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scrow1022's review
5.0
Fantastic. Every story chilling, compelling. Some new authors I'm looking forward to reading more of.
roxanamalinachirila's review
5.0
I enjoyed this more than Stephen King's "It" and found it scarier. There, I've said it.
Since all the authors are romance authors (as far as I know), I was expecting this to be a collection of romantic stories with a horror setting and the usual happy ending. Instead, it's mostly a collection of tales in which the creepy gets creepier and people die.
"The Price of Meat" by K.J. Charles (which I'd read before) is the one exception - it's a relatively optimistic penny dreadful-type story inspired by Sweeney Todd. A young woman finds employment in a creepy barber shop in exchange for a policeman recovering her beloved from a madhouse. People get killed and eaten like cattle there - but there's a happy ending and the love runs strong.
With the rest of the stories, the horror tends to take over as people fall in love or lust with the wrong creature. The collection is pretty tame when it comes to violence and gore, but it does a great job when it comes to creating atmosphere, at least as far as I'm concerned.
Since all the authors are romance authors (as far as I know), I was expecting this to be a collection of romantic stories with a horror setting and the usual happy ending. Instead, it's mostly a collection of tales in which the creepy gets creepier and people die.
"The Price of Meat" by K.J. Charles (which I'd read before) is the one exception - it's a relatively optimistic penny dreadful-type story inspired by Sweeney Todd. A young woman finds employment in a creepy barber shop in exchange for a policeman recovering her beloved from a madhouse. People get killed and eaten like cattle there - but there's a happy ending and the love runs strong.
With the rest of the stories, the horror tends to take over as people fall in love or lust with the wrong creature. The collection is pretty tame when it comes to violence and gore, but it does a great job when it comes to creating atmosphere, at least as far as I'm concerned.
lbcecil's review
4.0
I was so excited to read this anthology, even though I’m a baby when it comes to horror movies and books. I get scared very easily, but I also love to challenge myself to read books out of my comfort zone. A collection of queer horror tales was the perfect way to do this.
It also helps that this anthology featured a few of my favourite queer romance authors, as well as many I have been meaning to read for a while. It was a great way to get a taste of their writing, and I definitely enjoyed the stories. I also love how this anthology doesn’t just feature paranormal horror, but horror of all varieties: depression, finding out a terrible secret about your lover, people being taken advantage of, college fraternities, government projects, futuristic society. There’s something for everyone in this anthology.
Company by Roan Parrish
Roan Parrish is a massive name in the m/m romance community, but I have as yet to read any of her work. Company is the first short story in the anthology and it was the perfect, creepy start to the collection. Nick, a lonely high school student, has his life changed when his favourite vampire character from a beloved comic book series is suddenly brought to life – but he’s not sure if Michel is real or not. When a new boy arrives at school and Nick begins to fall for him, Michel suddenly turns cruel and violent, and he’s ruining Nick’s life.
Parrish’s writing was lyrical yet set a disturbing, menacing mood that was also depicted through Michel. Nick was a very relatable protagonist – his loneliness was hard to read and you can’t help but feel for him, but that has nothing on how chilling his fear and anxiety is as he begins to question reality. Company was a tantalising story that has the reader examining what is real right along with Nick. My only criticism would be the ending: although it did ultimately make sense with the plot, I felt like I was left on a cliffhanger, desperately wanting to know more!
4 stars
Love Me True by Kris Ripper
Love Me True is a story that rips you apart. The blurb is purposely vague and, while the majority of the story is romantic and happy, I had this sick feeling in my stomach as I began to piece bits together. Palmer is about to propose to the love of his life, who is as equally into BDSM and power play in the bedroom as he is. When Jon says yes, Palmer thinks that his life is finally complete. He should have known better.
This story doesn’t feature any paranormal or supernatural activity, the horror is in how realistic and almost commonplace the plot is. It’s literally a lover’s worst nightmare, and I read in dread once everything comes together. This story does feature a non-monogamous relationship, and I have never been the biggest fan of books with that romance (probably because they’re written quite fetish-like!), but in this novel my eyes were opened to different types of relationships.
Story time: my greatest fear is to have what happened to Palmer happen to me. To those you have read the story, I know you’re laughing at me (because it’s ridiculous and will never happen), but from ages 14-16, I read crime novels almost exclusively, and in so many of them, these circumstances unfolded. I think my adolescent brain took this plot line and embedded it in me and that’s why this story really spoke to me 😂. All in all, Love Me True is the creepiest, and saddest, short story of the anthology.
4 stars
The Price of Meat by K.J. Charles
You all know KJ and I go way back … well, I go way back with KJ, she doesn’t know me from a bar of soap, but I have read ALL of her bibliography, and I have to say The Price of Meat is the most terrifying. The only f/f story in the anthology, The Price of Meat is KJ’s queer take on the Sweeny Todd tale, and it is as gory and frightening as you already think it will be.
KJ’s writing was first-rate in this story and completely sets the tone as a 19th century penny dreadful. I was drawn in from the very first line, and the story became a favourite the moment the heroine Johanna opened her mouth and spoke. She’s fierce and more capable than any of the male characters. The plot was gruesome and, frankly, horrifying, but so creative too. KJ was inspired by the Sweeny Todd story to be sure, but she’s clearly stamped her own unique mark to the tale. The Price of Meat is the most horrifying of the horror collection, and if you can handle this story, you can handle anything.
4.5 stars
His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl by Steve Berman
TW: Homophobia, non-con, body mutilation
Although not horror in the immediate sense, this short story is based on the hazing set in college fraternities, a horror in their own sense. But I absolutely love realistic horror, especially the kind that focuses on coming-of-age stories, as is the case with His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl.
This story was chock full of angst and it was probably the sickening story of the collection. The characters are awful people – of course they are, they’re college frat buddies! – but Steve, the narrator, had a strong voice and he knew exactly who he was and didn’t change for anyone, despite the rampant homophobia – internalised and outspoken – he experienced. I was also intrigued by the slight magical-realism element of the story, and how that developed through the plot. This was also one of the few novellas that made me have a smile on my face by the time I finished the story.
4 stars
Legion: A Love Story by Avon Gale
I’ve only recently discovered the fantastic novels from Avon Gale, and I’m slowly making my way through her Scoring Chances series. Reading Legion proved to me that Gale one of the leading voices in queer fiction, and I will be reading all of her work now. Staff Sergeant Jason Essex of the U.S. Marine Corps has been given a strange assignment: he has to monitor a ‘being’ in an enclosure for eight weeks, with no contact with any other people for that entire time.
This story is the best of the collection, and I am still thinking about it weeks after I finished reading it (I’ve also reread it like three times since). Legion is written through form of an epistolary format: through a collection of emails, diary entries, Google searches, and voice memos. Right off the bat, this story is unique in how it was written – and it only gets better from there. I was following along with Jason’s fear and anxiety as he researched what it could possibly be. And then, suddenly, I began to worry for a whole different reason. I loved the development of Jason’s relationship with the being, from fear to interest to … well, you’ll have to read it to find out.
5 stars
Beauties by L.A. Rock
TW: Rape, and non-con (alluded to quite strongly/off-page)
The last story is the most disturbing/nauseating of the anthology, as it depicts a world where sexual slavery is rampant through the creation of AIs (artificial intelligence). I don’t enjoy stories about sexual slavery, because often they tend to focus more on titillation then about the issues of slavery or even the character overcoming their circumstances, but the importance of consent was a major theme in this story, and the mentions of rape were called out by the protagonist. But still, this is a hard story to read.
Beauties is, frankly, a terrifying story about what life would be like if robots gained sentience on an almost-but-not-quite human level – they can’t quite comprehend human morals, and that is where the horror comes into play. Lester, the protagonist, had a soft-spot for AIs and he, for lack of a better term, ‘adopted’ a difficult AI called Ira, and attempted to quell his behaviour. The story was a little confusing as there is a deeper mystery at play, but everything came together at the conclusion … and certainly not in the way the reader would imagine. A well-executed story, but your enjoyment will depend on your reading experiences and tastes.
3 stars
It also helps that this anthology featured a few of my favourite queer romance authors, as well as many I have been meaning to read for a while. It was a great way to get a taste of their writing, and I definitely enjoyed the stories. I also love how this anthology doesn’t just feature paranormal horror, but horror of all varieties: depression, finding out a terrible secret about your lover, people being taken advantage of, college fraternities, government projects, futuristic society. There’s something for everyone in this anthology.
Company by Roan Parrish
Roan Parrish is a massive name in the m/m romance community, but I have as yet to read any of her work. Company is the first short story in the anthology and it was the perfect, creepy start to the collection. Nick, a lonely high school student, has his life changed when his favourite vampire character from a beloved comic book series is suddenly brought to life – but he’s not sure if Michel is real or not. When a new boy arrives at school and Nick begins to fall for him, Michel suddenly turns cruel and violent, and he’s ruining Nick’s life.
Parrish’s writing was lyrical yet set a disturbing, menacing mood that was also depicted through Michel. Nick was a very relatable protagonist – his loneliness was hard to read and you can’t help but feel for him, but that has nothing on how chilling his fear and anxiety is as he begins to question reality. Company was a tantalising story that has the reader examining what is real right along with Nick. My only criticism would be the ending: although it did ultimately make sense with the plot, I felt like I was left on a cliffhanger, desperately wanting to know more!
4 stars
Love Me True by Kris Ripper
Love Me True is a story that rips you apart. The blurb is purposely vague and, while the majority of the story is romantic and happy, I had this sick feeling in my stomach as I began to piece bits together. Palmer is about to propose to the love of his life, who is as equally into BDSM and power play in the bedroom as he is. When Jon says yes, Palmer thinks that his life is finally complete. He should have known better.
This story doesn’t feature any paranormal or supernatural activity, the horror is in how realistic and almost commonplace the plot is. It’s literally a lover’s worst nightmare, and I read in dread once everything comes together. This story does feature a non-monogamous relationship, and I have never been the biggest fan of books with that romance (probably because they’re written quite fetish-like!), but in this novel my eyes were opened to different types of relationships.
Story time: my greatest fear is to have what happened to Palmer happen to me. To those you have read the story, I know you’re laughing at me (because it’s ridiculous and will never happen), but from ages 14-16, I read crime novels almost exclusively, and in so many of them, these circumstances unfolded. I think my adolescent brain took this plot line and embedded it in me and that’s why this story really spoke to me 😂. All in all, Love Me True is the creepiest, and saddest, short story of the anthology.
4 stars
The Price of Meat by K.J. Charles
You all know KJ and I go way back … well, I go way back with KJ, she doesn’t know me from a bar of soap, but I have read ALL of her bibliography, and I have to say The Price of Meat is the most terrifying. The only f/f story in the anthology, The Price of Meat is KJ’s queer take on the Sweeny Todd tale, and it is as gory and frightening as you already think it will be.
KJ’s writing was first-rate in this story and completely sets the tone as a 19th century penny dreadful. I was drawn in from the very first line, and the story became a favourite the moment the heroine Johanna opened her mouth and spoke. She’s fierce and more capable than any of the male characters. The plot was gruesome and, frankly, horrifying, but so creative too. KJ was inspired by the Sweeny Todd story to be sure, but she’s clearly stamped her own unique mark to the tale. The Price of Meat is the most horrifying of the horror collection, and if you can handle this story, you can handle anything.
4.5 stars
His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl by Steve Berman
TW: Homophobia, non-con, body mutilation
Although not horror in the immediate sense, this short story is based on the hazing set in college fraternities, a horror in their own sense. But I absolutely love realistic horror, especially the kind that focuses on coming-of-age stories, as is the case with His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl.
This story was chock full of angst and it was probably the sickening story of the collection. The characters are awful people – of course they are, they’re college frat buddies! – but Steve, the narrator, had a strong voice and he knew exactly who he was and didn’t change for anyone, despite the rampant homophobia – internalised and outspoken – he experienced. I was also intrigued by the slight magical-realism element of the story, and how that developed through the plot. This was also one of the few novellas that made me have a smile on my face by the time I finished the story.
4 stars
Legion: A Love Story by Avon Gale
I’ve only recently discovered the fantastic novels from Avon Gale, and I’m slowly making my way through her Scoring Chances series. Reading Legion proved to me that Gale one of the leading voices in queer fiction, and I will be reading all of her work now. Staff Sergeant Jason Essex of the U.S. Marine Corps has been given a strange assignment: he has to monitor a ‘being’ in an enclosure for eight weeks, with no contact with any other people for that entire time.
This story is the best of the collection, and I am still thinking about it weeks after I finished reading it (I’ve also reread it like three times since). Legion is written through form of an epistolary format: through a collection of emails, diary entries, Google searches, and voice memos. Right off the bat, this story is unique in how it was written – and it only gets better from there. I was following along with Jason’s fear and anxiety as he researched what it could possibly be. And then, suddenly, I began to worry for a whole different reason. I loved the development of Jason’s relationship with the being, from fear to interest to … well, you’ll have to read it to find out.
5 stars
Beauties by L.A. Rock
TW: Rape, and non-con (alluded to quite strongly/off-page)
The last story is the most disturbing/nauseating of the anthology, as it depicts a world where sexual slavery is rampant through the creation of AIs (artificial intelligence). I don’t enjoy stories about sexual slavery, because often they tend to focus more on titillation then about the issues of slavery or even the character overcoming their circumstances, but the importance of consent was a major theme in this story, and the mentions of rape were called out by the protagonist. But still, this is a hard story to read.
Beauties is, frankly, a terrifying story about what life would be like if robots gained sentience on an almost-but-not-quite human level – they can’t quite comprehend human morals, and that is where the horror comes into play. Lester, the protagonist, had a soft-spot for AIs and he, for lack of a better term, ‘adopted’ a difficult AI called Ira, and attempted to quell his behaviour. The story was a little confusing as there is a deeper mystery at play, but everything came together at the conclusion … and certainly not in the way the reader would imagine. A well-executed story, but your enjoyment will depend on your reading experiences and tastes.
3 stars
millah's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
the_novel_approach's review
5.0
4.5 Stars ~ The appeal of horror for me has always been in the cerebral. The ominous places an author can take my imagination is one of the things I love about the genre; but then, that push one step further into a physical response—the chills and heart pumping adrenaline spikes—elevates the reading experience to another level. The irresistable appeal of the anthology All in Fear began with its contributing authors and ended with its deliciously frightening storytelling.
Each of the novellas in this collection share a common thread in that they are a reminder that life is fragile, fear is a reality and reality is sometimes terrifying, and sometimes, the monsters are human. There is a touching aspect to them too, though; a poignant spot within their darkness that brings with it an emotional connection to the characters. KJ Charles’ The Price of Meat and Steve Berman’s His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl come closest to what could be called a happy ending. Avon Gale’s Legion: A Love Story notches its way in there as well—if you stretch your definition of happy just a bit—but the absolute best part of all the stories is wading through some horribly good madness along the way.
There’s so much to whet the horror hungry appetite in this book, an abundance of dark themes to sink your teeth into. Roan Parrish’s covetous vampire in Company does not share well and his obsession with Nick Levy exacts a dear price from the boy. Kris Ripper’s Love Me True is a sinister and twisted love story that proves the course of true love never did run smooth, and, in fact, can be downright deadly. KJ Charles’ The Price of Meat pays homage to Sweeney Todd and gives new meaning to the saying “you are what you eat,” and does so in the author’s inimitable style. His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl, Steve Berman’s take on fraternities and hazing, adds a bit more malevolence and a helping of black magic to the collection.
Rounding things out is Legion: A Love Story, Avon Gale’s take on a military assignment that puts Marine Staff Sergeant Jason Essex in direct proximity with temptation and an entity that will go on to change his life forever–the only way to get rid of a temptation, after all, is to yield to it. And finally, J.A. Rock’s Beauties brings the anthology to a close, introducing artificial intelligence in a story that Mary Shelley might have appreciated for its Frankenstein-esque theme of man’s obsession with creating life without considering the ramifications of playing the God creator.
These ten-second-summaries are but a mere scratch on the surface of the deeper elements of each story, and there isn’t a single one I didn’t relish every word of; though I will say that Berman’s “Chernobyl” reads more like flash fiction than the others, which I feel offered more fully realized story arcs. Still, All in Fear is a fantastic collection of dark and intriguing storytelling, with some lovely twists and some twisted lovelies, just in time to bring a little horror to the holidays.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
Each of the novellas in this collection share a common thread in that they are a reminder that life is fragile, fear is a reality and reality is sometimes terrifying, and sometimes, the monsters are human. There is a touching aspect to them too, though; a poignant spot within their darkness that brings with it an emotional connection to the characters. KJ Charles’ The Price of Meat and Steve Berman’s His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl come closest to what could be called a happy ending. Avon Gale’s Legion: A Love Story notches its way in there as well—if you stretch your definition of happy just a bit—but the absolute best part of all the stories is wading through some horribly good madness along the way.
There’s so much to whet the horror hungry appetite in this book, an abundance of dark themes to sink your teeth into. Roan Parrish’s covetous vampire in Company does not share well and his obsession with Nick Levy exacts a dear price from the boy. Kris Ripper’s Love Me True is a sinister and twisted love story that proves the course of true love never did run smooth, and, in fact, can be downright deadly. KJ Charles’ The Price of Meat pays homage to Sweeney Todd and gives new meaning to the saying “you are what you eat,” and does so in the author’s inimitable style. His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl, Steve Berman’s take on fraternities and hazing, adds a bit more malevolence and a helping of black magic to the collection.
Rounding things out is Legion: A Love Story, Avon Gale’s take on a military assignment that puts Marine Staff Sergeant Jason Essex in direct proximity with temptation and an entity that will go on to change his life forever–the only way to get rid of a temptation, after all, is to yield to it. And finally, J.A. Rock’s Beauties brings the anthology to a close, introducing artificial intelligence in a story that Mary Shelley might have appreciated for its Frankenstein-esque theme of man’s obsession with creating life without considering the ramifications of playing the God creator.
These ten-second-summaries are but a mere scratch on the surface of the deeper elements of each story, and there isn’t a single one I didn’t relish every word of; though I will say that Berman’s “Chernobyl” reads more like flash fiction than the others, which I feel offered more fully realized story arcs. Still, All in Fear is a fantastic collection of dark and intriguing storytelling, with some lovely twists and some twisted lovelies, just in time to bring a little horror to the holidays.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
ajcousins's review
I am my friends' favorite person to go see scary movies with, because I squeal and shriek and hide behind my hands while clutching their arm or curling up in a ball in my seat. So when I got a chance to read ALL IN FEAR, a queer horror anthology that releases December 1st, I almost hid under the bed. But this collection features a bunch of my absolute favorite authors, so I dug deep for courage and say, "HELL, YES, PLEASE GIMME NOW." I finished it this morning & I'm still thinking about these stories. They made me shiver and cringe and have to put my Kindle down for a moment to take deep breaths to quell my anxiety, but they're so damn well written I was 100% sucked in to their utterly fascinating worlds. Some of the stories have happy endings, and others the only endings they could possible have, but I enjoyed the whole collection.
ALL IN FEAR is creepy as hell and totally mesmerizing. Highly rec'd.
ALL IN FEAR is creepy as hell and totally mesmerizing. Highly rec'd.
ifihadatail7's review
5.0
One of the best short story collections I've ever had the pleasure to read. Every story was excellent.
lauriereadslohf's review
4.0
This review and the rest of the crap I write can be seen @ my blog Bark's Book Nonsense . Stop by and say hey.
6 romance authors unleash their dark side and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. These stories all focus on things darker than most romances and all have well fleshed out characters and even a few steamy moments going on between all of the scares. I could read stories like these all day, every day. Too bad I have bills and a job and there aren’t enough of these sorts of tales to feed that kind of need anyway . . .
On to the stories.
Company by Roan Parrish
A lonely teen spends his summer obsessively reading a vampire comic. It seems he’s a fallen a little in love with the fictional vampire character named Michel. One early morning he just so happens to bump into his obsession in the flesh! I think I would’ve passed out dead but Nick is made of stronger stuff and the two strike up an awkward sort of friendship that brings Nick comfort. When Nick returns to school, he begins a real relationship with a genuine boy who seems to like him quite a bit but Michel is always there lurking about in the corners with menace in his eyes . . . That’ll put a damper on any romantic interludes.
Is Michel real? Will Michel and/or Nick sabotage Nick’s chance for happiness and first love?
I’m not telling. This was a great way to start off the collection. It’s a creepy little story and I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to ruin it. 4 Stars
Love Me True by Kris Ripper
“There’s nothing better after a truly shitty day than coming home, locking my boyfriend’s wrists in padded handcuffs, gagging him, and whaling on him with a paddle. Nothing is better than that feeling, that rush.”
Well, then! Now that’s the way to start off a story.
Palmer spends his days in a job he loathes and most of his nights at the black jack table and/or screwing his true love Jon. You can’t have everything but at least Palmer has Jon. The two are deeply in love but Jon has some devastatingly dark passions. Passions he wants to share with Palmer . . .
I watch far too much true crime tv, more probably than any sane person should, and because of this I forecasted this one very early on and it didn’t surprise me. The relationship, the lust, the love, and the devastation were all nice and juicy though, just like my favorite true crime shows. 3 ½ Stars
The Price of Meat by KJ Charles
I think this story is my favorite. It is so horrific and yet so dignified and proper all at the same time, possibly due to the setting, the language and the spunky, fearless protagonist. Whatever it was, it all worked for me. It was nuts and I loved it. The story is complete in and of itself but I would love to see this character and this twisted world made into a full length book.
Much to Johanna’s dismay, Arabella, the love of her life, has been committed to Mr Fogg’s Asylum for the Weak-Minded by her dastardly relatives. Arabella is not certifiable; her relatives are just greedy and want her inheritance. As you can imagine, Mr. Fogg’s Asylum is not a nice place. People die under their care after they’ve been horribly abused. Johanna cannot wait another day and takes action after learning a secret that she can use as leverage to free Arabella before something completely dreadful happens to her.
This secret leads Johanna into a lawless land of horrors where violence, disfigurement, murder and worse terrors await all who step through a hidden door . . .
This story is freaking fantastic and you must read it! It is disturbing, it has moments of dark humor, many twisty turns, and a brave “I’ll do it all my own damn self” type of heroine and my eyeballs were glued to all of its words. Five stars.
His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl by Steve Berman
Steve is one of a few pledges for a frat house. He’s really not into the whole frat-life thing but endures the pain and humiliation because it’s what his father demands – or he’ll cut off funds.
"New Orleans lured me then lied to me. My father spoke as if the city had been a sweetheart of his. He loved his alma mater more than my mother. I find the entire state stifling like the shacks at summer camp, when I discovered, surrounded by other boys, how much I wanted to push one into a dark room, form a knot with our limbs, take kisses. "
Before leaving for university, Steve’s dad gave him a flask and promised it would help him make friends but he must NEVER drink from it himself. It has some magical quality that fills it with whatever the drinker wishes. This is college. You can imagine just how popular this thing could make a guy! But all but one of his new frat “friends” are assholes who use and abuse him. His self-esteem is low and he’s sickened by the things he’s done, especially when a sweet boy starts showing interest in him. So armed with his magical flask, he’s forced to take his life back . . .
This is angsty, awful, lusty and sweet all rolled into one short little story definitely worth your time. 4 ½ Stars
Legion: A Love Story by Avon Gale
This is one weird little tale.
Staff Sergeant Jason Essex of the United States Marine Corps is assigned a strange mission. He is given very strict instructions to monitor an enclosure for eight weeks. The enclosure holds an “entity” that must not ever be spoken to. Jason is told that it looks like a human being but it isn’t and that it lies.
There's a man in there dark and pale and something is wrong with his eyes.
At first, he follows directions but as time goes by loneliness and curiosity set in and he begins to bend the rules. That’s when the freaky dreams begin . . .
The story is told in letters, reports, recordings, journal entries and Reddit and Google searches that get increasingly stranger as he spends more time with the “entity” that starts looking like his former crush. This story is unique, eerie, and a little sexy too. 4 Stars
Beauties by J.A. Rock
“At a presentation celebrating the public opening of Carnificiality, Lester Usole watched Dr. Anne Cullom fuck a pair of twin Beauties.”
In this here world, Beauties are Artificial Beings (AB’s) created for pleasure and abuse. Sick people pay good money for those things but Lester isn’t a sick person. He programs and raises AB infants and is at the ceremony for work and quite sickened by what he’s shown. It’s here he first meets Ira, an AB so dangerous, so violent that he cannot be sold to the public. He is covered in bruises and Lester makes a brash decision to take him home, keep him safe and study him.
Poor misguided Lester. He truly has no idea what he has just brought home.
This story was disturbing on so many levels. It isn’t sexually explicit, despite the opening sentence, but it bothered me deeply as only the best horror tales can. 4 Stars
6 romance authors unleash their dark side and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. These stories all focus on things darker than most romances and all have well fleshed out characters and even a few steamy moments going on between all of the scares. I could read stories like these all day, every day. Too bad I have bills and a job and there aren’t enough of these sorts of tales to feed that kind of need anyway . . .
On to the stories.
Company by Roan Parrish
A lonely teen spends his summer obsessively reading a vampire comic. It seems he’s a fallen a little in love with the fictional vampire character named Michel. One early morning he just so happens to bump into his obsession in the flesh! I think I would’ve passed out dead but Nick is made of stronger stuff and the two strike up an awkward sort of friendship that brings Nick comfort. When Nick returns to school, he begins a real relationship with a genuine boy who seems to like him quite a bit but Michel is always there lurking about in the corners with menace in his eyes . . . That’ll put a damper on any romantic interludes.
Is Michel real? Will Michel and/or Nick sabotage Nick’s chance for happiness and first love?
I’m not telling. This was a great way to start off the collection. It’s a creepy little story and I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to ruin it. 4 Stars
Love Me True by Kris Ripper
“There’s nothing better after a truly shitty day than coming home, locking my boyfriend’s wrists in padded handcuffs, gagging him, and whaling on him with a paddle. Nothing is better than that feeling, that rush.”
Well, then! Now that’s the way to start off a story.
Palmer spends his days in a job he loathes and most of his nights at the black jack table and/or screwing his true love Jon. You can’t have everything but at least Palmer has Jon. The two are deeply in love but Jon has some devastatingly dark passions. Passions he wants to share with Palmer . . .
I watch far too much true crime tv, more probably than any sane person should, and because of this I forecasted this one very early on and it didn’t surprise me. The relationship, the lust, the love, and the devastation were all nice and juicy though, just like my favorite true crime shows. 3 ½ Stars
The Price of Meat by KJ Charles
I think this story is my favorite. It is so horrific and yet so dignified and proper all at the same time, possibly due to the setting, the language and the spunky, fearless protagonist. Whatever it was, it all worked for me. It was nuts and I loved it. The story is complete in and of itself but I would love to see this character and this twisted world made into a full length book.
Much to Johanna’s dismay, Arabella, the love of her life, has been committed to Mr Fogg’s Asylum for the Weak-Minded by her dastardly relatives. Arabella is not certifiable; her relatives are just greedy and want her inheritance. As you can imagine, Mr. Fogg’s Asylum is not a nice place. People die under their care after they’ve been horribly abused. Johanna cannot wait another day and takes action after learning a secret that she can use as leverage to free Arabella before something completely dreadful happens to her.
This secret leads Johanna into a lawless land of horrors where violence, disfigurement, murder and worse terrors await all who step through a hidden door . . .
This story is freaking fantastic and you must read it! It is disturbing, it has moments of dark humor, many twisty turns, and a brave “I’ll do it all my own damn self” type of heroine and my eyeballs were glued to all of its words. Five stars.
His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl by Steve Berman
Steve is one of a few pledges for a frat house. He’s really not into the whole frat-life thing but endures the pain and humiliation because it’s what his father demands – or he’ll cut off funds.
"New Orleans lured me then lied to me. My father spoke as if the city had been a sweetheart of his. He loved his alma mater more than my mother. I find the entire state stifling like the shacks at summer camp, when I discovered, surrounded by other boys, how much I wanted to push one into a dark room, form a knot with our limbs, take kisses. "
Before leaving for university, Steve’s dad gave him a flask and promised it would help him make friends but he must NEVER drink from it himself. It has some magical quality that fills it with whatever the drinker wishes. This is college. You can imagine just how popular this thing could make a guy! But all but one of his new frat “friends” are assholes who use and abuse him. His self-esteem is low and he’s sickened by the things he’s done, especially when a sweet boy starts showing interest in him. So armed with his magical flask, he’s forced to take his life back . . .
This is angsty, awful, lusty and sweet all rolled into one short little story definitely worth your time. 4 ½ Stars
Legion: A Love Story by Avon Gale
This is one weird little tale.
Staff Sergeant Jason Essex of the United States Marine Corps is assigned a strange mission. He is given very strict instructions to monitor an enclosure for eight weeks. The enclosure holds an “entity” that must not ever be spoken to. Jason is told that it looks like a human being but it isn’t and that it lies.
There's a man in there dark and pale and something is wrong with his eyes.
At first, he follows directions but as time goes by loneliness and curiosity set in and he begins to bend the rules. That’s when the freaky dreams begin . . .
The story is told in letters, reports, recordings, journal entries and Reddit and Google searches that get increasingly stranger as he spends more time with the “entity” that starts looking like his former crush. This story is unique, eerie, and a little sexy too. 4 Stars
Beauties by J.A. Rock
“At a presentation celebrating the public opening of Carnificiality, Lester Usole watched Dr. Anne Cullom fuck a pair of twin Beauties.”
In this here world, Beauties are Artificial Beings (AB’s) created for pleasure and abuse. Sick people pay good money for those things but Lester isn’t a sick person. He programs and raises AB infants and is at the ceremony for work and quite sickened by what he’s shown. It’s here he first meets Ira, an AB so dangerous, so violent that he cannot be sold to the public. He is covered in bruises and Lester makes a brash decision to take him home, keep him safe and study him.
Poor misguided Lester. He truly has no idea what he has just brought home.
This story was disturbing on so many levels. It isn’t sexually explicit, despite the opening sentence, but it bothered me deeply as only the best horror tales can. 4 Stars