Caught in my ghoulish spotlight this week are those who aren’t into scary/horror but still love the Halloween spirit. Check out “Omniscius Imperfect”by Natalie S. Gille! You got witches, demons, and slow-burn romance. Read on!
Omniscius Imperfect
Release Date: September 2025
Genre: Urban Romantasy
Features
⦁ Witch ⦁ Arranged Marriage ⦁ German city – Constance ⦁ Love Triangle ⦁ Battle ⦁ Chaos ⦁ Slow Burn ⦁ Magic ⦁ He falls first and harder
When the heart and the mind struggle with each other, the truth remains hidden beneath veils . Zonya’s biggest problem seems to be her upcoming marriage to Xalus until the past catches up with her. The stranger with whom she broke pretty much all the rules of decency as a Warlock four years ago is suddenly standing in front of her and is really shaking her up even though everything inside her is opposed to it. Zonya questions her own feelings and feels torn between Xalus and the stranger. Meanwhile, she tries with all her might to fulfil her duty as a Magus and protect Constance and her Clan. But when the demons suddenly gather in the city, people die and hunters break protective spells, everything starts to sink into chaos. Zonya is caught between the fronts. Who can she trust, who is after her Clan? Her own life is at stake, but she has no choice: she must face the enemy and discover the truth!
Eighteen-year-old Billie-Ashley arrived at Thornes University with a secret and an envelope, containing a promise of a life-changing amount of money and to learn more about her past once she completes a task.
The problem? The task wasn’t stated.
She planned to be a wallflower. But within minutes that plan becomes a tangled mess. She is placed in the room once occupied by the girl who disappeared a couple of weeks prior.
Thanks to a handsome stranger, who is now wearing her iced mocha, Billie-Ashley learns the value of friendships. She intertwines herself within a group of guys while secretly gathering tidbits of information even when a warning turns deadly.
With the threat breathing down her neck, can Billie-Ashley keep her secret and complete the task?
When fellow author Rissa Blakeley came asking if I’d do an ARC review of her new book, “I’m Not Sorry,” I was more than happy to. My kindness almost killed me, though, as I piled too much on my work plate. By some miraculous grace, I did manage to finish the book just in time for its release day tomorrow (October 14th), and oh my gosh, what a book! Blakely writes with a nice contemporary realism that carries you through this suspense thriller mystery. We met a college-age Billy- Ashley. Someone gave her a ton of money to attend the specific Thorne University. It could hold the secrets to her twin sister’s disappearance. Billy-Ashley was just going to be a wallflower while she searched for the truth, but when she was greeted and welcomed by the welcoming Rex and his crew, Billy-Ashley could not help but feel accepted for the first time in a long time.
Billy-Ashley wasn’t there to make friends, though. When Billy-Ashley investigates the school’s recent mystery of a former student whose room she now occupies, she uncovers a connection to the cold case of her missing sister. Danger ensues for Billy-Ashley and her friends.
“I’m Not Sorry” is beautifully written. A haunting story that will linger in your soul long after you have read it. It’s a mix of a stealth murder mystery thriller with a dash of supernatural, which hooked me instantly. Every character is essential and written to be well-rounded and believable.
It also made me think. If you read Blakeley’s introduction before reading, you will discover how this story was personal and a struggle for her to write. Keeping this in mind, while reading, I thought I’d see the revelation, but I didn’t. It was not until I read the acknowledgment that I understood why this story was personal to Blakely. Which made me wonder what this means about myself? All I saw was a beautiful story with beautiful characters and an engrossing murder mystery. I did not see this as an LGBTQ themed story. It was just a story, and a darn good one. It’s also a story about friendship and feeling accepted, which I think everyone on earth can relate to, yet we exclude so much in this world.
Therefore, I give “I’m Not Sorry” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rissa Blakeley is the author of a fantasy paranormal series, Corvidae Guard, a post-apocalyptic series, Shattered Lives, and a horror short, Grammy’s Supper.
As a native New Yorker, Rissa is now a Georgia transplant, who is completely addicted to black coffee and La Croix. When Rissa isn’t writing, she can be found procrastinating on social media.
Continuing our spooky theme this month, in the spotlight today is this little gem my husband rescued. “The Haunting of Gillespie House.” I think the people were going to throw it away! The Horror I know! Now remember…”Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean he’s gone.”
Elle is thrilled to spend a month minding the beautiful Gillespie property. Over an hour’s drive from the nearest town, the aging mansion is ideal for someone seeking solitude. But as she explores her new home, Elle makes a startling discovery: there’s a graveyard nestled deep in the woods, containing a generation of the house’s residents…all who died the same year.
Then things start to go very wrong, very quickly.
There are skittering noises inside the walls…slamming doors…whispers in the night…a locked room…and a horrifying mystery that wants to be solved. As she investigates further, Elle begins to unravel the property’s dark and dangerous history. At its center is Jonathan Gillespie, a tyrannical cult leader and the house’s original owner. And as Elle soon learns…
Darcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen horror and suspense novels.
She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s October! So be on the lookout for Spooky Book Spotlights all month long! Starting with THE MONSTERS THEY MADE US by Frank J. Camacho! “The Monsters They Made Us” is a haunting debut that blends dark fantasy, supernatural horror, and dark academia on the rocky coast of Massachusetts.
The Monsters They Made Us (The Heirs of Driftmoor Book 1)
Release Date: October 1, 2025
Genre: Dark Fantasy Horror/ Dark Academia
Featuring ⦁ Supernatural coming-of-age ⦁ Found family vs. bloodline ⦁ Monsters as a metaphor ⦁ Character-driven plot ⦁ Coastal decay ⦁ Generational trauma ⦁ Small-town lore ⦁ Faustian bargains
Some monsters are born. Others are made. But the worst are inherited. Long before Driftmoor was a town, it was a threshold where the veil between the natural and supernatural ran thin. Where wicked bargains were struck in the dark. Bargains that cursed four bloodlines forever.
Dorothy arrives at Driftmoor Academy hoping to leave her past behind and become someone new. But after a car crash leaves her teetering between life and death, dark abilities awaken inside her. Whispers through the halls. Nightmares claw at her sleep. And death follows wherever she goes.
As Dorothy is pulled into the gilded world of Driftmoor’s elite, pieces of a forgotten legacy begin to surface—along with a power she doesn’t understand and a past someone tried to erase. And she’s not the only one marked by what came before.
There’s the boy touched by the sea, who’s drawn to a song no one else can hear. The socialite carved from gold and expectation, clinging to perfection before it shatters. And the son born in shadows, raised by a family that never intended to keep him. Linked by the bargains of their ancestors, the heirs of Driftmoor must each decide: will they surrender to their curses, harness the power they’ve inherited, or let it destroy them?
Frank J. Camacho was born and raised in New Jersey. He grew up immersed in CW shows and fantasy books, which sparked his love for emotionally tangled characters, small-town secrets, and supernatural drama. When he’s not writing, he’s making overly specific Spotify playlists or redecorating a room he swore he was done with. The Monsters They Made Us is his first novel and the first book in The Heirs of Driftmoor series.
Today I’m spotlighting the interesting FLAME IN THE SILVER STORM by Rocio Carranza. A dark fantasy gothic this is book 2 in The Eternal Curse series. How Far Would You Go To Save the Ones You Love? Let’s dive deeper to find out!
Flame in the Silver Storm (The Eternal Curse Book 2)
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: Dark Fantasy/ Gothic
Tropes: Witches & Pirates Forced Proximity Political Intrigue Feminine Rage Found Family
There is a darkness encroaching the lands of Serit. From the Givensmir kingdoms to the Blackthorn coven, bitter rivalries threaten the lives of magic and mortalkind alike.
With the truth of her mother’s demise fresh in her heart, Eve has fled her life of comfort to escape the clutches of Givensmir’s new and vengeful king. Stowing away on a pirate ship bound for destinations unknown, Eve and her familiars must place their trust in its captain. A man with a dark past and a proclivity for secrets.
But no matter how far she runs, the Blood of the Blackthorn continues to haunt her dreams, beckoning her to fulfill its fatal prophecy, and soon Eve is forced to choose her fate.
To risk the lives of those she loves or let the magic consume her.
Rocio Carranza, a multi-genre writer, spent most of her youth with a book in her hand, consuming stories of fantasy and horror as if her life depended on it.
This naturally led into a love of writing stories as an excellent way to get lost in worlds of her own making—fighting epic battles, undoing curses (or casting them), and confronting the things that go bump in the night.
When she isn’t typing frivolously at her computer, you can find Rocio galivanting about Austin, TX with her husband and two kids or with her nose in at least five different books she likes to read at a time.
Curious to know more?
You can find Rocio on social media on IG/Threads/TT @rociocarranzawrites and Bluesky @rociocarranza.
First, I would like to extend a huge thank you to Sam Weiss for providing the gifted ARC copy for review. She graciously gave me a physical copy to review due to my increasing difficulty reading e-books. I am eternally grateful. Now to the book!
In the House Of Root and Rot (Altered Planes Book Two)
Old Gramps always said the Deadmarsh family was cursed. Will never believed him—until now.
In a last-ditch effort to pay his grandfather’s mounting medical bills, Will signs up for a shady sleep study, ignoring the warning signs. But everything changes the night his grandfather vanishes. In his place, Will’s dead sister returns.
Convinced the sleep study is to blame, Will tracks down Spectre, the enigmatic research firm behind it, only to discover they’ve disappeared. His search leads him to a girl whose father vanished after her own harrowing encounter with Spectre. She also seems to know more about his family’s past than she’s letting on.
Desperate to stop seeing his dead sister and unsure of who to trust, Will forms an uneasy alliance with the girl to find out what Spectre wants with them. Together, they plummet down a rabbit-hole of secrets, discovering Spectre’s true purpose and what it planted in Will’s bloodline centuries ago. Something ancient, something not of this world, has been feeding off his family for generations, growing stronger, hungrier, and desperate to be set free.
The family curse is real. And it’s been waiting for Will to unleash it.
Review
In the House of Root and Rot, it is the next book in The Altered Planes Trilogy. Along with Atra’s story, as we are introduced to a new character, Will, who starts this book, we learn has an unrelenting connection to Atra, our main lead from the first book.
It’s essential to read the first book (The Afterlife Experiment) before diving into In theHouse of Root and Rot to get the full emotional effect of this book, though you still might get lost as Weiss loves to send you on a mind trip. Also, everyone is morally gray. Our new character, Will, is no exception; yet, you still love/hate these messed-up people because we are all messed-up people, which is actually refreshing to read.
In The House of Root and Rot, we are first introduced to Will Deadmarsh. Caring for his abusive, stroke-ridden Grandfather. Struggling financially, Will sees an ad for a sleep study that offers a nice payout and decides to join up. Then his Grandfather vanishes, and he starts seeing his dead twin sister Lex. Wanting to stop seeing his dead sister, he goes back to the sleep study to find it abandoned, or so he thinks. When he runs into a strange dark-haired girl who seems to have been held captive, and oddly knows about Will’s family and his dead sister Lex. Will’s life turns upside down. Family secrets are revealed, a curse that ties into life after death, and an ancient evil that must not awaken.
I am thoroughly enjoying this mind-altering series! I LOVE the cast of morally gray characters, and Weiss writes them so well. I am a fan of morally gray characters now, yet I am afraid to read another book with morally gray characters because Weiss has set the bar so high for me.
Weiss has also mastered the art of the slow burn perfectly. Some authors’ slow burn a bit too much, which puts me off, but Weiss simmers us readers beautifully in everything. The whole book is a slow burn with an ending that hints at more to come.
Sam was named after a dog, a fact her mother disputes to this day.
While she’s terrible at writing “About Me”s about her, she’s been told she’s excellent at writing about what fictional people do. The more miserable she can make them, the better.
Her love of horror films from the 80s, sci-fi shows from the 90s, and alternative music from the 00s have inspired her to write what she’s calling “Weird Sci-fi Horror” although she’s kind of making that up as she goes along.
When she’s not ready to pull her hair out after discovering another plot hole she’s created, she goes camping with her husband as far away from society as possible. So far, this tactic has been mostly successful and she’s only had to physically converse with a grand total of nine people this year. Next year, she hopes to get that number down to six.
Starring in the spotlight today is INNISFALLEN ACCURSED, a dark fantasy fae story, which is book 1 in ‘The Innisfallen Prophecies.’ Let’s read on for more!
Innisfallen Accursed (The Innisfallen Prophecies Book 1)
Release Date: September 30th, 2025 (Hard cover)
Genre: Dark Fantasy/ Fae Features
Dark fantasy Powerful artifacts Magical creatures - fae, monsters, shapeshifters Good vs evil Heir to the throne Strong female lead
Some powers are buried. Others refuse to be forgotten. And one wants revenge.
The land of Innisfallen is under attack, besieged by shadow beasts under control of a dark power. For four endless years, winter has gripped the fae world—crops have withered, villages stand silent, and the magic that once thrived has vanished, along with all memory of it.
Reagan, an 18-year-old fae, has spent those years trapped in an elite court training program, forbidden from returning home. When she discovers she may never be allowed to see her little sister again, Reagan makes a desperate escape. But her plan is shattered by the arrival of strangers from another kingdom carrying an ancient artifact tied to a forgotten power. The brothers, each more beautiful than the other, ignite passions in Reagan she has never before experienced.
Drawn into the brothers’ mission to break the curse over their world, Reagan faces an army of dark creatures, willing to do whatever it takes to save her sister and all the kidnapped fae. An artifact stirs something in Reagan, awakening a power she never knew she had—a power that could hold the key to Innisfallen’s salvation. Or destroy everything in her path.
Jenny Simard LaBranche is an award-winning author of supernatural, fantasy, horror, and paranormal thrillers. A former IT Specialist and retired Firefighter/EMT, her path to becoming a full-time writer has been anything but ordinary.
Despite a lifelong struggle with dyslexia, Jenny held onto her dream of writing fiction. On August 26, 2021, she left the IT field for good and became a writer, finally embracing her passion. Her debut novel has already earned two literary awards and marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter in her creative journey.
Jenny has been married to Paul LaBranche for 27 years, and together they share their home with their adorable chihuahua, Mojo. When she’s not conjuring chilling tales and fantastical worlds, she enjoys the outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and getting lost in a great book.
Follow LaBranche and her books on IG: @jennysimardlabranche/ TikTok: jennysimardlabranche
Today, I am spotlighting this gothic Beauty and the Beast retelling in a fantasy setting. UNRAVELED is first in a new series called A Kingdom of Beasts and Ruins! If you like Howl’s Moving Castle and ACOTAR, this new series may be for you!
Unraveled (A Kingdom of Beasts and Ruins #1)
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Genre: Gothic Romantasy/ Fairy Tale Featuring
⦁ Enemies to lovers ⦁ Found family ⦁ Forced proximity ⦁ Touch her and 💀 ⦁ Female friendships ⦁ A Beauty and the Beast retelling ⦁ Slow burn ⦁ Morally Gray MMC ⦁ His familiar/pet loves her more ⦁ Feisty FMC ⦁ Bookish FMC Everyone knows to never look a fae in the eyes, yet no one warned me he would hide behind the mask of a beast. Death awaits those who get caught in the Wild Hunt, and only a magical veil protects the people of Penumbra from the monsters coming for them. So when a beast threatens to destroy the veil, Mia Clementine must break her vows of sorcery and use her magic to fight him, or risk losing everyone she loves. But the beast isn’t what he seems, and now the fae king owns her soul. Dragged into his mythical land, she must unravel the curse that turned him into a monster in order to regain her freedom—or die trying. The longer she stays in his world, the more irresistible her feelings for him become. Hate turns into passion, and newly discovered truths test her loyalties, forcing her to choose to save her people or the fae world she’s grown to love.
Abbey Fox loves to write action packed Fantasy Romance stories, with ass-kicking heroines, swoon-worthy heroes and a healthy dose of spice. Sometimes, when she should be crafting new worlds and putting her characters’ lives in danger, she is tending to her plants and painting her favorite characters.
To connect with Abbey, you can follow her in her Instagram account @abbeyfoxauthor or subscribe to her newsletter for all the latest info.
Sharing my latest publication, and as a lover of fall. A lover of pumpkin, I recently had the opportunity to try PJ’s Soaps and Bombs’ new Spiced Pumpkin handcrafted soap from their Fall Collection. I then got a bit worried, as while I like pumpkin, did I REALLY want to smell like a pumpkin pie? Well, I was pleasantly surprised.
Read all about it in the full review featured on Medium and give a clap!
Spotlighting today is the upcoming beautiful Snow White & Rose Red retelling, Beyond the Border Forest: Into the Prawdziwy Las Series: The Immortal Seasons Cycle Book 1 by Molly Haniszewski. Let us now step beyond the border.
Beyond the Border Forest: Into the Prawdziwy Las Series: The Immortal Seasons Cycle Book 1
Expected Release Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Snow White & Rose Red Retelling
Features
🍄 Fairytale retelling 🌈 Queer Rep ❤ Plus Size Heroine 🌲 Enchanted Forest 💙 Trans Love Interest 😂 Hilarious Banter 🦌 Slavic Folklore ☕ Studio Ghibli Vibes 💪🏻 Unlikely Heroes 🩷 Sapphic Romance 🌟 Riddles ❄ Seasonal/Elemental Magic
Two kings rule the ancient woods—the Oak King in summer, the Holly King in winter—and no mortal may cross into their realm without leave. But when eighteen-year-old Rowan Gwózdek’s sister vanishes, Rowan defies the old laws and enters the forbidden forest, desperate to find her. She isn’t alone for long. Keziah, a trans (and very handsome) hunter with a shadowy tie to the Oak King, offers his help—and a perilous path to the Bear Maiden, a creature said to grant wishes. Together, Rowan and Keziah face mossmen, a wood dragon, and other servants of the forest kings.
But danger lurks deeper still. Caught between the warring Oak and Holly Kings, Rowan is forced to take sides in a battle far older and fiercer than she ever imagined. Saving her sister could cost her everything—including her way home.
Join the Kickstarter! It is the only place you can buy a hardback of Beyond the Border Forest! And you’ll also be able to get discounted paperbacks, ebooks, and other fun book-related goodies.
Freelance Writer Janny(Jan Marie)C 