Paranormal Suspense – Itsy Bitsy Book Bits

The Girl and the Demon (The Girl and the Raven Book 3) by Pauline Gruber – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

October 23, 2021/0 Comments/in Reviews /by Tara Johnson Barnes

The Girl and The Demon by Pauline Gruber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Girl and the Demon is the third, and sadly final book, in The Girl and the Raven series by Pauline Gruber. In the first two books we were introduced to Lucy Walker who discovered that she was half witch and half demon. Her life was turned upside down as she was forced to battle demons and supernatural forces in a battle between good and evil.

In the Girl and the Demon, Lucy feels that her life might finally be returning to normal and that she can live the life of a normal teenager. That sense of calm and normal is short-lived when once again she is forced to battle for her life against her mortal enemy that has returned to finish her off. Lucy was left to deal with the demon that has returned for her without the help of her beloved Marcus, her protector. He is out of town dealing with things of his own and can’t be there to help Lucy when she needs him the most.

It’s bad enough that Lucy is forced to defend herself against her mortal enemy without the help of Marcus but now someone that she thought was a friend has done the unthinkable. She has held a séance and summoned an evil spirit in the process that puts Lucy and her friends in grave danger. To save those she loves Lucy is forced to reveal who she really is and her supernatural abilities. It is now up to Lucy to rescue her friends, her family and an entire city from the evil forces that have set out to destroy her and everything she knows.

After reading books one and two in The Girl and the Raven series I couldn’t wait to read the third and final installment. These books did not disappoint. I fell in love with the characters, especially the character of young Lucy. I admired her strength and her resolve in the face of danger. I truly admired that no matter what she had to endure she did what it took to protect those that she loved the most. The author, Pauline Gruber did an amazing job of writing this entire series! Although it is classified as being for young adults, I feel that it is a series that anyone of any age can enjoy. The characters and scenes are very well written with great world building that makes the reader feel as though they were right there. There is no lack of action or excitement throughout. This book contains it all in one with a nice blend of romance, mystery, suspense, the supernatural, and the battle between good and evil. This was an amazing series and I’m sad to see it come to an end.

View all my reviews@Tara Johnson Barnes

The Girl and the Gargoyle by Pauline Gruber – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

October 21, 2021/0 Comments/in Reviews /by Tara Johnson Barnes

The Girl and the Gargoyle by Pauline Gruber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Girl and the Gargoyle is book two in The Girl and The Raven series by Pauline Gruber. In book one, we were introduced to Lucy Walker. Lucy had just lost her mom and had moved in with her uncles in her grandmother’s old house. We were also introduced to Lucy’s neighbor Marcus and Lucy’s high School friend Dylan. Lucy made the startling discovery that she was half-witch and half-demon. She also discovered her long lost father, who turned out to be a demon.

Book two quickly picks up where book one left off and does not disappoint throughout. This is another page turner as we learn more about Lucy. Lucy is now dating Marcus who happens to be a gargoyle. Lucy’s father, Jude, is a demon. As much as Lucy wants to get to know her father, she does not love him or trust him. However, Jude forces her to spend time with him so he can train her in how to use her supernatural skills and abilities.

The love triangle between Lucy, Marcus and Dylan intensifies. Dylan is no longer trying to hide his emotions for Lucy and Lucy is finding it hard to resist the feelings that she is having for Dylan. Something that becomes even more challenging because they spend a great deal of time together training at Jude’s house. This creates tension and conflict between Lucy and Marcus. Lucy is head over heels in love with Marcus and doesn’t want to lose what she has with him, so she tries to ignore her feelings for Dylan.

Marcus, who has grown up without a mother of his own, has his life suddenly thrown into a tailspin when his long-lost mother shows up. Marcus’s mother, Camille, begs Marcus for forgiveness and tells him she wants to be part of his life. Lucy finds it difficult to believe that Camille’s intentions are true and fears that she is there to hurt Marcus. Lucy also feels that Marcus might fall for his mother’s lies and leave her. It isn’t long before Marcus finds out his long-lost father is also back. When it comes to light that his father has come to Chicago with the intention of killing Lucy’s father Jude the battle between good and evil intensifies. Lucy is conflicted and unsure who to trust and Lucy and Marcus find themselves pitted on opposite sides of the battle between good and evil. As if things aren’t bad enough, Lucy soon discovers that if Jude dies, then she will also die. Marcus vows to keep Lucy and her father’s safe no matter what. Lucy wants to help so she tries to devise a plan to save not only Jude but herself and all her loved ones. In doing so, she calls in the most unlikely of allies.

The Girl and The Gargoyle did not disappoint from start to finish. It had everything a reader could be looking for. The book contained great characters and a supernatural world. I really enjoyed reading about Lucy and how her skills and strength developed and were honed throughout. We’re also introduced to more characters while getting to know the main characters a lot better. It contained gargoyles, witches, demons, and protectors. Friendships were forged and friendships were broken. It was steeped in romance as the love triangle intensified between the three main characters. Families were reunited and families were torn apart. Alliances were formed and alliances were broken. The battle between good and evil raged on. I highly recommend book two and can’t wait to start book 3, The Girl and The Demon!

View all my reviews@Tara Johnson Barnes

The Girl and the Raven by Pauline Gruber – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

October 21, 2021/0 Comments/in Reviews /by Tara Johnson Barnes

The Girl and The Raven by Pauline Gruber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the Girl and the Raven, we are introduced to young Lucy Walker who tragically loses her mom. Lucy finds herself uprooted from the only life she’s ever really known and moves from her small town to the big city of Chicago to live with her uncles. Lucy is hoping for a fresh start and a life free of drama and stress; something that young Lucy has never had before as she’s always had to look after her drug addicted mother.

What Lucy never expected was for her life to take a sudden turn with the discovery that she is half-witch and half-demon. Not only that but she meets the father that she never even knew existed. In Addition to discovering her long lost father, Lucy also finds herself battling for her life by a mysterious stranger. Clearly, this new life isn’t quite what Lucy expected but never one to back down from a challenge, Lucy faces each new challenge head-on.

Shortly after moving in with her uncles Lucy meets her upstairs neighbor, Marcus, and can’t help but become smitten with this good-looking lad. Lucy soon finds herself spending a lot of time with her new neighbor and finds herself falling in love with him. Marcus was friends with Lucy’s grandmother and promised her that he would look after Lucy and protect her, a vow that he takes very seriously. Young neighbor Marcus has a secret of his own that Lucy soon discovers. Lucy also finds herself quite attracted to Young Dylan, a boy she meets at her new high school. At first, Lucy thinks that Dylan is a jerk and wants nothing to do with him. As she gets to know him better, she sees another side of him that he keeps hidden from everyone. Suddenly she’s thrust into a love triangle as well as everything else that she is currently dealing with.

When Lucy discovers that her grandma’s beloved Raven is missing, she is determined to find it and save it at all costs. Lucy has always had a special connection with the beloved family pet. She finds herself teaming up with her neighbor, Marcus, and the two of them set off to save The Raven. Lucy’s life and everything she has ever known is forever changed as she is now thrust into a battle between good and evil.

The one thing that really drew me into this book was how strong the lead character Lucy is. Young Lucy has always had to be strong but now she really has to dig down and discover her true strengths. Lucy is one tough young lady who manages to persevere and overcome any challenge that comes her way. She will do anything to protect those that she loves. Lucy’s protective and loving nature combined with her strength is quite admirable.

I found this book had many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. From the very first page that just kind of leaves you in shock I was hooked. I immediately fell in love with the characters. I admired Lucy’s strength. The love triangle sucked me in, but I immediately became conflicted as to who would be the better choice for lucy, the brooding neighbor Marcus, or the high school friend Dylan. I love the supernatural aspect and the demons, gargoyles, and witches.

I found this book impossible to put down. As soon as I was able to, I moved on to book two in The Girl and The Raven series, entitled The Girl and The Gargoyle. I highly recommend this book and the others in The Girl and The Raven series by Pauline Gruber.

View all my reviews @Tara Johnson Barnes

Maggie (Maggie Trilogy Book 1) AUDIO BOOK by Mya O’Malley – Review by Cindy Mayberry

May 6, 2021/0 Comments/in Audible Review, Reviews /by Cindy Mayberry

Maggie

AUDIO BOOK

By Mya O’Malley

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Welcome to 10 plus hours of Paranormal Suspense. With romance in the story as well. No spoilers here. You have to read it to believe it!

Maggie has haunted this old house for years. Naomi, a writer has just moved in with her cat. The cute little cottage is next to a cemetery and is the perfect place to write her next book. Naomi had just left a bad relationship and wanted a new start. When she meets Ryan, he is perfect in many ways, always hungry and never late, and Bryce is the handsome neighbor, with one cutie of a daughter. She is torn who she wants to spend time with. Well that is all you get for now.

Mya O’Malley wrote this suspenseful paranormal. It is well written and fun to read. If you like ghosts and solving crimes. I read this story years ago, I loved it then. I love it even more as an Audiobook. The characters are well explained and true to their descriptions. The story is fast paced and will keep you reading until the end. I absolutely recommend this book in Audio for the bone chilling intense storyline. Well Done Mya O’Malley! Well Done!

Review@Cinful

Tompkin’s School: For The Extraordinarily Talented (A Supernatural Academy Trilogy Book 1) by Tabi Slick – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

July 5, 2020/0 Comments/in Reviews /by Roxsanne Lesieur

Tompkin’s School For The Extraordinarily Talented by Tabi Slick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a tale of transferring to a new high school, in a new place and let’s not forget that it is a boarding school as well. This tale starts with a landing plane and setting off to a new, unknown place and the one who pick’s the new passengers to take them to their new home, is none other than a local policeman who takes them to stay with him and his family for the night, before hitching a ride with his son to the new school the next day. While looking out of the car window, a realisation hits that the new school is in the middle of nowhere and that there will be nothing interesting there.

On arrival there is something a bit unusual and off about the new school and from driving up to the gates, the place and the people within it are astounding, but not all for the best reasons, being shown around, normality resurfaces with the meeting of roommates, finding out what the school year will look like and who the teachers will be.

As everyone at the school starts to settle in, that things are not as they seem and the people are not who they are perceived to be, and the fact that one of them has black wings and shifts into a demon on the full moon, is a lot to handle on top of everything else.

there are twists and turns in this adventure, but will the ties that they develop last the distance, or will this school break those bonds? There are discoveries to find, decisions to be made and mysteries to uncover, how can anyone still maintain who they are as they get through these new challenges and stay in control of the darkness within?

You can only find out by reading the book and it will keep you guessing about what will happen all the way to the end.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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Itsy Bitsy Book Bits February 2019

The Devil’s Shadow (Wild Beasts Series Book 4) By T. Birmingham

February 14, 2019/2 Comments/in Blog, Book Spotlight Showcase, Paranormal Book Tours, Romance Book Tours /by itsybitsybookbits

~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ BOOK SPOTLIGHT ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~
The Devil’s Shadow (Wild Beasts Series Book 4) By T. Birmingham
BUY NOW – https://amzn.to/2E633lv
#TheDevilsShadow #WildBeasts #WildBeastsSeries #TBirmingham #manbear
Hosted by Itsy Bitsy Book Bits
Genre – Paranormal Romance / Paranormal Thriller / Paranormal Suspense / Urban Fantasy
Page count – 400 pages
Cover Designer/Publishing Company – Written into Existence
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/…/show/37516808-the-devil-s-shadow

The crypts of gods, long dead, are being ransacked.
Nature whispers secrets in hushed tones to the beings who will listen.
Prophets call out warnings with each breath of power they speak into existence.
Ghosts haunt. Shadows roam. And the Devil waits for his due.

Kieran Gimble is used to the ebb and flow of the universe. He’s been around long enough to know nothing ever stays the same. Then again, nothing much changes either. And yet, his own world is full of unknowns, including kidnappings and a mate who won’t give him the time of day.

Ginny Zolanski is broken. Whatever super self-control she’s had for the last half-century is failing her. Being close to Kieran may settle the raw pain she battles on a daily basis, but falling for a man she’ll only end up hurting would be her worst decision yet. And she’s made some doozies.

As Ginny falls deeper into the darkness and a past she thought was behind her draws ever closer, it may be that the bond she and Kieran have is her only chance for freedom.

The shadows are closing in and the worlds are unraveling all while Ginny, Kieran, and those at Shadow Lodge try to solve the newest mystery: who’s abducting locals and what do the Light Skröm have to do with it?

~ AMAZON ~ AMAZON UK ~ AMAZON JP ~ AMAZON CA ~ AMAZON AU ~ AMAZON IN ~

T. Birmingham believes words are our greatest form of magic. And making magic is what she loves best. But when it’s time to put the words aside, T. enjoys drinking whiskey with her tribe, eating pretzels with Nutella, watching and reading as many stories as she can, especially romances, and traveling wherever the wind takes her–sometimes all at once. She also loves a sturdy (but cute) pair of cowgirl boots, is hoping to one day build a log cabin with her Man Bear, and she writes mystery and suspense in the Paranormal, Contemporary, and MC Romance genres.