Fleeting Chills by Joseph C. Gioconda

 

FLEETING CHILLS is a series of thirty-three weird, creepy, short and scary horror stories by authors Joseph C. Gioconda, Grace Elizabeth, Amy Yun Yu, Isabel Rincón, Petar Vrbich and others.

A jealous teenager lures his rival into a tomb.
A five-year old child speaks in a voice beyond his years.
A therapist tells his patient to jump at every opportunity.
Trapped in an isolated funeral home, a man must get through the long night.
A spirit desperately wants to wed a living woman and refuses to take no for an answer.
Three boys on a road trip get lost...forever.
Some musicians really put their heart and soul into their work.
Amanda introduces her boyfriend to the person living inside her.
Selling a human skull shouldn't be difficult. Until a psychic gets involved.
Two sons see an apparition of their father...from thirty years in the future.
Near death experiences aren't all beautiful...
An eccentric inventor seeks patents on some novel and disturbing devices.
Christmas should be a time of joy, but when a man goes missing, his family tries to celebrate without him.
Buying a mysterious box on the DarkWeb leads a man down a rabbit hole of murder.
Confessing his sins to a priest, a man describes having a dark power.
A woman plans elaborate revenge on her cheating lover, only to find the tables turned.

I can't really say that many of these stories were scary, but the book did hold my interest. Several are written anecdotally as if the author is recounting an event that they personally experienced, and some, according to the editor's notes are admittedly "bite sized or ultra short." These are likely the stories I got the least enjoyment from. I don't like ambiguous tales with abrupt endings that seem to be over as quick as they start. That's just me. Other readers may feel differently.

The stories I most enjoyed were Convertible in which a traffic accident has an unexpected outcome.

Santa in which a jolly St Nick may not make it to the family gathering this year,  

Mausoleum, about some young graveyard workers, and Gaslighting about a woman scorned, seeking revenge.  All of these were by Joseph C. Gioconda.

The only story that I found scary was Lured by Amy Yun Yu. It is one of the more well rounded and fleshed out stories. A family living in a cramped trailer wherever they are able to park it have stopped at a book store on their way to the middle of nowhere and as the dutiful big brother begins to read the story his sister has chosen, sinister things are afoot.

So all in all it was worth the read and you may find some favorites too.

3 out of 5 stars

I received a mobi file through Book Sirens with no obligation to write a review.

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Jedi Summer by John Boden

 

A boy and his little brother wander through the loosely stitched summer of 1983. It was a magical one. Full of sun and surrealism, of lessons and loss, and of growing up and figuring it out.

Nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania is a small town unlike any other. Things are strange here, always have been. People die but hang around, pets too. Everyone knows your name, and sometimes, a thing as simple as a movie coming to the local theatre is all it takes to keep you going.

This book has been kicking around for a while, in one incarnation or another, and I've glanced at it here and there from more than one publisher. It never seemed to be the right time to read it but it has been on my radar. To be honest the first time I glanced at it the title put me off. What is this? I thought, something about boys and their Star Wars obsession? (Fear not, it isn't!)

Sometimes I take a break from reading horror. Sometimes I end up disappointed and other times, I come away from my break remarkably satisfied. This is one of the latter.

Jedi Summer is a coming of age tale set in a small town in 1983. It is part fiction, part recollection of the author's childhood and entirely spellbinding. It is a memorable summer in the lives of Johnny and Roscoe, two brothers growing up in a poor town, where their mom works 3 jobs just to keep them fed. It's a summer of good times, growing up, and the bittersweet knowledge that nothing can last forever, whether it is the good or the bad times they all must eventually end. This book spoke to me on so many levels. Much like childhood, it passed by quickly and now I don't want it to be over.

5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher with no obligation to write a review.

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About the author

John Boden lives a stones throw from Three Mile Island with his wonderful wife and sons.

A baker by day, he spends his off time writing, working on Shock Totem or watching M*A*S*H re-runs.

He likes Diet Pepsi, cheeseburgers, heavy metal and sports ferocious sideburns.

While his output as a writer is fairly sporadic, it has a bit of a reputation for being unique.

The Restoration by J.H. Moncrieff

 

Inspired by the author’s overnight stay in a historical haunted house, The Restoration is a thrilling tale of intrigue, murder, and family secrets that refuse to stay buried.

It was the perfect opportunity…or so she thought. When Terri Foxworth is hired to spend a year restoring a crumbling manor house, she believes she’s hit the jackpot. She moves in with her young daughter and high hopes for the project’s success. As the restoration begins to go terribly wrong, she realizes dark forces won’t let her leave the house until its horrible secrets are revealed.

This job could very well be the death of her.

Terri and her 10 year old daughter Dallas move into a dilapidated old manor house. This is summer vacation for Dallas and meant to be "their summer" since she does not live with her mother full time. It's a working summer for Terri who is there to restore the house. Immediately upon moving in she finds out not only that she wasn't the owner's first choice for the job, but that there have been many others before her that either quit or were fired due to their "imaginations" and that there is one former employee in particular she is to watch out for, Gertrude, who is obsessed with the house.

Cue the strange noises and the daughter who knows more than is possible to know about the house's long dead former occupants and you have the set up for a typical haunted house story that also is a bit of a whodunit. 

I found the murder mystery aspect a bit too easy to solve, and the relationship between Terri and her daughter seemed odd. Dallas seemed to go back and forth between being too mature for her age and then too immature for her age. Terri made some weird choices that you would not expect a normal mother to make. That and the fact that I could not really connect with any of the characters made this just an ok read for me.

3 out of 5 stars

I received an e-copy from Netgalley with no obligation to write a review.

Expected publication: October 19th 2021

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About the author

Savage Island by Brian Moreland

 

On an isolated island in the Philippines, it patiently waits. A mysterious terror lurks in the shadows, stalking the poor stranded souls who visit the island. When a group of four tourists find their vacation quickly turning into a nightmare, the terror taunts them and comes for them one by one. The sandy beach and crystal waters of the lagoon will run red with blood if they can't find a way off this savage island.

Two estranged friends that grew up together but parted ways when one married a less than honorable man have recently reunited. Jasmine has filed for divorce and regrets cutting Amy out of her life. Amy is still mourning the loss of her fiancée but is thrilled to have her friend Jasmine back. Maybe a little too thrilled actually because it causes her to go along with several things that she is uncomfortable with, just to keep Jasmine happy.

The friends take a vacation together and plan to relax on the beach with tropical drinks. Jasmine, however is making up for lost time and convinces Amy to be her "wing woman" when they meet a couple of guys. Against her better judgement but not wanting to spoil Jasmine's fun Amy agrees to take a yacht ride to a secluded location on this double date that she really wants no part of. They make some weird discoveries on the island but Amy is the only one who takes them seriously. The others will come to regret making light of her concerns. This book reminded me a bit of The Ruins, in the way the characters were out of their element, vacationing in a foreign country in a secluded area and chose to ignore local legends. If I said any more about what seemed familiar it may spoil the surprises so I will leave it at that, but though it does have other similarities it definitely goes it's own way. The first half is not especially scary but there is a lot of suspense and spine tingly moments once the characters arrive on the island. I would recommend it for all fans of adventure/eco horror.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher with no obligation to write a review.

About the author

Brian Moreland writes dark suspense, thrillers, and horror. His books include THE DEVIL'S WOODS, THE WITCHING HOUSE, THE SEEKERS, DARKNESS RISING, TOMB OF GODS and SAVAGE ISLAND. A native Texan, Brian is enjoying life and writing new thrilling fiction.

For publishing news, updates, and to subscribe to Brian's newsletter, visit www.BrianMoreland.com

Blog: www.brianmoreland.blogspot.com

Follow on Twitter: @BrianMoreland

Rock & Roll Nightmares: Along Comes Scary: '60s Edition Short Stories

 

Tune in, turn on, and drop in to the rock & roll rabbit hole! Along Comes Scary is set in an alternate spooky ’60s where vampires play screaming guitars, hellbound hotrodders start a new trend on AM radio, and there are groupies who will do anything for a piece of their favorite band. Stories include Papa’s Got a Brand-New Body Bag, Hell-A Woman, and She’s Got a Ticket to Die.

10 stories by Staci Layne Wilson, Jeff Strand, Darren Gordon Smith, Marco Mannone, Renee Mallett, and Shane Bitterling.

This anthology is a fun and freaky read full of 1960's nostalgia and dark humor. Even the titles made me smile.

My favorites were Do You Believe In Tragic By Jeff Strand, which is a rock and roll love story that never ends as long as there is someone else to fall in love with.

California Screamin' by Renee Mallett about an aging musician's desperate attempt to make a come back. Daydream Bereaver by Shane Bitterling  should be taken as a warning that not all beach babes are what they appear to be, and Eye Can't Get No Satisfaction by Staci Layne Wilson in which a woman tries to get the best out of her deal with the devil. Not to say the other stories aren't groovy too, this whole anthology was a blast.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review

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Staci Layne Wilson

is an L.A. native who enjoys traffic, wildfires, and earthquakes—but since her recent move to Las Vegas, she’s learned to love 110-degree summers, drive-thru wedding chapels, and casinos that still reek of the Rat Pack’s cigars. She has been a professional writer since the age of 12 when she was hired as a columnist for a national magazine. When she's not writing books, she is making movies (Cabaret of the Dead, The Ventures: Stars on Guitars, and The Second Age of Aquarius). Catch up with Staci at: www.stacilaynewilson.com

Faithless by Hunter Shea

 

How do you survive hearing your family being brutally murdered over the phone? For Father Raul Figeuroa, all faith and hope are lost. Turning away from the priesthood behind, he retreats to his aunt's empty farmhouse in upstate New York, hoping to drink himself to oblivion. But he's not alone in the house. Something is trying to reach out to him. Or is he losing his grip on reality? When his childhood friend Felix comes to visit, things take a darker turn. The deeper they dig into the mystery, the closer they get to hell literally breaking loose.

Holy cow! or should I say Unholy moly! This is a gut wrenching story that swept me away from the start. A man of the cloth with a dark past is nervously navigating his way home in a rain storm. He's always been uneasy driving in the rain but this downpour is worse than usual. He calls his wife, hoping that it will help calm his nerves. Hearing her voice, and his children in the background is just what he needs. Suddenly the playful voices of his children turn to shrieks of terror. He is utterly helpless to do anything but listen to the brutal murders of his family. Their loss and his grief turn him into a shell of his former self and he locks himself away from anyone wanting to offer sympathy or help.

This is a step away from Hunter Shea's usual light hearted creature feature horror. although he has done it before with the equally serious novel Creature which I highly recommended to you a while back. Raul's grief is palpable and my heart was heavy with his pain. Felix, the former best friend with the criminal past and fierce loyal streak helped propel the story towards it's shocking climax. As the murders go unsolved by the police, Felix sets out to bring the killers to his own brand of justice, but what he uncovers is more horrifying than I could have imagined.

5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

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About the author

The Best of Cemetery Dance II Edited by Richard Chizmar

About the Book:
The Best of Cemetery Dance: Volume Two showcases the very finest short stories from issues 26 to 50 of Cemetery Dance magazine, picking up where the acclaimed and award-winning first "Best of" volume left off! Featuring a virtual "who's who" of today's greatest authors of dark fiction, The Best of Cemetery Dance: Volume Two will be one of the most important anthologies of the year. Just a handful of the contributors include Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Peter Straub, Bentley Little, Michael Marshall Smith, Ray Garton, Jack Ketchum, Douglas Clegg, Poppy Z. Brite, Joe R. Lansdale, Nancy A. Collins, Peter Crowther, Norman Partridge, Ed Gorman, William F. Nolan, F. Paul Wilson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Simon Clark, Richard Christian Matheson, David J. Schow, Stewart O'Nan, Glen Hirshberg, Ramsey Campbell, and dozens of others! Cemetery Dance magazine has been published for more than thirty years now, and is the winner of the World Fantasy Award and the International Horror Critics Guild Award, as well as a nominee for both the British Fantasy Award and the American Horror Award. Don't miss what's sure to be one of the most talked about anthologies of the year!

This was one of the two anthologies I brought with me on vacation, but being a whopping 756 pages it turned out to be the only one I had time to read.

This is a massive tome with so many authors that I feel confident in saying there is literally something for everyone in this book. Not every story was a huge hit with me but there were several I would rate 5 stars and a multitude of 4 star stories. There were only a couple I skimmed or skipped due to not holding my interest. The table of contents reads like a who's who of horror. There are many familiar names and only a few that I had not heard of, but now that I have I will be looking into what else they have written.

Just a few of the stand out 5 star stories would be Graham Masterton's Ballyhooly Boy about a haunted house that needs a particular owner, The Goddess of Cruelty by Thomas Tessier is a very dark love story with a nasty twist, The Riders by Bentley Little, which is about the last remaining socially acceptable prejudice, fat shaming, taken to a horrifying extreme.

If you love short horror stories as much as I do you really need a copy of this massive anthology.

4 out of 5 stars

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The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found--but she's still the same age as when she disappeared. The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Nesting.

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughters--Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.

Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she's initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers--except she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she'll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn't realize just how much the truth will change her.

In 1998, with nowhere else to go and running from a secret, Olivia Stay and her three daughters arrived on a remote Scottish island where she had been commissioned to paint a mural. She is given very little instruction, just a diagram of what she is meant to paint inside the crumbling lighthouse.

 The island is rife with a dark history of murder and mayhem but Olivia is out of options and at least able to have a roof over her children's heads which is something they have lacked since her husband's death. At some point, we know not why, the eldest and youngest daughter disappear, and the middle child is abandoned in the woods before Olivia also goes missing. Now all these years later that middle child is a grown and pregnant woman who has never given up hope of finding out what happened to her family, when out of the blue she is told her baby sister has been found. Her joy at this news soon turns to shock and dread when she rushes to be reunited with her sister, and finds not the grown woman she expected, but a 7 year old child who thinks she has only been gone for days instead of decades.

 Legend, myth, and folklore bubble over into the modern day in this chilling story of witches and changelings. Multi layered complex characters weave together a terrifying narrative told on three timelines. The ever increasing suspense kept me glued to the pages. Highly recommended to all fans of horror and folklore.

5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

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About the author

C. J. Cooke is an award-winning poet and novelist published in twenty-three languages. She teaches creative writing at the University of Glasgow, where she also researches the impact of motherhood on women's writing and creative writing interventions for mental health.