I was so excited to read Joe R. Lansdale's In the Mad Mountains. Although a controversial figure, I am a fan of Lovecraftian stories. I was not disappointed! 

The stories within In the Mad Mountains have a range as we flow through Lansdale's imagination. There is definitely a mix of the Lovecraftian "vibes" and stories that we may have heard of - but now with a twist. What readers will get from this collection of 8 stories is a journey through real madness as we see characters that are familiar to us and others that are new to us navigate the clear insanity of their environments and each other. 

One thing to keep in mind is that readers of Lovecraft may be looking to see something akin to comsic horror. But remember, this isn't a Lovecraft piece, this is a Lansdale piece and so you should expect all other kinds of horror - which was a big plus in my book!

It's more difficult for me to review a collection of stories because even the smallest bit of information can influence a reader. But I will say this - The Bleeding Shadow was definitely one of my favorites as it combines that Lovecraftian feel with a deal with the devil. I love me some crossroads demon stories!

If you are a horror fan, I encourage you to pick this up! If you are a Lovecraft fan - please also pick it up, but understand that this is still very much an independent piece from Lovecraft. 

Be wary of those dark depths....but enjoy the journey!

Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time by Preston Lewis and Harriet Kocher Lewis is a lovely book aimed at teaching young adults the history of life for young people living on the frontier in the mid 1800s. Lewis and Kocher Lewis do a wonderful job in presenting the struggles that young people encountered back in the day without sounding dry or monotone. The information provided was insightful and certainly kept my attention. This work was certainly interesting and would be able to provide any young adult with the information needed to grasp the history of this time and for a population that we don't readily hear about. I thought it was great that we were able to really take a look into the daily routine of a young adult in the mid 1800s. I don't remember ever hearing about this in school. And if I did? It was definitely not this insightful. 

I can definitely see Pintsized Pioneers as being a great asset to any classroom. It brings about a detailed and engaging look at life on the frontier and would be a great supplement to a classrooom's or a personal library.

Loving the Liar
Silver Falls University Book One
by Lola King

Synopsis

An angsty, secret society, dark romance from best-selling author, Lola King
Welcome to Silver Falls University, where the elite comes to thrive.

My life as a queen bee was always traced for me. I’m rich, I come from an influential family, and I constructed my personality to become the girl everyone wants to be. I rule Silver Falls University with bright smiles and the pretense of being everyone’s friend.

But in a place where toxic rich kids love to see others fall, no one is safe.
Especially when my family loses its power and someone threatens to spill all my secrets.
In the blink of an eye, my life as I knew it crumbles, and to save the people I love, I’m forced to initiate into the one place I thought I’d never be—the same Secret Society who betrayed my family.

Powerless, I’m thrown into a world of men who want nothing but to use and break me, and only one person can save me.

My ex.

He wants to take care of me even though I hate him.
He wants to protect me when he’s not allowed.
And he wants to make me his even if it puts us both at risk.

I have no hope of surviving a secret society.

But if Christopher Murray makes me his…I have no hope of surviving him.

Loving The Liar is a dark romance intended for readers over 18. Please, read the CW in the book.
This is the first book in a series of 3 interconnected

He lost her once. Now he will do anything to have her back. Anything.

Although I have spent years reading romance at this point, there are still some sub genres that are still manage to surprise me. One of those is the sub genre of dark romance. Dark romance is such a vague term meant to encompass so many caveats of this area of romance. It’s a growing sub genre and every day there is a new content warning I hadn’t heard of before. 

So, reader, before you keep going with my review, let me be clear about my own limits so that you may understand my opinions about Loving the Liar by Lola King. I definitely read content warnings - partly because of curiosity and partly because the writer took time to write these warnings so it only makes sense that I take the time to read them. However, I don’t necessarily look for content warnings nor do I feel I need them. That is just me - I can understand why others would want content warnings.  To those who need content warnings - please listen to them if you truly need to. We all have our limits, please listen to yours accordingly.

Now that I’ve covered my POV on content warnings, let me say that Loving the Liar was quite a surprise read for me. When I first started the book, I was annoyed by the main female character Ella. She seemed arrogant and snobby - too much for my taste. However, that quickly took a turn and, honestly, I was shocked at how quickly my view of her changed. I’m very much a character-driven reader, so I had feared that not liking Ella was going to deter me from liking the story. I was very wrong. I very much enjoyed Ella and her flaws. I found it refreshing that Ella was honest in her inner monologue (and outwardly too) how she felt about herself. I have never read a character to be so honest in how she feels about herself - flaws and all. Ella is the personification of what happens when you grow up in an environment where you are emotionally abused and manipulated. 

I have conflicting feelings about Christopher. This stems from most of the conflict I have surrounding dark romances. Christopher is not a good person - but almost no one in Loving the Liar is a “good person”. The reader has been placed in a ruthless atmosphere where we grasp at any of the good feelings that are afforded to us even though it is definitely by unscrupulous means. Fictional reading is meant to engross us in fantasies and sometimes, the inexplicable, right? I can’t say I completely hate Chris…much like Ella, he drew me in, but whatever good he does make us feel - does not erase how very toxic his character can be. 

Regardless of my conflicted feelings, it does not erase the fact that Loving the Liar drew me in and kept me for all of its 572 pages - that is a feat! But again, take heed of the content warnings. This book contains instances of emotional abuse, manipulation, toxicity, murder, and violence. If you’re sensitive to any of these, take care of yourself. As for me? It was a truly intriguing story that kept my attention from beginning to end.