Come one come all for some holiday horrors! This is a really fun anthology filled with holiday horror stories based on winter solstice traditions around the world. These are short and sweet and perfect for little horrors for the winter time.

*Thanks Netgalley and Titan Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

When your hot neighbor whom you've been sorta stalking turns out to be a hitman who is also stalking you cuz he's into you...this holiday season is about to get crazy, and theres also the tiny teeny fact that someone put a hit out on you. Elliana is an ex-Marines explosives expert who hates Christmas. Her favorite thing to do is to watch her sexy neighbor through her drone while he has knowingly started putting on strip shows and more for her. Yet when she finally musters up the courage to talk to him after a year of watching, she stumbles in on him mid-murder. Theo is a hitman, he kills bad guys, and he also has a huge crush on the hot blonde next door that's been watching him. Theo loves Christmas and what better Christmas gift this year than to finally talk to his sexy neighbor...except she accidentally stumbles in on him mid murder of a bad guy... but she doesn't narc so he still has a chance right? Things take a turn when Theo discovers someone put a hit out on Elliana and decides now is the perfect time to get to know her. Now they'll both have to work together to figure out who wants to kill her and also finally face the year of stalking each other to see if they really do have a shot at romance. This is a short and funny rom com with a bit of holiday fun and morally grey shenanigans. Great for anyone looking for a quick funny holiday rom com.

*Thanks Netgalley and KR Press, LLC for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A hopeless romantic soon finds herself in the middle of a terrible game: King's Cup, in which boys track points of how far they can go with girls.... so she invents Queen's Cup to get revenge, the only problem is she's not sure whether or not her new boyfriend is participating in the game. Alyson is a hopeless romantic, some might call her desperate, for a boyfriend. When she is rescued at a party by her handsome new english partner, she think's its a sign that her luck is changing. Riggs is everything she could ever want, a hot lacrosse captain who is not only sweet but the perfect boyfriend. The only problem is that she's stumbled upon a sexist game that the boys in her school have been playing, a game called King's Cup, in which boys tally and track points to see who has the most sexual prowess. Alyson and some other girls come up with a game of their own, Queen's Cup in which the girls will reclaim their power. Yet the longer the game goes on the more Alyson begins to question her relationship with Riggs. Is he just playing her or is he actually a good boyfriend? This was a bit of a hard one to get into for me. It was a young adult feminist mystery but it just kind of fell flat for me. I wasn't that invested in Alyson as a protagonist and the mystery was meh at best. Honestly, it just didn't live up to the potential that I thought it could have had and it just felt a bit juvenile and one dimensional with the bad guys. Overall, it just wasn't for me unfortunately.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A story inspired by the Slavic myth of Rusalka, the undead water dwelling entities, but in this one it centers around a all female pirate crew who have no memories of their past and a twisted love story steeped in vengeance. The Scylla is a ship filled with an all female pirate crew. Jaq and her fickle lover Lily exist in an endless present, but when a man comes aboard the ship, everything goes wrong as Lily takes a fixation on him and he snatches her from Jaq's arms. The more the memories of the crew begin to come back the more revenge seems to call to them. This one was a mixed bag for me, I was expecting a cool horror sapphic pirates romance and what I got was an all over the place kind of boring toxic relationship. Jaq is obsessed with Lily, Lily doesn't really care much for her. Their relationship doesn't really make sense or have any solid grounding in it. The ending was meh at best. The writing style was interesting but the actual plot felt lackluster to me. Unfortunately this one did not live to up to the expectations I had.

*Thanks Netgalley and Brigids Gate Press. LLC for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Labyrinth meets folk horror in this dark romantic story about a girl who wishes her baby brother away to the Lord of the Wood but now must get him back. Leah is from Winston, Pennsylvania, raised in a town where all girls have to be "good" and holy. If you aren't the Lord of the Wood will take you and you'll disappear like many other girls before. Yet living with such rigid standards has its costs and having to look at her baby brother every single day, his screaming, his crying, the constant toll, she just wishes he would disappear... and the Lord listens and takes him. Now the town forces Leah to go to the Lord's domain and get her brother back and if she doesn't she'll die. The town's people already hate her and are more than happy to send her to her death, all they want is her brother back. Yet when she ventures into the Lord's domain she never expects to meet a handsome man, a welcoming and kind community, and the fact that everything she's ever been told about the Lord of the Woods might be completely wrong. He offers her brother back in exchange for a song, and she has one month to write it... yet she begins seeing the ghosts of previous girls who were here, who were said to have been freed, and soon she begins to uncover the dark buried secrets of her hometown and who the monsters truly are. This was a really atmospheric gothic read and I do enjoy a twisted hometown mystery and the fact that there is a Labyrinth twist? I can't resist it. This was a really great read and makes for the perfect book to read in the autumn/spooky season!

*Thanks Netgalley and Page Street Publishing, Page Street YA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A psychological mystery about a girl who is dealing with the death of her brother and feels like she can see and hear ghosts.... and has become the number one suspect in her new coworker's murder. Neely can see ghosts, she's haunted by them, from the little girl under her bed to the man in her closet... and now to her brother who has recently died. Her family has a history of mental illness and when her brother committed suicide, Neely is still reeling from everything. She decides to take a new job as a tour guide in the caverns of Ohio, it'll help keep the ghosts away. There she meets Mila, a gorgeous, strong, and kind coworker who becomes close to her. Yet one day Neely's hallucinations escalate at a staff party after she takes some drugs... only to then find Mila's brutally murdered body. Now Neely is the number one suspect but her memory is vague and her grip on reality is tenuous at best. She has to figure out who the truly killer is, even if it means its her. This was such a unique murder mystery because our narrator is so unreliable and her grip on reality is slipping. She barely knows whats going on and she can't be relied on to give an accurate account, which only makes the mystery so much more fun to try and figure out. I loved how odd and weird this one was, and the mystery was a fun one. Definitely recommend for fans of mystery books with unreliable narrators!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A new horrifying adventure awaits for retired soldier, Alex Easton when they return to their home country and are faced with more death, monsters, and mystery. Alex is fresh from the ordeal at the Usher Manor and wants rest but has to do a favor fo Angus and Miss Potter that requires them to head back to their home country, Gallacia,.They were meant to stay at their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold damp forest... but what was suppose to be a relaxing stay soon turns into something else as Easton discovers their caretaker is dead, the grounds are a mess, and the villagers believe there is a monster that has taken up residence in Easton's home. Yet Easton's dreams are slowly being invaded... and something is haunting them and now they'll have to figure out what it is and what new horror they are to face. This was a slower burn read compared to the first one but it definitely had a cozy horror vibe to it, something that really makes it a good read during the autumn/winter time. I do adore T. Kingfisher's writing style and the gothic and horror atmosphere they create is really well done. I can't wait to see where the next book goes and what fresh hell awaits Easton next.

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Trying to find your dead mother's body at the horror themed summer camp that your serial killer father use to go to is a lot for a summer camp counselor. Temple Baker is the daughter of the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer who marked each of his victims with a brand and he was convicted of murdering 20 people. He told temple that he was possessed by a demon but no one believed him. Yet now people are still dying in the woods while he is behind bars... Temple never believed he killed her mother but he did confess to that crime while on death row and now she wants to find her mother's body and prove it. She decides to become a camp counselor at a queer horror themed camp for girls... all so she can get access to the grounds her father use to use and where he said her other's body is.... yet girls start appearing dead and dying in the same way her father's victims were killed.... Temple is afraid that her dad has a copycat killer yet the more she digs into finding the truth the more she's beginning to realize there are more monsters in those woods than she ever realized. I love queer horror novels and this one sounded really fun, unfortunately it just kind of felt all over the place for me and I just found myself disconnecting from the story. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't work out. Temple's character was hard to connect with and to root for. I really wanted to but I just couldn't. The story arc starts off interesting but by the 45% mark it gets kind of off tracks and then is all over the place. The ending felt meh at best to me. I still do recommend this for fans of horror novels because its interesting and maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A gothic faerie tale featuring a magician pretending to be a victorian governess in order to solve the mystery at the heart of Witchwood Manor while dealing with monsters... both fae and human alike. Throw in a dash of romance, a stolen young lord, a tricky fae pretending to be a butler and a protective familiar cat and you get a absolutely fantastic read. Winifred Hall is hired to be a governess to a spoiled young lord as a favor to an old friend, a friend who just happens to be living in a manor that is said to be haunted and cursed by the fae. Winifred is actually a magician herself and is beginning to realize that the magic and curse surrounding this manor is much darker than she realized. When the young lord is kidnapped, she'll have to delve into the dark fae realm to get him back and the games are only just beginning. The more she pries into the truth of the manor the more she is realizing that this is a very complicated knot and that she'll have to rely on her wits to try and make it out. It doesn't help that there is the very dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr. Quincy, who is hiding so many secrets behind his charming smile, is the one person she'll have to help her navigate the fae realm of Witchwood Knot... There's a price for everything when it comes to the fae and what price will Quincy ask of Winifred? I have to say I fell absolutely in love with this book. I cannot wait for the next books and to see where Winifred and co go. Winifred was a wonderful protagonist, she used her tricks and wits to get by and after everything she went through she was still strong and resilient. The romance was very soft and sweet and I just adored the relationship between Quincy and Winifred. I also have to say Ollie, my sweet sweet boy, a true star in this book, a familiar cat after my own heart. This book was the perfect mixture of gothic romance and fairytale! I can't wait to read the next book!!!

Spoiler

Winifred was sexually abused (forced to kiss her older male employer) until she summoned the Lady of the Hollow who took her under her own wing and vanished said abuser. Winifred knows she is blueblood but has no recollection of her family or her true name. She grew up as the ward of the Lady of the Hollow and of Lord Socrcier (hint at the previous 3 novels). She knows Lady Longell (owner of the Witchwood manor) and the lady knows that Winnie is a black magician and can help with saving her grandson. Mr. Quincy is a formieg, a separate entity from faeries and lives off of blood and iron (things faeries fear). He was bond to serve the Lady of Mourningwood but wanted to save some of the people of Witchwood Manor as best he could. Winnie and Quincy fall into a romance, a sweet and gentle one. When Quincy is forced to take Robert by his lady lord, the Lady of Mourningwood he does (he inadverdently saves him from being killed by lord Longfell) Lord Longfell is the reason the faeries are cursed in Witchwood and he killed his own mother and was going to kill Robert, he made a deal with the other formeieg, Quincy's brother Secundus who was freed when a drop of Lady Hollow's blood fell onto the earth (Quinct had saved and freed the Lady of the Hollow when she was a young child trapped with the Lady of Mourningwood). Secundus wanted revenge against the faeries and thus is the reason why there are no faeries in London (he is also the reason the Lady of the Hollow has disappeared and why Winnifred is trying to find a way to free her). Winnie gets back Robert and Quincy kills the Lady of Mourningwood, making him the new Lord of Mourningwood. Quincy and Winnie take Robert as their new student and Winnie now is set to free the Lady of the Hollow who was trapped by Secundus all the while the Hollow lady's husband (lord sorcier) lays asleep beneath the hollow land which is now taken over by Tritia (Quincy and Secundus's sister who has also been freed). Now they'll have to find a way to trick Quincy's siblings and free the faeries).

*Thanks Netgalley and Starwatch Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A con artist who makes her living as a fake medium finds herself in over her head when she begins seeing an actual ghost and now has to help him break the curse on his family... except said family member is a hot grumpy farmer who sees right through her and wants her off his farm. Gretchen Acorn is a fake spirit medium and has become one of the best at her job. She has only one rule though: to leave her clients better off than when she met them, thats so she can be different from her father, a horrible con man, Gretchen might take money from people but she's adamant that they're happier when she's done. Gretchen isn't a bad person, but she's not exactly a good one. When Gretchen's client pays her to help a friend she can't help but say yes, what was suppose to be an easy pay day is ruined when she finds out that Charlie Waybill, the friend she was suppose to help isn't an old man on a farm but rather a very hot farmer who is unconvinced Gretchen can communicate with the dead. Yet Gretchen is in for the surprise of her life when she actually begins seeing a ghost, this time the con isn't fake and she is really communicating with a ghost. The ghost is related to Charlie's family and tells Gretchen that she has to help him break the curse on their family and to save Charlie. How can she save Charlie when he wants nothing more for her to get away as far as possible. Now Gretchen has to find a way to convince Charlie that the curse is very real and that she can actually communicate with him. Gretchen won't leave so Charlie offers her a deal: she'll work on the farm for a few months in exchange for room and board, that'll give her enough time to try and save Charlie. Yet the more time they spend together the more the feelings between them begin to grow. Gretchen is about to face her biggest challenge yet: being her true self and possibly opening her heart up. Can she break the curse before it's too late? This was such a cute and cozy autumnal/spooky romance vibe book. I love a fun con artist story with a touch of ghost. Charlie and Gretchen were really cute, despite how much they thought they were different, they had so much in common and cared so much about each other. This was a really cute feel good read and I had fun with it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*