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Book Review: Dirty Tricks Box Set (Bullies of Brentmoor Academy #1 – #4)

February 27, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: Dirty Tricks Box Set (Bullies of Brentmoore Academy #1 – #4)
Author: Ryan Ramsay
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Reverse Harem
Rating: 2 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Read the entire series that Amazon reviewers have described as being “well written,” “very entertaining,” with “great characters,” “lots of surprises,” and steam so hot that it’s like “a bunch of chili peppers!” -From reviews by Amazon Users ILikeBooksBest, Amber Johnson and Kindle Customer.

Brentmoor Academy is where ultra-rich kids go. And now, to my surprise, it’s where I go too, thanks to surprise tuition the celebrity father I just found out I have sent me after my mother died. I thought dealing with grief was enough to nearly kill me. But now I also have to deal with the most popular and elite students who make up Brentmoor’s infamous “Council” relentlessly bullying me because they don’t think a poor girl like me belongs here, no matter who my father is.

But three of the Council guys are hot, and I swear they have a crush on me. Scruffy but studly Sebastian is a rebel from old money, nerdy-cool Braxton didn’t even need his billionaire dad to get him in because his grades were so stellar on their own, and handsome Harrison is the musical bad boy son of a rock and roll star.

These three guys might look down their noses at me, but I can’t help noticing that they’re staring at my curves while they do it. And even though they kind of take part in the cruel jokes, it seems to be in a teasing way. Or is it that they’re even trying to help me?

It’s hard to know what’s really going on since Brentmoor and its elite lifestyle are like a whole new world to me and I’m not part of these guys’ inner circle. But it starts to become abundantly clear that they want to be in my, um… inner circle… all three of them, at once, in fact.

I decide to use one of them to get back at the rest of the members of the Council, especially the mercilessly catty female students. But it’s hard to decide which one of the three guys to choose, and from the way they’re all fawning over me together, I’m starting to wonder if I even have to.

Am I doomed to live alone in the hell that is Brentmoor forever?
Or can I get revenge, pleasure and maybe even love, with 3 bad boy bullies at once?

This box set contains the complete Bullies of Brentmoor series: Dirty Deeds, Dirty Secrets, Dirty Lies and Dirty Love. Note: These books are about three damaged alpha males and the feisty, curvy female student who stands up to them until they’re all on their knees begging to please her! The set contains mature language and scenes, including high heat steam, and potential triggers related to bullying. Although there are some cliffhangers in the individual books, everything is resolved by the end of this complete series collection, for your binge-reading pleasure.

Dirty Tricks is a box set featuring the complete Bullies of Brentmoor series: Dirty Deeds, Dirty Secrets, Dirty Lies and Dirty Love.

Technically, this book seemed to have all the elements I usually enjoy in contemporary romance reverse harem books: heroine doesn’t have to choose (therefore, reverse harem), bullies, enemies-to-lovers, extremely wealthy people who can fly to the other end of the country on a whim (which always reminds me of Gossip Girl, one of my favorite series).

Unfortunately, although the book should have been right up my alley, I didn’t enjoy it that much. It’s actually a DNF for me, since I gave up right after Dirty Secrets.

The heroine is such a push-over that it isn’t even funny anymore. People can torment her all they want, but if they also happen to be hot, she’ll decide to forgive them in a millisecond and go to bed with them because she simply can’t resist their charm. Uhm, no. I’m all for enemies-to-lovers and the attraction that can occur between people who hate each other, but it’s not even that here. It’s like all of her animosity just vanishes in the blink of an eye because a hot guy wants her. No matter what they did wrong.

Most of the girls are mean girls. Stereotypical, standard mean girls, without any reason whatsoever for being so. The romance wasn’t very believable either. For example, one of the guys tells the heroine that he loves her but it’s totally out of the blue. They haven’t even interacted up to this point besides some glares. Sure, Edward Cullen, sure. The dialogue was also quite childish at times, and none of the characters seeemd to act their age.

There wasn’t much in terms of plot besides the romance and bullying, and that got tiring fast. I wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

Filed Under: Contemporary Romance, Reverse Harem, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Book Review: The Portrait of Sister Elsa (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #4)

February 23, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: The Portrait of Sister Elsa (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #4)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Ghosts
Rating: 4,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

The year is 1898, and celebrated painter Anthony Toyner is dying. Determined to complete one final masterpiece, he travels to Crowford, a coastal town with a dangerous reputation. Convinced that he’ll find the inspiration for his last painting, Toyner never suspects that he’s about to become embroiled in a battle for hundreds of souls.

Soon after arriving in Crowford, Toyner encounters a mysterious nun who is staying in the same public house. Sister Elsa Farr has a tendency to sneak out in the middle of the night, and one morning she returns with serious injuries. She refuses to say what happened or where she’s been, but Toyner discovers that she’s particularly interested in an abandoned church beyond the outskirts of town. Something deadly lurks in that church, something that one destroyed an entire village.

What really draws Sister Elsa back to the church night after night? Can Anthony Toyner discover what happened to the lost village before tragedy strikes again? And is his final painting, the centerpiece of an exhibition a century later, really cursed?

The Portrait of Sister Elsa is the fourth book in the series. Each book is a standalone story, and there is no need to read them in any particular order.

Reviews of previous books in the series: The Haunting of Nelson Street (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #1), The Revenge of the Mercy Belle (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #2) and The Ghost of Crowford School (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #3).

In 1898, a renowned painter called Anthony Toyner has taken up residence in Crowford, convinced he’ll find inspiration for his final painting in the small coastal town. Soon after his arrival, he encounters a mysterious nun: sister Elsa Farr. The nun seems up to something, as she sneaks out in the middle of the night, and even returns with some serious injuries the next morning.

Elsa refuses to disclose her whereabouts, which makes Toyner even more curious about what is going on, and what connection is between Elsa and the abandoned church on the outskirts of town.

The Portrait of Sister Elsa is one of my favourite books in this series. This was one of the few books that actually managed to scare me a little – and if you take into account that I devour horror novels like sweet candy, then you’ll realize that’s no easy feat.

The characters were intriguing, in particularly Elsa, and the mystery kept me guessing for a while. The twists are fun and surprising. Another great installment in the Ghosts of Crowford series.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Book Review: The Ghost of Crowford School (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #3)

February 20, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: The Ghost of Crowford School (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #3)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Ghosts
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon

The year is 1988, and the old Crowford School building is about to be knocked down. Before that happens, however, three schoolchildren are determined to discover the truth about an old legend. Does the ghost of a murdered woman really haunt the old school? And if she does, what does she want from the living?

Eleven-year-old Bradley Firth has a particular reason for wanting to prove that the ghost is real. His own mother is desperately ill, and Bradley wants to believe that she can come back to him if the worst happens. As he and his friends venture into the abandoned school, however, they have no idea that they’re about to get caught up in a fifty-year old tragedy. They might also be about to uncover a disturbing secret about Crowford’s past.

Who really killed Eve Marsh all those years ago? Why does she seek vengeance on all those who enter the school? And can Eve’s soul be put to rest before the school is finally demolished?

Reviews of previous books in the series: The Haunting of Nelson Street (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #1) and The Revenge of the Mercy Belle (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #2).

The Ghost of Crowford School is the third book in a series of ghostly tales focused on the fictional town of Crowford. Each story can be read as a stand-alone, but if you’re reading the entire series, there are some elements that overlap.

In 1988, the old Crowford School building is about to get knocked down. However, before the school is demolished, three school children break and enter into the building, determined to find out the truth about an old legend. As the legend goes, the ghost of a murdered woman – Eve Marsh – is haunting the school. But is Eve’s spirit really roaming the derelict halls? And if so, can her soul be put to rest before the school is demolished?

Like all Amy Cross’s books, this one is fast-paced, with a few surprising twists and an interesting spin on the age-old ghost story. Unfortunately, the book does suffer from some typos, and the characterization could also be improved. I didn’t mind too much because I was engrossed in the story, but it still knocked down at least 1 star off my rating.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Book Review: Everything You Left Me by Paige Classey

February 16, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: Everything You Left Me
Author: Paige Classey
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3 stars
Publication Date: February 1, 2023
Purchase: Amazon

When the police come knocking at her door, Maybeth is worried her mother is caught up in their small town’s drug scene again. Instead, the police are there to question Maybeth about her beloved and long-absent father. He has become the lead suspect in a string of unsolved murders across the country…and Maybeth may be the key to convicting him. Trapped between her scientific mind and her love for her father, Maybeth is forced to confront the reality of who her father really is–and what that might make her as well.

Told entirely in verse, Everything You Left Me is the story of Maybeth, whose father left her and her mother about ten years ago. When the police come knocking at Maybeth’s door, asking questions about her father’s whereabouts, she starts digging and uncovers some unsettling news… Her father is the lead suspect in a string of unsolved murders.

Maybeth struggles with coming to terms with who her father really is or might be. Is he a serial killer? Did he ever really love her? And if he did commit these heinous crimes – what does that make her?

The story is heartbreaking. We get flashbacks of Maybeth recalling how her father gave her a pink bicycle for Christmas, intermixed with her loneliness in the present as she deals with an absentee father, workaholic mother (probably to be able to pay the bills, poor woman) and the unsettling knowledge her father might be a monster.

The fact that this was written in verse was interesting, but it also made me not feel as connected to the characters as I think I would’ve been if the story was told in regular prose. There’s a lot we, as readers, have to fill in ourselves. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it made the book slightly less powerful than I think it otherwise would have been. Not all the poems are as strong on their own either. Some sentences are delivered powerfully, are shattering, and other verses are just mere connectors between one scene and another.

Still, it is a fast and engrossing read, and a good take on this sensitive subject matter. Nature versus nurture, and how do we come to terms with finding out the reality about our parents?

 

Filed Under: Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: , ,

Book Review: The Revenge of the Mercy Belle (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #2)

February 13, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: The Revenge of the Mercy Belle (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #2)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Ghosts
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon

The year is 1950, and a great tragedy has struck the town of Crowford. Three local men have been killed in a storm, after their fishing boat the Mercy Belle sank. A mysterious fourth man, however, was rescued. Nobody knows who he is, or what he was doing on the Mercy Belle… and the man has lost his memory.

Five years later, messages from the dead warn of impending doom for Crowford. The ghosts of the Mercy Belle’s crew demand revenge, and the whole town is being punished. The fourth man still has no memory of his previous existence, but he’s married now and living under the named Edward Smith. As Crowford’s suffering continues, the locals begin to turn against him.

What really happened on the night the Mercy Belle sank? Did the fourth man cause the tragedy? And will Crowford survive if this man is not sent to meet his fate?

The Revenge of the Mercy Belle is the second book in The Ghosts of Crowford series by Amy Cross, one of my favourite horror authors. You can find my review of the first book, The Haunting of Nelson Street, here.

For this second book, we return back to Crowford, but this time it’s the year 1950 and a horrible tragedy has struck the town. Three local men were killed during a storm that sank their fishing boat, the Mercy Belle. A fourth man was rescued, but nobody has any idea who he is, or what he was doing on the Mercy Belle.

Five years later, the ghosts of the Mercy Belle demand revenge, tormenting the town. The mysterious man, going through life under the name of Edward Smith, still has no idea who he really is. As Crowford is being tormented by the restless spirits, the town’s people turn against Edward. But what really happened the night the Mercy Belle sank? And who in the world is Edward Smith?

I can’t say too much without giving away too much, but let me just say this was one of the books that really surprised me. I wasn’t sure what to expect, even as I kept reading, and ultimately, I was surprised, in a good way, by the turn of events. Unfortunately, this was overshadowed by the fact that I just wasn’t that interested in the plot. I know it sounds contradictory, but while I was surprised by the twists, and it did make me pause for a bit, overall, I didn’t really care that much about the characters or what happened to them. I just didn’t feel invested, and if I had to put the book away for a bit, I didn’t mind either.

Hence the three-star rating. It’s a good book, it has a few nice plot twists, but it wasn’t outstanding and nor the plot nor the characters really urged me to keep reading.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Book Review: The Haunting of Nelson Street (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #1)

February 9, 2023 1 Comment

Title: The Haunting of Nelson Street (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #1)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Ghosts
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Crowford, a sleepy coastal town in the south of England, might seem like an oasis of calm and tranquility. Beneath the surface, however, dark secrets are waiting to claim fresh victims, and ghostly figures plot revenge.

Having finally decided to leave the hustle of London, Daisy and Richard Johnson buy two houses on Nelson Street, a picturesque street in the center of Crowford. One house is perfect and ready to move into, while the other is a fire-ravaged wreck that needs a lot of work. They figure they have plenty of time to work on the damaged house while Daisy recovers from a traumatic event.

Soon, they discover that the two houses share a common link to the past. Something awful once happened on Nelson Street, something that shook the town to its core. Before they can face Crowford’s horrors, however, Daisy and Richard have to deal with the ghosts of their own recent history. What is Daisy hiding, and why does Richard feel strangely drawn to one of the town’s oldest inhabitants?

The Haunting of Nelson Street is a ghost story about a young couple fighting for their future, and about a town trying to escape the clutches of its past.

The Haunting of Nelson Street is the first book in The Ghosts of Crowford series by Amy Cross, one of my favourite horror authors. I first read the book when it was released back in 2020 but recently did a re-read for the purpose of this review.

Crowford is a sleepy coastel town in the south of England that seems to be home to more ghosts than living beings. Literally every place in Crowford is haunted: regular houses, the theater, museums, hotels; you name it, it’s haunted.

The first book in this series is about two houses on Nelson Street, a picturesque street in the center of town. One house is ready to move into, requiring little to no work, and the other was heavily damaged by a fire. The houses are bought by unsuspecting couple Daisy and Richard Johnson after they move to Crowford in hopes of getting a new, fresh start. A hint for everyone who decides to move towns looking for a fresh start: there’s about a fifty-fifty chance you’ll run into ghosts.

But the houses are hiding a terrible secret, and soon, Daisy and Richard find themselves trapped in a nightmare.

I found this to be a solid start to The Ghosts of Crowford, and I liked the twist at the end–of course, I won’t reveal what it is, and although I did feel it coming, I still liked how it was executed. With a good mix between scary and intriguing, this is an enjoyable read for cold winter nights spent under blankets.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Book Review: The Haunting of Highdown Hall (Psychic Surveys Book #1) by Shani Struthers

February 6, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: The Haunting of Highdown Hall (Psychic Surveys Book #1)
Author: Shani Struthers
Genre: Paranormal Mystery, Ghosts & Hauntings
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Join the Psychic Surveys team for a pulse pouding, spine chilling journey into the heart of darkness! Perfect for fans of Stephen King, Darcy Coates, and James Herbert.

If you sell your soul to the devil, can you ever get it back?

The latest in a long line of psychically gifted females, Ruby Davis, can see through the veil that separates this world and the next, helping grounded souls to move towards the light – or ‘home’ as Ruby calls it. Not just a job for Ruby, it’s a crusade and one she wants to bring to the High Street. Psychic Surveys is born.

Based in Lewes, East Sussex, Ruby and her team of freelance psychics have never been busier. Specialising in domestic cases, their solid reputation is spreading – it’s not just the dead that can rest in peace but the living too. All is threatened when Ruby receives a call from the irate new owner of Highdown Hall. Film star, Cynthia Hart, is still in residence, despite having died in 1958.

Winter deepens and so does the mystery surrounding Cynthia, who insists the devil is blocking her path to the light. Investigating her apparently unblemished background, Ruby is pulled further and further into Cynthia’s world and the darkness that now inhabits it. For the first time in her career, Ruby’s deepest beliefs are challenged.

Does evil truly exist? And if so, is it the most relentless force of all?

The Haunting of Highdown Hall is the first book in the Psychic Surveys series. As a fan of paranormal mysteries, when I saw this book was free for a limited time, I had to pick it up, and I’m glad that I did.

In The Haunting of Highdown Hall, Ruby Davis is the owner of Psychic Surveys, a small band of psychics who go investigate hauntings, perform cleansings, and in general, help people with their ghostly issues. This time around, they’re invited to Highdown Hall, a behemoth of a house that is haunted by the ghost of its previous owner: Cynthia Hart. Back in 1958, Cynthia Hart was a world-famous movie star who unfortunately perished during a Christmas party at her own home, due to a heart attack.

But did Cynthia really die of a heart attack, or is something more sinister going on? And is Cynthia’s spirit the only troubled soul dwelling within the halls of Highdown Hall?

I liked the story overall. It wasn’t scary, so if you’re not doing well with the spooks, but you do enjoy reading about spirits, then it’s a good choice. It reminded me a bit of Ghost Whisperer in that sense – featuring spirits, but not in the scary way. I imagine it’s also a great read for local people, as it described the scenery and surroundings of Ruby’s hometown in great detail. Not that interesting for me, and I skipped several of these paragraphs to get to the meat of the story, but not that off-putting either and it added some flavour to the book.

I also wasn’t convinced by Cash, the male love interest. He was a bit… dull. I do intend to pick up the other books in the series, if I get the chance, and hopefully Cash will become more interesting at times goes on. I do have a feeling he’s hiding something darker – or maybe that’s just my own dark side holding out hope. I’m not sure about the other mysteries in this series: maybe they do grow darker and more terrifying (which I secretely hope) but, at least for this one, there’s a positive message of hope and light hidden in the pages.

Filed Under: Mystery and Suspense, Paranormal Mystery, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Book Review: Poison Flower (Stonehurst Prep Elite Book 2) by Steffanie Holmes

February 2, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: Poison Flower (Stonehurst Prep Elite Book 2)
Author: Steffanie Holmes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Reverse Harem
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Victor. Torsten. Cassius – the jock, the artist, the stepbrother.
They made me theirs – body, heart, and soul.
They got inside my head.
They broke down my defenses and made me trust them
… maybe even love them.They betrayed me.

They think they’re untouchable,
but they forget that I’m one of them.
I’m the poison flower in their garden,
beautiful and deadly,
hiding in plain sight.

I know all their secrets,
Their weaknesses,
Their darkest desires,
And I’m going to make them pay.

Poison Kiss is a new adult, dark contemporary romance with three hot, dangerous guys and the blind girl who rules them. It is intended for 18+ readers.

Poison Flower is the second book in a reverse harem series featuring three notorious bad boys: Victor, Cassius (usually referred to as Cas) and Torsten. I previously reviewed the first book in the series, Poison Ivy.

I thoroughly enjoyed Poison Ivy, so I was dying to read the sequel, Poison Flower. Unfortunately, the things that bugged me about Poison Ivy only magnified in Poison Flower, and I was left feeling ‘meh’ about the book.

First of all, in Poison Ivy it is already hinted that the male love interests (Victor, Cassius and Torsten) are part of three notorious crime families. Their mothers form the Triumvirate, in typical Roman-era style, and together they rule the criminal underworld. I found some of the sub-plots related to this already far-fetched in the first book, but it only gets worse here. Murder, torture, blackmail, you name it, and it happens. But it’s not realistic, nor is the way the heroine deals with it.

I still liked Fergie, the main character, but she’s obviously diving off the deep end and I don’t want to see her at the bottom of the abyss. It looks like she’s headed there, though. She had every chance to get out, to redeem herself, but she’s only allowing everyone else to pull her back further and futher into this crime world. Fergie has a strong personality, sometimes, but she allows others to influence her more than she thinks or realizes.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but I’m not sure if I’ll pick up book three. I’m a bit disillusioned with Fergie and her antics. I do have to say I really enjoy Steffanie Holmes’ writing though, and reading the synopsises of her other series, I’ll definitely pick them up, but I’ll probably skip Poison Kiss.

Filed Under: Reverse Harem, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Book Review: Poison Ivy (Stonehurst Prep Elite Book 1) by Steffanie Holmes

January 30, 2023 2 Comments

Title: Poison Ivy (Stonehurst Prep Elite Book 1)
Author: Steffanie Holmes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Reverse Harem
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon

I’ll do anything to get in. I’ll even become theirs.

Victor. Torsten. Cassius – the jock, the artist, the stepbrother.
The Poison Ivy Club.
Ruthless.
Connected.
Violent.
Untouchable.

They rule Stonehurst Prep with an iron fist.
If you want Harvard, Princeton, or Yale, they’ll get you in.
Guaranteed.
But they’ll take their pound of flesh first.
A deal’s a deal – you give them whatever they want, and they’ll make your dreams come true.

And they want me.
In their beds.
On their arms.
Part of their gang.

I’ll do anything to get into an Ivy League school.
I’ll lie. I’ll cheat.
I’ll get on my knees.
I’ll kill.

But those three dark princes will never have my heart.

This is a new adult, dark contemporary romance with three poisonous guys and one fearless girl. It is intended for 18+ readers.

Poison Ivy is the first book in a reverse harem series featuring three notorious bad boys: Victor, Cassius (usually referred to as Cas) and Torsten. For those of you who don’t know what reverse harem means, it’s basically a story where the heroine doesn’t have to choose. She doesn’t need to choose one of these three as her love interest – she can have all three of them, and the boys don’t mind sharing.

Despite that these types of relationships often are a lot more problematic in real life than they are in books, what with jealousy and all (not saying it is not possible in real life, just that I imagine it’s a great deal more complicated than in fiction), the books of this genre often feature at least somewhat realistic scenarios. Here, not so much. It’s not realistic that the three guys in question would run the school, or that their families would have that much power. And even if I’m willing to somehow accept that, the whole Coach Franklin plot (I won’t go into detail because of spoilers) is just too outrageous and over-the-top.

Still… despite the plot certainly being a far cry from believable… I did enjoy this book.

First of all, the writing is great. Steffanie Holmes can conjure up descriptions that are vivid and original, and some even made me laugh out loud. She makes her main character, Fergie, sound like such a great person: on the one hand, a total badass, but with a vulnerable side. That’s the second point here: the heroine is pretty awesome. She does have her flaws, though, like how she treats her best friend – not cool at all – but generally, her heart is in the right place and she’s just dealing with some messed-up stuff. A lot of messed-up stuff, really.

Plus, I do have to applaud the author for writing about a main character who is blind. Fergie reads Braille, her descriptions of what is happening are mostly based on auditory sensations, and honestly, it’s quite believable. When reading the Fergie chapters, I feel as if I’m blind–it feels slighty suffocating, and although you can rely on Fergie’s other senses, it sometimes feels claustrophobic to read these chapters because you know her sense of sight is missing. It’s a strange sensation, and I’m sure it was difficult for the author to write this character and no doubt it also took some research, but in my opinion, the author really pulled it off.

The three love interests were interesting, too. Especially Torsten, since it’s obvious he doesn’t quite experience the world the way others do. It’s never mentioned what exactly is “wrong” with him, but there are hints that he has trouble functioning in certain circumstances. I liked how Fergie never judged him for that and instead tried to find ways that did work for him, and allowed him to set the pace for things between them. Then there was Victor, the savior, the knight in shining armor, probably every girl’s dream guy. I could certainly understand why Fergie was drawn to these two.

But then, there’s the last love interest. Cassius. Cas. Who happens to be Fergie’s stepbrother. I don’t mind that trope in general, but what I didn’t like that much, was how instant their relationship was. And although it was basically fueled by desire and anger at the start, it never really develops from there. Maybe it will in the second book, but Cas seemed like the least likely person to do any kind of developing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Characters – like people in real life – should grow and change, but not everyone does that at the same pace. In fact, given his personality, it’s to be expected that Cas would fight any type of change or growth. But I hope that in the second book, he can at least learn from his mistakes, and keep some of his worser traits in check.

As far as contemporary reverse harems go, I rather liked this one. The main downside, for me, was the sometimes rather unbelievable plot. Also, I had expected more bullying from the guys. But they don’t really bully Fergie, except at the start, and Torsten never really joins in. If anything, it’s basically just Cas doing the bullying, and Cas bullies just about anyone except his two besties.

I already purchased the second book, and can’t wait to start reading.

Filed Under: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Reverse Harem, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Book Review: Escape From Hotel Necro (The Blood and Gore Collection) by Amy Cross

January 26, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: Escape from Hotel Necro (The Blood and Gore Collection)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon

It’s supposed to be the perfect vacation. When Katie Johnson and her husband Jason arrive at Hotel Necro, they think they’re going to enjoy a few days of peace, pampering and relaxation.

On the first morning, however, Katie wakes up feeling ill, and she has a strange scratch mark on her waist. She quickly realizes that something’s very wrong, and that dark forces are at work beneath the hotel’s facade. Strange nightmares interrupt her sleep, filling her head with hideous images. Meanwhile, the scratches keep appearing.

Soon, Katie discovers that Hotel Necro is far more than just a luxury hotel. As she ventures into the depths of the building, she realizes that something truly horrific is happening in the shadows. Can she and Jason escape before they become the hotel’s latest victims, or does an even more awful secret lurk behind the one of the heavily-secured doors?

Escape From Hotel Necro is a horror novel about a woman who discovers just how far she’ll go to save herself, and about an organisation that exists to save people from their own darkest fantasies.

If you’ve seen Hostel and its sequels, then you’ll be familiar with the concept of Escape From Hotel Necro. Katie Johnson and her husband arrive at the hotel for a romantic weekend, but already on the first day, she wakes up feeling slightly ill and notices a scratch mark on her waist. This only gets worse as the weekend progresses: horrifying images fill her head as more scratches appear on her body.

What is going on at night in Hotel Necro?

Despite the predictability of some of the plot elements, I still enjoyed this read. In fact, thinking back on it, I think this was probably one of the first Amy Cross books I read, and after reading this one, I decided I just had to read some of Amy’s other books. Fair warning though, some of the characters are quite sadistic in this one, and there’s definitely a lot of gore as well, so it fits well in the “Blood and Gore Collection”.

 

 

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: ,

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