Stories of Hauntings, Terror, and Monsters: Bejeebers is a collection of stories that will send chills down your spine!

 

Bejeebers

Patrick Winters

Unveiling Nightmares, 2024

Ebook, 248 ppg.

ISBN-13: 979-8328239738

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Just like several other short story collections I am reading this month, I grabbed Patrick Winters’ newest book, Bejeebers for an article I was writing, and checked it out. And I am so glad I did! His writing style is fresh and inviting. Once I started reading, it was hard to stop!

 

The first story is called “It Happened on Hump Day” but I didn’t read it on a Wednesday. I actually read this story on a Tuesday! Close enough, right? Just as I began reading this story, I got lost in the doldrums of the main character’s workday. This line, on page 2, made me laugh: “Betsy let loose another belly laugh down the way because there needed to be some extra bass in the workday song.” But I soon went from laughter to cowering in fear and crying out in horror at what happened next. It was awesome! The last line made me laugh again, though. This story was just so good!

 

In the next story, "Creepy as Flock," the main character is checking out a yard sale, and I laughed at the description of its contents: "A stockpile of stuff; an abundance of appurtenances; a colossal cornucopia of crap” (Pg. 15)

 

And on that same page, he discovers there an old woman, who he assumes to be the owner of the place. The description of this old woman made me chuckle: "The structure was old and disheveled, and the woman even more so. Oh, much more so. Frankly, she had a face like a puckered asshole – wrinkles galore and only one milky eye opened, the other drooped shut in a perpetual wink. A bird’s nest of gray-white hair sat atop the hideousness, springing up from a head that seemed two sizes too large for the lanky, gnarled frame that supported it."

 

One theme that stands out with these stories is that not all appears as they seem. Behind the familiar faces and the alarming scenes, there lies an evil waiting to strike. This took me by surprise, as I never saw that coming.

 

The story “One Night at Duke’s” was creepy! At first, it had this air of mystery. I kept trying to figure it out. Then I got to the end and I was like, “Oh!” That was so creepy. I loved it!

 

But not all of the stories in this book are creepy, frightening or horrific. The story “Huggy-Wuggies and Blood Splatter” was hilarious! It made me laugh through practically the entire reading. And when I wasn’t laughing, I was shaking my head in disbelief. It was just too funny. I know it’s a parody of those lame kids’ shows like Teletubbies or Yo Gabba Gabba (and I know of those shows because my kids watched them), and that’s what made this story all the more hilarious.

 

But then it was time to get back to the horror stories with the one that followed: “Melvin.” It had that “creepy neighborhood guy” vibe going pretty strong, and it made me remember when I was a kid and there was a creepy guy that wandered around our neighborhood, too. And, yes, people spread rumors about terrible things he did, adding to his creepiness! Then the story “A PIE—ON THE HOUSE” – OMG! Gotta have a strong stomach for that one! I laughed when the character called his pizza “the Black Plague Special” but I wasn’t laughing as I read the rest of the story. YIKES! I think I will need a break from pizza for a while after reading that one!

 

And how is it that when I read "ever since the Calamity swept across the world, breaking society like so much glass and turning existence into shards," I knew EXACTLY what that "Calamity" was?

 

I really enjoyed reading all of these stories and look forward to reading more of Patrick’s work!

 

Bejeebers is a collection of horror and speculative fiction that kept me glued to the pages. It pulled me in from the very beginning, and each story I read made me hungry for more! (Although I would not advise eating while reading SOME of the stories in this book, unless you have a strong stomach!) Ranging from stories of monsters to stories of the monstrous, this book should be on the shelf of every horror reader who enjoys reading short stories.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

 

Stories to Keep You Awake at Night: The Sick and the Sainted are stories of darkness and dread

 

 

The Sick and the Sainted

B. Murphy and J. Mason

Bobbie Murphy Books, 2024

ISBN-13: 9798227044884

Ebook, 184 ppg.

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There are the things we wish we could undo and unsee, but that doesn’t make them go away. That will never make them go away. The pain will linger and the horror will only grow. Left to fester in darkness, the terrifying thing will spiral out of control and take those harboring them onto a journey of darkness and despair.

 

The Sick and the Sainted by B. Murphy and J. Mason is a collection of stories reflecting this darkness. For the poor souls who somehow end up in the throes of evil or in the clutches of despair, the only way out is a one-way street.

 

I really enjoyed reading these stories. Filled with terror, horror, despair and pain, The Sick and the Sainted is a collection of stories that are the raw tellings from the twisted minds of characters or the unfortunate plight of those trapped in darkness. These stories made me cry, shudder, cringe, and grip my seat with fear.

 

The story “Responsibility” is one such story that really made me cringe. Yikes! It’s a good body horror story, coupled with one father’s very unique way of seeking vengeance against his daughter’s tormentor.

 

What I absolutely loved about some of the stories is how people are able to gain revenge against someone who either tormented them on the Internet or tormented someone else. Vengeance against someone who abused, bullied or hurt someone through the Internet is just one of the stories which I enjoy reading. There are so many creeps and trolls on the Internet! A lot of people can only wish they could get revenge against those who have hurt them online. For writers, we can obtain this vengeance in our stories. But for readers, it’s nice to see that happen, because it gives them a nice feeling of doing the same!

 

The story “Shattered” was heartbreaking. It especially touched a nerve for me because I am a survivor of the same thing, though what I went through did not happen from a stepfather. I completely understand the need to tell a story, in a way of setting the record straight and letting the truth be known. I did the same, telling mine as a fictional account. I know this is fiction, but I saw it in that way. Survivors of sexual abuse and rape need to tell their stories. I was sad how the character’s story ended. Sadly, this actually happens in real life; many victims are not believed, even blamed and called names, and end up doing the same thing that this character did. Even so, it is still a powerful story.

 

The last story in this book was disturbing but it was told from the disturbed mind of a character. It sure made for a creepy read!

 

The stories in the pages of this book are, indeed, those from the minds of “the sick and the sainted.” Readers must know that there are incidents in which a dog is killed and a pre-teen is first sexually assaulted then raped, so go into the reading of these stories with thick skin. But remember,  they are just stories; no animals or children were actually hurt or killed in the writing of these stories!

 

Filled with tales of dread, horror and terror, The Sick and the Sainted leaves a lasting impression on readers of what dangers lurk around the corner, and how things are not what they seem. These are stories that are the stuff of nightmares, safely existing on the pages of a book. After reading these stories, they may linger once the reader has put the book down, and return to haunt in the most horrific ways through nightmares.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Dispatches from a Cursed Town: Tales from Chesterfield & Other Stories is a Collection of Horror Stories Where Terror Lurks at Every Turn

 

Tales from Chesterfield & Other Stories

Z Martin

Unveiling Nightmares, 2024

101 ppg., Ebook

ISBN-13: 979-8328861410

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Tales from Chesterfield & Other Stories by Z Martin is a collection of stories set in this fictional town, as well as seven other stories of different kinds of horror that take place outside of Chesterfield.

 

Chesterfield isn’t your average town. In fact, it’s far from average. It’s filled with frightening folks and horrific happenings. It’s the kind of town that is actually cursed. And you would think that whoever lives there would get the hell out of Dodge to escape from the evil that lurks there. But the problem is that no one living in Chesterfield can get out.

 

Not that they would think about leaving anyway. Some of the people living there are so attuned to the evil that resides within the streets of the town that they even HELP the evil thing kill its victims. Some of them even cheer on the evil thing as it closes in on its victims. The poor souls selected for the evil thing’s lust for blood have zero chance of getting away. Everyone knows that the evil chasing after its victims will overpower them.

 

Though people still try to escape their doom. The first seven stories in this book are about such poor souls who are doomed to be the next victim. Readers are even shown what happens to the outsiders unlucky enough to end up in Chesterfield. There are hungry beasts just waiting to feast on them.

 

This collection of stories was a delight to read. The Chesterfield stories are filled with terror and shock, with characters who are just as evil as the thing that seems to dominate this small town.

 

The seven remaining stories in the book are not Chesterfield stories, but they are also scary and horrific. Each story was even better than the last. I shuddered and cringed as I read these stories, while also appreciating the author’s creativity. They were good spooky stories and I know I would definitely want to read them again.

 

Tales from Chesterfield & Other Stories is a collection of 14 terrifying, horrific and spine-tingling stories that will delight your imagination and feed your need for good horror.

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.