#Review – Scream For Us: A Dark Halloween Novella (Order Of The Unseen #0.5)

*Top 30 Amazon best seller*
*Best of Booktok*

Good girl Quinn didn’t expect her night to turn to mayhem once she stepped into a legendary Halloween party. After needing a quick rescue from a stranger, she finds herself locked in a captivating game of infatuation with three masked men. Her one demand? The game ends at dawn.

As desire collides with danger, how much can Quinn take before the sun comes up? Will her condition of only one night be enough? Or will her masked men leave their mark?

DISCLAIMER:
This novella contains little to no plot.
For the longer version with plot, please proceed to Bloodshed.

Reading this novella is not required in order to read the rest of the series.

Scream For Us contains mature and graphic content that is not suitable for all audiences. This is a Dark Romance/Thriler/Horror, Why Choose Novella. Please check trigger warnings at the beginning of the book before proceeding.

Oh boy this book was fun. I’ve been on a Halloween dark romance kick and I’m so glad I came across this one. What’s better than one masked man? Three!

Quinn is a good girl and ends up at a Halloween party. She meets three men all wearing masks of serial killers from famous horror movies. Ghostface, Jason and Michael. She meets Ghost first and he protects her from the very start.

She vows to only have one night with him, which ends up being the three of them. Why choose right?

I’m sure she feels like she’s gotten in a little over her head, especially when the guys find out that she was bullied and hurt by people a few years before. Bloodshed happens but that doesn’t stop Ghost and Quinn from…um…enjoying themselves.

If you’re looking for a novella about three hot masked men, a heroine who brings them to their knees and basically no plot but all the smut, this one is for you. And better yet, it’s centred around Halloween! Best holiday ever!

I will definitely be reading the rest of this series. I’m dying to know what these guys are about, where they come from and why they are the way they are.

One click here

#WOTR25 #AttendingAuthor #AuthorInterview #EventSponsor – Nicole Craig

Nicole   Craig

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

Nicole Craig – I’ve been writing since 2020, but did not get published until 2024 due to working full-time as a teacher. Now I’m retired and loving that I can sit behind my computer all day to make stories happen. I’m married for 28 years to The One, and we adopt geriatric and special needs cats. I’m a bowler, I do community theatre, I’m a huge Milwaukee Brewers fan, and, of course, I love to read!

How did you hear about this event?

Anna Blakely talked about the event in 2023, and in 2024 I attended as a reader.

How many years have you attended?

1 (as a reader)

What genres do you write?

Protector Romance / Romantic Suspense

What is a book of yours you wish more people read?

“Good Enough” is my debut novel, and it’s a first in series for The Deadman’s Tribe.

What is one fun fact about you?

I was peed on by a rhinoceros. I fell in the dolphin tank at SeaWorld. I was bitten by a monkey in Honduras. Take your pick. I should not be allowed around animals.

What are your social links?

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092491410648
Reader’s Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/3624387751170522
FB Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/nicolecraigauthor/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nicolecraigauthor/
Website – https://nicolecraigauthor.godaddysites.com/

What are you buy links?

Writersontheriver.com

#Twinsieoftheday – Astraeus (The Oceanstone Initiative Book 1) by Haley Havanagh

Astraeus (The Oceanstone Initiative Book 1)

One pre-apocalyptic Earth. One desperate space mission to find a solution. One unexpected alien.

When Dr. Sakota Thorell signed onto the mission to scout out a new, habitable planet, she knew discovering extraterrestrial life was always a possibility. But she never expected to find an alien adrift in space, nor for that alien to be so intriguing. Sakota feels an instant and undeniable attraction to Astraeus, but he represents a million possibilities, and just as many threats.

There are others hunting Astraeus, and his rescue may cost Earth its last hope.

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Brandy

I received this book for an honest review.

This is an interesting one. A science ship is in space looking for a new planet as earth is dying. First
contact with an intelligent alien species starts by finding him floating in space still alive. The medical
doctor wants to study him, the head of security wants to use his own methods to get answers. Astraeus
has a few tricks up his sleeve though, and nothing is exactly what it seems.
The doctor manages to get her way, but just barely.
Sakota
must find a way to get answers and quickly.
As she learns more about the alien, she gets more and more drawn to his story. Of course, nothing is
straight forward as Astraeus doesn’t know who to trust, and there is danger in the depths of space, and
it is coming.
There is a bit of romance, but not a lot and no adult content. The ending is a bit edge of your seat as you
wait to see who will survive, who will make a valiant last stand, and who gets taken out. There is some
violence towards the end.

Haley Cavanagh is a military veteran, wife, and mother. She is a multiple award-winning and best-selling author and the two-time recipient of the League of Utah Writers Silver Quill Award in 2020 and 2024. Haley is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and she loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley resides with her family in the United States and enjoys spending time with her husband and children when she’s not writing. She loves to hear from her readers and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

#Review – No Place To Hide: A Dark Romance Novella (Havoc’s Playground Book 1) by Harper Ashley & Wren Hawthorne 

Blair
All I wanted was one night.
A simple night of fun with my friends at the carnival.
I didn’t know I’d spend it learning things I never knew about myself.
Every twist and turn of our game brings us deeper into our desires.
But what’s a little pain if it’s mixed with unimaginable pleasure?

Jackson
All I wanted was one night.
A simple night of peace doing my job.
I didn’t know I’d spend it pushing the boundaries with a girl I just met.
The stakes get higher the longer the game goes on.
For the first time in my life, will only one night be enough?

No Place To Hide contains mature and graphic content that is not suitable for all audiences. Please check the content warnings at the front of the book before proceeding.

Oh man, now this is the book I’ve been needing to pull me out of whatever this slump thing is that I have going on here.

While this was a novella, it felt like it was longer. The authors did a fantastic job of that. Sure, I want more but that’s only because I’m greedy. *cough cough* Jackson. *cough cough*

So we meet Blair who is at a carnival and is looking for some fun. She needs some changes from her regular good girl life. She no longer wants to be this picture perfect princess.

Well…in comes Jackson to save the day.

Jackson works at the carnival and is this quiet, grumpy, ex-con. When these two meet, the sparks fly instantly.

Things quickly heat up and they end up playing a game of Hide & Seek. Sounds super innocent right?

This is definitely one of the hottest novellas I’ve ever read and I really can’t wait for book 2 to this. I need to know what happens.

This novella, although it’s short, does come with some possible triggers, so please read with caution. Your mental health matters.

Also, I read this novella just before Halloween, so it fit the season perfectly.

One click here

#WOTR25 #AttendingAuthor #AuthorInterview – Lila Fox

Lila Fox

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.


My name is Lila Fox. I started writing books several years ago. I’m still shocked people want me to write more. LOL, I live in a farmhouse in the country with the nearest neighbor, who is 1/2 mile away. It’s my own piece of heaven.
I have grown children and a husband who puts up with my late nights. I plan on continuing to write as long as I can or as long as people enjoy the stories. I do better writing without TV or music. Maybe it has to do with my ADHD.
Some hobbies I have are horseback riding, gardening, hiking, scrapbooking, and, of course, reading as many books as I can.
Being with my family and animals makes me the happiest, but writing makes me pleased in another way.
At the moment, I am writing several books at the same time. I go back and forth when I get stuck on one. I’m not sure how I don’t get confused.

How did you hear about this event?

A friend, Nikki Leigh, got me involved and I’m glad she did.

How many years have you attended?

2024 was my first year.

What genres do you write?

Erotic Romance

What is a book of yours you wish more people read?

Gosh, that’s hard. I have published 80 books so far and I can’t pick just one.

What is one fun fact about you?

A few things about Lila
*She writes erotic romance
*She loves her family
*She loves animals
*She loves writing and reading
*She hates horror movies
*She is allergic to alcohol
*She has insomnia

What are your social links?

Linktree- http://linktr.ee/Lilafo

What are you buy links?

Writersontheriver.com

#Twinsieoftheday – The Gathering Dark (Quest of Fire Book 1) by Brett Armstrong

Jason is an expert at running from his past. But when it catches up, he finds himself hiding in a peculiar inn listening to a tale from centuries past.

The story is Anargen’s, a teen who is pulled from all he loves to follow his oaths of loyalty to the fabled King of the Realms. Together with his mentor, Cinaed, he rides north on a special quest to mediate peace talks between ancient foes—the men of Ecthelowall and the dwarfs of Ordumair. Nothing goes as planned. Many on both sides of the dispute despise Anargen’s Order. Worse, an arcane evil has returned to the North. This “Grey Scourge” seeks to ruin the peace talks and ensure a lost treasure held by the dwarfs is never found by those for whom it is meant.

As Anargen’s story unfolds, Jason begins to wonder whether it is truly just a fable. He soon finds himself drawn into the conflict Anargen faced. A battle which has shaped and can destroy his world.

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Brandy

I received this book for an honest review.

This story is good, it just didn’t have me gripping the edge of my seat. The world building is excellent,
and things were really brought to life for me. There are histories, cultures, myths, and old grudges. If you
are the type that need a good hook at the very beginning, you may have trouble getting into this one at
first.
Jason is trying to get out of a rainstorm when he takes shelter at an inn and gets drawn into a story
about Anargen. Anargen is a young man who has just become a knight with 3 of his friends when they
are forced to leave suddenly for a quest that they know little about. The lack of details leads to a lack of
trust. This lack of trust causes some very unfortunate events. When monsters from children’s stories
become reality, they must find a way to survive. Past and present collide in a way that by the end I was
interested in seeing what happens to Jason as he learns that some stories are built on truth no matter
how fantastical it sounds.
There is lots of violence. These boys are fighting for their lives, and the story reflects that. There is no
adult content, and really very little of a romantic interest. These boys are in too much trouble for that!
The story does have some references to sword fighting positions and specific pieces of armor. Not
enough to distract, but I do need to look a couple of words up.

From an early age, Brett Armstrong had a love for literature and history. At age nine, he combined the two for his first time in a short story set in the last days of the Aztec Empire. After that, writing’s role in his life waxed and waned periodically, always a dream on the horizon, till he reached college. At West Virginia University, he entered the Computer Engineering program and spent two years pursuing that degree before an opportunity to take a creative writing class, for fun, came along. It was so enjoyable, he took another and in that course he discovered two things. The first was the plot for a short story called Destitutio Quod Remissio, which the others students really seemed to love. The second, he realized he absolutely loved writing. For him, it was like the proverbial light bulb coming on. In the years since, describing that epiphany has been difficult for him, but he found the words of 1924 Olympian Eric Liddell are the most eloquent expression for it: “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” God gave Brett a passion for writing, and so feels His pleasure when writing.

After a few years passed, Brett got his Computer Engineering degree, but also completed a minor in each of his real passions: history and creative writing. In 2013, he began graduate school to earn an MA in Creative Writing. During that time he completed the novelization of Destitutio Quod Remissio and entered the 2013-2014 CrossBooks Writing Contest, which won the contest’s grand prize. As of March 2015, Brett completed his MA and is presently employed in the West Virginia Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology as a programmer analyst.

Brett lives in Saint Albans, West Virginia, with his beautiful wife, Shelly. In the summer the pair gardens together, and each day Brett continues writing his next novel.

#WOTR25 #AuthorSpotlight #AttendingAuthor #MajorEventSponsor – Tricia Andersen

Tricia Andersen

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

My name is Tricia Andersen. I am a romance writer with a whole lot of genres. I am from Iowa where I live with my husband, my kids and my dog, Kinnick. I love to write, sew, quilt, spend time with my family and advocate for girls and women’s wrestling.

How did you hear about this event?

I am a multiple year participating author and am super excited to see everyone at Writers On the River Year 10!

How many years have you attended?

2025 will be my 7th year at Writers on the River.

What genres do you write?

I write Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Greek God/Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, Fighter Romance, Fantasy Romance, Friends to Lovers Romance, Historical Non-Fiction and Sci-Fi. I also have children’s picture books under my pen name, Lynette Andersen

What is a book of yours you wish more people read?

I love Thistle Tattoo. The relationship between the main characters is amazing and the story pulls you in. It’s a friends-to-lovers, slightly military, small town romance.

What is one fun fact about you?

I used to kickbox and I have a third place medal in jiu jitsu. I was a member of an MMA gym for nearly 10 years. Oh, and I am gluten sensitive.

What are your social links?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553635529386&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tricia-andersen-417f29c4-149e-4b78-b4ca-ec6e04f0ace2
Twitter: www.twitter.com/triciaandersen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricia_andersen_author?igsh=MWZ1MW1iMHcwZGI0cg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@triciaandersenauthor
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/triciaandersen

What are you buy links?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tricia-Andersen/e/B005M6NCBG
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3Zatd0m
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3Mv8cpS
Audible: https://bit.ly/3AQsMyo
iBooks: https://bit.ly/3TeMg5T

Writersontheriver.com

#Review – Something Wicked by Jenika Snow

Being wicked never felt so good…

Born from hate and violence, Lathan knows all too well what darkness feels like. He’s centuries old, and an abomination to the supernatural world. With a vampire father who forcibly took Lathan’s werewolf mother as his own, Lathan’s hybrid genetics make him feared by all.

Abbi has no one and nothing of importance in her life, but that doesn’t stop her from living. When Lathan feeds on her and tries to use compulsion to make her forget, she realizes he isn’t just a vampire, but something altogether different. He’s also her mate.

This is a previously published work. It has been revised and edited for Evernight Publishing.

I’ve been reading mostly horror novels this year but I was in the mood for something short and hot. Gotta get those Goodreads numbers up to hit my yearly goal.

So I decided on this one by Jenika Snow. I’ve read quite a few of her books and they’re always the perfect palate cleanser between those longer books. Now that the weather is getting colder, her books are definitely what I need to keep my nights warm.

Something Wicked is about a vampire but there’s a twist. He’s also part something else that has turned him into quite the monster. He bonds instantly with Abbi and she has absolutely no issues with that. The supernatural world is also known to humans, which I always find fascinating when I read about that in books. Kind of reminds me of True Blood.

Like most novellas, I do wish this one was a little longer, so we could get more backstory but that’s a me problem.

This one was hot, short and delicious. Perfect for those colder nights!

One click here

#WOTR25 #AuthorSpotlight #AttendingAuthor #EventSponsor – Evelyn Sola

Evelyn Sola

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

Evelyn Sola

A Boston native, wife, mother, and wine enthusiast. If she’s not writing, thinking about writing, you will find Evelyn with a book in her hands. While a new publisher, she’s been writing for years, and she will continue to write for many years to come.
Evelyn is obsessed with assertive and confident men who will stop at nothing to get their woman. Her stories are filled with love, passion and humor.
She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and two daughters.

How did you hear about this event?

From author Darie McCoy, who attended in 2024.

How many years have you attended?

0

What genres do you write?

Contemporary romance.

What is a book of yours you wish more people read?

Cherish

What is one fun fact about you?

I can’t ride a bike and I’m scared to death of heights. So much so, I can’t get past the third step on a ladder.

What are your social links?

FB – https://www.facebook.com/evelyn.sola.374

IG – https://www.instagram.com/evelynwriteseveryday/

TT – https://www.tiktok.com/@authorevelynsola

What are you buy links?

Amazon link — https://www.amazon.com/stores/Evelyn-Sola/author/B0855QJGYX?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Writersontheriver.com

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