​Ellen, Sue and Tanya are all empty-nester's looking for a project to keep them busy.  Ellen comes across a beautiful 1860's Greek revival with lots of potential in San Antonio. All three friends like the house, but they find out several other sales have fallen through due to the house being haunted.  A haunting just gets the ladies more interested in the house and the hold a seance.  Immediately, they receive confirmation of the ghost.  Neighbors confirm what they experience.  As they explore the house more, the Greek revival's attic opens up more mysteries to the history of the house with medical equipment and pictures of women who were patients.  Ellen, the most skeptical of the groups digs into the identity of the ghost, her family and if she is a ghost at all.

The Mystery House is a fast paced mystery with many little twists and turns as well as elements of paranormal and psychological horror.  I had a hard time feeling like I got to know the three women as characters, however, I was very drawn in to the mysteries of the house and the ghost.  From the beginning I thought that the ghost was very unique, not very scary, but with definite purpose and not hesitant to show herself.  This is all part of one of the many little mysteries that are unraveled.  More than the ghost, I was interested in the many woman who had lived in the house when it was a rest home.  The plot delves into the backstory of a few of the women who were related with letters and diary entries, but I think a lot more could have been developed in the women's past in order to intensify the horrors of the house.  Overall, a quick, multifaceted mystery perfect for Halloween season.

​Highshcooler, Stella Blunt has just received the worst news of her life- her mother has gotten a new job and they will be moving from Nova Scotia to Vancouver.   Stella is on the heavier side, tends to say what she thinks and knows kung-fu, making friends is not her forte. Stella puts on her big girl panties, as her dad says and makes the best of her first day at her new school.  Stella hears a wide variety of fat jokes, and her chemistry lab partner, Howard apparently can't do much except ogle and drool directly at Stella.  Stella is having a hard enough time without the one person at school who might have a lower social status then herself crushing hard on her; but the next day Howard is completely different- polite, charming and interesting.  Howard can't help but be around Stella and a relationship forms, but Stella knows that Howard and his family are different.  As soon as Howard spills the beans about essentially being a zombie, an outbreak happens.  They all seem to want Stella's brain in particular and the Feds are blaming Howard's family for the whole thing.


Chemistry is a play on the Twilight series that fixes many of the criticisms that Twilight garnered.  Stella herself is outspoken, not afraid to ask questions, tough and not your typical body type.  Stella's parents are also very present, supportive and hilarious.  They are involved in her life and have plenty of awkward conversations, just like real highschool kids have to go though.  One of my favorite lines was " ...while I completely acknowledge and recognize that you are not responsible for men's reactions to you, teenage boy's brains do tend to shut down when they see a pretty girl. "It's all about the boobs," said my father."  Howard also isn't your typical pretty boy and because of his condition, he is seen as an outcast.  However, because of his elongated time as a teenage boy, he has a gentle nature and a lot of insight.  I did like how the Z03818 virus was explained and how Howie and his family were still more on the living side of the virus than the dead.  The romance in the story did move pretty quickly with love found within a matter of days.  Although, the action, mystery and suspense of the zombie outbreak was on point and was a great blend of conspiracy, danger and chainsaw actions.  Overall, a perfect read for paranormal romance lovers!