The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 284

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger-a boy who seems to fade like smoke-appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know-about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget.



My Review

I think this is my first time reading this author although I have heard the name many times in book groups and sure I have a few others on my tbrm. This is a standalone, punted as a half fairy tale half love story, I am not sure I would use any of them to describe it to be honest. Lexi is really close to her little sister, her mother hasn't been right since her dad died and uncle Otto is taking the lead of man in the house. Lexi is very much like her dad was and into tracking and getting in and about the thick of everything whereas at sixteen in the village it should be more ladylike and focused on wedding, absolutely not what Lexi has in mind. When a stranger is spotted in the village and then a little child goes missing from their bedroom, a hunt for the stranger begins. When another goes missing the townsfolk are after blood rather than answers. Lexi wants to know who the stranger is and she knows exactly where to go to find out.

I don't know for me there was so many seemingly separate threads that didn't exactly gel or come together or in some cases what was the point. The old witch tale that was used to scare the kids, I liked and thought it was well done. The kids disappearing was almost pied piper vibes, there was no harm or force they just seemed to have disappeared with no trace.

The sisters that Lexi goes to I would have loved to have heard more about them, mysterious, elderly witches, the only two left in the village. I think they would have made for great reading and maybe the author will revisit and do a story on them. I just think for a book about witches (ok The Near Witch implies just one) we wold have had more witches.

I didn't get the mob mentality of wanting to hunt down the stranger, surely you would want to capture them and get some answers, most importantly where are the kids. There were things I liked, things I didn't and some missed opportunities I felt but overall it was fine, 3/5 for me.

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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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Hidden Killers by Lynda LaPlante BookTour

Book two of the #TeamTennison tour - "Hidden Killers" - for my stop I have my review, enjoy. You can buy your own copy now, from Amazon or any other good retailer.

We read ours with the pelting rain, in the nook with a blanket (is there anything nicer!).

Hidden Killers by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able over 5 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

A prostitute dressed in a blue rabbit fur coat walks through the darkness of Hackney Fields, seemingly alone. But someone is waiting for her...

A woman is found dead in her bath, a small child crying in the room next door... Is it an accidental death or the perfect murder?

When WPC Jane Tennison is promoted to the role of Detective Constable in London's Bow Street CID, she is immediately conflicted. While her far more experienced colleagues move on swiftly from one criminal case to another, Jane is often left with doubts about their findings.

Becoming inextricably embroiled in a multiple-rape case, Jane must put her life at risk in the search for answers. Will she toe the CID line, or endanger her position by seeking the truth...?



My Review

Oooh book two and we find Jane Tennison is promoted to Detective Constable in Bow Street, London CID. There are two cases being investigated, a rape and a young mother dead in a bath tub, Jane is finding just how different things work here. From new bosses, some of the same issues we found in book one, sexism, racism, skulduggery and hints of things not being quite above board Jane is feeling the pressure to do a job she loves, remain true to herself and conform.

I try to remember the time period this is set in, so sexism was (and still prevalent in some areas/places), hierarchy, unethical behaviours but you do get riled at how she is treated by her peers a fair bit.

From being put in danger, questioning her fellow officers and even putting her much loved job at risk by following her heart and intuition we follow Jane on some dark and questionable paths. There are some very unsettling themes in the book, rape, murder, people, cops struggling with their own demons, addictions - it is a busy book and mixed bag.

There is so much more to the series and I look forward to getting into them and seeing what the future holds for Jane and co, 4/5 for me this time.

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Happy October - Wee competition for Stephen King fans

Happy 1st of October, we love the spooky month and got new Scream (the movie) themed slippers for the occassion, any excuse really lol. Even Luna is getting in amongst it, she suits the wee pumpkin.

So if you have been around here a while you know we LOVE Halloween, spooky and Master King is responsible for our love of both reading and horror. We love supporting small businesses where able so I often buy our bookmarks etc from there. I got this fabulous Stephen King bookmark and decided to get a second for giveaway.

I have my own version of this keyring on my Vegs bag, it has lasted ages considering how much travel/wear and tear so decided to get another one. Themed from The Shining, the hotel The Overlook.

It is two sided.

The keyring is plastic and the bookmark is material, both are as pictured.

To enter, as always, use the Rafflecopter, complete the entries you want, the more you complete the more entries you have. As these are lightweight items I will open this to worldwide. I wish I could make all giveaways open to all but with postage costs rising and rising I can only do as and when. Good luck if entering and thanks for supporting the blog, us on our other social media platforms and interacting. It always makes us happy when folk reach out for a recommendation or to tell us they loved a book they bought we recommended. Books have always provided an escapism for me and I have loved them since I was a wean so connecting with so many bookworms, across so many genres/countries is always a smile raise for us!


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Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read -

Pages - 352

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.



My Review

Meet Daisy, part of the dysfunctional family who are getting together for her Nana's 80th birthday. Nana had had a psychic reading done that predicted she would die when she was 80 and being a little unique Nana wants the family together. The house stands alone and when the tide comes in they will be stuck together. When Nana is found dead the family are trapped and no way to get the police. Everyone suspects the other, tensions are high and the killing has only just started!

Oooft talk about troubled family! They are all so different, LOVED nana she is quirky as is her house, her dinner ideas though, you know I am twitchy with foods so some of her concoctions lol just naw. The family members have their own secrets and when nana tells them what she plans to do with her fortune it isn't received well. Tempers/emotions are running high and that is before poor nana is bumped off.

Drawn in quickly, shocking, unlikeable characters (not all of them) but the ones you do like really shows up the bad ones for how shocking they are. Creepy, atmospheric, lies, relationships, family it is quite engaging, I love family dynamics like this and when you think you know where the story is going or working something out, Feeney switches it up and keeps you on your toes. I have read her before and will be looking for the rest of her work, 4/5 from us this time.

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Bad Apples by Will Dean

Bad Apples by Will Dean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read -

Pages -

Publisher - Point Blank

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

It only takes one...

A murder

A resident of small-town Visberg is found decapitated

A festival

A cultish hilltop community ‘celebrates’ Pan Night after the apple harvest

A race against time

As Visberg closes ranks to keep its deadly secrets, there could not be a worse time for Tuva Moodyson to arrive as deputy editor of the local newspaper. Powerful forces are at play and no one dares speak out. But Tuva senses the story of her career, unaware that perhaps she is the story…


My Review

If you haven't read the previous books, I would. There is a lot of history and backstory on some of the characters so I think to get this one properly I would read the previous books. Tuva has landed the job of deputy editor for the local newspaper. As usual Tuva is an outsider even though we come across people who she has known in previous books/adventures. A resident is murdered, decapitated and a festival that isn't spoken of aloud is coming, Tuva isn't prepared for the dangers ahead nor the debauchery but she needs to investigate the story and get the residents to open up.

So if you don't know Tuva she is feisty, quite fearless, is hearing impaired and a new relationship with Noora. whilst this isn't a firm favourite for me there is no denying Dean writes and creates fantastic tension, fear, creepy, eerie atmospheres and scenes.

It is a busy book, lots going on, not for the faint hearted nor easily offended. The book has quite a few dark scenes and I think anyone would be hard pressed to guess where the stories are going. Kept on your toes and tense breath holding (at points) and you should have the next book on stand by at the ready, 3.5/5 for me.

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