar to the first in this collection of stories, it was able to hold it’s own as well.

Mia and her dad move into a old house in a new city and after a few nights of peace, things start going sideways.

This little story is about a parent who refuses to stop at nothing to save their daughter. Even if a vengeful spirit is involved.

Can be read in KU – https://amzn.to/46OLH8V

Horror, Kindle Unlimited, short story

#Review #ShortStory – Damn Your Eyes : Short Horror Stories For Adults: Victorian Haunting: A Lawyer’s Battle with a Vengeful Ghost and His Own Darkness by J.K. Russell

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Chilling Descent into Madness and Hauntings in “Damn Your Eyes”

When a young lawyer moves into a picturesque but aging Victorian house, he is drawn into a terrifying world of the supernatural. What begins as slight disturbances escalates into full-blown hauntings as the house’s sinister past comes to light. Haunted by Jeremiah Holt, a vengeful spirit from the late 1800s, the lawyer finds himself fighting not just for his sanity, but for his life. This gripping tale of psychological horror and spectral threats will keep you on the edge of your seat as the boundaries between the past and present blur. Can he make peace with the ghost, or will he be consumed by the fires of vengeance?

Discover if he survives the haunting in “Damn Your Eyes”. A must-read for fans of chilling, ghostly horror!

This was a fun little read! It’s a single short story about someone who lives in a haunted house. He tries getting rid of the vengeful spirit only to make things worse. The spirit becomes even angrier and violent, so the home owner does the only thing he thinks will work. But of course, things don’t happen the way he hoped.

I’m trying to get my Goodreads books up for the yearly challenge, so if you’re doing the same, definitely grab this one. It’s short and fun!

Can be read in KU – https://amzn.to/3KpGtZQ

Kindle Unlimited, Psychological Thriller, Standalone, Thriller

#Review – Breakneck Bay by Faith Gardner

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A dangerous waterpark. A missing girl. A wife trapped in a nightmare.

At Breakneck Bay, the rides are fast, the injuries frequent, and the lawsuits endless. But when a teenage employee vanishes after closing, leaving behind a blood-soaked crime scene, it’s clear this summer will be the deadliest yet.

Suspicion falls on park manager Mitch Blue, forcing his newlywed wife Kit to confront the cracks in their marriage—and the unsettling secrets he’s been keeping.

But Kit and the police aren’t the only ones looking for answers. Someone is watching from the shadows, waiting to finish what they started years ago. As Kit uncovers chilling ties between Mitch and the waterpark’s dark past, she’s left questioning everything she thought she knew—including whether she’s sleeping beside a killer.

Because at Breakneck Bay, the only thing deadlier than the rides is the truth.

So I had absolutely no idea what was going on through the majority of this book. I tried predicting and while I thought who was the killer did end up being the killer, I kept second guessing myself. I watch too many horror movies because I thought something really bad was going to happen when all was said and done. If you watch horror movies, you know that most of them don’t end on a happy note.

This book is written in Katherine “Kit’s” point of view for most of it, while some chapters are written in Hawk’s point of view. He’s the bad guy but Hawk is just a nickname he gave himself, so we really have no idea who he is until the end of the book.

Life is going well for Kit. She has a loving husband, a relatively decent job, not as many friends as she wants but life is satisfactory.

Someone goes missing, some odd things start happening at the park they work at and Kit is left questioning things between her and her husband Mitch and the park’s history. Although, I don’t think Kit was ready for the truth when she discovered it.

I liked this book and it was a fun read. All of the characters held their own and Kit’s feelings and emotions definitely made me wonder how I would react in her situation.

Can be read in KU – https://amzn.to/3UN8TPo

Horror, Kindle Unlimited

#Review – You Can’t Hide: 30 Tales of Terror by Blair Daniels

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I found a note I don’t remember writing.
It says ‘Don’t look under the bed.’

“ATTENTION SHOPPERS: Please hide at the back of the store immediately.”

I created a chatbot. It said some deeply disturbing things.

I was in a bus crash with five other passengers. After the crash, there were six.

YOU CAN’T HIDE brings you 30 terrifying tales for your darkest nights. This collection has every flavor of horror, from murderous husbands to malevolent doppelgangers, from terrifying photos to sinister board games. Read… if you dare.

Praise for You Can’t Hide
“This was absolutely fantastic, from start to finish.”

“This suspenseful collection of short stories perfectly captures the energy of sitting around a campfire, telling gruesome tales of horror.”

“A few of these stories had some AMAZING twists that I never expected.”

“You Can’t Hide” is a superb work of horror fiction that’ll appeal to aficionados of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, “Scary Stories”, and “Goosebumps,” but with decidedly mature twist.”

“Blair Daniels never disappoints me. Her stories are short, sharp, and devious.”

About Black Widow Press
We’re passionate about scares, thrills, and all things that go bump in the night. Stay tuned for more books this year to keep you up all night! Don’t Scream and other Black Widow books contain mild to moderate violence and sexual content not suitable for those under 18 years of age.

This collection of horror stories, was so much fun to read!

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed the journey through each and every one. Some were creepy, some were disturbing, some even made me laugh. I’m a huge fan of two sentence horror stories, so I knew going in that I would enjoy this. Looks like this is part of a 7 book series. So I’m excited to read more by this author.

There were some stories that I would love a full book about but I also realize that it’s not that kind of book, so I’ll get over it.

I can’t remember which story it was, but it had someone crawling on the floor in an inhuman way and it creeped me right out. It’s one of the things I hate in horror movies but love at the same time because it scares the crap out of me.

So good job to the author!

Can be read in Kindle Unlimited – https://amzn.to/45zg0Qc

Bully, Dark, Dark Romance, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Kindle Unlimited

#Review – Savage Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 2) by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

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There’s more to my brother’s murder than I realised…

Shadows in the halls, mysteries lurking around every corner.

Whoever killed him is covering their tracks well.

And now I’m walking a dangerous line between getting close to the four kings for information and wanting to crawl deeper under their skin for my own desires.

I can’t trust anyone.

I can’t let my guard down.

And I must keep the urges of my body separate from my heart.

But I’m starting to break all of my own rules.

I just hope I’m not falling for my brother’s killer.

I’m going to review as I read so I don’t forget anything.

If you haven’t read book 1, there may be spoilers in this review.

30% in – I’m 30% in and am liking this one a whole lot more than book 1. There’s also way more tension in this one and I’m chomping at the bit for Elise to…uh…do her thing with a few of the Kings. Or all of them. Whatever suits her fancy.

I think Ryder is my favourite and Gabriel is a close second. Ryder is broken and has clearly had some beyond horrible things happen to him when he was a kid. As someone who writes these sorts of characters, Ryder definitely owns a piece of my heart.

Elise is still trying to figure out who killed her brother and who tried to kill her as well. I also don’t like the school councilor. There’s actually not a lot of people I like at this school.

60% in – That scene between Elise, Leon and Dante? Holy moly, that was one of the hottest scenes I’ve ever read.

70%-100% – Things really started picking up from here. These ladies can definitely write some amazing action scenes. I felt like I was right there!

This series is only getting better and better and I can’t wait to find out answers to more secrets!

Can be read in Kindle Unlimited – https://amzn.to/4l87Wwl

Audio Book, Horror, Novella, Standalone

#Review – The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

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Hildur Knútsdóttir’s The Night Guest is an eerie and ensnaring story set in contemporary Reykjavík that’s sure to keep you awake at night.

Iðunn is in yet another doctor’s office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something’s not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven’t revealed any cause.

When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same — have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps.

Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .

What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?

I’ve been listening to more audio books lately while I’m walking. I’m trying to beat my yearly goal of books read/listened to. But I find longer audio books aren’t for me at the moment and it takes me forever to listen to them. So I came across some 3 hour audio books and it’s the perfect length! With that said, please see below.

TRIGGER WARNING: Animal death, specifically cats.

Now that we got that out of the way, I read a few reviews for this audio book and was nervous to start but also intrigued.

A woman randomly walks 40k steps during the night and doesn’t know why or how or where the heck she went? Sign me up!

But then I learned about the animal cruelty, cats especially and was extra concerned but I started listening to the book anyway. As a reader, can I just say that I love love love the short chapters?

I really enjoyed the narrator for this book and I also loved learning a little bit about Iceland. I will get there one day as well.

I will start by saying that I expected way worse after reading some of the reviews but I’m also thankful for them as well, so at least I knew what to expect in a way.

Maybe it’s because I read extreme horror that I could be desensitized because I’ve read WAY worse.

In this short novella, we learn about Iðunn and her what she does day to day, her friends, family and her partners and ex partners. She’s someone who doesn’t sleep overly well – welcome to the club, sweetheart – but tries to make it so she does. With some tips from her friends, she gets a smartwatch and begins her daily allotted 10k steps.

But she soon learns that she’s also walking while sleeping. As a walker/runner myself, that would freak me out. At the same time, I would be thankful for the extra steps. I would also want to know where I’m going at night and why I wake up so sore.

It takes a bit for Iðunn to figure out what’s going on with her.

I was left feeling a little confused at the end but maybe that’s just me.

Was it all in her head? Did she really experience sleep walking during the night? Was it something else? Split personality maybe?

Either way, even though I was left with a few questions, I still really enjoyed the story and I think the narrator helped with that a lot. I would totally listen to more books that she narrated and also listen to more books from this author as well.

One click – https://amzn.to/3IAXmQa

Fantasy, Horror, Novella, Paranormal, Standalone

#Review – Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

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A USA TODAY BESTSELLER • A Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Award Finalist! • An Indie Next Pick! • An October LibraryReads Pick! • 2022 RUSA Reading List: Horror Winner!

Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists.

A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company.

It’s the perfect venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding.

As a horror reader, I really enjoyed this novella. I found the writing smart and it pulled me right into the story.

Kat and her friends are spending a few days at what is known to be a haunted mansion in Japan. Personalities don’t always mesh as we find out there is some animosity between a couple of the characters.

As things progress, they have a night of food, drinks and chatting where secrets come to light and things that should stay hidden, don’t. Friendships are tested but while this is happening, the house they’re staying in has secrets of its own.

They end up coming face to face with a ghost who’s only looking for some company. Nothing wrong with that right?

One click now – https://amzn.to/4lN5BqB

Horror, Standalone, Teen & Young Adult Contemporary

#Review- You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

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Instant New York Times bestseller!

At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.

Charity has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But the last weekend of the season, Charity’s co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity’s role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they’ll need figure out what this killer is after. As they unravel the bloody history of the real Mirror Lake, Charity discovers that there may be more to the story than she ever suspected . . .

This was a fun read! I haven’t read teen horror since I was a kid. It was actually my favourite genre to read. much to my daddy’s dismay of course.

This story is about Charity and her friends who work at a camp during the summer. But it’s not your typical camp. They use it for a terror simulation that customers can pay for, which sounds super fun. Only things start taking a turn for the worse. People go missing, although Charity and others think said people just up and quit, people start getting hurt and weird things just start happening.


The camp holds a dark and dangerous secret and unfortunately for Charity and her friends, they get to find out what that secret is. Against their wishes of course.

When I got to the delicious twist, I gasped. I suck at predicting things, so it made my heart super happy that I wasn’t expecting what happened to happen.

So things come to light, people get killed, all at Camp Mirror Lake.

One click now – https://amzn.to/3IrxeHs