Locked Out - Book Review

 

Locked Out (Zombie Bedtime Stories #2)

by Thea Isis Gregory

What is it about:

Doctor Anna Lewis administrates a team of researchers who find their facility co-opted by the military, with a very special project. They're charged with looking for a medical cause to the sudden outbreak of violence and riots in the capital, which have begun spreading to neighboring cities. They must struggle to assimilate new equipment and talent, while searching for a scientific explanation.

What they discover challenges their sense of ethics, and draws them together while simultaneously tearing them apart. As the unrelenting enemy draws closer, their research is superseded by the need to survive long enough to report their chilling discoveries to the world.

What did I think of it:

This second story in this zombie series is a bit longer at 51 pages and just as cool as the first one.

Told from the perspective of a scientist who gets roped in to find out what's going on, it's engaging and suspenseful. I really liked Anna and rooted for her and for the army major who has been send to oversee her lab and the research.

It soon is clear things are bad and maybe getting close too quickly. Some things I could see coming, but this short story did have some surprises hidden in its 51 pages. 

You bet I'll be reading the next one soon.

Why should you read it:

Zombie Goodness!

On McPig's Wishlist - The Farmhouse

 

The Farmhouse

by Chelsea Conradt

Every woman who has lived on this farm has died. Emily just moved in. 

When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they want for a fresh clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home. 

They should have asked why the farm was for sale. 

Three years ago, a teenage girl went missing from the farm. Soon after, the girl's mother mysteriously died. The deeper Emily digs, the more stories she finds of women with a connection to her new home who've met their own dark ends.

The farmhouse was meant to be Emily's fresh start, but with each passing day, her sanctuary slips further away. The barn seems to move throughout her property, as though chasing her. Her mother's favorite music drifts across the corn. She swears she saw blood in one of the farmhand's trucks. And the screams that wake her are not foxes, no matter how many times her husband says otherwise.

Despite Josh's skepticism, Emily feels the darkness that has seeped into the soil of her farm. And if she wants to claim this place as her own, she'll have to find the truth before whatever watches from the cornfield takes her too.

Expected publication June 17, 2025

Locked In - Book Review

 

Locked In (Zombie Bedtime Stories #1)

by Thea Isis Gregory

What is it about:

Haley is enjoying her new job as a paramedic on a beautiful summer’s day. Not even her dour and sullen partner, Frank, can deflate her enthusiasm for life. Responding to a routine call near her former high school, she is excited to see her old hang-out spot, the park. On arrival, something is clearly wrong, and Haley is attacked by one of her old friends. Soon, she begins to experience disturbing changes in her personality and food preferences, until she wakes up a zombie. Her consciousness is suspended in a body that she can't control, and she needs to find a way to escape.

What did I think of it:

I'm always on the lookout for a good zombie story, so when I encountered the author on Social Media and she mentioned zombies I immediately got hold of her Zombie Bedtime Stories series and read the first book as it's only 18 pages.

And what a cool read!

It's told from the perspective of someone who has been infected and it's so well done! I was immediately hooked and wondering how this could and would end. Those 18 pages flew by. I was very glad I immediately got the whole series of short stories, because this one tastes like more!

You bet you can expect a review of the secons book real soon!

Why should you read it:

This is an amazing zombie read! 

Teaser Tuesdays - The Teller of Small Fortunes

I'm still reading this one. So far this is a really fun read, but I got stuck somewhere without physical book, so started on an e-book and read that first before continuing with this book.

But here with two unwanted escorts of dubious reputation, it had become something loud and unfamiliar. But not, thought Tao as their small party clanked on, entirely unpleasant.

(page 38 The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their  TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Taylor Swift Reading Challenge 2025

I don't think I'll actively hunt down books that fit here, but it might be fun to see if my reading fits these.

 

On McPig's Wishlist - The Farmhouse

 

The Farmhouse

by Chelsea Conradt

Every woman who has lived on this farm has died. Emily just moved in. 

When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they want for a fresh clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home. 

They should have asked why the farm was for sale. 

Three years ago, a teenage girl went missing from the farm. Soon after, the girl's mother mysteriously died. The deeper Emily digs, the more stories she finds of women with a connection to her new home who've met their own dark ends.

The farmhouse was meant to be Emily's fresh start, but with each passing day, her sanctuary slips further away. The barn seems to move throughout her property, as though chasing her. Her mother's favorite music drifts across the corn. She swears she saw blood in one of the farmhand's trucks. And the screams that wake her are not foxes, no matter how many times her husband says otherwise.

Despite Josh's skepticism, Emily feels the darkness that has seeped into the soil of her farm. And if she wants to claim this place as her own, she'll have to find the truth before whatever watches from the cornfield takes her too.

Expected publication June 17, 2025

Revolution: Piercing the Veil - Early Musings

 

Revolution: Piercing the Veil by Samantha Minerva

What is it about:

Have you ever wondered what lurks beneath the surface of your conscious mind? Have you ever felt like your life has a purpose that you have yet to discover? Have you considered what happened to the five-year-old version of yourself? And where his or her zest for life went? Would you like to reclaim that part of you and create a life full of meaning, color, and joy?

Join one woman on her quest through the deep and dark underworld of human consciousness, as she confronts every fear, wound, and shadow keeping her from the ultimate truths about life, love, and reality. Her rawness and realness will reach into places deep inside of you, shining a light on the parts of you that are screaming to be seen, held, and acknowledged.

This is not a journey for the faint of heart, but a journey into the heart of pain, to reveal the gold buried beneath it all.

What are my early musings:

Only on page 30 of over 300 of this book of poetry, but this is a book to savor and take in just a few poems at the time. I really recommend giving this a try if you have kindle unlimited. Beautiful and sometimes dark, these poems are a delight to read.

Amazon