Shadow Caster
Debbie Cassidy
(The Nightwatch Academy #1)
Publication date: September 10th 2019
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Murdering humans is a huge no-no and comes with an off-with-your-head sentence. Doesn’t matter if you don’t remember doing the crime.
I killed a human, and no, it wasn’t on purpose, but that shit doesn’t matter to the council. I’m facing death. So, when I’m offered a deal to avoid execution, I’d be a fool not to take it, even if it means leaving the human world and urban life behind to enroll in the Nightwatch Academy – a gothic monstrosity hidden from human eyes, located way too close to the largest tear in the fabric of our reality.
It would be fun if I had any inclination of becoming a member of the Watch or supporting the shadow knights at keeping the Formorian threat at bay. But heck, the monsters beyond the mist aren’t my problem. I have personal demons to deal with.
Once I’m out, the Watch can shove it.
But one sip from the ceremonial goblet and my plans to coast are out of the window as my powers spark to life.
I’m an anomaly, one the Watch won’t be letting walk any time soon.
My only comfort is a man who prides himself on his ability to harness pain. Battle scarred and formidable, he’s my tutor, my mentor, and the object of some super saucy dreams. He’s completely off limits and my only hope of surviving my first test.
I’ll need to harness my powers fast.
There can be no distractions.
But when my fellow cadets start going missing then returning with no memory of who they used to be and my best friend is taken, turning a blind eye is no longer an option.
Allies are limited when you’re a freak. Luckily, I don’t need a cheer squad to get shit done. Whoever is responsible better watch out. I’m coming for them, and I’ll be bringing the pain.
The Vampire Academy meets Game of Thrones in this kick-ass, supernatural academy, Urban Fantasy Romance.

Realm of Knights
Jennifer Anne Davis
Publication date: September 10th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Reid has spent her whole life pretending to be a man so she can inherit her father’s estate, but when a chance encounter threatens to expose her lie, she is forced to risk everything.

In the kingdom of Marsden, women are subservient to men and land can only pass from father to son. So when Reid Ellington is born, the fifth daughter to one of the wealthiest landholders in the kingdom, it’s announced that Reid is a boy.

Eighteen years later, Reid struggles to conceal the fact she’s actually a young woman. Every day, her secret becomes harder to keep. When one of Marsden’s princes sees her sparring with a sword, she is forced to accept his offer and lead her father’s soldiers to the border. Along the way, she discovers a covert organization within the army known as the Knights of the Realm. If Reid wants to save her family from being arrested for treason and robbed of their inheritance, she will have to join the Knights and become a weapon for the crown.

To protect her family, Reid must fight like a man. To do that, she’ll need the courage of a woman.

Pestilence
Klarissa King
(Feared Fables #3)
Publication date: September 3rd 2019
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Retelling

For centuries, Pestilence has tried to fall out of love with Death—the reason for her curse. But with her heart and mind at odds, humanity’s fate doesn’t stand a chance in her cold, grey hands.
Pestilence and Shadow, her trusted steed, walk the earth to deliver plagues upon the humans. But when they wake to a world they don’t recognise, Pestilence must learn to navigate the advanced technology of the humans and evade their interest in her.

It isn’t long until videos of her destruction are spread across the human world.
Soon, Pestilence finds herself with more than just her steed as her shadow. Now, the humans and Death are tracking her to the ends of the earth.

This mission is different. There’s a new Horserider, War, whose bloodthirst can only be matched by Pestilence’s, and he carries with him a past so mysterious that Pestilence suspects he hasn’t come to end just the humans, but her, too.
And Death, after centuries, suddenly yearns for her again.

Something is different about this mission. Something is different about the Horseriders.

And it’s something Pestilence must uncover if she’s to outlive the species she loathes so much and survive whatever malevolence Death and War are brewing.

The end has come … but for who?
Third Book in the ANTHOLOGY series, Feared Fables.

Slaying Monsters for the Feeble
Annette Marie
(The Guild Codex: Demonized #2)
Published by: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Publication date: November 1st 2019
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

I’m bound to a demon.
For my entire life, I avoided magic at all costs. Now, I’m responsible for a demon who wields magic more powerful than the toughest mage or sorcerer.

Demons are evil.

That’s what my textbooks say. That’s what I see. He’s ruthless, he’s temperamental, he’s cold. But he protects me without fail. I wonder if he’s hiding a heart behind his hostility.

My demon is a monster.

Heartless or not, my contract with him is illegal and beyond dangerous. Together, we need to find a way to send him back to his own world before anyone discovers our secret. If that wasn’t difficult enough, there’s another problem:
My demon isn’t the only monster I should be worried about.
—

From the author of The Guild Codex: Spellbound comes a new series that will plunge an unprepared young woman into the darkest magic of the mythic world.

I know it's not really fall yet. We are still firmly in the dog days of summer here in the south. Shh, I'm dreaming.

You see, I'm one of those crazy people that hates everything to do with summer. I hate the heat. The beach. Sand. Bugs. It's just not my season. Oh, but fall... I love the sunsets and the cooler mornings. Sleeping with the windows open. The smell of wet leaves. Reading outside without having heatstroke. 

Oh, and did I mention Halloween? It's my absolute favorite holiday of the entire year!! Haunted houses! Scary movies! Costumes! We throw a Halloween party every year and I'm like a big kid. I can't wait to get my Halloween decorations out to start getting into the mood for the season. I love the that spooky goes mainstream! Of course, since I'm an urban fantasy and horror reviewer, well, that's just the icing on the cake. This has been a really good year for the horror genre and I have a lot of great fall reads waiting on me.

I decided to get a jump on it this year with a bookish bingo challenge. I think bingo challenges are a great way to knock some of those books off the TBR without the pressure of a lot of planning like other challenges. I'm very much a visual person and I like the feeling of accomplishment that Bingo challenges give me. 

While I've creeped on other challenges before, none of them really fit with my reads. Since there really aren't a whole lot of bingo challenges geared towards my genres, may I present: 

The Scaredy Cat Bingo Reading Challenge!!

Click here for the 2022 updated board. 

• Read a book that fits the category. 1 book=1 category. No doubling up!
• Complete a row - up, down or diagonal!
• For extra credit, go for a blackout. That means every square filled!
• All books must be started/finished in September and/or October 2019.

That's it! Pretty easy huh? And don't worry if you don't really do the spooky stuff. Any of these categories could work for urban fantasy as well. You don't have to have a blog to play either. Anyone is welcome to jump in!

The Z Word

Walkers, Zeds, Deadheads, Biters. Whatever you call them, if it should be dead, and it's not, it counts. 

Strange Fiction
This is that category for the book that you say "Wow, what did I just read?"

Don't Sneeze
Ebola? The Plague? Kellis-Amberlee? Whatever ails you, this is the category for you. 

Under the Sea

It's a big, big ocean out there. And I doubt it's full of red-headed mermaids pining for princes named Eric.  

Short Story Collection

Variety is the slice of life. 

Let's Summon Demons

Don't do this. Gates of Hell should stay closed and your arms should remain in the circle at all times.
Any book with a demon or possession gets you a square.

Howl at the Moon

Shapeshifters. Werewolves. Were-rats. Yeah, they are a thing. Shifty people don't count.

Bite Me

Walk softly and carry a sharpened stake. Vampires aren't the only thing that suck.

Crazy Town

Straight jackets are surprisingly comfortable...or so I'm told. This square is for location - asylum, mental hospital, etc.  or just a book that's bat sh!t crazy.

Scooby Dooby Doo

Any book that has an investigator, or just some bumbling kids searching for clues while saying things like Zoinks. 

Afterlife Express

10:15 to Boo Town. Tickets please! Ghostly apparitions, haunted dolls and the house on haunted hill all count in this square.

Monster Mash

It was a graveyard smash. It caught on in a flash. Here's your catch all monster square. 

Up Close & Personal

Pick a book that scares you. 

Eye See You

This one can be literal. Either an eye on the cover, eye(s) or seeing in the title somehow, or body horror for you horror fans.

Witching Hour

Spells, Curses or good old fashioned witchcraft. 

End of the Line

Post-Apocalyptic, natural disaster, or dystopian get you this square.

Bloody Good

Either a red cover, blood on the cover, or splatterpunk

Killer Instincts

Is there a killer on the loose? Then, yes, check this square if you dare.

Cabin in the Woods

This one is for those great abandoned locations, like a cabin in the middle of the woods, or a bunker in the middle of the artic. Home sweet home.

Lost Highway

Count this one if your book has a road trip, hitchhiker, or songs by the Eagles.

I Come in Peace

The truth is out there. It doesn't matter if they are little gray men or plants from outer space. 

Stock up on tin foil and bandaids. You're gonna need then. 

Camp Crystal Lake

Any book with a campground or tent camping. Hockey mask optional. 

Oh, the Humanity

Sometimes the monster is more human than expected. This square is for when the monster is us.

Don't Fear the Reaper

Count this square for any book with Death incarnate or anyone with a scythe.

I had fun creating this challenge and I hope you'll join me! See my books here.

To enter the challenge, just comment below with your name and where you are going to be tracking your challenge! Make sure to tag me on twitter @cats_luv_coffee or #CLCBookBingo if you are keeping track there. 

Be sure to come back when you complete your bingo and enter the rafflecopter. Each horizontal or vertical bingos get you one entry and a blackout gets you five!

Everyone that plays along and gets BINGO, will be entered into a random drawing for a $10 Starbucks card!

Pumpkin spice, FTW! (Just kidding. Pumpkin spice is gross, but hey, you do you.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blood King
Amber K. Bryant
(Spirit Seeker, #1)
Published by: City Owl Press
Publication date: August 27th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

While the Blood King lives, no one is safe.
Sybille Esmond never wanted to inherit her family’s weird business: summoning spirits of the undead and guiding them to the afterlife. While it pays the bills, dealing with supernatural monsters comes with colossal risks, including becoming undead herself.

When tall, dark, and undead Elis Tanner, a reformed member of the soulless ever-after, invades Sybille’s life, bringing with him a possessive, disembodied ex-wife, those risks get complicated, and those complications become dangerous.

Sybille must aid Elis in confronting his jealous ex while also investigating the Blood King, a beast who refuses to die—by stake or by poison.

After a harrowing possession leaves her burned and bruised, Sybille finds herself drawing closer to the tempting Elis, who may be the only one capable of helping her kill the unkillable. With the Blood King and his legions of undead closing in, she discovers her own life is far from the only thing in jeopardy.

AN ANCIENT DISEASE re-emerges in the heart of New York City—a deadly bacteria that gave rise to the Black Death. Maggie De Luca, an epidemiologist who is fighting her own demons, works to uncover clues to contain the disease, but is always one step behind—her fate determined by the flip of a coin. Microbiologist Michael Harbinger believes he can make a vaccine that can stop the disease, but to do so would require an elusive plant that only grows in a remote region of the Amazon. 

With the help of J.D. Stallings, a paleoanthropologist, and Samantha Boutroux, a bacteriologist, they set out to find the plant that holds the key before the Red Death pandemic grips the world—or has the First Horseman of the Apocalypse, Plague, already opened the gates to our final annihilation? 

The mother of all plagues is back . . .
Let the death toll begin . . . 


“RING AROUND THE ROSIE,
POCKETS FULL OF POSIES,
ASHES . . . ASHES . . .
WE ALL FALL DOWN.” 

I'm very excited to share this book with you all today! The Devil's Apprentice in the first book in the incredibly imaginative, and wonderfully entertaining, YA Fantasy series, The Great Devil War.

There will be exclusive content and a giveaway so be sure to read on!

Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?


Even though the story (mostly) takes place in Hell and deals with themes like evil, death and free will, it is also a humoristic tale about good and evil seen from a different perspective. A tale that hopefully will make the reader – young or old, boy or girl – laugh and think. – Kenneth B. Andersen

Dark Consort (Dark Dreamer Trilogy #2)
by Amber Duell

Publisher: The Parliament House

Nora has faced the horrors of the Nightmare Realm and put a stop to the Weaver. But the girl that went in isn’t the same one who has come out. Now, as the Lady of Nightmares, Nora’s next passage to the Night World will be permanent. Months in the Day World have already taken their toll on her new identity. Her body aches from the strain of magic and her mind is tormented by a powerful darkness. The only thing holding her together is the thought of returning to the place that beckons her as much as it terrifies her.

The Sandman knows Nora needs to return to her realm, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. Especially when he sees firsthand what happened in the Nightmare Realm since she left. Not only have the nightmares become restless, but Rowan stole the Weaver’s Keep and is gathering an army strong enough to rip the magic from Nora so she can dominate the realm. If the Sandman can put off the inevitable for a few more days, he will.

When Nora finds her own way back to the Nightmare Realm, her relationship with the Sandman stretches thin, but there isn’t time to dwell on hurt feelings. Not when she’s delivered straight to Kail, the masked nightmare that got her into this mess. Unfortunately, her allies are too few and Kail’s desire for Rowan’s death seems to burn as brightly as her own. Nora must decide whom to trust if she wants to survive the Nightmare Realm. And, if she wants to reclaim what’s hers, she must embrace the darkness within.