The Siren of Groves Peak by Glenn Rolfe

Groves Peak, Maine, is home to a dark secret. The successful lobstering community is ready for summer, but a murder at sea changes everything. People are dying in the small coastal town, and the lobstermen are on edge.

Only one man knows the truth. His closet of skeletons is about to open, and no one is safe. Not even his daughter or her best friend. As a supernatural fury, homegrown dangers, and buried secrets coalesce into a series of real-life nightmares, friendships are tested, and heroes will fall. The Siren of Groves Peak reveals the true monsters in us all.

 

The residents of Groves Peak Maine, have kept a secret for generations. They know why their small coastal town flourishes and why their lobstermen always have the most bountiful catch, even when others catch next to nothing. For some, it's just the way of life. For others, the secret is more than they can bear. One man has taken it upon himself to betray The Siren of Groves Peak, and now her rage knows no bounds. 

I loved the small coastal town setting. Was I meant to feel more sympathy for the Siren than those who faced her wrath? I don't know, but I did. She may have gone overboard seeking her revenge against some who never wronged her, but she was just a poor, lonely creature who couldn't help what she was. The bargain she struck with the lobstermen was a deal they made willingly, and she kept her promises. There were only a very few of her victims that I felt anything for. Some of the humans were more monstrous than the siren.

This was a fast-paced story with themes of drug addiction, alcoholism, and murder in addition to the mythical folklore aspects. Flawed characters with intriguing backstories made the multiple points of view work well. If you're in the mood for a seafaring horror, this one comes ashore just in time for your summer beach read. The body count and blood flow will rise as high as the tide if the siren has her way.

My thanks to Flame Tree Press for the paperback.

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Movie Review Hacked: A Double Entendre Of Rage Fueled Karma

Hacked premiered at the Gasparilla International Film Festival, where it took home the Award for Best Focus on Florida Feature Film, and went on to screen at Popcorn Frights Film Festival, FilmQuest, the Chattanooga Film Festival, Celluloid Screams, and the Soho Horror Film Festival.

Available on DVD and VOD June 2 from S&R Films

The Rumble family's dream of buying their first home turns into a nightmare when Florida's most elusive hacker, "The Chameleon", steals their life savings. But this hacker messed with the wrong family. The bank fails them. The police can't help. Furious and desperate, they plot a revenge-fueled take down of the hacker, determined to make him pay for every life he's destroyed. What started as a financial tragedy soon spirals into a fast-paced, darkly comedic adventure to reclaim their money-and their dignity. Revenge has never been this much fun! 
 

I was invited to watch an early screener of the comedy/horror Hacked: A Double Entendre Of Rage Fueled Karma

In watching it, I was more repulsed than amused, but I know some people are into that.

Mark and Amy Rumble are in the process of buying their very first home when they accidentally wire their entire life savings to a hacker while mistakenly thinking they are making a deposit on a house.

Together, they and their sons set out to get revenge in this far-fetched, over the top comedy where even Santa Claus gets in on the action. When they manage to catch up to the hacker that law enforcement has failed to capture for years, the torture begins.

If you enjoy gross-out comedy and are amused by bodily functions and outlandish situations, this might be for you. Should you decide to watch it, I would love it if you come back here and let me know what, if any double entendre you discovered, because I just don't see it or know why they added it to the title.

Watch the trailer here

The film stars The Walking Dead alum Chandler Riggs, Owen Atlas (Little Evil), Collin Thompson, Richard Riehle (Office Space), Katelyn Nacon (The Walking Dead), Shane Brady (Breathing Happy), and NHL Hall of Famer and Founder of the Tampa Bay Lightning Phil Esposito. Based on true events that happened to Director Shane Brady and Producer Emily Zercher.

The Girl in Green by Staci Layne Wilson

 She is ten years old. She loves storybooks, puppies, and murder.

Her mother knows. She has always known. And still she runs with her, steals for her, looks the other way—because she is her little girl. Because somewhere beneath those flat, patient eyes is the child she once rocked to sleep.

Isn’t she?

In the gritty, pre-everything America of the early 1980s, a mother and daughter are leaving a quiet trail of bodies across state lines. When a dangerous man steps into their orbit and the police close in from behind, the mother faces the question she has spent a decade outrunning.

What is she raising? What has she always been raising? And what happens when her daughter decides she’s better off alone?

The Girl in Green is a razor-edged psychological thriller that lives in the space between devotion and horror. Because the most terrifying thing about a monster isn’t what it does. It’s how much you love it.

 Set in the 1980s, Beth and Amy are a mother-daughter duo on the run from police. The headlines are filled with the violent crimes of what the media has dubbed Kid Vicious and Bonnie Rotten. Not since the Bad Seed has a little girl been so cold and manipulative. Amy seems to have no human emotion whatsoever, but she has learned how to mimic them to get what she wants. Victims never see her switchblade coming until it's too late.

Beth knows there's something wrong with Amy, but instead of trying to seek help for her, she becomes an accomplice. Constantly on the move from one seedy hovel to the next, this is the only life they have known since Amy was born.

The backstory of Beth's childhood and the events leading up to her becoming a pregnant runaway were just as disturbing as her present situation of being the mother of a 10-year-old serial killer. Amy seems completely devoid of humanity and filled with pure evil.

I do need to warn you that there is animal cruelty in this book. I am unable to tell you how graphic it is because when I reached that part, I skipped ahead several pages. I can't handle reading about any kind of animal cruelty or torture, and if it had happened earlier in the book, it would have landed in my DNF pile, but I was several chapters in, so proceed with caution. This book is dark, gritty, and in your face harsh.

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing/Sinister Smile Press for the e-ARC

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Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night Edited by Stephanie Rose

 

Return to the streets where fall leaves crunch underfoot and the glow of a harvest moon lights your way.

From the new trick-or-treaters to the big kids who know which houses give out the full-size bars, these tales deliver all the thrills of Halloween night in bite-sized pieces.

In the tradition of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, each author brings their own deliciously twisted take on the season. Some stories will make you squirm, others will send an icy chill down your spine. Whether you crave the nostalgia of flickering jack-o'-lanterns or the shock of something moving in the shadows, this collection invites you to savor Halloween every night of the year because for some of us, October never lets go.

I love Holiday horror and especially stories set on or around Halloween. I'm always on the lookout for new Halloween anthologies, even when my TBR is overflowing. I happened to notice this one when I went to update my profile on Book Sirens (which oddly still lists my social reach at less than a third of what it is) and decided to request it. After a couple of days, when it was neither approved nor declined, I withdrew my request and decided to stick with the mountain of ARCs I already have. A week later, it showed up in my email anyway, so here we are.

Why am I telling you so much about the process of getting this book instead of just getting on with a review? Because I'm struggling with this one. Not because there aren't some great stories here, but because I am not sure what age group the target audience is meant to be. Some of the stories seem to be written for young children. Others seem geared more towards a teenage audience, like those who outgrew Goosebumps and moved on to Fear Street. So while I enjoyed several stories, I'm not sure what age group to recommend it to.

A few of my favorites were The Trap Door by Skylar Crowter, in which 2 teens set out for their last ever night of trick or treating, now that they feel they are too old. They plan to make the best of this final time by starting at the home of the street's oldest and kindest resident, where full-sized candy bars are always guaranteed. When they get there, the lights are off and something is very wrong in this house.

Scare Of A Lifetime by Joseph Buckly- A man who tries to outdo himself year after year with the best Halloween decorations in town is on the hunt for something spectacular to display in his yard this year. He will impress the neighborhood if it's the last thing he ever does.

When Leaves Burn by Donna Taylor-Who doesn't love the sharp crackle of freshly fallen leaves? It's one of the best parts of the season. But there are rules to abide by in Autumn Hollow and there are consequences for gazing up at the trees in the month of October.

Trick Or Treatment by Hayley Newlin - A woman in an abusive marriage with a man who has been experimenting on her like a mad doctor finds that revenge can be electrifying.

Back Home Again by Alan Dellascio A man who had Halloween ruined for him as a child takes his daughter trick-or-treating in his old neighborhood.

Nightmare Realm by Leigh Kenny- Friends head out to a Halloween attraction in hopes that it will be scarier on Halloween than it was on opening night. Be careful what you wish for.

These were my favorites; your mileage may vary.

My thanks to Book Sirens and Stephanie Rose

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Stories:

DO YOU KNOW THE BUNNY MAN? by Angela Sylvaine

THE TRAP DOOR by Skylar Crowter

SCARE OF A LIFETIME by Joseph Buckley

IT LURKS by Zelda Zito

THE HAUNTING OF THORNWOOD CEMETERY by Maria Giakoumatos

WHEN LEAVES BURN by Donna Taylor

NO STRINGS ATTACHED by V. Castro

TRICK OR TREATMENT by Haley Newlin

BACK HOME AGAIN by Alan Dellascio

NIGHTMARE REALM by Leigh Kenny

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE DEATH by Greg Patrick

SPECTER HALLOWEEN by Briana Morgan

MALLRAT by Rikki Goodwin

THE THIRTEEN THINGS YOU FOUND IN YOUR TRICK OR TREAT BAG by Gwendolyn Kiste