Book 16 of 2009: Stakes & Stilettos by Michelle Rowen

Michelle Rowen brings Sarah Dearly back for her fourth book in the Immortality Bites series. Dearly has recently been turned into a vampire and has just started adjusting to things when she stumbles into a witch, Stacy, with a grudge. Stacy decides to make Dearly's adjustment period a bit more complex by placing a curse on her that turns her into a bloodthirsty nightwalker instead of the sweet vampire that was able to drink from the carton rather than the neck. Sarah has to race against the clock to find a way to make Stacy reverse the curse before it becomes permanent and Sarah is stuck as a nightwalker forever. Along the way she looks for assistance from her best friend, George, her boyfriend, Thierry, and the Red Devil, a masked stranger who saved her from getting staked. As she seeks a solution to the problem of her curse, Sarah is also trying to figure out who the Red Devil is, and if he's for real. In the midst of it all, she’s trying to figure out how to get Thierry to marry her, despite the fact he's already married. If anyone can handle it, Sarah can!

Stakes and Stilettos is yet another fun read in the Immortality Bites series. This series has been fun from the start and Rowen has kept it interesting all the way through. The more I read this series the more I find myself getting deeply involved with the lives of the characters. They all have unique personalities and are very likable, despite the wicked personalities of some (i.e. Thierry's wife, Veronique). I really have nothing negative to say about this book other than it left off with a major cliffhanger which made me want the next book immediately! I had a great time reading this book and will continue to read this series and anything else Rowen puts out. I think all fans of the paranormal romance genre would enjoy this series. Highly recommended.

Contains: Mild Sexual Situations

(Review also posted on MonsterLibrarian.Com)

Book 15 of 2009: Covenant by John Everson

Covenant is John Everson's first mass market release. Reporter Joe Kieran hears about a suicide taking place off of a cliff, but his boss tells him not to bother writing up a big report. Joe finds this to be strange, because it is the first “big” story he has encountered since moving to the small town of Terrel. Joe decides to dig into things on his own, without authorization, and discovers that suicides have been happening on this same cliff year after year, on the same day, for hundreds of years. Joe realizes that he must be facing something much more surreal than just a mere suicide.

Covenant starts off like a mystery, transitions to a thriller, and then to an all out horror novel! Everson has a wonderful way of depicting scenes. Throughout this book you really can visualize all the scenes as you read them. Many times I felt like I was right there in the room (or cave) with the characters, watching the scenes taking place in front of me. This was actually my second time reading this book and I must say I think I actually enjoyed it even more this time around. This is a great read for all horror fans, though unsuspecting readers may want to be aware that there is a rape scene in the latter part of the book. Highly Recommended.

Contains: Violence, Sexual Situation, Rape, Adult Language

(Review also posted on MonsterLibrarian.Com)

Book 14 of 2009: The Hunger of Empty Vessels by Scott Edelman

Scott Edelman's novella, The Hunger of Empty Vessels, tells the tale of a man named Portabello, who is dealing with divorce and not being able to see his son, Joey, on a regular basis. As the days go on Portabello starts to see someone watching Joey. When bad things seem to happen to him, he believes this "person" is the cause. Portabello decides it is his duty as the father to protect his son, but will protecting his son do more harm than good?

This is the first thing I have ever read by Edelman and I am quite impressed by his writing style. His choice of subject is far scarier than most "monster" type horror books as it hits closer to home with some people and makes them really think. Kudos to Edelman for writing about it in such a lyrical way. Recommended.

(Review also posted on MonsterLibrarian.Com)

Book 13 of 2009: Nekropolis by Tim Waggoner

Tim Waggoner has expanded upon a previously released novella, Necropolis, to take readers on a wild ride with a zombie private eye name Matt Richter. Richter lives in a shadowy realm known as Nekropolis that is made up of various beings such as vampires, lykes, demons, etc... Richter meets up with Devona, a half-vampire, who is distraught about losing a special artifact of her father's called the Dawnstone. Richter offers to help her retrieve said artifact. Of course, that's easier said than done, and Matt and Devona run into all sorts of trouble along the way!

Nekropolis is an urban fantasy that also weighs heavily on the mystery angle. Waggoner did a wonderful job with this story and I'm thrilled to hear that there will be two follow-up novels. Waggoner’s writing is very descriptive. While reading I was able to picture all of the various beings included in the story and see them battling it out. Nekropolis would be a great addition to any library. Fans of the paranormal will also enjoy Nekropolis, as it crosses several genres. Recommended.

Contains: Mild Violence, Drug Usage, Profanity

(Review also posted on MonsterLibrarian.Com)

Book 12 of 2009: Benjamin's Parasite by Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand's novel, Benjamin's Parasite, starts off with a teenage boy, Brian, going through a series of strange events (yes, even strange for a teenage boy) that ultimately land him getting shot in the end. At Brian's funeral, his teacher, Benjamin Wilson, shows up to pay his respects and notices that Brian's body appears to have exhaled! He leans in closer and sure enough... he feels a gust of air hit him in the face! This would be enough to freak anyone out, but Benjamin tries to keep his cool and get out of the funeral home without causing a scene and avoids saying anything to anyone. Over the next several weeks however he starts getting several strange cravings and the next thing he knows he has a spell at school that lands him in the hospital. While in the hospital he gets "abducted" and soon finds out that this person isn't the only person that is after him. He learns that he is actually hosting a parasite that is of interest to several parties. Unfortunately for Benjamin, he doesn't know who has his best interest in mind so he isn't sure which person to trust in this situation where he is being fought over and is being pulled back and forth a lot. The question is... will he and/or the parasite come out alive at the end of the chase?

This is probably Strand's fastest paced book yet and is a lot of fun to read. It is full of action with the struggle between all parties involved within the book. In true Jeff Strand style there is also a ton of laughs to go around so his fans will not be disappointed. In particular, there is a scene where Benjamin visits a hardware store and has some very strange ideas that I just wouldn't believe anyone would even consider, but... Strand did! In addition to the humor, there are also the typical gory scenes that Strand always spaces out so perfectly to not disgust the readers TOO much. There are also dramatic scenes in the book that will allow the reader to sympathize with characters... especially a particular turtle name Tortie. Plus there is a feel for a bit of romance within the book as well! So... Strand really went all out with this book and crossed a bit of all genres. Highly recommended!

Contains: Violence, Mild Gore

(Review also posted on MonsterLibrarian.Com)

Book 11 of 2009: The Black Act by Louise Bohmer

The Black Act is set in a richly detailed fantasy world and tells of the adventures of the fifth generation of Wise Women. The book centers on twin sisters, Claire and Anna. At the beginning of the book, Claire witnesses her Guild Mother's death while Anna is out. Before Anna discovers that Claire learned the truth from their Guild Mother before her passing, Claire runs off, seeking more information to go along with what she has learned. Anna tries to uncover the secrets from her own scribe teacher, Rosalind, and also find her sister. In the meantime, Claire's methods of discovery have reawakened a curse as well as a battle between the Wood People and the Dalthwein Clans. Anna and Claire must find the truths they need to know about their pasts in time to figure out a solution to end the present battle.

The Black Act is a very creative story that keeps the reader wanting to know how things are going to turn out. Bohmer describes the world and all of the various groups of people in vivid detail. You can really picture them in your mind, especially the Wood People as she detailed them to every root! Throughout the book there are a lot of flashbacks, which tend to get a little confusing. Still, The Black Act flows well and is very enjoyable. Horror fans, especially those that like a lot of fantasy mixed within will really enjoy this new author. I highly recommend that libraries get a copy to introduce readers to Bohmer's writing style.

Contains: Sexual Situations, Violence

(Review also posted on MonsterLibrarian.Com)

Book 10 of 2009: Bestial by Ray Garton

Bestial follows up Garton's first werewolf novel, Ravenous, and, while not as strong as Ravenous, it’s still a good werewolf story. Garton also pulls in characters from one of his vampire books, Night Life- private investigators Gavin Keoph and Karen Moffett. Gavin and Karen are sent to investigate numerous animal attacks popping up all over Big Rock. Werewolves are suspected in the area. Gavin and Karen discover that the attacks are werewolf attacks, and also that the werewolves have already set in motion a plan for the town of Big Rock. More and more people are turning into werewolves via the sexually transmitted virus, and the PI’s may be in over their heads.

Garton’s inclusion of characters from his vampire series leaves the reader wondering if he is going to proceed further with this series and possibly combine the vampire and werewolf stories. It could make for an interesting battle down the road if he does! This would be a good addition for libraries, but be aware that Garton does have a lot of sexual content within his book including some rape and incest scenes.

Contains: violence, gore, incest, rape, strong sexual content, adult language

(Review also posted on MonsterLibrarian.Com)