Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 8 days

Pages - 584

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.


My Review

This is book two in the book series "A Discovery of Witches" - I often read books out of sequence or as standalones but I would advise reading book one. This picks up where book one left off, it was a long gap between reading that and this one. Diana and Matthew have fled to the past to try and find the Ashmole 782 which may help solve all their problems. You know, he is a vamp, she is a witch, the two aren't allowed to "fraternise" and these two have fallen in love and causing all manners of threats and death to be brought upon them. Convinced the Ashmole 782 will end all their and their species issues and may finally bring peace.

I would say the majority of the book is set back in the past, we do have wee tiny trips back to the present but to be honest not a whole lot happens in those chapters it is all the stuff set in the past. Jumping from the danger of present day and going back in time to when witches are being hunted, burnt, persecuted, Diana has trouble in abundance. Whilst Diana navigates the very different life and times of the time period they are also trying to find someone who can help Diana with her magic or lack of it. She is experiencing little flutters and sparks but is it just the magic of travelling back in time or could it be her powers are finally starting to come to the fort?

The book looks at the difficulties of their relationship, the fact they haven't consummated, how their relationship is, the dangers just being together has brought and even how dangerous it is being themselves where they have landed.

Meeting Mathews family and friends brings its own trials and tribulations, the time period, the literal witch hunts, love, loss, betrayal, magic - it is a mixed bag, 3.5/5. I did like it and enjoyed seeing more of their story, I also have book three to read but I did find it a wee bit slow in places.

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The Amityville Horror 2 by John G Jones

The Amityville Horror II by John G. Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Warner

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

George and Kathy Lutz flee their demon-plagued home only to face renewed terrors


My Review

If you have read or seen the movies you know what the story is about, this book picks up where the first book leaves off. Kathy, George and the kids flee Amityville house leaving all their possessions/belongings and pretty much everything they own in attempts to flee the evil entity. Sadly they soon find that no matter where they go evil is following them.

The only thing I would say I found different from the movies etc well from what I remember the book goes into them doing the book and the promotion for it. How things go, how they are received by the general public, interviewing hosts and what is happening to the rest of their family whilst they travel.

Perfect book for candles, dark night, blanket & a quiet freaky night in. I think most people have an interest in this story and if you enjoy freaky/supernatural tales then whether you believe this to be a true story or not you will enjoy it. 4/5 from us for this one.

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Covet by J R Ward

Covet by J.R. Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - Little brown & co

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about - his specialty is revenge and, to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option.


My Review

Book one in a new series, Jim Heron is a man with a past, he is now working at a construction site and after an encounter of the adult kind with a stunning woman and an accident Jim finds himself in the company of higher beings. He is now effectively a player in a game of life and death, good vs evil and Jim has been picked as the representative of good. Jim has had a very shady past, he has done some bad things but he has a moral compass so they feel he is a good choice. The other side has their own player and Jim has his work cut out trying to do what is asked of him.

Oooft we have angels, demons, dodgyness, chat of domestic violence, manipulation, lust, seduction, murder, spells, you name it. I think this is a good foundation book one in a six book series. Not for the easily offended, adult scenes (of an erotic nature), evil forces, murder, trying to influence over the deadly sins, one side wants the individual to choose bad, the other side to choose good and humanity/souls are the end game so everything that is anything is at risk.

I do enjoy Ward's writing and normally it is the Black Dagger Brotherhood series I read but thought I would give this a bash. The battle between good and evil is one we see in most genres and it is a formula done over and over but Ward writes in a way, with characters, you engage with and what to see where it goes and folk get their comeuppance. I am going to order book two, I can't wait to see where the story goes next, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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The Bucktown Babies by Janine R Pastel

The Bucktown Babies by Janine R Pestel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - ebook ?

Publisher - Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

In this gripping thriller, we see that demons are real and they like the souls of babies and unborn children alike. Father Gunter is a demon's worst nightmare. But even he will need help to destroy the demon that is killing the babies of Bucktown, a small farming community. Help does come, but from a very unlikely, and unexpected, source. Will it be enough to see the demon hunter through the final showdown with evil? If Father Gunter can find and kill the demon who is harming babies in Bucktown, he will be that much closer to finding the demon that took his sister from him. He knows she's not dead. She can't be.


My Review

Father Gunter is a man on a mission, ex priest now demon hunter, searching for his sister he is also keeping an eye out for where he is needed. Bucktown is having an unusual amount of child deaths and miscarriages, he knows he is needed and heads in to investigate. He finds assistance in an unlikely ally and sets out to stop the demon!

This is the first book in a series and absolutely sets the foundations for the next book(s) in the series. Father Gunters back story is offered in segments throughout the book in between the hunt for the demon. Some of the scenes are eerie and you can feel the tension building as Gunter tries to make sense of the deaths, identify what is going on and go after the demon.

There is action, intrigue, suspense and a few hair raising moments where we see the main character deal with evil and supernatural beings. I think the author has created a foundation for a fabulously dark world that really boils down to good and evil with all kinds of sideline issues. Family, personal, the solid beliefs of a (ex) priest with some of his faith now missing after a previous encounter with evil. It has a promising start and I really look forward to seeing what is next in store for Gunter but more so getting answers to my questions. I did enjoy a fair amount of this book but I was left with so many questions and some readers love being kept in suspense but I am a nosey riot and cannot wait to be in the know. 3.5 stars out for 5 for me this time, the author has previous published work that I will have a nosey at, however this was my first introduction to her work.

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