Tag: paranormal

Review: Shadows, Ghosts, and Gold: A Romantic Fantasy of Time Travel and Spiritual Awakening by A.B. Raphaelle

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

In a World Where Time is Fluid, Love is the Constant That Endures…

When Abbie, a modern woman with untapped spiritual gifts, crosses paths with Aroya, a man burdened by the technology of a dystopian future, their meeting ignites a bond that defies the boundaries of time and space. Drawn together by fate—and a mysterious pair of glowing stones—they find themselves thrust into a journey that spans centuries and challenges the very fabric of their identities.

From the shadowy streets of 1856 San Francisco, where vice and greed reign, to the shimmering promise of a reimagined future, Abbie and Aroya must navigate perilous timelines, confront haunting spiritual forces, and reconcile the broken pieces of their pasts. Along the way, they’ll discover that the key to reshaping the future lies not in changing history, but in finding faith, embracing love, and healing what’s here and now.

Part romance, part spiritual odyssey, and part time-traveling adventure, this is a story of transformation, resilience, and the power of love to transcend even the darkest of times.

Will Abbie and Aroya’s love be enough to overcome the trials of time itself? Or will the weight of their journey unravel everything they’ve fought for?

Step into a world where every choice ripples through eternity, and discover that even in the chaos, the most enduring truths are the simplest: love, faith, and the courage to begin again.

Favorite Lines:

“Love is the key, always.”

“Distance haunted her – the distance between lives, across time, even in death.”

“Perhaps, the future is not changed by great acts, but by the smallest connections – by the way we touch one life, or offer a kindness unseen.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Shadows, Ghosts, and Gold by A.B. Raphaelle is a mesmerizing blend of time travel, romance, and spiritual discovery. Set against the backdrop of historical and modern timelines, the novel transports readers through a richly woven narrative that explores the boundaries between past and present, reality and illusion.

The story follows characters entangled in a dual existence, navigating both the tangible and the ethereal realms. Raphaelle’s evocative writing brings to life the eerie beauty of ghostly encounters, the thrill of buried secrets, and the intensity of fated love. The novel doesn’t just tell a story—it immerses the reader in a deeply reflective journey of self-discovery, hidden truths, and the unbreakable bonds of love.

One of the most compelling aspects of Shadows, Ghosts, and Gold is its intricate world-building. The vivid descriptions of landscapes, both seen and unseen, pull the reader into a dreamlike experience where the past lingers just beneath the surface of the present. The characters, particularly the protagonist, face trials that test not just their courage, but also their perception of destiny and free will.

The novel’s themes of love and longing are accentuated by poetic prose and a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. It’s a story that asks profound questions: Can we escape the echoes of history? Do spirits walk among us, waiting for redemption? How much of our fate is truly within our hands?

Summary:

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fantasy, time-slip narratives, and stories with deep emotional resonance. A.B. Raphaelle crafts a tale that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling, leaving the reader both enchanted and contemplative. Happy reading!

Check out Shadows, Ghosts, and Gold here!

 

Review: Murder Under Redwood Moon by Sherri L. Dodd

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

At the age of eight, Arista Kelly was frantically swept up by her parents and whisked off to an isolated town in the California redwoods. Two days later, her parents were gone.

Now at the age of twenty-three, she has settled quite nicely into an eclectic lifestyle, much like her great aunt, and guardian since childhood, Bethie. She enjoys the use of herbs and crystals to help her commune with the energy and nature around her and finds pleasure in the company of her beloved pet, Royal. Usually quite satisfied with her mundane life high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, life becomes unsettling when a new recurring vision of an ominous tattoo as well as increased activity from the ghostly presence within her own cottage invade her once-harmonious existence.

But life in this mountain sanctuary takes an even darker turn when the body of Arista’s former classmate is found in the nearby river. As other young women fall prey to a suspected serial killer, Arista realizes that the terror is coming to her.

Favorite Lines:

“Nothing. She knew once he was eating, there was no hope of getting him to come until finished.”

“The dawn would soon break, leaving her eyes to gaze at the heaven.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story follows Arista, a 23 year old white witch with a complicated family past. She is being mentored by her aunt  who also raised her when her parents had to leave her behind. When women who look like Arista start to go missing and are found dead, her and her aunt are forced to confront her past in order to protect themselves. 

This book is described as a “witch cozy paranormal murder mystery” and I would say that I generally have to agree with this description. Full of mystery and magick (yes, with a k), Dodd made sure that she did her research to include realistic aspects about herbs, spellwork, and rituals. This book felt similar to the Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan, which happens to be one of my favorite series, so it should come as no surprise that I actually enjoyed this book as well.

Dodd has crafted a realistic story that leans heavily into Wicca practices while weaving in mystery and suspense elements. I found that I enjoyed the small-town feel mixed with a touch of supernatural mysticism that Dodd provided us with. I thought that the character writing was well done, I especially loved Auntie, and overall appreciated the direction that Dodd took this book in. I also wanted to note that it is clear from the way that Dodd writes the interactions with Royal that she has a cat and is very familiar with their behavior. I often times found the scenes to be humorous and always found myself agreeing that it was exactly how a cat would behave. 

If I had to complain about one thing, I think it would be the pacing of this book. I appreciated the details in the beginning but sometimes it felt like it almost dragged and then towards the end, it felt like the exact opposite and we were missing much needed details and flipping from one scene to the next much too quickly. I felt that this book could have almost been two books on its own if more attention had been paid to certain plot points and scenes.  Despite the pacing challenges, I still found this to be an enjoyable read and am interested to see where the rest of the series goes next.

Summary:

Overall, if you love murder mysteries and/or paranormal mysteries that focus on Wicca and magick with some thriller elements, suspense, and the paranormal, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out Murder Under Redwood Moon here!

Review: Lost Grove: Part One by Charlotte Zang and Alex J. Knudsen

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

For fans of Twin Peaks and Stranger Things, Lost Grove is the first in a paranormal mystery duology that explores the twisted legends and mysteries in one small town.

In the eerie, enigmatic town of Lost Grove, where secrets whispered among the rustling pines are as thick as the fog rolling in from the sea, the discovery of Sarah Elizabeth Grahams’ lifeless body on the windswept beach is but the first note in a haunting symphony of mysteries.

Sergeant Seth Wolfe, the town’s tenacious lawman, penetrates the cryptic and labyrinthine secrets veiled beneath the town’s cheerful facade. A connection to Sarah Elizabeth, one he could never have fathomed, begins to take shape, blurring the lines between his own existence and the mysteries that enshroud the town. Suspects multiply like whispers in a haunted forest, but each lead unravels, and the mysteries of the case deepen.

Meanwhile, a group of local teenagers embark on their own harrowing mission, driven by a relentless desire to answer the riddle of their friend’s vanished brother and expose the sinister secrets harbored by an affluent institute nestled in the heart of Lost Grove. Further complicating matters, one teen’s father left town the morning Sarah Elizabeth’s body was found. With ties to a similar case seven years prior, he has become a prime suspect in the case.

As Seth dives deeper into the abyss of darkness gripping Lost Grove, an unsettling discovery threatens to derail his investigation and shatter the illusions of safety the town has harbored for far too long. A chilling web of malevolence begins to tighten its grip, ensnaring them all in a nightmarish dance that will test the limits of their resolve.

Readers who love the eerie, unsettling mystery of Stephen King’s The Outsider and the monstrous legends of Brian McGreevy’s Hemlock Grove will enjoy this twisty, taut thriller.

Favorite Lines:

“If it’s cold, Zoe likes it. The weather, food, water, you name it.”

“The angel’s wings stretched out against the inky night sky like a graceful paintbrush, his feathers rich with a hue of grapefruit and perfectly symmetrical.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the authors in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story starts off with the body of Sarah Elizabeth Grahams being found on an empty beach in Lost Grove. Sergeant Seth Wolfe is put on the case and finds himself falling down a rabbit hole full of mysteriously forgotten memories and haunting dreams. While word of Sarah’s death spreads around town, two psychic siblings attempt to escape their past and start over at a new high school and a group of teenagers set out on their own dangerous mission to find a missing brother which leads them to question if changelings exist. That’s all to say that there are several strange things going on in Lost Grove and readers get to buckle in for the ride.

The story alternates between a present day storyline and flashbacks from multiple characters’ pasts which gives an inside perspective to a variety of events and only lends to the notes of mystery throughout this book. I found that the authors did a great job at setting the stage for Lost Grove to be what seems like a normal small town only for readers to quickly realize that there are a lot of unexplainable, and sometimes downright creepy, undercurrents that create a shroud of suspense and mystery around the town. I applaud the authors for being able to spin such a tangled web of secrets and connect them all together to become the town of Lost Grove. 

In addition to a deliciously creepy setting and plot, I also enjoyed the character writing throughout this book. The authors create a diverse cast of characters with their own personality quirks, secrets, and mysterious backstories that only add to the intrigue of this story. I thought the balancing of these characters, especially because there are several of them, was very skillfully done and there were several times while I was reading this that I thought there had to be some type of detective-esque board with strings attaching points together; how else were they able to keep everything so straight to write this story? I almost felt like I needed to make one a few times while reading this… This story is definitely something I could see being made into a TV show and, if you’re like me, you’ll be binge watching it in one sitting (maybe with a light or two on).

I also wanted to quickly highlight how cool I think it is that Knudson and Zang  are a husband/wife duo. I always love when spouses create something special like this together. Talk about a power couple!

Summary:

Full of horror elements, suspense, the paranormal, mystery, and much more, Lost Grove leaves no rock unturned while taking readers on an addicting dark and thrilling journey that will have them turning page after page desperate answers. If you’re a fan of Twin Peaks, and want to read something similar with a bit more of the supernatural and paranormal, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out Lost Grove: Part One here!

 

Monthly Features – March

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Beguiled Persuasion by K. Reagan Zell

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Living her normal everyday life, Cait had everything a woman would ever want; a career, a wealthy boyfriend, and a doting father who was her world. Her life began to quickly unravel once she found out that her boyfriend was married and then her father died. With the dramatic events pushing her empathic sensitivities to the brink, she took one sleeping pill to help her find some relief from the emotional chaos. But it would be a prophetic pill that would forever change her already unraveling future plans. Setting off a chain of uncontrollable events of supernatural encounters with just one pill, Cait was involuntarily pulled between unimaginable parallel timeline journeys and all that she once knew…a destiny that she never imagined possible. But sometimes, one’s fate is already sealed.

Summary: Overall, if you like time travelling romances, the supernatural, and/or just romance period then this book could be for you! 

See the full review here: Beguiled Persuasion
Purchase here

 

Dissonance: Volume I: Reality by Aaron Ryan

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: There are some rules you never forget. Above all else, whatever you do, you never look directly at a gorgon.
Now, plug your ears… because the war for humanity has begun.

Sergeant Cameron “Jet” Shipley was there when they first arrived in 2026. For 16 long years, he learned to hide. To never make a sound. Learning the most important rule of all about the gorgons: You just… don’t… look. The year is now 2042, and humanity is eking out an existence in the shadows. Shipley and his team are sent out on a recon mission with developments that may alter the trajectory of Earth’s fate… and his own. Joined by newcomers Bassett and Trudy, Cameron and his brother Rut will have to contend with a terrifying alien species that has annihilated eighty-five percent of mankind. Will his mission lead him on a slippery slope of discovery that demands accountability? Or will it plunge humanity, and everything in it, into further dissonance?

Summary: If you like science fiction that features dystopian worlds, aliens, action, adventure, thrills, and some romance then this book could be for you!

See the full review here: Dissonance: Volume I: Reality
Purchase here

Six Moons, Seven Gods by Robert A. Walker

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: “One must be careful practicing deception. The easiest to deceive will always be one’s self.”

The skilled thieves of the Takers Guild plot to overthrow the kingdoms of Baelon, but when their plans are thwarted by a prescient woman and her brooding daughter, they must turn to the League of Assassins for assistance. Meanwhile, retired royal guard Rolft Aerns returns to the palace of King Axil with an old score to settle. When they all cross paths–and swords–in the dark shadows of Fostead’s south end, nothing is as it seems and the murder count rises quickly.
The long fingers of the Guild reach everywhere, and one overly ambitious thief is all it takes to spark a chain of events that will haunt the world of Baelon for many years to come.

Six Moons, Seven Gods is book one in The Legends of Baelon.

Summary: If you like fantasy, action, adventure, and political intrigue then this book could be for you.

See the full review here: Six Moons, Seven Gods
Purchase here

A Chef on Ice by Sebastien JM Kuhn

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Join a talented chef as he embarks on a life-changing journey to Antarctica. From grueling recruitment to months-long expeditions, experience the challenges and triumphs of living and working in one of the most remote places on Earth. With breathtaking landscapes, unexpected connections, and a newfound sense of purpose, this is a story you won’t want to miss. Get ready to be captivated by the adventure, resilience, and inspiration of this unforgettable tale.

Summary: Overall, if you like travel, food, reading about cold regions, and especially if you want to know what daily life at a base camp in Antarctica is like, then this book could be for you. 

See the full review here: A Chef on Ice
Purchase here

Freaks by Tam A. Athot

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: “Syranda and magic are an interconnected tree with the same root, with many branches, and beautiful fruits in many shapes and colours.”

 Syranda is a hidden country whose peaceful, democratic system drifting almost unnoticed into dictatorship. An integral part of the people of Syranda are individuals with special skills who have been a great asset to the country’s prosperous development throughout history. But in the last decade something has changed, and democracy has slowly eroded, slipping into dictatorship, led by Angelus, the Minister of Defence. The main pillar of the dictatorship’s construction was the production of an enemy image. Anyone with ability began to be excluded and eventually persecuted.

 Angelus’ daughter Vitu was also born with a special gift, which her father tried to hide from the world. When Vitu became a teenager, she had to face the fact that her father was more concerned with serving the regime and his own ambition than her life, and she too was forced to flee. In her search for a way out, she learned a lot about her abilities, her fellow human beings and herself.

 “Many people think that dictatorship will come suddenly, spectacularly, with a great blare of trumpets and horns, and that everyone will notice it, that one sacred moment when the trumpets blare and the drums beat, and a loudspeaker shouts, “Attention, attention, the dictatorship has arrived, the dictatorship is here, everyone should lock themselves in their houses, because the oppression has arrived, from now on it’s what I, the dictator with the big hat and the red nose, dictate.”

 “The prey within us dies tonight and at dawn the predator will awake along with the sun!”

Summary: I thought this was an interesting idea and Athot brought a vision to life in a creative way. If you like supernatural/fantasy themed books with touches of politics and psychology, then this book could be for you.

See the full review here: Freaks
Purchase here

The Festival of Hungry Ghosts by Stephen Frame

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: He was a big bad wolf, and he left Fairyland in 1929 to go work as a private detective in Los Angeles. He’s got a new case he doesn’t want; finding the kidnapped son of a local crime lord. He’s got a new partner he doesn’t trust; a chaotic female gangster who likes dames, booze, and bullets. Those are just the start of his problems. There are monsters in his way. And not all of them are human.

Summary: Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Don’t be thrown off or misled by the cover, if you like a twist on classic fairy tales, action, adventure, and/or cop dramas (or in this case private detective dramas), then this book could be for you!

See the full review here: The Festival of Hungry Ghosts
Purchase here

 

Review: Beguiled Persuasion by K. Reagan Zell

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

Living her normal everyday life, Cait had everything a woman would ever want; a career, a wealthy boyfriend, and a doting father who was her world. Her life began to quickly unravel once she found out that her boyfriend was married and then her father died. With the dramatic events pushing her empathic sensitivities to the brink, she took one sleeping pill to help her find some relief from the emotional chaos. But it would be a prophetic pill that would forever change her already unraveling future plans. Setting off a chain of uncontrollable events of supernatural encounters with just one pill, Cait was involuntarily pulled between unimaginable parallel timeline journeys and all that she once knew…a destiny that she never imagined possible. But sometimes, one’s fate is already sealed.

Favorite Lines:

“Could love at first sight be real? Or could it be a connection previously experienced throughout time? What draws one to another can only be answered by the people involved. But then again, maybe not.” 

“Being on the defensive does not mean that a person does not have the right to be. Denial never works.”

“Fear not the unknown for the known becomes too comfortable and will eventually be despised.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ask anyone, I am a sucker for the supernatural, romance, and especially supernatural romances…if you can count time travel as supernatural. The story follows Cait as she seems to travel back in time to 15th century Ireland after taking a sleeping pill. Cait must adjust to her circumstances to survive and we get to follow her on that adventure. This story reminded me a bit of Outlander so if you’re a fan of that, you may be a fan of this. I am a huge sucker for love triangles if done right, and I think Zell did a great job at the one she introduces here. I won’t be giving any spoilers away so you will just have to read for yourself to find out who Cait ends up with. I also really enjoyed the text at the start of each chapter – I found that a lot of it resonated with me and added additional depth to the story.

If I had to nit-pick, I do wish that there were a bit more details. I feel like there was more room to be descriptive in some of the scenes but I also understand trying to fit a lot into one book can be tricky – I certainly couldn’t do it. I also felt that the intimate scenes were a bit choppy but maybe that goes back to the details. Zell did a wonderful job at balancing two, parallel timelines without any confusion and I found myself turning page after page to find out what happens next. I’m excited to see where Zell takes the rest of this series!

Summary:

Overall, if you like time traveling romances, the supernatural, and/or just romance period then this book could be for you! Happy reading!

Beguiled Persuasion

 

Review: The Noise by Allison A.

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

Angela Blau has a degenerative bone disease, but she was never warned her mind could deteriorate as well. There’s no other explanation for the footsteps coming from the second floor—footsteps her husband, Jack, never hears. And then there are the ghosts who attack her at night, and the townspeople who dig through the dirt like rabid animals and peer through her windows.

Maybe the ghosts and the townspeople are in her head—it wouldn’t be the first time she’s let her mind wander—but the noise has to be real, and she’d go up there and prove it if the stairs weren’t so rotted that she’d fall right through, Jack says.

Things get worse when Arlo, a lonely old man who lives “somewhere down the street,” reveals a violent crime that occurred on the second floor. Against Jack’s warnings, Arlo indulges Angela’s growing obsession and pushes her to discover the true source of the noise, who exactly the townspeople are, and whether a traumatic incident that occurred four months ago, an incident Angela refuses to talk about, is to blame for all of it.

Favorite Lines:

“Death is supposed to affect us, change us, make us see things differently. Don’t let anyone make you believe you need to ignore that.”

“But I used to tell them the same thing I tell myself: you don’t move on, you carry on, towards the reward of true love that will last an eternity. Everything else is just noise”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

I will admit I was a bit hesitant about this book because it seemed like it would be really spooky and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. As someone who has anxiety, which comes with paranoia, and also someone who hasn’t made up their mind about if they believe in ghosts and the supernatural, this book felt like it was going to feed my fears. 

Putting my fears aside, I devoured this book in one sitting. While this book was definitely spooky, the creepy ghosts were just a part of the equation and I found myself much more distracted by the suspense and mystery of what was happening to Angela. I was turning page after page trying to get answers to the burning questions that I had. The author did a great job keeping me at the edge of my seat and there was an awesome plot twist towards the end. Without giving any spoilers away, by the end of the book, I had tears streaming down my face; the author did an amazing job at evoking strong emotional reactions.

Summary:

Overall, I loved this book. It was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a book that has elements of the paranormal, a psychological thriller, suspense, mystery, and romance. Happy reading!

The Noise