Tantalizing Tales of the Horrific and Fantastic by Marie Krepps


Tantalizing Tales of the Horrific and Fantastic by Marie Krepps
Publisher: Hollow Hills
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Short Story (130 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sink your teeth into this book of fantastical short stories that will leave you wanting more. This collection mixes fantasy, science fiction, horror, and more into one big boiling pot of tastiness. Stories may include princesses, talking birds, alien species, magical items, terrifying creatures, cyborgs, or assassins. You’ll get your fill of thrills and chills.

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In “The Last Goodbye,” Cam and Merrick had to battle a village filled with trolls in order to win the right to bring home a golden scroll that would make them wealthy. The plot twists in this tale were a lot of fun. I surprisingly didn’t see any of them coming in advance, so I relished the chance to be surprised by what was going on in these characters’ lives before more details were revealed about who they were as individuals.

Most of the stories in this anthology were quite short. While I enjoyed diving into the different worlds for such brief periods of time, there were multiple instances where it would have been helpful to have more information about who the characters were. Something that is only a few pages long simply doesn’t have a lot of room to explore someone’s backstory or conflicts in life. There were times when this was an issue for me as a reader. For example, “Date Night” was about a woman preparing to go on a first date. Her entire story was finished in less than two pages, so there wasn’t time to explore her backstory or explain why she was being so meticulous about making sure she had everything she needed for the evening. I enjoyed the twist at the end, but it would have been nice to know more about who she really was and why she had such an unusual approach to dating.

“Taking It Back” began with a bang when an ordinary stretch of road was suddenly transformed into a lush, green field of grass. As many more manmade structures began to also disappear into thin air and be replaced by living things like trees and vines, I couldn’t help but to wonder what was causing all of this and if it would be permanent. The descriptions of the transformations were so vivid that I felt as though I were watching them happen right in front of me. I was also fascinated by how humans were affected by all of these drastic changes in their lives.

If you like flash fiction and similar short pieces of work, I’d recommend checking out Tantalizing Tales of the Horrific and Fantastic.

July Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Awaken the Darkness by Dianne Duvall


Awaken the Darkness by Dianne Duvall
Immortal Guardians Book 8
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Action/Adventure
Length: Full length (247 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum
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He awakens encapsulated in dirt with no knowledge of how he came to be there. Riddled with injuries, he can remember neither his past nor who he is. Nor can he remember what he is. But surely no mortal man could survive being buried deep beneath the earth. All he knows with certainty is that the soothing voice and presence of the woman moving around above enables him to endure the agony of his wounds. And he will do whatever it takes to be with her.

When Susan first sees the old two-story house for sale, such warmth and longing fill her that–against all reason–she makes an offer. It will take years of hard work and money she frankly doesn’t have to fix up the place. So she can’t explain why she bought it. She also can’t explain what compels her to spend hours one night, digging in the basement until she unearths a man. A man who still lives and breathes despite having been buried alive. A man whose intense brown eyes glow amber with pain, declaring him far more than ordinary. Susan knows she should keep her distance. He has no memory and possesses gifts that would make most fear him. But as the two work together to unravel the mystery of his past, she finds herself drawn in by his teasing nature and tender touch. So much so that she loses her heart to him even as they find themselves hunted by unknown enemies who are ruthless in their quest to capture them.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Dark Warm Heart by Rich Larson


Dark Warm Heart by Rich Larson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (28 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“Dark Warm Heart” by Rich Larson is a horror story about a woman whose husband returns from the frozen Canadian North Territories, obsessed with texts he discovered there.

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This was one of the scariest things I’ve read in a long time. Mr. Larson did a wonderful job at setting the mood while slowly giving hints that something had gone terribly wrong while Noel, the main character’s husband, was conducting his research in northern Canada. I especially enjoyed the fact that Kristine needed some time to realize that Noel wasn’t acting like his normal self. As her excitement transitioned into fear, I only became more interested in finding out what had really happened to him while he was away.

It would have been helpful to have a more detailed explanation of what was going on in the final scene. The clues that were provided weren’t quite enough for me put all of the pieces together. Even now I’m not entirely sure that my understanding of the end was what the author meant to say. Had this section been clearer to me, I would have felt comfortable choosing a higher rating for this book.

The description of Kristine and Noel’s marriage was well written. They’d been together for so long that they were obviously quite comfortable around each other. Seeing such a settled and stable couple go through a horrifying experience that defied explanation made it impossible for me to stop reading. I simply had to know what would happen to them next.

Dark Warm Heart made me shudder. It should be read by anyone who finds joy in being frightened.

The Undertaker’s Revenge: A Love Story by A. Davis


The Undertaker’s Revenge: A Love Story by A. Davis
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Paranormal, Horror, Historical
Length: Short Story (85 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Two-headed dogs and the re-animated dead? What is going on in the little village of Krakenshire?

It was a land and time far, far away, or so the story goes. Hear the offbeat narrator tell the tale of the undertaker and his quest for revenge and retaliation. Meet the whimsical and bizarre characters that occupy the quaint town along the way.

This strange tale follows the forlorn undertaker through the tiny hamlet of Krakenshire as he attempts to avenge his wife’s death. The village residents, on the other hand, never seemed to question her death. In fact, aside from the light gossip pertaining to the mental health of the undertaker, they nearly forgot all about the once-happy couple. Almost oblivious, they were. One might even say they were mysteriously distracted.
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The undertaker, however, saw the secretive spell the resident had succumbed to- and it all emanated from from the factory on the hill. The evil empire, as he referred to it, was a chemical company contaminating the very village they resided in. And he was most resolute on reaping revenge on such a nefarious neighbor!
Oh sure, there were others who were not sickened by the spell, other villagers who indeed did perceive the poisoning being perpetrated. But they were, well, let’s just say, they were otherwise occupied with their own oddities. And most peculiar oddities they were! Now I won’t go into the particulars here, but suffice it to say, the town was rather teaming with the twisted type, a loony lot for certain! And our poor undertaker has to endure the endless eccentricities as he tries to exact his revenge.

Will the undertaker find justice, or will he just go mad? More importantly, will you be brave enough to make to the end?

Suspend your disbelief and prepare for something delightfully surreal before diving into this book.

The plot twists were fabulous. Many of them completely surprised me, and even the ones that I predicted ahead of time were still a ton of fun to see actually unfold for the characters. I was especially impressed with how Ms. Davis played around with some of the most common tropes in the horror, mystery, and science fiction genres in order to suit her purposes. There was so much creativity in her writing that I’m going to be keeping a close lookout to see what she publishes next.

I would have liked to see a little more time spent on character development. As intrigued as I was by the undertaker’s bizarre theories about what was happening to his community, I didn’t feel like I got to know him as an individual as well as I would have liked to. His personality was well-described when it came to his obsessions and fears, but the rest of who he was didn’t get the same amount of attention.

This was such an amusing mystery to solve. I’ll admit to being a little confused about what was going on in the beginning, but that was mostly due to the fact that the main character was just as puzzled as I was. As soon as things became clearer, I was hooked on the plot and couldn’t wait to find out what was really going on in this sleepy and disturbingly happy town.

I’d heartily recommend The Undertaker’s Revenge: A Love Story to anyone who loves the thought of mixing multiple genres together in the same tale.

June Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan


The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: Full Length (384 pgs)
Rated 5 stars
Reviewed by Snapdragon

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy
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Laura and Casey were once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in their small California lakeside town. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake.

But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t resist—one last scavenger hunt. With a twist: this time, the list of clues leads to the settings of their most cherished summer memories. From glistening Jade Cove to the vintage skating rink, each step they take becomes a bittersweet reminder of the friendship they once shared. But just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart…

Mesmerizing and unforgettable, Amy Mason Doan’s The Summer List is about losing and recapturing the person who understands you best—and the unbreakable bonds of girlhood.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

The Tucson Time Traveler and Other Stories by Claus Holm


The Tucson Time Traveler and Other Stories by Claus Holm
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Holiday, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Full Length (175 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“I’d be shooting someone who hasn’t done anything yet.” Professor Wells put his hand on my shoulder. “Such is the dilemma of time travel, Ted. A world where reaction comes before action. Where you as the chrononaut knows what the future will be like because you’ve lived it, even if it hasn’t happened yet.” If you could go back in time and change the course of history, would you do it? Even if you could never be sure what the change would lead to? Can any of us really foresee the impact our actions have on history and the future? Through ten independent stories, Claus Holm explores the world of time travel, dimensional changes, and new technology. He shows us a world where Germany won World War II, introduces us to people who can cast minds from the future to the past, and takes us to a future where an earthquake has destroyed our civilization beyond repair. Each story treats the question of how people deal with challenges that change their view of life. If you are a fan of Stephen King, the show Black Mirror, or if you’ve read Dreams and Awakenings, this is the book for you.

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One of the highlights of this anthology for me was “I Love Her From the Mirror.” In it, a lonely and socially awkward man named Mick realized that he could see the bedroom of one of his neighbors when he looked into the new mirror in his own bedroom. While I was a little taken aback by this premise at first, I quickly grew to like Mick quite a bit. He was an honorable man who always had the best of intentions. I also adored how this one ended. There was a twist in the final sentence that was as heartwarming as it was satisfactory.

“The Phone People” was one of the few stories that I thought could have used more development. It followed a mysterious man named Dave who travelled around the country under the instructions of The Phone People, individuals he received telephone calls and packages from but never actually saw in person. This character didn’t remember his past, and he often lost large chunks of time from his present as well. As intrigued as I was by the possible causes of this memory loss and what he might be doing when his mind decided to stop remembering his actions, there simply weren’t enough details to help me figure any of this stuff out. I would have really appreciated it if there had been a little more guidance from the narrator about what was really going on in Dave’s life.

Many different emotions mixed together in “The Last Haunted House.” Warren, the main character, was still grieving over the loss of his wife when he decided to go all out decorating his house for the trick-or-treaters who were about to start wandering around his neighborhood in search of candy and frights. This tale had a dark edge that I wasn’t expecting to stumble across. With that being said, the horror elements of it worked incredibly well, and I was glad I read it while there was still daylight in the sky.

I’d recommend The Tucson Time Traveler and Other Stories to anyone who loves creative science fiction in all its forms.

May Book of the Month Poll ~ Bumpy Night on the Walk of Fame by Loretta Bolger Wish


Bumpy Night on the Walk of Fame by Loretta Bolger Wish
Publisher: Uncial Press
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Inspirational, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (180 pages)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

After Bette Davis posthumously founds a museum-theater complex at her hometown college, the Producer on high fulfills her longtime dream of playing Scarlett O’Hara. But Bette has no idea how much she’ll shake up her career and her love life by starring in Gone with the Wind.

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Ronald Reagan will win two Oscars and never become President while John Kennedy marries Grace Kelly and serves two terms. Marilyn Monroe will turn into a sitcom legend, Jacqueline Bouvier will run a style empire and Martha Stewart will become a celebrity chef.

To curator Dana Foster’s horror, the casting reboot plays havoc with her exhibits and replica Hollywood Walk of Fame. It turns egotistical superstar Patrice Clark into a nobody just as she is about to become the museum’s first Hall of Fame inductee. She’s outraged when she finds Meryl Streep is being honored instead and the Patrice Clark Walk of Fame star now bears Michelle Pfeiffer’s name.

Racing against time, the movie-loving academic and the high-strung diva form an uneasy alliance to unravel the mystery before the next day’s induction ceremony.
While they spend a stressful but enlightening day trying to restore order, the Producer takes Bette on a bumpy multi-media ride of her own. As she sees favorite film roles elude her and her onetime husband marry another, she mourns all she has sacrificed by starring in Gone with the Wind and fears her derailed history can’t be fixed.

Seeing that Patrice and Dana’s investigation is stalled, Bette gets permission to make a cameo appearance on earth and lend them a hand. In the process, the trio learns new lessons about film, fate and roads not taken.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!!

Azreal by J.S. Frankel


The Undernet 2: Azreal by J.S. Frankel
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (238 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Milt Edwards, survivor of an incident that almost took his life six months previously, is back. He and his girlfriend, Roberta (Robbie) Jones, both suffer from PTSD as a result of their ordeal, and they attend counseling sessions in order to help them work through their mental anguish.

Nothing helps, but then a friend of Milt’s is killed, ostensibly by the same person who designed the Undernet—Azrael. Galvanized into action, Milt once again joins forces with the FBI in order to find out who Azrael truly is, and he is paired with a rookie agent, Nasraana Shaksy, an American Muslim who has her own battles to fight.

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Some monsters have become very good at hiding their true selves.

Milt’s character development was well done. I’d mentioned wanting to see more of it in my review of The Undernet, so it was nice to see how much this character changed in his second adventure. He had been pretty badly traumatized from being kidnapped and tortured back then, and he was still dealing with the repercussions of that when this case began. It was neat to see so much continuity for him there as he continued to heal.

The cast of characters was really large. Milt and the FBI agents he was working with kept finding more and more people on the Darkweb who were involved in child trafficking as the story progressed. While Mr. Frankel’s descriptions of everyone were thorough, I sure would have liked to have a list of all of the characters to reference when someone who hadn’t been seen in a while popped back up again. There were a few times when I had trouble remembering certain people who played small roles in the plot because of how many other folks there were to keep track of as well.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this story was trying to figure out who Azrael really was and how he’d evaded the authorities for so long. This wasn’t an easy mystery to unravel. There were a sufficient number of clues to work with, but they didn’t appear right away and all of them required the readers to think critically about what we’d just read.

The first book in this series was in the young adult genre, but this standalone sequel took a much darker and adult-oriented turn. While the many references to child trafficking and pedophilia did not include any scenes of a child being sexually abused, such disturbing subject matter is really only appropriate for an adult audience.

The Undernet 2: Azrael should be read by anyone who is in the mood for a dark mystery.

Our King and His Court by Rich Larson


Our King and His Court by Rich Larson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A futuristic story about a high-ranking soldier in a criminal gang who has conflicting loyalties to his monstrous boss and that boss’s innocent young son.

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The world building was really well done. Scipio, the main character, lived in a violent, post-apocalyptic society where only the strongest and most cunning people had any chance of survival. It wasn’t a pleasant place to live by any means, but I did have a vivid impression of what it was like to live in a world run by sociopathic criminals. Danger lurked everywhere there. Escaping it completely wasn’t an option, but someone who was intelligent could reduce their chances of dying painfully if they played the game the right way.

It would have been helpful to have the same attention to detail paid to the character development. I wouldn’t expect to spend a lot of time exploring the personalities and backstories of characters in such a strongly plot-based tale, but it would have been nice to get to know them better as individuals before terrible things began happening to and around them.

I loved the plot twists. It was surprising to see how many of them Mr. Larson was able to squeeze into such a short story. He did an excellent job of gently foreshadowing what would happen next without make it easy for his readers to figure everything out in advance. I especially appreciated how much effort he put into showing how inhumanely El Tirano, Scipio’s boss, treated everyone around him. That clue could have easily given the audience too much or too little information about what was coming next, but the author handled it perfectly.

If you like dark and sometimes disturbing science fiction, give Our King and His Court a try.

Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes


Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Historical
Length: Short Story (54 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“Burning Girls”, by Veronica Schanoes, is a fascinating dark fantasy novella about a Jewish girl educated by her grandmother as a healer and witch growing up in an increasingly hostile environment in Poland in the late nineteenth century. In addition to the natural danger of destruction by Cossacks, she must deal with a demon plaguing her family.

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The world building was phenomenal. I loved the fact that the author incorporated scenes from well-known fairy tales and real historical events into the troubles that Deborah, the main character, and her family faced. Not only was it fun to pick out those elements of the plot, they made the early twentieth century come alive in my imagination. I could imagine exactly what it would be like to live in Poland or the United States during that period of time.

I would have preferred to see some more time spent on character development. Deborah and her family made the same mistakes over and over again while they were trying to escape the clutches of the demon who was tormenting them. I was surprised by the fact that they didn’t seem to learn from their previous mistakes, and I would have liked to know why they kept making choices that hadn’t worked out well for them at all in the past.

One of the things I appreciated the most about this story had to do with how witches were treated in it. Deborah was only a little girl when her family realized that she’d inherited her grandmother’s special abilities, and they made sure she had all of the training she needed in order to become proficient at her future occupation. Her talents were seen as a gift, not a curse. While she did require guidance and training, I liked the fact that being a witch was thought of as a positive thing in this universe.

Burning Girls is a must-read for anyone who adores fairy tales.