Death & Pestilence A Horror Anthology by Sands Press (Editor)

Twenty authors from Canada, USA, England, South Africa, Australia and Brazil take you on a journey of terror and fright that will leave you looking over your shoulder, wondering what lies beyond the next turn and asking yourself what is hidden in the shadows.
Sands Press collected the top twenty submissions from a short story horror contest and showcased them in "Death & Pestilence." These stories will have you sitting on the edge of your seat questioning your better judgment as to why you decided to read this book when you were alone.
Stories by B.G. Strong, E. J. Walker, Guy Cheston, Caito Caol, Dennis Stein, Flynn Gray, Rob Powell, Steve Kreidman, Micky Neilson, Victoria Griffen, Chevoque, Andrea Merchak, Michaela Turcotte, Nathan S. M. Knapp, Rod Martinez, J. P. Frost, Rick Weiss, Jasmine Love, Paul Pickett, Jay Michael Wright II

I love short horror stories, and more than that I love discovering new (to me) authors, So I got a lot of enjoyment out of these creepy little gems. Some of my favorites were "Plague II" by B.G. Strong in which the world has become a place where you can smell your own eyes rotting in your head. Too gross for you? Don't worry there are some less graphic stories, though others that are even more so.
"The Curse of Greenwater Falls" by Flynn Gray is a good old fashioned spooky tale, and for anyone like me who lives in a small town we all know there are certain roads best not traveled if you can avoid it. "Trail's End" by E.J. Walker Is a not so cheery story even though the birds are chirping in the awakening forest as Thomas and his wife share what will be their last camping trip together. "Blood of a Sinner" by Guy Cheston tells the story of an abusive foster mother and the boy she will not be abusing any longer. "My Friend Bruce" by Caito Caol was probably one of the most brutal but also most impressive stories as we are told by Robert how he came to meet Bruce and what happened to that friendship. "Vodka Memories" by Victoria Griffin was both chilling and heartbreaking as we learn how Melanie lost the love of her life. "The Monsters Outside the Well" by Nathan S.M. Knapp was probably my absolute favorite of the bunch. 5 boys uncover an old well and after they do, there are only 4 boys left to fill it in. "The Lantern" by Dennis Stein is the story of a woman who is drawn to a lamp in a curio shop who learns that some things are best not illuminated. "Captive" by Kristine Barker is the story of a woman who finally finds the strength to get out of an abusive relationship, but at what cost..
I would highly recommend this anthology to any horror fan.
5 stars from me

I received an advance copy for review.

Doll House by John Hunt

Description

Olivia is excited for university. She will be on her own, in a new place hopeful to meet new friends.

On the night she moves in, she is taken off the street by two masked men. She is placed in a room which is little more than a cell. A pink cell. A room made for a doll. She is now part of their collection.

 

 

Olivia and her dad Harry said their good-byes when he dropped her off at University. He knew he would miss her terribly but he never dreamed it would be the last he saw of her.

Olivia was kidnapped that very night by 2 masked men she would come to think of as The Gorilla and The Jackal for the next 5 years. She is dumped in a cell of putrid pink, and systematically raped, tormented and tortured on a regular basis by the Gorilla as the Jackal watches.

Meanwhile Her father Harry has slipped into a stupor of alcoholism, never knowing for sure if Olivia is alive or dead until that one fateful night when her captors make a fatal mistake and she seizes the opportunity to make her escape. The Jackal however, is not willing to give up on tracking her down and bringing her back.

This was a fast paced, suspenseful thriller often quite brutal in it's graphic violence. Not for the faint of heart and not something to read while snacking if you are weak of stomach. 4 out of 5 stars from me. Currently free at Amazon at the time of this post.

 

I received a complimentary copy for review.

 

 

Firefly Hollow by T.L. Haddix

Book One in the Firefly Hollow Series, Women's Fiction Romances set in Appalachia.

In 1960, a tragic death in the family calls young Sarah Browning back from college to her Appalachian homestead. Unable to return to school and finish her degree, she finds herself facing a future that isn’t what she’d planned. Lost and grieving, she wanders onto her reclusive neighbor’s property where she stumbles across the all-too-attractive Owen Campbell, a man hiding secrets she’d only ever thought were legend.

Owen Campbell was raised on the folklore of Eastern Kentucky, tales of men and women with magical abilities from shape-shifting to healing powers. Rejected by those he loves because of his own abilities, he isolates himself from the world. When he meets Sarah, he’s faced with the tough decision of whether to let her in or stay hidden away to keep his heart safe.

Please note - this book is NOT a typical paranormal romance. No rage-beast shifters or alpha dogs here. It is, however, at its heart a romance, with a few intimate scenes between the hero and heroine, as well as adult situations dealing with tragedy.

"Firefly Hollow" is the first book in the Firefly Hollow series. Other titles include "Butterfly Lane," "Dragonfly Creek," "Cattail Ridge," "Cricket Cove," "Stormking Road," "Fern Valley," and "Snapdragon Way."

This first installment in the Firefly Hollow series begins in the 1950s when Sarah Browning is a lonely high school student and a target for her older sister Kathy to pick on.  The Browning's property borders the Campbell's who live up on the mountain and are rarely seen. It is understood that one does not cross that border and trespass onto the Campbell's land. However Sarah is unable to resist and begins walking there regularly, which is the first time Owen ever lays eyes on her, though she does not know it at the time. A few years later Sarah is called home from college where she is a year shy of graduating and becoming a teacher. A tragedy has befallen her family and again Sarah finds herself drawn to the Campbell's property. Gradually she and Owen find themselves falling in love, but circumstances seem to conspire to keep the young lovers apart and Owen's secrets may be too big to share. This was a story not just of romance, but family relationships, and heartbreaking tragedy.
4 out of 5 stars from me

I received a complimentary copy for review

Almost Missed You by Jessica Strawser

Description
Violet and Finn were “meant to be,” said everyone, always. They ended up together by the hands of fate aligning things just so. Three years into their marriage, they have a wonderful little boy, and as the three of them embark on their first vacation as a family, Violet can’t help thinking that she can’t believe her luck. Life is good.

So no one is more surprised than she when Finn leaves her at the beach—just packs up the hotel room and disappears. And takes their son with him. Violet is suddenly in her own worst nightmare, and faced with the knowledge that the man she’s shared her life with, she never really knew at all.

Caitlin and Finn have been best friends since way back when, but when Finn shows up on Caitlin’s doorstep with the son he’s wanted for kidnapping, demands that she hide them from the authorities, and threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy her own family if she doesn’t, Caitlin faces an impossible choice.

Told through alternating viewpoints of Violet, Finn and Caitlin, Almost Missed You is a powerful story of a mother’s love, a husband’s betrayal, connections that maybe should have been missed, secrets that perhaps shouldn’t have been kept, and spaces between what’s meant to be and what might have been.


A happily married couple take their toddler on a family vacation to the beach, life is good. Until it's bad... very very bad. Now Finn is on the run with their child and Violet is devastated, and wondering why. What did she miss? How could her husband just walk out without a word, stealing their child. Or did she choose to ignore the obvious? Were there questions she should have asked instead of burying her head in the sand and letting it go?
"All the wrong people know all the wrong secrets here." and with that one quote from Catlin I was made to wonder, when is a good time to tell a secret? And when if ever is it just too late to tell?
Caitlin and Finn were the best of friends long before he ever married Violet, and although Caitlin and Violet became very close, secrets always remained between them. Only Violet's Grandmother who raised her after the loss of her parents ever felt that something was just a bit off in Finn and Violet's marriage but she never spoke up about it until it was too late.
This was an emotional read. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

I received an advance copy for review.