The Rivals of Dracula Stories from the Golden Age of Gothic Horror

The Rivals of Dracula: Stories from the Golden Age of Gothic Horror by Nick Rennison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 288

Publisher - OldCastle Books

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Bram Stoker’s Dracula, still the most famous of all vampire stories, was first published in 1897. But the bloodsucking Count was not the only member of the undead to bare his fangs in the literature of the period. Late Victorian and Edwardian fiction is full of vampires and this anthology of scary stories introduces modern readers to 15 of them. A travel writer in Sweden unleashes something awful from an ancient mausoleum. A psychic detective battles a vampire that has taken refuge in an Egyptian mummy. A nightmare becomes reality in the tower room of a gloomy country house. Including works by both well known writers of the supernatural such as M. R. James and E. F. Benson and less familiar authors like the Australian Hume Nisbet and the American F. Marion Crawford, The Rivals of Dracula is a collection of classic tales to chill the blood and tingle the spine.


My Review

Firstly let me say i am not a fan of short stories in general, I always find I am left unsatisfied and left hanging with them. For that reason alone I generally tend to avoid them, unless you are master King of course. This wee book offers up 15 short stories with vampires or some kind of vampiric theme. The very first story reminded me of old school vamp, like the movies I grew up with, I was picturing Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, it just set me off on a high with this book.

Each chapter gives us a brief history on the author and their work as well as the year of birth and death. Some of these guys and gals were the 1800s so not familiar authors for me. I absolutely am taking note of their names and will be tracking down pretty much all of their works because even those I didn't love I still enjoyed and liked. A Medusa type character with a different spin to her, a few dodgy old houses, love love love them and the eerie gothic creepy spin to the stories. Sometimes an old house is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, some of these authors bring that setting right to life, I wanted them all made into movies! There is a tree one that whilst not my fav by far but I loved the different spin and you get a back story, you don't often get that in vampires stories let alone a short story one!

Each author has a very different style yet all manage the eerie creepy vibes and feel you used to get with the black and white movies on a Saturday night. This book is a wee gem and it is a shame it lay on my shelves for so long. I kind of want this to be a keeper but I also want to share it with folk so I think I may put it up as a giveaway on my blog. I will for sure be checking out more of these authors, all of them. If you are a vampire fan, even if you don't like short stories, please check this book out guys it is a great read, 4.5/5 for me this time.

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I Looked Away by Jane Corry Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour for "I Looked Away" by Jane Corry, for my stop I have my review, enjoy!


I Looked Away by Jane Corry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 493

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Alternate title "I Looked Away" / "Child of Mine"

THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MY HUSBAND'S WIFE AND THE DEAD EX

Every Monday, 49-year-old Ellie looks after her grandson Josh. She loves him more than anything else in the world. The only thing that can mar her happiness is her husband's affair. But he swore it was over, and Ellie has decided to be thankful for what she's got.

Then one day, while she's looking after Josh, her husband gets a call from that woman. And for just a moment, Ellie takes her eyes off her grandson. The accident that happens will change her life forever.

Because Ellie is hiding something in her past.

And what looks like an accident could start to look like murder...


My Review

Present day, Ellie: an argument with her husband, her eye off the child for a minute will change life as she knows it. We flick to a few months after the accident and then go between characters and timelines. Jo is homeless and so opposite of Ellie and it takes a fair few chapters to get a feel for the characters and where the story may be going. In between Jo and Ellie we get snippets of someones life, written in italics, starting as a child in an abusive situation and other flashes as they grow up. Took a fair bit to make any kind of context for me but I can be a bit slow on the uptake putting pieces together.

I loved in between the chapters we got a flower, it's common name, it's proper name and the story or meaning behind it, I love things like that in books especially when not expecting it. The story lines, because there are really three it did take me a wee bit to settle into. Reading them all, they each grab and engage the reader but keeps you on your toes trying to figure out what the context is, if any, to the other characters.

Certainty draws you in quickly and teases out across the pages the secrets and depths of the characters. Emotions, manipulations, darkness, versatility, family, love, betrayal and more than a few scenes spiked strong reactions. I have read this author before and will be reading her again, 3.5/5 for me this time, engaging, page turning, depth and a lot to spill!

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Helen Fitzgerald & Doug Johnstone at Waterstones

Today was such a beautiful day, weather wise and in general. Met with some of my fav humans and we headed to Waterstones for the book event, Orenda authors, Helen Fitzgerald and Doug Johnstone talking about their new books.




If you have never seen either of these authors you should if you get a chance, both are great speakers and fab chat but together they were hillarious and just bounced off each other with ease. Swearing, banter, a bit about how long they have known each other, their previous publishers and who is stalking who, can you stalk each other, double stalking? :D




The lovely Karen, of Orenda, introduced them both and you could listen to that beautiful accent all night. It was lovely of Orenda and Waterstones to highlight one of the crowd, blogger royalty, Mary having a very special birthday. Not only did they do a lovely wee speech they presented her with cake and flowers. I utterly love the book world, Mary is so supportive of authors, bloggers and just a genuine person with a heart of gold! Happy birthday again Mary, we love you!





Helen read from her book, Worst Case Scenario, out now to buy in kindle and tree book format on Amazon or in store.




And Doug then read from his new book, Breakers, also out now to buy in kindle or tree book format, from Amazon or in store.




Waterstones hold events like these all the time guys, if you haven't been to any please check out their website and support your stores/authors. The events are always really good, the authors are so approachable and sometimes hearing the writing process or some chat behind the book is what actually grabs you to buy it.


Helen has had one of her books made into a tv show, The Cry, and Worst Case Scenario has been optioned so fingers and toes crossed. Doug is in the band "Fun lovin crime writers" and they are performing at Glastonbury this year, how awesome is that!





Could have listened to them all night but once they were done I had to rush off and get home, I forgot my antihistamines and my foot had an encounter with something last night when we were out with miss paws, typical! Please check out the books guys and if you buy them or have read them please let me know in the comments or tweet, insta, fb - whichever is your preferred platform, I love a gab!

My Hungry Friend by Daniel Barnett

My Hungry Friend by Daniel Barnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 200

Publisher - Indie/self

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

When Mike Roberts kicks over a homeless woman's cup of change, she whispers a cryptic warning:

"Mind the cracks . . ."

Now the Boston he knows and loves is unraveling around him. But his life is not the only thing at stake. His mother, a once acclaimed writer lost in the late stages of Alzheimer's, depends on him to have a home. And then there's her caretaker, Cassie, who might want something more from Mike than the friendship they've long shared.

As his city balances on a razor's edge, Mike will have to hunt down the daughter of the woman he wronged and uncover their terrible family secret . . . or be plunged into a world of crawling horrors and unspeakable hunger.

A world from which no one has ever returned.


My Review

Meet Mike Roberts, a dentist and has a carer who comes in during the day to look after his mother who has Alzheimer's and Mike looks after her at night. Stressed, living in Boston Mike passes homeless people everyday, this day Mike make's an impulse choice that impacts life as he knows it. One knee jerk reaction brings consequences that will pull down Mike's whole world and bring terror and horror beyond the imagination.

There are a few parts to this story, excluding the horror & weird creatures we have his relationship with his mothers carer and the actual taking care of his mother. Intimate care of cleaning up her accidents at night, safety issues and the pressure of that from a son having to deal with such a change in dynamics from the child to parental role.

The dark in this book is very dark, we have insect like creatures that most folk have some kind of beastie that creep up out, let alone from another world. There is mystery, evil, spookiness and at least one scene with his mother, in particular one part of her anatomy, that made me feel really uncomfortable and creeped out reading. I personally don't think it would have hurt the book to not be in it but artistic license and we don't always get the scenes in the way an author has written or envisioned it being received.

There is a lot of creepy tension and build up to a darkness threatening and changing Mike's world whilst he desperately scrambles to understand what is happening, why and most importantly what he can do to stop it. I think Mike makes so many bad choices and errors but it works in highlighting the reality of humanity, flawed characteristics and how off character would you be if your world was falling apart with a darkness coming in. 3/5 for me this time, I liked the eeriness and tension and look forward to seeing what else this author has to offer.

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The Forget-Me-Not Summer by Katie Flynn

The Forget-Me-Not Summer by Katie Flynn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 4 days

Pages - 432

Publisher - Century

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Liverpool 1936

Miranda and her mother, Arabella, live comfortably in a nice area. But when her mother tells her she can no longer afford their present lifestyle, they have a blazing row, and Miranda goes to bed angry and upset. When she wakes the next morning, however, her mother has disappeared.

She raises the alarm but everyone is baffled, and when searches fail to discover Arabella’s whereabouts, Miranda is forced to live with her Aunt Vi and cousin Beth, who resent her presence and treat her badly.

Miranda is miserable, but when she meets a neighbour, Steve, things begin to look up and Steve promises to help his new friend in her search, and does so until war intervenes…


My Review

We open the book with a young Miranda, her mother goes missing and life is her trying to adapt to the new situation she finds herself in, her family and her new friend Steve. The book moves along from the mystery of Miranda's mothers disappearance to Miranda as an adult, never giving up hope of finding her mother. Covering her life into adulthood we follow her personal relationships, work life and getting through the war and all that comes with it.

The first part of the story I liked, Miranda as a kid, the ?haunting of the house they come across and the story and friendships that follow. Then it skips more to adulthood and it just changed the tone of the story for me, it could have been two different stories to be honest. Things that happened in the first part of the story, characters, I would have liked to have stayed relevant in the time change but it focuses on Miranda, her journey at the point and Steve and his part.

Considering how it all starts and how the author decided to bring the ending about it just wasn't for me. The pace was ok, some bits I liked a lot more than others. A lot of the characters had questionable behaviour/characteristics and some you really warmed to. Really mixed and I am sure some folk will love it but overall I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to and I think had I got more depth for some of the characters and depth I would have really like this one. This was my first read of this author, I would read her again, just this one wasn't for me, 2.5/5.

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If You Were Here by Alice Peterson

If You Were Here by Alice Peterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Simon & Schuster UK

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

‘I can toast to my future, but the thundercloud over my head, the threat of a storm, will follow me like a shadow wherever I go. The truth is, I have a potential bomb in my bag, and who knows when or where it will go off’

When her daughter Beth dies suddenly, Peggy Andrews is left to pick up the pieces and take care of her granddaughter Flo. But sorting through Beth’s things reveals a secret never told: Beth was sick, with the same genetic condition that claimed her father’s life, and now Peggy must decide whether to keep the secret or risk destroying her granddaughter’s world.

Five years later, Flo is engaged and ready to pack up her life and move to New York with her high-flying fiancé. Peggy never told Flo what she discovered, but with Flo looking towards her future, Peggy realises it’s time to come clean and reveal that her granddaughter’s life might also be at risk.

As Flo struggles to decide her own path, she is faced with the same life-altering questions her mother asked herself years before: If a test could decide your future, would you take it?


My Review

Told from three points of view, Peggy is the granny, Beth the mother and Flo the granddaughter. Peggy nursed her husband as he battled through Huntington's disease not telling her daughter. Now Beth and her husband are gone Peggy discovers Beth knew and Flo has a 50/50 chance of getting the condition. She never told Beth and now she has to battle with telling Flo and the consequences. The chapters alternate between Peggy and Flo, we hear from Beth in diary entries from a kid to up until she died.

This book is emotive and totally pulls at the heartstrings. In Peggy we see the role of the carer, the struggles she faced in the time with her husband, love, devotion and watching this condition take away a piece of the person in different ways. In Beth we see the kid watching her father become unwell and how it affected her growing up and then her own experiences. Flo is oblivious to everything, living with the man of her dreams and ready to uproute before everything comes crashing down.

I think with this book it is the dimensions to it all, living with the condition, living with someone knowing they have it, growing up with it but not knowing and how that is viewed through a youngsters eyes. The impact it has on relationships, both families and partners. And the personal battle, journey and emotions if you had a bombshell like this dropped on you, you may potentially have a life changing condition and you are helpless to do anything about it. Would you find out or live in ignorance? No matter what you choose you also cannot control how the people in your life will react and that was a huge eye opener, none of us know what is around the corner.

Books like this make me want to read up more on the condition especially when treatments are mentioned and research. There is still so much work that needs done and in the last few years they have made some great progress, it is a fascinating read both this story and the academic articles out there. I do enjoy a book that provokes an emotive response but also makes you want to go and look into the condition the book centres on. My first dance with this author, it won't be my last, 4/5 for me this time.

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Update and adventures

The previous week I wasn't on much (although if you follow my Insta or Twitter you will have seen the updates. So I went to England to visit family, miss paws wasn't amused although she does enjoy climbing on my case.





The weather here was horrible and when I landed it was almost like when you actually go on holiday, it was such a nice change in the weather.





I was only down for a couple of days and it was more about family time but we did get to do a wee bit of sight seeing.




I got to feed baby parakeets - they were so cheeky and beautiful, love them!




So many beautiful animals and we got to get so close, I loved it.




I got to use his Zelda glass, this is a big deal. I am not a Zelda fan but this is a pretty fab glass.




I stayed in the wee Premier Inn, I kinda prefer them when going on mini trips, you know what you are getting. Bar a wee incident with the kettle and limescale it was fine.

There was a wee garden outside which was perfect to grab a wee read whilst waiting to meet up with family.




It was so nice although I didn't really read much except when I was back at the hotel.




Colchester Castle and the surrounding grounds is stunning, I didn't go into the castle but hope to when I visit next time.




Some of the buildings are stunning, I do love an old building and would have loved a wee walk around inside.




I took my Game of Thrones wee blanket with me, cookies, books and junk tv was a great way to unwind at the end of the day, after a bath of course.




When I got to the airport there was a lot of aggression, a lot of flights had been delayed, my own included so I bought junk food, found a quiet spot in the airport, tuned into my book and caught a wee bit of the live show for "For The Love of Horror" talking about their horror con event in Manchester in October. If you like horror check them out guys, they go live once a we, the guys banter is on point and I thought I was a huge horror movie yet every show I am taking note of movies not only I haven't seen but haven't heard of!





I got home pretty late, the sky was lovely but it was cold, nothing new there!




Pretty safe to say Princess Trixie missed me, I was only away three days but she shadowed and stayed by my side most of the night I got home. So that was my wee adventures, catching up now on my book reviews and looking forward to my next visit!