Furtherance by Joseph West is a short tale of drama, terror, and gore set in a home too far from any neighbors to hear the screams or gunshots.

Emma and Carl have moved from Chicago to a farmhouse built on land at the end of a dirt road. They’re looking forward to a fresh start, but with their first dinner party comes drama served up as the main course. Little do they know, dessert is about to get violent . . .

The action scenes here are intense and there’s a lot of blood! I mean, the last paragraph of chapter six, for example. It’s brutal and almost poetic.

While reading this story, I couldn’t help but compare this to a b-movie slasher with classic slasher-film characters that, while trying their best, make some silly decisions. This would make a fun Creepshow episode!

While I was super intrigued by the overall plot, there were a few things that took me a bit out of the story. Overall, still a good read!

The others made their way to the window to look, seeing the lone figure standing in the fields, staring at them. In the low light of the moon, the figure looked like a scarecrow, unmoving in the middle of the field. But they all knew it was a person.

“Motherfuckers, this house is a cardboard box. Some guy just punched through the fucking door. The reason he hasn’t come in here and killed us all is because he doesn’t want to, at least not yet. We have to hide!”

If you’re looking for a quick and dirty slasher, then this is a good pick!

Lessons In Demoralization by Nikki R. Leigh is a phenomenal collection of little terrors that will send goosebumps down your spine and along your arms, not just while reading, but long afterwards when a story pops back into your mind.

I had the opportunity to give this one an early read when it was with another publisher, so I was very excited to dive in now that the book has gone live and I was able to purchase a copy!

In a factory that makes people, each person is given a set of stories in which to learn from. Whether they remember the stories and understand the point, or shrug them off is another thing… this collection shares those tales, many of which are cautionary. 

Here are my notes on each:

When a man forces a woman to help him, the recipe calls for a sacrifice from the woman. Willing to do anything to get back to her wife, she completes the task. There’s just one thing the man didn’t think of… 

Oofh, this one made me feeble. This will make readers question what they would do in this woman’s shoes. And what an ending!

As the title states, this little thief decides to swallow a little urn to shoplift it. Little did she know, there was a genie inside! 

Oh man, readers are going to want to scream at the pages of this tale! The image that is burned into my brain from that final scene… I would love to see this illustrated.

After a break in, a witch makes a plan to make the boys regret crossing her. 

My goodness I loved this one! It’s short and sweet, flows wonderfully, and it has such wicked violence. 

A woman with a job title of Mortician for the Soul works by gathering seeds of sorrow in order the plant them into something else at the Crying Fields. A creative but heartbreaking look at grief. 

The Last Stop Sandwich Shop –

Dreading her summer job, this teen actually begins to enjoy the work and her friendship with another employee. But then odd things being to occur and the owner blames it on the “bread boy.”

My goodness, there were so many red flags at the start of this one! But seeing what actually plays out was terrifying! 

Green Thumbs Still Bleed Red –

After meeting up in a chance encounter, these two women start a whirlwind relationship centered around what brought them together in the first place, plants. But when the relationship starts to wither, one of them is determined not to let her plant die…

A wonderful tale of love, determination, and stubbornness. 

On a trip to the dentist, this little girl can’t wait to see her friend…

Yikes! Once you learn who the friend is… a powerful tale of getting what you wish for.

When approached by an old contact, this woman thinks she knows what this is. But she still buys a tube of face cream that the contact promises will make her look young  again. At least, until it doesn’t… 

What an intense twist on the good old pyramid scheme! I loved this one. It’s absolutely brutal. 

When a man concocts a terrible plan of shipping himself to his ex wife to get revenge, he can’t imagine it not going exactly as planned. But five days later, the box is finally opened. 

This one starts off so evil and gory, then we jump to such a fun twist! I loved this one! 

Receiving an invitation for a game, the prize money is too much to overlook. Of course, this game is much more than the contestants signed up for. 

I loved tales like this so much! Semi-SAW-like, and absolutely brutal! 

A very powerful story about the guilt of not taking action and speaking up. 

When a woman feels a lump in her armpit, she immediately fears that it’s cancer. But then, it moves. 

This one was so unsettling! As someone with a slew of health issues and anxiety, I can relate! I loved the focus on negative emotion and how they can quite literally grow. 

Death just doesn’t stick with this character. At least not yet. 

I loved this one! It’s a tale where readers won’t really know whats going on until the end! A great tale about curiosity and pushing the limits. 

When two murders meet up for their weekly drink to discuss their latest project, they soon split to take action. 

The thought of people actually doing this is so terrifying. This one is suspenseful and brutal! 

This tale starts out as the taping of a kids show, featuring a puppets teaching about biomes. 

Such a fun Jekyll and Hyde tale with a twist!

When a couple that just wants a date night finally gets a night out, they head to a drive in theater for a horror movie night. But there’s something off about the audio of the film…

Of all the horror tales you’ve seen about drive ins, I bet you’ve never seen anything like this!

Drawn to a town in the middle of nowhere, this woman is about to pick up some hitchhikers she wasn’t aware of.

This one was so unsettling! It will make your skin crawl for sure! 

Antsy for the big hunt that night, this crew walks around the neighborhood, preparing…

This was so fun! I loved the storyline idea. And the action was intense! 

A boy discovers an unusual power one day by accident, but thinking him a freak, he gets shipped off to the circus by his father where he becomes more of a prop than a member of the show…

Starting out with some intense and tragic body horror, the tale takes a sharp turn before winding down with a heartwarming ending. I loved this one! 

An overworked crew is forced to do even more overtime to prepare for the end of the fiscal period. Looming above them is a dark stain that has many rumors attached to it. Little do the employees know, it’s much worse than they think. 

Oofh, this one is so unsettling! I so wanted to know more about these people and their jobs. What brought them all there? Did anyone ever leave by choice?

When a new girl in town is invited to play a game of baseball, she’s a bit alarmed by the other team. But as the game goes on, she winds up having to make a choice that will change her life forever. 

This one immediately had me nervous to find out what would happen. The author puts wonderful little teasers in to guide readers along. 

The Creepus –

When two twin boys are asked to be brave and slowly move their beds apart, they are determined to be brave for their mom. But when a hand pops out of nowhere from between the beds, the unsuspecting boys will be changed forever.

This one is so spooky! It brings the monster under the bed to a while new level!

Stuffed animals are the keepers of childhood, protecting people from the barrage of reality, waxing nostalgic about that security years later.

He wished to pull himself together, but scattered, he remained.

This is such an awesome collection! When I first read this, I was blown away by the variety of tales that were included. During my second read through, I realized just how many of these stories burrowed themselves into my mind. Not only that, but I also realized that come up as passing thoughts quite frequently.

Horror fans, you don’t want to miss this one. There is so much here to discover!

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher is a story of friendship, fungi, and death. If you’re looking for an atmospheric gothic horror novel to sink into, then look no further!

I had no idea what to expect when opening this book. I had heard that it was a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher“, but as I hadn’t read that classic, I was excited to find out what was in store!

When the story begins, we meet our main character, Alex Easton, who is traveling to visit old friends, Madeline and Roderick Usher. The trip isn’t a fun one as Alex was visiting only after getting notice that Madeline is dying.

When approaching the manor, Alex is immediately wary. The building itself has seen better days and the land around it isn’t much either. But inside, when Alex first sees the old friends, the shock over the dreary manor and land quickly pales in comparison to the appearances of Madeline and Roderick.

As Alex spends more time at the manor, things only seem to get more strange.

From cover to cover, the atmosphere that the author has created here is so vivid that you can almost feel the damp and smell the musty air. The mystery that is laid out is a slow burn, but once the spark finally ignites, it’s an intense burn until the end!

I was so unsettled the whole time I was reading this. I caught myself rubbing my arms a few times while reading. Just thinking about what was going on with poor Madeline makes me want to do it again now!

Needless to say, this one got under my skin.

I did not know how to deal with this sort of death, the one that comes slow and inevitable and does not let go. I am a soldier, I deal in cannonballs and rifle shots. I understand how a wound can fester and kill a soldier, but there is still the initial wound, something that can be avoided with a little skill and a great deal of luck. Death that simply comes and settles is not a thing I had any experience with. 

This place breeds nightmares. 

It sounded ridiculous when I said it out loud. I was grasping at straws and I knew it. But to his credit, Denton was apparently willing to grasp those straws alongside me. 

There were three veterans at that table, battle-scarred soldiers who had served their countries honorably in more than one war . . . and all three of us screamed like small children and recoiled in horror.

We did not run. If we ran then we would have to admit that there was something to run from. If we ran, then the small child that lives in every soldier’s heart knew that the monsters could get up. So we did not run, but it was a near thing. 

If gothic horror is your jam, you’re going to LOVE this. I had a blast reading this one! It’s a book that certainly takes up residence in your mind and just keeps growing on you.

And let me tell you, this story will haunt you. Be prepared for the next time you see a short white hair on your body when you weren’t expecting to see one!

When Distilled From Rage by Shana Frost is the sixth book in the Aileen and Callan Murder Mysteries series. Just like the others, this is a novel of murder, secrets, and the determination to solve the latest case!

When Aileen is asked to look over the books at a local distillery, she dives right into the work, using her old forensic accountant skills. Sensing that something is very wrong, her work is interrupted by the sound of two gunshots nearby.

Like every other situation that Aileen finds herself in, she can’t help but to stubbornly continue to try to solve the original mystery she was brought in for, while also digging for answers with the newest case.

Spinning many plates, Aileen is worn out, but she won’t back down. But can her and Callan solve the case before another person is killed?

My goodness, the way that Shana mixes mystery and action with the small town charm will never cease to amaze me. That was certainly the case here. I really loved how quickly Isla jumped in to help Aileen when she needed support, and as always, how various townspeople look out for her as well.

Aileen and Callan were certainly faced with some troubling things here, and it was so nice to see them lean on one another for support rather than pushing each other away! I loved their usual antics that they displayed as well. I cannot wait to see where their relationship goes next.

A wild ride from beginning to end, I couldn’t put this one down!

She breathed through her nerves. A girl needed downtime, even if it included a bit of sleuthing. Especially if it included sleuthing.

Like a child denied his treat, the man folded his arms and stared out the window.

Humans were as strange and contradictory as butter and bruises.

‘Rage makes humans do wild things.’

I both love and hate that I devoured this one so quickly. I love it because it was such a great way to spend my Sunday afternoon, diving right back into the thick of things with Aileen and Callan. But I hate it, because now I have to wait for the next book to come out to see them again!

Needless to say, book six was a total hit for me. I’ll certainly have my eye out for book seven!

Sallow Bend by Alan Baxter is a tense and mysterious tale about brutal deaths that occur when a darkness overtakes a small town. But as always, there is light in the darkness!

Content Warnings: Forced suicide, mentions of rape, domestic abuse, alcoholism.

In the small town of Sallow Bend, there’s an old story that warns that misfortune comes to the town every so often. It starts with someone going missing, then people start to die. The problem? Only a few people seem to remember this, and when its discussed, others seem to forget right away.

When Claire and Suki, two teenage girls, go missing, they’re found by one of the carnival workers that had just rolled into town. But strangely, there was a third girl named Hester who was found with them, and everyone seems to know she had actually gone missing with the two other girls in the first place. Only one man, Caleb, can see through the facade. Everyone else seems to be under some kind of spell that makes their memories a bit slippery. 

Who is Hester? What does she have to do with the darkness that has settled over the town? And can Caleb figure it all out before he’s the next one to die? 

This entire story had me feeling anxious and tense. The darkness sets in early on, and things only get worse as time goes on. I loved not knowing what to expect with this one as I actually hadn’t even read the book description before diving in. The joys of picking up a book just by knowing the author’s previous works!

Tricia and Caleb were amazing characters to follow throughout this story. I loved each of them individually, but I loved them even more when they were together. They both had to overcome so much, but didn’t let it turn them into awful people. Instead, they let their experiences empower them to do what needed to be done. It was also wonderful to see their friendship grow over time. I especially loved Caleb and how hard he worked to open up.

The grief captured within this, while not a major focus of the tale, really packed quite the punch and was mixed in perfectly with the terror and violence that was all around it.

I had so much fun reading this story! While I loved the ending, I also couldn’t help but want more! I wasn’t ready to let these characters go.

The forest was gloomy, but the summer sun regularly pierced the thick canopy, lancing down to the leaf litter in bright shards alive with dust motes and floating pollen. Low, twisting vines and dark green ground cover swarmed over thick roots that made walking a treacherous effort if he stopped paying attention.

In all honesty he was glad of Steve’s story because it forewent the need for any kind of regular conversation. He could happily spend time among people if one of them simply spun a yearn. That was just like a living book.

The air had a chill to it that raised gooseflesh on their arms, their footsteps strangely loud. As they got close, Riley felt as though even the woods held their breath. Tension hung in the air, a sensation of taut expectation.

The thing in him that had snapped that day still whipped loosely around the back of his mind, like a broken powerline in a storm.

Caleb narrowed his eyes, saw that her features were shifted ever so slightly, as if they were wax and she’d been too near a fire. Or out too long in the sun.

Caleb pursed his lips to think about that. “I think people have an incredible ability to forget things they don’t like, and to make the same mistakes over and over again,” he said eventually.

Another must-read from Mr. Baxter! This story will suck you right into its darkness. Your anxiety of what’s to come lighting the way to see the tale through.

Dragonfly Summer by J.H. Moncrieff is a story about forgotten memories, lies, and the lengths in which some will go through to cover up horrible behavior. 

When Jo receives a newspaper clipping in the mail, she is shocked to realize that some of her memories are very foggy. She remembers just enough to be drawn back to her hometown, but she hits dead end after dead end as she tries to remember fully. However, thanks to her tenacity, she starts to slowly regain some memories as she digs deeper.

Unfortunately, a few people in town aren’t thrilled that she’s come back after so many years to stir things up. She’s met with hysterics, anger, and violence. But what’s worse, is that someone has her in their sights, and they’re not about to let her get too close to getting the answers she craves. 

I went into this one knowing nothing about it other than the fact that it’s from J.H. Moncrieff. Phew, was it a doozy! This book is filled with difficult subjects so please tread lightly if you have sensitivities. 

I really enjoyed slowly getting to know Jo as she recovered events from her past. She was such a strong character but my heart broke for her for many of the things she went through. 

The build up to the intense ending was amazing! It had me totally captivated and fearing the worst! 

Per usual from J.H. Moncrieff, the writing was lovely. The author has an amazing way of sucking readers right in!

Nothing changed in Clear Springs. A young woman might vanish, but life carried on, same as before.

There it was. The million-dollar question. As Jo saw it, she had two choices. She could lie like pavement. Or she could tell them the truth.

The woods smelled like Christmas. As much as Jo loved the city, this was where she belonged. She’d come of age surrounded by forests and lakes, and

though she resisted, the outdoors spoke to her in a way concrete and steel never would.

One could tackle any challenge with a belly full of carbs. 

Jo hadn’t been scared of the dark until she’d learned how evil men use the darkness as camouflage; in the sweltering heat of a new moon, the deadly business of a machete will be felt long before it’s seen.

If there was ever a night she needed to be alone with a warm bath and some pizza, this was it. 

J.H. has another killer mystery here that certainly doesn’t shy away from the darkness. 

I had an awesome time reading this! I highly recommend checking it out if your a fan of mysteries that don’t hold any punches. 

It Came From The Sea by Matt Wildasin is a tale of horror set in a seaside town where the monsters aren’t the only things to be feared.

Something has floated into the shallows on a public beach in this local seaside town. When people first spot it, they are unsure if it’s trash or a living thing. But whatever it is, they soon learn that it should be feared.

This thing is forcefully drawing people into the water, but of course, the creature doesn’t stop there! Soon, creatures begin to come out of the water searching for more fresh blood. Some people try to get as far from the shore as possible.

But can anyone really avoid the call of the sea for long?

From horses that roam the area with dark tentacles to arachnid fish, the creatures here were absolutely terrifying! The descriptions of their physical appearance alone was chilling enough, but then to see what they are capable of with their strength and methods of attack? Big yikes!

I loved the format of this one! It is almost set up like a collection of short stories where each chapter could almost stand on its own if it wanted to, as each one gives an eerie look at what is going on from a different perspective. However, each chapter brings the readers closer to learning what is happening as we rotate through the various main characters. 

In one path, we meet two old men who meet up at a local eatery every week who are determined to save some of the people they see in the trance. In another, we follow a little boy and his family that are vacationing in the area. In a third, we watch a woman deal with a nasty crowd at her work. In each tale, the characters deal with terrifying events while just trying to survive.

Readers will find it very difficult to put this one down. You’ll just want to keep going to see what happens next!

The crowd was cheering for the bloodshed. What was supposed to be a normal day slinging fruit smoothies turned into a nightmare in a matter of minutes.

Outside the restaurant, a number of people walking along the boardwalk abruptly halted as if frozen. As if they were all tuned together, they unanimously turned toward the sea and started walking off in its direction. “Zombies!” was Larry’s first thought, but he quickly dashed it aside as those things only happen in movies.

Without hesitation, Beth took off roaring down the empty wrong lane at speeds that would make a Nascar driver proud.

The other bystanders hollered and cried at the sight of the body. His head resembled a deflated balloon and barely clung onto what was left of his neck.

She knew well that a child’s mind was like a steel trap; it’s hard to get things in, but even harder to get certain things out.

Fear really brings out the true monster in all of us.

If you’ve been feeling the call to the sea recently, perhaps you should hold off on that trip and give this a read instead.

I had such a blast reading It Came From The Sea. Horror set near the ocean is always a hit for me, and this one sure knocked it out of the park.

I’m going to be second guessing my urges to go to the beach for a long while after reading this one! And whenever I do go, I am most certainly going to remember this tale when I see something in the water and find myself trying to squint to see what it is. Perhaps it’s safer if I don’t know…

A Bunch of Fives by James Flynn is a collection of short stories that successfully leaves readers feeling how the author had hoped; like they’ve had a blow to the face. 

My goodness, each story in this collection was so dark in its own way! I loved that they were all so different! Not just in the themes and levels of intensity, but when looked at as the overall flow of the story as well. 

Dataism is the one stand out from this collection for me. The thought of living in that world is absolutely terrifying!

Per usual, here are my notes on each tale.

Preface 

This is the most fitting and funny preface I’ve read in a long while! Readers, you’re going to love the metaphor here!

Mack and Eric travel to an island in search of the rumored Càn Giò Creature. One is excited, one is skeptical. The skeptic changes his mind once they discover what’s really going on on the island. But will they both leave?

This tale is so chilling. I love any story set in remote areas, so I was super excited to see what these two would uncover. There is a surgery involved that goes into some body horror, so tread lightly there if that concerns you. 

This tale can be boiled down to this one chilling passage: “We’re living in the digital age whether you like it or not.” 

Imagine a world where literally everything was to be posted online. You have zero privacy. If you go against the ways of the new world, you go to prison. 

That’s exactly what happened the the main character here as he was caught with a journal of private thoughts he refused to upload. 

I hate the thought of this type of work so much. I would be right there with the main character, hating everyone second of the internet focused society. I have my limits with the current state, I cannot imagine being forced to do everything on camera. I can barely handle work zoom meetings!

When a sex crazed man finds out that he’s going to be the father of triplets after a one night stand, he goes to extreme measures… 

This one wasn’t for me, but I saw it through. The reveal toward the end was jaw dropping! 

Obsessed with money, this man spends all his time trying to increase the number in his bank account. But slowly over time, he becomes more obsessed with freedom as he cuts away anything that costs him money. 

This story was wild! I was so nervous that something bad was going to happen. The anxiety this one filled me with! Phew!

When a hit man is approached with a job, he doesn’t ask anything other than where. On the night of the hit, he’s shocked to see who his target was. 

This tale was so eerie! Just creeping through the house was anxiety-inducing enough, then add to it the horrors he found? Yikes! 

A must-read for fans of unsettling horror that forces you to think about the themes, whether you want to or not. This was a wicked collection of nightmares! 

The Portal by Russell James is a tale about terrifying and brutal events that occur on an island off the coast that becomes totally cut off from the mainland when the devil comes to town, determined to carry out his mission.

When a black speedboat cruises up to the docks of this small island called Stone Harbor, the man that steps off has a dark air about him that immediately sets off anyone that crosses paths with him.

Dreading that history is about to repeat itself, the local pastor begins to prepare just in time for the first death to occur… But will he be able to put a stop to things before the body count begins to rise?

This story had such a chilling slow-build. Once the first death occurs, it’s a fast paced sprint to the end. There were so many scenes that had me holding my breath! A couple scenes even had me shout “NO!” out loud.

The first element that drew me into this story was the fact that it took place on an island that you had to take a ferry to. As a born and raised islander from Maine, this really hit home for me! Though this island had a lot more on it than my hometown did!

The second element that drew me in was learning more about the main characters as the plot thickened. At every turn, I feared the worst! I was pleasantly surprised at some turn of events, but others were more brutal or heartbreaking than I ever could have imagined! I was immediately drawn to a number of the characters, and wished for a happy ending for them!

Then we have the terror and brutality that will raise goosebumps on readers arms! There’s some very intense body horror here that had me squirming, and the sense of dread around what’s to come was absolutely chilling!

This tale certainly forces readers to question what they would do if they were stuck on an island with absolutely no connection to the mainland, and the devil and all of his minions were keeping them trapped, but could kill them at any moment.

In the way fire generates heat, this disk generated the opposite, as if it absorbed the energy and warmth from everything around it. But it wasn’t a feeling of cold so much as a feeling of…darkness, an absence of life. An emptiness scarier than anything Scott had ever felt.

Blood splatter painted the air in a rosy mist. 

Russel James certainly has a creative way of mixing elements of everyday life into a terror filled bloodbath! I had a blast reading this book!

If you enjoy spooky reads with a lot of tension and violence, then this will be a hit for you! Just prepare yourselves before taking the trip to Stone Harbor!

Swamp Monster Massacre by Hunter Shea is a total gore-fest of a creature feature!

If you’re looking for a book that’s just all out intensity from start to finish, then look no further.

When a group of people are about to leave for a quick trip to explore the Everglades, their boat is hijacked by a man running from three men with guns.

Terrified, the people on the boat won’t just sit back and let him take them as hostages. But when their attack leads to the crashing of the boat, they soon realize they’re in much more trouble than being watched over by a man with a gun. But not having a working boat isn’t the worst of it. They’ve also killed something bizarre and it’s mother wants vengeance. 

Running for their lives, this crew tries to get through the swamp to an old hideaway while trying to avoid snakes, gators, heatstroke, and dehydration. But they’re also being hunted, and one by one, they’re dying.

Right from the start, the action and terror kicks in and it only gets worse!

I had a blast reading this, but I definitely had my shoulders tensed throughout! I was so nervous to see what would happen next, but also couldn’t wait to see the next kill play out. Many of them caught me totally off guard, right along with the characters in their desperate state.

I read this one from cover to cover in one sitting!

A hush fell over the swamp as it waited for the first sign of life to make itself known. 

All around him, bodies began to move. Groans of pain and confusion were everywhere, even coming from places he couldn’t see. It was like one of those zombie flicks where the dead all rise from their graves at the same time.

Heat like this, dehydration was going to be on them quicker than a fart through an asshole.

I have never once felt the urge to visit the Everglades, and this book certainly nails that coffin closed! Between the heat, the bugs, the gators, and the snakes, I’m already all set. But to think about what else could be lurking out there? Big no thank you!

Looking for an intense creature feature with many brutal scenes, but one scene specifically that will turn your stomach and make you rage right along with the main character? Then this will be a hit for you!