I'm going to preface this post with this: The Dead of Winter is not my kind of book. That's not an evaluative statement—I didn't read the blurb as carefully as I should've, it's just not the kind of thing I'd typically read. Like collections of haiku, Amish Romances, or Military Fiction. Given that, take what I'm going to say with the appropriately-sized portion of salt, it's probably better than I think it is.

 

When I was in junior high/high school, I remembered we'd frequently find ourselves watching some Horror/Thriller kind of movie where a handful of teens/young adults would go on a trip, find themselves in a remote area being terrorized/hunted/killed by locals. Sometimes they'd get away (sometimes they wouldn't); sometimes they'd stop the locals (sometimes they wouldn't); more often than not, it'd be a mixture of the two and any victory would be Pyrrhic.

 

In this case, we have 5 twenty-somethings who agree to meet at the Pumpkin Patch Bed and Breakfast for a weekend of picking apples and pumpkins and having fun with hayrides and the Giant Corn Maze.

 

One of their number (the one who was supposed to arrive first), isn't around when the others check-in, they assume she's uncharacteristically decided to not come at the last minute. Then another guest comes to them with a warning about strange happenings and disappearances around the B&B, which they just laugh off. The hayride features some horror F/X that's disturbingly real and the scarecrows are dressed really fashionably.

 

Which gets the friends set on edge and starting to wonder if the other guest was on to something—if only she hadn't left in the middle of the night so they could ask her some questions.

 

Before they realize what's happening, the four are separated and largely isolated; Ma and Pa seem to be less hospitable and down-homey; and their children are less eccentric and not-well-socialized and more menacing and disturbing. Things get worse from there.

 

The plot was at the same time exactly what you know it's going to be, yet it kept going in unexpected directions with unexpected results. It plays to the conventions of the genre but not always in the ways you'd predict.

 

The young professionals and other guests weren't as fleshed out and developed as you might hope—but they don't need to be for this kind of story. Their antagonists aren't either, but they are more multifaceted and are the embodiment of hazardous. Which is exactly what you want.

 

As I said, the book was never really going to work for me. But it kept me engaged, kept me turning the pages, and kept me wondering just how messed up the ending was going to be (the answer: very). The Dead of Winter didn't make a fan out of me, but I can easily see where it'd make fans of many other people. I hope it finds its audience—and if you're the kind of reader who likes this sort of story, you should really give it a shot.

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My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

A quick trip to Winter Break turns out to be more complicated than Samantha “Ivy” Towers ever imagined. With her parents overseas she is responsible for planning her Aunt Bitty’s funeral and tying up her legal affairs that may include selling her bookstore. Soon after she arrives she finds out that her aunt left everything to her with the exception of a few special gifts. But Aunt Bitty’s death is troubling and not just for Ivy. The investigation was quickly wrapped up and the body cremated a little too fast. She even finds an unsigned note that tells her it was not an accident. She knows most of the residents of Winter Break but someone is lying. She only has a few weeks off from college but she is not leaving until she finds out what really happened to her Aunt Bitty.

Winter in Winter Break sounds similar to winter in Wisconsin so I felt right at home. Like most small towns it is full of its share of quirky residents, but one thing is for sure everyone loved Aunt Bitty. She was a special lady and she will be missed. The author has created such wonderful characters. Hearing the people talk about Aunt Biddy made me really sad she was the victim of the horrible murder. Ivy though has a lot of the same qualities as her aunt, she just doesn’t realize it yet. Her upbringing was a bit unusual so there is a sense of insecurity. She evolved in this story but the author has left her plenty of room to grow.

We meet several of Winter Break’s finest including Amos, a deputy sheriff and old friend of Ivy’s and Ruby that owns the local diner with her signature burgers. A visitor in town lands squarely on Ivy’s suspect list, his arrival is just too suspicious and he is clearly hiding something.

The story had a couple of hitches for me, medical things mostly, but the mystery was well-plotted. It had plenty of twists but I picked out the murderer early on. It was interesting to read to the end to be sure I was right and the true motive for the crime.

The story does have a Christian theme and a clear message that blends with the mystery very nicely and does overpower it.

I found this to be a fine start for this series and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Bye, Bye, Bertie.

 

@MelissaPearlG, @AnnaCruiseBooks, #Romance, #Suspense, 4 out of 5 (very good)

 

Dead of Winter: Good Good Dog - Kyle Sta...

Dead of Winter is not a kid-friendly comic. Just need to get that out of the way. I made the mistake of thinking "Hey, it's got a doggo on the cover! That's gotta be kid friendly, right?" And, well, if you minus the multiple curse words on basically every page, I guess it might be. Luckily, I have a chill child who knows she's not allowed to curse, so she appointed herself Official Bleeper, and we kept reading. (She got to BLEEP a lot.) And, bleeping aside (or maybe that added to it), it was a hoot!

So, we've never played (or even heard of) Dead of Winter. So, this is simply a review of the graphic novel at face value, nothing more or less. We liked the few characters we got introduced to. I laughed at the Fireman in the Post-Apocalyptic setting. (Joe Hill nod?) Ruckus had us both snorting. The female characters were surprisingly non-annoying, but didn't stand out in any particular way. Crazy Cop and Bad Santa were... well, they were there. Sparky the dog quickly won us both over. The golden with psychological issues and a cape is a national treasure, I think.

Dead of Winter: Good Good Dog contained four issues, and came in at 114 pages including cover variants. It was action-packed on both human and dog parts. Sparky can wield a weapon like you wouldn't believe!  It was very on-the-surface, basically just an introduction and a bit of butt-kickery, really. (I do wonder about Crazy Cop, though...)   Overall, it was a fun read, even if it wasn't exactly what I was expecting when I chose it. (I had Pestilence Vol 1 lined up to read before my kid was wanting to read with me. At least Dead of Winter nixed excessive nudity. Well, nudity at all, really.) If you're wanting just a mindless, fun, zombie-themed read with an unexpectedly furry main character, Dead of Winter is perfect.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review consideration.

I loved this little idealistic village full of psychics with some normal people mixed in. This was my second book in the Lily Dale series and I was so glad to return. I thoroughly loved it.

A close knit village where everybody looks out for one another and wherein several psychics have taken up residence. A very small village with four single women living in nearby cottages. A lead in that tends to lend itself to all kinds of drama at times. Let's make that "cozy drama".

A cute, cozy mystery that has everything. Charm, charms, laughter, great characters and a great story. I look forward to reading more about the ladies in Lily Dale.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.