Friday, 16 October 2026

The V.I.P Reader: Secrets & the Supernatural - Venture Into the Paranormal where the unexplained is not always scary but can't be explained...

There is more to a book than a cover, 
pages and words.
They are portals to different worlds
and exciting adventures.

#VIPReader
Grab a book and enjoy a good read! 
Here are some suggestions:

sometimes the unexplainable just can't be explained...
but they make fine stories!

*
Jane Gray

first of a trilogy

A tale of ghosts, jealousy, prejudice and passion
 set in the wilds of Dartmoor

Fifteen-year-old REIGNETH GRAY is the prophet her family have waited for, but until she meets the soulmate who can help her to control her gifts, she is vulnerable to dangerous influences both good and evil. Her Romany family guard her secret and protect her from the outside world, but when she is drawn to young, gifted musician, JOHNNY WILMOTT, their love threatens to blow their worlds apart. Johnny’s ignorance of Romany ways and awe of Reigneth’s power cause a rift between them, but when he uncovers a dark secret about his past he turns to Reigneth for help. Can their families put prejudice to one side for their sake or must they part forever?

Buy From Amazon UK   Amazon US

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Mary Ann Bernal


Shadows rise, secrets awaken, and ancient forces stir in seven dark tales where the past refuses to stay buried.

Each story begins with a life already on edge, where unease clings like a second skin. As ancestral homes whisper, forbidden rituals beckon, and long-dead spirits stir, every character is pulled toward a truth more terrifying than the fear they carry. When the veil between the living and the damned finally tears, each must confront the darkness that has been waiting for them.

What starts as curiosity, dread, or denial becomes a desperate struggle as the supernatural tightens its grip. Witches gather, demons bargain, portraits breathe, and ancient rites ignite, threatening to consume anyone who dares to resist.

This atmospheric anthology blends ancestral home gothic mystery, dark folklore, supernatural possession, and ritual-driven horror into a chilling collection of short fiction. Perfect for readers who crave gothic supernatural stories, haunted cemetery tales, dark covenants, and folklore-infused suspense, these seven stories deliver dread, tension, and the slow-burning terror that defines classic Gothic literature.

buy link: https://books2read.com/u/bz0vwZ

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Patricia Furstenberg

11
100-WORD STORIES, Folklore and History

Discover the untold tales that shaped history and folklore in DREAMLAND through 100-word stories. Journey into the aftermath of a giant's forbidden love, the chilling fate of a maiden turned to stone, the mystery surrounding the lost Dacian treasure, or the true reasons behind the terror inspired by Vlad the Impaler. Uncover hidden truths and well-guarded secrets behind these legendary stories of "happily ever after," chilling origins, elusive warriors, and the enigmatic figures that have shaped Transylvania for millennia.

Dreamland reveals the epic narratives and whimsical photography behind the legends we thought we knew, inviting you to dive deeper into a world where history meets myth.

Dreamland, the western territory of Romania, a paradise dreamed of by empires; a fairyland protected by its hearty folk; and centuries-long safe haven to hopeful emigrants.

Dreamland, these are stories lived, legends of why, myths of who, folk believes rooted in the days when the populace of Banat, Crisana, Maramures, and Transylvania laid the first foundations in places still untamed, places that maybe changed their face as they changed many hands throughout centuries.

Dreamland: like a river flows free, like the bird knows no boundaries, and like clouds spread over the entire horizon, so is the history, and the tales of these Romanian provinces. Dacians and Romans, Vlachs, Moti, Mocans, Huns, Peri, Magyars, Transylvanian Saxons , Swabians, Szeklers, Jewish refugees, Ottoman invaders, hajduks and emperors, priests, these are the folks who shared this Dreamland and together they shaped its history, culture and architecture.

These short texts evoke passages from history. I tried to write them with passion and lyricism, and, I hope, wit. Telling stories is the best way to keep the past, this untouchable treasure, alive.

Over 80 color photographs.

Amazon UK Author page   Amazon US author page


*
Elizabeth Revill

The Adam Barrie Paranormal Investigations Book 1

For some, a life at sea, is all they want. That’s the case for Adam Barrie. Out there, among the waves, he has a peace he cannot find on land.

When tragedy strikes his family, Adam’s commitment to them has to become his focus. For him, it’s family before everything else, and his inheritance proves to be the catalyst to a new life. Black Head Ridge House is a rambling mansion, but almost as soon as he arrives, the peace he needs is gone forever.

Adam is psychic. Black Head Ridge is haunted. When the smells, the music, the vanishing objects become impossible to ignore, Adam surrenders to the inevitable. The spirit of a young woman urges him to give her the peace, he can never seem to find.

As he unravels her connection to the old house, he realises her death is linked to a series of disappearances from the nearby town. He thought he’d be helping a ghost long dead to move on, but now, he realises he’s uncovering a terrible crime in the present.

amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D5HH12GJ

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Mercedes Rochelle

Shakespeare's Witches tell Banquo, "Thou Shalt 'Get Kings Though Thou Be None". Though Banquo is murdered, his son Fleance gets away. What happened to Fleance? What Kings? The road to kingship had a most inauspicious beginning, and we follow Fleance into exile and death, passing the Witches' prophecy to his son Walter. Born on the wrong side of the blanket and raised in disgrace, Walter was caught inside of a preordained fate he barely understood. In an effort to untangle Banquo's murder and honor his lineage, Walter moved through events that shaped the course of England and Scotland. He served Harold Godwineson, finding himself in the middle of Harold's Welsh campaign. He fought in the Battle of Hastings before the Witches sent him north to find his destiny in Scotland. What promises did the court of Malcolm III hold for him?

amazon author page: https://tinyurl.com/2s4jjpc5

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Helen Hollick

THE COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB GOLD AWARD
 for NON-FICTION 2025

"What distinguishes this collection is its tone. There is no urgency to convince, no reliance on spectacle. Instead, [the authors] approach each presence with measured curiosity... these are not apparitions to be feared, but lives interrupted, emotions unfinished. Even the more unsettling encounters are shaped by empathy rather than alarm. And history is never absent. Each account is gently contextualised, drawing the reader into the rhythms of rural life, the echoes of national upheaval, the quiet tragedies that ripple outward through time. The result is a narrative that feels intimate, where the boundary between past and present is not forcefully broken but naturally thinned." author Patricia Furstenberg

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.

You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that all ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.

In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared, while including snippets of interesting history about North Devon and some of the people of the past...

(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)

"...an utterly captivating blend of travel guide & personal memoir not just for those intrigued by the paranormal - also a beautifully written tribute to the magic of North Devon, its past, and its present. Whether planning a visit or simply looking for a delightfully eerie escape, Ghost Encounters is an absolute must-read. Hollick has crafted a truly special book—one that lingers in the mind like the very spirits she so wonderfully brings to life." Amazon reader

"If you enjoy your history, then you will love this book. I have a long held interest in both History and the Paranormal. The history in this book is very well researched and the descriptions of the paranormal engaging. Kathy Hollick's accounts of the spirits she encounters were fascinating, believable and struck a chord with me. I have a long association with Mediums, most parlour tricksters, one outright fraud and a few where the jury is out. One lady, however, was genuine and Ms Hollick's accounts and experiences sound very similar. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to those who enjoy history and/or the paranormal." Kevin R Agg Founder and former Secretary Supernatural Research Special Interest Group, former investigator Society for Psychical Research

Amazon Buy link: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters

More reading suggestions

Are you a VIP READER? 
(of course you are!)
start the series of themed reading suggestions...
...HERE

*
and...
"Amazing stories written by highly skilled writers" 
Smorgasbord Book Magazine

https://mybook.to/COURAGE-Anthology

You might also like books written by Helen Hollick 


cosy mysteries : historical fiction
nautical supernatural adventure 
1066 : King Arthur
ghosts : non-fiction
 anthologies 

2025 annual award winner

THANK YOU!

Thursday, 15 October 2026

RELEASE DAY SPOTLIGHT!

 The Queen’s Tears
By
Elizabeth St.John

A stolen crown jewel and an enigmatic portrait force two women to confront the devastating choices they made for love—and summon the courage to live with the truth.

1619: Barbara, Lady Villiers, at the bidding of her brother-in-law, the Duke of Buckingham, has stolen the dying Queen Anna’s jewels—and kept the greatest prize for herself. The Queen’s Tears, a brooch of impossible value, torments her: too dangerous to sell, too priceless to discard, and possibly her only means of securing her children’s future. When the family fortunes are shattered, Barbara faces an impossible choice: remain loyal to Buckingham—or betray him by confessing the theft to King Charles.

Present Day: Julia Darke opens her Cotswolds bookshop to start life over peacefully. Instead, she stumbles across a Van Dyck portrait of Barbara’s daughter, with tantalising signs of the missing Queen’s Tears hidden in plain sight. The discovery also brings her face-to-face with the last person she wants to see again. Oliver Villiers, the Oxford art conservator she once loved and walked away from, holds the cipher to the painting—and to Julia’s own unresolved history.

Reluctantly drawn together by a shared obsession to uncover Barbara’s secret, Julia and Oliver follow the trail of the Queen’s Tears—and the closer Julia comes to Barbara’s truth, the harder it becomes to hide from her own.

Inspired by the true stories of Queen Anna of Denmark’s stolen jewels and a missing Van Dyck painting, The Queen’s Tears weaves history, fiction, and family research across the centuries. Readers of The Lady of the Tower will find old favourites—and a new heroine following in their footsteps.

BUY LINK: https://geni.us/TheQueensTears

Note: Helen is currently reading an ARC copy - 5+ stars - a stunning, engrossing  read!

More reading suggestions

Are you a VIP READER? 
(of course you are!)
start the series of themed reading suggestions...
...HERE

*
"Amazing stories written by highly skilled writers" 
Smorgasbord Book Magazine

https://mybook.to/COURAGE-Anthology

You might also like books written by Helen Hollick 


cosy mysteries : historical fiction
nautical supernatural adventure 
1066 : King Arthur
ghosts : non-fiction
 anthologies 

2025 annual award winner

THANK YOU!