A Darker Shade by Laura K. Curtis is a chilling suspense romance that will keep readers peeking through their fingers to try to see through to the happy ending while it looks like the story is on a crash course toward the worst.

If you can’t already guess, I was hooked!

This had everything I look for when I read tales that are in the romance genre; a wonderful character that you root for from page one, a tense setting, obstacles to overcome, and a heartwarming ending that will make you tear up and want to cheer.

But don’t let that distract you from the other keyword when describing this book! It was also wickedly suspenseful and chilling!

But about the plot! In this tale, we have a city girl named Molly who has been sent out to a remote home in Maine to be a live in nanny and tutor. Her goal is to build a relationship with twelve year old Liza, who has stopped speaking after she lived through a trauma. There’s a lot of money at stake if Molly succeeds with that goal, and that money can go a very long way for her and her family.

But when she arrives, it’s clear that things aren’t going to be as easy as she had hoped. The owner tries to dismiss her immediately, the other woman staying at the house with her fourteen year old daughter is harsh and conniving, and to make matters worse, Molly can sense darkness in this home.

For a time, the two girls, Liza and Hailey, keep Molly busy. It’s all mainly lighthearted day-to-day events, sprinkled with a bit of drama. But then when the story begins to steer into the suspense side of things, it gets really intense!

Watching Molly grow over just a short time was wonderful. She already had a pretty good head on her shoulders when she entered the house, and she was able to quickly adapt to any situation that was thrown at her. By the end of the book, I just wanted to give her a hug!

All of the supporting characters were intriguing. Liza was an easy character to love as well. The rest I was a bit wary of. When some of them started showing their true colors, it was a bit of a shock! A couple of them had me rooting for them in one way or another.

And of course, as this story was set in Maine I just have to make a note of that. I loved seeing things I could easily recognize having lived there! Like the pizza place with the big wood-fire brick oven and farm to table menus that overlooked the bay. And I chuckled at the note about how quick the drive through the city was.

A child of concrete and glass, I had never lived outside of a city. In my experience, nature was carefully bottled up in parks and zoos, constrained by walls, gates, and cages. Here it edged so close to the tarmac that it seemed ready to break through, as if at any moment we might take a blind curve and find the road buckled by the gnarled roots of giant trees.

A shudder shook me and goosebumps crawled over my skin like an army of spiders.

As I read, the room closed in, shadows clustering and reaching for us until it seemed the walls themselves leaned forward, listening. So clear, so sure was the sense of presence that I could not help sneaking glances toward the dusky, darkened corners, searching for whoever might stand there. But we were alone.

One thing about Maine – if you’re looking for something strange, you’ll find it here.

The shadows in the hall shifted and stretched with the movement of the trees in the wind outside, reaching for us until we flipped the light switch in the ballroom.

Laura’s writing style is one that is sure to pull readers in with its shadowy hands. For a while, you’ll think you’re in control as you read along, but then you’ll notice that the grip has gotten tighter, and you won’t be able to pull away until you’ve reached the last page!

This is a must read for fans of suspense mixed with a little romance! I had an absolute blast reading this. This needs to be a film!

House of Lazarus by T.L. Bodine is a tale about a reanimation virus that the media is portraying as the media does… Only sharing some information while covering up other info that the public should hear.

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

As the second book, the author does an amazing job kicking this one off! She starts out with a notice and then a news article that is sure to capture readers attention! Then we dive into chapter one where our main character, Davin, is just waking up. During his slow move out of bed and into the kitchen, we get info that catches us up to speed about what’s going on. Specifically that he’s a member of the undead. 

Davin is still in pretty rough shape, but it’s no worse than the usual. However, in addition to the stress of trying to stay under the radar as an unregistered undead, Davin is also dealing with some growing pains in his relationship with Randy.

But while the personal stress bubbles over, our crew of characters still have to stay alert as they begin to get bits and pieces of information. It all seems like random things that don’t make sense until one day, some of these puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. They quickly learn that there’s something sinister going on here with a pharmaceutical company that’s up to no good, but just how far does this go?

This crew is determined to find out.

I had so much fun reading this follow up tale. The pacing was wonderful. I couldn’t help but stay totally captivated, even when my nerves kicked in over being fearful for the characters.

I love how much of the real world is added into this story. Whether it’s small things like discussing store brand cereal, or more intense items such as Davin struggling to pay the bills and relationship drama. Seeing Davin and Randy go through a rough-patch broke my heart though. I just want to see them both happy and stable!

I love all of the characters dearly, but my favorite is the sister, a teenage youtube journalist named Zoe. I love her determination and interest in all things related to the undead. Her passion for what she does and how she remains a positive force is wonderful to see in a young adult character who has had life throw lemon after lemon at her. I loved seeing her kick back at least for a moment for her birthday, even if she was right back to her research moments after the gifts were opened.

As the end of the book neared, I slowed down, trying to make it last as long as possible. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here!

Nobody chooses to live in a town like this. You just sort of end up here because it’s where you were born and you never got a chance to leave, or else something clawed at you to drag you back.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness probably never had his electricity shut off.

Overhead, the sky threatens rain. The sun slides behind clouds, mid-morning light growing prematurely shaded. The temperature drops, the wind changing from crisp to bone-chilling, a cutting knife-point.

A half dozen different trains of thought run brokenly through my head, swirling and eddying together so I can’t see where one though ends and the next one picks up — just one long chain of confusing ideas.

Inaction is its own kind of choice.

They say you can lighten a burden by sharing it, but sometimes the horror just spreads and grows and replicates instead. Sometimes trauma is a virus, infinite copies in infinite hosts.

T’s writing style is so engaging. Right from page one, the story had its teeth in me. I couldn’t stop reading until I had reached the final page. I’m so antsy to see what happens next if we get a third story! You can bet I’ll be diving in right away when it’s released!

For fans of zombies, specifically tales like Warm Bodies, this is a must read for you! Just make sure to pick up River of Souls first!

Damned Hunger by Aiden Merchant is a short collection of tales that serves up terrors centering around being somewhere that these characters shouldn’t have gone. From being chased by something that is hunting a person, to the cursed ground that is literally consuming people, this collection is sure to keep readers hearts pumping!

This collection kicks off with a note about the content and directs readers to the back of the book if they would like to see potential trigger warnings. I love seeing this so much! Aiden has always been so open and clear with potential content/trigger warnings, and I appreciate seeing it every time!

Per usual, here are my notes on each tale in this collection:

I love when authors give readers insight into what’s to come! This one also made me even more excited for the upcoming collection!

Set in the Pray universe!

What a piece to kick off this collection! This one was tense from the start and fast paced throughout. What a chase! 

When two kids see a disc of static hovering above the grass in a field, of course their curiosity gets the best of them. Then go through the static into another world, but this isn’t just fun and games… I was so nervous for these two! Around every corner I kept hoping they would see the static return for them before it was too late. 

When a fourteen year old boy goes to his usual spot in the woods, he just wants some time to explore. But when he finds a bunch of holes where something that tunneled out of, his curiosity is too strong to ignore. Armed with his trusty BB gun, he keeps telling himself not to be afraid, but perhaps he should have listened to his inner voice. This one was so eerie and such a perfect creature tale.

In this tale, three teenage boys go to a carnival in their town, but one boy is very hesitant from the start. The last time he was on the property, something odd happened that he hasn’t been able to explain. I freaking love carnival horror! The thought of something going wrong at a place like this is already terrifying, but this situation is especially terrifying!

The trees that surround you are heavy with powder, their limbs reaching toward the ground as they moan for relief. 

It happened so quickly that Kevin wasn’t sure he’d actually seen it. The ground beneath Mick’s feet suddenly surged up and over Mick like a slime, covering and silencing him. Then, just as swiftly, it sunk back down and leveled, as if nothing ever happened. Mick was gone. 

While short, these tales all pack plenty of horror within. When you pick this one up, kick back and enjoy an hour of reading that will chill you and leave you antsy to get your hands on the upcoming collection, Sickness in Season. I know I can’t wait!

Someone to Share My Nightmares: Stories by Sonora Taylor is a collection of short stories and poems that blend horror with sensuality in a way that will leave readers lusting for more!

When Sonora out out a call for early readers of this collection, I reached out right away. I couldn’t wait to dive in, and this collection certainly didn’t disappoint!

Per usual, first things first; How amazing is the cover art by Doug Puller?! I’m obsessed!

Another feature that I have to give a shout out for appears after the Table of Contents. There is a page with a quick note that there is a list of content warnings that can be found at the back of the book. I absolutely love when authors do this!

Sonora really shows off her skills here as a writer. Each story was so different, but at the same time they blend so well together within the collection itself. I really enjoyed seeing the variety here and I loved that I never knew what to expect next not only from tale to tale, but within each story itself. The variety with the sexy elements was also broad and covered a lot of different relationships from the everyday relationship pairings, to the more fantasy and horror themed relationships.

And as always with her work, Sonora has an amazing way of writing that really paints a picture for readers.

This collection was an absolute blast to read!

Per usual here are my notes on each tale:

Such a wonderful foreword! I love V and her writing and it was so exciting to see her introduce this collection. She wrote one passage that I had to share:

“I absolutely love sex written into horror by women. The combination is a pointed edge pressed into your mind and flesh with just enough pressure to stimulate, but not hurt.“

I had previously said that I’ll read anything except the more erotic novels and stories. But after reading from V herself and discussing the topic on the Dead Headspace podcast, I realized that V was absolutely correct. 99% of the sex that I had read and had my stomach churn from was all written by men. Most of it was far into the extreme, torture porn side of things, rather than sex scenes being added into the story as something more natural. And it’s not that I will avoid all sex scenes written by men, but having this lightbulb go off was definitely helpful for me to grow as a reader.

The woods in this town are odd. The trees look dead or bend in odd shapes, and the locals know to stay away from them. Well, most of the locals. Kristin can’t help but wander the woods in both the daylight hours and in her nightmares. When a stranger comes into the bar one evening, Kristin and the man, Joshua, begin to chat. But just where this night is headed is not what either of them were hoping for. This one was so unsettling! I kept anxiously waiting to see where this tale would go. 

This tale is just one page but man does it pack a punch! It starts out so beautiful but then gives readers a jolt of realization. The tale is still beautiful, but it is a blend of beauty and darkness!

When Connie calls a plumber to take a look at the pipes, she was hoping for them to look at more than the literal pipes. When Connie arrives, the two talk briefly and start heading down that path, but when noises start coming from the walls, their night is about to take a terrifying turn. I loved the spookiness of this one!

A wonderful quick poem about a man trying to craft a woman just to his liking. But will she stand for it? 

This was my second read of this one having first read it in the We Are Wolves Anthology. The smart home element of this one is so interesting and unsettling! But phew, I was even more disgusted with what a nasty man Charles is the this time around!

WOW. What a determined woman. I would do a lot for my favorite candy, but I wouldn’t go nearly this far. This one was a hoot! I loved the very last scene so much.

My goodness. Fans of eco horror set on the water, buckle in for this story! When a woman named Camila heads to a cabin to isolate herself and do research, her approach on the last stretch to the cabin makes her wish she hadn’t tried to isolate herself so much. There are things in the water, and they’re attacking… She gets to land, but what will she do next? And how will she get out of there? This one was terrifying! I’m petrified of things like leeches and ticks, so these creatures really freaked me out. This tale also had a wonderful romance arc that added a lovely layer to the situation. 

When Carrie met Cody, they were attracted to one another immediately. But when she finds out he’s a vampire, she needs to make a tough decision. Later on, when the honeymoon phase has passed, she’s worried that she made the wrong decision. This tale was lovely. While it centered upon their relationship, I loved that it was also focused on true love and always trying to make any issue better in order to stay together… for now.

When a young girl spots a demon outside her window, her interest is piqued. When she sees him again when she’s older, she develops a lust. Rather than fading away through her teenage years, it just grows stronger and her quest to follow the lust through begins. Lighter on the spookiness, this one centers mainly on the lust and how far someone will go to meet their needs.

Evil, like goodness, is very much human; and all we can do when we see it is try to stop it.

Lydia found other ways to clash with her mother, though. It seemed with every inch she grew, they lost another ounce of patience with each other.

The blend of horror and sex here is so well done. It’s so natural and unlike tales I had read in the past where sex is added for the sake of having it in there or simply for shock value.

I also really love how real-world many of Sonora’s stories are, even when they are sprinkled with the horrific and the fantastical elements.

This is definitely a collection you’ll want to keep your eye on if you like spooky and sexy reads!

Often with true crime books, shows, or films, the focus lies mainly on the stories of who was involved and what happened, but they don’t always get to the why.

In RedHanded: An Exploration of Criminals, Cannibals, Cults, and What Makes a Killer Tick by Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire, these two true crime podcasters dove into the science and psychology behind what can make someone a killer.

I’m obsessed with the RedHanded podcast. I was shown this show by my friend Amber, and after listening to just one episode, I was hooked. I unfortunately fell behind in listening, so I totally missed the mentions of the book. When the publicist reached out to ask if I would be interested in reading a copy, I couldn’t believe it! Of course I was interested! The day this arrived on my porch, I cracked it open and started reading.

Of course, you do not need to have listened to the podcast if you want to read this, but knowing these two and how they speak may help you understand some of the humor and jokes included.

If you snag this one, you’ll want to buckle in before letting Suruthi and Hannah explain the various factors that may come into play on an individual’s path toward murder… Per usual, these two don’t hold their punches!

Within the pages of this book, they have broken out the information in sections that include:

In each section, you’ll learn a ton while also getting real world examples to quench your true crime thirst. I was so impressed with the research that these two did and how many studies they were able to pull in to discuss. Of course, if you wanted to learn more, all of the studies are referenced at the back of the book.

I really loved hearing Suruthi and Hannah’s voices really shine through in this book. Not only in the storytelling or the explanations, but also in the quick jabs that were thrown here and there to keep readers from spiraling into a dark pit of anxiety due to the subject matter.

The subheaders were also very clever! Some were straightforward, some were cheeky, and some were added for the laugh.

My Favorite Passages from RedHanded

Most killers tend to develop their own code of ethics; after all, no one is the monster in their own story (that’s why your ex-boyfriend still has friends).

Never trust a fucker who learned to drive in a fancy car. 

So it’s important to understand that joining a cult and staying in a cult isn’t about intelligence. It’s about abuse, and anyone can fall victim to that. 

But firstly, no one wears a negligee to bed; many have tried, all have morphed into Sweatzilla and given up. These days women wear their favorite true crime podcast’s merch covered in dog/cat hair to bed. 

We are obsessed with fear and death, and our obsession with true crime is a sort of controlled fear. 

While this was a disturbing read that made me double check my locks at the end of the day before the night set in, I had a blast reading and learning more.

This is a must read for true crime fans.

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones is an unnerving story of prank gone very, very wrong.

When Sawyer and his friends pull out an old mannequin that they used to play with for one last hurrah, they decide to do a prank on their friend who is working at a local theater. The prank is planned out thoughtfully, but when the big day comes, things don’t go as expected. From Sawyer’s perspective, the mannequin, held together with wooden dowels and duct tape, gets up and walks out of the theater.

From there, Sawyer finds himself on a very slippery slope.

Throughout the book, Sawyer was constantly searching for the logic behind what was going on, but he never stopped to really ask himself if his thoughts were actually logical or just excuses to get him through…

So Shanna got a new job at the movie theater, we thought we’d play a fun prank on her, and now most of us are dead, and I’m really starting to feel kind of guilty about it all. 

I’d read Frankenstein in AP English, so I knew you don’t just walk away from your creations. Not without consequences.

Sometimes you just know what you’re doing is the only thing to be doing. That the world is conspiring all around you to make it happen, like, not just giving you permission, but herding you the direction you need to go, giving you secret nods and obvious hand signals, and getting everything out of the way so you have the clearest path possible. 

While I was interested in the plot overall, the repetition of the teenagers thoughts kept pulling me out of the read. As always, that’s just my personal irk with content; the repetition worked perfectly for this story, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

However, I am already looking forward to returning to this one again at a later date! I’d also kill to see this on the big screen!

This is a must read for fans of horror that will make you want to grab and shake the main character to make them see sense in a dire time! It’s dark, it’s brutal, and it certainly makes you question things! But the biggest question of all you’ll be asking yourself is, can I trust my friends?

Melancholia by Matt Wildasin is a gut-wrenching tale about a girl that makes a devastating choice that changes everything. Filled to the brim with body horror, this is a book that will suck you in and continuously make you lose your breath as it hits you again and again with the terror.

Content Warning: Suicide

“How did I let it get to this?”

If only there was a checkpoint that came up sooner, before people found themselves asking that question…

When this story kicks off, we meet our main character, Sarah, as she is about to commit suicide. We suddenly jump to Sarah sitting in a car in the woods. But there’s something off here… Sarah soon learns that she’s not in the world that she was used to. In this world, she will need to confront monsters and battle her inner demons in order to get out.

Each of the creatures in this tale were so unsettling. I loved that Matt had such a variety here as readers never knew what to expect around each corner. Each monster was so unique but had very specific details about them that readers should pay attention to.

The mirror creature was the most terrifying being to me! The thought of encountering this thing and debating with myself whether or not I would choose to look directly at it as both options had terrifying results sent me down a doozy of a thought spiral.

Of course, I need to talk about our main character, Sarah. My heart broke for her. The opening scene is horrible and upsetting and even without knowing her yet, I was very sad to see where she wound up in just a few short paragraphs. As we got to get to know her more as the book carried on, I really empathized with her; it was her anger, when thinking everything was a trick, it was in the wallowing in the negatives and not focusing enough on the positives, and in not being able to ask for help that was all so familiar to me.

When I was in college, I hit my rock bottom with my depression and anxiety. I almost did something that I couldn’t take back. Having lived through that experience, I could relate to Sarah so much as I felt like I could step right into her shoes having been in a similar space. Reading this felt very therapeutic to me. While I can’t say reading this book would necessarily have helped me back when I was really struggling, it sure helped me now to finally process some of those lingering feelings and frustrations.

Thank you, Matt!

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Before her was a dense sprawling forest of evergreen trees partially obscured a cloudless amber-toned sky. The ground was covered with a heavy damp-looking moss that let off a light steam of evaporating dew from the escalating early morning temperatures. From beneath the moss, large chunks of white quartz protruded out in random angles and clumps. Hearty fern bushes escaped out from beneath the imprisoning stones and moss, creating a serene and almost magical environment. Unfortunately, that serenity came accompanied with an overbearing sense of dread and isolation.

Right before her eyes, and much to her dismay, Sarah watched helplessly as the glass window materialized out of thin air, stretching majestically over the space like ice forming on water.

She was tired of fighting. She had nothing more to give to the cause of survival.

As she grew older, her appreciation for little things dwindled, and she took more and more for granted. The clouds, for example, that she used to lay and watch for hours became less majestic and more of an under-appreciated detail in her life. It reached a point where nothing held the magnificence that it once did because she became so fixated on her own internal struggles. Her narrow mindedness caused her to lose the admiration that she once had for the moments and things that had once brought her joy.

While this may be a difficult read for some, I very highly recommend it! The path that Matt takes readers on is true gut-punch emotional horror at it’s finest.

Haunt by Ryan Meyer is a collection of poetry that centers around loss, death, and darkness.

First things first, I love that some of the titles are from songs from bands. Two titles were from Chevelle songs, and you bet I spent the next few days at work listening to nothing but Chevelle! 

This collection has poems about death, loss, and other dark things such as watching someone you love get addicted to drugs, inviting darkness in, sacrificing, letting go, and much more.

My favorite poems from the collection include the following titles:

The variety here is wonderful. Some poems started off upbeat and fun before taking a dark turn, while some started spooky and only got more intense from there. Some were sweet and heartwarming all the way through with just a sprinkle of darkness, like If You Haunted My Room. 

Even in length there was a variety here! Some poems were a few pages, such as Nothing Peak and Where You Though the Answers Were, while some were just a couple of stanzas. 

I absolutely loved the continuation of the poem that appeared in installments; I. II. III. IV. and V. The first poem kicked off in a terrifying jolt and then we slowly get more insight as the poems continue on. While I was really enjoying each tale along the way, I was always pumped when I saw another of the these poems pop up.

Carved was one of my favorites! I loved how eerie this one was and then it ends with a bang! The formatting of the text was also really fun!

There was also a lot of mentions of someone right behind “them.” Whether it was feeling breath on their neck, sensing someone behind them, or other similar situations. Each time something like that occurred, it only got more spooky. 

One more quick note, I loved that some of the poem titles led directly into the poem itself as the first line. This is so clever! I don’t think I had seen this done before so that was really exciting for me.

I loved this collection of horror poems. For fans of darkness and beauty in the horror that is life, this is a must read. It’s so wonderfully written and the entire collection is well organized. This will have you stopping between each poem to savor what you have just read before moving on to the next.

The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales by Eric LaRocca is a collection of eight tales that will unsettle you deeply as you ingest the story as quickly as you can to see what happens next within each tale.

These tales center around what it means to be human and the fears that come along with it. In just eight tales, we see dark fears such as the loss of a parent, intrusive thoughts, giving your all to someone that doesn’t feel the same, and so much more!

Buckle up before diving into this one, and enjoy!

Per usual, here are my thoughts about each tale included in the collection:

You Follow Wherever They Go – Five Stars

With major My Chemical Romance Black Parade vibes, this tale is about a thirteen year old that is preparing to go out into the world on her own as her father moves on to his next adventure. Heartbreaking and anxiety-filled, this tale is sure to hit you with a slew of emotions. 

Bodies Are for Burning – Five Stars

A woman named Hailey who is struggling with grief has another affliction; she imagines bodies being burned and actually enjoyed watching her wife be cremated. Her therapist assures her that she has nothing to worry about with these thoughts as there is a difference between thought and action. But when Hailey’s sister asks her to watch her niece, Grace, who is just a small child, she isn’t so sure it’s just intrusive thoughts that she needs to be worried about.

A major lesson from this one, when someone says it’s not a good idea for them to watch your kid… listen to them. This one gave me stomach cramps while reading. 

The Strange Thing We Become – Four Stars

CW: Cancer, cheating

When a woman is forced to watch the one she loves whither away due to an advanced cancer diagnosis, we visit her inner thoughts as read through an online forum.

At each turn of this narrative, your heart will shatter for this poor woman who only ever wanted the best for her wife. 

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There – Four Stars

Being together for almost three years has taken this couple on quite the journey. Now, one is giving anything to the other if he asks, but this relationship doesn’t go both ways; one always gives and one only takes… until one day the giver decides it is time to take.

Is there anything more earth shattering than realizing the one you would do anything for is ready to write you off completely? This one is body horror at its finest. I was so uncomfortable reading this one! The ending was perfect! 

You’re Not Supposed to Be Here – Five Stars

In this tale, a gay couple is forced to play a game with a couple that approached them one day in the park… and what a doozy of a game it was! The stakes are very high and it’s not just their fingers that are at risk, it’s their six month old son.

This tale first appeared in an earlier copy of two tales that was titled, A Bright Enchanted Suffering, before it was pulled in order to add more stories that became this collection. It was just as nerve-wracking to read the second time around! This is one of those stories that really makes you question what you would do if you were in the same situation… 

Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass – Five Stars

While a man and his daughter are on vacation, the man is approached by stranger who appears to know many private things about him. The man says he can predict when things will happen and offers up a way to avoid death. The father isn’t convinced and wants to protect his daughter, but will he be able to, or are the gears already in motion?

This tale was the second story that appeared in an earlier copy of A Bright Enchanted Suffering. My second read through was even more stressful than the first! Knowing what was going to happen ramped up the anxiety as I watched it all play out and saw some of the foreshadowing I had missed before.

I’ll Be Gone by Then – Four Stars

When her elderly mother is sent over from Italy, the main character of this story is conflicted; part of her knows this is her responsibility, but she also doesn’t feel like she should be burdened with this as they don’t have much of a relationship. She’s also very overwhelmed with how much she will need to do for her mother. Her mind begins to wander toward ways to get rid of her…

PHEW. Getting old and having no one to care for me is one of my biggest fears so my heart hurt for this mother. But at the same time, I could easily understand the main characters struggle with how wonderfully Eric got us into her head. And that ending…

Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You – Four Stars

A middle-aged son with complicated feelings about his father are on a hike to visit the plot in which the father wishes to be buried. On the hike, the son battles with telling his father how he feels. But if he does, how will his father react?

This one made me so uncomfortable. What a tale to end this collection on!

As I return to the house, I notice the thoughts—once shrieking like howler monkeys—have now been dimmed to mere whispers.

Because no matter how perfect we are when we’re born, in this world we can’t stay clean forever.

We’ve invented euphemisms to dull the way an affliction sounds, but not necessarily how it feels. I think that’s the most dangerous part about being human—conceiving nice ways of saying something truly terrible.

Each thing we love takes a little piece of us whether we give it willingly or not. By the time we find the person we were meant to be with, we’re a honeycombed shell of what we once were. Each person we love turns us into the strange thing we become.

My husband had always said that if I were a flower, my stem would bend even if there wasn’t any wind.

I suddenly feel a small pinch on one of my fingers. I look down and I’m greeted by a mosquito perched on my hand, its mouth buried against my skin as it drains me of my blood. I swat at the tiny, winged vampire and it leaps from my hand, circling my head before finally abandoning me.

The world around me seems to quiver as if everything were constructed of gelatin, all sounds blurring together until it’s a deafening drone that only a hive of bees could compare. I’m yanked to the ground, mouth open as if a fishing hook were caught in my jaw.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Vince quietly says to them as if it were a warning, a final admonition, like the sky turning as green as seawater before a summer storm.

It isn’t delicately planted somewhere, like a beloved perennial to flower more amply each year until I realize the inevitable. No, instead it comes barreling into my thoughts like a home intruder; a masked assailant spraying the place with anthrax and laying carnage as I suddenly recognize the unavoidable: my mother is an affliction I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Eric has such an amazing writing style. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it every time I talk about his work; he blends gut-punch horror with absolutely beautiful descriptions that will leave you wanting more. He adds beauty in even the darkest moments.

If you enjoy unsettling and real-world horror, you need to pick this one up.

The Horror Collection: Extreme Edition is another collection from KJK Publishing that will definitely knock your socks off while simultaneously giving you a punch to the face.

With these collections, I always know that I’m in for quite the ride when I pick one up. With this one, I was so hesitant knowing some of the topics that were tackled here, but I’m so glad I gave it a read!

I’m going to preface this with a quick note that extreme sexual horror is not usually my cup of tea. As such, I have left off rating notes for those stories as I don’t think it’s fair to me to rate something that I already know isn’t for me. However, I still got totally sucked into many of these stories!

My two favorites from this collection were Gone Fishin’ by Matthew A. Clarke and Rage by Kevin J. Kennedy.

Per usual, here are some of my notes about each of the tales:

The Wife by Matt Shaw –
A man desperate to move on from his dead wife desires to go to a brothel. But when he returns home again, is he over his wife or has he made things worse? Goodness this one made me feel so sick! The first half was sex and anger filled, then the second half was just something else… Phew, this one will haunt me. 

Miss Sideshow Necrotic by David Owain Hughes –
The main character of this tale, Miss Sideshow Necrotic, has quite the role at this circus, but how she got there is quite the story! The start of this one was very heavy on the sexual elements, but when we jumped back to learn how we got to where we were at the beginning, I was hooked. Even though I knew where she would end up, I kept hoping for another ending. This poor woman. 

Collector’s Edition by Natasha Sinclair –
Lexie is a woman that gets what she wants. Dave is enjoying his time on porn sets. While together, the two debate what would happen if zombies began to take over. They both have very different ideas of how they would handle things. But they’re both about to find out if their ideal paths during a zombie takeover were correct. Goodness this one had me making faces while reading. Especially one scene toward the end. Phew! Fans of tales with a lot of sex and darkness will love this one! 

Gone Fishin’ by Matthew A. Clarke –
When a man young man and his stepfather go on a fishing trip, something suddenly goes very wrong. As a result of the trauma and stress, the step father regresses and believes he’s back in Syria. But will his training help in this situation? This tale was intense with the body horror! My god! The descriptions made me cringe a few times! And after all of the viciousness, that ending was incredible. 

Steak Tartare by Nic Brady –
Maria is a woman with dark tastes. Elizabeth is looking for a relationship. When a notice from Elizabeth’s dating app pops up, she’s giddy and can’t wait to meet this person. But the date Elizabeth is about to go on is about to take an intense path. My god, the line about beef jerky early on in this one left an impression in my brain that will never go away… 

Rage by Kevin J. Kennedy –
This man is a very angry person. He bottles it all up and knows that something has to change. One day, he adopts a dog named Buddy. Buddy is exactly what he needed and things are more manageable. But then one day someone decides to kick Buddy and this man snaps. And boyyyyy does he snap! This one is insanely brutal! I gotta admit, I was rooting for the revenge! If this were ever on the big screen, I’d be watching through my fingers. Just reading it made me cringe!

Broken Things by Kyle M. Scott –
This brother has had enough of his older brothers bullying. Messing with his toys was the absolute last straw. Now he’ll get his revenge. Good lord the start to this one was insane! I loved how shocking it is and how you slowly learn what’s going on. Then when the action starts… phew. This had me cringing! 

PHEW. This was so wildly outside of my comfort zone and I owe major thanks to Kevin J. Kennedy for giving me the nudge to give it a go. While I would still say many of these were not for me, I enjoyed experiencing the discomfort while reading and trying to broaden my scope when it comes to horror.

For fans of extreme horror, specifically extreme sexual horror, you need to pick this one up immediately!