Below by Laurel Hightower is a deeply unsettling and terrifying tale of a woman who was dealt blow after blow while on the road, trying to get to a girls weekend.

I’m obsessed with Laurel’s work. When I heard she was doing a story about a cryptid, I couldn’t wait. Then to find out it was my favorite?! I was sold.

The book blurb asks readers: “HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO HELP A STRANGER?”

My answer before reading this book:
Probably way too far. I’m too nice, too trusting, and helping people is my go-to in any situation.

My answer after reading this book:
Not far at all. If I saw a winged creature and then something tragic happened, zero attempts would be made to help. I would be out of there so quickly. No thank you!

PHEW, this book!

How awesome is that cover art by Trevor Henderson? The creature itself is incredibly eerie, then add in that shadowy background?! I also love the text used for the title and author. The crack through the letters adds to the creepy feeling. This cover definitely captures the tone of the story!

And speaking of the story; I am going to be very brief here as you just need to experience it yourself!

Laurel does a killer job getting readers to think things may actually go well, right up until they don’t… I so wanted our main character, Addy, to make it to where she was going.

Of course, that doesn’t happen. A terrible accident changes the course of her evening and her life. Unable to just drive away, she tries to go help the driver. But from the second the accident occurs, she is forced to deal with one horrific thing after another.

You may want to have all the lights on while reading this one!

I made her promise to keep an eye out for anything that might touch me, so she saw this stick and tried to tell me. ‘Watch out for’ was as far as she got—as soon as she said anything I screamed and levitated out of there. I swear I ran on the surface, which leads me to believe maybe Jesus was also terrified of water.

Addy never let herself rest, always worried about the next deadline or obligation, but that feeling of urgency melted away like whipped cream on hot chocolate.

She kept opening and closing her mouth, trying to find purchase on anything that made sense, that could help her put this night in perspective, but there was nothing. Reality was a far distance in her past, and she had no idea how to get back to it.

She shouldn’t have been able to see, not in that complete absence of light, but when she looked down into the water that lapped at her chest, white eyes looked back at her from beneath.

She should be afraid, but the fear couldn’t make itself heard above the anger.

Below is just too darn good. After reading this, I could not stop thinking about this story. I wanted to keep living in that post-read unsettled feeling!

Don’t miss out on the horror within these pages. Go preorder Below from Perpetual Motion Machine today! Bonus: Pre-orders will receive signed signature plates from the author!

Baggage by Simon Paul Wilson & Matt Wildasin is a brutal and fast-paced story filled with guns and monsters that will violently rip your heart out before putting it back inside with a little “there, there” pat!

Join this crew of misfits as they come together to battle demons both in the real world and in their minds.

When this tale begins, we meet a man named Matt Wilson who ready to die after the devastating loss of his wife. But to make matters worse, he didn’t just lose his wife to an accident, sickness, or crime. He lost her to a monster. A real monster.

Matt Wilson is demon hunter and he blames himself for not saving her.

Next, we meet a group that consists of a woman, an older man, and a teenager. And as fate would have it, these three also hunt demons.

When their paths cross, the group of four is off to a horribly rocky start when it comes to friendship; punches are thrown, lies are told, and guns are drawn. But this group is about to have to put their distrust aside to band together to fight a rot demon. But of course, the rot demon isn’t the worst that they’re going to face.

First things first. I cannot wait for readers to experience this story and understand why the cover art is a ton of bullets! What wonderful cover art work by Matt Wildasin!

The action here was so well done! Starting very early on, the only “downtime” readers will get between the action and the blood and guts are super suspenseful sequences that still have you on the edge of your seat!

I loved getting to know these characters. I was rooting for each of them throughout the story and kept getting so nervous when they ran into the latest monster.

And speaking of monsters, I had a blast learning more about what evil beings were in this world! Each one was more terrifying than the last. And let me tell you, the line up of monsters at the end will be haunting my nightmares!

Seeing as we are all singing off the same hymn sheet, a shaky truce is agreed upon.

While hags are definitely not something you’d want to wake up and find staring at you from the bottom of your bed, they do have a quality I like: bullets hurt them. Empty a full clip into a hag’s hideous face and they won’t be bothering anyone anytime soon. This info pleases me; I like it when things can die and stay dead.

The demon retaliates, taking a swing at me. A wall of razor-sharp black talon-like nails slashes the air in front of my face. The air current produced by the attack reeks; the fiend smells of sulfur and decay. I back bend to dodge the assault, nearly pulling off the pop-culture favorite ‘Matrix lean,’ but manage to pull the trigger at the same juncture. The blast from my firearm knocks me backward into a row of pews.

“The Cadaverous are a demonic sect who revel in pain and death. They’re not interested in ending the world, or anything like that,” I pause for a moment to let this bomb sink in, then I keep going with the info dump. “No, these guys just want to cause as much suffering as possible. They get their kicks from carnage, and they’re good at creating it. And, as you’ve just found out, they can’t be killed.”

Besides, all I really want out of this whole exchange is a fucking cheeseburger.

I feel tears beginning to pool at the base of my eyes and I struggle to choke them back as I swallow what feels like razor blades down my throat. I know, I said I was going to tell these folks everything, but my love for my wife is indescribable. It isn’t just a feeling, but an invisible force that, when pressed against the skin, felt of silk. Her essence, her very presence was something otherworldly. Being with her felt like every day mattered and the sun that rose in those years was only for us.

Let’s make one thing absolutely clear here: men can cry. If anyone disagrees with this, they need to drop all that toxic masculinity bullshit and woman up, or fuck off. I don’t mind which.

What a journey these characters went on! From start to finish, this was a treat to read. This is another book that I highly recommend picking up on a day off. If you try to put it down after one intense scene, you won’t stop thinking about what could happen next and your fingers will be itching to pick it up again!

I highly recommend this book! And while perfect as a standalone, I can’t help but hope for a follow-up or a couple of prequels. I’m just not ready to let these characters go!

I love Samantha's writing, but this one was a bit too much for me as I can't read about toxic relationships and obsessive people. I unfortunately had to DNF.
 
LOVED these two passages:

If our marriage did get worse — if he ever did decide to graduate from fist to knife and cut me open — all his secrets would come tumbling out. 

 

There’s an interesting thing about life – you can justify anything to yourself if the desire is great enough. 

Smokes of Death Beer by Shana Frost is a quick murder mystery about a young woman on vacation that winds up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

All Nina wants to do is get away and enjoy the town of Bamberg that she is vacationing in. While wandering the town, she stops into a brewery, called Schlenkerla, for a Rauchbier to quench her thirst. When two men ask if they can join her, she’s a bit unsettled, but doesn’t see the harm.

Later, when she stumbles across a dead body, she realizes that it was the body of one of those men! Panicked, and not wanting to be a suspect, she flees. She can’t imagine anyone had seen her, but doesn’t want the killer to come after her if they were still nearby.

When she’s contacted by a detective, and then gets a threatening phone call, she realizes that she is in way over her head.

Partnering up with the detective, the two brainstorm to try to figure out who the killer is.

This tale didn’t hold back! We were off and running right on the first page, and the action didn’t let up until the very last page.

Someone shouted behind them, and glasses clinked as a waitress thudded two Rauchbiers down in front of them, sloshing the brown nectar over the rims to join the ancient stains on the wooden table.

This was so fast-paced and fun! I definitely recommend picking it up when you can dedicate an hour or so to read straight through! You won’t want to set it down.

I can’t wait to see what Nina gets up to next and whether or not she crosses paths with the detective again!

When Wilt Thou Die by Shana Frost is an exclusive novella that falls between book one and book two of the Aileen and Callan Murder Mysteries Series.

While short and sweet, this one packs plenty of mystery into the pages.

When this novella begins, a woman has died after falling from a second story. But did she fall, or was she pushed?

When Aileen and Callan come together to look into the case, they quickly learn that the woman who had passed wasn’t the most popular around town. But who would want her dead?

Then Siobhan, Aileen’s beloved grandmother, begins receiving threatening gifts… Can Aileen and Callan solve the murder before the murderer attacks again?

I loved how quickly we got right into the thick of things with this case! The death itself was definitely a spooky one, thinking about how easily it could have been an accident. I’m clumsy, so I always get nervous with heights, thinking that just one wrong move could send me following in this woman’s path.

But when a clue was found that made it clear this wasn’t an accident, that’s when things really kicked into gear.

Her gran placed a firm hand over Aileens heart, “Use the anger to protect you to find the killer. But keep all that emoition away from yer brain, eh?”

I had a blast with this quick story! I thought it was wonderful to learn more about other townsfolk as well as Siobhan herself as we got to see her really engaged with Aileen rather than just being on the phone or seen during a quick visit like in the books.

If you’d like to read this novella, you can snag a copy via Shana’s website. And when you read this series, make sure to read all the way to the end of each book! You may just find links to other short stories that give you more insight into these characters lives!

When Red Mist Rises by Shana Frost is the fourth book in the Aileen and Callan Murder Mysteries series. And phew, this one was packed with danger from beginning to end! 

When this story kicks off, Aileen learns that her best friend’s nephew, Andrew, hadn’t made it to work at the bakery. As this was very out of character for him, Aileen goes to look for him. She ends up finding him in shock, kneeling over the dead body of his friend. 

Shortly after that, Andrew goes missing. But that’s not the only scary thing going on! The body of the man found in the bog was being identified, there was a poisoning, and someone tried to take Aileen out with their car as she was walking! But are each of these things connected, or are there multiple cases to solve here? 

This book was just filled with twists and turns, each one a bit more scary than the last! 

Aileen was really put to the test with this one. Through it all, she stayed calm and brave. She focused on her determination to make things right and solve the case before anyone else got hurt. 

But my goodness, even though I loved seeing Aileen in action, I also felt just like Callan, as I was so worried about Aileen getting herself into more trouble!

Some chocolate eclairs and her worries would vanish. 

There were no other cars on the road. It was just them in the middle of nowhere, armed with purpose. 

What a wild ride this one took us on. The suspense was so strong! I really enjoyed how impossible this case seemed right up until the final piece came into play.

I cannot wait to see what’s next in book five! Stay tuned, the book is expected to launch in April of this year. You can bet I have that sucker already preordered!

When Birds Fall Silent by Shana Frost is the third book in the Aileen and Callen Murder Mysteries series. In this book, Shana really brought the suspense and foreboding feelings to the forefront! 

When this tale begins, we find that a short lull has fallen over the town. But it won’t be that way for long! 

Aileen is back to focusing on her inn and the guests. But when a rather strange guest arrives, Aileen’s detective senses start to tingle. 

Meanwhile, an old missing persons case is reopened. The missing person had been Callans’ friend. 

Soon, both characters are in way over their heads. But per usual, they are determined to push forward to solve the case! 

There was plenty of action here, and a lot of sleuthing! I kept getting so nervous that Aileen was going to wind up in a tricky spot again. But thanks to her self defense training from Callan, she was more confident in her strength which was awesome to see! 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the stubborn streak each character had going in this book! You could see them slowly dropping the act. This made the ending that much sweeter! 

Birdsong drenched Loch Fuar's verdant moors in a calming blanket, and the sunshine wove a golden curtain of cheer, though everyone knew such weather in Scotland could fizzle out like an unattended candle by the windowsill. 

She wasn’t stress eating – more like keeping herself happy. Chocolate always boosted her spirits. 

The night held its breath – no bats, no wind rustling the leaves. 

They strode over to the front door, and the aromatic scent of cinnamon made his stomach protest.
Aileen hooted with laughter. “Is there a GPS in your stomach? Anytime you’re near a kitchen, it growls.”

He snatched the go-cup from the tray. The coffee woke him like firecrackers on a silent night and softened the grumpiness his face held. And with it, the puffiness of sleep vanished. 

My goodness I am just so in love with this series! I have been having a blast getting to know the characters more as they grow into themselves and let some of their walls down. 

The mystery here was certainly a dark and twisted knot, but with Aileen’s help, Callan was able to unravel it just in the nick of time! 

I highly recommend checking this series out! 

When Eyes Don’t Lie by Shana Frost is an absolutely wonderful follow up to When Murder Comes Home. 

However, in When Eyes Don’t Lie, the author moves away from the cozy mystery vibe into more dangerous and action-packed! Just like the first book, this was just so hard to put down! 

When Aileen is going about her business one stormy night, she sees a light. Thinking it is either someone that needs help or a bunch of teens not making the best life choices. When she realizes they’re in a building on the property of the inn she owns, one that could fall any minute, she goes to make sure they’re okay. But when she opens the door, she finds a body hanging from the rafters. 

The police from the next town over that reported this woman missing are quick to rule it as a suicide to close the file. But Aileen and Callan aren’t so convinced. So of course, they go off to investigate unofficially.

These two get into SO many scary situations during their investigation. Needing many stitches, and even winding up in the hospital, the two continue to try to figure this case out before it’s too late.

The pacing of this story was incredible. It starts right off with a tense situation followed by horror, and it doesn’t let up from there! Scene after scene is as unsettling and action-packed as the next!

I loved seeing Aileen and Callan work together while also being drawn closer together romantic relationship-wise. The relationship has been such a slow burning thing, it’s wonderfully refreshing that they didn’t dive right in! And their banter with one another is hysterical! I love that he calls her a nerd, and she calls him a big oaf.

I cannot wait to see where things go in the next book!

The moonless night cried like a wolf, causing goosebumps to rise over her skin.

The staircase was as black as the Earl of Hell’s Waistcoat, thanks to the overcast sky outside. The scuttle of scampering feet belonged to mice that raced in the darkness.

Uneasy, Aileen smiled back at the man. She had had too many human interactions today. Her insides itched to run back into the safety of her inn.

He tried going home to get some rest, but it was a futile attempt. Heavy pouches hung under his eyes, and his hair stood in all directions as if he’d been electrocuted.

Another killer book from Shana Frost! I really enjoyed how much grit this one had. This one certainly came out of the cozy mystery vibe and became more of a suspenseful crime mystery! I had such a blast while reading!

When Murder Comes Home by Shana Frost is a very thrilling mystery set in a renovated inn in the Scottish Highlands that will keep readers guessing!

When Aileen Mackinnon, a brilliant forensic accountant, packs up her life and moves back to a town she used to visit when she was younger to help out with the inn that her grandmother owns, she is shocked to find it in rough shape. She won’t let this ruffle her feathers too much, however! She quickly learns that many people in the beautiful town along the shores of Loch Fuar in the Scottish Highlandstown not only remember her, but they want to come help her get the inn in working order.

When most of the inn has been redone, Aileen has her first opening weekend to fill the rooms that were ready! As the guests start to arrive, she constantly worries that she’s not doing a good enough job, but continues to try her very best.

Other than one very rude guest, everything seems to be going very well! That is, until one of the guests is murdered…

I loved the pacing of this story! In the beginning, I was so invested in Aileen and her quest to restore the inn! When the first guests arrived I was nervous, but kept rooting for the main character.

Everything was going so well, I forgot that we were in for a murder mystery! So when the first guest is found dead, I sat up a little straighter on the couch and kept reading with new intensity.

The characters were amazing. I loved Aileen, her best friend, Isla, and the detective/love interest, Callan. There were also many side characters such as Aileen’s mother, other cops, and of course, all of the guests, that came into play as well, and each of them brought their own fun to the story.

The mystery side of the tale was so wonderfully done. I had no idea what was coming by the time I got to the reveal at the end, though now looking back, there were plenty of little hints dropped along the way!

One more quick note, this book has a short Scottish Glossary at the beginning. I LOVE this being placed in the front of the book because I hardly ever think to flip to the back to see if there’s a glossary until I hit it when I’m done with the story! Thank you, Shana, for doing that! 

Squaring her shoulders, Aileen picked up her detailed list. Lists could always be counted upon.

The day had turned out to be as pleasant as the morning: birds sang the tunes of spring, verdant trees swayed in the light breeze, and in the distance, Loch Fuar shone like a mirror beneath the cerulean sky.

She rubber her fingers over the dull ache in her head. When would she learn to handle emotions: not just hers but others as well? They simply drained her empty.

“We never have enough time with the ones we love the most. There’s no time to waste. And you must enjoy every moment.”

This was an all around fun mystery that kept me totally glued to the pages. When I picked it up one afternoon, I couldn’t put it back down until I had finished it. I then immediately went to purchase the second book as I cannot wait to see what happens next! So stay tuned for my review of When Eyes Don’t Lie!

This is one I would recommend to fans of cozy mysteries!

We Can Never Leave This Place by Eric LaRocca is a heartbreaking and vicious novella about a teenage girl that keeps getting dealt blow after devastating blow. This is unlike any other story I have ever read.

This is a story that you really just have to experience for yourself. I will keep my notes below very high level.

There are things in this tale that hint at what’s to come, but you’ll have no idea what is actually happening here until the author drives the point home. With one instance of this, I literally gasped out loud, finally connecting the dots…

This tale will lead you on quite the path! At times it seems totally bizarre, almost like a fever dream, but once you hit the last scene, it all falls into place.

When I finished reading, I jumped up and had to take a lap around our house. I couldn’t believe how brilliant a lot of the foreshadowing was.

And my gosh, this poor girl. She lived through so much terror… I don’t know how she managed to hold herself together as well as she did.

From baby teeth to virginity, to live is to regularly suffer loss.

The memory screeches at me like a newborn, a reminder that usually teases my mind when the television has been cranked up loud or when I notice a small spider circling a bowl of sugar in the kitchen. Little things that take me back to a certain time and place – the life from which I had once run away.

…my mother explained, scrubbing my fathers body violently as if she were attempting to remove the bullet holes in his chests – something she would never be able to do. 

It felt so peculiar to be left alone with him, as if I were in the presence of some strange, sleeping deity. The trouble was no matter how much I yelled or cried, I knew he would never wake.

I couldn’t help but notice how there were new lines growing about my mouth and wrinkles set in the corners of my eyes, as if I had somehow been touched by something that had robbed me of my youth. I knew exactly what it was – death.

I cannot recommend this one highly enough! I had an absolute blast reading it, but it was also heartbreaking and so unnerving.

If you enjoy reads that you can get totally lost in, but that will make you super uncomfortable and nervous as you eagerly await what will happen next, then this is a book for you!

Thanks for reading!
And thanks again to Eric LaRocca for giving me the honor to beta read this story!