The Castle continues the Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thriller series, making this the third adventure Bud and his friends have fighting abnormalities. JB Michaels takes Bud, Ivy, and Maeve on a hunt to find Bud’s grandfather, a mission which includes young people who have been disappearing. Bud is physically exhausted from his early escapades, and now he barely has time to train for a rescue mission. Maeve is still feeling the effects of the elixir Ivy made for her, causing her body to have unlimited energy. Ivy is facing her own dangers when a vampire finds out she may be the answer to his lifelong struggle. He is determined she will make an elixir for him, willingly or not. The castle houses a wickedness this trio must uncover and destroy, hoping it will give up clues as to the missing persons.
 
JB Michaels takes you to unknown places and new experiences. The well-developed characters in The Castle continue to grow through each book in this series. A vampire, kidnapping, and magical weapons all create a mystique as the action builds in this intriguing story. The author keeps the story line fast as Bud, Ivy, and Maeve have little time before the Order of St. Michael's monks are killed and evil reigns. The author has a knack for the unusual; one monk of the Order is a girl and a robot that can teleport. Supernatural thriller is definitely JB Michael's forte as he excels in twisting mystical creatures and powers into a tale his readers will devour.

The Castle: A Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thriller: Book 3 is a supernatural adventure thriller written by J.B. Michaels. Bud’s first reaction on seeing his grandfather’s home torn apart by vandals was grief at seeing the wreckage they had left behind, especially those broken fragments of the pictures of him and his grandfather. They were all he had of the man who had raised him and who had disappeared. Part of him wondered if the vandals’ actions mean that his grandfather was indeed still alive, but Ivy cautioned him about reading too much into that particular aspect of their destructive impulses. And while Bud had lost his tech and his robot Bert’s head, he still had Ivy, the amateur archaeologist and gifted chemist, and Maeve, the newly reincarnated monk of the Order of St. Michael, who was a gifted empath, by his side. Between the three of them, they would sort it out, but their musings were interrupted by the gruff tones of the police officer who had entered the hall and was placing Bud under arrest.

The Castle is a fast-paced and exciting romp through the paranormal and across continents. While the author gives enough background information for this to be read as a standalone, you really should read each of the books in this series and in order. Bud’s relationships with his grandfather, Ivy and Maeve are fully explored in the preceding books, and those stories give the reader background information on the Order of St. Michael and their roles within this organization. The Castle continues that story beautifully. I loved watching Ivy and Maeve work as a team to track and attempt to free Bud, and appreciated how Michael’s plot hits the ground running from the first page and doesn’t let up until the final sentences. Bud is the consummate noir hero who manages to seem calm and collected no matter what is thrown at him, and his ability to wisecrack during the tensest situations works every time. The castle setting is looming and atmospheric, and the story line builds on that beautifully. I had a grand time reading this newest installation of Bud Hutchins’ adventures; it’s a well-written and action-packed paranormal thriller that is impossible to put down. The Castle: A Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thriller: Book 3 is most highly recommended.

With his technology stolen and his robot beheaded, things didn't seem as if they could get any worse for Bud. That was until the police arrested him, handing him over to FBI authority. The problem with being a genius, capable of amazing feats, is everyone wants your brain, especially the government. With promises of a lead on his grandfather Bud is tempted; however, soon more pressing concerns become paramount, concerns leading them to an ancient castle and possibly their most dangerous challenge to date. A string of missing students, an ancient monster, and an abducted ally ... Bud sure has his work cut out for him this time.

Our favourite fake-English boy genius is back, with his team of deadly beauties at his side in JB Michaels' latest addition to Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thrillers, The Castle. I first picked up this series at The Elixir and straightaway I spotted growth not only in the characters but the author as well. This fun, tragically and deliberately comical tale is bound to keep you entertained. Bud is a good character, quirky, driven, and loyal, willing to push himself for those he cares for, a trait encouraged and enhanced by his supporting characters as they play the martyr to his eccentricities, but wouldn't really change him. He may be stripped of his most renowned gadgets, but that's not to say he's out of tricks. With a bit of grace and the root of an old tree, you'll be surprised at how far he can go. I enjoyed The Castle. It has an air of classic charm to it and with no shortage of action, horror, monsters and mayhem, it is bound to tickle the fancy of those who enjoy a well-woven tale with a promise of more to come.

The Castle by J.B. Michaels is the third book in the Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thriller series. After Bud gets the attention of the government, they want access to his brilliant technology. But Bud has other things to do. Along with his friend Maeve, he’s part of the hidden Order of St. Michael, monks who fight the paranormal. Bud is reluctant to train, but when their friend Ivy is kidnapped by a sinister vampire disguised as a famous singer, bent on taking out the Order, Bud and Maeve head to a remote castle in Scotland. In fact, it’s just possible this creepy castle might hold clues to something of the deepest importance to Bud—the whereabouts of his missing grandfather.

J.B. Michaels delivers a lot of adventure and whacko mayhem to keep the plot rolling as Maeve and Bud go on a whirlwind trip to Europe. There’s a bit of a darker tone and the action and evil are jacked up a notch to bring out some mature qualities underlying the characters and Bud’s development was excellent. He grew before my eyes, as a lot of his insecurities and struggles with being underappreciated took the forefront and focused this thrill ride story in the right place—on real people learning to face what’s important to them. Bud and Maeve’s friendship was a perfect partnership of banter, snarkiness, and sincere caring for each other beneath bluff exteriors, and Ivy’s subplot dealing with an undead New Age musician rounded things out nicely. The Castle is a solid installment in the Bud Hutchins series. Readers already hooked on the first two books won’t be disappointed.