Book Review: A Paroxysm of Fear by Chad Miller

Title: A Paroxysm of Fear (A Doyle & Braham Mystery, Book 2)

Author: Chad Miller
Genre: Horror - Historical Mystery - Thriller
Publisher: Hear Our Voice, LLC - Copyright 2023
Publication Date: January 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781947913360
Read: April 4-8, 2023
Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author. All opinions are my own.

Trigger Warnings: Graphic depictions of medical procedures, domestic abuse, insanity, depression, and alcohol consumption.

Synopsis from Publisher: Fear and mystery follow me like an unwanted shadow. As the case of my missing friend, Dr. Charles Thorton, has horrifically concluded, a new mystery emerges! My miserable colleague, Thomas Braham and I discovered that Cordelia had been transformed into an abominable monster, and now we are now off on a discovery to find the root of her evil. We are whisked off on many twists and turns as our adventures lead us to lunatic asylums and underground surgical arenas. Our new apprentice, Scarlett, also joins our endeavors as I pray she only acts as our silent observer and resists sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. 

And still, our anonymous prisoner remains. They sit there waiting to be rescued and survive the torment and torture that awaits them. I’m confident they will be discovered, but I worry that the empty cell will be quickly filled by another poor soul. 

I say with the greatest of confidence that Thomas, Scarlett, and I will uncover the truth. My fear and anxiety still remain. Sometimes it’s better to let things lie peacefully in ignorance. What sordid and cruel vermin will slither to the surface once we start turning up stones and digging holes? But my curiosity and need for discovery tamps down any trepidation I may have, and besides, I owe it to Dr. Thorton. Pray for us. 

To life and light, 

John Doyle

Review: As with the first installment in the Braham and Doyle books, The Prisoner of Fear, Chad Miller's A Paroxysm of Fear is written in an epistolary style, which lends the overall historical effect of the story. And, as with the first book, Miller's penchant for the dark, disturbing, and macabre are on full display.

What can I say? I'm hooked. I need more Braham and Doyle. They're like Sherlock and Watson crossed with Lovecraft or Poe. Mystery. Darkness. Terror. Suspense. Otherworldliness. Madness. Braham and Doyle encounter it all and yet remain grounded in logic and science that would be appropriate for the time period in which they inhabit.

But be warned, dear reader, A Paroxysm of Fear is not for the faint of heart. The story delves into the rudimentary field of psychology, as it was understood during the 19th century, and explores the treatment of those deemed "insane," which often consisted of locking them away in asylums, performing horrific experiments, and trying pseudo-science "cures." The brain is still one of the greatest mysteries facing humankind, and although our understanding of its structure, function, and even psychology have greatly increased in the past century-plus, the sad truth is that our early attempts to unlock its secrets often resulted in more harm and help. 

Another area Miller explores is the ages-old pursuit of immortality. I can't say much to this aspect of the story as it would be giving away spoilers, but I will say this: Miller has written one of the most beautifully horrific deaths of a beloved character I've ever had the pleasure to read. I'm so conflicted by this death. At once, I'm outraged Miller had the audacity to write this character's death, and yet, it's so poignant and necessary for the plot--not to mention to well-written--that I have no choice but to offer my praise for the brazenness of it. Well-played, sir. Well-played, indeed.

Overall, if you like dark fiction with a healthy dose of mystery, I highly recommend the Braham and Doyle books. I don't know if there will be a third installment, but I sincerely hope there will be because there are still so many unanswered questions. (Not to mention a certain character's death to avenge.) If there is to be a third book, I will repeat my plea from the review of the first book: write faster.

Book Review: Crave Me Roughly by Kira James

Title: Crave Me Roughly

Author: Kira James
Genre: Paranormal Romance - Vampires
Publisher:  Kira James - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: August 17, 2022
ISBN: N/A (Ebook Novella)
Read: January 16, 2023
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: For almost twenty years, he’s been watching me in secret. This dark, sensual, dangerous man who steps out of the shadows to help me when I need it the most. He won’t accept any payment other than a kiss. But it’s a kiss that sparks a dark desire in a secret, hidden part of me. And when he touches me, all I crave is the kind of dangerous passion that he offers. 

Then I learn the truth—he’s not a man at all. He’s a vampire. 

The love that burns between us is forbidden, but now it’s too late for me to turn back. Perhaps it always was. Because no matter how much danger stalks us both, I’ll sacrifice anything to keep him safe.

Warning: Contains violence, sex, and references to blood drinking. (What do you expect from vampires? Sunshine and daisies? I think not.)

Review: Crave Me Roughly was my first introduction to Kira James as an author, the characters of Luke and Sara, and the world in which they live. And, wow, what an introduction. From the description of Luke and his buddy, Serge, I'm picturing Jason Momoa sans beard and Chris Hemsworth but both have fangs. Um, oh, hells yeah!

As this is a prequel novella set a few years prior to the events of the first book in the Dark Alliance series, Embrace Me Darkly, I won't go into a lot of detail regarding the plot. Basically, the plot breaks down like this: Assistant District Attorney Sara Constantine has been looking for the person who killed her father nearly twenty years ago. She gets a lead from a sketchy dude. Goes to an even sketchier part of Los Angeles, alone, at night, to meet Sketchy Dude and learn what he knows. Mayhem ensues. Sara is rescued by the mysterious and hunky Dynamic Duo of Luke and Serge. Luke and Sara fall in lust. Cue the hot sex. Things happen. Secrets are revealed. More stuff happens. Questions are raised. Can Serge be even snarkier? Will Luke and Sara work out their issues? Will Luke's state-of-the-art kitchen be used for actual cooking at some point? 

I don't know, but I want to know.

Anyone who truly knows me knows just how much I loooooooooove vampires, and just from the short introduction to the Dark Alliance series I got from Crave Me Roughly, I need to read the rest of the series now. But it's not only vampires populating James's world. Other preternatural creatures are hinted at through conversations between Luke and Sara, creatures such as werewolves, demons, fairies, and much more. So, yeah, color me intrigued. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some hot vampire books to download...

Book Review: The Twisted Dead by Darcy Coates

Title: The Twisted Dead (Gravekeeper #3)

Author: Darcy Coates
Genre: Horror - Thriller - Suspense
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press - Copyright 2023
Publication Date: February 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781728239231
Read: January 5-6, 2023
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Keira must decide if she should use her ability to contact ghosts to help the man who once tried to kill her. 

Hunted and haunted, all she wants is to put her mysterious past behind her and move forward with her new friends as Blighty Graveyard's groundskeeper. But then she receives an invitation to dinner at the local recluse's crumbling ancestral estate. The mansion is steeped in history that is equal parts complicated and bloody―and at its center is the man who once tried to kill her, now begging for her help. 

Dane Crispin believes his home is haunted―and that the unquiet dead clawing through the ancient house are after him. Unnerved but intrigued, Keira opens her second sight and discovers he's right: resentful specters cling to Dane…and if she can't find a way to stop them, threaten to consume everything in their path. 

There's something dark happening in the world beyond most peoples' vision, and if Keira isn't able to sever the ties between the living and the dead, the chained spirits may not be the only things twisted beyond saving.

Review: The Twisted Dead is the third installment in the Gravekeeper series by Darcy Coates, and once again, Keira is up to her eyeballs in both ghosts and trouble.

The story starts when Keira finds a mysterious invitation on the doorstep of her arson-damaged cottage in the graveyard of small town Blighty. The mystery deepens when she reads the invitation and discovers its from Dane Crispin--town recluse and the man who shot at Keira when she inadvertently strayed onto his property while trying to help a troubled ghost. Her friends, Mason and Zoe, have also received invitations to a dinner party at the Crispin Estate. From the moment the friends enter the Crispin family home, ghosts are literally coming out of the woodworks in this truly twisted tale. Throw in a road trip, an evil corporation masquerading as a renewal energy power, a murderer, some morbid humor, and a pleasantly dorky cat, and The Twisted Dead quickly turns into a horror fan's kind of party.

Even if you haven't read the previous books in this series (The Whispering Dead, The Ravenous Dead), you'll like The Twisted Dead if you love paranormal thrillers and gothic-style ghost stories. Followers of the series will find this a great addition that answers some of the questions raised in the previous books as well as new ones that will quietly eat at your soul until Book 4.

Book Review: Silently by Talya Blaine

Title: Silently (Transformation Series Book 1)

Author: Talya Blaine
Genre: Erotica - Romance - Women's Fiction
Publisher: Talya Blaine Books - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
Read: November 27, 2022
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Her needs, his limits. White-hot chemistry and anguished desire. The promises and costs of a shared future 

Award-winning novelist Quinn Layborn lost her muse the day her husband died. Still mourning more than a year on, the last thing she wants is a second chance. At writing or romance. 

Tonight, as dinner guests gossip in her breezy beach house—her agent's well-meaning intervention—she arms herself with a full glass of red wine: Don't come close. 

Until a raw and undeniable craving shatters her isolation. 

Cable network travel-show host Jonathan Jaines still struggles with the terrible mistake that ruined his marriage. Tonight, he watches Quinn move among the guests like a ghost. His heart aches for her. The vivacious woman he knew from the movie set a few years ago? Gone, replaced with a grieving widow. 

When she stuns him with the words she whispers in his ear, he cannot—can not—say no. 

One brazen move. Two simple rules. 

From an eastern Long Island hamlet to a posh Manhattan dungeon, Quinn and Jonathan push boundaries: between pleasure and pain, control and surrender, trust and forgiveness. But as feelings and the risk of heartbreak grow, as their pasts and potential future collide, just how far will they go? 

Fast-paced and intense, Silently is a story about devastating loss, primal need, and the unexpected bonds that help us heal. 

Told in dual points of view, the story features a beta hero and characters over 40, mature themes, past cheating, strong language, and super-steamy bedroom scenes. 

• Alternating hero-heroine points of view 
• Main characters in their 40s 
• High emotional intensity, low melodrama 
• Super-steamy first in series 

Silently launches the Transformation Series. The books should be read in order. 

Review:  Silently by Talya Blaine is billed as "Fast-paced and intense, Silently is a story about devastating loss, primal need, and the unexpected bonds that help us heal." I found it to be none of these things. Yes, it's a quick read at only 161 pages, but the only time it becomes "fast-paced" is when Quinn, the main female character, has a very brief encounter with an unsavory character outside of a private club. 

While the subject of losing a spouse can indeed be a heart-wrenching and devastating loss, Quinn comes across as more whiny than someone caught in the throes of devastating depression. As for the primal need, I didn't see it because I felt no connection with Quinn, Jonathan (main male character), or any other character in the story. 

Yes, I understand Silently has been classified as erotica as well as romance and/or women's fiction. However, I feel that it doesn't live up to the standards of other books in these same genres. In order for a book to be considered a romance, there must be some, actual, romance. There is none between Quinn and Jonathan. No flirting. No real attraction. No tension. Their "relationship" consists of so-called "mind-blowing sex." Sorry, but I've read more intensely sexual encounters in young adult fiction that didn't even include intercourse. The characters are two-dimensional, have no chemistry, and there is no plot in the book to help drive the story or the character toward and/or away from one another.

Silently is the first installment in a new series; however, after reading this one, I won't be continuing the series.

Book Review: The Tome of Syyx by Stavros Saristavros

Title: The Tome of Syyx (The Fateful Force Series, Book 1)

Author: Stavros Saristavros
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self-published - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: April 1, 2022
Read: Sept. 13-Oct. 19, 2022
Disclaimer: Author requested a review and sent a free paperback copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Ancient evils stir. Deals must be brokered. But who can be trusted?  

On the fringes of civilization, the town of Sanctuary embarks on a mission to legitimize its existence and that of its monstrous inhabitants. 

Under the Leadership of its Mysterious Lord, four young adventurers set out from the town on a dangerous mission into the Wild Moor. 

But they discover that armies of orcs and hobgoblins are far from the only threats to the Free Cities of the frontier. Ancient evils stir, dragons are rumored to once again fly, and an imprisoned god returns to plague the world. 

Unlikely alliances must be forged and rivalries put aside. But not all Friends are what they seem…

Review: Fantasy is my first love among all genres. From childhood, I've loved stories of valiant heroes, epic evilness, and fantastical lands populated by denizens who may or may not be human. Throw in a dragon (or two) and an ancient death god, and you've got The Tome of Syyx by debut author Stavros Saristavros. You've also go the beginnings of one helluva a great
series.

(One item I'd like to mention before continuing with my review, Saristavros gives thanks in his Acknowledgements to a few people, including his wife, for providing time and inspiration for the book through Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. I'm a huge D&D fan and have been playing since I was ten. I can definitely see the D&D-inpsired elements in The Tome of Syyx, and I love them! Yes, I totally geeked out over the D&D elements. And, yes, the fact that the book arrived signed and with an inscription only made me geek out even harder. What can I say? I'm a dork. Now, on with the review...)

The Tome of Syyx opens with an epic battle, and Saristavros's writing paints a clear picture of the events to the point I could smell the smoke from the fires, hears the battle cries of the combatants, and taste the acridness of....well, I probably shouldn't mention that because potential spoilers. Let's just say, I was completely in the moment while reading the prologue.

The writing continued to paint vivd pictures throughout the book. Never did I feel as though I was a reader scanning words on a page. I felt as though I was in the scene with the characters, taking part in battles, sharing drinks in taverns, celebrating victories, and commiserating losses. Multiple points of view give depth to the story and keeps the reader on their mental toes wondering who can be trusted, how will the story end, and most importantly, when will book two be released because by the end of The Tome of Syyx you'll be so invested in the characters and world you'll want to keep reading and reading and reading and... You get the idea.

The Tome of Syyx is an emotional rollercoaster interspersed with high-stakes battles, intrigue, and a cast of lovable characters. I can't wait to see what the next installment will bring.