Winter Blogfest: Susan Saxx

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of A Real Man – the first book in the Real Man Series! Let me know, below. what your favorite winter romance trope is, for a chance to win it. 

My First Starbucks Crème Brûlée Latte

It may not seem like a big deal to most people. You’ve probably had dozens of these over the years. But because of various health regimes or diets, I haven’t. Yesterday though, one of my besties treated me to Starbucks. I went, all steeled in my gut, to STAY ON THE DIET.

I snapped.Starbucks creme brulle latte in festive cup

First of all, it’s Christmas. At least, we’re tobogganing quickly down that  snow-covered,  bumpy hill, toward it. Only so many days…

Secondly? There isn’t really a good secondly, or a thirdly. The drinks looked pretty, the cups were festive, and we were there to reconnect, all masked up. We haven’t seen each other in aeons. Everyone was social distancing, and I’ve been starved for human companionship—possibly you can relate to that too.

I ordered the crème brûlée latte.

Even saying that makes me tingle down to my toes. Ours was a modified one. Carolyn ordered one that only had 2 pumps. The coffee was blond, and there were words mumbled about Misto. Then, apparently due to the masks, they misunderstood what she further said, and they gave it to us with an oat base. We got the whipping cream on top.

It was freakin’ heavenly.

Now I want it again, today. For breakfast, right? I looked up a copy cat recipe. There’s one here. Here’s one, too, for homemade caramel sauce. Maybe I can make it?

However, it was such a treat. I have a new celebration place to go to now. And it just goes to show that it’s wonderful to celebrate with friends, and mostly, that it’s good to be able to count on things. To know what you’re going to get, at least, sometimes. It may be a little thing, but it makes me feel good to know I can depend on the enjoyment factor of a Starbucks crème brûlée latte with a close friend, or here at home.

It’s the same with books, stories and story worlds. I love being able to count on what I’m going to get.

Skipping Christmas, one of my favorite, full-length, sexy and humourous novels is set in Terrence Point,  British Columbia, in a snowy mountain,  in a cabin. Both characters have strong expectations as to what the other one will be like as they reconnect, because they’ve got a history.

Dante Knight is a famous hockey player, celebrated around the world, with tons of women hanging off him. Only he’s had an injury that he’s reeling from, that the public doesn’t know about. It’s ended his brilliant, in-process career. 

He’s decided he’s going back to Terrence Point.

He realizes now what he had, when he lived in that small mountain community and Kelley Dunham was his biggest supporter. He could always count on her, and it was no secret she was crazy in love with him. Kinda like a puppy. Only now he knows what he had, and appreciates it, even though he didn’t back then. He’s going back to claim her. Picture-perfect Christmas, right?

Um….not so much.

Kelley Dunham has CHANGED. Huge. In addition, she was a Christmas fanatic, and now? She’s dumped it. Out in the woodpile, behind her absentee grandparent’s cabin. She says she’s never going back.

Then, they get snowed in together…

This for them is simply stated best pharmacy viagra as inefficiency in making a firm erection which also means inability to perform on bed. Despression symptoms should get speedy as it averted that really serious difficulty. cheap sildenafil tablets Foods rich in Zinc such as Milk, Cheese, Salmon, Lamb, Chicken, Beef, Turkey and Peanuts boost the production of the enzyme cyclic guanoyl monophosphatase (cGMP) that buy viagra in uk improves the blood flow to the penile region after the stimulation. Vaginal or menopause boredom can accomplish acute sex acutely sildenafil in canada aching and this can accomplish women abstain accepting sex. The crazy Terrence Point community makes an appearance. The gang continues with Book 2 – a Valentine’s Day full-length romp, replete with ski patrol dogs and dudes, in When You Came.

But if you’d like to count on a fun, entertaining, sexy yet sweet-hearted Christmas story with a community I think you’ll love, pop over here to check it out, and if you’re so inclined, grab it to read and get in the seasonal mood.

With your Starbucks crème brûlée latte.  🙂 

Let the games begin.

He’s adored by women–and men–all over the world. The raw, gritty, star NHL forward, Dante Knight.

But life changed abruptly, a year ago. Now Dante’s no longer interested in the limelight, or in the panties strewn on the ice. With the same focus he applied to his stunning NHL career, he’s now interested in only one woman…

Kelley Dunham. The girl who loved him back when he was nobody.

It’ll be easy, though, to go back to their little mountain community, and claim her. She’s crazy for him, right?

***
Puppy love for the moody Dante consumed Kelly Dunham’s formative years. But she unravelled when the NHL hopeful abruptly left their tiny Canadian mountain town, after their first—and only—night together. She moved on, soul flaming from the shock. Worse, everyone knew.

Time for a change.

After a series of disappointments, she’s done. Now she’s ready for the playgirl life. Stupid Dante had the right idea, way back, and she’s going to adopt his credo. Sex for nothin’ and her men for free.

But when Dante reappears in a blizzard and they’re snowed in, and he’s finally ready to be the man she always knew he could be…

She stands firm. Nothing’s changing her new-found mission.

Let the games begin.

Susan loves romance, and believes it’s a staple ingredient in life. She uses this love to create sexy, heart-warming stories where friendship and passion–along with breath-taking risk– intertwine to create a love that is timeless.

Focusing on contemporary small town romance and m/m romance, she also unabashedly loves the various holidays, especially Christmas.

Cheerfully addicted to homemade green smoothies (and the rewarding prospect of grossing out certain close friends who shall remain nameless), she also plays second fiddle to the feline masters in her life.

Susan loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at susansaxx@gmail.com, and sign up for her main newsletter here: www.smarturl.it/SusanSaxxNewsletter, and for her m/m romance newsletter here: Susan Saxx M/N Newsletter. (The link is: https://susansaxx.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f161713dad49609e6e5923b65&id=6bdd0ef900 )

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Winter Blogfest: Melora Johnson

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a bound copy of the recipes I’ve been creating this past year. I’m happy to ship anywhere in the world, it just may take a while to get there.

Cooking for Christmas

delicious eggnog cocktail on round wooden boards near spruce branches and cinnamon sticks on blue textured background

One of the things the main characters, Ally and Matt, seem to enjoy in my paranormal romance Earthbound is cooking together. They make pumpkin pancakes and thick grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. I guess it’s no surprise that I love to cook and it makes its way into my writing and into my blog. I’m half Polish and some of my favorite memories from the Christmas season are the amazing foods that come with it. Christmas cookies like pecan Kolaczki and the rich prune Lekvar Cake my aunt taught my mother to make were favorites in our house. Christmas morning always featured the giant nut roll, Buchta and homemade eggnog. It was as important to me as any presents under the tree.

The best possible disease to solve this purpose is the http://www.devensec.com/search.html cialis 5 mg. Based cialis side effects devensec.com on the information, a couple is going through sexual problems, the idea of a weekend holiday may seem to be dampened. This solution is in the jelly structure, intended to be expended orally and ought to be permitted to manufacture generic variations from the drug, at significantly much less price. discount cialis india Soon his legs begin to swell as he Going Here levitra online retained water. My mom always made the best eggnog. Thick, creamy, and rich – it was similar to melted vanilla ice cream. She would whip everything up separately then combine it and pour it into a big crystal punch bowl. Dipping ladles of it out of the punch bowl was a bit tricky as the cream rose to the top. As a child I remember sticking my tongue into my plastic cup to try to get the last of the cream clinging to the sides. As adults we started to use spoons to scoop the leftover cream from glass cups. 

It’s kind of amazing no one ever seemed to get sick from salmonella even though we were using raw eggs. However, after a bout of salmonella this summer when I made an ice cream recipe that called for raw eggs, I started thinking about how one could pasteurize a homemade eggnog recipe. I realized that the recipes for eggnog and vanilla ice cream were very similar so why not heat it the same way? A new recipe was born. I made it recently for the first time and my daughter tried it. “This is delicious!” she exclaimed, as if she were surprised. I’ll definitely be making it for Christmas morning this year, along with the Buchta.

I share a lot of my recipes on my blog, and I’ll send one lucky person a bound copy of the recipes I’ve been creating this past year. Reading and trying new recipes, it’s the perfect way to spend a long winter.

Ally Reynolds is a raptor veterinarian who has a “spark” for healing with her hands, a gift she’s kept secret. But she’s lonely and longs for someone to share her life with. Ornithologist Matthew Blake suspects Ally’s healing powers could benefit him and thinks they’d make a great team. Matthew has some secrets of his own. Can Ally trust him or is he just using her?

Melora Johnson grew up in a small town in Upstate New York, and still lives in the state with her husband, daughter, a black cat, and quite a few chickens. She writes poetry, horror, science-fiction & fantasy but also dabbles in other genres. She daylights as a librarian because that is where she hears the best stories. Melora also runs a thriving writers group. Of course, into every life a little rain must fall, as well as the occasional tornado, but you’ll find that amply covered in her writing.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter 

Buy the book at Tirgearr Publishing.

Winter Blogfest: Janet Fogg

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Soliloquy–winner’s choice as far as digital or trade paperback!.

The Smile of an Angel

I have never, ever, been a good sleeper. Even when young I slept very lightly and would awaken in the silent, early morning hours, my mind busy with my own version of instant replay. Sometimes I’d tiptoe out of the bedroom I shared with my sister to curl up on the couch and enjoy a few rare hours of privacy and quiet. If it was close to Christmas I would plug in the tree lights and that gentle, multicolored glow illuminated my thoughts.

When I was nine or ten years old I was awake but warm in bed when I heard a scrape and muffled thud. I slipped out from beneath the blanket and met my mom in the hallway. Together, we peeked into the living room. The Christmas tree had tipped over and ornaments now decorated the carpet. The two of us quietly pushed the tree straight, tightened the screws that pressed into the tree trunk to hold it upright, and used a couple of dishtowels to sop up the water that had spilled from the stand. My dad, three brothers, and sister slept on.

The silver angel atop the tree tilted drunkenly to one side as she supervised our efforts. She’d been pulled sideways by the fall and the weight of her power cord. Mom carefully straightened our cherished tree topper as I scampered behind the tree to plug in the cord. Haloed now by faint blue, the angel smiled down at us, her heart glowing.
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That angel is with us still though a hole now pierces her bodice, the heat from the bulb having melted through the old plastic decades ago. So the angel has retired. Each year she briefly supervises my sister’s Christmas decorating efforts when fragile old ornaments are unwrapped and admired, reminding us of our youth and of our mother taken from us, too young. The angel’s smile is as sweet as I remember, yet it was long ago that she plummeted to the carpet and long ago that my mom died. My tears, though, are as fresh as the day we lost her and the hole in my heart is as real as the angel’s. It shall never mend.

And now, with the holiday season upon us, I thought I would share that long-ago adventure I shared with my mom. In a few days I’ll visit my darling sister. We’ll hug and weep a little and our love will take flight as we cherish the memory of our mother’s gentle smile, now the smile of an angel.

A tale of passion–of heroes, hope, and the consequences of creating extraordinary music amidst the dark nights of war. Swept back in time to Nazi-held France, concert pianist and composer Erin Meyer protects members of the Resistance by ghost-writing music for an influential German officer. She’s now performing for her life. Caught in a maze of betrayal and death, Erin rescues a downed British pilot and helps him evade capture. It seems impossible, but she recognizes Arick from her own life and time. Erin’s attraction to Arick could prove deadly as the German officer who holds the key to Erin’s return demands more than she is willing to give. For Erin, time is running out.

My focus on writing began in the 1990s while CFO for the coolest architectural firm in Boulder. Fifteen writing awards later I resigned from OZ to follow the yellow brick road, and ten months after that signed a contract for my first published novel, Soliloquy, a HOLT Medallion Award of Merit winner. Since then I've enjoyed co-authoring three WWII military histories, a romantic suspense–A Serenade to Die For–and also the Misfortune Annie series. I'm honored to have been recognized as Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2018 Honored Guiding Member.

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Winter Blogfest: Donna Kunkel

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card.

Shopping Downtown

The first week of our school’s Christmas break my dad would take a day off and our family of four would go to downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The cold wind would gust and blow through the canyons created by the towering skyscrapers. When we’d round a corner the frigid wind would smack us in the face and push our kid sized bodies back. Unfortunately it rarely snowed. I only remember once having a few flakes blowing around as we scurried from building to building. We’d shop for a few items that you couldn’t find in our small town.

There was one department store famous for its window displays. These windows were filled with animated, magical, tiny elves hard at work making toys or decorating trees. We would visit every window and watch spellbound. Then we’d go to the forest wonderland to see a reindeer and visit Santa.

For lunch we’d go to the best Jewish deli in the city for corned beef sandwiches. The booths were warm and cozy. No one ever had to wait long to place an order or get your food. The waitresses bustled around the busy lunch time crowd making sure everyone was taken care of, trying to keep the waiting line from getting too long.

After lunch, we’d head back to the department stores. In our town, a store would take up a slot in the downtown building and have at most only an escalator to a basement level. In Cincinnati a store would occupy the entire city block and extend up for at least six floors. There wasn’t anything more exciting than getting to ride an elevator or stopping on the mezzanine level. We rarely got the chance to shop downtown so when we did it was a major event. I still smile as I recall these happy family outings and the time we spent all together.
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Sick and tired of magical men and mayhem, Alex a city witch, pledges to give magic a rest. Her vow is put to the test when she finds herself snowbound with a hunky mortal. She attempts life without magic even when faced with a demonic hen, a cow that acts like a dog, and a dog that acts human. But when all magic breaks loose and a unicorn shows up, it's the last straw. How will she keep her magic a secret?

Steve, a reclusive prospector, lives alone in a remote Colorado valley because he doesn't trust himself around humans, especially those of the female persuasion. Once he meets the feisty Alex, breaking self-imposed rules is just the beginning. But how can he keep her safe from what lives inside him?

Their connection grows, but the secrets they hide keep them from confessing their feelings. Will they be able to accept and control who and what they are in time to give their love a chance?

Donna Kunkel is a paranormal romance author. Within the pages of her tales you can visit with witches, wizards, shape-shifters, and other fantasy creatures. Figurines of the magic realm surround her computer for inspiration. She lives at the edge of the Colorado mountains with her husband of many years and her two dogs. When not writing, you can find her browsing the fabric shops for her next quilt, stitching Japanese embroidery, or curled up with a good book. She enjoys spending time in the mountains, at Lake Tahoe, or relaxing on a beach in Hawaii.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Winter 2020-2021 TBR

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

My criteria for this list was simple. I chose A Court of Silver Flames, Tales from the Hinterland, and Concrete Rose because they’re all part of series I want to continue reading. The rest of these books had eye-catching covers that made me wonder what was happening to the characters.

 

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

Publication Date: December 1

 

A Curse of Roses  by Diana Pinguicha

Publication Date: December 1

 

These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1) by Chloe Gong

Publication Date: December 1

 

A Wolf for a Spell  by Karah Sutton

Publication Date: December 1

 

Escaping Eleven (Hardcover) by Jerri Chisholm

Publication Date: December 8

 

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Tales From the Hinterland (The Hazel Wood, #2.5) by Melissa Albert

Publication Date: January 12

 

 

Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0) by Angie Thomas

Publication Date: January 12

 

 

Dearest Josephine  by Caroline George

Publication Date: February 2

 

 

Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli

Publication Date: February 16

 

 

A ​Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4) by Sarah J. Maas

Publication Date: February 16

Top Ten Tuesday: Thanksgiving Books We’ve Reviewed

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Long and Short Reviews!

I wanted to highlight some of the many books set during Thanksgiving that we’ve reviewed over the years because my family has a tradition of including some quiet reading time for bookish family members after the big meal is eaten and the leftovers are put away.

It’s a nice way to give us introverts a little time to decompress before gathering together again to tell funny family stories, have friendly competitions over board games, and participate in other group activities we like to do while digesting the delicious meal we just ate.

This list is arranged by genre because I enjoy reading Thanksgiving-themed stories at this time of the year. I included twelve books in this post because, just like any good Thanksgiving get-together, there’s always room for a last-minute guest or two!

Erotic Romance

Naomi’s Sexy Thanksgiving by Ruby Stallion

 

Romance 

The Firefighter’s Thanksgiving Wish by Anna J Stewart

A McClendon Thanksgiving by Sean D. Young

 

Mystery & Suspense 
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The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Sixth Scandalous Serving by J. Alan Hartman (editor)

Howling Bloody Murder by Susan Owens Wright

The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Fifth Course of Chaos by Edited by J. Alan Hartman

From Hay to Eternity: Ten Devilish Tales of Crime and Deceit by Sandra Murphy

The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping by Various

The Pecan Pie Affair by T. Lee Harris

 

Young Adult 

How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace

Fangsiving by Ethan Long

 

Science Fiction 

Black Friday by Alex Irvine

 

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Lifestyle: 6 Tips to Have a Safe, Spooky Halloween This Year

This year Halloween won’t look quite the way it did before the Covid-19 pandemic began, but there are still many ways to enjoy this holiday while physical distancing, living in isolation, or even quarantining.

Whether you live in the city, the country, or even in a haunted mansion next to graveyard, here are some ways to keep the fun in Halloween in 2020.

Watch Your Favorite Scary Show

If I’m feeling brave, sometimes I’ll turn off all of the lights right before hitting play. Every sort of monster and spirit is more intimidating when their stories are told in the dark.

If you want a few suggestions of what to watch, I adored The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.

Decorate Your Home

Depending on your budget, living situation, and what sort of decorations you enjoy, you could:

Paint or carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns,

Hang a white sheet from a coat tree to make it look like a ghost is hovering in your living room.

Temporarily turn your Christmas tree into a Halloween tree.

The possibilities are endless.

Visit the Hogwarts Digital Escape Room

Unlike many other digital escape rooms, this one is free! It was created by Sydney Krawiec who is the Youth Services Librarian at Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, PA.

Bake Sweet Treats

They can be inspired by Halloween, autumn, or whatever it is you like to eat in particular.

I think autumn is the perfect time to make pumpkin pie or soft ginger cookies.

They both fill a house with such delicious scents as they bake.

If you’re able to leave the house, you could also throw in some reverse trick-or-treating. That is to say, package up some of your goodies and drop them off at the doorsteps of friends, relatives, or neighbours.
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Maybe you could even organize a dessert exchange so everyone gets a few slices or pieces of many different types of sweets.

Decorate a Face Mask

I’ll admit it: most of my face masks are black and honestly a little boring.

This could easily change with a little paint, cloth, or other materials. Why not have a spider web or grinning pumpkin greet everyone who sees you when you leave home for necessary trips like grocery shopping, going to work, or attending classes?

There are some excellent ideas here.

Have a Halloween Treat Hunt at Home

Half of the fun of trick-or-treating is never knowing what you’ll find next and slowly seeing your bucket fill up with awesome festive candies and trinkets in my opinion.

Luckily, both of these things can be replicated at home!

All you need to do is a Halloween treat hunt like an Easter egg hunt.

That is to say, hide small bundles of candy, stickers, pencils, and other goodies around your home or backyard.

If more than one person lives in your home, have only one household member be in charge of this so it can be a surprise for everyone else.

Anyone who lives alone could order assorted packages or buy for a friend who could, in turn, pick out your treats.

Happy Halloween from Long and Short Reviews!

We hope you all have a wonderful time no matter how you choose to celebrate this holiday.

If you have other tips, do tell us about them in the comment section below.

Top Ten Tuesday: Horror Stories We’ve Reviewed

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

The Halloween Freebie prompt is something Long and Short Reviews blogging team looks forward to every year. It’s often the first October prompt that the first person to notice the new list calls dibs on! Our previous takes on this freebie include Halloween!, Halloween in Nonfiction, and Halloween Books We’ve Reviewed.

This year we decided to highlight the ten most recent horror novels we’ve reviewed. They’re listed from most to least recent, and their other genres are noted in parentheses beside them.

Breath of Salty Air by Ana Rotea(Young Adult)

The Tutor by Rod A. Galindo (Sci-fi/Fantasy)

The Fact of the Matter by Madeleine L’Engle (Sci-fi/Fantasy)

The Cagulant by Jared Gullage(Sci-fi/Fantasy)

Heartbreaks & Half-Truths: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense by Judy Penz Sheluk (Editor) (Suspense/Mystery)

The Eidola Project by Robert Herold(Suspense/Mystery and Sci-fi/Fantasy)

The Lady on the Road: An Urban Legend Short Story by Nick Herntier(Sci-fi/Fantasy)

The Ghost of Jamie McVay by R.G. Ziemer(Young Adult)

A Boy in a Park: Tales of Wonder and Despair by Richard Parkin(Young Adult)

The Blue Horse by Leslie Garland(Sci-fi/Fantasy)

If you’re a fellow fan of the horror genre, what have been the best horror stories you’ve read this year?

Happy Halloween from everyone at Long and Short Reviews!

TV Review: The Haunting of Bly Manor

Review of Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor.

A Bright-eyed American au pair hopes to make a difference caring for two orphans in a grand English manor. Yet the feeling of dread is undeniable. 

Review by Astilbe

Rated: 5 Stars

The Haunting of Bly Manor is an American supernatural horror drama that is loosely based on Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw as well as some of his other supernatural stories.

I previously reviewed the first season of this series, The Haunting of Hill House, for Long and Short Reviews. Each season is a standalone work, but I highly recommend checking out Hill House to anyone who enjoys Bly Manor. They share many of the same themes and even actors.

The second season of this show was set in the 1980s and follows a young au pair named Dani Clayton who was hired by a busy lawyer to move to Bly Manor, his remote estate, and look after Flora and Miles, his orphaned niece and nephew.

Soon after she arrived, Dani began to experience paranormal phenomenon that had no logical explanation. There were muddy footprints in the hall every night, strange noises that no one else heard, and apparitions that appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

What made these experiences even odder were the reactions of the children and other Bly Manor staff to them. Things that frightened Dani were often treated as business as usual by her other residents of this lonely, old estate.

Yes, there were excellent reasons for that, but you’ll have to discover them for yourselves.

Anyone who is already familiar with Henry James’ work will have a few clues to work with in the beginning when everything is mysterious, but the narrator will explain it to viewers who haven’t read his stuff yet.
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Dani was a curious but sensible woman. It’s always nice to meet characters who strike a relatable balance between wanting to figure out what’s really going on in their new home and being wary of getting too close to entities they don’t understand and have no control over.

The best paranormal tales in my opinion are the ones that are written about people who are neither the bravest nor the jumpiest person around. There wouldn’t be much of a story all if Dani had run away shrieking the first time she heard a bump in the night, but she also wouldn’t have survived more than a few nights there if she’d had no fear of the unknown at all.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that explored the relationships among Dani, Flora, Miles, and the other staff members. They were so isolated from the outside world that their friendships grew much deeper than they might have ordinarily. After all, this happened during a time when they didn’t even have the Internet to keep them company on a dark and stormy night!

While it took a while to get to know everyone well, I liked all of the characters once they started revealing their true selves to the audience. These were the sorts of genuine folks I’d love to invite over to play board games, drink tea (the proper, British kind), and share stories with.

One of the biggest differences between Bly Manor and Hill House that I can share in this review without giving away spoilers is that I was much more frightened of the ghosts this time around. They made me shudder in a good way. This was something I was only willing to watch in broad daylight, and even then it scared the dickens out of me a few times.

If you love getting scared as much as I do, The Haunting of Bly Manor might be the perfect Halloween activity this autumn.

 

The Haunting of Bly Manor Trailer 

Top Ten Tuesday: Super Long Titles

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This prompt was so fun. I’d never really thought about books with super long titles before.

1. Insecure in Love: How Anxious Attachment Can Make You Feel Jealous, Needy, and Worried and What You Can Do About It by Leslie Becker-Phelps

2. Notes from My Travels: Visits with Refugees in Africa, Cambodia, Pakistan and Ecuador by Angelina Jolie

3. People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo–and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry

4. The Dogs that Made Australia: The Story of the Dogs that Brought about Australia’s Transformation from Starving Colony to Pastoral Powerhouse by Guy Hull

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6. Extreme Encounters: How It Feels to Be Drowned in Quicksand, Shredded by Piranhas, Swept Up in a Tornado, and Dozens of Other Unpleasant Experiences… by Greg Emmanuel

7. The Mummy at the Dining Room Table: Eminent Therapists Reveal Their Most Unusual Cases and What They Teach Us about Human Behavior by Jeffrey A. Kottler

8. The Definitive Guide to Underground Humor: Quaint Quotes about Death, Funny Funeral Home Stories, and Hilarious Headstone Epitaphs by Edward Bergin

9. The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

10. Understanding and Dismantling Racism: The Twenty-First Century Challenge to White America by Joseph Barndt