Women In Horror Month – February 2019

February is Women in Horror Month, and this is why we bring to you a fantastic selection of books from female authors, in a variety of sub-genres. Have a browse, pick up a few new books, and maybe even discover your new favourite author.

Starblood by Carmilla Voiez

Star craves freedom, but her lover, Satori, refuses to let her go. He casts a spell to make her love him again, opening a gateway through which Lilith, mother of demons, enters their lives.
​Lilith serves no man. Instead she seduces Star, assuring her that there is no shame in love, only completion. Thus begins a strange and terrible love triangle that leads them to Scotland and the Cairngorm mountains. Purchase here

Hellhound by Lou Yardley

Read our review of Hellhound here

* 2018 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards Finalist *

The Hound & The Philosopher Inn looks like your average pub, with only its mouthful of a name to separate it from any other. But, secrets lurk just beyond the ales, wines, spirits and bar snacks. Deadly secrets.Kit pops into the pub following a dismal experience at a job interview. Christine visits the same pub whilst waiting for a cab. Both of their lives will be changed forever. Both will learn the pub’s secrets.Peter is one of these secrets. Peter Smedley is a businessman, ruthless and cunning and co-owner of The Hound & The Philosopher Inn. He is also a werewolf, hell-bent on changing the status quo. HELLHOUND will draw you into the supernatural underbelly of Greater London with the promise of blood, guts and the realisation that the monsters may be closer than you think. Purchase here

Crashed by S.K. Gregory

When Crystal crashes into Jax, she is worried that she will go to jail for drunk driving, but she has bigger things to worry about. Jax may seem like a normal teen, but he is hiding a secret. Injured in the crash, his wolf side is unleashed. Crystal is in danger, will she survive the night? Purchase here

 

The Witch’s Backbone by Pamela Morris

It’s 1980 and the dog days of summer have settled over the small farming community of Meyer’s Knob. Five friends have spent their time at the local creek swimming and gathering crayfish, riding bikes, and mostly just trying to avoid boredom. When tomboy Tara Fielding reports she’s spotted what she believes to be the witch of their local urban legend, and is now subject to that legend’s deadly curse, her friends rally ‘round and decide they’re going to prove there’s no such thing. After lying to their parents about where they’ll be, the friends head out to The Witch’s Backbone where, the legend claims, the witch waits for foolish travelers who dare pass that way at night. What the group witnesses during this late summer field trip and what they find out after they return to civilization, does little to put anyone’s mind at ease, least of all Tara’s. Not only do they now believe this long-dead 19th century witch is real, but that she has friends who are still practicing the Black Arts, friends that will see to it that the legend’s curse is carried out. Are there evil witches stalking the woods and sun-starved ravines between Meyer’s Knob and the neighboring town of Barnesville? Or have the kids just let boredom, the oppressive summer heat, and their own imaginations get the better of them? Purchase here

Jennet: Now She Wants the Children by Karen Perkins

Jennet will have your heart and your fear in equal measure. Through Jennet we see how cruelty can drive even the most ordinary people to hatred and, in Jennet’s case, evil. Yorkshire is in the grip of a heatwave, and Thruscross Reservoir has dried up to reveal the remains of the drowned village of Thores-Cross beneath. Playing in the mud which coats the valley floor, four-year-old Clare Wainwright finds an old inkpot, and can’t wait to show it to her best friend, Louise. But when Louise’s mother, Emma, sees it, her reaction is shocking, and both families are plunged into their worst nightmares. Emma knows what the inkpot portends: Jennet has woken. Now she wants the children. This is not a gore-ridden, jump-scare horror story. This is more real than that. Jennet is a story about the horrific things that people do to each other, and the way we react to that maltreatment – which does not always end with death. Jennet’s story is a horror story because it’s not necessarily fiction. It reflects the way women were treated in the time that Jennet lived. It reflects the psychology of the abuse cycle. And it reflects real life. All of it. If, as I believe, the spirit does not die when the physical body dies, then how many spirits are looking for vengeance today? What wrongs will you want to right when you pass through that veil? What will I? This is the conclusion of Jennet’s story, which began in The Haunting of Thores-Cross. I hope she finds peace. I really do. Purchase here

A Parallel Abyss by K. Wicks

After being in a terrible accident that tears a town
apart, James find himself thrown into a mysterious race against time, to solve the strange happenings and dreams threatening his sanity. With the help of the local sheriff he starts to discover the truth. Purchase here

 

Madman Across the Water by Caroline Angel

Read our review of Madman Across the Water here

For generations one family has been haunted by something… something that stalks. It sees and listens, it watches and follows. In the shadows and mist it waits, to take you, to hurt you, perhaps to kill you. If it doesn’t kill you, you’ll wish it did. A creepy, suspenseful saga of family, horror, and mystery, this is one story sure to leave you frightened of the woods at night, fog, and all things tall and slender. Purchase here

Death Most Wicked by Suzi Albracht

Mikael was six years old when he learned his father was a murderer. His mother, Sofia, knew there was more to it. Her husband wasn’t just a murderer, no, he was fiendish. She tried to shield Mikael from his father’s savage deeds. But when she discovered her husband, Dimitry Ivanovitch, had demonic plans for their son, she made a decision that would prove deadly if she were caught. In the dead of night, she snatched her son from his bed and fled to the safety of America. There, no longer living in fear, Mikael grew up and became a decorated homicide detective. Sofia, however, kept a constant watch for signs that her husband had located them. One hot August day, Mikael is assigned a string of kidnapping/murders of young girls. Soon another body turns up, and then another. With no suspects and no clues, the pressure proves too great for Mikael’s partner who commits suicide. Just when Mikael thinks things cannot get any worse, his father tracks him down. And now Ivanovitch is deeply involved with the Devil. He attempts to lure Mikael into his cult by dangling the name of the murderer in front of him. But the name comes with a steep price tag. Can Mikael escape his father’s clutches again? Or will he choose a fate worse than death to save the next little girl? If you like sagas such as The Godfather and Goodfellas because of their heart-pounding action, and any of Stephen King’s books for thrilling terror, this book will have you turning pages all night long. Don’t miss out on Death Most Wicked. Come check it out! Death Most Wicked is Book 1 in the Devil’s Due Collection. Purchase here

Softly and Tenderly by Lisa Binion

“Mom died in her sleep last night.” Those are terrifying words for a child to wake up to. The death of Lori’s mom is the beginning of one of the strangest and most frightening times in her life. Death is not a pretty thing, especially not when the funeral is to be at the Lights Out Chapel and Crematorium.

As if the death of her mother wasn’t enough, young Lori experiences terrifying visions after losing her. Were they real or imagined? Years later, after another death in the family, the visions return, more horrifying than before. This time, there is no doubt they are real. Purchase here

Red by D.J. Doyle

Read our review of Red here

*****WARNING: Content may disturb and offend. There are scenes of a sexual nature*****

A depraved past has shaped a man into the twisted serial killer he is today. His obsession with the color Red, and his lust for blood, leads to inventive ways to kill his captives. Who is his next victim, and can she be his salvation? Purchase here

Poisoned Candy: Bite-Sized Horror by Pippa Bailey & Myk Pilgrim

Have you checked your Halloween sack for Poisoned Candy?
Take a twisted journey through 100 bite-sized Halloween horror stories.
Discover the disgusting, depraved, and downright diabolical things people get up to on Halloween.
In a world where the only thing scarier than the monster under your bed, is the person tucking you in. Where pumpkins bite back, and the thing that lives in the sink doesn’t eat just your leftovers. Come door to door with us and enjoy a deadly, delectable offering of short fiction with a vile sense of humour to make you moist in all the wrong places.
Please discard all decency before reading this book – we did whilst writing it. Purchase here

The Haunting of Cabin Green by April A. Taylor

Going to Cabin Green alone after the death of his fiancée was Ben’s first mistake. His second mistake was tempting fate by saying, “There’s no such thing as an evil building.” Now he’s caught in a nightmare of his own making deep in the woods of Northern Michigan. Even worse, a family history of mental illness makes it impossible for him to know if the ghosts haunting the cabin are real or all in his head.
This modern Gothic horror story takes the reader directly into Ben’s hellish experience. Is he crazy? Is a ghost haunting him? The only way to find out is to make it to the end of this deep, dark thrill ride that’s filled with more twists than a roller coaster. Purchase here

Lac Du Mort and Other Stories by Joanne Van Leerdam

From the macabre to the deeply disturbing, Lac Du Mort and Other Stories delivers eight chilling tales that will please lovers of horror and dark fiction.  Purchase here

 

 

Wife ‘n’ Death by Theresa Jacobs

Angelica committed murder/suicide to end her troubles. What came next was worse than her tortured life. In purgatory, she is stalked by the one she killed with no way out. Until one day, something beyond her control changes. Crystal runs from her past to a new house, in a new town, in a nice neighborhood. She believes this will be the best new beginning for her little girl. Not long after moving, her daughter begins to act out of character and Crystal blames herself for the change. Only Angelica knows the truth; that these women should not be in her house. Now she must find a way to stop what she started, to save the innocent and break her own bonds. Or is it already too late? Purchase here

Scavengers by Yolanda Olson

The Priestess. Loyalty is a fickle thing, but I’ve found mine in two men. Nothing about them is the same, yet the similarities that only I can see, are enough to draw me to them. I want to protect one and destroy the other, but what happens when their true intentions are brought to light? They see me as someone to worship—or so I thought. Danger is on the horizon and I’ll face it head on because that’s just the kind of gal I am.

The Devil. Feelings are boring and emotions are useless, yet the one thing I want in this world seems to keep eluding me. A beautiful evil carefully disguised as someone who knows how to pull my strings and can stop me before it’s too late. For her? For me? For her friend? I don’t know. I see her for what she really is and she won’t be able to keep slipping out of reach. Why? Because eventually, even the devil gets his due.

The Burden. Life isn’t something that’s been easy for me, yet her presence alone makes it all seem worth it. I never expected to feel what I do for someone who I know should be out of reach, but it’s not just her anymore. It’s him too, and he knows it. They both do. They play me against each other. One testing my loyalty, the other testing my ability to feel, and I let them. I can’t live without one, but I know that I won’t be able to survive if I cross the other. Times are going to become more difficult and even though I know what side I should choose, I’m afraid that when faced with the choice, I’ll lead with my heart and not with my head. Purchase here

The Awakening by A. Drew

A near-fatal incident stirs an awakening of an adolescent’s ability to connect with entities from the deep and dark hidden world, that which is beyond our natural awareness. A world of lost souls, both good and bad, all trying to reach out to the boy now that they are aware of his surreal capability.
Coming to terms with his psychic ability that he neither asked for nor knew how to wield, he is unwittingly drawn into solving a grisly mystery from beyond the grave. This will become the greatest test of his faith in himself.
Will he survive? Purchase here

The Rise of the River Man by L. S. O’Dea

If you like short, disturbing stories similar to the Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt, then you’ll love this series.
Welcome to the Conguise’s Laboratory Level Five….In a world filled with human-animal hybrids, Guards are bred to serve the Almightys until they’re no longer wanted.
Mutter waits for his execution. It’s inevitable. He was a fighter and he lost. No one wants an ex-fighter. He’s too big, mean and ugly. Death will be the only way he gets out of this cell, but then the unthinkable happens. An Almighty visits in the dead of night and offers him a chance to leave. A chance to live. All he has to do is obey and Guards were bred to obey. When Mutter is taken to his new home, something isn’t right. There’s food and a bed but there are sounds and smells from the other cages. Things that move like nothing he’s ever encountered. For the first time in his life, he’s afraid. Afraid of the creatures that lurk nearby. Afraid of the shots his new master is giving him. He knows he’s supposed to obey, to always follow their rules but if he doesn’t escape, he’ll become food for one of those things in the other cages. Or worse… turn into one of them.
“A fascinating glimpse into the world of the Lake of Sins.” J. Urbanczyk  Purchase here

The Rest Will Come by Christina Bergling

Murder can be risky…and not just for the douchebags on the business end of Emma’s power saw. Men only let Emma down. They cheat, and they lie. They send unsolicited pictures of their genitals. Ready to give up hope, Emma decides to go on one last date. Then it finally happens—she finds the thing she loves most of all. Killing clueless jerks she finds on the internet. Lost in a happy haze of hunting her victims, devising increasingly-clever killings, and streamlining her dismemberment process, Emma gets careless. As her need for her murderous outlet grows, she runs an increasing risk of getting caught…or worse—falling for one of her victims. Purchase here

Abandoned Lives by Renee C. Leigh

There are rumors of a house in the mountains of Virginia. Its original inhabitants were anything but normal. It’s said that you can still see them on a dark night; hear them moaning their pain into the wind. The last residents moved in, a happy family of five, and was never heard from again. That was ten years ago. Their furnishings and accoutrements are still in exactly the same place as when they left, as if waiting for their owners to come home and dust them off for use. The house has stood empty all this time, keeping silent watch over the forest surrounding it.
Candi…
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. This was supposed to be my new start. Instead, there are nightmares that seem all too real, weird things happening on a daily basis, and now I have no idea who I can trust. Can I even trust my own mind? Am I going crazy? Or do things like ghosts really exist? Purchase here

The Unfleshed: Tale of the Autopsic Bride by Lisa Vasquez

Young Morrigan, the daughter of a local aristocrat, is full of innocence and life. Angus Wulfe is an eccentric and devious doctor who stalks her while he cultivates a plan to win her affection. Their two worlds collide in a grisly twist of fate when the Plague arrives on the shores of their town. With no cure in sight, and bodies dropping incrementally every day, the doctor uses his influence, along with his reputation in medical advances – stemming from his clandestine and macabre experiments-to manipulate Morrigan’s father. In return for her hand in marriage, the doctor would save her life. Clinging to life, Morrigan begins to feel a change. Has the doctor cured her, or did her father make a deal with the Devil? Purchase here

The Mesmerized by Rhiannon Frater

It is silence, not screams of terror, which proclaims the end of the world…

Minji Nordin is vacationing in Las Vegas with her small family when she witnesses the beginning of a terrifying apocalypse. When humanity is transformed into mindless drones by a horrific supernatural event only Minji appears to be immune.
Thousands die instantly, but the other affected people are drawn to the Nevada desert. Nothing stands in the way of the mesmerized. Not fire, not heights, not rubble. As the bodies pile in the streets and the relentless wave of the mesmerized plods into the deadly desert, Minji is trapped in a burning city attempting to rescue her affected family.
Can one woman save her family and the world? Purchase here

Incubation by Adrienne Lecter

If the zombie apocalypse happens tomorrow—how would you spend your last day?All Dr. Brianna Lewis wants is a cup of coffee.
Coffee, to make slaving away in her cell culture lab at Green Fields Biotech a little more bearable on a Friday afternoon when everyone is home already.
What she doesn’t count on is a group of terrorists blowing up all the entrances to the building and taking her and a select few others hostage. Bree soon finds herself conflicted. Not only does she know their charismatic leader. She also starts to suspect that there is a lot more to this than the hunt for an illegal bioweapon—a virus that could potentially kill millions in just a few days—particularly as there is currently a flu epidemic raging across the country, and reports about violent behavior among the afflicted are getting more and more alarming. Purchase here

The Kielder Strain by Rebecca Fernfield

Re-assigned to an isolated district, disgraced Police Officer Javeen Latimer thinks her career is over. It is. Now all Javeen wants to do is lick her wounds, and get through each uneventful day. But when two residents in the sleepy village of Kielder disappear, and the finger of suspicion points at a secretive research facility hidden deep in the surrounding forest, Javeen has to find the courage to take action. Someone is hiding a secret, and something terrible lurks in the forest, but when she discovers what it is, it will be too late! Their disappearance was an accident, finding them will be a mistake. Purchase here

Gen Z by Baileigh Higgins

For birthday girl Chas, life just got a whole lot weirder…Chasity is celebrating her fourteenth birthday at the local fair when zombies crash the party, stranding her and her two best friends on the Ferris wheel. With a bird’s eye view of the carnage below, they have to use their wits to survive. Grab your cotton candy and run… Unarmed and outnumbered, they face a perilous journey through a once idyllic community in the hopes of reaching their loved ones. With only each other to rely on, Chas and her friends are pushed to their limits as the undead hordes close in. Can they make it to safety in time to avoid becoming another human happy meal? Refuge is just a few blocks away…Purchase here

How the Vortex Changed My Life by Pamela K. Kinney

Cat Viggolone just can’t get a break. She’d gotten married, but that ended when the husband left her for his younger secretary. She’d wanted children. That flew out the window along with the cheating husband. There’s the career, but working a window at the Virginia DMV can’t really be classified as a great career choice. At thirty-three, her life had become positively dull.
Then the vortex opened.
Sucked up into a corridor just outside of Hell, she meets Connor, a werewolf, and Larry, a demon that looks like a blue-eyed eyeball. They escape back to earth, only to find that the vortex has opened up in downtown Richmond. The town is going to hell, literally. Besides a grayness seeping out and turning all living things into zombies, monsters and demons are invading Cat’s world.
Will Cat and her new friends (including an angel named George) be able to stop the vortex before it claims the entire planet?
Cat’s life is definitely no longer humdrum and ordinary. Purchase here

And finally, for all things horror, The Bold Mom

For reviews, author interviews, and horror promotion, The Bold Mom is the place to be. Mar Garcia, The Bold Mom’s founder, has established herself as one of the leading names in horror promotion, sourcing the finest books, and bringing them the attention that they deserve. Mar is also an exceptionally talented illustrator. Take a look at The Bold Mom’s website here, and Mar’s artwork here.