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Generation of Vipers

6/29/2021

1 Comment

 

Generation of Vipers
Maria Ann Green
Publication date: June 18th 2021
Genres: Adult, Gothic, Psychological, Thriller

Rosabella Moore-Davis has just moved her husband halfway across the world, with a spur of the moment purchase–a glorious gothic mansion–while on vacation in France. It was love at first sight, and somehow she knew it was more than just some huge house; it was meant to be her home.

But not all things that are meant to be end happily ever after.

Rosabella soon finds herself waking in the middle of the night from more than just wind and creaking pipes. In the dark she discovers ghostly figures looking up into her windows from outside, rooms and treasures previously hidden for centuries, creeping crawling guests, and too many dark shadows lunging toward her. And still, somehow, instead of screaming and running away she researches, choosing knowledge over fear, and learns more about the house and the history of this place she loves so much.

Only when she stumbles into the past, meeting an aristocrat hiding enough deadly secrets to take down the patriarchy, does Rosabella start to regret her choices. And after having come this far, she worries it’s too late to turn back and save herself from a house that has more skeletons in its vast amount of closet space than anyone expected.

Rosabella isn’t the fleeing type, but she’s not sure she’ll survive the fight. Especially against a place with so many stories buried beneath it, burned into every fiber of the edifice, a house with a portal to dark places and troubles that shouldn’t be stirred up.

Generation of Vipers is a mix of crimson peak and Mike Flanagan’s Haunting of Hill House, with elements of Marisha Pessl’s Night Film mixed throughout.

If you like dark thrillers that border on horror, gothic elements, and deliciously dark twists that will keep you guessing, then Generation of Vipers might be your next favorite book. It’ll keep you reading just one more page all night long, too afraid to turn out the light and go to sleep.

It appeals to lovers of suspenseful plots, all things dark like thrillers and horrors, stories with murder and mayhem, dark romance elements, fans of American Horror Story, Shirley Jackson, Gilian Flynn, Ruth Ware, Tana French, J.A. Konrath, and the Timothy Blake Series by Jack Heath.

*Content Warning: graphic violence, sexual content, and language*

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Review
As soon as Rosabella set eyes on a lonely, dark mansion in France, she knew it was meant for her.  Rosabella wastes no time moving herself and her husband, Milo halfway across the world. Rosabella immediately begins to dig into the maison, which she has deemed Malefique , redecorating, coordinating and discovering its secrets. Immediately, Rosabella feels the pull of Malefique itself asking to uncover buried history in its walls.  Soon, Rosabella is consumed with Malefique's mysteries, finding it hard to pull away, except to spend time with her new friend, Tierney.  As she spends more time in Malefique , Rosabella begins seeing things, becoming consumed and taken over by the journals left by a former inhabitant.  The more she digs into Malefique 's history, the more she can't turn away from the truth of what is happening.  

Generation of Vipers is a Gothic thriller that kept me guessing and delivered plenty of surprises.  From the very beginning, I found myself as intrigued by Rosabella's maison as she was.  The feeling of something being not quite right was masterfully conveyed through the writing as unexplainable events kept happening to Rosabella and the maison took on a life of its own.  I felt that maison Malefique was a character in itself as the house willed things to happen and was able to bend Rosabella to its will.  Rosabella was difficult to figure out, especially since she is in the grips of the house since page one.  I would have loved to know her personality a bit before moving into Malefique, especially because a mental health issue seems to plague her, though it seems that  Malefique chose Rosabella for a specific reason.  I loved finding out the history of  Malefique alongside Rosabella and its hidden secrets.  I especially liked the journal entries as a peek into  Malefique's original inhabitants, I could have read even more.  With a devilishly gory ending, Generation of Vipers will have you at the edge of your seat. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Author Bio:

Maria, a badass USA Today and internationally bestselling indie author, lives in Minnesota despite the frozen winters. Actually, she prefers snow drifts and icicles over summer and all that sweat running everywhere. She writes about bitches, breakups, and bloodbaths – not in any particular order. She lives with her husband and little family, which includes a few lazy cats who make great lap warmers. You can usually find her whishing that she lived in a secret cabin in the woods where she could be a hermit reading and writing all of the time. Instead she lives the suburban life where she pretends to her neighbors and the other moms around that she doesn’t swear like a sailor, have hidden tattoos, and loves a good bottle of wine. She absolutely believes in unicorns and ghosts and hopes vampires and monsters are real too. She’s a coffee-in-the-morning and alcohol-in-the-evening kind of person, preferably with a nap in between. Maria prefers cats over dogs, books over people, and late nights over early mornings. She probably shouldn’t talk to anyone until she’s had her first cup of coffee, extra sugar. And if you ever want to hang out with her, you’ll have to be game for a horror movie or just a quick run to target for two (hundred) little things. Also, you couldn’t pay her to be in her twenties again; Thirties is where it’s at. She’s a creative, mouthy, introverted, proud bisexual, highly-sensitive INFJ, chronic pain spoonie warrior, Slytherpuff, dork with a sweet-tooth.

Maria devours books, reading mostly in bed or listening to audiobooks in the car. Writing has been one of her passions for pretty much her whole life. So creativity is a necessity for her, always. After working in the mental health field for almost a decade, she’s now living her dream as a stay-at-home writer, kiddo wrangler, professional snuggler, and constantly-tired-person. When it comes to her writing, she specializes in dark and twisted thrillers or gritty, angsty contemporary romances. But no matter the genre, she always prefers writing deeply flawed characters with dysfunctional relationships. She’s pretty sure the whole “unlikable character” thing is a conspiracy because every character she loves have been labeled this way. Ridiculous. And because of this, she’s pretty much found it impossible to write anything without at least a little mayhem.

Maria was once told she painted with her words, and that phrase stuck with her – because writing really is an art, and good stories are true masterpieces. She’s always trying to grow and improve in her craft, shooting for a masterpiece of her own someday. And she plans to write forever because writing gives Maria the ability to disappear into new worlds and create people within twisting plots, all from the comfort of her couch. She will always believe that though not every story is for her, and her stories aren’t for everyone, every story has a reader.

For more from Maria find all of her links, including a link to get more content at her newsletter, here: linktr.ee/mariainmadness

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The Spinster's Fortune

6/22/2021

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THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE 
BY MARY KENDALL
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
Darkstroke Books
Paperback & eBook; 227 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery


Moonlit alleys, shadowy tunnels, and buried secrets…
Summer of 1929.

Of supposed unsound mind without a penny to her name, Blanche Magruder lies alone in a home for the aged and infirm.
Meanwhile, her house, a crumbled ruin in the heart of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is pillaged nightly by thieves looking for treasure rumored to be hidden there.

A distant niece, Margaret O’Keefe, is tapped as executor and soon becomes embroiled in the hunt for recovering monies, taking it on as a welcome escape from her financial and marital woes.
As Margaret discovers caches in unlikely spots throughout the house, family mysteries begin to unravel. She questions whether Aunt Blanche is an insane fool or a daring genius, yet Margaret must also wrangle with her own hidden truths.

Pressed towards a convergence of their pasts and presents, the two women must ultimately face down a fateful discovery in order to rectify their lives.

Shrouded in gothic undertones and dark artifice, THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE is a tale that takes the reader on a strange journey through tangled webs of family deceit. But where does it end?

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

Review: 
​​In the summer of 1929 Margaret O'Keefe learns that she has been appointed as the executor for her aging aunt, Blanche Magruder.  Blanche has been placed in a home for the destitute after her crumbling home was condemned.  However, Margaret learns that the home has been looted as stories of a hidden fortune are passed around.  Margaret is already trying to escape financial woes with the horse breeding business she was left by her father and a husband who wastes their money in gambling and drinking.  Margaret goes headfirst into trying to uncover the Magruder fortune.  In doing so, Margaret gets to know Aunt Blanche and slowly discovers the reasons why her Aunt felt the need to hide her family's fortune. 

The Spinster's Fortune is a historical mystery based on the strange tale of the real Blanche Magruder who really did hide away her family's fortune in rags before she was placed in a poor house.  While not much is known about the intentions of the real Blanche, the author has created an intriguing mystery that incorporates some of the facts from the case.  The story is mostly told from Margaret's point of view with several pieces of Blanche's memories interspersed to help fill in missing pieces.  Margaret was a difficult character to like.  She was straightforward and a shrewd businesswoman, yet didn't seem to have her Aunt's best interests in mind until near the end.  Margaret did not hide the fact that she was just as interested in the whereabouts of the hidden money as everyone else.  Although, this very well may have been the reality of the situation.  Margaret did grow on me by the end as she figured out the situation with her husband.  I was very interested in Blanche and her past in the house, her sisters and her boyfriend who fought in the Civil War. Blanche's character had a lot to unpack and I wish more of the story could have been told from her point of view or her memories.  I loved uncovering the family secrets and exploring the tunnels beneath Washington D.C. Overall, a fast-paced mystery with an unexpected ending. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

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About the Author

Mary Kendall lived in old (and haunted) houses growing up which sparked a life-long interest in history and story-telling. She earned degrees in history related fields and worked as an historian for many years. Her fiction writing is heavily influenced by the past which she believes is never really dead and buried.

Fueled by black coffee and a possible sprinkling of Celtic fairy dust, she tends to find inspiration in odd places and sometimes while kneading bread dough.

The author currently resides in Maryland with her family (husband, three kids, barn cat and the occasional backyard hen) who put up with her mad scribbling at inconvenient hours.

THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE , a mystery set in Georgetown, Washington DC, is her debut novel and is a twisty, tangled dive into a web of family deception murky with gothic undertones.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

The Spinster's Fortune
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Constellations of Scars

6/9/2021

3 Comments

 

Constellations of Scars
Melissa Eskue Ousley
Published by: Midnight Tide Publishing
Publication date: June 9th 2021
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy

“An indelible story of loving yourself in a world of dreadful realities.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Not all gifts are a blessing. Some are a curse.

When Amelia turned 12, she began growing pearls. Every month, a crop of beautiful pearls bursts from the skin on her back. Her mother, Denise, believes her daughter is blessed, and sells the pearls to put food on the table. Amelia sees her condition as a curse. As the pearls form, her body aches and her skin grows feverish. The harvest of pearls brings temporary relief from the pain, but leaves her back marred by scars. Denise hides Amelia away from the world, worried that Amelia’s gift will be discovered and she will be abducted for the wealth she can provide. Now a young woman, Amelia realizes she has become her mother’s captive, and plans her escape. When she runs away from home, she finds a new family in a troupe of performers at a museum of human oddities. She soon discovers the world is much more dangerous than her mother feared.

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Review



Every month since she was twelve years old, Amelia has grown a series of lumps on her back and shed perfect pearls instead of having a menstrual cycle. Amelia's mother sees the peculiar gift as a reason to lock Amelia away for fear of anyone else finding out. However, her mother also closely monitors Amelia's pearls and sells them for her own gain. Homeschooled and not allowed to leave her house since she was twelve, the now 21 year old Amelia is plotting an escape. Saving just a few pearls each month, Amelia decides she has enough for a bus ticket and picks her way out of the locked attic when her mother is gone. Amelia finds herself in Portland, but without any skills, she is a fish out of water. When trying to sell her pearls, Amelia meets Peter who is opening a museum of human oddities. Without disclosing her secret, Amelia fits right in. However, Amelia's trusting nature lands her right back into another prison.

Constellations of Scars is a New Adult fantasy with a very intriguing plot. I loved the idea of a monthly shedding of pearls, like a human oyster. Amelia's mother gave off a Gothel vibe, saying she kept Amelia locked away for her own good. Amelia's character was very interesting and the story is told from her point of view. I do wish that she dove deeper into her feelings about the pearls, accepting herself, and learning how to be a person in the world. It seems that everything just happens to her, rather easily, without much emotional connection. I was also very interested in all of the people at the museum and would have liked to know more about their backstories as well. The pacing of the story seemed a little too fast for me, quickly jumping from one stage in Amelia's journey to the next without allowing time for Amelia to learn and grow. The ending was especially fast. The last part of the book abruptly changed to an engaging and heart-pounding thriller that could have been deeply explored and rounded out Amelia, Peter and Gabriel's characters even more. Overall, a unique story of perseverance, acceptance and hope.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Author Bio:

Melissa Eskue Ousley is an award-winning author living on the Oregon coast with her family, a neurotic dog, two charming cats, and a piranha. Her suspense novel, Pitcher Plant, is set in Seaside, and won a 2018 Independent Publisher Book Award. Her young adult novel, Sunset Empire, debuted in a bestselling boxed set. Her short stories have been included in Rain Magazine, The North Coast Squid, and various anthologies. When she’s not writing, she can be found volunteering for her local wildlife center, caring for injured owls and hawks.

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    Hi there! I'm Stephanie and I obviously love reading.  As, the title suggests, I read at least one hundred pages a day.  I enjoy most book genres; however, my favorites are historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, horror and YA.  I also read a lot of non-fiction science and gardening books for my occupation.  I enjoy reviewing books and as always, any book that I receive for free is read in return for my honest review.  

    ​https://share.simonandschuster.com/stephanierhildreth

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