I don't read non-fiction. Going through my Goodreads list finds precious few. (Half of those were required "positive thinking" reading by my boss...Excuse me while I hurl.) If I'm going to choose a non-fiction, it has to be something that invokes my curiosity and that thing is usually something morbid, like Ebola, or death, or graveyards. 😸

When I was a child, I loved to read books about all the spooky things. One book that has stuck with me throughout the years is "Alone With the Devil: Famous Cases of a Courtroom Psychiatrist".
It was published in 1989.

I was 11.

My mom told me much later in life that she used to be slightly worried because I had such a strong interest in all things grim and gruesome. I'm almost 40 now, but nothing's really changed.
I still love all the ghastly things, but why?

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These five novellas span time, following a locket that is passed along from story to story. The first two are set in a historical period, while the last three are contemporary. Each story has a different spin on how the romance develops between the two main characters.

Heritage of Love fell flat for me. It's set at the Chicago world fair in 1893, and revolves around the prejudices of the time. The characters and their stories sounded interesting enough, but seemed a little two-dimensional. It was also a case of love at first site, so that may have diverted my interest. I would have liked to be more invested in this story, but it didn't happen for me.

By Any Other Name was adorable. I liked that this story built onto the first one, following the second sister and her experience with the locket. I enjoyed the matchmakers in this small western town and the efforts of the sheriff to avoid them. A case of mistaken identity leads to a happily ever after. This was more of a practicality growing into true love story. The secondary characters really help make this story so delightful!

Forget Me Not switches to a contemporary story of an antique store's owner and the lawyer who has been sent to evict her. The characters were charming with an unexpected tie to the past. This was a sweet story and probably my favorite. I loved both of the characters personalities and their interactions. A satisfying love story!

The Lost Locket introduces us to two characters who aren't looking for love but find it anyway. Neither of them have love on their radar but sometimes love can't be denied! Cute story and I enjoyed the characters having fun together.

Winning the Fireman's Heart launches us into the story of two very good friends who have not been so lucky in love. Their story follows them as they realize that their true love has been right in front of them the whole time. Witty dialogue and a humorous incidents!

Great summer read! Sweet and innocent romances aimed towards Christian readers!

I expected this book to be tolerably mediocre. Pretty but somewhat generic cover art, non-specific title, blurb plot that seems familiar. That's not a very sparkly assessment when beginning a book, is it? As readers, we understand that it's simply too much to expect that every book is going to be a 5/5. Sometimes, we just hope that it's a 3. We can settle for a 3.




As long as it doesn't end up like this, right?

The Night Crossing happily contradicted that initial impression!

Beginning in 1895, archaeologist Mina is in the Carpathian mountains racing to procure the perfect shot of an incongruous Egyptian Sphinx before a storm hits. They race to take cover in a cave to ride out the storm, only to discover a skeleton cradling a mysterious golden box. The story then jumps to London, where Bram Stoker presides over the Lyceum theater. On his walk home, he happens upon match girl, Lucinda attempting to throw herself in the Thames river to drown. These three characters are from different walks of life, yet somehow their stories are then masterfully woven together in a journey fraught with danger and adventure, to triumph over evil.

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In the middle of the woods stands the Door.
No one knows what it is or where it comes from.
All they know it what it does.

For generations, the townspeople of Zarepath have passed down the knowledge of the Door and the rules of use: Write a letter for what you want. Go at night, alone, and pass the letter under the Door. Wait 3 days for it to come to pass. It may not happen exactly the way you are expecting, but you only get to use the Door once so make it count. And most importantly, Never, Ever, Open the Door.

It's the perfect premise for a horror novel because as we know, protagonists in horror always do exactly as they are told. *eye roll* For Kari, mourning the loss of her young daughter to suicide, the wish doesn't go as planned, and she opens the Door to try to take it back. Just like Pandora's box, all the evil is released back into this world.

Thanks a lot, Kari.

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I love Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. It's been four years since "Skin Game" was published. Four LOOOONG years. If you've read any of the Dresden Files, Harry Dresden has a certain je ne sais quoi that no other character manages...until now.

Snarky with a sarcastic wit, Chase Lawter is the "defiler of dimensions"; that's a lower case d. You'd think this sounds like a prodigious title, but alas, no, it's completely an insult. Chase wields "dim" to form and store boxes in between dimensions, and he's the only one that does. He has made a business, Black Box, Inc.., out of doing so. His merry bunch of misfits consists of Lassa, the handsome omnisexual shaven yeti; Sharon, zombie business manager extraordinaire; and Harper, savage, ex-fae assassin. This is actually the second book in the series, but as the title says is a standalone ass whompin'. No prior experience needed.

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This is the third book in the Eden Hunter trilogy. This series was originally released as Sunshine and Scythes. I'll admit I'm kinda sad that the author didn't leave it under that name. It's snarky, just like Eden Hunter.

While I have read D.N. Hunter's Ruby Calloway books, this is my first foray into the world of Eden Hunter. Coming into a series late in the game is always a crapshoot. Hopefully, the author writes in such a way that you don't need to read the previous books, but you just never know. Luckily, that was the case with Soul Bite. Reading Soul Storm and Soul Fire certainly would have helped, but it wasn't necessary. You pick up the story along the way.

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When we first met Mercedes, she is in a Paris fashion bouquet. We learn that she is the hostess of said shop, owned by her husband, Eric. We quickly discover that she has a gift or rather, a curse.

It's not an ability that others would understand, so she keeps it hidden away. She is also guilt-ridden that she has such an ability as she feels it's not natural. However, she is grateful for it because it allows her to continue to keep the company of her daughter, Danielle, who is no longer among the living.

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"It wasn't so much the blood on the floor that Becky minded, as the way it kept coming back."

Boy, that doesn't waste any time getting your attention, does it?

I have visions of poor Becky up there scrubbing that stain, a la Lady Macbeth: "Out, out Damn Spot! Out, I say!"

Set in Victorian England, the story is told from Becky's POV. First, there's the blood stain in Miss Abigail's room that keeps coming back no matter how often she scrubs it. If that's not eerie enough, weird scratching noises are heard inside the room when there's no one inside. Then a wax doll suddenly appears and then unexplainably disappears when Becky tries to prove its existence to others. The servants start acting strangely. Then they start dying.

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I had never heard of Luanne Bennett, but you can bet this won't be the last I read by her!

The main character, Katie, is a dragon shifter, which is not a new premise in urban fantasy, but the author somehow brings something fresh to it. It's a quick read with characters of dimension and complexity. She gives you enough of their history to peak your curiosity.

Read the rest of my review at Cats Luv Coffee