Paranormal Thriller Review: Twelve Spirits of Christmas (Tessa Lamar Novels, #2) by Kathryn M. Hearst

Twelve Spirits of Christmas (Tessa Lamar Novels, #2)
by Kathryn M. Hearst


Description:
Two amazing men. A serial killer. A Christmas to remember.

Tessa Lamar is dreading her first Christmas without her beloved grandfather. They say the holiday season brings out the best and the worst in people. This year, it’s brought out a serial killer, who chooses his victims based on the carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

As Tessa comes to terms with her life as a Nunnehi, the Cherokee equivalent to a fairy, she finds herself in cahoots with a ghost to stop the Christmas Killer before he strikes again. She must wrangle her magic, manage family responsibilities, juggle the men in her life, and discover the person she was meant to be, in order to save…

Seven Swans a Swimming - Eight Maids a Milking - Nine Ladies Dancing - Ten Lords a Leaping - Eleven Pipers Piping - Twelve Drummers Drumming.

Twelve Spirits of Christmas is the second of the Tessa Lamar Novels, Paranormal Romances with a Southern twist. If you like Southern humor, supernatural creatures, and a healthy dose of romance, then you'll love this series. Be sure to check out Kindle Scout winner, The Spirit Tree, to read the beginning of Tessa’s journey.


My Review:
This is a solid sequel to The Spirit Tree. Not exactly a Christmas story, though it’s definitely caught up in that holiday by nature of the killer’s theme.

I think what I liked best was the romance. It’s one of those where you can’t figure out who should end with whom, and it plays out in a way I didn’t expect.

Besides that, the thrilleresque vibe tickled my fancy. I enjoyed the paranormal edge and the race against the killer’s progress through the song. Very well done.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to folks who like a good thriller, a bit of romance, and a healthy dose of the paranormal. Fans of romance with non-traditional twists will likely enjoy this as well.

I purchased my copy of this book.


About the Author:

Kathryn M. Hearst is a southern girl with a love of the dark and strange. She has been a storyteller her entire life, as a child, she took people watching to new heights by creating back stories of complete strangers. Besides writing, she has a passion for shoes, vintage clothing, antique British cars, music, musicians and all things musical (including theater). Kate lives in central Florida with her chocolate lab, Jolene; and two rescue pups, Jagger and Roxanne. She is a self-proclaimed nerd, raising a nerdling.

The Order of the Sinistra Dei is her first series and includes titles, Feast of the Epiphany and Feast of Mercy. Kate's novel, The Spirit Tree, won a publishing contract with Kindle Press through the Kindle Scout contest. Her short stories have been published in various anthologies.

Visit Kathryn's website for more information.

Author Links:
http://www.kathrynmhearst.com/
Goodreads
Twitter @kathrynmhearst
Amazon

YA Review: Lakeside by Amanda Linehan

Lakeside
by Amanda Linehan

Description:
Badminton, Trivia, Evil Spirits. Welcome to Lakeside...

Seventeen-year-old Jemi is the new girl in town. Again.

After moving with her mother to the town of Lakeside, Jemi finds herself thrown into a busy life with new friends. Amid an array of new activities, she volunteers to clean up the town lake and its surrounding park, which is rumored by superstitious locals to be controlled by evil spirits.

When her project is sabotaged by a jealous classmate, Jemi is ready to throw in the towel. But with the help of her friends, an eccentric millionaire, and an array of memorable townspeople, Jemi takes back her project and learns that sometimes the way to success is to hang on and let go.

Because in Lakeside, there’s always more than what meets the eye.


My Review:
Jemi just wants to get in enough community service hours to graduate. Instead she finds herself heading up an impossible project to bring to life Lakeside’s embarrassing namesake.

The story is all about finding strength in yourself and following your vision, even when you feel inadequate to the task. Jemi feels real in how she, as a teenager, handles a challenge that quickly becomes more than she expected. Even so, there is a glimmer of the paranormal and a small hint of romantic interest, just enough to up the complexity and interest in the story.

Besides that, I’d have liked to know if there were some background behind the spiders. They seem to be linked to the spirits Jemi learns about, but why?

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I think folks who like reading about teens who overcome obstacles would like this book, while readers who expect more than a glimmer of the paranormal may be disappointed.

I received the review copy of this book from the author.


About the Author:

Amanda Linehan is a fiction writer, indie publisher and INFP. She has published three novels and a couple handfuls of short stories. Her short fiction has been featured on Every Day Fiction.

She lives in Maryland, likes to be outside and writes with her cat sleeping on the floor beside her desk.

Links:
Amazon
Goodreads
Twitter @amandalinehan
Author Site: http://amandalinehan.com/


Other books I've read by this author:

Cozy Mystery Review: Here Comes the Witch by Ani Gonzalez

This is my stop during the blog tour for Here Comes the Witch by Ani Gonzalez. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 7 till 20 September. You can see the tour schedule here.

Here Comes The Witch (Main Street Witches #1)
by Ani Gonzalez
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 7 September, 2016

Blurb:
Jewelry designer Kat Ramos has come to Banshee Creek to break the famous Hagen House curse and, in order to do that, she must marry Liam Hagen. A vengeful ghost with a deadly history isn’t part of the deal, and neither is love. Will Kat be able to handle both? Or will the mystery of the cursed Hagen House remain unsolved?

You can find Here Comes The Witch on Goodreads, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk.


My Review:
Here Comes the Witch is pegged as a romantic, cozy mystery. Kat arrives in town to complete her end of a deal that will both fund her long-wished-for jewelry shop and put an end to a generations-old curse on an old house. The only catch is, she has to marry a complete stranger and live in the house with him for a year. Still, it’s worth it if it will make her dream come true.

First off, in my opinion, this isn’t really a cozy mystery. Instead, I’d call it a ghost story with romance, or maybe a cozy ghost story, if such a thing exists. Still, the history behind the haunting is rather mysterious so maybe that’s where the cozy mystery tag comes from.

The book’s a fun read: humorous, scary and romantic in turn. Quite unique. There is an element of the occult, if you couldn’t guess by the cover and the title, but it fits right in with the ghost story. Not only is the house haunted, but the whole town is, and they’ve made it a tourist draw. I thought it added an amusing flare to the story. But the town’s phenomena are mostly benign, whereas the ghost (or ghosts) in the house seem anything but. They’re downright scary. Then add in Kat and Liam’s sham of a marriage getting a little more real than either expected, and it’s quite an interesting mix.
Overall, I loved this story and would strongly recommend it to folks who love a good romance with some magic and a few angry ghosts thrown into the mix.

I received the review copy of this book from the author via Lola’s Blog Tours. This review was written for my blog, I read too much!


About the Author:
I write paranormal romantic comedy and cozy mystery (whew, that's a mouthful!) set in Banshee Creek, Virginia, The Most Haunted Town in the USA. My books feature feisty funny heroines dealing with a host of paranormal critters (ghosts, cryptids, pagan gods...the sky's the limit) and mysteries. They find magic, love and laughter and readers get to follow them every step of the way.

I love quirky towns with spooky stories, and, thanks to my books, I get to "live" in one year-around. In real life I live in a Minneapolis suburb (which is sadly lacking in ghosts) with my husband and three children and I'm still trying to adjust to the cold.

You can find and contact Ani here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Newsletter

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Here Comes the Witch. These are the prizes you can win:
- Custom Jewelry (US Only)
- a 25$ amazon gift card (International)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Novella Review: Cat's Paw by Rustin Petrae

To wrap up October's short and shortish book theme, there's no better way than to end with a ghost story.

I picked this one up on Amazon during one of its free days.  I'm a big fan of the author's Book One: Dragon and looking forward to the newly released Book Two: Roc, set in the world of Purga.  I won a copy of Book Two: Roc by answering a trivia question about Book One, but it is still on my to be read list.  I'm looking forward to it.

Cat's Paw wasn't exactly what I expected when I picked it up, but it was a good read.

Good and scary, enjoy!

Cat's Paw by Rustin Petrae
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A ghost story with a twist.

Tad is fifteen the year Vicki Campbell is murdered. Neighborhood parents are afraid, but Tad and his friends, while worried for Vikki, are more interested in breaking free of the extra restrictions imposed to keep them safe from an unknown predator. On the way to a pickup game the kids are organizing to break the monotony, Tad has his first run in with the cat.

While this story features a young boy as the main character, isn't a kid's story. The subject matter is scary, and both his experiences and the ultimate outcome are somewhat graphic. Also, the story seems to be told from the perspective of a fifteen year old, though the main character seems to be reflecting on a long-past memory. The language used is simplistic, and the dialog is filled with juvenile bravado and insults. Still, I enjoyed the quick read and the surprising, yet disturbing, twist.

Cat's Paw is a reasonably entertaining ghost story, though not for those who are easily disturbed or offended when the horrors are portrayed realistically and in detail.

View all my reviews