Spooky Book Spotlight Thursday: The Haunting of Gillespie House by Darcy Coates

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.”

The Haunting of Gillespie House

Published: August 15th, 2015

Publisher: Black Owl Books

Genre: Ghost suspense/paranormal fiction/ Occult horror

Features

👻Gothic vibes

👻🏠Haunted house

🤫Dark secrets

🧠 Psychological

🗝Locked rooms

🏝Isolated setting

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…

Just because he’s dead, doesn’t mean he’s gone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.

You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: http://www.darcycoates.com/updates

BOOK REVIEW: Bonded Nightmare by E.M. Rinaldi

I actually finished this book on December 31st, 2024, so I am welcoming the new year with a review for the spicy paranormal romance BONDED NIGHTMARE by E.M. Rinaldi.

*This book is intended for mature readers 18+

Bonded Nightmare

Publication Date: May 2024

Genre: PNR/ Spicy

Tropes

Enemies to lovers

⚫Fated mates

⚫Shadow daddy

⚫Touch her and die

⚫Slow burn

⚫F0rced pr0ximity

⚫He falls first

⚫Dual POV

Synopsis

She can run but she can’t hide…

As the last unbonded nightmare in existence, Eryn Montalli has been hunted her entire life for the mere potential of her magick. She’s only ever wanted a quiet life tending to the hurt and sick animals that seek her out. Those dreams go to absolute shit with four little words…

They found your bond.

Now she’s hiding amongst the humans at Moorcroft University, trying to make a life for herself—if one overprotective witch wasn’t so determined to set her carefully laid plans on fire. His arrogance is enough to make her want to punch him in the face…but his touch has her questioning why she’s fighting so hard to stay away.

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

REVIEW

Eryn and her family are the near last of their supernatural kind called Nightmares. When the tribunal counsel says they found Eryn’s bonded mate, who happens to be of the Witch faction, Eryn flees. She is not into all that. At least not having one chosen for her.

Deciding to come out of hiding and hoping for a new life, Eryn enters college to continue her life and studies. When she encounters an upperclassman named Kaiden, who she is annoyingly drawn to and seems to know all about what is suitable for Eryn, much to Eryn’s protest. Unbeknownst to Eryn, Kaiden is her bonded, and when hunters come calling, Kaiden will risk life and death to protect her. 

Bonded Nightmare features a duel pov format, which I like. In fact, my own book features a dual pov format, and Rinaldi does a nice job of keeping the plot of the story going between the two characters.

I usually gobble up paranormal romances. Bonded Nightmare is a gobble-up good, spicy read, yet I had a hard time getting fully engrossed in it. The character of Eryn seemed too stereotypical of a typical college girl to me, and I really had a hard time believing she loved Kaiden in the end.

Kaiden, on the other hand, was the perfect too-good-to-be-true hunky guy and what can I say I like too good to be true hunky guys. I did kind of like him.

Maybe I have outgrown college-age paranormal romances? The spice, though, was pristine! I enjoyed the slow burn pace as I was squirming in my panties along with Eryn over Kaiden’s antics, I will say that. 

My favorites were the side characters Ezra and Rani, and learning their story will be next I am utterly there for. 

Therefore, my rating for Bonded Nightmare is still 4 out of 5 stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Visit https://www.emrinaldi.com/

Book Spotlight: Open the Casket by J.N. Eagles

It’s a book spotlight triple-header as we start to enter the fall season. As the days get shorter and the air crisper delight yourself with Open the Casket by J.N. Eagles.

Open the Casket

Publication Date: April 2023

Genre: Paranormal/ Horror/ Poetry/ Young Adult

A ghost, he has the freedom to roam as long as he stays within the black gates. What he didn’t expect was to fall in love. Can he protect the grave she’s mourning? Can he restore the guidepost for all spirits who pass through the cemetery? Should he remain or transcend? So many questions, and yet one thing is for certain—he must protect the guidepost at all costs.

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

About The Author

J. N. Eagles currently lives in Alabama with her husband, daughter, two cats, and a flock of chickens. She runs a reading blog where she posts reviews about the books on her shelves, and she plans to write many books of poetry. She graduated from Athens State University with a Bachelor’s in English/Language Arts and graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Master of Arts in Writing. When she’s not reading or scribbling new stories, she’s enjoying the outdoors and working in her garden.

Learn more about J.N. at JN Eagles