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.
In our spotlight today is the first book in ‘The Wrath of Chaos series’, NEMESIS.
Nemesis (The Wrath of Chaos Book 1)
Release Date: August 1, 2025
Genre: Dark Romantasy
Features
• Morally Grey Shadow Mommy • A Fae King who Yearns • One Horse Trope — But it’s a Dragon • Delicious Banter and Tension • Dragons x Dragon Riders
The Asherian War has ushered Earth and its population into a new age. Humankind has gone, giving rise to a tenuous society of other races once confined largely to shadows and stories. The new paradigm is overseen by the Celestials, whose terrestrial ambassadors, the Legacies, wield a potent and manifold elemental magic—one ruled by the astrological sign one is born under. They were instrumental in banishing the dragons—ravenous and mindless beasts—to the gloomier land of a place known as the Outer Edge. Astraea, the powerful general of the Legacy Legion, cannot stand by when two massive dragons descend on the Legacy Compound and abduct her younger sisters. Leaping on one of their great scaly backs, becoming a willing captive to the darker margins of their world, she and her siblings undertake a shocking and revealing journey, one where prior deceptions are lifted, where alliances fall and former enemies become allies and where new, unexpected dangers are born. Dragons, Astraea learns, are hardly the mindless creatures she knew them to be—they are, as one named Nemesis tells her, thoughtful seekers of peace, with a wholly different perspective on the Asherian War, and their banishment to the Outer Edge. As Astraea and her sisters reconcile themselves to this new reality, the fae king, Asher—so named for the war, and who is very much in love with Astraea—pursues them to the Outer Edge. Though he can be pompous and presumptuous, there is no doubt Astraea herself is drawn to him. Now, as she cautiously opens her heart, and arms herself with new understanding, she and the others must also prepare to confront those who stand in the way of peace.
Known to many as “Shania Fillmore” of YTV’s THE NEXT STAR SEASON 4 and THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP, this small-town girl from New Brunswick, Canada, has taken a turn from singing on television to pursuing her writing dreams.
Music, visual arts, reading, and writing are what she lives and breathes. The art world is her truest passion.
Settled back in her hometown, Shania Scichilone has spent her time as Musical Director during show season, and the rest of her time has been filled with writing and learning digital arts.
Her debut series, FATES DIVINE, begins her new career as an author.
This cover is so serene! Which is why it got caught in my spotlight! To Kiss the Sea by C.H. Carter is a sapphic fantasy fairy tale. Let’s dive deeper.
To Kiss the Sea
Publication Date: October 31, 2023
Genre: Sapphic Fantasy/ Fairy Tale Fantasy
Features
🌊 Fairytale retelling 🌊 Mermaids, pirates, and spies – Oh my! 🌊 Force proximity 🌊 Enemies-to-friends 🌊 LGBTQ/Queer normative society 🌊 Found family 🌊 Mental health rep 🌊 Multi-POV
In the Birde Isles, there’s a saying: You cannot take what the sea is not willing to give. Ally Kingfisher never gave it much thought until she experienced the sea’s wrath firsthand. But after a near-drowning leaves her with a deeply ingrained fear of the water, Ally still finds herself inexplicably drawn to its depths. As if something is calling to her from beneath the waves, and it only grows louder each year. Pasha is being punished for something she didn’t do, sentenced to a life of solitude until her kin return. But mermaids aren’t meant to live alone. Desperate for companionship, Pasha makes a deal that goes spectacularly awry, affecting the lives of everyone on the Isles for years to come. When a pirate captain kidnaps Ally’s mother and demands Ally deliver the ransom personally, she is forced to leave land for the first time. Turning to Pasha, the one creature whose help she doesn’t want but whose power over the water she needs, Ally strikes a new bargain to get her to her mother. But she’ll have to confront more than her fears along the way… Because even those in favor are still at the mercy of the sea.
C.H. Carter is a fantasy author with a lifelong love of the genre in all its forms. In middle school, she wrote a fan letter to Tamora Pierce and received the most encouraging reply! That experience cemented her desire to become an author. (She also still holds out the hope they can meet in person one day!)
When not writing, you can find her working on a number of rotating projects (Crochet, anyone?) and obsessing over her two rescue dogs.
Freelance Writer Janny(Jan Marie)C 