The Coffin Worms by Nick Cutter

 

The Coffin Worms by Nick Cutter - 368 pgs

From Nick Cutter—the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Dorians and modern classics The Troop and The Deep , and “ one of the hottest horror authors on the planet” ( Paste )—comes an unforgettable collection of four all-new novellas.

The Coffin Worms : A young woman’s obsession with a enigmatic stranger draws her into a secretive community where something ancient lurks—and where death may be only the beginning…

The Stuck-To: After his wife returns from a stay at a mental-health facility, her husband grows increasingly concerned with the mysterious new woman she's met—a friendship that threatens to tear his family apart.

The White Island : An Arctic expedition uncovers the remnants of a lost civilization and evidence of a primordial evil—a lethal combination that threatens to rob them of their very sanity…

The Appraiser : A real estate agent specializing in properties scarred by tragedy is called to assess a rural house with a particularly gruesome history, only to discover that some places are better off left alone…

Dark, unsettling, and impossible to forget, The Coffin Worms is Nick Cutter at his most imaginative and terrifying—a showcase of four extraordinary novellas from one of modern horror's most celebrated storytellers.

These were pretty good stories, my favorites were "The Stuck-To" and "The Appraiser", definitely different stories

THE VISITANT by KATHLEEN O'NEAL GEAR & W. MICHAEL GEAR

 

THE VISITANT by KATHLEEN O'NEAL GEAR & W. MICHAEL GEAR (Pgs 364)

Goodreads Review: At the Dawn of the Age of the Katsinas...

A woman runs away in search of a Spirit Helper and never returns...

An ancient village is swept into a shattering crime beyond reason, beyond belief...

An old man must learn to walk the dark labyrinth of a murderer's mind to find him before he can strike again...

A young war chief must enter the mesmerizing word of the insane if he to save everything and everyone he loves...

And, a scant moment ahead in geologic time, world-renowned Canadian physical anthropologist Dr. Maureen Coles finds herself excavating a mass grave in New Mexico filled with the brutalized bodies of women and children.

The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

 The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - 296 pages

She was in the wrong place…

Fiercely independent and adventurous, Poppy Bridgerton will only wed a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season qualify. While visiting a friend on the Dorset coast, Poppy is pleasantly surprised to discover a smugglers’ hideaway tucked inside a cave. But her delight turns to dismay when two pirates kidnap her and take her aboard a ship, leaving her bound and gagged on the captain’s bed…

He found her at the wrong time…

Known to society as a rascal and reckless privateer, Captain Andrew James Rokesby actually transports essential goods and documents for the British government. Setting sail on a time-sensitive voyage to Portugal, he’s stunned to find a woman waiting for him in his cabin. Surely, his imagination is getting the better of him. But no, she is very real—and his duty to the Crown means he’s stuck with her.

Can two wrongs make the most perfect right?

When Andrew learns that she is a Bridgerton, he knows he will likely have to wed her to avert a scandal—though Poppy has no idea that he is the son of an earl and neighbor to her aristocratic cousins in Kent. On the high seas, their war of words soon gives way to an intoxicating passion. But when Andrew’s secret is revealed, will his declaration of love be enough to capture her heart…?

After the Rain by Amber Palmer

After the Rain by Amber Palmer -- 470 pages

Cleo Hayes is done with looking back. After a painful divorce and years of trying to outrun heartbreak, she returns to her parent's ranch in Texas seeking one thing—a fresh start. No drama. No distractions. And definitely no second chances. But then Grady Wilde shows up.

Once her high school sweetheart, Grady is now a country music superstar looking to settle down. When an unexpected reunion brings them face-to-face for the first time in over a decade, they are both faced with emotions they thought were long gone.

Cleo never expected to see him again, let alone feel the familiar pull of the boy who once held her heart. And Grady knows he made the biggest mistake of his life when he let her walk away. Now, older, wiser, and with a daughter who’s softened every edge of him, he’s ready to prove that love like theirs doesn’t just fade.

Cleo built walls to protect herself. But Grady is the only one who’s ever known how to slip through the cracks, and maybe, just maybe, he’s the only one who can help her feel safe enough to let them fall.

Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie by Heather Fawcett

 

Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie by Heather Fawcett | 384 pages | 2027

Driven by an insatiable scientific curiosity, Emily Wilde has made a name for herself as the world’s foremost scholar of faeries. Along the way, she’s rescued a faerie kingdom and helped her now-husband—fellow professor Wendell Bambleby, dashing and infuriating in equal measure—regain his throne. And while understanding her fellow mortals has never been her strong suit, she’s also made a small number of friends.

But two years later, one of those friends goes missing in the beautiful but faerie-haunted Black Forest in Germany, a region of picturesque villages and sinister Folk. And if she’s to save him, Emily will have to reckon with the darker side of her own nature, and how ruthless she’s prepared to be to solve the most tantalizing of scholarly mysteries: the history of the ancient and long-lost realm she’s named Dark Faerie, the only place the Folk fear.

But Emily is not alone—she has her beloved Wendell, and her niece Ariadne, who hopes to follow in her footsteps. Told from the perspective of all three characters, this installment of the Emily Wilde series opens a magical portal to the most wondrous and dread faerie realm of all.

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

I have loved the Emily Wilde series so far, and was excited to return to this world for another expedition, this time to the dark and mysterious realm of the Black Forest in Germany. Our story begins from the point of view of Ariadne, Emily's niece, and brings in so many of the familiar cast of characters. The book has all the twists and turns I craved, just the right amount of macabre balanced with sweetness, and the signature voice of Emily, at once dry and full of heart. I enjoyed it immensely.

This installment ends in a way that sets up another book in the series, so Emily and crew will return!

Absolute Martian Manhunter, Vol. 2 by Deniz Camp

 Absolute Martian Manhunter, Vol. 2 by Deniz Camp-160 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Comics superstars Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez bring their surreal, smash-hit reinvention of a DC icon to an unbelievable conclusion!

After the mind-altering events of the White Martian’s first foray on Earth, the Agency—a shadowy group with unlimited governmental authority—comes to investigate the strange occurrences in Middleton. John must juggle his job, hiding the Martian, his expanding abilities, and his crumbling relationships, all while living out of a motel. Meanwhile, Bridget wrestles with the revelations John shared with her before his departure while single-handedly taking care of Tyler!

Superstar writer Deniz Camp (20th Century Men) and Eisner Award-winning artist Javier Rodríguez (Zatanna: Bring Down the House) continue their mind-bending, transcendental interpretation of the Absolute Martian Manhunter!

Collects Absolute Martian Manhunter #7-12.

Thoughts: This was pretty good. It's pretty trippy, just like the first volume. I continue to enjoy reading the Absolute DC Comics series. My favorites at this point are Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman. 

Bleach, Vol. 4: Quincy Archer Hates You by Tite Kubo

Bleach, Vol. 4: Quincy Archer Hates You by Tite Kubo

Bleach, 192 pages

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

A new reality-show craze is sweeping the nation, garnering legions of screaming fans (the majority of them being teenaged girls). But this program comes with a supernatural twist - the host, a media-savvy spiritualist, travels to local hotspots and performs exorcisms, live on national TV!

Surly Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki has his doubts about this primetime prima donna, and his assumptions are about to be put to the test - the show is heading straight for his neighborhood. what effect will this unprovoked media presence have on the fragile balance between Earth and the spirit world?