A Sliver Of Darkness by C J Tudor

A Sliver of Darkness by C J Tudor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days in and out

Publisher - Michael Joseph Publisher

Pages - 329

Source - Netgalley and Waterstones

Blurb from Amazon

PREPARE TO BE TERRIFIED THIS HALLOWEEN WITH C. J. TUDOR'S BONE-CHILLING COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES

'All hail the queen of scream. C.J. Tudor at her spine-tingling, nightmare-inducing best. Read it if you dare . . .' CHRIS WHITAKER

'This unsettling collection of stories from a writer often called the 'British Stephen King' deftly inverts the banal and unremarkable to reveal their underlying horror' METRO

'Beautifully barbaric, creepy as hell and crammed with barbed wit' JOHN MARRS

A creak of the floorboard, a shiver down your spine, the feeling that you're not alone . . .



My Review

I am the first to say I am not a huge fan of short stories, other than Stephen King but I do enjoy Tudor's stories so gave this a go. Described as Eleven Twisted Tales of the Macabre, short, quick to the point & I actually liked and enjoyed most of them.

End of the liner - a story set on a cruise ship, sounds like bliss yes? You would be wrong, dead wrong.

The Block - A block of flats, abandoned, how many of us have been drawn into abandoned buildings? This one gives us pretty good reasons NOT to go in, no matter how tempting.

Runaway Blues - A man who plays amazing blues despite being out of place, a woman he loves very much and some creepy repercussions/revelations.

The Completion - I can't say really much about this one, I didn't love it and don't really know what to say about it, estate agents and meh.

The Lion At The Gate - how many times in horror movies/creepy pictures have we felt they moved or a bit of danger, this one is creepy/fab.

Gloria - We have met before and I could do with a hole story more of her. Righteous and dare I say vigilanty justice.

I'm not Ted - temptation :D that is all I am gonna say

Final Course - a reunion of friends, a fancy manner and secrets, everyone has secrets, some deadly

The Copy Shop - This reminded me of something but I can't think what. How many times have we wanted something fixed well now you can and anything goes

Dust - actions and consequences with echoes of Hotel California :D

Butterfly Island - Butterflies are the most beautiful little creatures, but what if they weren't, what if they were but imagine a world, a place where they became a thing to fear.


What is different and what I personally liked (I read the tree book version) - she gives us an intro at each story to what sparked/prompted the story that follows. I love that, sometimes you read a book and think how do they come up with this stuff, well Tudor gives us just that with these, 4/5 from me this time.

View all my reviews

Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater blog tour Rachels Random Resources

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "Lost Solace" by Karl Drinkwater, for my stop I have my review, this is a Rachel's Random resources tour.

About the author:

Karl Drinkwater is an author with a silly name and a thousand-mile stare. He writes dystopian space opera, dark suspense and diverse social fiction. If you want compelling stories and characters worth caring about, then you’re in the right place. Welcome!

Karl lives in Scotland and owns two kilts. He has degrees in librarianship, literature and classics, but also studied astronomy and philosophy. Dolly the cat helps him finish books by sleeping on his lap so he can’t leave the desk. When he isn’t writing he loves music, nature, games and vegan cake.

Go to karldrinkwater.uk to view all his books grouped by genre.

As well as crafting his own fictional worlds, Karl has supported other writers for years with his creative writing workshops, editorial services, articles on writing and publishing, and mentoring of new authors. He’s also judged writing competitions such as the international Bram Stoker Awards, which act as a snapshot of quality contemporary fiction.


Enter your email at karldrinkwater.substack.com to be notified about his new books. Fans mean a lot to him, and replies to the newsletter go straight to his inbox, where every email is read. There is also an option for paid subscribers to support his work: in exchange you receive additional posts and complimentary books.

Social Media Links – Newsletter (and Substack) https://karldrinkwater.substack.com/ Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5766025.Karl_Drinkwater

Purchase Links for Lost Solace, piccy from our Instagram

https://karldrinkwater.myshopify.com

https://books2read.com/karldrinkwater

Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 273

Publisher - Organic Apocalypse

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Sometimes spaceships disappear with everyone on board – the Lost Ships. But sometimes they come back, strangely altered, derelict, and rumoured to be full of horrors.

Opal is on a mission. She’s been seeking something her whole life. Something she is willing to die for. And she thinks it might be on a Lost Ship.

Opal has stolen Clarissa, an experimental AI-controlled spaceship, from the military. Together they have tracked down a Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.

The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision.

Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.

Can she face her demons and survive?


My Review

Opal is a woman on a mission, she has stolen a ship and took off looking for one of the Lost Ships, many have gone missing and rumours of horror on those that come back altered, Opal is driven to find one specific ship. With an experimental artifical intelligence (AI) built in, that she calls Clarissa, Opal puts her very life at risk both from the military and what lies waiting in the Lost Ship.

Oooh think Event Horizon with a bit of "Mother" from the Alien movies and that was the overall feel when I first started this book. The AI is a brilliant character add as just one human in space would take a lot of work to make engaging. The story breaks down into a fair few parts, the journey to find the Lost Ship, the understanding and development of the AI as the story unfolds. The bad guys who are chasing her, what lies within the ship awaiting and everything that transpires after.

The action on the ship is creepy and you are left with questions, well I was and sought out the author to find out if there will be another visit to this story. Thankfully there will be as I hate being left with unanswered questions and we are going to get another two books woohoo!

Opal is a fantastic character, complex, a history we learn a bit more about as we read on, she is heroic, loyal, strong and long long overdue in fiction. I loved the AI too and the relationship that formed between the two, the balsy choices and bravery through frightening encounters and life and death situations.

Whilst the build up was slow in the very beginning it created a tense, claustrophic and eerie atmosphere, perfect for space and kept me flying through page after page. Where was it going, could I trust X,Y,Z or rather could Opal, her choices, was that right, what would happen! I love when a book keeps you on your toes and I think sci-fi is such a tough genre as fans can be hyper critical. I thought this was a great opening to new characters and definitely a foundation book, the origins are done now I can't wait for the meat of it all, the where, why, what are they, what is next! 4/5 for me this time, I have read this author before but not this particular genre from them, I very much look forward to the next installment and will be rooting on my fav character(s).


View all my reviews

The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz

The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 352

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Ten writers are selected for a summer-long writing retreat with the most celebrated and reclusive author in the world. Their host is the legendary Roderick Wells. Handsome, enigmatic, and fiendishly talented, Wells promises to teach his pupils about writing, about magic, about the untapped potential that each of them possesses. Most of all, he plans to teach them about the darkness in their hearts.

The writers think they are signing up for a chance at riches and literary prestige. But they are really entering the twisted imagination of a deranged genius, a lethal contest pitting them against one another in a struggle for their sanity and their lives. They have entered into Roderick Wells’s most brilliant and horrible creation...The Dark Game.


My Review

Ten writers are selected (invite only) to go to one of the most successful but recluse authors mansion/private grounds. They are under strict instructions, secrecy to get there, no phones but the prize, one of them will have ultimate success just like one lucky author who won before. Fame, riches, success, the challenges will be grueling, the demands far more than any of them could imagine but it will be worth it right?

Roderick Wells is the man of the moment, older author, been around a long time and keeps away from the world so all of these authors cannot wait to get started. Wells can be rude, abrupt but he is an old man and amazing at his craft. The authors note his older appearance and signs of ailing health but the longer they spend the more they notice changes.

We hear from the individual authors and they show sides of their personalities and motives/hopes for personal gains than what they present infront of the group. They are not the nicest of people and those we do like we hear more about as the book goes on, they all have something in their past and or struggles with their writing.

As one by one authors *drop out* of the competition the others, at least some, start to question their absence/disappearance. The book gets dark quite quickly and horrors come from the pages to terrorize the authors and us readers. We get a story within a story as Well's pushes them to create stories that push their abilities and tap into darker/raw talent. The staff and house have creepy tones and whilst it is a completely different story it gave me an echo of that movie with Vincent Price where they have to stay/survive overnight to win the cash. This is over the summer rather than overnight and instead of a creepy house the things in here are far darker and dangerous. I think this is my 2nd or 3rd book by this author (I even have a wee bookmark of him to go with it) I have another one or two on my tbrm and look forward to reading them. Creepy, dark, shocking and absolutely of the things that go bump in the night although for Janz horror things they don't always wait for the nighttime, 4/5 for me.

View all my reviews

The Shining by Stephen King

The Shining by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over a few months

Pages - 659

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.



My Review

This is a re read, I haven't read it since I was a kid. I love the movie (Kubrick version only recently seen the other one) and as I was back home I wanted to read it again. There is so much I forgot about the book like actually don't even remember reading but it has been a long time.

You get a bit of history on the Overlook, I really wish we would get a more indepth backstory though as the darkness is so fascinating especially the hold it can have over people. So for anyone not familiar with it Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy and little boy head to the Overlook hotel for Jack's new job, caretaker over the winter, isolated just the three of them. Jack is a recovering alcoholic, when in the grip of booze he lost a lot and has been making it up to Wendy and Danny since. The Overlook is more than just a hotel it is home to a darkness that can influence the people who spend time there and when the people are special, like little Danny the hotel and its spirits want him.

The book features dark themes, King's books always do, not just the supernatural but the evil and darkness within humans. We also have the good too, lengths some people will go to to protect others. We learn about the Shining and how extraordinary little Danny is and the more time he and his family are in the hotel the more creepy things happen.

The thing with King is he creates creepy, atmospheric books that creeps you out, baddies that are terrifying because they aren't always of our world but some are and equally as scary. The Shining is a classic, I loved it when I was younger and I think it still holds up all these years later, 5/5 for me. If you really want to creep yourself out, read it when staying in a hotel, every time I visit one, the corridors, no matter how it is decorated I always envision The Overlook.

View all my reviews

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 164

Publisher - HarperTorch

Source - Bought (ebook) Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

In a quiet house on a quiet street Frank and Julia are having an affair. Not your ordinary affair. For Frank it began with his own insatiable sexual appetite, a mysterious lacquered box- and then an unhinged voyage through a netherworld of imaginable pleasures and unimaginable horror… Now Frank - or what is left of Frank - waits in an empty room. All he wants is to live as he was before. All Julia can do is bring him her unfulfilled passions… and a little flesh and blood…


My Review

I feel like this is my first Barker book but I have absolutely seen the movie. My concentration has been all over the place & I needed a book in between. I seen the movie years ago but remember it quite vividly because it was pretty graphic and I was pretty young.

The book is very close to the movie, I always thought Kirsty was the daughter but reading this I wasn't so sure as it was a bit dodgy although Frank is an absolute creep.

If you haven't seen the movie prepared to be horrified as some of the scenes are absolutely boggin, if you have seen the movie you know of which I speak and sometimes, on paper it is actually worse, more graphic.

For a small read it has a lot of detail and gets going pretty quickly, some very shady characters, the cenobytes are creepy/horrifying and coming! 3.5/5 for me, I hadn't realised there was so many movies so I need to catch up on them too!

View all my reviews

Sons of Brutality by Daniel Jeudy

Sons of Brutality #1 by Daniel Jeudy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages -

Publisher - Vivid Publishing

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads/back cover

When Detective Addison Mowbray begins investigating the murders of two young women in the Hollywood Hills, he can't imagine where the case will lead. He suspects the crimes were inspired by an occult fascination, due to some missing body parts and the inverted Christian cross branded on the victims' breasts. But apart from Addison's temperamental partner, Jed, the only other person keen on them pursuing that line of investigation is Lilly Coniglio, a medical examiner from the Coroner's Department. The LAPD is already under immense public pressure due to all the bad press another killer – a vigilante – has brought to their door: it's been over a year since the first organized-crime figure showed up full of holes, with a plastic police badge beside his body.

As Addison and Jed navigate a murky, disturbing occult landscape in search of answers, they uncover something even more terrifying than a killer hiding in the shadows: an organization so vile and powerful that it changes their lives forever. These two troubled detectives are all that stand between this organization and a spectacular season of carnage.

Set against a backdrop of urban bleakness and social inequality, 'Sons of Brutality' combines deeply flawed protagonists with human monsters, integrating strong dialogue, violent action and gripping suspense.



My Review

Detective Addison Mowbray is investigating the brutal murders of two young women in Hollywood Hills, the bodies have been mutilated. As the case progresses, Mowbray feels more and more the murders have more than a little nod to the Occult. Add into that LAPD are already under fire as another serial killer is operating in the area, killing bad guys and leaving plastic badges by the bodies. If that isn't enough for you dear reader we have a third player, Narek, high ranking in the Mafia, ruthless, racist, misogynistic, foul mouthed villain, it is a busy book!

It is a lot crammed into 328 pages, Mowbray has a lot of issues/baggage, issues with the bottle but is a good dude. We follow his investigation, hear from the killer and their views, the vigilante and the Mafia bad guy. Despite multiple storylines I didn't feel too disjointed bouncing from person to person.

This isn't for the faint hearted, there are so many dark, brutal, graphic, horrific elements, some of the characters are really sick, twisted individuals. Narek really brings up the bile, the way he speaks to, thinks about and treats women, the C word is bandied about frequently and that isn't close to being the worst, he is a racist scumbag. I found his parts quite hard going and remember there is an occult/sadist/horror individual, also dark reading but Narek really got under my skin. I think because there is so much hate/bile/abuse in reality it just touched a nerve, I was rooting for someone, anyone to pan his melt in!

I would love to see the vigilante get more *air time* - I got echoes of a bit of Jack Reacher code from him. We always love to see someone bring justice to bad people so yeah I would like the next book to be theirs or heavily featured if there is a book two. I think if there is a series then there has been good foundations laid down. I would like to read more from this author but definitely prepare yourself to step into a very dark, nasty world, 3/5 for me.

View all my reviews

October competition

Sorry it is later in the month, I always try and get things up at the start but as you know we are going through a lot of crap just now so just rolling with the days as they come.

So for this months competition what do we have? x1 brand new paperback copy of "Lost Solace" by author Karl Drinkwater. It is a signed copy and book one of a series.

You can find my review of Lost Solace by clicking HERE.

You are probably wondering what are all the bookmarks doing around the book? Well as if a signed copy of this fab book isn't enough you also get to choose x1 of the bookmarks shown. Please check all the photos as there are a few, a couple are slightly different on the other side. For example the scary lady from the shining, one side she is all monstery and the other she looks normal.

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter below, please ensure you add your name & postal address incase you are the winner and which bookmark you would like if you win. x1 of any of the ones shown in the photos. Happy October you guys and apologies again the comp is later than usual. Open worldwide guys. xxx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

Off Season by Jack Ketchum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 308

Publisher - 47 North

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

September. A beautiful New York editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a hill in the quiet Maine beach town of Dead River—off season—awaiting her sister and friends. Nearby, a savage human family with a taste for flesh lurks in the darkening woods, watching, waiting for the moon to rise and night to fall...

And before too many hours pass, five civilized, sophisticated people and one tired old country sheriff will learn just how primitive we all are beneath the surface...and that there are no limits at all to the will to survive.




My Review

Think Wrong Turn meets The Hill Have Eyes meets House of 1000 Corpses, a pinch of each and you get the vibes for Off Season. This is NOT for the faint hearted or easily offended and this version is "The Author's Uncut, Uncensored Version so if you have read the other version this has more bokey OMGness. Carla has rented a wee cabin, out the way of town on a hill next to a beach type town, off season. Her sister, lover and pals are coming up to join her, she has no idea she i being watched by savage killers, killers who murder for joy, pleasure and food!

The opening chapter gives a taster for what is coming, a women is brutalised by weans of this group and it really kicks off from there. We get to know the city folk who come to the cabin for some fun and then all hell breaks loose and it is just murder, carnage, blood drenching, stomach turning horror.

The killers are actual savages, they live in the wild, other living beings are for their use, pleasure, consumption. The descriptions are graphic, gorey and manky in some parts, again think of the three movies I mentioned and you know what you are in for. Torture, abuse (sexual and the violent), animal abuse/deaths, human torture, I think the book hits just about everything on the list.

For the other movies I wanted a police presence and or more if they were in it, this book offers a bit of that. This is only my second book by this author, again he is not for the faint hearted from what I have read. If you like your horror shocking, bloody, dodgy depraved killers ooft this is your book. I grew up on horror but even parts of this made me wince, he paints very vivid pictures, probably best not to eat whilst reading this one, 4/5 for me.

View all my reviews

August's Eyes by Glenn Rolfe blog tour

Today is my turn and closing the blog tour for August Eye's by author Glen Rolfe, for my stop I have my review, enjoy.



About The Author:

Glenn Rolfe is an author from the haunted woods of New England. He has studied Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. He and his wife, Meghan, have three children, Ruby, Ramona,and Axl. He is grateful to be loved despite his weirdness.

The book is available to buy now, click HERE for Amazon UK.

August's Eyes by Glenn Rolfe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 228

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

"An intense tale reminiscent of classic works by Jack Ketchum or Stephen King" — Booklist

When dreams start bleeding into reality, a social worker is forced to face the mistakes of his past.

A serial killer has found a way to make his land of graveyards a sinister playground to be bent at his sadistic will.

The secrets behind August's eyes will bring two worlds together, and end in a cataclysm of pain and ruin.



My Review

Sometimes we have a dream that stays with us for the rest of the day, a dream that freaks you out, that gives you the heebies. Meet John, that is exactly what is happening to him, the dreams are getting more frequent and creepy. When he thinks he sees one of the boys from his dreams, in real life he really starts freaking out, is he losing it? As the dreams become more vivid and John attempts to deal with his issues and the dreams he starts to realise that sometimes you can't escape the past and actions have consequences.

Heads up guys there is a creepy pervert pedophile bad guy, he doesn't appear a whole lot but the theme is relevant to the story and we do hear from the scumbag at points. The dreamland we visit via John, as a kid, is creepy, haunting, eerie and sets up the atmospheric spooky vibes that are laced throughout the book. There are also nods to movies and songs, I love this in a book, I end up telling Alexa to play them and movies or books I tend to look up. These type of references or casual mentions tends, well for me anyway, to fire up some memories - I grew up on old school horror!

We are introduced to horror in human form then normal life/relationships for the main character as things start to slowly edge in and become freaky/dark. I love when a book builds up like that, you get to know the characters, care for them or not, then things start to unravel and descend.

Rolfe is a new author for me, I enjoyed the chilling vibes and hair raising moments that brought normal life to the supernatural. Dreams or rather nightmares have always been a good way for stories/movies to go, you are so vulnerable when you are asleep so it adds to the horror/fear. The book seems to add a dash of some many things, some crime, depravity, creepy crawlies, supernatural and crosses over to John's normal waking day, I really liked it. August's Eyes is my first dance with this author, I will be checking out his other offerings for sure, 4/5 for me this time!

View all my reviews

Ghost Mine by Hunter Shea

Ghost Mine by Hunter Shea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able in and out over 3 days

Pages - 304

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - Bought copy

Blurb from Amazon

Deep in a Wyoming mine, hell awaits. Nat Blackburn is given an offer he can't refuse by President Teddy Roosevelt. Tales of gold in the abandoned mining town of Hecla abound. The only problem - those who go seeking their fortune never return. Along with his constant companion, Teta, a hired gun with a thirst for adventure, Nat travels to a barren land where even animals dare not tread. Black-eyed children, strange lights and ferocious wild men venture from the deep, dark ghost mine...as well as a sinister force hungry for fresh souls.


My Review

Nate and Teta are heading to Hecla, an abandoned mining town. Sent in by President Roosevelt to find the team sent before them, to uncover the mystery of where they went and the gold and why the town is abandoned? Nate and Teta have fought many fights, together and alone, the ugly sides of humanity and then some, nothing has prepared them for Hecla.


AHHHHHH you guys I LOVE an abandoned place/town/building, add into that some spooky, bump in the night, ghosty freakery. Hecla is an actual real place, of course I looked it up once I started to get into the story. Nate is a good guy, him and Teta have history and aren't afraid to go into battle, this appears to just be some AWOL soldiers. Once they hit their destination they quickly realise things aren't right, people are afraid and won't talk about Hecla, from friendly to aloof or hostile. Once they are inside Hecla, getting in is a lot easier than getting out.

Weird happenings, bumps in the night and an adversary no one could have forseen. Hairs on my arms went up at one point, I love abandoned building or town stories so this ticked a lot of boxes for me. I think this was the second book by Shea I have read, the other also had an abandoned building, I absolutely will be checking out his back cataolgue, 4.5/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Frankenstein by Dean Koontz book 1

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Volume 1: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In the nineteenth century, Dr. Victor Frankenstein brought his notorious creation to life, but a horrible turn of events forced him to abandon it and slip away from the public eye. Two centuries later, a serial killer is on the loose in New Orleans, gruesomely salvaging body parts from each of his victims, as if trying to assemble a perfect human being.

Detective Carson O’Connor is cool, cynical, and every bit as tough as she looks. Her partner, Michael Maddison, would back her up all the way to Hell itself–and that just may be where their new case leads. For as they investigate the strange killings, O’Connor and Madison find themselves drawn into a weird underworld of deception and secrets where a man named Victor Helios has created an entire race of perfectly engineered people who are meant to take humankind’s place one day. But something is happening to some of Helios’s creations, and it may be that this bizarre serial killer is the least of the detectives’ worries.


My Review

EVERYBODY know the story of Frankenstein, rather Frankenstein's monster. A few hundred years after the legend and low and behold both where real, Frankenstien and the monster. Known in the book as Deucalion, living away in a quiet existance until he is alerted that his creator, Victor Helios, still lives. Deucalion has learned to control his anger and now he is going to complete the job he failed at, killing his "father".

On top of this we have a kick butt cop, Carson O’Connor - strong female lead who has a love interest she tries to keep at bay whilst investigating a horrific serial killer. Her partner Michael Maddison is willing to follow her anywhere, both will soon be confronted with beings that shatter their preconceptions of humanity as they know it.

I loved when we heard more from Deucalion as the movie(s) I seen growing up you didn't really get much from the monster, no insight. Here we are a few hundred years on from the version I know and you get back story, up to present day and the mad scientist is even more off his banger. He has taken his "science" so much further, money is no issue so he has free reign pretty much. He has perfected his creations so much so he know has a wife (he abuses her horrifically) and has zero value for human life. I really liked it and as soon as I finished it I ordered book two, it is a 5 book series so will buy the third sometime soon, 4.5/5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

The Frighteners by Peter Laws

The Frighteners: Why We Love Monsters, Ghosts, Death & Gore by Peter Laws
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 320

Publisher - Icon Books

Source - Bought at horrorcon

Blurb from Goodreads

The Frighteners follows the quest of Peter Laws, a Baptist minister with a penchant for the macabre, to understand why so many people love things that are spooky, morbid and downright repellent. He meets vampires, hunts werewolves in Hull, talks to a man who has slept on a mortuary slab to help him deal with a diagnosis, and is chased by a chainsaw-wielding maniac through a farmhouse full of hanging bodies.

Staring into the darkness of a Transylvanian night, he asks: What is it that makes millions of people seek to be disgusted and freaked out? And, in a world that worships rationality and points an accusing finger at violent video games and gruesome films, can an interest in horror culture actually give us safe ways to confront our mortality? Might it even have power to re-enchant our jaded world?

Grab your crucifixes, pack the silver bullets, and join the Sinister Minister on his romp into our morbid curiosities.


My Review

Peter Laws is a minister who just happens to love horror, that in itself perks your attention, it isn't something you hear every day to be fair. Laws delves into horror, the movies, themes, actual true events, his experiences and how he came to embrace the genre he loves despite his "day job".

I really want to go visit Transylvania after reading this, he went for a big birthday and describes what the place is actually like, the people and things to check out. Just from reading about it, the crosses everywhere, you could totally envision it, I really want to go and check it out, the place of so many movies/legends/stories.

He takes us on a journey of some of his favourite movies, what it was that allowed his to embrace his love of horror rather than give it up as he did with so much with his faith. He also chats about how folk react to him when they realise he is a man of the cloth. From hunting down legends of a werewolf, speaking to folk who genuinely believe they transform, examining true horror acts from humans, how kids and adults process some of the most atrocious acts, it is a really interesting read.

The book has a few places he has visited and at the back of the book he references things mentioned that you can check out for further reading. I think it is a book I will go back to as there are quite a few movies and things mentioned new to me that I won't remember off the top of my head. For fans of horror who want something a wee bit different I recommend picking up a copy of this, 4/5 for me this time!

View all my reviews

My Hungry Friend by Daniel Barnett

My Hungry Friend by Daniel Barnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 200

Publisher - Indie/self

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

When Mike Roberts kicks over a homeless woman's cup of change, she whispers a cryptic warning:

"Mind the cracks . . ."

Now the Boston he knows and loves is unraveling around him. But his life is not the only thing at stake. His mother, a once acclaimed writer lost in the late stages of Alzheimer's, depends on him to have a home. And then there's her caretaker, Cassie, who might want something more from Mike than the friendship they've long shared.

As his city balances on a razor's edge, Mike will have to hunt down the daughter of the woman he wronged and uncover their terrible family secret . . . or be plunged into a world of crawling horrors and unspeakable hunger.

A world from which no one has ever returned.


My Review

Meet Mike Roberts, a dentist and has a carer who comes in during the day to look after his mother who has Alzheimer's and Mike looks after her at night. Stressed, living in Boston Mike passes homeless people everyday, this day Mike make's an impulse choice that impacts life as he knows it. One knee jerk reaction brings consequences that will pull down Mike's whole world and bring terror and horror beyond the imagination.

There are a few parts to this story, excluding the horror & weird creatures we have his relationship with his mothers carer and the actual taking care of his mother. Intimate care of cleaning up her accidents at night, safety issues and the pressure of that from a son having to deal with such a change in dynamics from the child to parental role.

The dark in this book is very dark, we have insect like creatures that most folk have some kind of beastie that creep up out, let alone from another world. There is mystery, evil, spookiness and at least one scene with his mother, in particular one part of her anatomy, that made me feel really uncomfortable and creeped out reading. I personally don't think it would have hurt the book to not be in it but artistic license and we don't always get the scenes in the way an author has written or envisioned it being received.

There is a lot of creepy tension and build up to a darkness threatening and changing Mike's world whilst he desperately scrambles to understand what is happening, why and most importantly what he can do to stop it. I think Mike makes so many bad choices and errors but it works in highlighting the reality of humanity, flawed characteristics and how off character would you be if your world was falling apart with a darkness coming in. 3/5 for me this time, I liked the eeriness and tension and look forward to seeing what else this author has to offer.

View all my reviews

House of Skin by Jonathan Janz Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour for House of Skin, please check out the other stops as we all offer different content.




About the author:




Jonathan Janz grew up between a dark forestand a graveyard, which explains everything. Brian Keene named his debut novel The Sorrows "the best horror novel of 2012." The LibraryJournal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin,"reminiscent of ShirleyJackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub's Ghost Story" Since then Jonathan's work has been lauded by writers like Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Tim Waggoner, Bryan Smith,and Ronald Kelly. Novels like The Nightmare Girl, Wolf Land, Savage Species,and Dust Devils prompted Thunderstorm Books to sign Jonathan to an eleven-book deal and to give him his own imprint, Jonathan Janz's Shadow Side. His novel Children of the Dark received a starred review in Booklist and was chosen by their board as one of the Top Ten Horror Books of the Year (August2015-September2016). Children of the Dark will soon be translated into German and has been championed by the Library Journal, the School Library Journal,and Cemetery Dance. In early 2017, his novel Exorcist Falls was released to critical acclaim. Jonathan's primary interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children,and though he realizes that every author's wife and children are wonderful and amazing, in this case the cliché happens to be true. You can learn more about Janz at www.jonathanjanz.com.

House of Skin by Jonathan Janz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 312

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

All it needs to live again is fresh blood!



Myles Carver is dead. But his estate, Watermere, lives on, waiting for a new Carver to move in. Myles’s wife, Annabel, is dead too, but she is also waiting, lying in her grave in the woods. For nearly half a century she was responsible for a nightmarish reign of terror, and she’s not prepared to stop now. She is hungry to live again…and her unsuspecting nephew, Paul, will be the key.



Julia Merrow has a secret almost as dark as Watermere’s. But when she and Paul fall in love they think their problems might be over. How can they know what Fate—and Annabel—have in store for them? Who could imagine that what was once a moldering corpse in a forest grave is growing stronger every day, eager to take her rightful place amongst the horrors of Watermere?


My Review

When Paul Carver inherits the estate of Watermere he is set for life, estate, money and finally the chance to write the book he has always wanted and escape his mundane life. A family he knew nothing about, his uncle Myles now dead everything is his. The book will be written,, the dead won't rest and Paul will find out why his family was so hated in this wee town.

If you think back to old school horror, the black and white movies on at the weekend in the 80s, hammer horror, haunted houses with eerie back stories you get the feel for House of Skin. We have a duo timeline, current day with Paul and the past with his uncle and the beautiful Annabel. Coveted by many, she is stunning, beautiful a force to be reckoned with, fierce, dark and deadly, Watermere was Annabel's home and Annabel isn't ready to let go.

There is a lot of spooky hair raising scenes, some subtle and as the book progresses the levels of chilling darkness rise. There is also a lot of sex, sexual undertones, obsession, haunting, abuse, some really dark elements of humanity. I think fans of horror will eat this up especially if you like books combined with sex, flips in and out of duo timelines and a building tension, 3.5/5 for me. I have read this author before and will read him again. I think a prequel to this book would be epic and have reached out to the author about it. I think there is so much of this, the past, that would be amazing to explore and uncover it would give readers tons of insight into these characters, I so hope he pens it, fingers crossed.

View all my reviews

The Toy Thief by D W Gillespie Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Toy Thief by author D W Gillespie, although I am closing the tourplease check out the other stops on the tour as we all have different content, so you don't miss anything. Before I post my review, check out the cover for this one, I don't (or didn't use to) bother with covers but there are a ton of great ones out there. Like this one, how eerie, spooky and freaky is it, it was the cover that drew me to the post about the book to be honest!





The Toy Thief by D.W. Gillespie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 240

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

Jack didn’t know what to call the nameless, skeletal creature that slunk into her house in the dead of night, stealing the very things she loved the most. So she named him The Toy Thief… There’s something in Jack’s past that she doesn’t want to face, an evil presence that forever changed the trajectory of her family. It all began when The Toy Thief appeared, a being drawn by goodness and innocence, eager to feed on everything Jack holds dear. What began as a mystery spirals out of control when her brother, Andy, is taken away in the night, and Jack must venture into the dark place where the toys go to get him back. But even if she finds him, will he ever be the same?


My Review

What happens when you see something you aren't supposed to? We open with Jack (Jacqueline), reflecting on her, her brother Andy, family and the past. Written in first person narration, we see Jack in present day and lots of throwback to childhood memories and why she is the way she is today. We know something happened when she was younger and it takes a wee bit of unravelling before we hear about and "meet" The Toy Thief.

Jack isn't a very nice person as an adult and if bad language offends you this is your headsup, Jack swears a fair bit. As she goes back in time and recalls what happened, the first glimpse, the actual encounter and the fall out afterwards you get a bit more appreciation for how she has been shaped to the person she is today.

For me the story is two fold, the spooky horror aspect and the family dynamics, both are strong and bring shape to the story. The Toy Thief is creepy and a few of the scenes made the hair at the back of my neck stand up. We all have things that freaked us out as kids and flashes of the story made me think about irrational childhood fears, memories and that is always a thumbs up for any author.

The family bond shone through, Jack and her brother Andy have a strained relationship, no mother and only their family raising the two of them. From the get go we know things aren't perfect between the siblings but they have a bond and are close, when we see their childhood and everything that follows it makes the reader have a better understanding of the relationship.

I have read a few books from published by Flame Tree Press, it is almost like a new brand of horror. You have the creepy, the darkness, family/relationship elements and with horror but not always in your face or over the top. This is my first dance with this author, it won't be my last, the book doesn't give up its secrets quickly, like an onion you have to go through each layer, getting more as you go, 3.5 out of 5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Meg by Steve Alten

Meg by Steve Alten
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 438

Publisher - Tsunami Books

Source - My keeper shelf

Blurb from Goodreads

Revised and Expanded. On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean's deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he's sure he saw but still can't prove exists - Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds. Taylor spends years theorizing, lecturing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea. But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub. Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he's never imagined. MEG is about to surface. When she does, nothing and no one is going to be safe, and Jonas must face his greatest fear once again.



My Review

This is a re read for me guys, prep for the upcoming movie (which I went and saw and loved and want to see in 4D). Let me say, for those who don't know, I LOVE sharks, shark books, shark movies so when something shark related comes along I tend to be over the top excited anyways.

Meg is about the long extinct Megalodon shark and our main character Jonas Taylor. Jonas used to go deep, he went to the Marina Trench seven years ago where something happened to change him. He is thee expert on Megs and once was very respected in his field, now his career is flailing, his marriage is in trouble and Jonas is still plagued by past events. When things come to pass that force Jonas to face his past and mans most terrifying adversary the question can only be who will survive?

EEEEEEK I love this, I love that we have some real facts in there and you learn stuff as you are scared out of your wits. The opening chapter just made me think of Jurassic park, the same feels and a sneaky peek into something we will never see in our live times.

Jonas is a great character, I think, can't say I loved a whole lot of the others but even the characters you hate/dislike bring something to the book. Meg herself is just a magnificent creation, Carcharodon megalodon with a bite sized estimated to be 10 feet, 10 feet!!! The ultimate killing machine, I could read about them all day long. The book has a lot of research put into it and any book that you learn stuff as you go gets thumbs up from me, then add in a shark, a HUGE shark and you just have a book that blows right out the water (see what I did there, the jokes never get better!).

This is the first in the series, the movie is currently in the pictures, I absolutely recommend this to shark fans, Jurassic park fans, fans who like a bit of horror/suspense I mean come on she is the ultimate killing machine! It has humanity, feeling, suspense, terror and one of those I couldn't read with my feet hanging over the edge of the couch, yes I am one of those! 5/5 for me this time, I have the next four on my keep shelf and the newest one is on order.

View all my reviews

Creature by Hunter Shea Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Creature by author Hunter Shea, please check out the other stops on the tour as we all offer different content.





Creature by Hunter Shea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 2 days

Pages - 256

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

The monsters live inside of Kate Woodson. Chronic pain and a host of autoimmune diseases have robbed her of a normal, happy life. Her husband Andrew’s surprise of their dream Maine lake cottage for the summer is the gift of a lifetime. It’s beautiful, remote, idyllic, a place to heal. But they are not alone. Something is in the woods, screeching in the darkness, banging on the house, leaving animals for dead. Just like her body, Kate’s cottage becomes her prison. She and Andrew must fight to survive the creature that lurks in the dead of night.


My Review

Kate Woodson is struggling, she has health conditions that cause her unimaginable pain and impact on her day to day life, relationships, sleep, mood, you name it it impacts it all. Andrew, her husband, is hard working but sorts a getaway for them both inbetween treatments. The perfect retreat, she can recharge her batteries, recover and just the three of them, him, her and their dog Buttons.

The first part of the book deals in depth with Kate's struggles and really gives insight into how difficult life can be living with these chronic conditions. When you read the afterword it packs an additional punch, adding weight to what you have already read, I think anyone with these or similar health conditions will readily identify. Then we start to have an atmospheric buildup of events that prickle the hairs on the back of your neck before descending into chaos and horror. The later part of the book is spooky, creepy, freaky, brutal and gets the old heart racing.

I think before you pick this book up you need to be aware that it is almost split in two, the first half being very much about the wife's condition. It is absolutely required, it lets us understand so much about them as a couple, Kate herself as a character and everything that follows. I picked this up thinking it was going to be a horror right off the bat, it isn't but for me it really worked. I do enjoy a book that goes into health conditions anyway so it ticked boxes for me anyway. Then it flows into something else, creepy atmospheric scenes that if you have watched as many horrors as I have you get spooked by envisioning the scene vividly. Abandoned in the middle of nowhere, limited or no mobile service and you hear a noise, ooft, hairs standing up already on my arms. I love stuff like that, it isn't immediately in your face, the blatant horror comes but it has a build up. It doesn't always work for me, in this book it did. Please read the afterword and the my copy had a Q&A which gives a great insight into what the author experienced and went through bringing this book into print. This was my first dance with this author, it won't be my last, 4.5 for me this time, I think it could be a marmite book for some but if you go into it aware of the pace I think you will love it.

View all my reviews

The Mist by Stephen King

The Mist by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 176

Publisher - Scribner

Source - Gift from O/H

Blurb from Goodreads

In the wake of a summer storm, terror descends...David Drayton, his son Billy, and their neighbor Brent Norton join dozens of others and head to the local grocery store to replenish supplies following a freak storm. Once there, they become trapped by a strange mist that has enveloped the town. As the confinement takes its toll on their nerves, a religious zealot, Mrs. Carmody, begins to play on their fears to convince them that this is God’s vengeance for their sins. She insists a sacrifice must be made and two groups—those for and those against—are aligned. Clearly, staying in the store may prove fatal, and the Draytons, along with store employee Ollie Weeks, Amanda Dumfries, Irene Reppler, and Dan Miller, attempt to make their escape. But what’s out there may be worse than what they left behind.

This exhilarating novella explores the horror in both the enemy you know—and the one you can only imagine.


My Review

I seen the movie years ago so I knew the story and I think I got this mixed up with another book but still knew the jist. A mist comes and with it some unimaginable horrors, we see a group of survivors trapped within a supermarket. Glass windows, fog covering the sight to outside, pack mentality kicks in and it is only a matter of time before "they" get in.

This is such an atmospheric read, claustrophobic, terrifying, they are stuck indoors, the crowd eventually split over what they feel is right and should be done. When pulled from "civilisation" and their lives at risk sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

The monsters are horrific, the killings brutal, the breakdown of humanity equally as frightening because you can believe it. Tense, gory, King has a way with words and you find yourself turning the lights up and having a look out your window to make sure there is no strange fog coming. My issue with it, as with a few of King's books is how he wraps it up, I also wanted to know definitively what happened to some other aspects but overall I enjoyed it 3.5/5 for me this time. I really need to re watch the movie and I heard there is another version so I need to track that down and maybe re read afterwards.

View all my reviews