Diary of a Haunting Book Review + #Giveaway #TipsySpooktacular stop 6

 

Diary of a Haunting

M. Verano

Genre: Young Adult Horror
Release Date: August 25, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN: 978-1481430692
ASIN: B00TBKYJF2

Pages: 320

Goodreads Rating: 3.26
My Rating: 3.5

Book Description:

In the tradition of Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, an American teen recounts the strange events that occur after she moves into a new—and very haunted—home with her family in this chilling diary that features photos and images of what she experienced.

Letters, photographs, and a journal…all left behind in the harrowing aftermath.

Following her parents’ high-profile divorce, Paige and her brother are forced to move to Idaho with their mother, and Paige doesn’t have very high hopes for her new life. The small town they’ve moved to is nothing compared to the life she left behind in LA. And the situation is made even worse by the drafty old mansion they’ve rented that’s filled with spiders and plenty of other pests that Paige can’t even bear to imagine.

Pretty soon, strange things start to happen around the house—one can of ravioli becomes a dozen, unreadable words start appearing on the walls, and Paige’s little brother begins roaming the house late at night. And there’s something not right about the downstairs neighbor who seems to know a lot more than he’s letting on.

Things only get creepier when she learns about the cult that conducted experimental rituals in the house almost one hundred years earlier. The more Paige investigates, the clearer it all becomes: there’s something in the house, and whatever it is…and it won’t be backing down without a fight.

My Take

... I'm at a complete loss for words.

When I first made my run through Barnes and Noble early September, I came across this book that is actually what started the whole #TipsySpooktacular. I instantly wanted to read it.

When I got home I discovered the creepiness that is the cover.  Within minutes, I was rushing to my best friend and roommate's door and showing him.

I didn't jump immediately into the book, I wanted to savor this rare find and work my way to it, so I started with a couple other books. Once I was properly prepared and in the mood for what was sure to be a scary story, I cracked open the book and got to reading.

I'm not exactly sure how to interpret the story, is it real or is it merely fiction in the form of quote on quote found documentation. It's introduced as a true story compiled by the author who happens to be a professor. I took it with a grain of salt and vowed to keep an open mind.

The "haunting" was very slow to start with. The occurrence is rare and far in-between and not untypical of an old relic of a home. But as the story progresses steadily became clear that this was not your run-of-the-mill old house. It was until very late in the story, when I read a particular name of a character that is alluded to throughout the whole story that I truly and honestly began to get scared. I will still prevail I literally had chills. And yet I still don't know whether to take this as a real account or fiction for the sake of thrills. I'm normally a very open minded person, I tend to believe in the paranormal but I'm not a fanatic. This story had me questioning all sorts of things.

It wasn't really predictable even if you have moments where you yes that's something is going to happen. Guessing and predicting are two completely different things. When I guess it's something more of me just taking a shot in the dark at a completely unsupported theory. And even my guesses were rarely correct.

But on the downside, there was a lot of unanswered questions and for me, an unresolved ending. The ending comes completely out of left field. The story starts one way then makes a complete 180 leaving you scratching you head asking "what?"

I also found the diary format of the book tiresome after I reached the midway point. There was a lot of this book that I loved but alternatively, the was a smidge more that I didn't. I liked the originality but I didn't like the unexplained or unresolved story. The beginning had a lot of promise but as all good things ghostly, things hit the metaphorical shitter. Unfortunately, what ultimately killed this story for me was the end which felt like a cop-out to an otherwise interesting read.

I would also like to note that although I liked the narrator Paige, I found her mother's character was flaky, self-absorbed and annoying.

3.5 Quills

If this was a story and completely fiction, then the characters were extremely well developed even if I did not like them. The setting was very much on the creepy side and the haunting itself was scary. With all these things in mind, I can safely deduce that this book has everything that one needs for an exceptional horror novel had the execution gone correctly.

If these were in fact based of true events, then fudge that just makes it all the more terrifying and slightly if not completely confusing. So in all, I enjoyed the book. I got scared by the book. BUT... I also got confused by the book. 

*After some investigation of my own, it seems that this is in fact being marketed as a ‘true’ story and not the imaginings of the author. Whether or not you believe the story is real is solely dependent on the reader.

About The Author

M. Verano has been searching for evidence of paranormal activity for most of his career. He is currently preparing another diary to further prove his theories.

Enter The Giveaway Here

I'm giving away some paperbacks to US residents and a few ebooks.

Books will be from the ones you find on the #TipsySpooktacular Stops

Must be 13+ to enter

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Thanks for stopping by,

“I purchased this book with the intent to review. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”

Redesigning Fate by A.M. Wilson Book Review

Redesigning Fate

The Revive Series

Book #1

A.M. Wilson

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: June 22, 2015

ISBN: 978-1514252741

ASIN: B00YHNO5BG

Pages: 368

Goodreads Rating: 4.07

My Rating: 3.5/4.0

Book Description:

I left everything behind in order to be free. I should have known better than to think it would be so easy. All it took was one day at my new job.

He came for me.

I used a stranger to deter him, and in doing so, realized my heart began to beat again. Elias Brooks put me back together after Travis Dawson tore me apart. Travis makes it everybody's business that I belong to him, including Elias, but he couldn’t be more wrong.

He’s stalking me.

I’m afraid he’s come back to hurt me again. He promises he’s not.

Travis pleads he’s only trying to keep me safe from none other than Elias.

Who do I trust?

Fate led me down the wrong path before. Who’s to say it won’t happen again?

My Take:

Generally speaking, I really enjoyed this book. I found the subject matter to be different and somewhat realistic. It was pretty faced paced and never really dull. The steamy scenes were abundant and well written and I liked the romance.

I also liked most of the characters! I found them developed and straight forward with no hidden agenda. They were very 'what you see its what you get'. Unfortunately, I found the main character Marlena very childish and bratty. I wanted to like her, I love the romance she has with Elias but on her own she's really annoying and frustrating. She's constantly worried that her "baggage and situation" will drive Elias away but really it's how she acts. At least that's my opinion. And one particular scene she worried about going to the cops and mentions her fear that Elias will pull away due to her situation, but the way she interacts with him and her snapping is really what would drive him away. I found her be a very unlikeable character most times.

I had no such problem with any of the other characters which made it very hard for me to root for her. It was merely her romance with Elias and her friendship with Carly that was her saving grace.

But to be fair, there were some moments that I did like her. And other, where I understood her motivations.

I think, the use of a foreshadowing Prologue was really clever. What I didn't like was a lot of the inconsistencies. Since this is an arc copy, I try not to review based off of grammatical errors, but a lot of them or glaringly obvious. Word usage and sentence structures were flimsy and made the story hard to follow at times but when they were on point the story flowed.

It's obvious in the synopsis and I was hoping that was a fluke(as I've come across other books with this similar problem) and for the most part while I was still in the beginning I felt I was right. It was towards the middle to the end of the book that the errors were too constant and obvious.

I also felt a little lost with the passage of time. The way most of the chapters are written, there is a slight jump in time and normally that isn't a deterrent but I kept getting a little lost and having to re-read it. My suggestion is that the author use some sort of visual indicator such as asterisks or dashes between the paragraphs to queue the readers to the time change. That would have helped the flow of the story in terms of how a reader interprets them.

Also, slight note that does not affect the review. As a person who loves wine, I was slightly peeved at the mention of Malbec being in the fridge. The time frame was not specified but based of Marlena's account it was earlier in the day one can only assume that it was more than 30 mins. That's a full bodied wine you don't drink it cold, just slighlty below room temp. :)

3.5/4.0 Quills

It was a unique romance and had a solid plot even if the execution was not flawless. For the most part, I enjoyed it and think other readers will as well. My biggest complaint was the heroine who came off as rude, childish and bratty at most times instead of what I can only assume the author meant to be a snarky and witty character. Be warned that this is written more like a long 'serial' and does end on a very daunting cliff hanger so many if not all of your questions will be left unanswered.

I'll likely be picking up book 2 because I did enjoy this story for the most part and I would like to know more about the characters and to see how this story will play out.

About The Author

A.M. Wilson fell in love with writing in second grade when she won a young writers’ contest. She spent the years following carrying around a spiral notebook, which she filled with poetry and short stories detailing the dramatics of being a young girl. When she hit her college years, she set the notebooks down and fell in love with reading romance novels. She may have attended college four separate times in four different fields, but always knew in her heart writing was her true passion. She grew up in Duluth, Minnesota and spent her summers in the cold waters of Lake Superior, but relocated to the Twin Cities with the love of her life and has two spirited children who make her world go round.

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Thanks for stopping by,

 

“I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”

The Spellbound Series Books 1-5 Review

 

The Spellbound Series
Books 1-5
Lola James

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Release Date: July 31, 2015
Publisher: Lola James

ASIN: B012109QEW
Pages: 434

Goodreads Rating: N/A Each Book is rated separately
My Rating: 3.5 - 4.0

Book Description:

The journey of a spellbound woman, her friends, and the men who vie for her affections as she falls headlong into a world of vampires, witches and Greek gods.

Who will she choose as her one true love and how many lives will be turned upside down in her quest to fulfill her eternal destiny?

Friends become enemies and enemies become deadly as each seek to find the one thing that will bring true fulfillment.

Available at Amazon

My Take on the Book(s):

I'm sure what I expected, and I don't know if it meant those expectations. I think I was hoping for a book similar to those in The Wicked Witches of the Midwest series or the Jolie Wilkins series heck even the Riley Cruz and the Shift Happens series. And it started off that way, I was reading book one and I was giggling I was rooting for Ben and Toni but then as I continued the book and finished book 1 and started book 2 I got a little lost. I found that the series wasn't at all what I was hoping for. And I'm still not sure if I know what I expected but I do know how I feel.

It wasn't a bad book or books per se. The writing wasn't the problem, it was very clear and concise but I can't say I was a big major fan. I like the characters, I think Dawn is pretty awesome and I even like Toni at times but that wasn't enough to make me fully enjoy the books. There was too much wishy-washy feelings way too much focus on the love triangle or quadrangle.

I felt, as the story continued I lost the straight line from a story arc. There was too much information being thrown out there without any clear indication of where it was going so I got lost. And what sucks is that I'm a huge fan of anything having to do with Greek mythology and Roman mythology, I find those kind of stories are so interesting. I've read so many types of paranormal or supernatural books, that it was fun to get the glimpse of the mythology in this one.  The way they were written was pretty original and fun but that fun doesn't last throughout the whole book. 

I have no doubt in my mind that there are a countless amount of people that would enjoy this series and all the books but it just wasn't my cup of tea. And that honestly has nothing to do with being Team A or Team B. Sure I like one guy more than the other but that wasn't what threw me off. Like I said there was just too much going on I would have liked a little bit more of a straight line.

My rating's a bit on the fence because I don't feel like it was written badly so I don't want to give it too low of a score but then since I didn't enjoy it I don't want to rate is higher than I feel it should be so I'm just going to throw out these two numbers and tell you if falls somewhere in between the two.

3.5 - 4.0 Quills

Like I said the writing isn't bad the story has its moments it even has some great steamy scenes but it didn't appeal to me. Take a look at the series for yourself you decide maybe you'll like it more than I did maybe it'll be a gem in your library.
 

Short Excerpts from Each Book
 

Bound to Remember, Book One

“Hello.” I held out my hand. “I'm Doctor Toni Hollander, but you can call me Toni.”

He stared at me as if he was looking right though me, ignoring my extended hand. A wave of embarrassment washed over me and I pulled my hand back. Maybe I imagined that stare thing with him a minute ago. My thoughts retreated to Kevin. He had only been the last in a long line of failed relationships and I was starting to wonder if my terrible taste in men had struck again.

"Where are my manners? I am Benjamin, but you may call me Ben" He pulled my hand into his, with a toothy grin.

Unbound, Book Two

Hades closed the space between us. “I will return soon, my sweet.” He took my hand, kissing my fingertips, before releasing it. Then the three gods and Dawn disappeared.

Ben and I stood alone in the hallway as I moved closer to him. The lust from our kiss still lingered thick between us.

“Ben . . . I—”

“Shhh.” His finger touched my lips, stopping my rambling. “We have only a short time, and I need to plead my case to you; so let me show, rather than tell you why it should be me you pick for eternity.”

Bound to You, Book Three

“I’ve missed you already. I don’t know how I survived without you for so long.” His warm lips kissed the top of my hand. If my cheeks could blush, they’d be the darkest shade of red.

I had to clear my throat and shake my head from the swoon-worthy trance Hades had me in. “I’d like to have my place back, but Ben compelled my landlord to get me out of my lease.”

His lips trailed to my finger, then fingertips, creating sensations throughout my body. “My Antonia, I want nothing more than to fulfill every desire in your heart. It’s such a beautiful heart. I know that you love me, and that you will make your decision when you are ready. I can wait. I’ve waited so long for you, and I’d continue to wait an eternity to be with you.”

Imaginary butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I felt my heart slipping into his hands. I knew his words were true; he would wait.

Bound by Fate, Short

“I have something for you.” It was the same line she sang every time. Her voice was the perfect pitch to allure any human and I felt my body being pulled toward her. I wouldn’t even greet her anymore when she came; I tried to block her out.

“Benjamin, I have something for you.” I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to possibly see Toni. She’d promised me that I could see her one day—to see if she was truly happy; so I gave in each time and went to Aphrodite. I always waited here for her to arrive, for she had me at her beck and call.

Abound Christmas, Short

Snow was falling and I heard her charming giggle. The sound enchanted me. I looked down and I was holding her mittened hand in mine.

>“I love you, Benjamin,” she said. I looked carefully, trying to make out her face, but caught only her profile bundled under a furry hood and scarf. I glanced around, noting that we were in a carriage riding through Central Park, passing snow-covered trees.

Witch Bound, Book Four

My melancholy thoughts broke as I heard my name being called—I wasn’t paying attention to details anymore. I hadn’t left the building in the last 24 hours and I was exhausted. The sounds of the hospital continually echoed in the fog of my thoughts. I played Doctor Stevens’ words in my head on repeat, but the memory of Hermes’ first touch in Hades’ temple still sent chills down my back. My daddy taught me better than to fiddle between boys. “Always pick the man, Dawn,” he would say. Thinking of my daddy reminded me that I needed to call him. I could only avoid his calls for so long.

Rebound, Book Five

“Does beauty run in your family as well?” A nervous chuckle escaped me. What a cheesy pickup line.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” she asked, batting her eyelashes and making sweat swell on my forehead.

“Yes.” I nodded. Why was I being so honest? I cleared my throat. “I’m Ben, by the way.” I extended my hand.

She looked at me then my hand before gently wrapping hers in mine.

“And I am Thalia.” The warmth of her hand made everyone on the train disappear.

About The Author

Lola is a fool for a love story, a sucker for a cupcake, and let’s not talk about what she’d do for a Klondike bar. She enjoys long walks on the beach and movies that involve chainsaws. By day she’s the HR Lady and by nightfall she puts on a cape to become a romance writer.

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 “I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”