Bookish, broken yet beautiful, Amelia Craven is trapped. Trapped by controlling best friend Tiffany, trapped dating shallow guys, and trapped into joining Amteep university’s only sorority, the Omega Pis. But things go from bad to worse when she discovers the final initiation for pledges involves spending Halloween night inside the infamous Raimi House – a dark hell hole of macabre deaths and tales of demonic possession.
The only saving grace: she’ll get to share it with her secret crush, Guillermo Romero, and being there together is the only way she'll tell him how she truly feels. That is if they can survive the night inside the most haunted house in town.
A love-song homage to Eighties classic horror films, this rollercoaster ride is filled with scares, guts and gore – plus a true romance that might be the one thing that will be their salvation.
Formerly an auto-mechanic, Brooklyn Ann thrives on writing romance, urban fantasy, and horror novels featuring unconventional heroines and heroes who adore them. Author of historical paranormal romance in her critically acclaimed “Scandals with Bite” series, urban fantasy in the cult favorite, “Brides of Prophecy” novels, rockstar romance in the award-winning, “Hearts of Metal” series, and horror in the “Final Couples” series, horror romances riffing on the 1970s and 1980s B horror movies that feature a Final Couple instead of a Final Girl.
She also writes horror under the pen name Brooklyn Ann Butler.
She lives in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with her gamer son, rockstar/IT Guy boyfriend, three cats, a few project cars, an extensive book collection, and miscellaneous horror memorabilia.
Her Halloween party was an entertaining book that had the feel of the horror movies about demons from the 80s. I really enjoyed how the author used many names from horror legends for her characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! Holy Cow! I loved it. This gave me the feels of Night of the demons. NO it isn't like that but same vibe. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how dark it was. Well, really how gruesome it was. It was bloody and I loved it. Now, this story had a great plot and I would love for some one to direct me in the direction to get more books like these. This was so much. I will be going back and reading the rest of the series. I was not aware this was book 4 in a series but this stood great for me as a stand alone but I am going back to catch up on the series. I will make sure this authors works climb my reading chart. If it was not for Netgalley i would not find authors like these! Amazing job Brooklyn.
I wonder if Brooklyn Ann is able to sleep with a clear conscience. Does she have any remorse for invading my dreams with ghostly creatures—monsters with a penchant for apocalyptic violence? No? Well, she sure as hell should.
Personally, I’m a gentle sort. I grew up on American literary fiction: Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Faulkner, Hemingway. Normally, I would shy away from novels like Her Halloween Party. But I heard raves about Ann’s work, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did—if I can only shake the images prowling in my skull.
Ann knows how to spin a story, replete with demons, yes, but also with likeable, multi-layered characters—people I cared about and literally screamed at to NOT open that damn door.
Then there’s the setting. Here’s how Ann described the wicked mansion:
“The Raimi House loomed over them, a gray brick monstrosity with multiple turrets, chimneys, and parapets. Arched windows on the upper floors twinkled in the sunlight like suspicious eyes, while the lower windows, boarded up, conveyed a sense of gloom. Multiple wings on the house sprawled on the grounds like a hulking beast, defying logistics.”
Yikes, the vocabulary alone is enough to give you the creeps: loomed, gray, monstrosity, turrets, parapets, suspicious, boarded up, gloom, hulking beasts. And all that in three sentences. But that’s precisely Ann’s style: suck the reader in before he or she has the wisdom to bolt for a sanctuary of flowers, butterflies, and angles on gossamer wings.
Understand, this novel is not for everyone—people with chronic angina should probably stay clear—but if you like your sex steamy and your ghouls beyond your imagination, Her Halloween Party is a cauldron of delights. Just keep in mind this warning: when you read it, keep the lights on. You’ll thank me later—if you survive.
Heart racer!! Perfect Halloween read! This book was so awesome! If you're a fan of 80s horror/slasher/blood & guts movies (who isn't?!) this is for you! Full of demons, zombies, ghosts, a beautiful old haunted hellhole with a crazy tragic history, and bratty frat & sorority coeds set in 1987, it is a wonderful combo for a great ride!! I loved all of the easter eggs/nods to 80s horror movie legends sprinkled here and there. And as a big Stephen King fan, as are our heroes, I loved all the references to his books. This book was nonstop heart-stopping action and tense moments. I was really freaked out at some points! It wasn't smart of me to read it at night...! I loved it! I definitely want to read more books by this author.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.)
Do you ever read a book and you enjoy it so much, you just kinda can't get it out of your head afterwards? You want to tell everyone you encounter how much you enjoyed the book and convince them to read it too?
That was this book for me.
I was initially a little wary of this series by Brooklyn Ann, because I'm not a huge romance person. But my love of 80's flavored fiction won me out, and I ordered this one and the first book in the series, His Final Girl. I decided to jump into this one first, since it's Halloween themed and would get me into the holiday spirit. This one's also heavily inspired by Night of the Demons, one of my absolute favorite films.
Needless to say, I loved it. Her Halloween Party is so much fun and feels just the reading equivalent of watching my favorite 80's horror films. I even enjoyed the romance; it was sexy and sweet and I was fully invested in it by the book's end.
I can't recommend this one enough, especially to 80's horror film fans and those who like a little romance with their terror.
I read this book because the Halloween season is just starting and what better way to kick it off than with a horror romance that takes place on Halloween? That being said I didn't have the highest expectations for this book. I thought it would be a nice fun read to get in the spooky spirit. Let's just say I was a bit blindsided by the gore? It was great I just was definitely not expecting it with it being marketed as a romance book. The first 40% was very fast-paced as well as the last 20%. However, I thought the middle of the book was a bit lacking and repetitive. This is nothing against the author's writing ability because just from this one book, I could tell she is a great writer. The overall plot just felt a little bit underdeveloped. My only other complaint is that there seemed to be a lack of teamwork. (This is me just hypothetically putting myself in the scenario) but these characters were ruthless! I liked it but it also blindsided me a bit. The romance was pretty well developed and not too much instant love (which I hate). Overall this book was a really good Halloween read. I also have never heard or read anything quite like it so if you are looking for a good Halloween romance, that is quite gory and horroresque, definitely check this one out.
HER HALLOWEEN PARTY was a fun read, especially at Halloween time. Rife with 80s b-movie easter eggs and steeped in all things classic horror, this book was a winner for sure.
So if you haven’t seen Night of the Demons, I highly recommend you watch it before reading this book. You’ll get the references a lot better. It’s not necessary, but I found the book far more enjoyable having seen it. I think it’s probably on Amazon Prime. That’s usually where those types of movies land.
Having read this series from the beginning (although I still haven’t read HIS SCREAM QUEEN yet, I’m working on it), I liked how Ann’s writing style evolved over the course of the series and how I could really tell that she was very comfortable in this particular realm of the world she created. HER HALLOWEEN PARTY tied all four books together nicely (although it’s not a traditional series, they’re more companions since each book can be read as a stand alone, they’re just more enjoyable when read sequentially), creating this sort of Fear Street for adults in Amteep.
I also fully support the Final Couple. I love it. I am team Final Couple (t-shirt, please) who have to work together, or in this case werk together, in order to solve their nasty ghostly problem, where they come out the other side if not unscathed, at least alive.
Another thing you can expect from Ann is strong heroines and Amelia was that in spades. While she may have second-guessed herself briefly before having to have to make a hard, and gross, decision, she never cowered. If anything she got more pissed tf off as the story went on and the Raimi House kept screwing with them. Loved. It.
And the end? How they expelled the demons was
It was cheesy (in the best way), fully effective, and most importantly it made total sense. And I don’t say that facetiously. I bought it fully.
And I loved the Raimi House. I’m a sucker for your classic haunted house stories and this book was that with the added camp of gnarly demons thrown in. The setting was perfect, the mood was perfect, I loved it.
And was that a tease at the end? Is there another one coming? Perhaps something inspired by Fright Night or Vamp? Considering the series, Vamp would be the more likely contender. Because I’m here for it.
If you like the idea of a Final Couple combined with everything you ever loved about horror movies from the 70s and 80s, check out HER HALLOWEEN PARTY (and the B Mine series in general). You don’t even need to wait until next Halloween to read it! Just read it now! Do it.
4.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amelia and Guillermo are two young college kids intent on following the paths laid out for them, much to their frustration, this includes being at the mercy of the sadistic whims of a sorority and fraternity with terrible old ideas about initiating new members and a serious lack of judgement when it comes to haunted estates and body counts. Caught up in these college hurdles and keeping up with the pressures they face from family and friends neither of the two have quite realized that they may be interested in being more than friends. So when it's revealed that the final hazing for their initiation involves staying overnight in the notorious Raimi House the pair hatches a plan to survive through research and preperation- and pretending to be a couple to cover their tracks. Little did they bargain for how much they'd face at Raimi House, up to and including nightmarish ghosts, demonic monsters, brutal losses, frightening personal revelations, and a full confrontation of their feelings.
First things first. If you're considering reading this book as a romance with light horror it's probably going to be more gruesome than you bargained for, and if you were hoping for straight horror with light romance this is probably going to be too dramatic and playful with its themes. Her Halloween Party is a book for fans of those horror movies where things are always moving, shifting and changing to meet the needs of the characters and plot more than serving any one absolute theme, if you enjoy Night of the Demons, House, Hell House, Terror Vision, or some of the more playful films from Full Moon Features this book is for you.
This could genuinely have gone so very differently. Her Halloween Party risks a lot by taking so many divergent paths, focusing on a central romantic entanglement, keeping gore and mayhem front and center, and engaging in several flights of literary fancy not all fans of horror or romance are likely to enjoy, but it really does make for a very satisfying read if you're willing to appreciate it's camp, tropey tone, and b movie aesthetics. I'm happy I gave this one a shot and plan to dig up the other books in her series!
Reading this book is very much like watching classic horror movies. I imagined every moment of the action in fuzzy standard definition with the sad special effects of the late 20th century and I loved every minute of it. This story is so deliciously suspenseful and fun, I couldn’t put it down. I thought I knew exactly where this was headed, but I couldn’t have been more wrong and every twist was better than the last.
There are certain things you’ll always remember, like the first time you saw a favorite movie scene and my first Brooklyn Ann book is one. I had no idea what I was missing, but now I’ve got a whole series to catch up on.
This was fun - okay a bit bloody but hellloooo It starts out pretty much like most 70's horror films - you saw it coming before it happened - The pace progressed pretty rapidly and was easy to follow - there is a bit of a lull here and there but think of it as a chance to slow down your heart and pick up the stuffing you shredded from the pillows
The cast had all the personality quirks you would expect The "hoity-toity I'm all that" characters who I wanted to mentally push over the proverbial cliff The shy tentative ones that you want to protect in the beginning but by 2 am began questioning the why's of morality Then we had the geeky best friend(s) who had spent most of their lives under the metaphorical boots of their oppressors (see hoity-toity above)
Yep you know who lives Who dies What you don't know is how More importantly Why Or do you?
Amelia is having a tough time in college. Her classes are going fine, but her best friend, Tiffany, has pushed her into pledging a sorority she just doesn't care about. But things are about to get interesting. The pledges final initiation will be spending Halloween night inside the infamous Raimi House - a place with a horrible history that Amelia has always been interested in. She enlists the help of her secret crush, Guillermo, to help her figure out what they need to do to survive the night in the infamous house.
Part Hell Night, part Night of the Demons, 100% 80s goodness. This is the last of her B Mine series, and how I wish that weren't true!
Brooklyn Ann’s descriptive prose had me picturing everything as it was in the 80s, including the special effects. What a rush! Unexpected twists and tons of suspense pulled me in and kept me reading until the last page. Unable to put this book down, I found myself asking the characters if they knew the rules of a horror movie. You know what I’m talking about right? Simple things like “DON’T GO IN THERE!” But did anyone listen? Of course not. Warning: Do NOT read this at night when you are alone in the house if you expect to get any sleep. Loved it and can’t wait for more!
Brooklyn Ann's B Mine series is just plain fun. She takes all the old teen horror movie tropes we love and writes them into books. This one centers around Amelia and Guillermo, two college co-eds who must spend the night in a haunted house as the final stage of their hazing.
Well, of course, they're friends who have the hots for each other, and of course the house is *really* haunted, and much horror and sex and general crazy creepiness ensues.
Sometimes you just need something light and fun, and this series fits that bill perfectly.
This book pays homage to the Night of the Demons and some other 80s cheesy Horror Films. It is well written with believable characters.
I went into this novel cold without reading the cover first. The story is about of college pledges that are dared to survive the night in the Haunted Raimi House. It does contain several Easter Eggs. The most obvious being the House's name (Raimi). Read to find out who survives the night.
This book was a solid "meh" for me. Had a really good concept but there was a lack of proper execution. The author does have talent in their writing I think they just need to work on their plotting and story lines more. It felt a little jumbled and not well though out or planned. I did love the cheesy 80's slasher vibes though.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had a very bad experience with the package Brooklyn Ann sent me. The package came and was extremely light. I notice package was open or rather never sealed and book was missing. But Brooklyn sent me a replacement right away. I wanted this read by Halloween but anyway I finished about 6 days later and was well worth it. Who says romance don't belong in horror. Yeah honestly it could be a deterrent and help you die faster but on the other hand it can help you defeat a demon. Bravo!
Keep the lights on when you read this creepy thriller. It has all the vibes of an 80's horror flick. It was gruesome and scary. The characters were relatable. The premise of the horror house and the college initiation was a great storyline. The romance between Amelia and Guillermo was heartwarming and powerful.
The fourth book in the B Mine series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Amelia Craven and Guillermo Romero have to go to Raimi House for an initiation but, the house has a lot planned for them and their friends. it was a good Halloween story. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Her halloween party is an enjoyable enough paranormal horror . A group f college kids go to a haunted mansion for the night and it turns into a nightmare. They’re overtaken by strange forces and demons. I liked Amelia and Guillermo and rooted for them from the beginning. The added romance trope was a plus
Love this series and I’m sad it’s coming to a close! This book is a delightful mash-up of NIGHT OF THE DEMONS and HELL NIGHT and a great way to close with a bang, although I was sad I didn’t see all our friends from the other books for the closer.
If you are fond of slasher movies and the horror genre, with a lot of romance mixed in, you will love this book! It begins with the romance of the two protagonists and the suddenly erupts into a bloodbath. For those fond of stories of the supernatural, demons and ghosts, this is the book for you!