Bottled Abyss

Bottled Abyss is one of those books that I rarely seem to find; it is both an easy and entertaining read as well as one that has lots of substance to it. Ethridge sets the scene with a blending of Greek mythology and the American desert, where a family that has suffered horrible tragedy reawakens something ancient and forgotten. This reawakening brings with it a chance to heal and renew, but at a very steep price. 

What I enjoyed most about this book was the use of mythology that isn't often used in contemporary literature. I haven't seen much of anything to do with the Greek goddess Nyx, but Ethridge uses the myths surrounding her to create a really interesting backdrop to a story that is all about revenge and judgement. The story starts out in a way that may seem like familiar territory, but by the end Ethridge has taken the reader on a page turning ride with lots of twists and turns you won't see coming. This was a great read and I highly recommend it. 

I give it five cocktails. 

You can purchase this book from the following retailers:  Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

Angel Manor

One thing I was thinking recently, is that there aren't very many beach reads for horror fans. Chantal Noordeloos helps to change that with Angel Manor. Angel Manor is a more gruesome take on the classic haunted house tale. In fact, the prologue was a bit too over the top for me to read (I know that is a selling point for some people), so I skipped it after a few pages and went straight to the beginning of the book, and I was pulled in immediately. The story starts out with a group of friends who are going to renovate an old mansion and turn it into a hotel. One of the friends actually inherited the property and  is somewhat aware of its sinister past, but, of course, she doesn't know everything. The book continues to use familiar and somewhat predictable horror tropes, but they really work here.  This was an easy read that was also genuinely frighting in some places with fantastic monsters dwelling in the basement. (There was more than one occasion when reading this that I was VERY glad I don't have a basement in my house.) So while it had a few problems with the prologue and was somewhat predictable, I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to Noordeloos scaring me again sometime.    

I give it four cocktails.

You can purchase this book by clicking the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones

Lost is the Night is the second installment in Greg James' dark fantasy Khale the Wanderer series. A high bar had been set with the first book, but James surpasses it with his beautiful writing style that is so suited to the terrifying. In this book, we find Khale has been sent on a strange journey to Lord Barneth's castle where there is to be a feast in his honor, but not everything is as it seems. James quickly brings the reader into a world where the brutality knows no end, and he does it with his wonderful poetic prose that effortlessly blends horror with fantasy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of the strange places it brought me, and it is one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a peek into the darker side of humanity. 

I give it five cocktails.

This book can be purchased by clicking the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

Lucky's Girl

Lucky's Girl, by William Holloway, is a story about an inherently bad person that manages to tap into an ancient evil in his home town that he then uses to manipulate others, with some drastic results. This story was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I felt like Holloway was trying to do too many things at once with this story, but not quite succeeding with all of them. There are anthropomorphic wolves which I felt were unnecessary (he could have still used the wolves to shock readers without giving one of them a point of view), sex scenes that went on a bit too long for anything other than an erotic horror novel, and a constant repetition by a few characters that something just isn't right with Lucky (that was almost as annoying as the wolves). But even with all of the problems I just mentioned, Holloway can write. I loved his descriptions of the bleak town that has everything going against it as well as his ability to switch points of view with the main characters. I was never confused over whose inner thoughts I was privy to at any given time, and they had some really interesting things to say. But most importantly, I was entertained. This novel is divided into three sections and two epilogues, and while the two epilogues fell flat for me, I had a great time reading the wild ride that was part three. I won't mention what happens in that section as I hate spoilers, but it was entertaining enough to make me forgive the other problems with the book. Is Lucky's Girl perfect? Absolutely not. It is extremely gory and entertaining though, and in the end that's all that really matters. 

I give it three and a half cocktails.

You can purchase this book by clicking the following links:  Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

Under a Colder Sun

In Under a Colder Sun, Greg James introduces us to his latest creation, Khale the Wanderer. Khale is an antihero; he is a murderer and a mercenary. But there is something compelling about this character that makes me want to read on about him and his exploits. James uses Khale to explore some dark story lines in this book, which is the first in what is hopefully a long series. James introduces a new world with a very grim religion and mythology where there is little hope of overcoming the darkness that surrounds the people. This is a great read for anyone who enjoys darker fantasy novels, and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.



I give it five cocktails.

This book can be purchased by clicking the following links:  Amazon US,  Amazon UK

White

White is Tim Lebbon's brilliant post apocalyptic novella. This isn't a zombie apocalypse, or one of destruction after a nuclear war. Instead, Lebbon brings us undefined monsters in an eerie landscape of unending snow. He introduces us to an assorted cast of characters each with their own neurosis; they are all trapped together in a house where they were originally charged with doing research on what was going wrong with the environment.
Lebbon uses his superb writing skills to slowly draw the reader into an increasingly terrifying situation with no means of escape. This is a book I would recommend to anyone, no matter the genre they normally read, just so they could experience the surreal and terrifying world that Lebbon has created.

As a bonus there is a short story included with this novella. It perfectly compliments the bleak tone that is in White. Lebbon gives his readers a little something extra with this emotional story of a family that has been torn apart and a husbands undying loyalty.



I give it five cocktails.

You can purchase this book by clicking the following links: Amazon US,  Amazon UK

Legacy of the Rose

Kasey Michaels' Legacy of the Rose is a bit of a departure from her normal lighter regency romance novels, and it is a very good one. Michaels has a gift for storytelling that she fully uses here to explore some very interesting and complex characters as well as some twisting and turning plot lines.

Michaels explores the darker side of human sexuality and the violence that can so often go hand in hand with it. She brings the reader fully realized characters rather than just the archetypal hero and villain that are so often used in this genre. I don't want to discuss the plot, as it is rather complicated and it's always better to just let it unfold as you read it, but it does follow what you would expect in general from a regency romance. But Michaels does more here than just give the reader an afternoon diversion. Legacy of the Rose is a book filled with a dark intensity that is often sadly missing from regency romance, and it is a book that will likely stay with me for a long time to come.


I give it five cocktails.

You can purchase this book by clicking the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble