April 20, 2016 by Tina Williams

The Argument ~ Cover Reveal, by Pepper Winters plus Kindle Unlimited program (Destroyed and Unseen Messages)

✫ ✬ ✭ COVER RELEASE FOR THE ARGUMENT✫ ✬ ✭

A snarky, sexy standalone coming soon 🙂

Pre-order Links will be advised very soon.

Release date is tentatively booked for July 2016

✔ Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1SQaWZ4

✔ Release Day Alerts: http://eepurl.com/120b5

✔ Website for sneak peeks & exclusive content: http://www.pepperwinters.com

✔ Blurb:

They say the key to a good relationship is one with no drama.

They say you’re not trying hard enough or married the wrong person if you fight.

Sorry, but I call bulls***.

I’ve had plenty of relationships: some sweet, some happy, most an utter failure.

Until I met Harriet.

Our first conversation was an argument.

Our second conversation was an argument.

Our entire connection was based on…yep, an argument.

We tore up the rules of chance encounters and polite first meeting etiquette. And after the week I’d had, I was ready for a punch-up.

Hell, I craved one.

And Harriet was there to antagonise me.

The first time we met, we spent every hour from dusk to dawn, arguing.

And when the sun rose, neither of us wanted to stop.

Because there was something so refreshing about being honest. Saying exactly what you thought. Picking faults just because you itched to fight.

It was only supposed to be one night. A night where the town was our battlefield, the clubs a microphone to our bickering, and the stars a listener to our squabbles.

Only…I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

You see, arguing turned out to be the best damn thing I’d ever experienced.

So, instead of agreeing to the terms we’d set, I revoked them. I went home with her. I refused to leave. And our argument turned into something so much more than a random quarrel.

It turned into war and our love wasn’t sweet…it was hostile.

For a limited time only, Pepper also has two standalones available in Kindle Unlimited. If you subscribe, check out Destroyed and Unseen Messages for free.

DESTROYED is a sexy standalone that deals with a mother’s love for her child, a man’s love for a woman, and the love that destroyed them all. It has no cliffhanger and is available to read NOW FOR FREE in the Kindle Unlimited Program.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TaqpGl

Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1ZWYKKe

Amazon.com.ca: http://amzn.to/1KdCwla

unseen pg

USA TODAY BESTSELLER
#1 Romantic Bestseller

“Secrets brought us together but they ultimately destroyed us.”

She has a secret.

I’m complicated. Not broken or ruined or running from a past I can’t face. Just complicated.

I thought my life couldn’t get any more tangled in deceit and confusion. But I hadn’t met him. I hadn’t realized how far I could fall or what I’d have do to get free.

He has a secret.

I’ve never pretended to be good or deserving. I chase who I want, do what I want, act how I want.

I didn’t have time to lust after a woman I had no right to lust after. I told myself to shut up and stay hidden. But then she tried to run. I’d tasted what she could offer me and damned if I would let her go.

Secrets destroy them.

**Pepper Winters is known for her Dark Erotica. This book is more a Grey Romance. It isn’t fluffy, and still deals with darker subjects, but it isn’t brutal.**

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TaqpGl

Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1ZWYKKe

Amazon.com.ca: http://amzn.to/1KdCwla

unseen pg

This book is also a standalone full of heartbreaking, heart-soothing romantic love.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1YyQAYH

Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1XAJN0q

Amazon.com.ca: http://amzn.to/1SRh43v

unseen pg

“Instincts are what keep us safe from fate. Ignoring them can change your life forever.”

USA Today Bestseller Standalone Romance

Fame and fortune arrived overnight and after months on the road with her singing tour, all Estelle craves is peace. Tired and ready for paradise, she travels to Fiji to recuperate.Stubborn and surly, Galloway is avoided by most–which is exactly the way he likes it. However, he’s done spending his life in regret and hopes to find redemption in the tropical wilderness.

Together, they board the flight that changes their fate forever. Crash landing on a deserted island, they not only have to figure out how to survive with no skills and daily dangers–learning how to fish, find water, and build shelter–but also inherit two children who look to them to keep them alive.

However, staying alive might be the least of Galloway and Estelle’s problems. As days creep to months and rescue doesn’t find them, their desire for each other ignites.

They started as strangers.
They grew to be friends.
They fought the desire to be lovers.

Lust can be the most beautiful thing. Love the most rewarding. But not on an island where life hangs by a thread and giving into temptation can kill you.

Can they survive being forgotten or will love be their ultimate undoing?

From New York Times Bestseller Pepper Winters comes a timeless love story answering the question of what happens when everything is stripped away.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1YyQAYH

Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/1XAJN0q

Amazon.com.ca: http://amzn.to/1SRh43v

Don’t forget to follow Pepper on social media for updates on her upcoming releases, sales & teasers.

http://www.pepperwinters.com

Books to look forward to:

May 2016

ebook (4)

and THE ARGUMENT

July 2016

Have a great week ❤

April 7, 2016 by Caroline Barker

Cover Reveal Madame Lilly, WICKED (Vol. 4) by Dormaine G

Madame Lilly, Wicked (Vol. 4)

By Dormaine G

Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror, Dark Fantasy

Book description

It’s 1890 in New Orleans, a time of rich white men, sprawling plantations, Voodoo, high class parties and the unspoken Placage. Amidst the thick heat, magic and sorrow, a beautiful Creole woman exists in this cruel world. Although born free, she never knew life without the call of a ‘Master’ – until now.

Blessed with an ancient power, Madame Lily has an agenda that has galvanized her into the deepest reaches of High Society and to the darkness that is swirling with Voodoo.

Elijah is a First Made Protector tasked to guard and cleanse the world of the evils that roam. He spent millennia with only goodness in his heart until cursed – one meant to corrupt his very soul with love, obsession and infatuation… for Madame Lily, a woman that should rightfully be his adversary.

Drawn together by fate and magic, these two forces face off and sparks fly. A love that never should have been is born – a love that may change everything for both of them.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorDormaineg/?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dormaineg

http://www.dormaineg.com/

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1N4Biox

April 6, 2016 by Caroline Barker

Blog Tour, Exclusive Author Post & Review BLOQ by Alan Jones

Released in the last week, we are pleased to be joining gritty, Scottish crime author Alan Jones (The Cabinetmaker, Blue Wicked) for his latest work of fiction, BLOQ, during his release blog tour! Not only do we have the book info and review for you, but the author has written an exclusive piece for us, whereby a main character from the story is being interviewed by a journalist, also a character from Bloq!

Title: Bloq

Author: Alan Jones

Genre: Crime drama, thriller

Release date: April 1st, 2016

Released by: Ailsa Publishing

Length: 300 pages

Blurb: A father waits in Glasgow’s Central Station for his daughter, returning home from London for Christmas. When the last train has pulled in, and she doesn’t get off it, he makes a desperate overnight dash to find out why. His search for her takes over his life, costing him his job and, as he withdraws from home, family and friends, he finds himself alone, despairing of ever seeing her again.

This is a gritty crime novel with some sexual content.

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

REVIEW ***** (5* rating)

Bloq is an extremely well-written dark and gritty crime novel, telling the story of a widower whose devoted daughter doesn’t come home for Christmas. The father goes to all lengths in the search for her, with twists and surprises that really do shock and create emotion within the reader.

We start where the reader is succumbed to a fantastic, dark-but-gripping prologue, demonstrating foul play and providing us with the curiosity to find out just who the victim is, and who did it. I love it when books reel you in, straight in at the deep end at the very beginning. In this way, there’s no leaving the story until you get some answers. The author has his claws in you, and you’re hooked!

One cannot help but feel completely devastated for Bill. He is a very likable, gentle character, and not only has he been widowed recently, but now his only daughter, Carol, has gone missing with no explanation. Since she moved down to London for her career as a journalist, Carol always took the time to return to Glasgow, visiting her parents, and now just her father. She would always let him know which train she was ready to catch and he would then meet her at the station. When her train arrives with no sign of Carol, he immediately senses that something is wrong; she hasn’t called or texted him. And so he waits for the next; all the time the reader senses his gut feeling that something is wrong.

As the story begins to unfold, and with little help from the police, Bill tries to follow the only lead he has from one of Carol’s friends. To be able to keep track of his search he spends a great deal of his time in London, whilst still trying to maintain his day job in Glasgow. With luck going completely against him, after a few weeks of working flexi-time, he is encouraged to leave due to the fact that he shuts himself off and thinks only of his daughter’s disappearance.

Many doors close in Bill’s face, leaving very little hope. But, the sheer determination that Bill has is admirable. The reader can truly sense that he will find out what happened if it’s the last thing he does. I found myself tearing up due to the gentle and caring manner the author wrote about Bill’s actions and feelings – as if it was the author himself that had undergone this terrible ordeal. It is delicately and beautifully written in the places it needs to be. A truly outstanding read.

I love how in all of Alan Jones‘ books the main character has a skilful trade that is incorporated somewhere into the story. In this case it is more subtle than his previous work, but as a fan of the author I truly appreciated it.

Alan Jones has gone from strength to strength with each book (The Cabinetmaker, Blue Wicked). And, I can see Bloq being his most popular to date. It will definitely stay with me for a long time to come, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A copy of Bloq was provided by the author in return for a fair and honest review.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR POST

To coincide with our blog tour post Alan Jones has kindly provided us with a pastiche of an article written by one of the minor characters in the book, a journalist, about one of the main characters in the book, the owner of the nightclub that gives the book its title – Bloq.

Aleksander Gjebrea – Eastern Bloq Entrepreneur. By Steve Evans The Times, Business section: London Local

I met Aleksander Gjebrea at his up-and-coming nightclub, ‘Bloq‘, a new player in London’s entertainment scene. After hearing good things about the club, bravely located in one of the city’s less fashionable areas, I paid a visit with some friends a week ago. If the evening was anything to go by, the management are pulling out all the stops to attract the cream of London’s clubbers.

While they’re still a way off attracting the A-listers, the club has its fair share of lesser known celebrities and young footballers. And it was busy. Even so, the owner took time to sit down during the evening for a while and chat with our group, and I must say, it would have been hard to imagine a more congenial host. I took advantage of this and asked him if he would be prepared to give me an interview for an article in a series I was writing about young immigrant entrepreneurs who had made their mark on their adopted city, and he kindly agreed.

So, before it opens for the evening’s revelry, we’re sitting in Bloq, drinking coffee and talking about his journey from his first job as a barman after arriving in the UK over ten years ago, to owning a nightclub with multiple zones and a top of the range sound system attracting up and coming DJ’s from all over England.

I asked him first if he’d ever hoped he could have come this far in such a short time. He laughed. “I always knew I would succeed. I would have just kept going until I did. That it happened so soon is just a bonus.” He tells me this in a voice tinted with an accent which is a product of his Albanian origins. I complement him on his English. He smiles and tells me that at first, the accent was detrimental, both in his employment and in social situations, but, the more successful he had become, the more his Albanian tinted speech proved to be an asset, but he stopped short of saying that he deliberately cultivated his accent to appear more charismatic.

He certainly oozed an easy and unaffected charm. A good looking man at 35, he says his single status is largely due to his focus and drive being on the business. He claims to work 18 hour days and, from what I have seen, it would be hard to dispute this.

“When I arrived from Albania, I had three of four jobs in different bars; a day here, a day there, but the owners soon realised that I worked hard and had a good feel for the job. I’d worked in my uncle’s bar back in Vlorë before I left Albania, so I knew the bar trade well. After a few months, I was offered the manager’s job at one of the bars and I increased turnover by £35K in one year. I put the bonus money I’d saved as a deposit on a run-down bar in a not so good area. It was part of a bankruptcy sale and it went very cheap. Within two years I had bought the property next door and expanded out into it. There were lots of students moving into the area and I put in some good audio, hired some decent DJs and did the whole place up as a small club.”

He told me where his first venture was situated, and that his younger brother ran it now. I asked him what had prompted his decision to move on to a new place when he had built up a good business that was doing well for him.

“I knew that I’d taken it as far as it could go. My brother had been over for a few years working for me and I thought of making him the manager, but I decided that he would make a better job of it if he owned it. I know that he’ll pay back the money to me, even though I’ve never asked him for it. It’s in our family make up. So I was happy to hand it over to him. I knew that to achieve my ambition of having a top class club, I needed a bigger venue, in the right location.”

I asked him why he’d chosen Walworth. It wasn’t an obvious place for a top end nightclub.

“It was the building that mattered, and I couldn’t afford one big enough in a more fashionable area. Walworth has good transport connections and is not too far away from central London. This building came up and I knew it was right.”

On the club’s name, he re-told the story I’d heard when I’d visited the club. Originally, he’d intended to call the club Eastern Bloq, a homage to his origins, but the name had been shortened to the more striking Bloq.

We took a break from our interview and he showed me around. The club has four main areas. There’s a sizeable lounge bar with a dance floor; very well decked out with lush seating and a number of tables for diners. The club does a limited menu, but it’s not primarily an eating place. It has a laid back feel to it, and the music is generally smooth, shall we say, and it’s not so loud as to make conversation impossible without shouting. The drinks are priced reasonably for an establishment of this quality, although, for those with too much disposable income, I noticed a few very expensive bottles of wine and some top end spirits on the drinks menu.

A stairway from the main foyer climbs to a terraced seating area overlooking the lounge bar, housing an intimate and quiet corner in the otherwise hectic and noisy venue.

The third area is the main dance zone, and you can tell there’s been a heavy investment in the sound system, and just as importantly, in the sound insulation that allows the music to be as loud as it needs to be without making the rest of the club intolerable. It’s very impressive, as I saw on the night I was there as a clubber, and the lighting was equally attention-grabbing too.

I asked Aleksander how much it had cost him.

Without blinking, he told me the whole place had cost well over three quarters of a million. I’d suspected it might have been more, but he informed me that he could strike a good deal with his contractors! He said that he’d paid off the loans on his previous club within three years and that he’d been able to put a bit of money behind him before he bought the building that he then transformed into Bloq. Despite that, he adds that it will take him a little longer to clear the debt on his latest project.

“I also run an import\export business between the UK and Albania. There’s a demand for British luxury goods because of the more open economy out there, and we bring produce back from Albania that competes very well with its UK equivalents. This, with some property development we’re also involved in, has allowed us to reduce the debt burden significantly, just five years into the life of the club.”

As we returned to the lounge bar, he showed me the VIP room, that is available at an undisclosed fee to those of his clientele who preferred a more private and personal experience, but with access to all the club’s other facilities.

“It’s very popular for birthdays, anniversaries and the like, and we’re finding it increasingly being booked by commercial organisations for corporate entertainment.”

I tackled him about the drug scene, and how it affected the management of the club.

“Being completely honest, it’s nearly impossible to stop it altogether, but our security is second to none, and we pride ourselves on the fact that the club has no serious drug issues.”

Returning to the lounge area, I asked him where he thought he’d be in another five years.

“My ambition is to make Bloq one of the premier late night London Venues by 2017. I would like to think that we can accomplish it at this location, because it’s good for the local area, bringing employment and extra footfall for local businesses. After that, who knows. Paris, Rome, Madrid?”

Having spent a few hours with the man, and being given a glimpse of the small but impressive business empire he has built from nothing in a very short time, it’s hard not to believe him when he says that he can achieve this ambitious target, and it’s even harder to rule out the possibility that it may well happen.

April 1, 2016 by Caroline Barker

Review Round-Up March ’16

Hello readers,

We hope that you have had a super Easter, with plenty of chocolate to enjoy, and a great read over the holiday weekend. We have been lucky with outbursts of sunshine and beautiful daffodils in bloom. This has meant some nice long walks during the day, with a relaxing evening reading, drinking tea and stuffing my face with chocolate – some of my favourite things 🙂

It seems that many authors have had new releases recently, or are just about to. It’s a busy time of year for them and bloggers. We’ve had new release reviews for Tim O’Rourke, C.J. Pinard, Laura Barnard and Martyn J. Pass(please see below), and over the following month we have reviews and/or releases from Alan Jones, Pat Spence, Mark Matthews, Lynda O’Rourke and Helena Fairfax, and more!

Also, keep a lookout for our Tamworth LitFest post, which Tina has been working on, where romance authors will be attending an event at Tamworth’s library and St. Editha’s church on Saturday 11th June, 2016. More to follow soon!

Happy reading!

Caroline & Tina 🙂

Below are all of our reviews from March 2016. Clicking on the book title will take you to our full review post, with more info on the release!

Trapped in His World (Dark Romance #1) by Roxy Sinclair, dark romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: There is no escape…

I was only supposed to be his replacement secretary for one week. Now he has me trapped in his world of twisted and dark desires. I try to get away and I can’t – but the question is – do I really want to?

Navia Watson is struggling to survive. She has just left school and can’t hold a steady job. Just when she feels that there is no hope, her best friend makes her an offer that she can’t refuse. All she has to do is be a temporary stand in secretary for her friend’s position as the secretary for some billionaire for only a week. One week for some quick cash – how hard can it be? She is in for the surprise of her life when she walks into Jason Black’s office. The dark, sexy billionaire quickly pulls her into his web, one that she can’t unravel herself from. His piercing eyes call to her very soul and the darkness lurking in their depths entices her.

She suspects that the man is dangerous, but she could never have imagined the depth of the mysteries surrounding him. By the time Navia discovers his true nature, it’s too late for her salvation. Even if is she could leave him, there’s no way he will let her go. She is his and she is not sure she really wants to get away.

This is a dark romance novella with NO cliffhanger. Intended for audiences 18+ and not for the fainthearted. Contains situations some readers might find objectionable.

Taken by the Sheriff by Lolita London, erotic, historical western romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: Widowed Sheriff Terrence Evans has lost it all. No matter how much he throws himself into work, his loneliness is eating him up.

Governess Amanda Carter didn’t plan to fall for her boss, and certainly didn’t plan to submit to him out of wedlock. She quickly finds that his commanding tongue and firm hand, however, ignites something within her that nothing can extinguish.

Or so she thinks.

The passionate whirlwind comes to a halt, however, when they find out that she’s pregnant. Can they have it all together? Or is this a scandal that will tear apart more than just their hearts, but their small town as well?

This book contains explicit sex scenes and is intended for mature readers only.

Jared (River Pack Wolves #3) by Alisa Woods, NA paranormal/shifter romance (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: He was broken by the war. Her secret could destroy her family.

Ex-Marine sniper Jared River left the war, but the war never really left him. He’s a broken wolf who’s only good for one thing now—killing men. And he’s peering down his scope at Senator Krepky, the anti-shifter politician about to ruin the lives of all the shifters Jared loves.

Grace Krepky is the daughter of the Senator, a good girl with a passion for her father’s politics and who’s earned her way into being his campaign manager. Only problem? She’s secretly a shifter… and the clock is ticking until her own father inadvertently forces that secret into the open, ruining both their lives.

Jared’s all set to pull the trigger when he sees something shocking through the Senator’s glass walls—his daughter is a wolf. Jared puts his gun aside to go after the fleeing girl, but he already knows this can only end in one of two ways—either he’ll convince her to reveal herself to the Senator and stop his anti-shifter legislation, or Jared will have to assassinate her father.

If only she wasn’t making him come alive again…

Jared is a complete novel with HEA, the third in the River Pack Wolves trilogy (all standalone stories, but best enjoyed if you read them in order!).

Contains scorching hot shifters, alpha military heroes, and dark family secrets. Only readers over 18 should dive into the deliciously hot world of the River brothers.

Boarded (novella) by Annie Nicholas, sci-fi romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: Assigned as an interpreter to a mysterious alien race, Liaison Sadie Beckit crosses multiple star systems to the remote Cyngi home world on an old space freighter. Knowledge is essential when dealing with aliens. A misspoken word or a careless gesture could lead to wars so liaisons are necessary to keep the peace, but Sadie is kept in the dark about her new employer. This mysterious species has chosen to withhold most of their culture and language information.

All she’s told is to accompany Ambassdor Nual back to Central Station. Sounds easy enough, but the lawless void of space holds many dangers.

Necessary Ends (Nick Harland #1) by Bill Carson, crime thriller (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: John Kane’s quiet mundane world is suddenly ripped apart and he is thrust into a hellish nightmare existence after the murder of his beloved wife. The pain and anguish over his wife’s murder has been harnessed, molded and channeled into a hatred of the most abnormal ferocity, and an un-closable door had now been wrenched open in his mind, and he had crossed over into the darker realms of humanity where the merciless, cruel, vicious and uncompromising sides of human nature reside. His brain had been rewired and the switch had been flicked.

Has all this been preordained? Are there sinister dark forces at work at here? Necessary Evils will have you on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth.

Porn Money & Wannabe Mummy (The Debt & the Doormat #3) by Laura Barnard, chick-lit, comedy/humour (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: What is it about turning thirty that sends rational women into a tailspin?

Suddenly going from having all the time in the world, to cringing at the ticking of her biological clock, Poppy is drowning under the strain of trying to get pregnant.

With a dad in the throes of a mid-life crisis, a crazy mother-in-law and time racing towards Lilly’s wedding, will she be able to cope with it all…and give Ryan the baby they so desperately want?

Finally able to inherit her dad’s porn money, Jazz can’t wait to be rich! She can buy a house in Chelsea, go out partying with her old mates and start living how she deserves.

But with Ollie, Jemima and Meryl each clawing at their own little piece of her happiness, will she have to leave behind those closest to her in exchange for it?

The real question is, can Poppy and Jazz rescue their own lives before everything gets ruined, or will their own stubbornness destroy the lives they’ve created?

Evening Breeze (novella) by R.M. Miller, literary erotica (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: University student Ray was planning to spend the summer on a simple walking holiday with his gregarious girlfriend, but at the last minute she informs him she’s off on an exciting trip overseas with other friends, including a guy who is sweet on her, and without Ray. Despondent and dejected, Ray consoles himself by accepting an off the cuff invitation to join the pretty but reserved and difficult to know fellow student Daphne at her family home deep in the countryside. Ray sees it as an opportunity to get revenge on his girlfriend with a distracting summer fling, but he doesn’t count on falling in love with Daphne, nor is he prepared for the wayward attentions of Daphne’s scheming younger sister Izzy. An enchanting, provocative and powerful tale of passion, betrayal and love, Evening Breeze is a story you will never forget.

The Unfinished Tale of Sophie Anderson by Martyn J. Pass, contemporary romance, drama (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: Welding, a Jack Reacher novel and a night in with a bottle of red wine seems to be as exciting as Sophie Anderson’s life gets.

That is until a stint of on-site work brings Tom into her life. He’s been her foreman for years now but when they’re forced to work together for the first time, Sophie begins to see that happiness might have finally taken a chance on her and that the often overlooked manager might just be the man of her dreams.

But Mel, her best friend and flat mate, has a harrowing past that returns with devastating results and Sophie is forced to wonder whether happiness is real or just a fairy tale told to hide the bars and walls of a man-made prison.

Love, heat and passion are as much a part of Sophie’s tale as the grief and suffering which follows her every step. Expect to find her unfinished tale a real and painful journey into the life of someone who might be working a cubicle down from you or in the welding bay on the other side of the workshop.

Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes #1) by C.J. Pinard, contemporary military/bad-boy romance (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: He’s bearded, angry, highly trained, and has a job to do.
She’s the damsel in distress who’s smarter than she looks, and doesn’t want anyone’s help.
Could it be they both need something neither will admit to? Fate fuelled by the laws of attraction may just decide for them.

DUKE
I didn’t ask for this. I was just doing my job, and they have the nerve to put me on a Witness Protection detail? This is crap. I’ll do my assignment, then go back to my job and what I love – kicking ass and taking names. I hadn’t spent 6 years in the Marine Corps to be put on babysitting duty once I’d joined the FBI. The witness they assigned me to, Rayanne, is an annoying, brainless blonde with a sassy mouth and a body that belonged on a website you had to pay to access. Not that I noticed or anything.

RAYANNE
I can look after myself. I don’t need anyone’s help, and the government is being ridiculous for putting me in the Witness Protection Program. I’ll testify against my former bosses and then go back to my life as a single girl in the big city. I love my career as a paralegal, and once this Neanderthal they’d assigned to babysit me was out of my life, I’ll go back to it. I just wish he wasn’t so easy on the eyes. The beard, hard body, and that voice. Why couldn’t they have sent me someone ugly – and nice? Because Duke is neither of those things.

Vampires of Maze Part 2 (Beautiful Immortals, series 2) by Tim O’Rourke, paranormal thriller adventure, mystery, romance (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: From Tim O’Rourke #1 bestselling author of ‘Werewolves of Shade’ (Beautiful Immortals Series One) comes ‘Vampires of Maze’ (Beautiful Immortals Series Two) a vampire and werewolf romance with a twist.

Witch, Julia Miller, has been sent by the Wicce to bring an end to the war that rages between the Beautiful Immortals. Joining a pack of werewolves, Julia must travel with them to a land unknown to her. Here she will learn the horrifying truth about the dark secrets hidden in the town of Maze.

To stay alive, Julia will not only have to figure out who to trust but also who to love. For Julia’s worst nightmares are about to get a whole lot more terrifying as she heads into the war raging between the vampires and werewolves where even her own magic abilities won’t be able to protect her.

Note: This ends on an unbearable cliff-hanger. Part Three will be published within the next few weeks.

For readers 16+

March 18, 2016 by Tina Williams

REVIEW ~ Necessary Evils (Nick Harland Crime Thriller, book 1), by Bill Carson

Serial Killer/Crime Thriller

Book Blurb

John Kane’s quiet mundane world is suddenly ripped apart and he is thrust into a hellish nightmare existence after the murder of his beloved wife. The pain and anguish over his wife’s murder has been harnessed, molded and channeled into a hatred of the most abnormal ferocity, and an un-closable door had now been wrenched open in his mind, and he had crossed over into the darker realms of humanity where the merciless, cruel, vicious and uncompromising sides of human nature reside. His brain had been rewired and the switch had been flicked.

Has all this been preordained? Are there sinister dark forces at work at here? Necessary Evils will have you on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth.

My Review

An Electrifying Read ***** (Five stars)

Necessary Evils is a totally electrifying reading experience, involving murder, madness and twisted revenge. It is the second novel that I have read from the pen of Bill Carson, the first being Dark City, book 4 in the Nick Harland series. The read introduces the character of Nick Harland, in this novel in his job as a police officer, which Bill Carson develops later in the series and also the serial killer John Kane.

In it the lines between right and wrong are blurred, and I found myself empathizing with the acts of violence and depravity perpetrated by John Kane, the protagonist. When his beloved wife Sarah is brutally murdered the combination of his anger and grief combine to create a startling metamorphosis from middle aged office worker to cold blooded assassin. I enjoyed how the author described the change in his personality and although I found it terrifying it was also very credible. Kanes’s character almost regains a semblance of normality at one point in the novel, but the darkness that is ever present within him is never far away and when circumstances once again compel him to act all hell breaks loose…..

Of course, serial killers like john Kane cannot be allowed to continue wreaking revenge, even if his victims represent the scum of society and the Police, spearheaded by Nick Harland, race to apprehend this criminal who is creating terror on the streets of London. Yet the killer has done his research well and remains one step ahead of the authorities. However, will luck remain on his side or will Nick Harland finally get his lucky break and crack the case, enabling him to catch the killer.

There are a number of major twists and turns and some surprising turn of events for both John and Nick before the novel concludes. An absolutely super read for fans of crime/serial killer novels!

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note, a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

For our review of Dark City click on the title.

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March 4, 2016 by Tina Williams

REVIEW ~ Trapped in His World (Dark Romance, book 1), by Roxy Sinclaire

Dark Romance

Adult/18+ Read

Book Blurb

There is no escape…

This is a dark romance novella with NO cliffhanger. Intended for audiences 18+ and not for the fainthearted. Contains situations some readers might find objectionable.

My Review

**** (4 Stars)

Wickedly hot and dark erotic read!

Trapped in his World is a hard-hitting dark novella which pushes the boundaries of non-consent and contains scenes which some readers may find disturbing. It ticks all the boxes for fans of dark romances, such as myself!

When Natvia agreed to step in and cover her friend’s job for a week she did not expect to catch the eye of her boss Jason Black and to be drawn into his dark and dominant desires. Once snared in this web, which combines mind-blowing sex and bdsm bordering on abuse, can she muster up the courage to escape? Does she want to? And even if she does, will Jason permit it?

The novella is told from Natvia’s point of view and we are therefore kept in the dark as to what Jason is thinking, which is effective in creating drama and suspense. When his past is revealed towards the end of the read it therefore comes as a complete surprise and I was left as perplexed as the heroine in how to react.

I found the heroine Natvia to be sympathetic. Although she is shy and retiring by nature, she does exhibit some degree of backbone when dealing with Jason. She is a tad naïve, but given her background this is understandable. She takes all that he wants to give her yet can she cope with his violent desires?

Jason is a hero whom I warmed to as the book progressed. It is clear from the outset that he has issues and is conflicted when it comes to how to conduct himself sexually and emotionally. I did not like some of the experiences he made Natvia endure and the fact that he blows hot and cold with her. I did however enjoy reading how he breaks all the rules when it comes to employer and employee relationships! There are many scorching bdsm scenes where he demonstrates his dominant personality. Their relationship has echoes of beauty and the beast, but it remained to be seen whether this particular beast could be tamed.

All in all a sexy and satisfying dark read, which pushed my emotional boundaries!

Please note, a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

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January 27, 2016 by Tina Williams

REVIEW ~ Defaced: A Dark Romance Novel (The Monster Trilogy Book 1), by Marissa Farrar

Dark Romance/Suspense

Adult/18+ Read

Book Blurb

Monster
Hidden away from society by his criminal father, there lives a man who has never entered the outside world. Now, having taken over his father’s business, he has all the money and power he could dream of, yet still he refuses to let himself be viewed by the rest of society.

Lily
Traumatised by an event in her past, Lily Drayton has a phobia of being touched. Though she helps people externally with her skills as a laser therapist, she refuses to let anyone in, emotionally or physically. When Lily is kidnapped on the way home from work one evening, she discovers she’s not the only person who keeps themselves cut off from the rest of the world.

Defaced
A man owns her now—a man both dangerous and enigmatic. Drawn by his dual beauty and hidden pain, he awakens something inside her, something she believed was long dead. Brought to a room without windows, she’s given an impossible task: to make her owner acceptable to the outside world.

Can altering his face change who he is as a man, or is he truly a monster, both inside and out?

My Review ~ Five stars

Dark, Conflicted and Sizzling

Defaced, the first book in Marissa Farrar’s The Monster Trilogy is a dark and beautiful love story of two damaged souls who come together in extraordinary circumstances. It has elements of beauty and the beast, but it is a fairy tale for adults only as it contains scenes of abduction, human trafficking, violence, abuse and its aftermath. It also has blistering erotic scenes between the hero and heroine. It is the first book that I have read by the author and as I’m a dark romance junkie I one clicked this read as soon as I read the plot!

The author pairs Monster, a man who conceals his physical appearance from the world, with a woman who has her own demons. Lily has a phobia of human touch, beyond the physical contact she needs to make with her patients as part of her job as a laser therapist. Yet Monster needs Lily’s skills and she finds herself abducted and brought to his home……. Monster has prepared carefully for Lily’s abduction and thinks that he knows all that there is to know about her….

I found the scenes where Lily is abducted particularly brutal and the author does a fantastic job of showing us how terrified Lily is. The methods Monster employs to ‘persuade’ Lily to use her skills to alter his appearance are also difficult to contemplate, but make for an addictive psychological read. Their romance is a slow burn, for although they are attracted to each other from the off, there are a host of internal conflicts they both face due to their traumatised pasts.

I was on tender hooks waiting to see if Lily could have a future with a criminal as cold, calculating and ruthless as Monster. Could he be the man of her dreams or is he a true monster? Also is there a place for Lily in Monster’s life, as he takes up the mantle left by his deceased father?

I admit Monster is the sort of hero that I love, a dominant tortured alpha, and bringing together Monster with Lily was a masterstroke by the author. The read, which has plenty of emotional depth, is full of sexual tension, hot love-making, danger and suspense.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next instalment of Lily and Monster’s unorthodox romance!

Reviewed by Tina Williams

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November 15, 2015 by Caroline Barker

Review Round-Up for our October reads

Dear readers, we hope that you have enjoyed these autumn months, and that you celebrated Halloween in style. It would be great to see your Halloween photo’s!! This was my attempt (right) at being a vampiress at a much-loved friend’s birthday party – a friend who is absolutely hooked on Halloween, and then celebrated her birthday in style by going to New York and visiting Central Park at this real beautiful time of year!

And, how time seems to be sprinting by this year, with Thanksgiving only a few days away, and Christmas a few weeks!

During October we had 12 fab reads to review for you from Tim O’Rourke‘s Beautiful Immortals series 2 release to international best-selling author Catherine McKenzie‘s Smoke. We had a cheeky contemporary comedy horror short with Deborah Melanie‘s Vivian’s Vampire and the dark horror/sci-fi of J.G. Clay‘s Tales of Blood and Sulphur: Apocalypse Minor. Not to mention the many romances and paranormals in between. We hope you enjoy our selection of reads, as always.

Much love.

Caroline & Tina ❤

(As always, please click on the title and author for our full review)

Living the Dream by Celia J. Anderson, contemporary romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: When dreams and reality crash and mingle, escape can be the hardest challenge of all.

Longing to get away from her troubled marriage, the opportunity to cross America by train seems like a dream come true for Vita Craythorne. But charismatic travel agent Moriarty Miles has other ideas; by replacing their mutual friend Jack on the trip, Vita has unwittingly set herself up as a guinea pig for Moriarty’s mind-blowing and potentially dangerous virtual-travelling project. His plan is to give clients the holiday of a lifetime without ever having to leave the comfort of their own homes. It’s exciting. It’s time-saving. It’s innovative. Maybe this trip is just what Vita needs? That is, if she can avoid becoming trapped inside her own, miraculous dream world.

Vampires of Maze (Beautiful Immortals, Series 2, Book 1) by Tim O’Rourke, paranormal romance, thriller adventure (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: From Tim O’Rourke #1 bestselling author of ‘Werewolves of Shade’ (Beautiful Immortals Series One) comes ‘Vampires of Maze’ (Beautiful Immortals Series Two) a vampire and werewolf romance with a twist.

Into the Unknown by Lorna Peel, historical romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: London on 3 September 1939 is in upheaval. War is inevitable. Into this turmoil steps Kate Sheridan newly arrived from Ireland to live with her aunt and uncle and look for work. When she meets Flight Lieutenant Charlie Butler sparks fly, but he is a notorious womaniser. Should she ignore all the warnings and get involved with a ladies man whose life will be in daily danger?

Charlie Butler has no intention of getting involved with a woman. But when he meets Kate his resolve is shattered. Should he allow his heart to rule his head and fall for a nineteen-year-old Irish girl while there is a war to fight?

Private conflicts and personal doubts are soon overshadowed. Will the horrors of total war bring Kate and Charlie together or tear them apart?

Smoke by Catherine McKenzie, contemporary women’s fiction, mystery drama, chicklit (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: From the internationally bestselling author Catherine McKenzie comes an evocative tale of two women navigating the secrets and lies at the heart of a wildfire threatening their town.

After a decade-long career combating wildfires, Elizabeth has traded in her former life for a quieter one with her husband. Now she works as the local arson investigator in a beautiful, quaint town in the Rockies. But that tranquil life vanishes when she and her husband agree to divorce and a fire in nearby Cooper Basin begins to spread rapidly. For Elizabeth, containing a raging wildfire is easier than accepting that her marriage has failed.

For Elizabeth’s ex-friend Mindy, who feels disconnected from her husband and teenage children, the fire represents a chance to find a new purpose: helping a man who has lost his home to the blaze. But her faith is shattered by a shocking accusation.

As the encroaching inferno threatens the town’s residents, Elizabeth and Mindy must discover what will be lost in the fire, and what will be saved.

White Heat by Serge de Moliere, erotic romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: A frigid wilderness. A blazing encounter.

In the frigid wilderness of Northern Canada, Carol treks through the snow, desperate to escape her violent and obsessed husband, Dugan. Unprepared for the harsh conditions, she soon finds herself trapped in the ice. She’s rescued by Josh, a loner who has fled society for his own reasons, and he brings her to his isolated cabin.

Carol and Josh are trapped together in the cabin as a snowstorm rages outside. Soon neither of them can fight their building desire, giving in to the temptation of shared heat and intimacy. Josh is nothing like the man Carol fled. He brings out feelings in her she’d long since suppressed.

But Dugan is hunting for her, and he plans to have his revenge on any man who dares share her company…

Pretty When You Cry (Stripped #3) by Skye Warren, dark erotic romance (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: A new dark romance novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderlust and Prisoner…

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside was full of sin, and the first night I escape, I find out it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.

Jace (River Pack Wolves #2) by Alisa Woods, NA paranormal romance (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: His wolf is out of control. She’s a wild thing that won’t be tamed.
Ex-Army Specialist Jace River has a lock on his bedroom door, but it’s not to keep anyone out; it’s to keep his nightmares from breaking loose. His wolf is an out-of-control killer, which means he can never risk shifting, never truly be part of his pack, and definitely never take a mate.

Piper Wilding works for the Army as a civilian, traveling the world for her work in counterintelligence and fighting the bad guys while bedding down the good ones. The best part? It keeps her far from her asshole father in Seattle, the rest of the Wilding pack, and the pressure to take a mate. Settling down isn’t her thing, and after what happened to her mother, Piper vowed she would never be tied down by magic or men again.

While Jace’s wolf keeps him Sleepless in Seattle, Piper returns home to find her missing kid brother. When she breaks into the River brother’s safehouse, sparks fly and claws come out. Her sexy skills threaten to bring out Jace’s wolf, and Jace’s good-guy hotness reminds Piper how tempting shifter men can be. They’re like fire and gasoline, and as they race to find Piper’s brother, the heat threatens to burn down all their carefully constructed walls. But falling in love has never been so dangerous—and being together means taking risks that neither might survive.

Jace is a complete novel with HEA, the second in the River Pack Wolves trilogy (all standalone stories, but best enjoyed if you read them in order!).

Contains scorching hot shifters, alpha military heroes, and sexy spy girls. Only readers over 18 should dive into the deliciously hot world of the River brothers.

Brake (The Redline Series #3) by Skye Callahan, dark romantic suspense (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: Bitter feud between brothers, Colt and Devlin, speeds out of control.

From Colt’s pawn to Devlin’s captive, Aubrey is caught even deeper in their pact to destroy one another. Imprisoned in darkness, she fights for her life–and her sanity. Her only hope is a cocky and sadistic car thief who is already wrestling with his own demons.

Colt swore he’d never end up in this place again. That he’d never be held captive to heroin or rendered helpless by his brother to watch as another life is destroyed. He’s ready to tear the city apart to find Aubrey, but that’s only if his own mind doesn’t tear him apart first.

Lines have been crossed. Promises broken. Souls shattered. And the worst has only begun.

Note: If you’re looking for rainbows, butterflies, and happy endings coated in chocolate and caramel, turn back now! This story deals with dark themes and intense situations that aren’t suitable for sensitive readers. If you’re looking for an intense roller coaster of emotions and situations that will warp your sense of right and wrong and drag you through the debauched underworld of crime and deceit, then you’re in the right place.

This is a work of serial fiction, so it will be released in distinct parts with no resolute ending until the end of the series.

Watcher (Daughter of Darkness): Lotus’s Journey Part II by C.J. Pinard, paranormal mystery romance (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: As hybrid vampire/faery Lotus’s journey has taken her from solving the vampire-committed murders in Denver to Las Vegas, she begins to learn a lot more about herself and the evil vampire of a father who has been searching for her for years. She has to make a decision on whether she’s going to run from Vlad or search for him and confront him as he continues to terrorize her dreams. She wonders if finding him will lead her to her faery mother, or if it will just lead to more death, destruction, and heartbreak.

With the relationship between her sexy neighbor, Drew, and her beginning to blossom, Lotus wonders if she should just give up the search and try to lead a normal life for once. She’s finally found a decent guy who is not only gorgeous, but seems to want to protect her. Something she’s never needed, but is now finding she wants. That is, until she finds out Drew’s got his own secrets.

This is part II of Lotus’s journey. Part III will be out in early 2016.

Dark City (Nick Harland, British Detective Series #4) by Bill Carson, dark crime (reviewed by Tina)

Blurb: A must read for all those who like to sit uncomfortably on the edge of their seats.

Dark City is the fourth book in the Nick Harland detective series. In this one we follow him on his most perplexing and disturbing case to date, as he tracks down a serial killer from the past.
The book begins with an elderly man being released from prison, after serving seventeen years for a double murder. A few days after his release a young woman is snatched from outside a London pub.

The police seem to be dragging their heels, so the family of the missing girl call on the services of the tough, uncompromising ex murder squad detective, turned Private Investigator, Nick Harland. During his initial investigation another girl suddenly goes missing, he then gets a tip off that Charles Thorpe had just been released from prison. Nick knows the killer, as he was the detective who put him behind bars when he was a detective in the murder squad. And so the hunt is now on for Thorpe, and Nick will not rest until Thorpe is found, and he promises that Thorpe will pay the ultimate price for his crimes this time around.

Much more can’t be revealed, as it would give too much of the exciting plot away.
This is a fast paced dark and gritty story, packed with hard hitting action, highs and lows, intrigue and tension. This story has characters, that are good, and sometimes very, very bad. Dark City is crime noir in the truest sense.

Vivian’s Vampire (short story) by Deborah Melanie, contemporary paranormal comedy horror romance (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: She’s got a scythe, a severed head and she’s looking for love.

Waitress Vivian Shawcross loves a costume party. When Halloween comes along, she can’t wait for the spooky fun to start. However, a mix up over her costume and a road diversion, are just two of the mini disasters she encounters en route to her ghostly night out. Stranded in a remote English village, isn’t her idea of fun, but when a gorgeous vampire is thrown into the equation, Vivian discovers that her fun night out has only just begun.

Tales of Blood and Sulphur: Apocalypse Minor by J.G. Clay, dark horror sci-fi (reviewed by Caroline)

Blurb: Eleven Tales steeped in Blood and reeking of Sulphur

There are cracks in the skin of Reality. Some are microscopic, others are as wide as a four-lane motorway. As the fault lines increase and widen, the door to our world shines like a beacon in the darkness, a warm and inviting sight to others beyond our understanding. When They cross over into our realm, The Tales begin……

A gambler taking one last desperate throw of the dice. A struggling writer making an unholy alliance. An eternal being fighting to stay alive in the financial capital of India. A man burdened with a terrible town secret. The Law Enforcers who must never cry. The End of Days live and direct from the rural heartland of England.

J.G. Clay takes you on a journey through the voids of Reality and into dark places where demons, mutants and inter-dimensional creatures taunt, taint and corrupt Humanity. Survival is not guaranteed, sanity is not assured and death lurks in every corner. These are the Tales of Blood and Sulphur: Apocalypse Minor; eleven twisted tales of terror and mayhem.

The blood is warm, the sulphur is burning, the tales will be told, the Apocalypse Minor is imminent!

November 14, 2015 by Tina Williams

Review ~ 30 Days, by J A Heron

Erotic Thriller

Adult/18+ Read

Book Blurb

Dariana Walsh is the daughter of a ruthless gangster and heir to his empire. Not only does she feel trapped, but she has many questions about numerous incidents that have happened in her life so far. Particularly, what happened to her mother? Her father sees her as his little girl, but she longs to be treated like an adult. He wants to shape her, to become more like him, but she resists, the only way she knows how…

One of Wilson Walsh’s men – Chas – is not who he seems. He was sent to infiltrate, earn trust and walk away with Wilson’s most treasured possession, his daughter. He has a plan to take down the most unrelenting man to walk the streets of East London.
Over the next thirty days, blood is shed, friendships are formed and amongst all of the pain and suffering, surprisingly, love blossoms.

In a sea of betrayal and violence… time and love know no bounds.

***Contains strong sexual and violent scenes ~ over 18’s only. There are strong, dark scenes in this book if you do not wish to read about violence, sexual violence or child abuse, then please do not buy this book***

My Review: 4.5 stars

Gripping, emotional and raw!

It’s not often that my emotions are put through the wringer to the extent that they were in J A Heron’s 30 Days! The experience left me with a sense of what the f*** have I just read! This erotic thriller contained greed, lust, murder, violence (including sexual violence) and torture which was sometimes difficult to read. The darkness was tempered by the love of Dariana for Chas, the man who was contracted to bring down her heartless and borderline sociopathic gangland father, Walsh.

Dariana is a young woman who, since the death of her mother, has been brought up by her father, a man without pity, love or morals, whose only aim in life is to rise to the top and maintain his position amongst the gangs of London’s East End. Dariana despises her father as she knows full well where his wealth comes from and suspects that he had a role in her mother’s death. We feel her sense of anger and hopelessness in the early chapters of the book as she chafes against her father’s control and I rejoiced when she escaped into the arms of Chas and commits to working with him to bring her father down.

Chas is a real hottie and it is easy to see why Dariana would fall for him. It was always his plan to get her on his side and he never expected to find his soul mate. Their growing relationship is beautiful to witness and is passionate and intense. Dariana enjoys Chas’ dominant nature, although she is spunky and gives as good as she gets! I enjoyed their verbal sparring and their sizzling lovemaking scenes. The metamorphisis of Dariana as the novel unfolds is profound and I especially liked how Chas gave her confidence in her self.

Yet secrets and lies abound in this dark read which unfolds through both Dariana’s and Chas’ POV. I will not reveal much about the plot, but suffice to say it has many twists and turns and I had no way of guessing where it was going to end. I will say that you will need a box of Kleenex handy as the author certainly knows how to play with the reader’s emotions.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note, a copy of the book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

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October 31, 2015 by Caroline Barker

Halloween Horror Review Tales of Blood and Sulphur: Apocalypse Minor #1 by J.G. Clay

We had the pleasure to meet horror author J.G. Clay at the Second City Signing author event in July. Since then I have been eagerly awaiting to read his eleven Tales of Blood and Sulphur in time for our Halloween Horror review!

Title: Tales of Blood and Sulphur: Apocalypse Minor (The Tales of Blood and Sulphur Volume 1)

Author: J.G. Clay

Genre: Horror

Date released: July 20th, 2015

Published by: Forsaken

Length: 214 pages

Blurb: Eleven Tales steeped in Blood and reeking of Sulphur

The blood is warm, the sulphur is burning, the tales will be told, the Apocalypse Minor is imminent!

REVIEW **** (4* rating)

Full of twists and surprises, Tales of Blood and Sulphur is mind-blowing and your head will certainly spin as you endeavour to seek all of the answers you are looking for, and then find yourself lost in another tale. This is definitely a dark, horrific and gory read for the mature reader. With it’s grittiness and violence it certainly has it’s moments of being seemingly real, yet written with profound sci-fi fantasy creativity, thus making for a fantastic dark horror.

With a mystical suspect, Null, being interrogated in the epilogue it soon becomes clear that there is a rare, eerie wisdom about him that gives you the heebie-jeebies. His tales will terrorise you and drive you to insanity. Be warned!

Have you ever sneaked out for a ciggy, looked at a patch on the lawn suspiciously, and found it to have grown with no explanation? Or, maybe you have walked home one evening after a few drinks, cutting across the bleak, dark, desolate park and heard noises – a voice ‘help me’? Then again, maybe you’d prefer to have a pint with the devil, listening to The Clash on the jukebox, and being encouraged to join his dark side whilst in an almost trance-like state? Perhaps you’re trapped in an apartment, with little or no food, caged in by zombies, and you need to leave for a few minutes to get some supplies? Or find yourself in a Dr Who-like scenario with creepily smiling cyborgs, with automated voices set, out to control and intimidate those who go against the new regime. If you don’t conform you won’t want to wait to see what will become of you!

Tales is a disgustingly gory read, with scenes of saliva, mucous, blood and many more bodily fluids having an important role in the horrific action scenes. Brains are squished, bones are cracked and blood runs extremely freely. Heads are taken off, skin is burned by flame and acid-like saliva, organs are shredded. I could go on. For a most frightful read, you may wish to read at night with little light, and you’ll feel the full power of this chilly collection.

I really enjoyed that, aside from the individual eleven tales, there is this running undercurrent throughout all of them. This really weaves each tale together, making for a brilliant, compact all-round read. Tales is written very well with so much information to take in and various situations with alien lifeforms, cyborgs, zombies and more. It is a read that fans of this genre will love as I am sure that there will be so much more to realise about each story with every read. It is definitely a keeper for any mature bookshelf, and one to be read again and again.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

Author Bio

J.G. Clay is definitely a Man of Horror. There can be no doubt. Putting aside the reverence he has for the horror greats, such as King, Barker, Herbert, Carpenter, Romero and Argento, there is another fact that defines his claim for the title of the ‘Duke of Spook’. He was born on Halloween night. By a quirk fate, it was also a full moon that night. Co-incidence?

Here at Clay Towers, we don’t believe in coincidences.

The 41 year old hails from the Midlands in the United Kingdom, is married with one step child and two dogs that bear a strong resemblance to Ewoks. Beyond the page and the written word, he is music mad and can hold down a tune on a bass guitar pretty well. He is an avid reader and also has an enduring love of British sci-fi, from the pages of the ‘2000A.D’ comic to the televised wanderings of Gallifrey’s most famous physician. Clay is also a long-time fan of the mighty Birmingham City Football Club and endures a lot of flak from his friends for it.

Author Links

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