Horror Books

Every one in our household enjoys these wonderful books by V.C. Andrews. They are very interesting and always a thrill to read.

I would love to read a story written from Charlotte's point of view. Sure, Darkest Hour was prteey good, but it does not explain why Charlotte was afraid of Lillian. Maybe the Cutler series needs her to tell her story, about how Emily treated her.

then I grew up and dug out my Andrews books after they'd been sitting in my closet for a time. I reread this morbid tale one night as I tried to fall asleep. At first it entertained me. But having parted ways with these stories for years, I realized that it was the same spark that got people to read books like Mommie Dearest or Flowers in the Attic. People love to be shocked. And this is a book with nothing but horrible things befalling our 'beautiful' heroine with no bright light ahead of her. It seems that all of the good guys in VCA books are beautiful and most of the bad guys are ugly. And did I mention the rape scenes were absolutely disgusting?

I rest my case...

Darkes Hour, was the first novel I read in the Cutler series. I decided to read this book, since the fifth book is usually the PREQUEL. Lillian grew up in a privelaged home with a big house and magnolias everywhere. Yet she still has to deal with her adultering uncle/dad (who rapes her), her spineless mom and evil sister/cousin Emily. She becomes a total victim and prisoner in her home.

Then at 16, she is betted off to womanizer Bill Cutler, and becomes the matron of Cutler's Cove. She falls in love with the hotel, and becomes a big success.

I thought Lillian was going to be a kind and loving grandmother in the first novel, Dawn. However she ends up being Grandmother Cutler, a cold frigid bitch who make Dawn miserable.

Well, here we come to the last book about the Cutlers, and it's told by the evil granny. Who, as is the tradition in V.C. Andrews books, was not quite so evil in her youth, so she has a right to narrate a story.
Actually, this is a little weird. If you've read the previous books in this series, you'll probably know that the evil granny (or Lilian, as she is called here), isn't actually related to Dawn or Christie. Or is she? Because this is the prequel, and we've already found out a lot of shocking secrets about who's related to who in the last four books. Is it possible that there could be one last, horrible secret that would change the way the readers look at, say, Dawn and Jimmy's marriage? Well?
As it turns out, no. The only horrible secret revealed that wasn't mentioned in the other books is something to do with Lilian's parentage. Which doesn't really impact on anything that happened in the other books. Erm.
But there's always an advantage to these "narrated by the evil granny" books, and that is the fact that they're set in the past, so there's an excuse for the prudery and daffyness. It would sound a bit strange for a modern-day mother to tell her daughter that only "loose women" like to show off their cleavage, but in a 1930s (I'm guessing) mother, it makes sense. As do the swoony-true love-fairy tale parts. They should set these books in the past more often- they're better at it.
Finally, there's the part where poor old Lilian's sickly mother and sister, pervy father, religious fundamentalist sister and not-particularly-agile boyfriend set up a series of events that ruins her life. And I can't think of a better author when it comes to writing melodramatic life ruination. It's when these books get dark, gruesome and miserable that they're at their cheesy best.

This book was a really great read! Being the fan of zombie films that I am, I could not put it down. I read it in three days. The author did a wonderful job of creating a post-apocalyptic world, and his depictions of the chaos that surrounded it was terrific. Very well written, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the genre!

Well, quite honestly it was a bit confusing with the four (five?) main guys boarding up in a house while two other characters board up their trailer. The latter characters disappear until the very end of the book and manage to crash into a Walmart where the former guys have staked out a claim. As this is all happening new characters come into the story as police and decide to take over the Walmart. A vague ending and a strange plot to boot with more description of weapons/guns being used than character development.

this book was the least impressive zombie apocalypse novel i have purchased from amazon.... the plot was one of many that seems to have been ripped right off the romero idea tree... seriously, why re-hash the same tired idea over and over??? i fully appreciate how much love and work it takes to write a novel, but come on! make it your own!

This was by far the worst book I've read and I love reading. The writing was horrible, he described all the characters in this book as "the burly one", "the big one", "the curly haired one", and so on. It was almost as if a child wrote it. The plot wasn't very thought out. Police officers are shooting survivors on site for looting(basically trying to survive the murderous horde) while hardly giving thought to the zombies. That was another thing i disliked; this book just wasn't scarey. The zombies were more of a nusiance and less of a threat. This was a waste of 14 dollars.

Cost me $15 to read a crappy high school creative writing course project. Nothing here of interest. Save your dough and buy another Zombie book. Terrible.

How can second-rate gory horror comics be so much fun? I reread THE ZOMBIE FACTORY three enjoyable times, and I still can figure it out!

If you enjoy violent and unsettling comics in the tradition of the legendary EC Comics, look no further. These classic 1960s' "wet" tales of undead rampages will surely satisfy your carnivorous comic book cravings.

THE ZOMBIE FACTORY, with its black-and-white retro horror comics, is a superb example of why the comic industry instated a Comic Code. Left to their own devices, it would have just been a matter of time before Bob Kane or Jack Cole had Batman or Plastic-Man disembowel or behead some hapless jewel thief. Fun, bloody, and a cool glimpse into a world of comics that might have been.

Crammed with all manners of undead evil, THE ZOMBIE FACTORY will most certainly delight the most discrimination horror comic reader with its tales of unbridled evil. My favorite story involves a nazi war criminal and a pair of gloves made from human skin.

These delightfully degenerate comics, the kind not suitable for the sensibilities of the easily disgusted, are deliberately designed to dishevel one's nerves with its relentless excesses of bloodshed at the rotting hands of the undead. Anyone of these blood-splattered tales would feel right at home residing a movie theater screen with the caption, "directed by George Romero."

It's kind of a toss up.
This book or Salem's Lot, which is better?
"Pet" is simply, brilliant, disturbing, and unforgettable.
Another masterpiece that was made into a disaster of a movie.
Like Salem's Lot, ignore the movie(s) and go with the books.
"Pet" is a page turner, I think I ripped through it in a few days.
The characters, the story, the ATMOSPHERE are just remarkable.
King at his most masterful.
Another must read must buy.
My only complaint is the new cover art. HORRID!!!
I bought the paperback way back in the day that had the creepy cat with the green eyes and the red cemetary back ground.
Oh well, that MINOR complaint shouldn't scare you away from reading one of King's best works.
Easily in the top ten best books I've ever read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Creepy but really compelling, Stephen King once again offers a page turning story that is more about the characters then the scares. When the scares do come, they seem more shocking because of the character development. Fun and interesting read.

Pet sematary is one of my fave stephen king novels. Its a smoothe and easy read that keeps you on the edge of your seat i would recommend this book to anyone and its a must read for any true stephen king fan.

I am sure this isn't news to anyone but this is a good book. Stephen King has had so many books made into movies & I thought this movie was a little better than most. The book of course is better than the movie. Don't read this if you are out alone in the forest in a log cabin.

I liked this book overall, but if you are looking for something to utterly terrify you, you may not enjoy this as much. The last hundred pages or so was probably the scariest, and even that was a little tame compared to other works King' put out there.

Nevertheless, this story still works. In the foreward of the book, Stephen King says this is the scariest book he ever wrote. And it is, only for different reason. Many look at this as being a piece of horror fiction, and even though it certainly fits that mold in many respects, I don't know if it was King's intention to make it bone-chilling. This book works on an emotional level, focusing heavily on the subject of death. It really makes you think about that inevitable event, and you feel true sympathy for the characters when those who are close to them perish. Ellie's little speal about not wanting God to take her cat was brutal, almost to the point of being heartbreaking.

You also find yourself wondering what you would do in a similar situation. If a family member died prematurely, would you take any measure necesary to ressurect them, even if they come back wrong?

The biggest downside to the book was that it took so long to get to the really good stuff. For the first 2-3 hundred pages, the only thing that had been given new life was the family cat. That's not to say the early parts of the novel did not have merit; I thoroughly enjoyed the massive character developement that was employed through the early stages of the story.

In the end, you realize, as the book proclaims, "Sometimes Dead is Better."

My 7 year old son loves this whole series of books. They are some of the only books he wants to keep on reading, even after his reading timer goes off. He can't seem to put them down, and he talks about them after reading. He also has picked them a few times to do his book reports on. Highly recommended!

My 9-yr old son LOVES this book, as well as the other Cornelia Funke books in the Ghosthunter series. He read this book nonstop from start to finish in only one day, and he is not the type of child who will read just anything. If you have a son/grandson/nephew who is a picky or reluctant reader, chances are good that this book will be one he will enjoy.

I like the Ghosthunter series. This book was too short though. I liked how they eliminated the ghost. You should get this book!

Ethan age 11

My class of 22 second graders is totally CRAZY for this series. Here are their ratings: Freaky! Cool! Hugo is sooooo funny in this book! Very exciting! Totally wicked! Surprising! Interesting! It's our favorite book so far!

The third part of the series
And a new Ghosthunter book
The saga of the Baroness
Is worth a second look

It's off to Gloomsburg Castle
To meet some folk named Worm
Another tough assignment
For Hetty and her firm

To try to catch the Baroness
They turn off all the power
Because without her energy
She'll wither like a flower

The plan backfires terribly
And she still gets her juice
Astride her horse she draws a sword
And then all hell breaks loose

The Baroness had met her fate
By falling in the moat
The only chance they have to win
Lies hidden 'neath her coat

Action packed and funny too
This is the best so far
So look for more Ghosthunters
If you're into the bizarre



Amanda Richards, January 16, 2007


Ghosthunters And The Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost (Ghosthunters)

Ghosthunters And The Totally Moldy Baroness! (Ghosthunters)

Ghosthunters And The Muddy Monster Of Doom! (Ghosthunters)

I love the Wiley & Grampa series by Kirk Scroggs. The Hairball From Outer Space is great. It's 6thth in the series. So, be sure to check out the rest. These books are a lot of fun for boys who might be picky about what they read. If your child loves the Captain Underpants books, then turn him on to these.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

Wiley & Grampa are on the top of my 8yr old sons list of favorites. The books are quite silly and a lot of fun. It is great to see my picky reader truly enjoying a book.

Fell in love with the characters and the story immediately. I'm not a real ghost story fan, but this was a charming and delightful tale.

loved it loved it loved it!!! a must read for all history lovers and for all fanasty lovers!!

It's been more than 40 years since I first read The Sherwood Ring, and it remains one of my very favorite books. I reread it often, but I think of it even more often, as my New England neighborhood is full of colonial-era houses, paths through overgrown woods, and little lakes like those in the story.

I'm not sure why this book works so well. The characters are well-drawn but not so terribly original, and the heroine's situation is unbelievable even for the repressive 50's. However, the ghosts' narratives are so vivid, concise, and well-crafted that I get a thrill at each rereading. I love the way the author cared enough to set each section in a different time of year, evoking each season with just a few sentences.

There is something fundamentally cinematic about the presentation of The Sherwood Ring. The emphasis on visual details, the intercutting of modern and historic scenes, and the snappy dialogue remind me of a movie. There's about one feature film's amount of plot, as well. When I was younger, I thought it would make a good film, but I'm sure now that it would get messed up in the process.

When the author's later book, The Perilous Gard, came out many years later, I found it flat in comparison, though maybe I was suffering from an overdose of pseudo-Celtic mythology at the time. The American Revolution setting is unusual, and the issues around the loyalist opposition in New York State actually inspired me to do some research on this subject for a college paper.

I agree with other readers that it's a pity Elizabeth Marie Pope published only two books. I'm so grateful, though, that she never got into writing the sequels and bloated trilogies that crowd today's bookstores. The Sherwood Ring is one little jewel of a book, a unique treasure.

I bought this book for my 11 yo daughter but I read it before giving it to her. This is an excellent story and a must read for all girls who like adventure and mystery.

I read this book after reading (and loving) The Perilous Gard. Although not quite as good as that book, it is still DEFINITELY worth reading for any historical fiction or fantasy fans. I loved it and couldn't put it down!

The book weaves together the stories of several different characters, some from the revolutionary war and some from modern times. Peggy is a young orphaned girl who goes to live with her uncle in the family's historical home. She meets up with an Englishman named Pat, one of whose relatives fought in the war, but her uncle kicks him out of the house upon hearing his name.

The other four main characters, Eleanor, Dick, Barbara and Peaceable, are all ghosts. One by one they appear to Peggy, each telling a bit of their story. Gradually,a pattern begins to appear. Somehow, the story of the ghosts is related directly to Peggy's own life and problems.

There is a good bit of romance in the book too, if you like that sort of thing. But it's a sweet and gentle kind, not overdone or sappy. I really liked seeing the characters (Dick/Eleanor, Peaceable/Barbara and finally Pat/Peggy) get their happy endings. The characters aren't developed as much as they could be, but the story is still great with an unexpected twist at the end. Not as good as The Perilous Gard, but close!

This book was awesome. It kept me engaged for several weeks, which is saying alot for a huge reader like I am.

Usually I find a book, a good 300 pages, at least, and I clobber it. It it is any good (I give it 100 pages to be good, or I am done) I will devour it, in a couple of days time. It is is *fairly* good but not too good, it might take me a couple of weeks as I will be doing something other than reading it when I have my late night reading time. For a really good book, though, it might take me a couple of nights to read it. For this book, since it contained 3 novels, it took me a couple of weeks. Honestly I was glad, because that was a couple of weeks where I didn't have to think about my next reading fix!!!!

Buy it... you will not be disappointed!

This made a wonderful gift and it was given to a true fan of Dean Koontz...

This book is probably one of the best I ever had because the novels compiled are all very thrilling and fun to read. I have read it twice and there is nothing else to do than to admire the way Dean R. Koontz writes. If you want to read something out of the ordinary, a bit on the supernatural side, along with a lot of action and twists, this is the one you need.

Wow, Phantoms, Darkfall, and The Servants Of Twilight all in one! I've read 23 Dean Koontz book so far and I can tell you that these are all five star books.

PHANTOMS is about a deserted town in the mountains where a woman and her teenage sister arrive to find most of the residents either missing or brutally murdered-even in locked rooms.

DARKFALL is about a man named Baba Lavelle out for revenge who is using voodoo to terrorize a man named Jack Dawson by sending goblin-like creatures after his two children. It's pretty intense with the things crawling through the air ducts and chasing after the family relentlessly.

THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT is about a cult lead by a crazy old woman named Grace Spivey who is convinced that a six year old boy named Joey is the anti-christ. The family and the private eye struggling to protect them are terrorized and sent on the run, and their lives will never be the same. But wherever they go, Grave and her followers always find them....

You really can't go wrong with this set. I suggest you buy this collection, and then read:

Intensity
Watchers
Whispers
Hideaway
False Memory
Twilight Eyes

This omnibus edition contains nothing apart from the text of the three books; no foreword, no afterword - not even the individual afterwords that Koontz has taken to including with re-issued editions of his older books.

This is a pity, because DARKFALL and SERVANTS were both written under pseudonyms, and Koontz' revised editions often include the story of the original author's tragic end. (There are at least five versions of the fate of "Leigh Nichols", including a tragic limbo accident.)

The individual books in this omnibus share a few characteristics apart from being written around the same time. All three with what might be termed the forces of Satan, though the situation is (of course) more complicated than that at times. Once the action gets rolling, each story occupies a very short timeframe: about 25 hours for DARKFALL, a few days for most of PHANTOMS, and similarly for THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT. Each has a kind of epilogue after the main event to give a little closure (although in DARKFALL's case it's quite short, not even a separate chapter).

THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT was first published in somewhat different form as TWILIGHT under the byline "Leigh Nichols" in 1984. The title role is a well-meaning religious sect, determined to destroy the anti-Christ. But "the anti-Christ", in this case, is a six-year-old boy, a sweet kid being brought up by his single-parent mom. Joey at first seems to be a random selection on the part of the Servants' leader.

When the Servants begin stalking Christine and her son, she hires a private investigator, Charlie Harrison, since everyone has to sleep sometime. Most of the remainder of the book is an extended chase scene, although the object is to flee rather than to catch anyone. Several of Koontz' other books have this kind of structure; SERVANTS falls into the earlier versions' simpler pattern, in which relatively isolated bad guys (rather than vast conspiracies) are chasing the good guys. Like many of Koontz' protagonists, the leads (Charlie and Christine) have troubled family backgrounds like that of the author. The main villain is schizophrenic.

--

DARKFALL was first published under the byline "Owen West" in 1984, prior to THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT. Like several of Koontz' earlier works, DARKFALL wasn't published under Koontz' preferred title (DARKNESS COMES, in this instance, although the story has also been known as THE PIT, which lent itself to some unfortunate jokes at the author's expense).

As in THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT, one of the protagonists of DARKFALL is a single parent, in this case Jack, a straight-arrow cop who is just beginning to take an interest in romance again after losing his wife to cancer. There are some similarities to the dynamic in DRAGON TEARS; Jack's partner is a very tough woman who had a rough childhood, and she's the "bad cop" of their good cop/bad cop act. (Unfortunately, it's *not* a deliberate act by the characters; like Connie in DRAGON TEARS, Rebecca really *does* lack political savvy in dealing with people.)

As in DRAGON TEARS, the partners have run into some odd phenomena on the day the story takes place, which can't be explained by any normal events. In DARKFALL, the partners are investigating a series of brutal murders in which the victims are all involved in organized crime, but the weird phenomena don't tally with a normal gang war or even a revenge killing. But the head of the family arranged for the murder of an investigative reporter some time back, whose brother turns out to be a voodoo priest from the islands...

Of the three stories in this omnibus, organized religion comes off best in DARKFALL. It happens to be the light side of voodoo that gets star treatment, though - does that matter? :) Jack and Rebecca get professional help, as it were, from a local voodoo practitioner; he comes up with an interesting philosophical defence of his religion.

--

PHANTOMS, the last story in the book, was actually published first, in 1983. Although Koontz had written several books in the interim, this was the first book under his own name since WHISPERS, and he was trying deliberately to write a very different book.

PHANTOMS was meant to be an over-the-top horror story, with a full-blown monster *but* with a scientific explanation for everything that takes place. Small town? Check. Everybody missing except a handful of main characters? Check. Gory? You bet. If you read this one alone on a dark night, don't come crying to me if you can't sleep. You've been warned.

--

For more detailed discussion of the contents of this book, I recommend consulting reviews for the three individual books.

Content warnings: Like a number of Koontz' books, these contain a few explicit sex scenes and quite a lot of violence. Organized religion gets somewhat unusual treatment.

But these are Koontz books. Bad things happen, some people are rotten, and organizations may fail to protect people properly, but individual good guys can manage to come through horrific episodes without being turned into monsters, even if they may suffer greatly in the process.

Comfort books. The first two rate about 4 stars, but PHANTOMS brings down the average.

Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers are absolutely nothing like the old version. Well, apart from the bit with Vigilante in it early on.

New versions of Klarion the Witch Boy, and the Shining Knight, and quite a lot of the supernatural alien type of influence.

Grant Morrison began this series intending to, I believe, emulate the critically popular but poorly recieved 'Fourth World' by Jack Kirby. In it, the titular 'Seven Soldiers' each have their own four issue title that all tie in together in a final 'book end' chapter. However, each story is enjoyable in its own right. Reading them together, you can pick up on the subtle interactions - what story happens when in comparison, how part x of one story ties in to part y of another.

However, it isn't the interactions, or even the superheroics, that make Morrison's 'Seven Soldiers of Victory' a stunning success - it's the human element. It's the inspiration of Jake Jordan as he learns to become the Manhattan Guardian. It's the building hope of Alix Harrower as she slowly rebuilds her life from tragedy. It's Klarion's charming exploration of his religion and the boundaries of his society. Every character tells a different kind of story, and while they may not be everyone's cup of tea, each story is charming and inspirational in it's own way...and they all build up to an even greater whole.

I have read hundreds of graphic novels, and I saw the buzz on this. I guess I have never been a huge Grant Morrison fan, though he has his moments. This was his attempt to create a completely new universe out of old characters. I tried to get started, couldn't finish. If you are a completest, go for it. There is better stuff out there.

Re-readability: 2/10

*I always put re-readability in my reviews for people who like to keep their TPB to re-read*

Every artist represented in this volume (there are six) blew me away - each for a different reason. The artwork in the introductory chapter, by J. H. Williams III, seemed, to me, the most significantly accomplished of the lot. Keep in mind that I do not regularly read contemporary superhero stories, so I had no preconceptions about any of these artists. There's something distinctly Silver Age about Williams' storytelling techniques (and I mean "calm and collected and cool and almost formal Infantino and Oskner DC Silver Age," not "crazy genius Kirby and Ditko Marvel Silver Age," by the way), though the outer layer, the Photoshopped slickness, is (and probably has to be) thoroughly contemporary. In Williams' case, the slickness refuses to obscure an outstanding and versatile line, among other things. There's the scratchy Wrightson-like opening in a swamp. There's the wide, western landscape that reminded me, more than anything, of an old Mickey Mouse adventure digest comic I had when I was a kid - except, you know, more realistic, and creepier. Maybe it was just the cartoony prickly pears everywhere. Or something. Williams' storytelling and character-building skills are as strong as any I've seen in comics. These characters - ultimately dispensible - come alive from the first moment they appear. Surely Williams is considered one of the top stylists of contemporary mainstream comics, maybe even the top stylist. I was particularly impressed with the final battle sequence, in which a great deal of information about a large number of characters performing very complex manuevers was presented so calmly and well (and with such perfect graphic design) that I didn't even notice that, hey, wow, that must have been a difficult sequence to pull off, until I'd read it three or four times.

(the above is excerpted from my longer review at graphicnovelreview.com)

There is a literary term called "heavy lifting" that applies when an author requires the reader to do a lot of work to appreciate the story -- this "heavy lifting" almost always comes at the beginning of the story. You might also call it "labor-intensive exposition." There is considerable heavy lifting here, so much so that I almost didn't pick up the second book. But, as luck would have it, I left my bag at the comic shop and had to swing by the next day to pick it up. Glad I did. Things really start to get GOOD in the second book, so much so that moments that seemed lame or irrelevant in the first trade are illuminated in hindsight -- the whole world expands! Now I cannot wait to get three and four! But, all that being said, as one previous reviewer noted there is a great deal in the first book that feels stuttering if not downright incomprehensible. Moreover, the order that the issues have been collected -- randomly, it feels like -- did none of the stories justice and served to add to the confusion. So BOOK 1 (by itself) deserves 2 STARS. BOOK 2 (by itself) deserves 4 STARS. And the sum of the two (the hindsight effect) bumps this book up to 3 STARS. So, my final word, DO NOT BUY THIS UNLESS YOU PLAN TO READ THEM ALL. OTHERWISE, YOU'LL BE WASTING YOUR TIME & MONEY.

AMAZING HOW EACH WRITER PICKED STORY LINE UP N CONTINUED!

OMG this one rocks. I have never read something like this before. The stories and charaters are just amazing. LOADS of passions if you are into that kind of thing. Sceans that will make you blush just reading it! Great job to all Authors involved in this!

This anthology was better than I thought it would be. The stories by L.A. Banks, J.M. Jeffries and Seressia Glass were very entertaining. However, the Natalie Dunbar story could have been better. It seemed liked it was rushed and badly edited. For some reason it just reads like chunks of this story were omitted for brevity.

Oh, Boy! What a superb collection starting with LA Banks' Heat right through to Natalie Dunbar's Out of the Dark. I just had to order this book, being a dedicated reader and addicted fan of LA Banks' Vampire Huntress books, and after hearing a lot of good reports from other readers. I was not disappointed in any way and the fact that the individual stories were connected (through both characters and the central location) added rather than detracted from my reading enjoyment. This does not feel as if you are reading four short stories by four different authors, yes you will notice a change in the writing but the continuity is there and you feel as if you are reading a single work of fiction. An excellent read that I would be happy to recommend to anyone who likes supernatural/romance reading material.

Welcome to the French Quarter Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, where werewolves, vampires, and humans drink, gamble and have a merry good time.

Heat by L.A. Banks

Werewolf Butch Maverick works for the Preternatural Authorities and his latest assignment is to hunt down the robberies that have been causing major wolf-style mayhem throughout the Midwest, before the humans decide to take matters into their own hands. Butch ends up the one place that he thought he would never return to - the French Quarter Hotel and where his old flame, Laurel, heads the Security Operations. To make matters worse, with the full moon just days away it is very difficult for Butch to concentrate on his job at hand with Laurel in full-blown heat!

With a title like Heat you can bet your bottom dollar that you are in store for some mega-hot, mind-blowing sex! Readers, I am glad to say that L.A. Banks did not disappoint in that department. Man oh man! As the investigation heats up, so does the relationship between Butch and Laurel. My mind was constantly clouded with massive desire and thrilling suspense. As a couple, and independently, Butch and Laurel are very headstrong, alpha-type characters that showcase enormous raw passion and great stamina. Ms. Banks did a wonderful job of binding a fascinating, action-packed, zealous, heart-pounding story that will instantly capture your interest within seconds of its beginning.

The Hunger Within by J.M. Jeffries

After many years of being under the care of a powerful Temple werewolf clan, Solange Warwick has decided to leave the clan's casino and branch out on her own. This was a very difficult decision for Solange; she knows that it is one that must be made because of her past. However, before she can break her ties to the clan, Solange is pulled into a dangerous undercover sting operation with the drop-dead gorgeous casino bouncer, Jarred Maitland.

Jarred Maitland is an undercover FBI agent. His current mission is to bring down the notorious Kenny Brooks. For the past fifteen years, the FBI has known that Brooks was behind at least half a dozen casino robberies; however, they had no proof and it was up to Jarred to infiltrate Brook's gang before the next big robbery.

Readers, you are about to take one red-hot journey with The Hunger Within by J.M. Jeffries. This storyline has a perfect mix of suspense, sex and adventure that is sure to get your juices flowing. From the get go, the chemistry between Solange and Jarred is smoking hot and passionate. As the story progress, the attraction between the couple becomes more pronounced and the danger that threatens them intensifies to a molting hot boiling point. There were moments where my heart was racing from the thrilling adventure and times where I was overflowing with great desire from Solange and Jarred sexual relations. This is a great story that I'm sure readers who love spicy romance and gripping suspense will find it quite enjoyable.

Double Down by Seressia Glass

With her parents about to retire from running the French Quarter Hotel and Casino, everyone is eagerly waiting to see if Simone Temple and her brother are able to handle taking over their parents' rule and keeping the hotel afloat. Simone's main task is to secure a contract with Kadim, the Great Magician, but Kadim isn't cooperating. Not about to accept his agent's refusal, Simone is determined to change Kadim's mind by any means necessary, even if it means hunting him down and meeting him face-to-face in his mysterious private domain. Upon her arrival, Simone gains more than she bargains for as she discovers that Kadim has many shocking secrets. And, if that isn't enough, a menace from Kadim's past is seeking vengeance.

Double Down is a sexy thriller that is sure to rapidly increase your body temperature. Simone is a feisty character who's intent on making Kadim see things her way, while Kadim's only goal is to prove to Simone that they belong together. As these two fascinating characters are brought together, the sparks fly and the danger escalates. Seressia Glass has crafted a lot of exhilarating suspense and spine-tingling passion within that had me totally captivated from the start to finish. The plot was tight and the couple's chemistry is wickedly lustful. Secrets and danger blend together in a completly satisfying mix in Ms. Glass's compelling tale, Double Down.

Out of the Dark by Natalie Dunbar

Kellie Monroe was only in Las Vegas to bury her beloved grandmother; however, before she could make the funeral arrangements, Kellie is shocked beyond belief when a pack of rogue werewolves steal her grandmother's body and are hunting her, seeking a valuable medallion that her grandmother left in her possession. After Kellie is violently attacked and left for dead by the band of werewolves, she awakes in the hospital to find a handsome member of the Preternatural Police Force by the name of Garen Roy in her room filled with questions and demanding that once she is released she is to remain under his protection until the bandits are caught.

Intense danger, thrilling suspense and scrumptious bed play make Out of the Dark a first-rate, exciting read. From the jump-start, Natalie Dunbar successfully intrigued me with an electrifying opening that had me firmly griping my seat as I eagerly turned page after page to discover how the story would unfold. Kellie and Garen are the perfect couple; they complimented each other very well both in and out of bed and they also showcased impulsiveness, strong-willed, determination. Readers, you are in a sweet, spicy treat with this one. This is one sexually charged, action-packed novella that is bound to leave you breathless with desire all while fulfilling your suspenseful craving.

Now you have it! Four superb, explosive werewolf tales that are sure to cause a sizzling frisson reaction. Each story was different; yet, the same as they all revolved around dangerous situations within the French Quarter Hotel and Casino. There was never one lackluster moment as all the four stories were very well written, highly entertaining and contained enough spice to satisfy any need. Run don't walk to purchase Vegas Bites, it's a fantastic anthology!

Nikita
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed