Charles W Jones

Black Bayou: Scary Supernatural Horror with Demons (Dark Legacy Series Book 1) actually scared me, which is saying a lot. From the beginning, the terror began and didn’t let up. The story revolves around Marigold La Roux who, after suffering significant trauma from the hands of her parents is thrown into a world filled with demons and voodoo. Each page clearly shows Marigold’s new world and the agony she suffers.  If you’re looking for a great fright, this book is for you. I give it 5 out of 5 Stars. About Black Bayou Marigold La Roux had a perfectly average existence…until the night her parents tried to murder her. Barely escaping with her life should have been the end of Marigold’s living nightmare. Unfortunately, it was just the beginning. Her entire world starts shattering. She moves to New Orleans to stay with her only living relative, her aunt Delilah. She believes the bustle of Bourbon Street will help her get a fresh start, but strange things start happening to Marigold at the

Dead Wave (The Naysayer’s Trilogy #1) is one of the most intricate stories I’ve read in many years. There are so many characters and character flashbacks that at times I wasn’t sure what was happening or did I know who was who. At times, I thought to put Dead Wave down and walk away a few times, but I couldn’t, I needed to know what the next bizarre twist was going to be. The reason I pondered stopping reading it is that it is difficult to read in the way it is presented. The story itself is well developed and thought through. In the end, I liked Dead Wave and give it 3 out of 5 Stars. Dead Wave by Bryan Tranka #DarkFantasy #Review Click To Tweet About Dead Wave “This is a dark tale of the after-life with tragically flawed characters and the human condition. It’s a rare view of the middle ground between heaven and hell.”……Bryan Tranka, Author About Bryan Tranka Retired from the US Army after 20 yrs. Indie Author, Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Veteran, Father, Husband, Advocate of Mental Heal

Two Mothers is one of the most spine-tingling stories I’ve read in a while. I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The story revolves around Anna who is alone in a new house with a baby, waiting for her husband to arrive in a week. The overlaying story provides horrible details about a ghost and her desire to keep her baby. I recommend Two Mothers and I give it 5 out of 5 Stars. About Two Mothers A mother’s depression. A ghost’s obsession. A baby caught in the crosshairs. Anna Jenkins is a new mother suffering from postpartum fatigue. While her husband is finishing up his Army duties before retirement, she travels to South Carolina to set up their house, an old farmhouse her husband bought sight unseen. It’s not long before Anna realizes there is something eerie about her new home. Although it’s the dog days of summer, the house is unusually cool even without the A/C running. And her baby, who usually screams nonstop, is mysteriously

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up a copy of Real Skin but based on the book blurb I was intrigued so I moved it to the top of my reading list. Throughout the story, there are ads for Androids With Real Skin that are absolutely creepy. Real Skin has an uncanny resemblance to Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris in places and at one point Mr. Green calls it out in the book, which gave me a chuckle. There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor that is suiting for this book, and other unexpected goodies that I couldn’t put it down. Oddly enough, Real Skin is set in my neighborhood, which added a few additional chills to it for me since it is so close to home. Being set in 2030, it gave me some relief, though SSK would technically be active now. This book is not perfect though, and I’m not sure (since I’ve never read any other novels by E.A. Green) if it was on purpose. The formatting isn’t like anything I’ve read before with capitalized words in the middle of sentences and the lack

The Last Wrong Turn by Amy Cross isn’t much different from the film franchise Wrong Turn, however, there is a weird supernatural twist that I’m suspecting was explained in the previous story (I didn’t know existed until I searched Amy), Perfect Little Monsters; maybe, not. To be honest, I’m not running out to read it based on my experience from this one. The thing that bothered me the most about The Last Wrong Turn was the use of first-person present tense because it wasn’t just one character, it was all of them. Yes, the story is separated into sections for a character’s point of view but it was still confusing and I’ve never been a fan of that style. I expected more horror/terror, based on the cover alone, but I was sadly disappointed. The tagline “If you’re out late at night and you see her face, it’s already too late.” is quite misleading too, but intriguing enough for me to grab a copy. Most of the story involves Penny trying to find the farm again to save her son, which happens.

The Johnsons is a quick frightening ghost story that I stumbled upon and thought I should tell you about. Short stories sometimes leave me feeling underwhelmed with underdeveloped characters or stories that are boring. The Johnsons isn’t one of those. From the first two or three paragraphs, I immediately knew each character, the setting, and that the entity in the house was very much present. The vividness of the story has left me unsettled and delighted all at the same time. If you’re looking for a quick read to give you a scare, definitely give The Johnsons a read. I give it 5 out of 5 Stars . About The Johnsons “Don’t be scared, mommy. She won’t hurt us. She just wants to take the baby away.” Fearing that the evils of the world might taint her precious children, Natalie has decided to try the homeschool approach to educating the next generation of her family. It’s worked out well so far for her eldest daughter, Susan, but as Natalie discovers that her child has developed a strange r

Crows by Grace Harney, I assumed when I started reading, was a Young Adult novel, but it turns out that is not actually the case. Yes, it’s teenage characters, but so is Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, and I don’t consider either of those YA. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what was happening in the first few chapters. And as Crows’ story progressed, I was super impressed with everything that unfolded before me. There are several twists that were shocking and frightening, keeping me interested with every turn of the page. If you’re looking for an unexpected story with believable characters, then you need to read Crows. I give it 5 out of 5 Stars . About Crows by Grace Harney Annie Murphy can sometimes tell the future. It’s the past she has trouble with. When her brother’s witch-girlfriend goes missing days after an invocation ritual, Annie has every reason to suspect him. But he says he didn’t do it, and Annie isn’t about to send another innocent man in her fami

The City by S.C. Mendes has been on my “to read” list for a while, and I’m a little disappointed in myself for not reading it sooner. The story revolves around Max, an unstable detective, who I pictured as Johnny Depp with his unorthodox roles. The vivid imagery Mendes shows is off the charts exciting, pulling me into this bizarre world below the crust of the Earth with ease. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I first started reading, but glad that I took the journey. I look forward to the next installment in this crazy world. I give The City 4 out of 5 Stars . About The City There is a civilization buried deep beneath our own. A place spoken of only in whispers. If you are desperate enough, you will find it. But remember, all knowledge comes at a price. * * * The bodies were discovered six months after Max Elliot turned in his badge. All that remained of the victims were piles of flayed skin and organs. The bones of each body had been stolen. This torturous method of ex

I don’t know how many times I’ve come across a book that I expected to be horror and it turned out to be something else. Hell inc. is one of those books. Based on the cover, the title, and even the blurb I was led to believe this is horror. This is a comedy with a dab of horror thrown in; like those salad sprays that give the essence of a flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Hell inc. It’s quite clever and fun, though there are some spots that I wanted to punch myself in the throat because it wasn’t moving fast enough. The story is solid with Raz jumping from one continent to another in search of the pieces to a special lamp that can heal his dying wife. Throughout, there is one obstacle after another thrown in his and his merry band of helpers’ way, keeping my attention. The subplot is interesting with a faction forming to take over Hell from Satan; I’m assuming the following books in the series touch more of this. If you’re looking for something fun and exciting to read

Mysteries are always fun to read with the heartbeat of the book intensifying with every turn of the page. I wish Think Murder had more of that feeling. The initial scene, when the murder takes place, is exciting, then it becomes boring and mundane with the daily life of Adina as she goes to work, picks out her clothes, and cleans her apartment. There are other bits of mystery and intensity thrown in here and there, but not the amount I’d expect from the genre. Finally, the excitement returns with an attempted kidnapping of the heroine, but it’s at the end and is short-lived. Think Murder wasn’t as exciting as I expected and I give it 3 out of 5 Stars. About Think Murder (Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth Book 1) Good friends, wine and conversation… Great fun – until somebody turns up dead. Adina Donati came to Washington D.C. to find excitement, not a dead body. When a friend is murdered, Adina is drawn into the middle of the police investigation. Tensions rise as the suspect list expand

I like to read a wide range of books, and when I came across this one, I wasn’t sure what I was getting, but I’m glad I didn’t pass it up. Mr. Greenhoe tells the story of a convict who is released from prison after twenty years. The Foreword tells that it’s based on the story of a man he worked with in prison. I was impressed with the way the stories within are told and then come together for the tumultuous ending. The vividness of the scenes goes from sweet and loving to dark and twisty, giving a 360 view of this thrilling world. I recommend this book, and give it 4 out of 5 Stars. About The Murders On Staines Road A Story of Love, Malevolence, Murder, and Survival A hardened criminal receives a sudden and very unexpected parole and moves from the vicious life he lived for more than twenty years to live in a very rural setting. At first, Ray fills his time cleaning up the ramshackle home of his uncle, but he soon finds that he can’t live with the older man. One murder can make some me

I’d read a snippet of Zombie Dawn during a recent blog tour and was intrigued, so I had to get it. I’m glad I did. Not only is this story quick paced, but is full of gore and the delight of the Zombie genre that I expect. I give Zombie Dawn 5 out of 5 Stars. About Zombie Dawn In the late hours of a warm summer night, the residents of a quiet little street find that things are not so quiet, after all. About Rhani D’Chae Rhani D’Chae is a visually disabled writer who was born and raised in Tacoma, WA. Because of her failing eyesight, she no longer reads as much as she used to, but she does enjoy falling into the worlds created by other Indie authors as often as her vision will allow. Shadow of the Drill is her first published novel, and is the first in a series that revolves around an unrepentant enforcer and the violent life that he leads. She enjoys chatting with readers and fellow writers via Social Media sites, and loves getting comments and other input from those who have read her w

It seems that everything I’ve read in the last six months has been zombies in one shape or another. While Turning Grace (The Turning Series Book 1) does bring a slightly different take, I was still hungry when I finished reading it. The pacing was very slow, with much of the story filled with teenage drama (I still have flashbacks of some that I experienced). I’m not saying that is bad, I just wished there had been more thrills. I enjoyed getting to know Grace and her world, but like many movies I’ve seen recently, we don’t get to the meat of the story until the last few chapters. The first-person narration is well crafted and felt like I was reading Grace’s diary when she wasn’t looking. All in all, I enjoyed this YA Zombie story, and I give it 4 out of 5 Stars. About Turning Grace (The Turning Series Book 1) Grace is an average teenage girl with an average teenage life—quirky best friend, good grades, a crush on the popular jock at school—who has recently noticed some not-so-average

Lately, I’ve run into a ton of zombie stories and figured that’s what The Long Red Trail was going to end up being, but to my surprise and delight, it wasn’t. It follows the lives of the Reeves family, who have become sick, even the pregnant daughter. As I moved from page to page, I felt a connection to them and sympathized with their plight. Everyone in town has turned on them and it seems their minds and bodies have to. I was reminded of the story of Job as things progressed. The revelation of the cause of the turmoil in their lives was nicely done as I hadn’t expected it. The Long Red Trail is a great read, and you should check it out. I give it 5 out of 5 Stars. About The Long Red Trail Is it something in the water? The Reeves, a small town southern family, are sick, and the disease is growing stronger within them every day. Their flesh is failing, and their lives are falling apart. The town is turning against them and every night they find themselves embroiled in a gruesome re