The Shadowman is fae, immortal - and Death incarnate. Layla Mathew's is a journalist an orphan, a foster child, connected to no one. TTogether at last
The Shadowman is fae, immortal - and Death incarnate. Layla Mathew's is a journalist an orphan, a foster child, connected to no one. The fae are restricted to the Shadowland between the mortal world and the Hereafter, but Shadowman long ago defied that restriction, and the borders between realms weakened as a result. Which is why Layla has strange visions, odd sensations, and an obsessive need to investigate Segue, the institute investigating and fighting wraiths and other incursions of magic into human affairs. This last novel in the Shadow Series brings those who started it all to a most astonishing and gratifying conclusion, but not without terror, drama, angst, and more paranormal phenomena. The fear, the excitement and the suspense had me enthralled from page one to the very end. The heat of romance was a welcome respite and a great counterpoint to the grim emotional discoveries Layla endured. Erin Kellison's breathtaking, other-worldly realm of Shadow will linger hauntingly in my mind for a long time. Readers who want a truly paranormal romance will find all they desire in this book, and the series that goes before it. This is a voluntary independent ARC review....more
After all is said and done, Cherry Hollow isn't so unique after all. The Creature is not a being, but a personification. The evil that stCrimes solved
After all is said and done, Cherry Hollow isn't so unique after all. The Creature is not a being, but a personification. The evil that stalked the town is both older than the famous murder/cold case that gave rise to the Creature, and newer than anyone suspects. There is more involved than was first suspected: more murders, more horrors, more disappearances, and more cover-ups. The reluctantly joint efforts of the town's beleaguered police chief and the "odd" investigative journalist who first made the town infamous combine to bring the jigsaw puzzle pieces to coherence. And therein lies the heart of the matter: author Jessica Huntley contends that the darkness at the heart of it all is as permanent as human nature. Whatever its genesis, its antidote is our willingness to shine the light of truth, and let the chips fall where they may. Superb characterization drives this slightly rushed story to its rather inevitable conclusion. My voluntary, independent opinion as an ARC reader is that this end to a dark trilogy is a weaker horror story, but a far better morality play. As such, it is well worth reading....more
Jessica Huntley' second novel of human darkness espouses an ancient an ongoing perception of evil. From the Bible: "The sins of the Darkness incarnate
Jessica Huntley' second novel of human darkness espouses an ancient an ongoing perception of evil. From the Bible: "The sins of the father are visited upon the children…" From Shakespeare: "The evil that men do lives after them…"
In Cherry Hollow, the death of one boy 25 years in the past has visited the town with anguish, crippling mental illness, violent rage, severe depression, crippling agoraphobia, alcoholism, suicide, and murder. A vicious rumor mill victimizes old residents and new arrivals alike, and tales of ""The Creature," a fanged, clawed, red-eyed monster of shadow, terrorize even those who mock its supposed existence. This book is a sort of second generation iteration of the evil now abroad in Cherry Hollow, focused on Emma, her wife Linda, her teenage son Alex, and her young daughter Phoebe. There are further appearances of characters from the first book whose fates were left hanging, and whose stories become interwoven with Emma's family members. Author Huntley builds horror from minute blocks of unease, discrete incidents of escalating disquiet, bits of disturbing revelations, and an accumulating miasma of despair and denial. Despite the occasionally stiff and inelegant prose, the mood builds inexorably to a conclusion of epic tragedy. The coup de grace is in the epilogue, which sets up the next book in the trilogy by casting a chilling new light on nearly everything that has taken place - an "unending" worthy of the best horror fiction. This is a voluntary and independent - and admittedly creeped out - ARC review....more
Between this world and the next lord a boundary of shadow, whose borders are crossed under strict rules. When love prompRule-breaking has consequences
Between this world and the next lord a boundary of shadow, whose borders are crossed under strict rules. When love prompts a shadow dweller to linger in the mortal world, the result is chaos, an epidemic of demonic origin, and the birth of an inadvertent savior. Ghost-hunters, near-death researchers, medical specialists, secret government agencies, and a private army of defenders against human annihilation contend in a world of dark terror against a seemingly invincible supernatural horde. Against this background, an angst, fear, and guilt-riddled romance holds the key to human survival. This is a dark, desperate, mesmerizing story, told in prose as densely shadowed as its setting, and a heart-pounding thrill to read. This voluntary, independent ARC reviewer says: Go for it!...more
The surface shows normality: the girl, her father, mother and little sister, the school mates, the oddball friend, the bullies.The horror of emptiness
The surface shows normality: the girl, her father, mother and little sister, the school mates, the oddball friend, the bullies. Nearby, the long-abandoned former hospital - inspiration for ghost stories and teenage dares, temporary refuge for homeless men and wildlife; home to a strangely ghost-gray magpie. But it's all hollow, a sham, facade. t's just creepy - until it isn't. When circumstances culminate in the discovery of an old Polaroid camera, the hollow fills with SOMETHING. Something worse than emptiness, something that will prove the girl to be not so hollow after all. This is horror of a subtle, undermining sort. Easily put aside, until the near-paralyzing terror of the climax. This independent ARC review must contain a caution: reader, enjoy the creepiness, but in the back of your mind, prepare! 'Hollow' is not the same as 'empty'....more
Heart of Darkness follows a Chosen, Eden, her demon Agone, and her angel Seren, as they fight for Eden's life against the forcesTalk about a hot mess?
Heart of Darkness follows a Chosen, Eden, her demon Agone, and her angel Seren, as they fight for Eden's life against the forces of Heaven and Hell. Because sh's a creation of both angelic and demonic blood, she's a supernatural powerhouse and anathema to the power structure of Heaven and Hell alike. It's a violent, gory, glorious romp though earth and Hell as Eden flees danger, evades and escapes capture, and pieces together the purpose of her being.The heat is on in the bedroom, as Seren and Agone become her sworn defenders and her lovers, and she becomes the center of their existence. Those who like it HOT, WILD, and NASTY will love this second volume in the Masters of Purgatory series. This is a voluntary and independent ARC review, and an invitation to sign on for more in the next book....more
Here you go, horror fans. A brief collection of even more brief lives touched by the supernatural experiences only near-dFour little frightening tales
Here you go, horror fans. A brief collection of even more brief lives touched by the supernatural experiences only near-death can call forth This voluntary ARC review calls each tale a five star chilling snapshot of horror, mixed with other emotions unique to each story. Read them from the safety of a cozy chair, and feel the fear....more
Stasia Black's forté is dark romance, and this is one of her darkest. Those who like their lovers cruel, uber-alpha, and agonizinglLove tames monsters
Stasia Black's forté is dark romance, and this is one of her darkest. Those who like their lovers cruel, uber-alpha, and agonizingly damaged will find Hanna and Abaddon's story much to their liking. Trigger warning: abusive behavior abounds, and not all of it is sexual: Abandon was CREATED to be a monster. Hanna was made by severe health issues to be a victim. It is her search for a life-saving cure that brings her to him, and provides his unexpected (and hard-fought) deliverance. I personally found the hard-core sexual dominance hard to like, but that isn't really the story. This is about a hard-learned, hard-lived truth: Those who love unconditionally ultimately hold all the power. Call it a HFN ending, because there is no letting up on the effort to transform a monster. And this independent ARC reviewer, despite the distaste for the extreme sexual behaviors herein, will commit ton reading and reviewing the rest of the series: *GULP* Abandon has brothers....more
This is a voluntary, independent and HONEST ARC review. I've read dark romance. I've read psycho-thrille Darkest psycho-sexual horror/thriller/romance
This is a voluntary, independent and HONEST ARC review. I've read dark romance. I've read psycho-thrillers. And I've read horror. This book is the best of all three genres. Whether or not you choose to read it will depend on how wiling you are to be immersed in sexual depravity, mental illness, self-sacrificing love, and mildly dirty sex. That all of this ends in a relatively sane, relatively benign (I would not describe it as 'happy') outcome, is a remarkable feat of good plot design. That reading the story evokes both revulsion and sympathy, that the two inadvertent lovers are relatable and likable despite their dark pasts, is a triumph of Alta Hensley's writing skill. I'm giving it 4 stars and this caveat: read the blurb as well as the reviews, then decide....more
Remember the old rhyme: 'Mother may I go out to swim? Yes, my darling daughter. But hang your clothes on a hickory limb, And don'5 chilling dark stars
Remember the old rhyme: 'Mother may I go out to swim? Yes, my darling daughter. But hang your clothes on a hickory limb, And don't go near the water!' That silly old bit of doggerel gains a whole different meaning after reading Rhonda Parrish's aptly titled Dark Waters anthology. Turns out Mother knew her stuff, as demonstrated by these strangely thrilling but ultimately frightening tales. Hidden depths that no sun can warm nor light illuminate hold monsters and mythical beings. Soaked in curses, drowning in tragedy, forever held fast by the deep, mere humans inevitably succumb to the dark waters. This voluntary and independent ARC review comes with a warning: Reader, beware!...more
3 pages into this book, I thought it would be a cozy paranormal 'Something.' One full chapter in and I knew it Tone and topic don't play well together
3 pages into this book, I thought it would be a cozy paranormal 'Something.' One full chapter in and I knew it wasn't a romance. By the time the werewolf got his claws into the second victim, it was obviously a horror/mystery - but the cozy tone persisted. The more graphic it got, the more that bothered me. I finished the book, and the juxtaposition of tone and subject matter never let up. Some readers will like the cozy "just us supernatural middle-aged small-town sleuths" and some folks will like the graphic horror/scary hunt for the evil supernatural killers. Actually, I'd have liked either - I read both genres - but they go together like chocolate and onions. This is my totally voluntary, slightly queasy ARC review....more
This is a collection of odd paranormal tales in an Eastern European folklore tradition. The best way I can describe them, and the boStrangely chilling
This is a collection of odd paranormal tales in an Eastern European folklore tradition. The best way I can describe them, and the book as a whole, is: other-worldly. Each story of demonic predation, poetic justice, and punishment for wrongdoing is prefaced and punctuated by a Greek chorus of disembodied voices - the unresting dead? the spirits of other victims? a jury of lesser demons? The vague and obscured source of this mournful, baleful recurrent chant is chilling. It is both portent of coming evil, and a warning to the reader who may be similarly tempted. This is the kind of anthology where you bookmark certain tales, which will later be read by flashlight or campfire light to an audience made receptive by night and shadows and the sighing wind. It is a dark and disturbing treasure, indeed. Read it - but be warned. (This is a voluntary ARC review.)...more
Fans of paranormal romance get a five-alarm fire hot one here
- but it's complicated... Hunter Angels Nathaniel and Anaita have a loving but seriouslyFans of paranormal romance get a five-alarm fire hot one here
- but it's complicated... Hunter Angels Nathaniel and Anaita have a loving but seriously strained relationship. Private doubts and unvoiced forbidden longings mean neither can be totally open and truthful with the other, and their silences escalate into estrangement. Nathaniel ascends to the Archangels, while, at God's behest, Anaita deliberately falls from divine grace, losing her angel magic and her wings forever. She's on a mission for God, but withholding this info from her archangel mate dooms their union. Lest you think this is all easily resolved, let me give the FIRST OF TWO WARNINGS: the metaphysics and the philosophy in this novel are as thick and obscure as they are essential to the resolution of the book, and the trilogy. No light reading here - but those who plunge in and persist will be blessed with a beautiful and comforting understanding of divinity, love, forgiveness, honesty, and trust. (It brought me to tears) SECOND WARNING: those whose faith tends to be wedded to orthodoxy and doctrine, highly dogmatic, and firm in the exclusion of non-believers - This book will not meet those standards. In my personal view, that is a positive thing, of immense value, but each must judge according to her own understanding. N. D. Jones is a writer of depth, perceptive and eloquent, and I salute the courageous risks she takes in this third and last book of her Winged Warrior Trilogy. This is a stunned and amazed voluntary ARC review....more
Contrary to popular belief, the Devil did NOT go down to Georgia. Instead, Hell invaded Earth - in the Arctic. This is the accountThe professor’s tale
Contrary to popular belief, the Devil did NOT go down to Georgia. Instead, Hell invaded Earth - in the Arctic. This is the account of that first incursion, as witnessed by Jack Oswald, PhD., a petroleum geologist and professor at U of Alaska Fairbanks. He and his team were among the first to explore and identify the true nature of this "epidemic" of sinkholes ringing the Arctic. Dr Oswald's factually accurate account is a far cry from dry academic exposition; this honest, at times emotional, and very personal survivor's story will imbed itself in the minds and hearts of readers everywhere. NOTE: This is voluntary and highly tongue-in-cheek review of Donald G. Firesmith's novel of paranormal fiction, Hell Holes: What Lurks Below....more
If you are fond of shivery TV memories like "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" or "The Twilight Zone", Donald Firesmith is yourClassic horror fans - REJOICE!
If you are fond of shivery TV memories like "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" or "The Twilight Zone", Donald Firesmith is your writer. This creepy little tome will revive your chills, renew your thrills, and take you to a different dimension of suspense, horror, and amazement. A Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams will seed your dreams with the ghosts of Poe, Hitchcock, and Serling, then leave you in stunned gratitude that it's only a story... you hope. This is a voluntary - if somewhat spooked - ARC review....more