Waiting on Wednesday (57)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. We hadn't done Waiting on Wednesday since early last year, but we recently decided it's about time to bring it back.  So here's this week's WOW pick:

The Iron Druid Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite urban fantasy series! I have been waiting for this book for what seems like forever when in all actuality it has only been a year and a half. I'm so ready for some more adventures with Atticus and the gang. I'm nervous though. The stuff that happened with Loki in the last book can lead to nothing good. I'm kind of terrified about what will happen especially with him and with Leif in this book. Atticus's confrontation with Leif has been coming for a few books now and I'm still not ready for it.

Ah! I need this book in my life! I need to know what happens next!

Staked
(The Iron Druid Chronicles #8)
Kevin Hearne
Release: January 26, 2016
Links: Goodreads Amazon

Iron Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, hero of Kevin Hearne’s epic New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series, has a point to make—and then drive into a vampire’s heart.
 
When a Druid has lived for two thousand years like Atticus, he’s bound to run afoul of a few vampires. Make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers—led by power-mad pain-in-the-neck Theophilus—have become a huge problem requiring a solution. It’s time to make a stand.

As always, Atticus wouldn’t mind a little backup. But his allies have problems of their own. Ornery archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll trouble: Turns out when you stiff a troll, it’s not water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Granuaile is desperate to free herself of the Norse god Loki’s mark and elude his powers of divination—a quest that will bring her face-to-face with several Slavic nightmares.

As Atticus globetrots to stop his nemesis Theophilus, the journey leads to Rome. What better place to end an immortal than the Eternal City? But poetic justice won’t come without a price: In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend.

What book are you waiting on?

Release Day Review: Veiled Magic by Deborah Blake

 

Veiled Magic
Deborah Blake
Release: November 17, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

Since Witches came out of the broom-closet in the early 21st century, they have worked alongside humans as police officers, healers, stock traders, and more. But they aren’t the only paranormal entities in our world…

Police officer and Witch Donata Santori spends her days interrogating dead witnesses by summoning their spectral forms. Normally the job is little more than taking statements and filing reports. But when she’s called in on the case of a murdered art restorer, she finds herself suddenly in possession of a mystical portrait that both the human and paranormal communities would kill to get their hands on.

Unable to take on the forces hunting her alone, Donata seeks help from two unlikely and attractive allies: a reluctant shape-changer and a half-dragon art forger. But as the three of them hurry to uncover the truth about the powerful painting, Donata realizes that she’s caught in the middle of not one but two wars—one for possession of the painting’s secrets and one for possession of her heart…

Review:
Witch Donata Santori is a Witness Retrieval Specialist for the police department. She summons the ghosts of murder victims to find out who killed them. While that's not a completely original idea, it's also not one you see all that often in UF. What makes this world unique though, is the wonderful assortment of other supernatural characters. Veiled Magic features kobolds, dragons, shifters, and obviously witches, all done just a little bit differently than usual.

The paranormal world consists of five major races, of which witches are the only ones known to the public, along with several minor races, or sub-species. The races are governed by the Council, made up of representatives from each race, like a supernatural UN. Each group also seems to be based on a different mythology, the witches Roman and the shifters Norse, which I thought was an  interesting touch.

Donata runs afoul of the Council, and her boss, when her latest murder victim asks for her help keeping a magical painting out of the hands of the Cabal, a secret society within the Catholic Church out to destroy supernaturals. She enlists the help of an art forger, who may be the only supernatural in the world who doesn't know that his father is a dragon, and her shifter ex-boyfriend, an expert fighter. The potential for a love triangle is there, but the romance isn't a big part of the story. I had a lot of fun with this action-filled adventure, though I felt like it slowed down a bit in the middle.

Veiled Magic wants to be the start of a series, and I hope that it will be. I really like the cast of characters and I'd like to see more of this world. There are still some unanswered questions at the end of the book. And Donata's position as one of the only police officers with knowledge of the supernatural has great potential.

Recommended for fans of: SPI Files and The Underworld Detection Agency

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

    

4  stars

Waiting on Wednesday (56)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's this week's WOW pick:

 

Truthwitch is one of those titles that I feel like I've been hearing about forever. I was a little bit surprised at how far away the release is still. I've always loved stories about magic and witches, but what has me really curious about this one is the ship's captain. I'm guessing the prince isn't actually a pirate, but until the book comes out I'm going to imagine him as one anyway.

Truthwitch
(The Witchlands #1)
Susan Dennard
Release: January 5, 2016
Goodreads Amazon

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

What book are you waiting on?

 

 

Release Day Review: Wings of Sorrow and Bone by Beth Cato

Wings of Sorrow and Bone
(Clockwork Dagger #2.5)
Beth Cato
Release: November 10, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

From the author of The Clockwork Dagger comes an exciting novella set in the same world…

After being rescued by Octavia Leander from the slums of Caskentia, Rivka Stout is adjusting to her new life in Tamarania. But it’s hard for a blossoming machinist like herself to fit in with proper society, and she’d much rather be tinkering with her tools than at a hoity-toity party any day.

When Rivka stumbles into a laboratory run by the powerful Balthazar Cody, she also discovers a sinister plot involving chimera gremlins and the violent Arena game Warriors. The innocent creatures will end up hurt, or worse, if Rivka doesn’t find a way to stop Mr. Cody. And to do that means she will have to rely on some unexpected new friends.  

Review:
Wings of Sorrow and Bone is set a few months after the end of The Clockwork Crown and features two teenaged girls introduced in that book. Rivka Stout and Tatiana Garret are unlikely pair, a Mean Girl and a misfit, brought together by a common acquaintance and eventually a common goal. The two meet at a party hosted by Balthazar Cody, a Tamaranian councilman and the creator of the city's arena games. After sneaking away from the festivities, the two discover Cody's workshop where gremlins are kept in cages and used for parts for the giant chimera Cody is building for the next match.

Rivka relates to the gremlins, having been a victim of abuse herself. Though her life has improved, she still has a cleft lip and wants to be a machinist, so she doesn't fit in with her grandmother's society friends. If that's not enough, she's from Caskentia so the science-loving Tamaranians assume she's uneducated even before her accent marks her as poor. But Cody respects her mechanical ability and allows her into the workshop. Rivka plans to use that access to free the gremlins, but she'll need help from Tatiana, who has her own motivation for being there, as well as a young medition, to come up with a plan.

Cody, while not actually the villain in The Clockwork Crown, was never a sympathetic character so it's quite satisfying to see someone giving him a hard time. I also really loved the gremlins in both novels, so I was happy to see the issue addressed. However, I did feel like there was an excessive amount of Octavia name dropping in this story, which makes it hard to view it as a standalone.

I've always found the socio-economic insights into the different countries in Cato's fictional world fascinating. Octavia touches on it in the books, but Rivka has a deeper understanding of the issues having lived in many different areas. I really enjoyed learning more about the world from her perspective. In that respect, this novella might provide a good introduction to the world of the Clockwork Dagger books, but I would not recommend reading it first. It makes too many references to the events in The Clockwork Crown not be spoilery.

I'm not aware of any plans to do so, but I could see Rivka starring in a spinoff series. She reminds me of Genevieve LaFoux who appears in all of Gail Carriger's series. Either way, I'm happy with the chance to return to this world and the gremlins and I enjoyed the novella.

Recommended for fans of: The Clockwork Dagger series, Gail Carriger's Finishing School series

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss

    1/2

3 1/2 stars

 

Our reviews of other books in this series:
The Clockwork Dagger
The Deepest Poison

Really Short Reviews: Dark Kings #6-7 by Donna Grant

The Really Short Reviews of the books in the Dark Kings series continues with the next three books! Things are getting exciting, y'all! I loved them. I loved them so hard. Such amazing book crack! Like some serious book crack. I couldn't put them down once I started them. I'm officially caught up until the next book comes out next month and the wait may kill me! Seriously. Things are starting to go down finally! Just a reminder: If you haven't read anything by Donna Grant, don't start with this series! I would recommend picking up her Dark Sword books and the Dark Warriors spin-off series before starting this one to avoid spoiling both of those series. Have you started this any of these series yet???

Warning: These reviews are for the sixth and seventh books of this series as well as the novella between them. There may be spoilers so scroll down at your own risk.

Soul Scorched

(Dark Kings #6)

Donna Grant

Release: June 30, 2015

Goodreads Amazon

I'm going to be upfront here. Soul Scorched is my least favorite book of the series so far. It's still good but for me, it doesn't live up to my expectations from the previous books. Warrick is sent to Edinburgh with the newly awakened Thorne to watch and obtain information from a druid who has the unique ability to touch the Dragon King's magic. Darcy's unique ability helped Ulrik's magic to be restored despite the binding the Dragon Kings placed upon him to take away his magic. Con is almost certain that she is working with Ulrik to destroy the Kings. Warrick, on the other hand, thinks Darcy is an innocent caught up in a war she has little knowledge about.

The romance between Warrick and Darcy is intense and believable with the danger and a number of hurdles they have to overcome before they can be together. The romance is interesting but it wasn't my favorite part of the book. Darcy deserves a slow clap for trying to stay neutral and not choose sides between the Kings and Ulrik. In my opinion, the best part of the story is the build up that's happening towards what has to be a big battle and the showdown between Ulrik and Con. With war on the horizon, all of the Kings are being awoken to prepare for the inevitable and to do their best to keep their promise to protect the humans. 

Unfortunately, Con is becoming so wrapped up in focusing on Ulrik and his hatred that he's starting to alienate the other Kings. It's really starting to cause problems. Then there's Rhi and her story arc. I'm going to be honest, Rhi and her struggles and back story intrigues me to no end. She's one of my favorite characters in this series. I'm fascinated by her and can't wait until her story is told! I especially want to know who the heck her Dragon King is!

With it's mix of plot lines, stories, tales and legends and it's epic battle between dark or light, this series has me hooked! Seriously. Between shifting alliances, the unexpected twists, and the secrets being revealed, I can't wait to read the next books in this series!

   1/2

  3.5 / 5 Stars

Dragon King: A Dark Kings Novella

(Dark Kings #6.25)

Donna Grant

Release: August 25, 2015

Goodreads Amazon

This novella was super cute and I loved it! Arian has slept for the last six centuries and has only woken up in response to the call Con, the king of kings, has sent out so all the Kings can prepare for the war on the horizon. He is not happy about being woke up and even unhappier to find that his cave has an uninvited visitor. 

Grace Clark is fighting a bad case of writer's block and has decided to come to Scotland to see if she's can find her muse. She's facing a tight deadline and her publisher is pressing her to produce, but the words just won't come. In desperation, she just starts driving hoping she'll come across a place that is far enough away from society that she can be inspired to write. After much searching, she finds the perfect spot on a mountain in the middle of the beautiful Scottish countryside. A surprise storm sends her scrambling to find shelter to ride it out despite her fear of storms.  And where else would she find safe refuge than in a nearby cave that just happens to be Arian's? :)

I easily connected to both Arian and Grace and quickly fell in love with both of them! It was a brilliant move on Donna Grant's part to pair a woman afraid of storms with a Dragon King who controls the weather. Everything about this novella worked for me! And I can't wait to see more of Grace and Arian in the next books!

   

  4 /5 Stars

Passion Ignites

(Dark Kings #7)

Donna Grant

Release: November 3, 2015

Goodreads Amazon

Passion Ignites is my favorite book of the series so far! Which is saying something because I loved Rhys and Lily's book a lot!

Lexi’s trip abroad with her friends turns into a nightmare when she watches her best friend get murdered by a man with red eyes. After realizing that the police are not taking her seriously and the death toll is escalating Lexi decides to stay in Edinburgh to find the red-eyed monster all on her own. What Lexi doesn’t realize is that she has unknowingly stumbled into a war in a mission for justice. Unfortunately, Lexi is drawing all the attention of the wrong people and is heading right into the trap of the Dark Fae.

Once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down! I was completely blown away by Lexi and Thorn’s story. I got pulled into the action and the intrigue from the first page! I loved Lexi! Even though she was being dumb in the beginning of the book with following the Dark Fae around. She's spunky and intelligent. She's scared of the Dark and knows that they're dangerous but she doesn't let that stop her. I loved when Thorn swooped in to rescues what he sees as an irrational female from the Dark, but what I loved even more is Lexi's grit and determination to keep going. Also, the girl knows how to protect herself. Too bad what she knows doesn't apply to the immortal paranormals she's up against. I laughed so hard when she stabbed Thorn during their first meeting. It kind of served him right.

Thorn can't help but be drawn to Lexi as he watches her. And I loved their initial interactions even though the first two or three meetings all ended with him being stabbed by Lexi. After saving her from more than one Dark ambush and watching her, Thorn ends up doing something I never saw coming. Lexi worn out and sick from her vendetta against the Dark literally collapses on the street and Thorn nurses her back to health. In taking care of her, it really is driven home how much the Kings don't know about humans. Thorn and his partner, Darius, have to call the human mates of the other Kings to get instructions on how to care for her. 

I found the scenes where Thorn cared for Lexi to be sweet. Add in the fact that he tries to be a gentleman and not take a peek while changing her clothes when she was out made me love him even more. But Thorn is hardcore fighting the attraction between them and is determined to see her get on a plane back to the states. Things get downright interesting when Lexi follows Thorn and Darius and discovers they're dragons.

Aside from taking care of Lexi, Darius and Thorn are not having much luck ridding the city of the Dark. For every one they kill, it seems that five more show up. As much as they don't want to, they need help and the Kings are already spread thin. It makes sense that they call on the Warriors and Druids for back-up. While they are all out fighting the Dark, Lexi is confined to Darcy's old apartment that is warded against the Dark Fae. Although, she's not out fighting, Lexi does all she can do for everyone who is fighting even if all she really can do is cook for them. Unfortunately, the Dark take notice of things and come for her. Things go from bad to really bad quickly. The last half of this book is a trip!

And oh my heavens, that ending! Holy Hell! Everything just got turned on its head again! I just... What? What can I say? My mind is blown. I need the next book in this series yesterday! I also can't wait to get my hands on Grant's new series that features these mysterious Reapers that have been mentioned over the last couple of books! I'm intrigued to say the least!

 ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

   1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars


My reviews of other books in this series:
Dark Heat by Donna Grant
Darkest Flame by Donna Grant
Fire Rising by Donna Grant
Burning Desire by Donna Grant
Hot Blooded by Donna Grant
Night's Blaze by Donna Grant

Waiting on Wednesday (55)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. We hadn't done Waiting on Wednesday since early last year, but we recently decided it's about time to bring it back.  So here's this week's WOW pick:

I absolutely adore the husband and wife writing team that makes up Ilona Andrews. I have loved every single book of theirs I have read! I'm a little behind on reading the serial they post on their website. And when each installment is done, they go through and edit the story and it becomes the next book of their Innkeeper Chronicles. I just finished the first book, Clean Sweep, and it was freaking fantastic! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, Sweep In Peace! I have it pre-ordered! I'm actually not sure what this one is about but I'm ready for more of Dina and her inn!

Sweep in Peace
(Innkeeper Chronicles #2)
Ilona Andrews
Release: November 13, 2015
Links: Goodreads Amazon

Dina DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn...and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper…

What book are you waiting on?

Review: One Touch More by Mandy Baxter

One Touch More
(U.S. Marshals #3)
Mandy Baxter
Release: October 27, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

Strong, relentless, and lethal, he plays every angle to trap the worst criminals. But for the one woman he can't resist, he'll break all the rules…

For hotel manager Tabitha Martin, bad boys usually spell disaster. And her new guest promises just that, with his formidable build, tattooed biceps, and quiet take-no-mess attitude. Tabitha is already putting everything on the line to escape her vicious drug-dealing ex's control for good—but a single sizzling moment in “Damien Evans'” arms has her wanting all the trouble he can give…

He's been undercover too long and likes living dangerously too much. U.S. Marshal Parker Evans figures maybe that's why he doesn't immediately put Tabitha in custody. Sure, she's his one chance to finally take down a major drug ring. But every minute he protects this mostly innocent blonde leaves his heart all too vulnerable. And the cost of desire could be a deadly endgame…

Review:
I recently recommended Mandy Baxter's U.S. Marshals series in the Romantic Suspense installment of our Which F-ing Book Should I Read? feature. Each of the books in this series has had a very exciting, action-packed ending and One Touch More is no exception. But after meeting the hero Damien during that very exciting part of the previous book, where he was working undercover in a Mexican cartel, I think I expected the rest of his new assignment to be a little more like Sons of Anarchy. Even Damien admits that selling drugs out of a hotel room is very different from his last job.

Instead, the romance takes center stage for most of the story. Tabitha and Damien have an instant attraction but fight it because she thinks he's a drug dealer, and she had quite enough of those with her last boyfriend, and he thinks she's an accomplice letting said ex-boyfriend sell drugs out of the hotel where she works. I liked the fact that both characters are living in a gray area, doing bad things for good reasons. And I liked them together. They didn't blow me away, but I don't have anything negative to say about them either.

And Damien is much more bad boy than either of the previous marshal heroes. Since he's posing as a criminal, he can get away with things like beating up the guys who give Tabitha a hard time. He's also more of a bad boy in bed, where his alpha side comes out. I just wanted more of everything from him. More action, more violence, more bad boy alpha. (Admittedly, this may have something to do with my having just finished a Justified binge. These marshals really aren't much like the ones on TV. They're likely much more realistic.)

Still, I'm enjoying this series and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Recommended for fans of: Romantic Suspense novels and TV crime dramas

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

   1/2 

3 1/2  stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
One Night More
One Kiss More

Goldilox's Greatest Hits Volume 10

Goldlox's Greatest Hits is our monthly wrap up feature. We'll recap our favorite books we've read this month and show you some of our favorite posts that you might have missed, as well as what's coming up next on Goldilox and the Three Weres. The feature's getting a bit of a makeover and combining with our new release post, so let us know what you think. 

 

What We're Reviewing

Rose Red did some Really Short Reviews of Donna Grant's Dark Kings series. Here's part 1 and part 2.

 

Gretl gave Menagerie by Rachel Vincent 5 stars.

 

Rose Red gave Owl and the City of Angels by Kristi Charish 4.5 stars.

 

What We're Recommending

In Read This F-ing Book we featured a pair of classics retold: Spindle's End by Robin McKinley and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

 

And in this month's Which F-ing Book Should I Read? we're looking for your scary book recommendations.

 

What You Might Have Missed

We just wrapped up Goldilox and the Three Scares for 2015, but all the giveaways are still open through Friday. Here are the links in case you missed any of these fun posts.

 

 

Gretl's favorite monsters and giveaway for spider-themed prize pack, including Spider's Trap by Jennifer Estep

Deborah Blake's favorite witches and giveaway for Veiled Magic prize pack

Rinda Elliott's favorite scary movies and giveaway for Raisonne Curse

Molly Harper's favorite scary reads and giveaway for The Single Undead Moms Club

Jenn Stark's favorite Halloween traditions and giveaway for Getting Wilde

Rose Red's favorite Halloween candy and giveaway for Some Girls Bite and Real Vampires Have Curves

 

What We Discovered

Book Spine Poetry!

I live in Kansas City where, as you might know, The Royals are currently playing in the World Series. The K.C. public library has been trading book spine poetry trash talk with the opposing team's libraries on Twitter throughout the post season. It's given us some ideas, so watch for more pictures like these on the blog soon.

What We're Waiting For

New Releases Coming in November:

 

Nov. 2

Night Moves (Holden Chancery #1) by Sierra Dean

Fangs for the Memories (Half Moon Hollow #4.5) by Molly Harper 

 

Nov. 3

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

Manners and Mutiny (Finishing School #4) by Gail Carriger

Reap the Wind (Cassie Palmer #7) by Karen Chance

Mind Magic (World of Lupi #12) by Eileen Wilkes

 

Nov. 10

Wings of Sorrow and Bone (Clockwork Dagger #2.5) by Beth Cato

Soundless by Richelle Mead

 

Nov. 17

Veiled Magic by Deborah Blake

Wilde Card (Immortal Vegas #2) by Jenn Stark

Goldilox and the Three Scares: Rose Red's Three Favorite Halloween Candies

It's that time of year once again - time for Goldilox and the Three Scares!

Because it's called three scares, we asked a few of our favorite authors to give us a scary top three list.

Today's Post Comes From Our Own Rose Red

Okay. Let's talk about something that I know we all do. Whether we eat it before Halloween or if we steal it from the candy bowl, we all eat the candy meant for our incoming trick or treaters. Halloween has some of the best candy. Below are the three that I will always steal from the candy bowl.

My Top Three Halloween Candies I Steal From The Treat Bowl

Reese's Pumpkins

Who doesn't love Reese's pumpkins? Seriously. They have the perfect chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio! I eat so many of these in the month of October that it's scary. Tomorrow, I will go to the store and stock up so my stash lasts until the Reese's Easter Eggs come out. :)

Bottle Caps

 When I was a kid, our family always bought the same candy mix every year for Halloween. Each of us kids had that one candy that we would pick out of the bowl. Well, let's just say that my mother always knew it was me when all the Bottle Caps went missing. They're a weird little candy but I still love them! I'm actually not sure why I love Bottle Caps as much as I do but I will raid the candy bowl for as many as I can get my hands on!

Carmel Apple Pops

Last but not least, one of my favorite Halloween candies are those Carmel Apple Pops the Tootsie Roll company puts out. They just taste like fall to me and I adore them. Sadly, I haven't found them this year. I really hope they still make them!

Today, I'm giving away a copy of Real Vampires Have Curves by Gerry Bartlett, Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill, some Chloe Neill swag, and some Reese's Pumpkins! (Giveaway is U.S. only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Make sure to check out the rest of the giveaways we have going this week! Each giveaway runs until midnight on November 7th! Links below!

Goldilox and the Three Scares Kick Off Post

Goldilox and the Three Scares: Deborah Blake's Three Favorite Witches

Goldilox and the Three Scares: Rinda Elliott's Top Three Favorite Horror Movies

Goldilox and the Three Scares: Molly Harper's Three Scariest Books of the Year

Goldilox and the Three Scares: Jenn Stark's Three Favorite Halloween Traditions