What the Dark Brings: A Collection of Horrors by Edward Lorn

Follow Edward Lorn out of the light and into the darkest recesses of his mind.

What the Dark Brings is a collection of 19 short stories, beginning with "Literary Sweets", a tender jaunt into Christmastime that proves all is not lost for one jaded gentleman. But by the time you reach the final tale, "Come to Jesus Meeting", the darkness is all encompassing.

Tales of hope, heartache, and horror abound.

Come find What the Dark Brings

***As an added bonus to new fans, Edward Lorn has included his mini-anthology, Three After, complete and uncut, at the end of this collection. A total of 22 tales of terror coming it at over 40,000 words.***


I was pleased but not surprised at how much I enjoyed this collection of stories (and the 3 bonus stories at the end!) This was a perfect October read.  I devoured each and every one. There was not a sour note in the bunch but I would have to say my absolute favorites were "The Monitor" where a kindness is repaid, "The Southbound Triple-Six" about a man who awakens on a train with no memory of how he got there or where he is headed. "Nothing is out There to Get you" where a blind date goes about as badly as you would expect "Up On The Rooftop" Which reminded me very much of a similar incident I saw on the news. "A Purchase Of Titanic Proportions" In which a man regrets his winning bid at an auction. "What The Dark Brings" about a rescue that doesn't quite go as planned. "That Thing About A Picture And A Thousand Words" A woman finds a picture has been slid under her door and as the saying goes the devil is in the details. "Smitten" I want to call it a love story... but I won't go there. In "An Affair To Remember" a man extracts revenge on his cheating wife.. sort of, and last but most definitely not least "World's Greatest Dad" in which a child goes missing while trick or treating with her dad.
5 out of 5 stars from me.

Call Me Daddy by Kelly Stone Gamble

Description

Cass Adams comes from a long line of crazy, and she fears passing that on to her unborn child. Also, she’s run over Roland and Clay’s surprise half brother Britt, landing him in the hospital. With her inner demons coming out to haunt her, she doesn’t know if she should keep the baby.
Clay Adams has his own decisions to make. His half brother shows up to tell him their father, Freddy, is still alive but needs a liver transplant. When Freddy blew out of town thirty-five years ago, secrets were buried. But it’s time for them to be dug up, because only then can Clay hope to lay the past to rest.
Call Me Daddy is a story of family, the secrets they keep, and to what lengths someone would go to protect them.
This sequel to They Call Me Crazy can be read as a standalone novel.


"Kids always think they can handle their parents' secrets at any age. That is, until they hear them"
I think this quote from the book sums it up well.

As stated this book can be read as a stand alone novel, but personally I would recommend that you read "They Call Me Crazy" first. I find it a bit difficult to review without giving away too much of the first book,  I think it is important to have a better understanding of these characters and what they have been through in the first story in order to relate to them in part 2. I enjoyed the sequel but I don't think I would have cared so much for Cass and her ordeal if I had not read the first book and been aware of her past.
This sequel to They Call Me Crazy picks up just about where we left off. Cass and Clay are still together and Cass still goes out to the hill on occasion to talk to dead people.
Things are going fairly well for the happy couple until Cass accidently hits a man with her truck who turns out to be Clay's half brother. It seems Clay's father is not so long lost after all, but has been alive and well and started a whole new life for himself until he wound up needing a liver transplant from so many years of heavy drinking.
When Cass finds out she's going  to have a baby she questions whether or not she would be able to take care of it, and whether or not she should even try. Though there is plenty of reason in this book to question whether or not having a baby with Clay would be a good idea, again I think it is important to the story to have read the first book.

4 out of 5 stars from me.
I received a complimentary copy for review.




 

Meds by Ray Garton

Description
One hot summer day, a man in a business suit running wildly down a busy street attacks a woman and her toddler, neither of whom have ever seen him before.

... As he waits in his pickup truck for his wife to finish shopping, a man decides to take the shotgun off its rack, go inside the mall and open fire on total strangers.

... While waiting to see her doctor, a woman takes a knife from her purse and begins stabbing others in the waiting room.

Something is making people become violent and murderous...something they all have in common. When Eli Dunbar discovers what it is, he becomes afraid, because it’s something he has in common with them–a drug prescribed to him by his psychiatrist. And now Eli is a ticking time bomb.

Do you know all of the risks your prescription drugs might pose? Does your doctor? Or has the manufacturer hidden them from the public in the interest of profits?

Meds...a thriller with deadly side effects.

A compelling tale, and quite relevant in these days of non stop commercial bombardments with drug ads for everything from cholesterol pills to a prescription to thicken your eyelashes. Yes that is a real thing.
So many drugs, so many side effects and risks, and so many warnings of what can happen if you suddenly stop taking your pills, yet millions of people flock to doctors asking for the latest pill they've seen advertising. Drug companies count on this, hence all the ads that tell you to "ask your doctor about (insert name of latest pill) today!"
In "Meds" Ray Garton presents us with a frightening (and not so far fetched) idea of what could happen if people were suddenly unable to refill their prescription for the latest antidepressant and suffered a psychotic break as a result.

Curiosity Quills Presents: Cast No Shadows by various authors

Description
Welcome to the shadowed woods, where the trees breathe with ghosts and the wind whispers of the past.

Twenty-six authors take you through haunted houses and cemeteries with tales that will chill.

Beware the dark, for the spirits await you.

I have always loved ghost stories from the time I was a little girl, so I jumped on the chance to read this anthology.
These tales and their intensity varies. They include ghosts who came back for unfinished business, gentle spirits who want to protect what they love, demonic forces, and even a touching tale of a little girl who never really had a chance to live, until long after she passed away.
There are spooky graveyards, haunted houses, and things that go bump in the night. Some stories are spine tingling others are sorrowful.
Not all are scary, or even meant to be scary but all were worth a read.

4 out of 5 stars from me

I received a complimentary copy for review.