Sunday, August 27, 2017

Sunday Post #140: Unsurprisingly Late...



Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Friday, August 25, 2017

Review: The Dead Lifeguard (Fear Street Super Chiller #6) by R.L. Stine

The Dead Lifeguard (Fear Street Super Chiller, #6)
Title: The Dead Lifeguard

Series: Fear Street Super Chiller #6 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, horror

Publication date: June 1991

Published by: Pocket Books/Simon Pulse

Source: Own paperback

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

In too deep...

The lifeguards at North Beach Country Club know they’re lucky. While other kids are flipping burgers, they’re sunning themselves by day and partying by night. So what if some people say the place is cursed, haunted. This is the life!

And then, one by one, the lifeguards start to die horrible deaths. Someone—or something—evil is stalking them. They all know how to save other people’s lives... but who will save theirs?

My rating: ★★★★☆

No one can save her now.

Lindsay is back at North Beach Country Club for another year of lifeguarding. But someone is killing off the lifeguards—is it one of them? And weird things are happening to Lindsey on top of this. Is the place haunted? Are there ghosts here? Is she the ghost?! OMG!

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Review: Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.2) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Web of Deceit

Series: Elemental Assassin #0.2

Previous short story in this series: Poison (#0.1)

First book in this series: Spider's Bite

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, urban fantasy

Publication date: 2011

Published by: Jennifer Estep

Source: Free on author's site

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Read it for free HERE!

Synopsis:

This short story takes place when Gin is a teenager. It’s told from the point of view of Fletcher Lane, Gin’s assas­sin men­tor, and focuses on Gin’s first solo job as the assas­sin the Spi­der.

My rating: ★★★★☆

This short story is told in Fletcher’s POV, Finn’s dad and Gin’s mentor.

Eventually, every assassin needed an apprentice, a fresh face and a clean set of hands to take over and do what needed to be done—and Gin Blanco was mine.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Review: Poison (Elemental Assassin #0.1) by Jennifer Estep

 Poison (Elemental Assassin #0.1)
Title: Poison

Series: Elemental Assassin #0.1

First book in this series: Spider's Bite

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, urban fantasy

Publication date: 2011

Published by: Jennifer Estep

Source: Free on author's site

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Read it for free HERE!

Synopsis:

This short story takes place when Gin is a teenager and is told from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, Gin’s foster brother.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Finn’s POV, yay! So Finn is Gin’s foster brother, I guess you could say. She grew up with him after Fletcher, Finn’s dad, took her in when her own family was murdered. In this short story Finn finds himself in a bit of trouble, but don’t worry, Gin to the rescue!

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Sunday Post #139: Superheroes and Books



Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Friday, August 18, 2017

Review: One Evil Summer (Fear Street #25) by R.L. Stine

One Evil Summer (Fear Street, #25)
Title: One Evil Summer

Series: Fear Street #25 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, horror

Publication date: July 1994

Published by: Simon Pulse

Source: Own paperback

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

Summer at the beach and Amanda Conklin's stuck in summer school. Well, at least she doesn't have to take care of her little brother and sister. That's Chrissy's job.

Chrissy seems like the perfect babysitter — so kind and trustworthy. But Amanda soon discovers Chrissy's terrible secret. Babysitting is Chrissy's job — but killing is what she does best!

My rating: ★★★★★

Chrissy is perfect—perfectly evil.

Amanda and her family are off on vacation to Seahaven, leaving behind their home on Fear Street for the summer. But the Fear Street curse follows you around no matter where you go. And unfortunately for Amanda, not everything will be sun and games for her because, first, she has to go to summer school! Second, apparently Amanda is so irresponsible that he parents have decided to hire a nanny for her younger siblings. Enter Chrissy. Charming, helpful, evil, fun Chrissy. Oh, did I mention evil? Amanda certainly thinks so. But her parents don’t believe that sweet Chrissy actually has an underlying evil plan. So Amanda sets out to prove her theory, before Chrissy decides to do something really sinister, like IDK kill someone!

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Review: The Babysitter by R.L. Stine

The Babysitter
Title: The Babysitter

Series: The Babysitter #1 | Point Horror #5

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, horror

Publication date: December 1989

Published by: Scholastic

Source: Own paperback

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Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

From the minute that Jenny accepts the Hagen babysitting job, she knows she has made a terrible mistake.

First there is the dark and gloomy Hagen house, filling her with dread and horror. Then the crank phone calls start, and Jenny discovers a creepy "neighbor" prowling in the backyard. When she finds a threatening note in her bag, she realizes that this isn't a harmless game.

But who wants to hurt her? What kind of maniac is willing to scare her... to death?

My rating: ★★★★☆

The Babysitter was a pretty good book, overall. I was a big fan of the classic premise—recent attack on babysitters... OMG is Jenny next?!—and mystery of it all. I was also imagining Jenny babysitting on Fear Street, because that would just be the perfect setting for this! But alas, this is not a Fear Street book.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Sunday Post #138: Shoes Galore and Souvenirs!



Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Review: Come to the Cemetery (Young Adult Horror #1) + The Haunting of Hex House (Young Adult Horror #3) by Jackson Dean Chase

Come to the Cemetery (Young Adult Horror, #1)
Title: Come to the Cemetery

Series: Young Adult Horror #1

Author: Jackson Dean Chase

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: February 2015

Published by: Jackson Dean Chase

Source: Own Ebook

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Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

A weird tale of ghostly love and revenge!

All of sixteen-year-old Cara Jones's friends are dead. Their bodies were found lying atop the same grave in Duskhaven Cemetery. The coroner's report lists the girls' cause of death as "massive cerebral hemorrhage," but Cara doesn't believe it. She knows something strange and terrible is happening.

When Cara hears a voice in her head commanding her to "Come to the cemetery," she knows time is running out. With no one else to turn to, Cara asks her secret crush, Jake Rogers, for help. As they begin to put together clues, the mysterious voice gets louder and it feels like she's losing her mind...

Can Jake and Cara unravel the ancient secret before she joins her friends in death?

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Cara’s friends are all dead. They died one by one, in the same way and in the same place—the cemetery. Cara fears she’s next, so she goes to the cemetery to decipher this mystery before she also turns up dead. All with the help of her crush, Jake, of course.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Review: Hickory Dickory Dock The Ghost In The Clock (Mellow Summers #12) by Janet McNulty

Hickory Dickory Dock The Ghost In The Clock (Mellow Summers, #12)
Title: Hickory Dickory Dock The Ghost In The Clock

Series: Mellow Summers #12

Previous books in this series: Sugar And Spice And Not So Nice (#1) | Frogs, Snails, And A Lot Of Wails (#2) | An Apple A Day Keeps Murder Away (#3) | Three Little Ghosts (#4) | Oh Holy Ghost (#5) | Where Trouble Roams (#6) | Two Ghosts Haunt A Grove (#7) | Trick Or Treat Or Murder? (#8) | Roses Are Red; He's Dead (#9) | Double, Double, Nothing But Trouble (#10) | Ring Around The Rosy, Not Another Ghosty (#11)

Author: Janet McNulty

Genre: Adult, cozy mystery

Publication date: October 2016

Published by: Janet McNulty

Source: Own Ebook

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Mel receives a phone call from Detective Shorts asking her to come down to the new amusement park that has just opened. When she arrives, she learns that a man has died and the detective wants to use her ability to converse with ghosts to help solve the mysterious death. Unable to get anything, Detective Shorts sends her home.

Hours later, Mel finds herself being badgered by the dead man’s spirit only to learn that he had overheard two men planning to commit murder, but he doesn’t know who the two men are or who the intended victim is. It’s a race against time for Mel to prevent a homicide before she ends up on the killers’ list. Can she discover who the victim will be before it’s too late?

My rating: ★★★★☆

Hickory Dickory Dock The Ghost In The Clock had another intriguing mystery, which is something I always love about this series! I mean, the title tells it all: someone was found dead in a clock! WTF?! And not only that, but it looks like they were murdered! Talk about being creative. Heh.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Review: Ring Around The Rosy, Not Another Ghosty (Mellow Summers #11) by Janet McNulty

Ring Around The Rosy, Not Another Ghosty (Mellow Summers, #11)
Title: Ring Around The Rosy, Not Another Ghosty

Series: Mellow Summers #11

Previous books in this series: Sugar And Spice And Not So Nice (#1) | Frogs, Snails, And A Lot Of Wails (#2) | An Apple A Day Keeps Murder Away (#3) | Three Little Ghosts (#4) | Oh Holy Ghost (#5) | Where Trouble Roams (#6) | Two Ghosts Haunt A Grove (#7) | Trick Or Treat Or Murder? (#8) | Roses Are Red; He's Dead (#9) | Double, Double, Nothing But Trouble (#10)

Author: Janet McNulty

Genre: Adult, cozy mystery

Publication date: January 2016

Published by: Janet McNulty

Source: Own e-book

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

The circus is in town and Mel decides it’s the perfect place to take Jackie for her birthday… until one of the acrobats turns up dead.

Soon Mel finds destruction following her everywhere she goes as she sets out to prove that the woman dies not because of an unfortunate accident, but because it was murder.

Will she discover the truth before she suffers the same fate?

My rating: ★★★★☆

The Mellow Summer series quickly became one of my favorites, and this was another great installment to the series! It is just so much fun! Especially with the intro of our ghost and murder victim, a super accident-prone circus performer! It was the funniest thing ever! I loved her!

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Sunday Post #137: Bookish Shirts and More Supernatural Nail Polish!



Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Friday, August 4, 2017

Review: The Prom Queen (Fear Street #15) by R.L. Stine

The Prom Queen (Fear Street, #15)
Title: The Prom Queen

Series: Fear Street #15 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, horror

Publication date: March 1992

Published by: Simon Pulse

Source: Own paperback

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

Dance of death...

A spring night... soft moonlight... five beautiful Prom Queen candidates... dancing couples at the Shadyside High prom—these should be the ingredients for romance.

But stir in one brutal murder—then another, and another—and the recipe quickly turns to horror.

Lizzie McVay realizes that someone is murdering the five Prom Queen candidates one by one—and that she may be next on the list! Can she stop the murderer before the dance is over—for good?

My rating: ★★★★☆

She was drop-dead beautiful...

Ah, prom. One of the most fun times of a teenager’s life, right? Wrong! It turns out that someone is killing the prom queen candidates of Shadyside High!

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Review: Spirit and Dust (Goodnight Family #2) by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Spirit and Dust (Goodnight Family #2)
Title: Spirit and Dust

Series: Goodnight Family #2

Previous book in this series: Texas Gothic

Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore

Genre: YA, mystery, paranormal

Publication date: May 2013

Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: Owned paperback

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

Daisy Goodnight can speak to the dead. It’s not the result of a head injury or some near-death experience. She was just born that way. And she’s really good at it. Good enough to help the police solve the occasional homicide.

But helping the local authorities clear cold cases is one thing. Being whisked out of chemistry class by the FBI and flown to the scene of a murder/kidnapping in Minnesota? That’s the real deal.

Before the promotion can go to Daisy’s head, she’s up to her neck in trouble. The spirits are talking, and they’re terrified. There’s a real living girl in danger. And when Daisy is kidnapped by a crime boss with no scruples about using magic—and Daisy—to get what he wants, it looks like hers is the next soul on the line.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Cousin Daisy is back, and this time in her own book! We saw a bit of her and her awesome ghost-related powers in Texas Gothic, and we a lot more of that in this one!

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Review: Texas Gothic (Goodnight Family #1) by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Texas Gothic (Goodnight Family #1)
Title: Texas Gothic

Series: Goodnight Family #1

Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore

Genre: YA, mystery, paranormal

Publication date: July 2011

Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: Owned paperback

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back.

This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Amy and her older sister Phin are ranch-sitting for one of their aunts. However, they soon find themselves being haunted by a ghost in the house—and it’s not their late Uncle Burt. But not only that, the girls are also thrown into the middle of a potential murder AND a treasure hunt! Believe it or not, all of this is connected, and it was really fun to see how it all fit together.