Review: Echo Moon by Laura Spinella

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In the third installment of the Ghost Gifts series, we move forward once again, this time 16 years. This time the focus is not on Aubrey's gift, but her son, Pete’s gift. We learn that after the incident when Pete was 12 that his dreams were not just that, but instead visitations to a past life. Esme, a mysterious presence in Pete’s life is at the root of everything. Between bloody battles and horrific scenes, Pete is haunted by not only the ghosts he encounters but by his dreams. Pete who has spent years running from this side of himself must now set off to figure out how this past life connects to his present. Through a series of perfectly timed events and encounters, Pete finds just how many ways people can be connected. This book takes you on a journey of past and present to solve who was Esme, why does Pete dream of her death, and was he responsible for it? 

Review: Nightmare’s Eve by Stephen H. Provost

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Held on the edge of that moment between evening light and dusk, Stephen H. Provost’s NIGHTMARE’S EVE is a collections of horror short stories and chilling poems. From a deal in the dark to a gift to bring words to life, this collection will make you want to sleep with a night-light.

Provost’s writing is self-described in the beginning to be like a collection of Twilight Zone episodes, but there’s something more twisted and fantastical awaiting in these pages. With a mix of Stephen King-like story-telling and M. Night Shyamalan twists, Provost brings our deepest nightmares to life. I dare you to read this book in the dark and go to sleep after.

The characters Provost creates make you feel all sorts of emotions while reading. You’ll hate some of them, feel sympathetic for some, but most of them are just like us, and that’s what scares me the most. This collection has so many humanistic qualities, and those are paired well with the unknown and supernatural. 

Along with chilling tales of monsters and strange occurrences are the poems that can only remind me of Edgar Allan Poe. His poetry in this is riveting and dark, mixed with some “certitude” and great language.

Provost’s collection deserves praise with every single story included, which get better and better as you get deeper and deeper into the madness that only can come from Stephen H. Provost’s NIGHTMARE’S EVE.

Review: Not Every Girl by Jane McGarry

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Not Every Girl is a historical fiction story that has odes to Mulan, when Olivia wishes to go to battle even after her father refuses. Using her friend Puck’s armor as a disguise Olivia goes on a mission to escort the King, with one slight hiccup, his handsome son Prince Liam will also be on this mission. Though she is quickly caught by her father and sent back home with Prince Liam as her escort. This leads to a series of events where Olivia must step and and show the power she holds even though she is a woman. Young adult readers who want action, romance, adventure, and a strong female character will certainly enjoy this book!

Review: Magnetic by Carissa Miller

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MAGNETIC is a powerhouse of a novel from rising author Carissa Miller. With the very attractive title, this book focuses on the pulls in our lives, whether it be family, friends, or things out of our control. When Elle causes her father to be ostracized from a church, they must move to her aunt’s house in Oklahoma. This leads Elle to begin to have trouble with two boys, one being the son of a wealthy man in the town, and falls for Maverick. Their relationship is like a magnet, where there’s strong attraction to this handsome boy, but there’s also repulsion because of some problems that followed Elle to Oklahoma.

Dark secrets from the past never can be buried and, through extreme emotion only Miller could craft, Elle faces her demons that have come to surface: the truth about the death of her mother. Elle faces a challenge many of us face, which is wanting to know the truth and wanting to keep it away. 

This intriguing novel pulls on your heartstrings with the father-daughter relationship along with Elle and Maverick’s relationship. With touching moments like a hospital bed and three kisses, a hard-to-swallow truth pill, and the solving of a mystery that’s plagued a family, this novel brings the forces that makes a family and breaks them. 

Carissa Miller brings a new kind of magnetic to the forefront of modern novels that interweave genres like romance, thriller, and a mystery bigger than the characters in this fantastic work. Miller should be praised for her character development of Elle, Maverick, and even the smaller characters, who all have some force that pulls or pushes in this novel. Intertwined with great characters is a plot worth investing time in, catching small details that lead up to a big finale that’ll leave you wanting more from Carissa Miller. 

Review: Daughter of the Last King by Tracey Warr

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Murder, traitors, love, affairs and war. In this historical fiction novel you follow a Welsh Princess who has lost everything, her family, her country, and her freedom. Princess Nest is taken from her kingdom by Normans and must learn their ways in order to be betrothed to whomever the King wishes. Nest never gives up hope that she may be rescued by the Welsh Prince who once was meant to be her husband. As you follow the story of love, loss, and betrayal, you see Nest transform from the Welsh girl she was, into a woman meant for royalty.  This story captures the reader as they want to know what will happen with Princess Nest, with several twists along the way. This story is based on real people and real events that happened in European history. You see the inner workings of the royal court, traitors, affairs, and death. Be aware that the narrator will change at times throughout the story, either through journal entries or letters written. 

Review: Foretold by Laura Spinella

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In the second book of the Ghost Gifts series the reader meets Aubrey, twelve years later. Life for Aubrey was changing drastically, as was her gift. When a historical figure warns Aubrey of an explosion about to happen, she learns that her gift might be more than just communicating with the dead. If having ghosts show up to give information about future events was not enough, Aubrey also must face the truths behind her own sons gifts as well. In this story Levi and Aubrey must team up again to solve a John Doe murder, find missing children, and revisit an old angry spirit from their past. Along with this Aubrey must face several ghosts of her own in order to learn the true nature of her father's gift that drove him mad. Those who loved the first instalment will not want to put this one down. From start to finish there are twists and turns that keep readers guessing to the very end.