All the Halloween Goodies I received.

Bethany House; 350 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Yes, I'm well aware that "The Proving" by Beverly Lewis only came out last month but I'm still going to feature as a "Review Catch Up Marathon!" post.

I'm not for sure what year it was, but the very first book I read by Beverly Lewis was The Covenant (Abram's Daughters, Book One). I received it through a book club. I remember I had to pick out one more book to buy in the introduction package before joining, and I just randomly picked The Covenant.

Anyhow, "The Proving" is a standalone novel that centers on Amanda "Mandy" Dienner, a young woman who had left her Amish lifestyle to live her life as an Englisher. Well, that's until she learns her mother has passed away and has left her an Amish bed-and-breakfast in Lancaster County.

Of course things aren't always as simple as they look, as there is a catch to her inheritance - Mandy has to successfully run the bed-and-breakfast for one year!

After some thought, Mandy goes back home to the face the family she'd left behind and to take over her mother's business, but there's one other catch - the bed-and-breakfast's guests expects their host to be Amish!

Sparrow Records; Buy Link

Now available from Sparrow Records (Capitol Christian Music Group) is the eleventh album from Christian singer & songwriter Jeremy Camp, titled "The Answer."

Jeremy Camp has won five GMA Dove Awards. Four of his albums have been RIAA-certified as Gold. He has been nominated for three American Music Awards, and his album Speaking Louder Than Before was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2010.







Songs/Tracks on "The Answer" album are:





   

I'm a new fan of Christian music, so I wasn't aware of Jeremy Camp's music until I received an advanced copy of his newest album "The Answer." Also, please take note that I have never been a fan of male singers. Don't sky me why, as I have no idea why I prefer female singers better. Anyhow, I had no idea what to expect when I put the CD into my laptop disc drive and pushed play. Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised by the singer's strong vocals in "Word Of Life," which is the first song on the album. The song has a contemporary-rock vibe to it, as well as the rest of the tracks on the album (there are 11 total songs). The lyrics are well-written and each song has a wonderful rhythm to them. 

Overall, I enjoyed listening to the album. What's my favorite song from the album? That's a great question. Actually, I like all the songs from the album, but if I had to narrow it down, I would say my favorites are "The Answer," "Storm," "Word Of Life," "Never Stopped Loving," and "Carriers."

   

* I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

    Giveaway Details

Bethany House; 336 pages; $14.99; Amazon

The novel is written by Regina Jennings, which I believe I have read a few her titles in the past, but I could be wrong. (I read a lot books!) I do know that I signed up to review this book through the Bethany House bloggers program, just because I liked the cover art. There's something about seeing a young woman with a pencil/pen in one hand and a book in the other that appeals to me.

The novel is set in 1885 in Pine Gap, Missouri, and centers on Betsy Huckabee, a young woman who is working as reporter for her uncle's newspaper, and Joel Puckett, the new deputy.

Deputy Joel has a lot baggage on his shoulders, especially when he was somewhat forced to leave Texas and move to Missouri. Despite his past, he's determined to make anew and show the citizens of Pine Gap that he is the law in the town. Well, that's easier said than done, as a few masked marauders are giving him a hard time.

Betsy takes it upon herself to make the new deputy look like a dashing hero in her new serial. The articles/stories are mostly fiction, but they're being published in other newspapers far away, so there's nothing to worry about. Right?

Disney; 43 minutes; TV-G; Amazon

Now available on DVD from Disney Home Entertainment is Mickey Mouse: Merry & Scary, featuring the new television special "The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular!" and last year's "Duck The Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special." There are no special features, but the DVD does contain five bonus shorts.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are trying their best to scare Mickey's nephews (Morty and Ferdie) and Donald's nephews (Huey, Dewey and Louie) in "The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular!" by telling them the kids a very scary story. The problem is that no matter what story they come up with, the nephews are just not scared.

Like all other ducks, Donald always travels to the south for the winter, which means he always misses Christmas. Well, this year he decides not to migrate in "Duck The Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special," so he can spend the holidays with his pals Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie. Mickey tries his best to give Donald the greatest Christmas, but Donald quickly learns why Ducks migrate to the south for the winter.

The bonus shorts are:





 

Thomas Nelson; 372 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Yes, I'm well aware it's no longer summer, but here I am writing a review for anthology called An Amish Summer. I had signed up to review the book through the Book Look Blogger Program back in June. I read it right away, but my procrastination issues kicked in and I tossed the book to the sidelines. Well, that's until I decided to catch up on all the needs-to-be-reviewed books.

An Amish Summer features four romance novellas from bestselling authors Shelley Shepard Gray, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Irvin.

Shelley Shepard Gray once again returns to the Pinecraft, Florida in "A Reunion in Pinecraft." The story centers on Sherilyn "Sherry" Kramer, who had attended a wedding in Shipshewana with her sister Sharon. This is where she gets a penpal named Graham Holland, and this is where the confusion begins. After sending letters back and forth, Sherry and Graham agree to meet in Pinecraft. However, after meeting, Graham realizes he has been writing to the wrong sister.

Amy Clipston brings us readers the romantic drama "Summer Storms." The story centers on Arianna Smucker, a young Amish woman who's counting down the days until he wedding to Jesse. Sadly, her plans for their future changes after Jesse's brother, Tobias, gets them all into trouble, which causes her father to end their engagement.

Kathleen Fullers spins together a classic romance story, titled "Lakeside Love." The story centers on a young Amish woman named Esther Coblentz, who has always lived in the shadow of her younger sister, Sarah. The only boy she has ever had feelings for only has eyes for her sister. Esther's life suddenly changes after meeting an Englisher, who is staying with relatives for the summer.

Kelly Irvin gives us a cute romance story, titled "One Sweet Kiss." The story centers on Martha Bryler, a young Amish woman who is given up on love in exchange for becoming the caregiver of her large family after her mother died. Everyone around Martha believes she would be the perfect match for Jacob King, well for everyone but Martha and Jacob, as both of them could care less about each other. Well, that is until they share a one sweet kiss, and then everything changes.

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

 

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
 

Yes, I have read Dracula and Frankenstein, and I own more than one copy of both.

Linky List:

For people who love animals, finding a way to make a living while working with them is the perfect combination. There are many careers and jobs available where you can get paid to work with and take care of animals. For some, the idea of starting a small petting zoo may spark their interest. It can be a great business opportunity for animal lovers. Below are some things to take into consideration when starting a small petting zoo.


Before any other task, it is important to be sure to get all of the necessary permits and licenses that are required by your local, state or federal government agencies. The first place you might want to begin is by contacting your local Department of Agriculture, local licensing boards and local zoning boards. It is also a requirement for all local businesses to carry liability insurance policies to protect their business from injury claims. Animals can be very unpredictable. Liability insurance can protect your zoo from lawsuits in the unfortunate event that a visitor gets hurt while on your premises.


For a proper petting zoo, you will need to find a location that has at least ten or more acres for proper planning. If you ever decide to expand, you will be glad you have the space to. The location should also be a reasonable distance from a large city or town in order to generate a sufficient amount of visitors to stay profitable. Petting zoos which are very rural will often not generate enough visitors to stay open.

Zondervan; 374 pages; $15.99; Amazon

As I promised yesterday, I will catch up on all my needs-to-be-reviewed books this month. Today, I'm reviewing To Wager Her Heart: A Belle Meade Plantation Novel by USA Today Bestselling Author Tamera Alexander. Technically, I haven't had the book very long, but I'm still including it as a "Review Catch Up Marathon!" post.

As you can probably tell by the cover art, To Wager Her Heart is a historical romance. It's set in Nashville, Tennessee during the year 1871, and centers mostly on two characters - Sylas Rutledge and Alexandra Jamison.

Sylas, a enx-gambler from Colorado Territory, is the new owner of the Northwest Line Railroad. While it's not exactly his dream job, he's mostly there to clear his father's name, who's blamed for a deadly train accident. To fit in with Nashville's high society, he enlists Alexandra Jamison to tutor him to become a gentleman.

Despite the fact her family is well respected around Nashville, many people turns the other cheek towards Alexandra, mostly due to the fact that she's a teacher at Fisk University, the first freedmen's university in the United States.

Everything goes fine between Sylas and Alexandra, well, until he learns that her fiance was killed in the exact same train accident that his father was involved in. I guess you can things get a little awkward from there.

Being released this month from WordFire Press is the monster mash-up novel Monsterland by Michael Okon. The book can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth.

The last couple years of high school have not been fun for Wyatt Baldwin. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An on-going debate with his best friends Howard Drucker and Melvin over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance.

But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can rock out with vampires at Vampire Village, be chased by actual werewolves on the Werewolf River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.

With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?

The author has taken a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about Monsterland.


When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve been writing since I’m 15 years old, albeit poorly. I really fell in love with the craft of screenwriting in high school and college. I started self-publishing novels under my pen name Michael Phillip Cash and finally got a publishing deal this year.

What was your first book/story published?

In 2017, WordFire Press picked up my books Monsterland 1 & 2, in a two book publishing deal. So it took me about 20 years a 15 minutes to get published.

What inspired you to write Monsterland?

I always wanted to write a monster book, but I couldn’t come up with something original. I was binge watching an 80s/90s movie marathon with my son and it just popped into my head, why isn’t there a theme park with zombies. I called my brother immediately and he said it has to be werewolves, vampires, AND zombies. I started beating out the storyline that night.

What character in Monsterland is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

The character least like me is Dr. Vincent Konrad – the mad evil genius of the Monsterland universe. Vincent is using the theme park for nefarious purposes. I could never deliberately try to overthrow anyone or anything. I don’t even like killing ants, let alone trying to take over the world.

I had a revelation yesterday - I have a bit of a procrastinating issue, especially when it comes to reviewing books on this blog. I have no problem posting reviews for titles that are part of a blog tour, but I have a bad habit of reading other books and not reviewing them. Yes, I've told myself in the past I was going to get caught up with the needs-to-be-reviewed piles, but I get distracted by other things and I never get around to to it. All of that will changed as of today, as I'm determined to get all of those books reviewed this month, even if that means writing multiple reviews per day.

Bethany House; 321 pages; $15.99; Amazon

First in my Review Catch Up Marathon! posts is the historical romance drama In The Shadow Of Denali, book one in The Heart of Alaska series, by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse. I'm a big fan of Tracie's writings, especially the Heir of Montana series, which is the main reason why I wanted to read the book in the first place. I know I had read a few novels by Kimberly Woodhouse, but for the life me I cannot recall the titles. This isn't the first team up for the authors, as they also co-authored Beyond the Silence and All Things Hidden.

Anyhow, it's frowned upon for a reviewer to include a synopsis, but I believe a short "about the book" paragraph or paragraphs can help someone decide whether or not they are interested in reading the tile.

With that said, here is the synopsis:

Set in the 1920s, the novel centers mostly on two characters, Cassidy Ivanoff and Allan Brennan. Cassidy and her father, John, work at the Curry Hotel, which is the near the foot of Mount McKinley in Alaska. The local natives call the mountain Denali. While her father is busy guiding wealthy tourists, Cassidy is in the kitchen working as the Cook's assistant. The entire staff at the hotel are all excited about the upcoming visit by the President, who's traveling to Alaska to drive a golden spike to officially complete the Alaska Railroad.

Everyone believes Allan Brennan arrived at the Curry Hotel so he could train to be a mountain guide, but he's there for a completely different reason. His father had died on the mountain several years ago and he travled to Alaska to discover the truth. He ends up turning to Cassidy to help him unravel the mystery. Of course this is a romance, so you can probably guess that sparks fly between the two.

Mill Creek Ent., R / Not Rated; 10 hours 34 mins.

Now available from Mill Creek Entertainment is Kung Fu Zombies: 7 Killer Movies, featuring some of the greatest martial artists including Gordon Liu (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2), Siu-Wong Fan (Ip Man), Billy Chong (A Fistful of Talons), Eddy Ko (TV's Fist of Fury), and Panna Rittikrai (Ong Bak). There are no special features or bonus extras on the 2-disc set.

The 7 movies are:

Shaolin Vs. Evil Dead (2004; 94 minutes) - Directed by Douglas Kung, the film stars Gordon Liu as a Shaolin monk, who's trying to teach two young apprentice how to fight against evil zombies.

Shaolin Vs. Evil Dead 2 (2007; 100 minutes) - Once again directed by Douglas Kung, Gordon Lui returns in this sequel that pits the monks against DR. Magma, who plans on raising the dead.

Kung Fu Zombie (1981; 78 minutes) - Directed by Hwa I Hung, the film stars Billy Chong as as martial artist who must battle a deadly vampire.

We're Going To Eat You (1980; 90 minutes) - Directed by Tsui Hark, the film centers on a secret agent named Agent 999, who accidentally runs into a village full of cannibals while attempting to track a criminal.

Spirited Killer 2 (92 minutes) - A really weird movie about a dead grandfather, a criminal gang, and zombies!

Spirited Killer 3 (90 minutes) - The film's plot involves a mystical black egg, an evil sorcerer, and a bunch of minions from hell.

Kung Fu From Beyond The Grave (1982; 89 minutes) - Another movie starring Billy Chong. This time he plays Chun Sing, who must stop an evil priest and his army of the dead.

Mill Creek Ent., Not Rated; 96 minutes; $14.98

Being released on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment on October 17th is the Night of the Living Dead: 50th Anniversary. There are no special features or extras on the Blu-ray, but it does come with a Digital code that can be redeemed at: www.millcreekent.com/redeem.

Directed by the late George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead is the granddaddy of zombie flicks. Filmed on a budget of $117,000, the movie begins with siblings Johnny (played by Russell Streiner) and Barbra Blair (played by Judith O'Dea) driving to a rural Pennsylvania cemetery to put flowers on their father's grave. Out of nowhere, a strange man (played by Bill Hinzman) attacks them. Johnny is killed when his head bounces off a tombstone.

Barely surviving the attack, Barbra stumbles upon a farmhouse, which is where she encounters Ben (played by  Duane Jones). They are quickly surrounded by zombie-like humans, forcing them to take shelter inside the farmhouse. With Barbra distraught over everything that has happened Ben takes charge and quickly boards up the windows and doors.

Hiding in the cellar, is a married couple Harry Cooper (played by Karl Hardman), his wife Helen (played by Marilyn Eastman), and their daughter Karen (played by Kyra Schon), who was bitten by one of the zombies. Also taking shelter in the farmhouse is a teenage couple, Tom (played by Keith Wayne) and Judy (played by Judith Ridley).

If they can't find their away to escape the chaos, the survivors plan on waiting it out inside the farmhouse until help arrives, that's if they don't kill each other first.