Compelling Romance/Horror
350861
'My Boyfriend is a Monster' is the first book in a series about a young woman named Lily, who is moving on from an abusive relationship, and Nathan, who has a terrible secret. When Lily starts falling for Nathan the truth is going to come out.

Okay, first off there are a lot of spelling and grammar issues with this book so if you're pedantic about this sort of thing you might find it difficult to read. That said it is definitely a compelling read that just takes a bit of time to get into as the pacing is slow in a few parts of the story.

I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters. There's a good dose of humour in this book and this shines through the most in the characters dialogue exchanges, which at times were laugh-out-loud funny. The characters are all well written and felt real. This is what made it so compelling for me. It was easy to worry for these people when awful things started to happen.

There are times when this book reads like a romantic comedy and times when it is full-on, gory, horror. I like both genres so this was a good read for me. Overall I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy paranormal romance!
1824883
Abigail Roux paints us a tale of horror and suspense in this intriguing m/m paranormal romance. Humor and romance dance delicately amongst the ghosts and spirits as two men fight for their love on the mortal and immortal plain. Witty dialogue and a well plotted main conflict holds your attention though readers may feel slighted with the slow moving and less developed main romance. There is a secondary romance that in my opinion, developed and presented much better.

When museum curator, Dr. Wyatt Case, meets gaslight flair bartender Ash Lucroix, he finds himself both attracted and repelled by his intense feeling of lust and attraction for someone so different from himself. One night of passion sends him sneaking out like a thief in the night, leaving him despondent and having to grovel his way back into Ash's home and heart. When Ash suffers a blow to the head and begins to see strange events at the bar he works at, The Gravedigger, Wyatt fears Ash may be losing his sanity. But when the events become real to everyone, Wyatt begins to fear for Ash's life.
4047051
As a fan of paranormal reads I was immediately drawn to this atmospheric and lyrically depicted world inhabited by werewolves, vampires, and Fae.  From its pulse-pounding action scenes to complicated main character, Alexis Hall has created a memorable read that sets itself apart from other paranormal stories.

Kate Kane is a heroine not always easy to like.  Since the death of her business partner and because of her numerous relationship issues she's become hardened and cynical.  Booze and cigarettes have become her best friends.  Life becomes complicated when she's called in to discover who killed a werewolf outside the club owned by a Vampire Prince.  From that moment on numerous creatures become possible villains as Kate discovers whodunit while navigating her burgeoning relationship with the vampire Julian in some steamy sexual encounters.  Alongside this sensual yet antagonistic relationship comes numerous action-packed scenes that drag out the mystery way too long.  These action scenes also introduce a slew of secondary characters that are just as quickly forgotten and distracted from the overall mystery.

Kate and Julian make a compelling couple in their intense attraction that's far from loving.  Theirs is a battle of wills that results in lots of verbal banter that amps up the sexual tension.  It's not often a f/f relationship is depicted and this one is erotic though far from romantic.  The world-building in this story draws you in with each otherworldly group clearly defined.  Some mythological stereotypes are apparent whereas new mythos are presented too.  I found the writing style a bit flowery and melodramatic at times but definitely unique and engrossing.  Kate is a polarizing character because of her snarkiness and won't be everyone's idea of the quintessential heroine but she is memorable and I look forward to her solving more mysteries in the future.
4222731
"Day for Night" proved to be just what I was looking for in the way of an offbeat and clever story. And it is so much more. I think Stacey Bryan is onto something with the misadventures of her thirty-something Rae, a woman looking for love and sometimes finding more than she can handle. But love risks taking a backseat to alien abductions and vampires! Bryan finds a way to mix romance and the supernatural into quite a page-turner.

As I'm sure that Bryan would like to point out, don't get too caught up in genre labels. While there is more than enough to satisfy romance and horror readers, it's important to note that this is solid read through and through and will appeal to just about any reader. Bryan brings a level of literary quality that results in a very engaging and highly accessible read.

There's a lighthearted vibe running throughout but that doesn't mean that Bryan does not go deeper. You'll find an amazing array of characters and a level of depth that will resonate and stay with you.
4557494
On the surface, this book is your normal girl-meets-vampire, girl-falls-for-vampire romance, which I normally don't read much. But it has a few interesting angles that caught and held my attention from beginning to end. The title of the book ties in with the nineteen-year-old heroine's sense that she has a purpose beyond the direction her life has been heading. I like books that involve mysterious destinies. Usually, in my experience, these end up with the main character having some special talent or ancestral bond that makes them "special" in some way. I was pleasantly surprised that this story had an essentially normal main character, and we got her view of vampires, ghosts, and crossbreeds. Several times, we see the potential for date abuse, and the author takes an obvious stand against it in a completely natural way (note: she does this without being graphic).

I'm giving four stars instead of five because the climactic scene was witnessed from a distance, and then another unresolved matter, which kept the tension high with delicious anticipation of hidden danger waiting in the wings, was left to be addressed in the next book (I presume). YES, it makes me want to read the next book. But then the climax should have been a bigger deal, I think. Other than that one thing, the plot moved briskly and kept my interest going consistently from one chapter to the next.

Reasons to read this book: Engaging characters, clearly distinct, many reasons to care about them. Believable dialog. Lots of local color and scenery, especially interesting if you've always wanted to go to Australia but just haven't made it yet. Clean of graphic violence. Sweet romance. Even the vampires and ghosts are likable with just enough flaws to make them interesting.

Reasons to avoid this book: If you need a happily-ever-after ending in the first book of a trilogy, steer clear or just plan on reading Sacrifice as well. If you have aversions to topics like vampires, ghosts, tarot card readings, fortune telling, this is not just the wrong book, but the wrong genre. Similarly, if you think such beings, even if they are main characters, should be not just powerful, but dark and dangerous, with clearly evil characteristics, this probably isn't the best choice.

But for everybody else? I'd recommend it.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
3721190
Im more a contemporary sort of reader, and while I may believe in special energy, Im not really a believer in ghosts, in a way, Im probably a little like Jordan; but maybe, if I had the chance to meet someone like Sunny, head investigator and founder of Sisters of Spirits, a paranormal society dedicated to helping others understand what they cant see, Id have more chance to change my attitude.

The strongest point of the story is its balance; good mix of romance, drama, horror, mystery, all of them melted together in a fluid plot, with no bump. In a way, this what I liked more, but what it makes it so different from previous horror novels I read (and I admit, Im not really an horror story lovers): I don't really like when there are too much ups and downs in the story, one effect here and there is good, but always being on a roller coast is not my thing. The Awakening is more psychological than horror, and that is what I liked.

From the romance point of view its an opposites attract theme, but with a twist, while Sunnys job should led her to be the darker side of the couple, even in her name she is the more open, light and adjusted, while instead Jordan brings with her a baggage of pain and past angst. Sunny needs to help her to look inside herself, to be able to open up to other.

First in a trilogy, The Awakening is also a confirmation of Yvonne Heidts talent which was already highlighted with her debut novel, Sometime Yesterday.
291378
I'll admit that psychological horror stories aren't my usual reading fare; I'm more of a historical fiction person.  I will read anything, though, that has a compelling cast of characters, and this well-researched and engaging book fits that description perfectly.  From close friends to family members to inmates in a psych ward, the characters are fully realized and believable, and this is what drives the story for me.  Plus the novella flows so well that I found myself unable to put it down.  I zoomed through it in around two hours!  Kudos to the author for pulling me into this little, twisted corner of the literary world - I'm looking forward to seeing what she publishes next.
347443
The Glade is a paranormal horror about a woman with terminal cancer, Helen, who retreats to a cottage in the woods with her husband, Geoff, to spend her last days. Instead, she begins to recover from her illness due to the mysterious curative power of the surrounding forest.

The author keeps readers on their toes by adding twists and turns and switching between the past and the present  eventually merging them together in the end. The story is well told and easy to follow.

The Glade hooked me from the start. The characters are well developed, although there are at least two that have no significance to the story, at least not for me, and could have been left out of the book. At the beginning I could relate to Helen, but somewhere around the middle of the book, she lost some relatability for me. She seems narcissistic and aloof at times. Also, I did not understand how a woman who had just been raped by a zombie could desire to have sex with various men shortly after, nor could I comprehend how a mother could leave her daughter to live with a total stranger. However, she redeems herself at the end.

The overall pace of the story is good, and it only seems to drag a bit in the middle with several pages of Helens reflections and ponderings about her situation.

The storyline is the winner here, with its uniqueness and vivid descriptions. The author kept me engaged from start to finish with her wonderful writing style and storytelling abilities, and the surprise ending. I recommend this book to anyone 18+ who enjoys paranormal, horror and suspense.
1363573
Set in a world in our perhaps not so distant future where vampires rule the night and humans huddle in their homes in fear during the darkest hours, Releasing The Demons sets the stage for a powerful, gripping story of survival.  Yet, survival usually comes with a price tag attached  at least thats what Blaze and Valerie have discovered from different perspectives.

Im a reader who has to start at the beginning of a series in order to get the whole picture.  So when a review request came to me recently for the next story in this series, Black Bullet, I felt I needed to go back to the beginning in order to get this world and these characters who have been through so much.  And Im very glad that I did.  Releasing The Demons is a very dark world full of evil and those trying desperately to fight, even destroy that evil.  Some may argue that these so called superheroes have a touch of evil themselves  and that may be partially true.  Yet that remaining human part keeps them on the side that will eventually win this battle for humankind.  Hybrids, half vampire, half human may be the only true hope we have of survival.  Created in a not so secret experiment, Blaze and the other military members of this unique brotherhood will do everything in their power to eliminate the evil vampires, risking their own lives more often than not.  Now the ultimate evil being is after Blaze, and he will stop at nothing to recapture the mercenary for one purpose aloneBlazes blood.

Valerie has every good reason in the world to not trust any creature with fangs  yet, this creature is not guilty of the crime hes been set up for, and this man pulls at her in a way she never expected.  The last thing she wanted to do was fall for this hybrid man, but as odd as it seems they are actually on the same side.  The one ready to eliminate every evil vampire around for good.  They will face danger, evil, and each other as they take the journey of falling in love and staying alive to a whole different level.

Gritty.  Intriguing.  Fascinating.  Releasing The Demons will grab you by the scruff of the neck and not let go.  Its a compelling story, set in a world I hope to never experience with characters that will touch your heart even as they take down the bad guys.  I enjoyed my time in this world, and glad I went back to the beginning.  Its going to make reading Black Bullet that much more enjoyable, having the background for the series.  I would definitely recommend this story to any reader who enjoys Paranormal Romance, particularly Dark Paranormal with a touch of Suspense and definitely Post-Apocalyptic.  If you haven't yet had the pleasure, take a risk  I believe youd enjoy the journey.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription
4215004
(SPOILER FREE)

While I didn't find it quite as satisfying as some others did, I did enjoy this book quite a bit (enough to buy Tremblay's new book, FWIW).

The characters are well drawn and the atmosphere is great. Tremblay really excels at the creepy and suspenseful scenes- I found those parts intense and compelling.

My only critique is that I felt the ending tried to shoehorn some twists in that felt a little unfair to a character that had theretofore been allowed to be a very complex and unsettlingly ambiguous antagonist.

Regardless, this book was a great mix of interesting characters, memorable settings, and creepy imagery that is definitely worth a read. The blend of classic horror tropes and the horrors of what real people can do to each other is memorable and unique.
4023033
2018 was the year I decided to branch out of my normal thriller or horror reads. It isn't that I don't love them, but sometimes you need a change, to stop one book from blending into another. So I thought why not give romance a try, but I didn't want the standard, soppy, over-the-top, style of love story, I wanted something a little bit more up-to-date. This led me to Liz Cowan and her book The Beast Within.

It seems fate has destined a couple to meet, but barriers come up thick and fast, attempting to keep them apart. I surprised myself my becoming increasingly invested in the romance between Crystal and Daniel, the main protagonists, that I had to keep reading, chapter after chapter. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish, but the ending made it worth it. The writing style flows nicely, it is a little raunchy in parts, but I think it makes the romance and plot more realistic. Good work, Liz Cowan, I shall be eagerly awaiting the next romance helped by Blindfold Inc.
2420609
Rhiannon Frater has gained my respect when it comes to gothic horror, because its not easy to pull it off. Sometimes books are too moody or completely forget that it needs to have a dark mood and go for gore. Frater does it well and its fantastic to have a serial series in the genre.
I read these each separately and the wait in between was torture because I needed to know, and I think now that Ive read the entire first season I would love to read it all again at once. Each episode was well crafted with the right amount of creeping horror and raw emotion, and each one found a new way to pull you in even more.
I really loved Vanora and how we get to know her over the course of her life, from a incredibly smart and quirky child to a lovely and surprisingly strong young woman. Then there is Armando and oh my *fans self* he is utterly fantastic. He has an old world charm and an air of danger about him that I really loved in comparison to the other characters. The family dynamic is wonderful and heartfelt, and I loved their closeness.
To give you an idea of my reaction to reading an episode of this I give you a quote from my review of Episode 5: AH! That is a scream that holds every emotion Im feeling right now in it. There is the slightly excited squeal, the frustrated table flipping growl, and the pained gasp. Rhiannon should be proud of herself, because she somehow managed to make me a veritable rainbow of emotion in the hour it took me to read this. To me that sums up so much of this first season.
If you're looking for a fast paced gothic horror novel with some really wonderful relationships then I urge you to try out Fraters In Darkness We Must Abide serial.
3035414
The Heavens Rise is a compelling supernatural horror story set in the deepest dark of Louisiana. The superbly detailed descriptions really brought the events and characters to startling life. While the story switched between past and present, it was woven in such a way the reader could see things unfolding in a way which made sense by the end. From the depths of the Louisiana swamp we meet a creature which has the capability to transform those with which it comes in contact and not everyone is ready or able to handle the abilities which manifest. Niquette (Nikki), Anthem, and Ben are a triumvirate whose love for each other brings them back together, even through the most horrifying events. The Heavens Rise is a deep and psychologically chilling novel which will require an intensity of concentration, but is worth the effort.
3979742
I have just finished reading Jeff Gunhus's tightlywritten, new novella and my initial reaction is, "Wow." I'm not a person who reads books and ordinarily says that they move me. I read a fair number of books and would say that some are enlightening, maybe thrilling, others are okay and some are interesting. This book actually moved me. It is an excellentand short (167 pages)book. Part of its power, in fact, may be its brevity.

Rachel Ames is a writer with a serious drinking problem who is heading out to a cabin in the woods where she can concentrate on her writing and get over her writers block. She finds her rented cabin in an idyllic setting and immediately things begin to happen that are out of the ordinary. Gunhus is an aficionado of horror stories and there is a very direct reference, early in the book, to The Shining by Stephen King. I have to say that I was not quite sure about that as I am not a huge fan of horror, but I plowed on. In a way, the ordinary horror aspect of the story is a bit of a diversion.

Rachel meets several interesting people in the very small cast of characters. There is John, the good-looking guy with a secret who owns the cabin. Granger is the creepy guy who lives across the lake and is always watching her with his binoculars. There is a small handful of others. There is also the cabin, which is more than the setting, it is also a character in the story. It is not quite the Overlook Hotel from The Shining, but it plays a role.

I won't spoil the ending for you, which is among the most tightly written, heartbreaking, and awe-inspiring (I say this as a fellow writer) I have read, but when it comes it is both shocking and completely consistent with the beginning of the story. Gunhus puts us inside Rachel's head and none of us wants to be there.

This story is disturbing in several ways but, if it is possible, in a good way as we get a glimpse into the awful reality that some people very sadly must face. He addresses the most difficult challenges any of us could imagine and guides us through the horror and desperation that Rachel and too many others know as reality. No one would want Rachels realityher tormentbut books like Gunhuss sensitize us to the plight confronted by many on a daily basis.

The book kept me up long after I had finished reading it and has been on my mind all day. I can now add my name to the list of those who say they have been "moved" by a book. Gunhus is an excellent writer who has a brilliant future ahead of him.
4757317
I borrowed it a while ago but once I started it, couple of days ago, I literally read it within few days.
A very compelling horror story which will delight the vampire and gothic readers.
2941320
For the last ten years, Olivia Kardos, a young woman in Seattle, has had a frightening problem. Mark Porter, a man who became obsessed with her during a single college class they took together has been stalking her. Wherever she goes, he turns up. He watches her house and threatens anyone who gets close to her, often with violent results. His unwanted attentions have placed Olivia under a state of siege. She has cut off all relationships, and rarely leaves home other than to go to her job. When Olivia is diagnosed with terminal cancer, however, she realizes that she doesn't want to spend her last days in fear. The solution seems obvious: She must kill Mark to regain her lost freedom. Her quest to do so leads her to Lucian, an underground arms dealer with a shady reputation. Together, the two of them come up with a plan to help Olivia achieve her ultimate aim before time runs out for her.

At the same time Sean Howard, a Seattle homicide detective and Olivia's former lover, is investigating a string of serial killings. The victims have on peculiar thing in common: They all resemble Olivia. Sean immediately suspects that Olivia's stalker is the murderer, and sets out to prove it. But there is something else at work here, a thing neither Sean nor Olivia could possibly imagine. It's Lucian who holds the key...and he's not talking.

All the Pretty Bones is a well-crafted supernatural thriller that takes many of the expected tropes of Vampire fiction and turns them on their heads. The writing is far above par. Camela Thompson is deft at creating characters that stick with you, and shows superb skill in using both their inner thoughts, body language, and all five senses to render each member of her cast in three dimensions. We feel Olivia's frustration and growing weakness as her cancer takes hold, Sean's obsession with the difficult case he must solve and his disenchantment with his family. What struck me most of all was how Thompson managed to get inside the stalker's mind and make him as much a human as he is a monster. It's hard to create sympathy for an antagonist as delusional as Mark, and Thomson pulled it off like a master.

Aside from some minor editing glitches, I had only two difficulties with the book. Maybe even only one and a half. There's a lot going on in this book, and sometimes I felt it was almost too much. I suspected from early on that the Stalker and the Serial Killer were two different people, and it seemed to me that less weight was given to the latter plot than I would have liked. Also, while Thomson does a stunning job of hinting at the supernatural aspects of the story through the first two-thirds of the book, this resulted in nearly all the Vampire lore appearing as an information dump about 250 pages in. I would have liked to have seen this spread more evenly throughout the story.

The end of the book brings some resolution and enough answers to satisfy while still leaving plenty of material to continue Olivia's story. If you like character-driven novels with solid mythology behind the plot, you'll like All the Pretty Bones.
1848715
In her debut novel, Laura Bickle introduces us to Anya Kalinczyk, a woman as troubled as her home city of Detroit. Like many of her sister urban-fantasy heroines, Anya has a tragic past and uses it as a reason to push people away. She works as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department and moonlights with a ghost-hunting team. Anya is a Lantern, which means she has the rare ability to consume ghosts and demons. She also has a familiar spirit, Sparky, a fire elemental who takes amphibian form but acts more like a large dog. (Sparky, needless to say, is adorable.)

A serial arsonist is targeting what seem to be random buildings in the city. Anya discovers that the crimes are ritualistic in nature, and that the perp is planning a grand finale on Devil's Night, just two weeks away. This plotline is exceedingly well done. The investigation scenes are fascinating. The arsonist harbors utopian dreams of urban renewal, and while his methods are despicable, his motives are more complex than is usual in a villain. Bickle incorporates mythology in a really interesting way, mostly Babylonian but with a nifty tie-in to a famous Native American monument. I don't quite "buy" what happens with the villain at the end, but for the most part, this strand of the plot is great. Together with the wonderful character of Sparky, the investigation makes Embers a compelling read.

The second plotline is less successful. This strand deals with Anya's spirit-eating talent. While on an assignment with her ghost-hunting colleagues, Anya becomes possessed by a demon. This plotline does tie in with the arson plotline in places, but in other places the fit is iffy. It almost feels like Bickle had two novels and two heroines in her head, and then decided to merge them.

The demon story isn't internally consistent, either. When Mimiveh is possessing the teenage girl, she causes the girl to act out by destroying things and threatening to burn the house down. But when Mimiveh goes into Anya, suddenly she is a sex demon. Bickle could have done a lot with the creepiness of a fifteen-year-old possessed by a sex demon, or if she'd found that idea too disturbing, Mimiveh could have inhabited another grown woman before attaching herself to Anya. Either way, it would have seemed more consistent than what actually happens. As it is, Mimiveh comes across as a plot device to get Anya in touch with her sexuality, an "ardeur" of sorts, and the eventual resolution of this aspect is anticlimactic.

Which brings me to the romantic elements. Anya has two potential love interests. One of the romantic subplots jumps to sex abruptly enough that I checked to see if I'd missed a page by accident; the other romantic subplot jumps to the L-word without enough buildup, in my opinion, to justify it. And one of Anya's suitors is just too amoral. I could kind of understand why Anya was drawn to him, but at the same time I wanted to see her muster up the strength to resist him earlier than she did.

That said, Embers is worth reading for its well-executed A-plot. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series, Sparks.