Sometimes I Scare Myself by Jeneva Rose

Jeneva Rose is a master story teller, and one of the very few authors who can keep me guessing and still surprise me at the end. Sometime I Scare Myself is a showcase of her talent. Her gift for character development, engaging stories, plot twists, and her ability to instill absolute terror made this book one I couldn’t put down.

Jeneva Rose has written several thrillers which are amazing, but I think, her horror novels are the best. She has actually found a way to write in a jump scare that actually had me jump in my seat. It’s so easy to see a jump scare in movies, but it takes talent to get a reader so invested in a story that just a turn of a page or the next paragraph can make you jump out of your skin. I have been a fan of horror for decades and it takes a lot to get me.

This collection has 3 chilling tales that involve ghosts, malevolent spirits, and curses. The first one, “Never Kill the Medium” is all about an Ouija even gone wrong and the only one who could have closed the portal to the other side is dead. This was both really fun and very creepy. My wife and I both believe in ghosts and we do not mess with Ouija boards. I got in some “trouble” when I brought this book in the house because under the dust jacket is an Ouija board and the bookmark I got is a planchet (ish). Also, the bonus Tarot card sticker of Jeneva Rose herself is so fun.

The second story “The Nightmare House” was my favorite. I love a haunted house story and this one was fantastic not just because it’s my favorite sub genre, but it also had a great twist at the end. I was so involved with the main character, Kristin, who is fighting against creepy neighbors, the stress of a move, raising a teenager and a newborn, postpartum depression, and her family not believing her that they need to get out of that house immediately. The internal and external turmoil just added to the tension of this story. The inside of the hard back at the beginning and End are pictures directly related to this story and the school yard rhyme the town uses.

The final story “All Curses are Final” is about a group of college friends heading to a remote cabin for a winter weekend away. Stopping for gas at a very out of the way store with one gas pump, the group sees a sign that says, “All items cursed. Curse lifted at time of sale”. Obviously we know these friends are walking out of the store with something they didn’t pay for. What happens next is some of the bloodiest misfortune. The fun part about this story is, based on the back of the book and the other side of the planchet bookmark, you would think the cursed item is a doll. Even with a scene describing all the creepy dolls in the store, and other antiques, the item that ends up causing all the problems is the goofiest, most obscure item and I chuckled when it was revealed. you’re just going to have to read this yourself to find out what it is.

I have even more I want to say about this book, but I’ll try to wrap it up. This was such a fun read and i loved the little personal touches Jeneva Rose included in the book. A letter at the beginning stated these stories are based on the dark intrusive thoughts she gets from time to time. Her stopping to think about where these thoughts went is the reason for the title, Sometime I Scare Myself. The Acknowledgements at the end also talks about where each one of these stories came from and I just loved reading about some of the funny things that caused these dark stories.

I want to send a huge thank you to Blackstone publishing, and Fangoria, who provided this copy for a review. This absolutely was on my to buy as soon as it came out list anyway, so it made my week when this showed up at my doorstep. I loved being able to read this cover to cover non stop so I could gush over how much I really loved this book. This is an easy 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃 read and I will recommend this as your perfect Halloween season read.

If you are not a fan of horror this is a great chilling read to celebrate the season, and for those that are horror fans, this is just a fun read that will not disappoint. Go pick one up at your local bookstore or feel free to support my favorite local indie bookstore and get your copy here. I cannot leave you without sharing one last set of pictures. I would be failing if I didn’t share the detailed sprayed edges on this edition. This book looks amazing on my stack of Halloween reading for this year.