Kelpie Dreams by Steve Vernon

 

Meet Lady Macbeth - a high school librarian, ex-assassin and part-time kelpie, whose mother wanted to name her Hemorrhoid at birth. Now she has to take on a Sea Hag - eight legs of Godzilla-ugly poured into a bucket full of meanness - with the help of a one-woman army named Rhonda, a 200 year old Sea Captain and a hunky lighthouse keeper who won't admit that he's dead as well. KELPIE DREAMS is a funny, action-packed paranormal romance novel for folks who HATE to read romance novels.


This is probably one of the strangest stories I have ever read. It is weird, bizarre and utterly hilarious.

Lady Cordelia Macbeth who would rather be called Dee, is mourning the loss of her son Hamilton. Hamilton you see had gone for a joyride in a stolen/borrowed vehicle and was killed quicker than you can say gesundheit!
She is so grief stricken that she contemplates suicide and throws herself into the ocean. Of course I realize that is not hilarious at all but luckily there was a pissed off octopus woman at the bottom of the ocean who was able to give Dee the ability to breathe underwater until the mossy brown and green mud horse showed up to take her back to the surface. Not that either of these occurrences were the most shocking things she saw under the ocean but I wouldn't want to give away too much.  Now Dee was not too keen on telling anyone about these escapades, however when the mud horse showed up at her best friend Rhonda's house it kind of spilled the beans.  I will leave you here, because if I told you more you wouldn't believe me anyway. It is probably best that you discover these quirky characters for yourself. I was up all night reading this story.

I received an advance copy of this book through the kindle scout program and was under no obligation to review it.

Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by by H.P. Wood

Description

After Kitty Hayward’s mother vanishes from their Coney Island hotel in 1904, Kitty finds herself alone, hungry, penniless, and far away from her native England. The last people she’d expect to help her are the cast of characters at Magruder’s Curiosity Cabinet, a museum of oddities that is home to a handful of freaks. But even the unusual inhabitants of Magruder’s may not be a match for the insidious sickness that is plaguing Coney Island

 

 

 

I loved the cover and was intrigued by the description.

I felt so bad for Kitty being hungry and alone, and I enjoyed the setting. It reminded me somewhat of an old Alfred Hitchcock episode in which a young girl loses her mom after checking into a hotel and being sent out for medicine and then being told she has the wrong hotel when she returns. I did find it a bit difficult to keep up with so many characters.

I received an advance copy for review

All Smoke Rises Milk Blood-Redux by Mark Matthews

Description
Ten year old Lilly is the victim of a terrible house fire and a wretched family. Her father is an addict with mental illness, her mother was murdered and then buried across the street, and her uncle got her addicted to heroin.

Lilly’s tragic story has been told in the book ALL SMOKE RISES, and it may be true, for the author has broken into your house, and placed Lilly's body on your kitchen counter. He demands you read the manuscript, before cutting his own wrists and bleeding out on your floor.
Now you have decisions to make, for Lilly's body may not be dead, and her family is coming for her.


In this fast paced sequel to "Milk Blood"  we are once again immersed in the seedy underbelly of drug addiction.
Lilly is not in great shape. She can hear the voices of the dead though she herself seems neither dead nor alive. She is dumped in the home of a psychiatric nurse along with these very pages which must be read.  In these pages we learn what happened to Lilly after the fire. We also get to know Crystal, who was the mother of Oscar from Milk Blood. Crystal is still reeling from her time in jail after Oscar's death, and is desperate to keep up appearances for the sake of her parole officer, but not desperate enough to really make any genuine effort to avoid parole violations. It is difficult for me to say more without giving too much away and I pride myself on never posting spoilers. I will just say that the ending was spectacular.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Milk-Blood: A Tale of Urban Horror by Mark Matthews

 

Description
Optioned for a full-length feature film
Lilly is ten years old, born with a heart defect, and already addicted to heroin. Her mother is gone from her life, and there are rumors that she was killed by her father and buried near the abandoned house across the street. The house intrigues her, she can't stay away, and the monstrous homeless man who lives there has been trying to get Lilly to come inside.

For her mother is there, buried in the back, and this homeless man is Lilly's true father, and both want their daughter back.  




This story is unusual in that it is told from the point of view of each main character.
Zach who is taking care of his elderly mother, as best as her monthly checks allow, Latrice his girlfriend who finds herself pregnant after a strange encounter with Jervis.. the squatter in a burned out hovel, and Lilly the product born of that encounter.

This was a very unique story. A tale of poverty, child neglect, drug abuse, and sprits that do not rest in peace. The real star of this show would be Lilly, who is uncomfortable at her best and suffering pain at her worst. Often left alone and hungry and friendless. It was a dark and disturbing read.
4 out of 5 stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy for review