The Pineys: Book 1: My Cousin, the Piney

The Pineys #1

by Tony DiGerolamo

From the creator of the Jersey Devil comic book comes a story about four cousins cursed by their ancestors, brought together by destiny and trying to keep South Jersey from going to Hell.

In 1732, Mother Leeds gave birth to the infamous Jersey Devil, which has roamed the Pine Barrens ever since.

Or so the story goes…

The truth is, Mother Leeds was a witch and opened the portals to Hell unleashing hundreds of devils into woods. But the villagers next door in Abe’s Hat noticed and formed a secret hunting society to track down the fiends and send them back to the Abyss. Their descendants continue the Hunt in secret to this day.

So grab your pork roll, put on your Piney Power hat and join the hunt, because the Galloway cousins are coming to save you whether you like it or not.

Genres: Horror

117 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2019

About the author

Tony DiGerolamo is a New Jersey screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer, game designer and comedian. He is best known for his work on The Simpsons and Bart Simpson comic books. He has also been a joke writer for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a scriptwriter for Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and a blogger for Comedy Central’s Indecision website. He has written the screenplays including Mafioso: The Father, The Son starring Leo Rossi.
His novels, Fix in Overtime and The Undercover Dragon are available through Padwolf Publishing. After publishing his own comic books (Jersey Devil, The Travelers and The Fix) with SJRP, he eventually got a publishing deal with Kenzer & Company. Kenzer published The Travelers. Tony also wrote Everknights (another Kenzer comic book), as well as the Hacklopedia of Beasts (Volumes 1 thru 8) and Slaughterhouse Indigo (an adventure for the Hackmaster RPG). He also adapted Mark Twain's Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc for Campfire. Performing in the Philly comedy scene for over ten years, Tony performed and directed such improv groups as Next Line Improv, The Cabal, The Ninjas and Bulletproof Giraffe.
Besides writing for various comedy websites, he had a long running comics review column in Knights of the Dinner Table magazine. He was the marketing director for comics publisher, Silent Devil. He is creator of Tony DiGerolamo’s Complete Mafia for d20, creator/biographer for the online webcomic, Super Frat, the co-creator of the Webcomic Factory and writer for the over two dozen webcomics on the Webcomic Factory site including Lester Crenshaw is Dead, Miserable Comedians and Weird Biker Tales. Look for his latest book, F*ck You, I’m Italian: Why We Italians Are Awesome, from Ulysses Press and Wokeistan: A Novel, from SJRP, now available on Amazon for download.

Reviews

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only Lewis hadn't stopped to look for a gas station.. what an escapade he would have missed! The village is over run with shape shifting devil spawn who can take on the appearance of those they bite.This is a darkly comedic/horror adventure featuring undead stripper ghouls, the corpse of a witch, and a visit to hell. It was a quick read with lots of action. Though not my usual type of read I found it quite entertaining.
I received a complimentary copy for review.

[Kitiera Morey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve never read anything that has been solely focused on the Jersey Devil. I’ve seen it mentioned in some works, but nothing that deals with it as closely as this novella does. I really liked it. This was a different idea that I’m glad I came across. Unfortunately, this being a unique idea wasn’t enough to make up for the story’s glaring problems.

This novella needed several heavy edits. There are a lot of grammar and punctuation mistakes. I didn’t find many spelling ones, though. But the biggest mistake editing would have solved is the pacing. This novella is all over the place. Mostly, it went too fast. So many times, I wish the author would have slowed down to better explain and develop the plot. It’s not that I didn’t understand what was happening, but I wanted more. If this world was better fleshed out, it would have been amazing.

My other big problem is that the characters aren’t fully developed. There were little glimmers of brilliance when certain characters interacted with each other, and Aunt Christie was hilarious (I wouldn’t change anything about her). Otherwise, the characters were interchangeable, and I couldn’t tell you much about them by the end, even the main character.

If more work had been put into this novella, it would have been one of my favorite reads in a while. Yet, because this was rushed, I can’t give it higher than a 2.5-star rating. If none of what I’ve mentioned bothers you, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this novella. It truly is an exciting, fun idea that just needs more work to be incredible.

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun take on the Jersey Devil legend. I enjoyed following this huge, quirky family of Devil hunters. The Pineys was quick paced and funny - I would recommend this as more of a palate cleanser than a novella made for deep thinking. I think this felt like a comic writer wrote though, there is a lot of dialogue where the characters are telling us what they're doing rather than the author describing to us what they're doing. A fun read though!

[laura8759 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to tony digerolamo for the pdf download of the pineys, it starts off with a guy named Lewis stopping for gas then all the very strange things start to happen which takes him on the weirdest adventure of his life this story had devil's, horror, demon's and hell all in one my favorite characters are Lewis, Milton, Hemingway, and shelly . so much happened in this book hunting for devil's seems like such a weird but fun thing to do I love how the story is set in south jersey because I'm from new jersey I also like how the Galloway cousins will save your life weather you like it or not the story was amazing and so was the writing a good horror story I'm a huge fan of horror books there just so fun and also very weird this short book had me laughing at some points I could not stop reading it a real page turner with a lot of twist and turns along the way I can't wait to read the second one it sounds so good I would recommend this book to my friends and family LAURA8759.

P.S. my Q and A with the author will be posted on Thursday at 4pm on my tumblr. http://takeeachdayonebookatatime.tumb...

[Gloria Grossi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love me some paranormal books once in a while. The Pineys have everything from, demons, action, comedy, super abilities, a dark gritty tale with a pinch of gore, and suspense that will have you hooked to the end. This story surrounds a family whose job was to kill demons.  This was a fast-paced book, thankfully it was not confusing. 


The Pineys have all the significant fixings to make an extraordinary paranormal book. However, this book was loaded up with Profanity. I am not a fan of cuss words and this made it difficult for me to keep reading.


I was able to make it to the end even with the big defect. The story was really good and I enjoyed it. I can boldly tell you I learnt some new cuss words too. I had the option to stop but I am one of those people who like seeing things to the end. Bad for me I guess.


The end of the story was really awkward but will have you cracked up.


On the off chance that you love some underworld stories, you can try the Pineys out. I completely can't recommend this for youngsters

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pineys: My Cousin, the Piney by Tony DiGeroLamo

“My Cousin, the Piney” is sort of a mash-up of “Ghostbusters,” except with tricky morphing devils, and the bumbling antics of the “Keystone Cops.” Due to the vengeance of a witch who opened a portal to hell hundreds of years ago in the woodlands around the small township of Abe Hat, The Piney cousins started a secret society to hunt devils and send them back to hell.

Now imagine you are Lewis, a gambler, who pulls off the expressway on the way to Atlantic City to get gas and ended up in Abe Hat. The locals stare at him strangely because no one just stops in Abe Hat unless they are cousins. For all they know he is a devil they haven’t seen before. Things start moving pretty fast and furious with twists and turns up the wazoo. It’s mostly a fun romp until Lewis gets sucked into one of the portals to Hell. Shelly has taken a liking to Lewis and decides to go save him. Now the cousins have to keep the portal open until Shelly brings Lewis back to the earthly plane. All the while the cousins battle the new devils who are taking advantage of the open portal. It’s all a stinkin’ bloody mess!

The ending was quite a surprise, I wasn’t sure how it was all going to come out. If you enjoy demons, devils, witches, ghosts, secret societies with a lot of humor you might enjoy the antics in this story.

FYI: “My Cousin, the Piney” is book 1 in Tony DiGerolamo’s series, The Pineys.
Lots of F-Bombs. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** August 19, 2020.
Format/Typo Issues: I want to say a small number of proofing issues. The two that bothered me the most, because they threw me out of the story, was when the author got character’s names mixed up. Which caused a star rating loss.

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Join the Galloways in the hunt for monsters in Tony DiGerolamo’s My Cousin the Piney! In the same event that brought the Jersey Devil into our reality, hundreds of demons were released into the world. Now the Galloway cousins must gear up for the hunt to save the small town of Abe’s Hat. DiGerolamo strikes the delightful balance between humor, action, lore, and endearing character moments to make this a great kickoff to a series I’m excited to continue!

[Arllie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I have a lot to say about this book. I'm an ARC reviewer so I'm gonna be giving honest feedback with nothing held back, at all.

First, I'll go through the good parts:

- This book is written in a way that's very easy to understand.

- It's got an incredibly unique storyline that I've never even heard of so I loved how the author explores that theme. It almost reminded me of a zombie apocalypse style book, except it didn't have as much of a 'life or death' situation purely because the hunters spend time at talent shows and going to barbeques and you know, just chilling. This isn't bad, though, I just found it interesting how it was a run-of-the-mill kind of situation!

- I looooved the interactions between the characters, particularly Hem, Milton and Lewis! It was so hilarious to read.

- Speaking of hilarious, this book had a lot of comedy that actually made me laugh out loud (I loved Hem in the first half of the book). The part where he was just punching Todd for no reason - it was the funniest thing.

- The pacing was incredibly fast and this could be seen as a negative to a lot of people, but personally, this works well. I love books that dive straight into the action and the plot. Kudos to the author for that!

-I loved that ending when Lewis and Shelley find out they're first cousins when they've already done the deed multiple times. They were grossed out by it and I was (still am), too, but it was funny. Like YIKES, but still funny.

Okay now onto the...not so great parts:

- As much as I loved the comedy, the book reads more like a high school slapstick story than a serious adventure with some comedic elements to it. Maybe it was my expectation of it, I don't know.

- Speaking of the book reading like a high school story, the characters in this book act more like teens. In fact, they all sound like teens. I know the author mentions Milton's age but Hem is described as being old (how old, I don't know). It's also mentioned he has a 'nervous energy' that belonged to someone half his age BUT I still felt like that wasn't enough to justify his childish behaviour. He was too childish for a 'fat, old' guy. I still really liked Hem, but to be honest, there was no time to explore any of the characters a lot. So, I never got to know them enough to really care what happened to them.

- Some of the writing and sentence structures were odd (wait-wait and don’t-don’t instead of wait, wait/ don’t, don’t being some examples)

- A lot of telling not showing (characters say things in an 'annoyed' way or 'impatiently'). Actually showing how in their body language would have been more interesting to read.

- They curse in every second paragraph or so, and it's very jarring. The words used to swear are creative and it works for Hem and adds to his voice which I appreciate. But when it’s happening every single time, and not what I’d imagine a grown male to say, that’s when it starts becoming tedious.

- There are lots of grammatical errors/typos and punctuation issues (eg, random commas or no commas when needed, misspellings etc: ‘Hem, suddenly remembered Lewis’, ‘your’ instead of ‘you’re’ are just some examples)

- At one point, Milton says he thinks he broke his ankle? Maybe at best it was sprained, but how was he able to sprint after the devil with that foot? After that, his 'broken' ankle was never mentioned again.

- A LOT of mentioning of sex. The sexual encounters were also sort of weird? Like in the midst of all the devil stuff, Lewis and Shelley are just off having sex and Hem wanted to bang Darla whilst Milton is facing off against PE. (More on this name later).

- The relationship between Lewis and Shelley was also hard to believe and a little rushed. They’re in a relationship but all they’ve done is have sex - they don’t actually know anything about each other!

- The devil’s name ‘Pussy Eater’…it was uncomfortable for me to read so I kind of skimmed a little bit before finally coming to terms with it as PE every time it showed up. But that’s just a minor, personal gripe and was not something that affected the rating.

OVERALL, there could be a lot of improvements but it was still a lot of fun to read. The plot idea is great and I can tell the author enjoyed writing it!

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pineys: Book 1: My Cousin the Piney is a book by Tony DiGerolamo. Its about a group demon hunting – correction devil hunting – new jersey hillbillies known as pineys, all part of the complex and large Galloway family.

Before I go into the review, I just wanted to say the following. To be honest, given my pollical leaning is center left, I wasn’t sure at first about the book, given DiGerolamo’s twitter account giving off a clear right-wing politics vibe. This wouldn’t have been worrying to me if it wasn’t that one of his books was explicitly a political satyr favoring the right. Because of that I was worried that he would leak politics into these Piney books, and that given my political leaning it wouldn’t be enjoyable. But my fears were unfounded, and I am glad about that. This has taught me a valuable lesson that even people with differing political leanings to mine, can write books that I can definitely enjoy. And I did definitely enjoy this book.

Now onto the review proper.

The Pineys: Book 1 follows the story of Lewis Cognata who finds himself caught in the middle of a demon hunt – correction devil hunt – gone wrong. It is a story filled with humor, interesting twists and turns that would be entertaining even on rereads, love that might be questionable, and of course demon slaying – correction devil slaying. However for any parent out there, given the dirty language of this book, I’d say give it a read first before you let you kid or teen read it, just to be certain your okay with the dirty language in it.

The book is fast paced, almost too fast paced sometimes. I found myself having to reread some parts because I unintentionally read through them too fast due to the excitement and urge to move forwards the book gave me. The chapters also end in ways that made it difficult to put down. As an Author I know that is great writing, even if readers often both love and hate it when that happens. Either way, high points for that.

I’m also impressed by the creativity of DiGerolamo when it comes to the demons – correction devils – that are seen throughout the story. The interesting abilities, characteristics, and general demeanor of the demons – correction devils – give the fight against the demons – correction devils – a lot more depth and fun. The dynamic between the characters is also fun. There is the fact that not everyone who is on the same side as each other gets along. This unfortunately is not often seen in fiction, as arguments are far harder to write, but DiGerolamo does a good job at writing them.

Because of how good this book is, it earns 5 stars from me. I loved the premise and the humor and the hijinks. It was a fun read, and I look forward to reading and reviewing the next book in the series in a few weeks.

That’s all from me, book lovers. Until next time.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did the audible version thats not listed on here.

A Jersey Devil Tale with a Twist

"My Cousin, the Piney: The Pineys, Book 1" embarks on a thrilling journey through the mysterious Pine Barrens of New Jersey, skillfully blending horror, folklore, and a touch of comedy. Narrated by the author, Tony DiGerolamo, the audible version breathes life into the narrative with authenticity and skillful character portrayal.

Kicking off in 1732, the tale introduces the legend of Mother Leeds, who is said to have given birth to the infamous Jersey Devil. However, the plot takes a surprising twist, revealing Mother Leeds as a witch responsible for unleashing a horde of devils into the woods. In response, the villagers of Abe's Hat form a secret hunting society, aiming to track down these supernatural entities and banish them back to the Abyss. Fast forward to the present day, and the Galloway cousins carry on the secret Hunt, ensuring the ongoing legacy of their covert mission.

What sets this story apart is its seamless integration of supernatural elements with a touch of comedic flair. The protagonist, Lewis, initially presents himself as a wannabe tough guy, but as he becomes entangled with the Galloway family in their monster-hunting mission, his exterior begins to crumble. Lewis transforms into a decent guy who wants to save his newfound love and friends, willing to risk his life to do so. However, in the end, they are the ones who save him in more ways than one.

DiGerolamo's narration adds a personal touch, allowing listeners to experience the story exactly as the author intended. The audible version excels in vividly portraying characters, each brought to life with distinctive voices.

The characters themselves contribute to the story's charm, with colorful personalities like Hemingway and the intern Shelly providing a mix of humor and intrigue. The inclusion of various family members adds depth, making the plot more engaging.

As a New Jersey native, I found a personal connection to the narrative, recognizing familiar places and names. The author's incorporation of local elements enhances the authenticity of the story. The twists and turns kept me hooked, blending folklore, demons, witches, and South Jersey culture into an overall captivating tale.

In summary, "My Cousin, the Piney" offers a unique blend of supernatural drama and familial bonds, making it a must-read for those intrigued by folklore, demons, and the mystique of the Pine Barrens. Highly recommended for anyone seeking an enthralling, well-crafted story with a touch of the Garden State's flavor.

[Alisha Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted at https://bit.ly/3IbLO1L.












Professional gambler, Lewis' vehicle breaks down in a backwoods Jersey town. Normally this would be a swift fix and back on the way to his tournament, but when a devil bites him and is able to take on his form Lewis must band together with the hicks in order to send this creature back to hell before it kills others. With talking heads, witchcraft, and devils around every bend the Galloway cousins might be our only hope.
I received an eBook copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have to start by saying that I love the cover of this book. It is eye-catching and if you are someone who buys things based on the cover this would be one that would draw you in.

I will also say there are some pretty gross points in this book, but you don't have time to be disgusted about them until the end. I won't say what it is, but you'll know what I mean when you get into it. How it was handled, however, did not turn me off from the entire series. So long as there isn't a repeat performance, that is.

I enjoyed the hicks chasing after shapeshifters and other terrible creatures of hell in an attempt to keep Jersey and the world itself safe. I'm a little amused that there are portals to hell in Jersey because I won't pretend it is the first time I've heard Jersey referred to as hell. I've never personally been, but it still amused me.

The characters in this book are realistic, sassy, and as frustrating as those certain family members we all have but hate to acknowledge. I would hate to have to introduce any of the members in this book to anyone, let alone admit that I share blood with them. Course I don't admit that for half of my actual blood, so I can't say much. My favorite character in this book was probably Hem's mom. Sure, she was a rotted corpse, but she had her good traits and could see her being lots of fun as the series progresses. That came out a lot weirder than it sounded, but you'll understand what I mean once you read the book.

[Tanmay Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review📚

🎩🍁There are a lot of genres of books but sometimes you need to pick some specific to learn a particular aspect of life. Have you ever thought if you could read something With some incredible scenes, the perfect things So recently I came across a book called " The Pineys”

🎩🍁Starting with the title of the book " The Pineys" I feel the title is a relevant one , it is easy to understand and also is a catchy one. Apart from all this it has that attention catching quality because reading the title it gives a vibe that grabs the attention of the viewer. Cover on the other hand is a very attractive one, color combination is nice. Overall the outer appearance of the book is appealing and I would give it a 2/2 for the cover and the title.

🎩🍁This is a grim comedic/horror experience of zombie stripper ghouls, a witch's corpse, and a journey to hades. With gorgeous visuals, it was a fast read. I found it very interesting, while matched my style of reading.

🎩🍁I was totally hooked to the characters and to make this a perfect premiere to a series I'm excited to continue, DiGerolamo achieves the perfect blend of comedy, action, folklore, and amusing character scenes!

🎩🍁You will be hooked to the storey if you love angels, demons, curses, ghosts, secret societies with a variety of humour.

🎩🍁For the words and language used, in terms of difficulty I didn't find any major difficulty while reading the book. Whereas the the book is designed and edited nicely. So what are you guys waiting for go grab your copy fast.

🎩🍁So grab your pork roll, put on your Piney Power hat and join the hunt, because the Galloway cousins are coming to save you whether you like it or not.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought a paperback copy as I prefer to read a physical book.

The Bad:
1) The book has little to no formatting. The title page has information that should be on a separate page. Not only are the chapters on both even and odd numbered pages, but each chapter doesn’t even start on a new page. There were chapters that started at the bottom of one page, sometimes even just the heading was there. One thing I found bizarre, was that the table of contents listed itself.
2) There was a bit of head-hopping with no warning. The first time the POV hopped from Lewis to Shelly, I wasn’t sure if it was actually head-hopping or if that sentence just had a typo.
3) There were several sentences that either contained extra words or correctly spelled wrong words.

The Good:
1) While I didn’t care about any of the characters, I did find them interesting. This, in my opinion, is more important. I can enjoy a story where I actively hate the main character as long as I find that character interesting.
2) The story held my attention all the way through. I started reading just before I went to bed and couldn’t put the book down until I’d finished it… at 6:00 am in the morning.

Conclusion:
Each of the items listed under "The Bad" were minor enough that I only knocked off one point for all of them.

[Book Reviews By Sophie McC · Rating 3 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOG
https://bookreviewsbysophiemcc.blogsp...

Initially, when I was asked to review this book, I was unsure whether to accept. However, I thought to myself to just give it a go and see if I enjoy this book and horror in general. Well, I am glad that I did decide to pick up this book and read it! The beginning hooked me in right from the start, it got straight into the action and did not drag along the boring parts of a book. The book was also a light read as well and not too overly detailed that it did not become too confusing to grasp. I liked the way the action was described, I could imagine the scenes and characters.

The way that Lewis hooked up with a character instantly, barely even knowing who she is I found a bit weird. Reading the other sexual parts of the book made me a bit uncomfortable as well. Although, as this book is the first in a series, it would be interesting to read the rest of the books to see how the story travels.

[Read 4 Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍁Starting with the title of the book it is completely different and was eye catchy to me. Like the title and the cover were compatible with each other and were totally relevant to the story. The cover matches the novel but it could have been better so for cover I will give it 1.5/2.

🍁Except with tricky morphing devils, and the bumbling shenanigans of the "Keystone Cops," "My Cousin, the Piney" is kind of a jam of "Ghostbusters," but with complicated mutating demons, and the blundering shenanigans of the "Keystone Cops."

🍁The Piney cousins started a secret group to chase evil forces and bring them back to hell because of the revenge of a witch who opened a door to hell aeons earlier in the woodlands near the remote township of Abe Hat.

🍁This book certainly is a wonderful reading. Also, the language and the words were used were normal and was a normal length read but worth it. The structure was really simple, making it easy to understand.

🍁If you have any questions regarding the book please comment below, I would be happy to answer all of them

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adapted version of Jersey Devil into a modern-day horror. Based on folklore told around New Jersey and Philadephia.

Hemingway and Milton were very Supernatural-esque characters. They come from a long-time of hunters.

I felt that Lewis was unique, he has suffered with gambling, not your usual hero. He defies expectations by removing himself out of his stereotype. He would fit right into the John Hughes film, The Breakfast Club.

The characters were relatable, I thoroughly enjoyed that because it made them believable.
Hemingway is a relatable character because he's forced to withstand his mother. The only downside is its never-ending.

The contrast in characters between Hemingway and Lewis was done really well. A man with a hero complex with a raging personality, it creates questions, even more so for how the book ended.

It was nice to see shared cultural references, they definitely have an impact on the reader and put a timestamp on the setting.

I am intrigued to find out more about Shelly's character.

The author was lovely to interact with and I admire their writing.

[Editors Weekly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pineys: Book 1 tells the tale of Lewis, a professional gambler who finds himself in a small town in New Jersey, seeking fuel. He soon discovers that the locals are a rambunctious bunch, and that they have an intricate knowledge of the local devils, whom they have been battling for years. He joins in their efforts, though not without rubbing a few people the wrong way.

The Pineys: Book 1, laced with exclamation marks and bold typeface, feels more akin to a comic book than a novel. One can't help but constantly envision the different scenes that are created thanks to DiGerolamo's imagery and dialogue, which works well to immerse the reader in what feels like, a real version of Jersey.

There are some grammatical and spelling errors that could use some finesse, but it does not impact the story to be of much relevance. Definitely not a serious read, the short novella is fun, filled with contemporary references, and is a quick, fast moving romp that is sure to entertain.

https://www.editorsweekly.com/book-re...

[Jonathan Rossignol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a good example of expert level story structure. Everything that happens is tied to the plot in some way and the story is fast paced with barely a moment to breath between scenes before the action picks up again. DiGerolamo weaves together several character storylines through the use of a third person omniscient narrative, and he develops subplots along the way that are relevant to the story’s theme (family/cousins).

I like the author's twist on the Jersey Devil legend. The idea of Mother Leeds opening a portal to hell and releasing several “devils” is a solid premise to fuel an ongoing series. In terms of craft, “Pineys Book 1: My Cousin, The Piney” is exceptional. The way that book one ends, I’m under the impression that each story reads like a standalone adventure that utilizes a “monster of the week” formula, as individual character arcs progress throughout the series.

You can read my full breakdown here:
https://www.livefreeliverich.com/blog...

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've met this author many times, he usually has a both at some my local haunts (see what I did there). Been wanting to read these for a while. With Halloween season coming figure good time to start. This was definately quick read that was a roller coaster ride. It was fun to recognize things throughout the book. Living in South Jersey my whole life, it was easy to catch all the local terms. It reminds me if Dresden Files took place in the Pine Barrens. Excited to see where the rest of this series goes.

[That NJ book girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a south Jersey girl born & bred, I’ve always been fascinated by the legends & secrets of the infamous Pine Barrons and the Jersey Devil. So naturally when I saw the author at a booth earlier this year promoting his books- a series set in the Pine Barrons & breathing new life into an old legend- I had to grab this first one. I am so glad that I did! This short but intense tale had me internally cracking up, devouring each page like P.E. devoured his victims (IYKYK😁 )
Solid four stars & cannot wait to get the rest of the series!

[Jennie Rosenblum · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and light-hearted look at cousins trying to deal with the devil spawn from the Jersey Devil. A great popcorn book – meaning you enjoy it while reading but it’s not quite a meal. This is the first book and a novella so my hope is that as the story develops, the reader gets enough about the characters to be able to make a connection and really get involved in the story. Meanwhile, it made for pleasurable entertainment!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the book, but when the author explained it to me I knew it sounded like a fun one off read, yep that’s a lie now I have to find the next couple of books. It starts out with Lewis stopping off to fill up at a gas station and then while trying to be helpful it all goes sideways and hilariously so at times. I will say this it’s an easy quick read and if you’re going camping in Jersey it’s a good book to read before turning in for the night.

[Sierra Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author is local to me and I was able to pick up the first couple of books at a town event. This one is good. It is an intense and fast-paced storyline, but the pace doesn't make it hard to follow. There are very noticeable grammar mistakes, but you are able to figure out what the sentence is supposed to be. The little quirks of all the characters are entertaining and make the story even better.

[Brian R. O'Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to get me some of those silver marbles

Living near enough to the PineLands, I've grown up with storieos of the Jersey Devil and other such tales. This book grabs ahold of you and won't let go. It fills your head with images while you continue to read because you can't stop. You'll chuckle and hold your breath while turning pages. It left me thinking... I need to get me some of those silver marbles.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like supporting local authors so I got the first two books. Growing up in NJ you hear stories about the jersey devil often. I loved that these stories plays off this tale. The book reminded me of an adult goosebump book. Definitely some grammar errors and such, but overall a quick easy read. I plan on going through the series especially when I need something quick to read a trip or to complete my reading challenge..

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just bought this book yesterday at a fair and met the author. He was such a fun guy to meet as he will sit and explain all the lore behind his books. I absolutely loved this book. The only thing I wish is he would set up the plot more but besides that I think it was perfect. It was a quick read and the ending had me SHOCKED. I love his different perspective of the jersey devil. I’m so excited to read the others in this series.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 rounded to 2 stars.

This book is the perfect example of telling and not showing. I like crazy books, but this was crazy in a not so good way. felt like a very young kid wanted to make a comic book, but didnt know how to draw so wrote a book instead.

however, it did make me laugh (sometimes a good thing and other times not in the way it intended) and was a very different read.

[Avery Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this after hearing many of Tony D. and Little Joan's Legends of the Pines. It was a pretty fun read, though I would echo some of the other reviews that it needed maybe another round of editing. The book is short and sweet, with lots of action and interesting New Jersey tidbits.

[Wes Verde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, fun read.
Definitely has a comic book kind of vibe, which I appreciate. Very dialogue and action heavy, which is a plus. Hemingway is hilarious in an over-the-top way.

Would recommend for fans of Buffy and/or Ash and the Evil Dead (but with a Jersey twist!)

[Orange · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read. The ending caught me so off guard though.