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The Misery House (The House on the Hill Book 1) by David Kummer – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

The Misery House (The House on the Hill #1)The Misery House by David Duane Kummer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Misery House is Book One in The House on the Hill Series. It is a sinister psychological thriller that will grab your attention and keep you reading until the end. The author does a superb job of keeping the reader’s attention throughout the story as the suspense and tension builds. He then takes us on a series of twists and turns that keep you riveted until the final pages.

The story is set in a small town and is told from different points of view of the Woods family. It starts off innocently enough as we are introduced to Cliff who is attending his son, Nate’s baseball game. Then comes a mysterious fire that takes place where two dead bodies are discovered. As strange things begin to occur, the townsfolk have noticed that strangers have arrived in town, which in itself is odd because no outsiders generally choose to live there. Cliff’s daughter Kaia’s best friend had just gotten married when her and her husband mysteriously disappeared. Then there is the creepy old house on the hill that must somehow be involved because of its reputation as being haunted.

This book grabbed my attention and kept me reading until the end. I loved the spine-tingling vibes that gave me goosebumps a few times. The characters were well written, and the small-town setting was done superbly. The townsfolk, being so unwelcoming and weary of strangers was dark, mysterious, and creepy in its own respect. If you were not born there, it would be almost impossible to be accepted, which was weird and odd. Any newcomers were viewed as suspicious, and the townsfolk were standoffish in their behavior towards them. Throw in a haunted house and I was seriously hooked! I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!

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Smooth Hoperator (Love on Tap Book 2) by Sylvie Stewart – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

Smooth Hoperator (Love on Tap, #2)Smooth Hoperator by Sylvie Stewart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Smooth Hoperator is Book Two in the Love on Tap series. It is a contemporary romance that focuses on the story of Sunny and Carter, who are complete opposites but somehow find their way to one another. Sunny is a librarian who is all sunshine and lollipops with a wardrobe as colorful as her personality. She loves helping people and has a heart of gold. Carter has recently moved back to town after leaving his political career behind under suspicious circumstances. He is a bit broody but very protective of his loved ones. Sunny and Carter meet at the library that he frequents, and he catches Sunny’s eye, but Carter thinks she is too colorful and not his type. That is, until he spends a bit of time with her, and she manages to make an impression on him that leaves him wanting more of her in his life. As the two spend time together the chemistry between them grows.

This was a beautifully crafted opposites attract romance story with wonderful characters. Sunny was like a little ray of sunshine that did what she could to help those she loved. Although on the surface Carter appeared to be broody and detached, he too had a heart of gold. On the surface they appeared to be complete opposites but were well suited for one another. I loved the character of Sunny’s grandfather and the situations he got himself into, like the love column in the newspaper that he took over writing responses for. The letters and responses had me chuckling out loud and I could not stop laughing out loud whenever I read one. I highly recommend this book!

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