Toys in the Attic by Tim Turner

"Sometimes it is not a house that is haunted, or a person, but a combination of the two"

This collection of 8 short stories introduce an interesting cast of characters dealing with everything from zombies and robots to dog faced people with tails.

These stories range from Sci-fi to dark fiction/horror.

As a horror lover, my favorites were the title story Toys In The Attic, about a haunting that occurs when just the right family moves into a new home,  Echo Lake about a camp ground with a dark past, and Off Season, about the goings on in a tourist town when the summer people go home.

There were a few rough spots that could have used a bit of polish or benefited from some minor edits, but over all it was a decent assortment of creepy fiction.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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Bad Parts by Brandon McNulty

When rock guitarist Ash Hudson suffers a career-ending hand injury, she seeks out the only thing that can heal it--her hometown's darkest secret.

For decades the residents of Hollow Hills, Pennsylvania, have offered their diseased and injured body parts to a creek demon named Snare. In return, Snare rewards its Traders with healthy replacement parts. There's only one catch: if Traders leave town, their new parts vanish forever.

Ash wants a new hand, but living in Hollow Hills isn't an option. Not when her band is one gig away from hitting the big time. Desperate, she bargains with Snare, promising to help the demon complete its organ collection in exchange for both a new hand and the freedom for everyone to leave town.

As her band's show rapidly approaches, Ash teams up with her estranged father in a last-ditch effort to recruit new Traders. But not everyone trusts Snare's offer, and Ash soon learns how far her neighbors will go to protect their precious parts.

With her family in danger and her band waiting, Ash must find a way to help Snare. But even if she succeeds, there's no telling what Snare plans to do with everyone's bad parts.

I love a good home town horror story. You know the kind, small towns with dark secrets that are only as as safe as the weakest link. Outsiders are not welcome and are steered away or killed. What differs here from that usual formula, is that an insider becomes an outsider, and her return is the threat. Ash knows what goes on at the creek in Hollow Hills, or at least some of it. She doesn't know the full scope of the creek demon's hold over the town.  She cut ties with her father years ago and never looked back. Nothing could make her return to her childhood home, until a savage attack leaves her hand injured beyond repair. I was fascinated with the whole family dynamic. The love and resentment felt very realistic, as we learn what had transpired between Ash and her brother Trent, which is mirrored in the strained relationship between Trent and his son. While at it's heart this is a horror story of a demonic spirit seeking revenge, it is the selfishness of some characters juxtaposed with the selfless acts of others that most impressed me, along with enough gruesome acts and blood curdling scenes to keep this horror fan turning the pages.

5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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About the author
Brandon McNulty grew up loving monsters, demons, and the thrill of a great scare. Now he writes supernatural thrillers, horror, and other dark fiction. He is a graduate of Taos Toolbox Writers Workshop and a winner of both Pitch Wars and RevPit. He writes from Pennsylvania.

Website

https://www.brandonmcnulty.com/

Coleridge by Tom Deady

Coleridge was the start of everything for Zadie and Dalia. Their love of the old house began as a restoration project and blossomed into a love story. Until the tragedy.

Coleridge was all Dalia Cromwell had left. It served as both a tribute to their love and a harsh reminder to her loss. Until the visitor arrived.

Coleridge was his obsession. Slade knew more about the house than Dalia did. And he knew of its past. By the end of their long night together in the house, Dalia would know all of Coleridge’s secrets, and Zadie’s.



This was a quick read and some of the story has already started without us. No disrespect to Dickens but Zadie was dead, to begin with. Who is Zadie you ask? Well she was the love of Dalia's life, soulmates who met purely by chance when they both wanted to put an offer on the same house. Now Dalia is on her own, mourning her loss and living her lonely life... until he shows up. Slade knows a secret about the house that Dalia and Zadie so lovingly restored. It holds something he wants. He has already gone to great lengths to get it and it seems unlikely that he will let Dalia get in the way. Before the night is over Dalia will learn more about Zadie than she ever did during their time together. I don't want to portray this as just a melancholy love story or a flame snuffed out too soon. There's a mystery to unfold and a touch of the supernatural in this engrossing tale.
4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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About the author
Tom Deady is the author of several short stories, as well as a non-fiction book on the Red Sox historic 2004 season.
Tom's debut novel, Haven, is available now from Cemetery Dance on Amazon in ebook and paperback (https://www.amazon.com/Haven-Tom-Dead...).
Haven is the 2016 Bram Stoker Winner of Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

Tom's second novel, Eternal Darkness, is available now from Bloodshot Books in ebook and trade paperback format. (https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Darkne...).
Tom has a Masters Degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University, and is a member of both the Horror Writers Association and the New England Horror Writers.
Tom is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, where is actively working on his next novel

Under a Raging Moon by Mike Sherer

A mother and her possessed son battle for their lives against a horde of demons intent on not only their destruction but the death of the unborn child she carries.

Stressed-out single mother Vivian has to fetch twelve-year old son Kody from an overnight after he gets into a fight with the friend he was spending the night with. On the way home she nearly runs over a man out for a night jog. Who ends up being run over in front of her house. When a police officer very quickly responds he shows little sympathy for the injured man, instead drawing his gun. But the jogger kills the officer first. Vivian calls for help, then flees her house with her son. Thus begins a long gory night as Vivian is hunted down by demons intent on her destruction. As the reasons for this come into focus, an extremely weird relationship develops between Vivian and her possessed son who is on the brink of death. Forget Norman Bates. This mother-son relationship is more twisted than the Gordian Knot.


This was a fast paced, gore drenched tale of demonic possession on the run. The supermoon has allowed demons to wreak havoc on earth. They not only possess humans but can jump from one body to the next, even taking over wild and domestic animals should the need arise. I can't say that it was scary, but there was lots of action and splattery blood soaked fun. I do think it could have benefited from a bit of editing, but all in all it is worth a read.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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