Tag: monster hunting

What’s Ashley Reading?: Love and Other Conspiracies

Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

First line: Los Angeles is a city of believers.

Summary: Hallie Barrett has had a hard time lately. She recently broke up with her boyfriend who also happens to be her coworker and is currently in search of a new idea for a show in order to keep her job. On a drunken night she stumbles upon a cryptid docuseries hosted by an extremely handsome and enthusiastic host. In the hopes of reviving her career she approaches the cryptid hunter, Hayden Hargrove, with a proposition for a web series. But as Hayden’s on screen persona leaves much to be desired Hallie jumps in with her questions and skeptical remarks, sparking an instant connection and a huge fan following. As they search for Bigfoot, Mothman and other legendary creatures they find themselves discovering love rather than monsters.

My Thoughts: This was such a fun romance novel for the spooky season. Rather than being scary it was a humorous story about two people who just happen to find each other while hunting for Bigfoot. And the cover is so stinking cute!

I liked the characters. Hallie felt very relatable. She deals with doubt and rejection but becomes stronger as the story progresses. Hayden was the cute monster hunting nerd. He reminds me a little of Josh Gates from the shows, Expedition Unknown and Destination Truth. I loved their banter and chemistry. It felt natural and not forced.

This is the author’s debut novel and I feel like it was a great start. It had humor, quirky characters, romance tropes and a little bit of spice (mild/medium). Everything you want from good romance novel. I would highly recommend it!

FYI: This title is only available on Libby, CloudLibrary or through Interlibrary loan.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Children on the Hill

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

First line: Her smell sends me tumbling back through time to before.

Summary: In 1978, Dr. Hildreth lives on the property of a state of the art psych ward with her grandchildren, Violet and Eric. One day she brings home a young patient, Iris, in the hopes that time with other kids will help her start talking and progressing on her mental health journey. The children bond during play but especially with their love of monsters. As they overhear whispers at the hospital they start to question what their grandmother is doing with patients like Iris.

In 2019, Lizzy Shelley has created a name for herself through blogs, TED Talks and TV appearances on her monster hunting. However, when she hears about a mysterious disappearance of a young girl in Maine, she is drawn to this location. Is it the monster she has spent years avoiding and also hunting too?

My Thoughts: I really enjoy dual timelines. They make for interesting story lines and make the twists even more fun. I did hear a small spoiler while reading the book so some of the twists did not shock me as much as they might have but there was one part that was really not what I was expecting. I literally gasped when I read it.

However, I did find the story rather longer than it needed to be. It seemed to drag in the middle and seemed almost repetitive. But other than that I found the story to be enjoyable. It has a paranormal hint with still being a contemporary thriller.

FYI: Mental illness and monsters.