Comanche by Brett Riley is a fast-paced western thriller about a revengeful ghost that had been murdered in 1887, but has now come back to take down residents of a small town in 2016.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

This tale centers around the ghost of the Piney Woods Kid. In the afterlife, the Kid is still extremely unsettled, but he still has his quick-draw skills that he was so famous for in life.

While his bullets don’t leave entry or exit holes, the descendants of the men that desecrated his body will soon learn that they wreak havoc all the same.

In 2016, we meet Raymond Turner who is battling some inner demons. His friend and business partner, Darrell LeBlanc, is determined to see him through to the other side. When a case arises in the town that Raymon’s sister live in where someone is killing the local residents, she calls Raymond and Darrell in for help.

Before the two leave town, they also ask Elizabeth McDowell, who has some medium-like and empathetic abilities, to come along to help.

Once they all get to town, they quickly realize that they are in over their heads, but they are determined to help no matter the cost. They just may need to bring in some more backup.

Man, these three were quite the trio! I would happily read many more tales involving these characters if the author ever chose to write more. They were each so interesting and they all had such great banter with one another. I also loved how protective they all were of one another. That was such an uplifting element to see in a novel where things quickly go sideways and the danger ramps up.

Right from the start, I was totally captivated by this book! I loved that it started out in the past and then rotated through different timelines before everything converged into present day. That gave the reader a good look at what occurred, and how we got into this mess.

And the ACTION! Oh boy. I was already quite spooked by the whole revengeful-ghost that can shoot and kill in the blink of an eye, but the way his bullets affected the body… Terrifying! But I will leave the discovery of more detail there to you if you snag this one.

The action scenes were wonderfully written and they were all so intense. I found myself sitting on the edge of our couch when various scenes started ramping up out of nerves for the characters.

I so badly wanted everyone to walk away alive and unharmed, but that was some serious wishful thinking!

My Favorite Passages
Hard living made you old. Nightmares did not help either.

If what happened at this diner was perpetrated by someone modeling themselves after the Piney Woods Kid, you might need a life jacket to float through all the blood you’ll find.

We’re family, even if you are a puckered asshole.

Percocet dulled only a certain kind of pain.

My Final Thoughts
I highly recommend going to pick this one up ASAP! It’s a gripping tale of revenge and determination that I just couldn’t get enough of.

If you enjoy intense, suspenseful reads with a western element where the old west meets the new, this one will be totally in your wheelhouse!

The Little Kitten by Nicola Killen is a cute tale with absolutely stunning artwork! If you're looking for a book for a little one that is just perfect for this season, look no further!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

So first of all, how adorable is that cover?! I had this book sitting on my shelf with the cover displayed for a couple of months, just waiting to dive in once October rolled around.

Throughout the book, the artwork is created using just three colors; black, white, and splashes of orange. I LOVE when children's books follow a simple color scheme, and the orange the artist picked here was perfect for the tale.

The cover and various pages also have wonderful orange foil that added to the overall beauty of the book. Inside the book, there are also a few pages with little cut outs that are just perfect!

From the story standpoint, this one is short and sweet. It flows wonderfully and would be great to read out loud! There's also a wonderful lesson that readers will learn by the end.

I highly recommend picking this up for your kiddo or as a gift for someone else!

Eddie & The Lizard Man by Stefan Liner and Robin Liner, Illustrated by Josef Liner is a wonderful mystery about a man with a very active imagination. However, while his imagination may get the best of him at times, he also may be closer to the truth that he originally expected!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

This is another review that I just have to begin by discussing the cover! How cool is that artwork first of all, but second, did you see the characters in each of the letters of Eddie’s name?! I love that feature! This cover certainly draws me in!

When beginning the book, I was thrilled to see that there is an illustration of a map displaying the town. I love when maps are included to really get a feel for the setting overall right off the bat.

Each chapter begins with a wonderful illustration. I always love when illustrations are scattered throughout a story! In this case with the tale being written for middle grade, I think this is an extra special feature as it helps to keep readers engaged as it continues to spark their imagination.

The story centers around Eddie Billings, an overly-curious conspiracy theorist, who never goes anywhere without his pen and a notepad with a cover that reads, My Particularly Interesting Findings.

Eddie has a job working at an antique shop that is owned by Kevin Kennedy. In this shop, he has been finding shed snake skins, but is curious because he hasn’t yet seen an actual snake. When he begins to suspect that his boss is a lizard-man and that the skins he is finding is actually from a lizard, Eddie decides to follow his boss after work. But what is his boss up to, and will Eddie get caught?

This story was so much fun to follow along. Younger readers will absolutely love the main character and his wild imagination. They will also love the mystery surrounding the boss who definitely comes across as the bad guy of the story.

Like all good mysteries, there is some sleuthing involved in which Eddie winds up in a tough spot.

I LOVED that the narrator broke in and spoke directly to the reader from time to time. This is an element that I will never get sick of seeing when it’s done in a way that keeps things interesting! My favorite example from this book is when the narrator breaks in to explain that Dog is a friend not a pet, and that Dog and Eddie have a type of communication that only they can understand. The narrator mentions that they do not have the ability to understand Dog’s accent as, “it’s simply too strong.” And, “Therefore, I cannot offer an accurate translation.” This had me cracking up!

While this one has been categorized as middle grade, I would recommend it for readers at the tail end of that age group/reading comfort level as the vocabulary here doesn’t shy away from using words that may need to be looked up. For example; countenance, compounded, bolstered, bravado, congenial, apprehension, domineering, inquisitively, vexed, and others. That being said, I think this is wonderful as the reader can also learn while enjoying a great mystery!

My Favorite Passages
So, you see the problem? They both saw five minutes in completely different ways, and anytime two people see the same thing differently, it usually means that something interesting is about to happen. And something interesting was about to happen.

For many people it is not what they can see that scares them most. Rather, it is what they can’t see. The unknown. It’s the thought of what could be lurking in the shadows or just around the corner that really frightens them.

Dog moaned again. It was the kind of moan a dog gives when he believes his friend is about to do something very foolish. Yes, it was with that kind of moan that Dog laid his head down on his paws and decided the best recourse was to take a nap.

Eddie looked thoughtfully at the shut door. It seemed to be challenging him. Daring him. Then he let out a long, breathy sigh. The kind of sigh that someone lets out when resolving to do something truly great; like committing to train for a marathon, or asking someone to marry them, or in this case, following a suspected lizard man into a scary building. The kind of sigh that says, this might be terribly frightening, but if I don’t do it, no one will. Yes, it was with that kind of sigh that Eddie mustered all of his courage and approached the door.

The man was terrifying. And since Eddie was still in the middle of remembering how to breathe, trying to answer the man’s questions with words was proving difficult.

My Final Thoughts
This is an all round wonderful read! I saw on Goodreads that this is tagged as book one. If you have a middle grade reader in your home, this is definitely a book/series to keep an eye on!

If you’re looking for a wonderful read for the autumn or Halloween season, then look no further than Autumncrow by Cameron Chaney! This collection of heartfelt and terrifying tales are perfect to curl up with on a chilly day with your favorite warm fall beverage.

While I was reading, I had just a peppermint tea that I was sipping on, but boy do I wish I had a Sinners Cider instead! When I am able to get my hands on some cider, I may have to re-read!

Each of these tales were so wonderfully written. Even the acknowledgment section was lovely and organized in a perfectly Halloween-themed metaphor that was very clever!

Cameron’s writing style just flows so well! The description is vivid but doesn’t stray anywhere near going overboard, so it really lets the reader fill in the rest of the scenes with their imaginations. He creates characters in a way that will either draw you to feel protective of them immediately or feel a little wary of them.

I loved that the main common thread in this collection is that all the tales happen in or around the town of Autumncrow. But one other element that makes itself know is the “follow me in,” which was included in most of these stories. I though that was a really interesting element that really added to the lore of the town that seemed to draw people in and keep them there.

Here are my quick thoughts on each tale-

Follow Me In – 5/5
Poetically written and heartbreakingly beautiful! What a tale to kick off this collection!

Pumpkin Light – 5/5
I loved that this was a story within a story! Another sad but also lovely tale about a woman determined to see her husband one last time.

Burnt Brownies – 5/5
Absolutely terrifying! Fire is a big fear of mine so this one really spooked me! Not just the candles being lit or the fireman… but what comes next. Yikes!

Frost – 5/5
Oh my gosh! I loved how this tale flowed. This poor kid.

Saving Face – 5/5
Oh man… when there are stories that tell you to stay out of the forest, you should always listen! And that ending!!

I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed – 5/5
God mannequins are so creepy! I loved how tense this tale was! And yet again, that ending!

CRYP-TV – 5/5
Okay, if I had to pick a favorite from this collection, it would be this one! I love that this tale begins with a dare that goes much further than just entering a crypt to be spooked on Halloween. This is such a wonderful tale!

There Are Monsters Here – 5/5
I have a full review of this one from the ebook that was released, click here to check it out!

My Final Thoughts
This entire collection was such a wonderful read! It’s very rare that I find a collection where each story is a five star, and I’m so excited that this is one of them!

I highly recommend checking this out if you enjoy horror that ranges from the emotional real-world horror, to the full-out terrifying.

Ghost Mine by Hunter Shea is a horror western that will kick you in the side with its spurs, and once you’re off and running, there’s no slowing down until you’ve reached the final page.

This is a tale that will make you feel equal parts claustrophobic, terrified, and hopeful. And my gosh, what a combination these three are!

My goodness that first chapter really starts things off with a very creepy and unsettling feeling!

While the first chapter may set the tone for the rest of the book by letting the reader know that something weird is going on, I loved that chapter two take a step back to slow things down and start our path anew.

I was so hooked the entire time I was reading this! I picked it up during my vacation and I’m so glad that I did. I would have struggled to put this one down!

I mean, the last sentence of various chapter made it extremely difficult to pause the tale. For example,

- He whispered, “Nat, tell me I’m seeing things. Are those eyes?” I looked down the tunnel and my stomach turned to ice.

- Because the sun was disappearing, and not behind the clouds.

- And then things took a mighty sour turn.

Phew! The level of suspense and bursts of full-on terror in this tale certainly kept my heart pumping! I never knew what to expect.

I also absolutely loved all of the characters. Whether they were the main characters, supporting characters, the bad guys, or just the others that we met only briefly, I loved them all!

Two of our main characters, Nat and Teta, were so much fun to follow. I loved seeing their brotherly banter. I really enjoyed that they always had each others backs and could read the slightest change in body language or facial expression with each other and then either communicate or calm the other down if needed.

Another character, Selma, was wonderful. I loved that she fit in with the two as if she had known them for years. I couldn’t help but chuckle when the men joked about “women’s work” with her and how quickly she gave it right back to them at times.

My Favorite Passages
Fear for his life was quickly overcome by wild fascination, as can only happen in the heart and soul of a nine-year-old as wild as the creatures that roamed the prairie.

You never can figure what the hell life is up to.

Half of the gin- and beer-soaked men whooped and raised their arms in victory. I watched paper money exchanged hands as they parted, the winners dropping their winnings on the bar and ordering enough booze to make walking home a high adventure.

Blood brothers, he called us. I was never sure if he meant it in the traditional sense or if he was referring to the prodigious amount of blood we’d shed together.

Growing up just shy of wild animals, we were both used to spending the night in the middle of nowhere. But even in the dead of night in the midst of some untamed prairie, the night had its own kind of music that let you know life went on while you slept.
Here, it was more like being sealed in your own coffin and lowered into the ground.

Even holding my lamp out as far as I could, it’s light was devoured by the impenetrable black of the mind. This was no place for men. This was where nightmares were stored, a place where secrets remained for eternity. I had a feeling that nature made it so alien, so inhospitable for a good reason. Everything about this place said BEWARE. COME NO CLOSER. If death had a face, this was it.

My Final Thoughts
I was so drawn into this story… everything from the action sequences to the various relationships that we saw play out, it was all mixed so well into the plot that I didn’t want the story to end!

I highly recommend this one to fans of horror westerns! Especially if you enjoy when creatures are included.

Food Fright by Nico Bell is a fast-paced tale about food and revenge. Did that catch your interest? It sure got me!

If you've got a croissant sitting around, you may want to eat it before you dive into this novella. Otherwise, you may end up side-eyeing the pastry later on...

After hearing about the brownie monster on the Dead Headspace podcast, I knew I had to dive into this one right away. This book certainly lived up to the level of bizarre food horror I was expecting!

When the story begins, we meet Cassie, a girl that just wants to fit in with the popular girls on her soccer team. But when a initiation goes sideways and merges with another event that had been going on in the school, one of the girls dies in a very gruesome way.

The surviving girls promise not to tell anyone, but when they begin to die mysteriously one by one, they realize that the ghost of their friend is back for revenge.

My goodness. Let me just tell you that the one scene with the croissant coming out of the oven will be haunting my dreams. The image of that was SO vivid in my mind. When I make another bookmark order from A Stranger Dream, I'm definitely going to have to snag the croissant!

Nico Bell has certainly created a story that I will never forget. One minute I was super anxious, then I was terrified, then I ended up laughing. I had so much fun reading this!

While reading, I also had the urge to go bake brownies... Did that happen to anyone else? :)

My Favorite Passages:
Dread flavored Cassie's saliva with a cold bitterness.

Sweet chocolate. The solution to all the world's problems.

My Final Thoughts:
This novella is such a fun read. Full of bizarre horror and teenage angst and young love. You'll be grateful that you read this one before your own homecoming dance!

Misfits by Hunter Shea is a tale about a group of teens that will do anything to have each others backs, especially after one of their own was brutally attacked.

Trigger Warning: Rape – I personally think the author handled this extremely well. While the reader clearly knew what happened was absolutely horrific and brutal, it cuts away before seeing too much of the initial act. However, this is a strong thread that continues throughout the story as you see the character still recovering.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I also had a copy preordered from my local indie. Unfortunately the order got delayed, and the ARC copy from the publisher arrived first. Per usual, this did not affect my rating in any way.

In the very first chapter of this story, we see two boys traveling down Dracula Drive on their bikes, but only one of the boys makes it back out alive… This is another Hunter Shea novel where this first chapter really sets the tone of the rest of the novel and boy was this one dark!

In chapter two, we jump sixteen years in the future and begin to meet the crew of teens that we will follow for the rest of the story. I immediately loved each of these characters! They had a good dose of teenage angst. I also found myself relating to them quite a bit. I would have been so happy to be friends with this crew when I was a teen… minus all the bad things that happen next.

From a plot standpoint, will leave that up to you to discover on your own. The only thing that I will say is that I was totally hooked and I absolutely could not have guessed at what was going to happen next. This read certainly kept me on the edge of my seat!

One last note- I had never heard of the Melon Heads before, so diving into that lore was a treat! I really enjoyed that this tale mentions a few origin story possibilities very briefly but leaves some mystery.

My Favorite Passages
They wove around thick-trunked trees bathed in almost total darkness. The thick canopy above was like a dome, keeping the real world out.
And the Melon Heads in.
She curled into herself, the icy touch of a finger slowly running up and down her spine. This was a bad place. You didn’t need to know the legend of the Melon Heads to sense that something was very wrong here.

Was it just him, or was the darkness growing, like a wine stain spreading out across a white tablecloth?

He ran into the second bedroom, his footfalls sounding like thunder, Heidi’s much lighter footsteps like the patter of rain on a cabin roof.

Vent was at the bottom, waving them on like a Little League coach signaling for his player to slide into home.

There was one good thing about fear. While it had your full attention, you couldn’t fixate on the pain in your body.

A soft breeze rattled the crisping leaves in the deadly quiet woods. It sounded like thousands of teeth chattering.

My Final Thoughts
This is such an awesome read! It’s dark and extremely brutal, but there’s also plenty of hope and friendship loyalty to keep the reader wishing for the best.

The exploring dark short fiction is a series that Eric has put together in order to celebrate modern masters of literary short fiction and give readers a glimpse into the authors work.

Being a huge fan of short fiction, I was so pumped when Eric reached out to ask if I had any interest in reading this latest addition to the series! I was especially excited because I hadn’t yet heard of Han Song.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the editor in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

In the introduction, the author mentioned having little experience with fiction from Asia but wanted to rectify that. That passage really hit home for me. I’ve just recently started watching Asian horror movies but I have yet to read much from the region. I definitely have to change that as well!

Next, we were on to a biography of Han Song which was short but very sweet. I couldn’t wait to dive into his work after this!

Next up, a slew of stories from Han Song! In between each story, there were wonderfully spooky illustrations created by Michelle Prebich.

Per usual, here are my quick notes on each one-

Earth Is Flat - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 3/5
Interesting! I have never seen a tale centering around Christopher Columbus like this. This was certainly a bizarre tale and I definitely couldn’t have guesses where it was going to go!

Transformation Subway - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 3/5
Oh my good lord. This was truly a nightmare! I’m petrified of subway trains and such things to begin with because they’re in tunnels. Add onto that a crowded train, let alone one as packed as this one... but a train that goes on and on for ages not stopping and seeming to go through darkness?! No thank you! This story just kept getting more and more bizarre as it went on.

The Wheel of Samsara - 4/5
Oh man, if only we could just leave other cultures alone and not feel the need to go in to dissect and change them at our every whim. The idea behind this one was really interesting and I liked that there was quite a bit of mystery.

Two Small Birds - Translated by John Chu - 2/5
I’m personally not a huge fan of magical realism to begin with, so this one was a little confusing for me. Reading the note afterward was super helpful! But this one overall was a bit over my head.

Fear of Seeing - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 4/5
Oh goodness, this was unnerving! What would you do if your baby was born with too many eyes?! This one just got more and more out of hand as the story continued.

My Country Does Not Dream - Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD - 4/5
As someone who has had issues with sleepwalking in the past, this one really freaked me out!

Next up we have an article titled Why Han Song Matters by Michael Arnzen, PHD & In Conversation with Han Song. I loved these two sections! They added more insight into the stories we had just read and then helped the reader get to know the author a bit more.

Lastly, there is an essay by Han Song titled Sending Chinese Science Fiction Overseas: A New Dialogue, translated by Nathaniel Isaacson PhD and then a bibliography of Han Songs works!

My Final Thoughts:
This was a great introduction to a new-to-me author! While I enjoyed the read and I LOVE the idea behind this series, these stories we're super up my alley as I struggle with sci-fi. Even so, I had a great time reading them!

I highly recommend checking this out if you're into sci-fi, magical realism, and when both of those things are mixed with horror!

A Bright Enchanted Suffering by Eric LaRocca is a novella that contains two amazingly distressing tales centered around horrors that happen right in plain sight during the bright light of day…

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

I had previously posted a cover reveal of this book, and let me tell you… It’s quite amazing to see it in person as well!

The writing style that Eric uses for each tale is wonderful. The text has such a lyrical quality to it, which is a fun element especially considering the level of darkness inside each story.

Another thing that I really loved about these tales was that in a very short time, Eric was able to create characters that, as a reader, I was immediately drawn to.

You’re Not Supposed To Be Here – 5/5
Oh my goodness, what a terrifying plot! In this one, a gay couple with their six month old son are forced to play a game… and what a doozy of a game it was!

Right from the beginning I was uneasy. That feeling only got worse and worse as the story went on. Then we’re hit with the reveal and phew! What a real world nightmare!

This is one of those stories that makes you question what you would do if you were in the position of these characters… I’d like to think I would do whatever it takes for my loved one, but I’m also a really bad liar so I’d be in trouble there.

From this tale, I loved this line: My husband had always said that if I were a flower, my stem would bend even if there wasn’t any wind.


Where Flames Burned Emerald As Grass
Another absolutely terrifying tale! In this one, a man and his daughter are on vacation. While relaxing by the pool one day, these two are about to learn that the not all friendly faces should be trusted.

When I finished this one, I jumped up and started pacing. What was fabricated and what was a prediction of fate?!

Ugh, the splinter scene had me cringing… and snakes?! No thank you! What a heartbreaking tale!

My Final Thoughts:
I highly recommend preordering a copy of this ASAP if you enjoy tales about horror that is very “real world”!

Halloween Season by Lucy A. Snyder is such a great read for October and especially for Halloween! I’m so glad I was able to pick this one up in time.

Each story was so much fun to read! I loved that there was a wide variety here that really showed off the authors range.

Here are my thoughts on each story-

Beggars’ Night – 4/5
Ooh what a powerful and spooky poem! I love the thought of everything changing for a just a moment.

Hazelnuts and Yummy Mummies – 5/5
I absolutely loved this one! Like A Christmas Carol, but Halloween-Ghost related and SO much better!

Cosmic Cola – 5/5
Woah, how creepy! I love tales about cults and how quickly this one punched the reader with intensity was nuts!

Visions of the Dream Witch – 5/5
Oh my gosh, give me a full book about these two cousins banding together on various adventures, or one all about the grandmother and her granddaughter! I loved these characters so much! What a spooky tale. I loved the scenes in the swamp as well. What a terrifying situation.

What Dwells Within – 4/5
The magic in this one was awesome! Being dumped into the short story, you kind of just had to roll with it without getting much information. But this didn’t hold the story back at all. The plot played out in a very suspenseful way and I couldn’t wait to see how everything turned out.

The Porcupine Boy – 5/5
Woah! Not that is definitely going above and beyond to support your clients. I did not see that coming. I loved this tale!

In The Family – 4/5
Jesus! Sibling rivalry is always a trip, but this one was wicked intense. And that ending!

The Kind Detective –
This one wasn’t for me.

A Preference for Silence – 3/5
Oofh! A short and sweet tale that certainly hits home for me! I totally understand being driven crazy by someone snoring! Ha!

Wake Up Naked Monkey You’re Going To Die – 2/5
Brutal, but I’m not quite sure what was happening here.

The Great VüDü Teen Linux Zombie Massacree- 4/5
Oh boy this one was fun and bizarre! I love any zombie related tale, but add in a technologically reanimated badger?! This one ruled!

The House That Couldn’t Clean Itself – 5/5
This tale was equal parts disgusting and hilarious! I want a house cleaning robot! But I’ll take one that wasn’t custom coded by a college bro please and thank you!

After Hours – 5/5
A wonderful poem and a warning that the next two tales are rated R!

They Toymaker’s Joy – 3/5
Oh my, I was not expecting that! This one made me giggle.

The Tingling Madness – 3/5
Whoa this one took quite a turn!

My Final Thoughts
I highly recommend snagging this as soon as possible! It’s a great read for the season, but it will bring you Halloween cheer all year round!