CONFESSIONS IS TAKING A BREAK!!

Call it a holiday or call it a much needed rest, Confessions will not be around for the next couple of weeks at least.

Us reviewers will still be working in the background reading your wonderful books but no posts will be going up.

All current commitments will still be met but no new submissions will be picked up.

See you on the other side!

Nev!

REVIEW: Mercedes M. Yardley - Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing

Publication Date: 4^th March 2016

Pages: 121

REVIEWED BY CHAD

A copy of Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love by Mercedes M. Yardley was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publisher, Crystal Lake Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love by Mercedes M. Yardley is a fun take on several different genres and manages to take brush strokes from each in a brilliant effort to create a new, uniquely molded book.

The book has two main characters. As the story opens, Montessa is on her way home from work when she is fallen upon and abducted by serial killer, Lu. He figures out very quickly that Montessa isn’t like any other women he has killed before. She is captivating to him and surprisingly, as the story shifts over to Montessa’s point of view, we find that she is becoming just as taken with Lu. In each other, Montessa and Lu discover the holes in their lives they had never realized were there in the first place.

Soon, Montessa no longer travels along with Lu as his victim, but rather as his partner and his lover.

REVIEW: Stuart Park - Marked

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Sinister Horror Company

Publication Date: 6^th August 2016

Pages: 174

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Marked was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Stuart Park, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by The Sinister Horror Company.

Well, that’s nearly true but with a slight variation. I actually picked up a copy of Marked from the Sinister Horror Company stand at this year’s Horror Con. It was from someone new and you can never have enough books so I grabbed it. A short time later I was contacted by Justin Park to see if I could review it for Confessions. Of course I agreed. I already had a copy so went for it.

Stuart Park is Justin Park’s brother. On one hand you would think it fortuitous that his brother is one third of the SHC, but on the other hand, if you know Justin and the rest of the guys, this would grant Stuart no special favours. The book would still have to be quality for them to put it into print.

So how does it fair? Let’s find out.

Mark and Kim are at the seaside with their four-year-old twins, Ben and Kaylyn. In a freak accident or tragedy or as it turns out, unexplained mystery, Kaylyn goes missing.

Twenty years later and the memories are still very strong. Especially for Kim and she constantly struggles with her broken heart.

It is a time of wonder. Venus and her sister planet are coming to the end of a three-thousand-year cycle and the stargazers are going crazy for the phenomenon.

They don’t appear to be the only ones going crazy!

GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #44 - Calum Chambers

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Calum Chambers

The Past

From a young age I suffered from an undiagnosed form of narcolepsy; this would mean my days felt like I was walking through treacle as my brain attempted to shut down. Doing anything at school was a challenge, paying attention, a Herculean task. It was only when I got to go to bed that I would get a burst of energy which would mean I would struggle to get to sleep.

But, I have to look at the positives, it was during this time that I learnt to love horror. Now was the time I would sneak the spare TV into my room to watch shows like Stephen Volk’s amazing Ghostwatch. I became schooled in late night TV and as a teenage boy this didn’t mean flicking through channels for a bit of late night side boob. Instead I was drawn to horror. Mostly, I seemed to be drawn to B-Movie horror, Them, Basket Case, Piranha, Frogs, these were my night time treats. Occasionally at 3am BBC would put a re-run of M.R James’s Whistle and I'll Come to You. Those nights were the best.

When my Dad caught on and took back the spare TV I turned to books. I was always a reader; my Mum drilled it into me from a very young age that books are vital to a young mind. I had read things like Lord of the Rings and most of the Sherlock collection but these books (love them as I did) were the books that my parents owned, they weren’t my choice. Sure, I had other books; it wasn’t like I was left wanting. I owned the entire run of Goosebumps and Point Horror, I had picked up every Dick King-Smith book I could find, Roald Dahl overflowed from my shelves. But now, now I had a taste for adult Horror.

REVIEW: Daniel Marc Chant - Aimee Bancroft and The Singularity Storm

Genre: Sci-Fi

Publisher: The Sinister Horror Company

Publication Date: 20^th August 2016

Pages: 73

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Aimee Bancroft and The Singularity Storm was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Daniel Marc Chant, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by The Sinister Horror Company.

So, Daniel Marc Chant, or Mr Posh to his friends, has a new book out. This one. He sent me a copy for my own pleasure and not necessarily for review but I couldn’t resist. I had to change reading mode for this one as it is, wait for it, NOT HORROR! How very dare he. But, on the flip side, this is a perfect excuse to get to see how he writes stuff other than the scary ones. This is a sci-fi tale. To be honest I didn’t know anything about the synopsis before I started to read it but I was intrigued from page one.

This is what I thought.

Aimee Bancroft is a lady from the privileged side of the fence. She has had numerous adventures all over the world and has got a name for herself as a great explorer.

Her latest adventure is her most gruelling yet. She is attempting to row across the Atlantic single handedly. She would be the first woman to do so. A feather in her cap that she would like to show off to many condescending men.

During a storm, she gets sucked into a maelstrom, and faces certain death. Until she wakes up at the bottom of the ocean. This is the beginning of an adventure that Aimee will never forget.

REVIEW: Brett McBean - The Invasion

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Sinister Grin Press

Publication Date: 15^th May 2016

Pages: 368

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of The Invasion by Brett McBean was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Sinister Grin Press via Hook of a Book Publicity in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

The very excellent relationship between Confessions, Sinister Grin and Hook of a Book continues with Brett McBean’s latest novel being offered up for review. Another person that I have to admit to never reading before.

I have seen the name and heard the name before but just never got around to him. This one was not what I was expecting at all.

This is what I thought.

Debra is a writer. She lives alone now, after splitting with her husband Ray. She has friends and family over for a Xmas meal. This is a very mixed bunch so the night doesn’t exactly go to plan.

Once the party is over and she is the last one awake, she notices a strange noise. It’s almost like someone has entered the house.

It’s much worse than that. There are unknown people inside her house. She has no idea what they want or what to do. One thing she needs to try and do though is to survive The Invasion.

REVIEW: Matt Darst - Freaks Anon

Genre: Horror / Everything

Publisher: Grand Mal Press/Outside of a Dog Publishing

Publication Date: 29^th Feb 2016

Pages: 294

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Freaks Anon was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Matt Darst, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Grand Mal Press/Outside of a Dog Publishing.

Matt Darst is a name I have seen floating around the world of social media for a while now. The cover for Freaks Anon kept appearing on my news feeds. An intriguing cover, one that had me interested but I just never got around to investigating any further. Until, a mutual friend suggested I should give it a read. He very highly recommended it and suggested that because all proceeds from the book were going to charity that it deserved a bit of highlighting.

I have discovered that whenever this mutual friend suggests books to me again, I am going to drop everything and pick up whatever he suggests.

This is what I thought of Freaks Anon.

It’s been a while; it’s BOGOF day! (Buy One Get One Free for those not in the know)

REVIEW 1:

Don’t waste your time reading my drivel below. Just go buy this masterpiece and give some well needed cash to charity and feel good about yourself. Or don’t buy it and feel very, very bad about yourself!

REVIEW 2:

Centurion is on the hunt. He is trying to track down a mysterious girl that seems to be connected with the death of his young sidekick, Henry. The police seem to have no clues, but Centurion nearly has her.

Chee and her father, Marcus are continuously moving towns. Chee thinks it’s because of his job. Marcus knows different. She can never understand how a lot of her friends seem to die tragic, unexplained deaths.

Following an ancient tradition started in the 1700’s, a secret government organisation uses individuals with special powers to hunt down other people with special powers that would be commonly known as witches. Some people think that this is to rid the world of these supposed demons but others know the true purpose of the hunt.

Centurion and Chee are on a collision course. No one knows what the outcome will be. No one knows what the freaks are capable of.

INTERVIEW: MATT DARST - PART TWO

Welcome to Part Two of Confessions of a Reviewers’ interview with Matt Darst. If you read Part One last night, you should have a pretty good idea of what Matt is about. If you haven’t, shame on you.

One thing that strikes me about this young man this week is that as well as having the talent for the writing game, he is an extremely intelligent fella with a very extensive knowledge of the book world.

In tonight’s section Matt kicks things off by talking about his latest book, Freaks Anon, then he will give you a bit more info about himself and finally takes on The Ten Confessions.

As with last nights, this one is funny whilst intelligent and informative and also very personal.

It’s only Tuesday but go grab some pizza and a beer, sit back, and mostly……enjoy!

INTERVIEW: MATT DARST - PART ONE

Welcome to Part One of Confessions of a Reviewers’ interview with a man that many of you may not have heard of before, Matt Darst. This is part of my mission to change that. You really need to get to know this man and read his books! They are absolute gems and need to be on more shelves!

If you don’t know a lot, or indeed anything, about Matt, then read on. In this interview Matt was kind enough to take the time out to give us some detailed, informative and funny answers to all the questions I threw at him.

In Part One, tonight, we find out some general information about Matt and his writing and influences. In Part Two, tomorrow night, Matt will give us some specifics on his latest book Freaks Anon, and also some more general life stuff, and of course will be taking on the mighty Ten Confessions!

On night three, as always, I will be posting my review of Freaks Anon.

Nothing left to say at this point other than go grab some nibbles and a drink and sit back, and most of all……enjoy!

GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #43 - Matt Darst

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Matt Darst

There’s something very Wellsian about this “Confessions” format, the idea of going back in time to consider literary favorites, returning to the present to discuss current reads, and then jumping back in the time machine to travel to an imagined (and potentially post-apocalyptic?) future. And since H.G. Wells remains a favorite of mine, this confessional structure is especially fun. What a great opportunity to dig into the past for novels that have influenced me and share authors I love. Thanks for joining me on this journey. Caution: there may be Morlocks ahead!

REVIEW: Stuart Keane & Matt Hickman - Gemini

Genre: Horror / Extreme

Publisher: Stuart Keane

Publication Date: 12^th August 2016

Pages: 193

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Gemini: A Psychological Horror was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the authors, Stuart Keane and Matt Hickman, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Stuart Keane.

So, Stuart Keane is a proven extremely talented author. Matt Hickman is really on the opening part of his journey as an author but from what I have seen, and from what others are saying, will shortly be a proven extremely talented author.

What happens when they collaborate on something though? Will it do either of them harm or will it fit together like an expertly cut jigsaw puzzle? Gemini is our chance to find out. Collaborations, from my experience, can be a hit or miss thing. I have read a few that have been superb but I have also read a few that, quite frankly, should never have been produced. I always get a bit nervous about reading them purely from the point of view that if the authors have two very distinct styles of writing, they may not gel. To me, reading a story where the styles are very prominent, and it is not too difficult to tell them apart, just ruins it for me.

So how do these two fare? Let’s find out.

Odette has managed to bag one of those all too rare afternoons off. Not through choice either which makes it even better. Time to go surprise her fella, Gavin, with a bottle of wine and some new lingerie.

As it turns out though, Gavin is the one who is going to be doing the surprising. Especially when he awkwardly introduces his new friend, Shay.

What looks like being the Battle Royale between two newly sworn enemies turns into a mutual respect and love of all things brutal.

A challenge has been set. There can be only one winner.

ANNOUNCEMENT: MATT DARST WEEK NEXT WEEK!

So in the spirit of spoiling you lot of Confessionors (I just invented that new term for you all. Better than calling you all my children. That’s just weird) I am very proud to announce the next instalment of the Confession Weeks as they are now apparently known.

From Sunday 14^th of August Confessions will be hosting the Matt Darst week!

SHOW-OFF AND TELL #36 - Andrew Lennon & Georgia Lennon - A Taste of Fear

#36 in the Show-Off and Tell feature is one of my most recent buys. A Taste of Fear by Andrew Lennon and his daughter Georgia Lennon.

I managed to meet up with Andrew at Horror Con UK this year and shared many a conversation with him and many a pint. Don’t let his timid looking picture and calm demeanour on social media fool you! This man can sink a pint or two.

He always comes across as a quiet sort of a fella. He is in many ways, but I have to be honest and tell you that he is one of the nicest fellas I have had the pleasure of meeting on this horror journey. He is very hard working, very knowledgeable and honing his talent beautifully. I really hope he turns into the fantastically well know writer that I know he has inside of him.

This is my copy:

REVIEW: Thomas S Flowers - Lanmo

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Shadow Work Publishing

Publication Date: 21^st February 2016

Pages: 53

REVIEWED BY NEV:

A copy of Lanmo was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Thomas S Flowers, in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Shadow Work Publishing.

Thomas S Flowers is an author that, if you haven’t already picked up his stuff, is a new and fresh face proving that there is still young blood in this horror writing genre that can compete with the big boys that have been doing it for years.

Whenever a request comes through to read one of his books, I am not ashamed to say this, but, most other things get dropped so that I can pick his stuff up straight away. When Lanmo was released as a stand-alone story, there was only one thing I could do. Read it again and give it its own full review. This story really deserves it.

1964 Mississippi. John is a young black man canvassing for votes in the Delta during the fight for civil rights. He is pulled over by a local police officer and ends up in a lot more trouble than he would have hoped for that evening. Not only was he stopped by the local police, they were also the local branch of the Ku Klux Klan.

They thought they would get away with things. They didn’t bank on the powers of the good old southern voodoo.

GUEST POST: Confessions of my Past, Present and Future #42 - Shaun Hupp

Confessions of my Past, Present and Future

by

Shaun Hupp

The Past

I think it’s safe to say that my past is a little different than other writers, because I’m a little different than most writers. I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which puts me on the Autism spectrum. This probably led to me being more of an introvert and spending a lot of time in my room. I didn’t have many friends growing up. I always wanted more, but at the same time, I felt fine being on my own.

But what exactly went on in that room? No… We’re not talking about my teenage years just yet. Filthy perverts. I usually could be found with my nose in a book such as the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series or the Goosebumps series. I also had a great love for comic books. If people asked me if I preferred Marvel or DC, I didn’t really have an answer. I liked them all. I read Superman to Spider-man to Image’s Spawn. Much like Jack Rollins mentioned in his confession, I was drawn to character re-imaginings such as the Death of Superman/Reign of Supermen, Knightfall (Batman was replaced after having his back broken), The Spider-man Clone Saga, and Marvel’s 2099 future setting series. My favorite, however, were DC’s Elseworld series and Marvel’s What If series. They took established characters/plots and asked what would happen if they had gone differently. I always found myself thinking/plotting those same things so those books spoke to me.

REVIEW: Jasper Bark - The Final Cut

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing

Publication Date: 27^th May 2016

Pages: 280

REVIEWED BY CHAD

A copy of The Final Cut by Jasper Bark was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the publishers, Crystal Lake Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

The Final Cut is a dark and twisted journey through the imaginings of the talented Jasper Bark. Every once in a while, you get a book that has the ability to take you within the folds of the dust jacket and like a Chinese finger puzzle will not let you go until you give in and realize that you have to let it happen.

The book is about a pair of indie film makers (Jimmy and Sam) who have gotten themselves into a bit of a financial dead end.

After borrowing money from the wrong person and making some poor choices with that money, they find themselves at the mercy of their one-time benefactor. As a way of demonstrating to them what could happen if he doesn’t get his money, the loan shark shows them a snuff film he has recently acquired, suggesting that the same could happen to them if they don’t provide the payment he expects.

Before the film ends however, an unknown party descends down on the room and kills everyone present, save for Jimmy and Sam. Realizing they have survived, the two decide to take the tape and use it somehow to create a sort of hybrid found-footage film. Their production gets off to a bizarre start right out of the gate as a mysterious actress shows up to audition for the film. She is perfect for the part but she has some unusual demands of her own, and her behavior is nothing short of eccentric as well.

REVIEW: Duncan Ralston - Woom: An extreme horror

Genre: Extreme Horror

Publisher: Matt Shaw Publications

Publication Date: 6^th August 2016

Pages: 90

REVIEWED BY ALEX

This review came about in a slightly different fashion. Woom is a book of extreme horror. Extreme is not a genre that Nev likes to read. Duncan knew this and knew there was no hope of Nev ever reviewing it. But then along came Alex, who read it, and threw his review over to be posted on Confessions. So, lucky for Duncan, here is the fair and honest review of Woom: An Extreme Horror. This book is published by Matt Shaw Publications.

Let me begin this review with a warning. Not a gentle brush off or nudge like you might get from an older cousin about to tell a dirty joke in front of Grandma. This is a sucker punch to the kidneys in a darkened back alley type warning. This is a venomous red flag on fire next to the fuse of an atomic bomb warning. Do not put your playing piece on the board to approach GO if you are the least bit faint of heart or weak stomached. This book is not screwing around. Hence the warning labels written in bold letters right there on the cover. IT’S ON THE COVER!

That being said…

REVIEW: Jeffery X Martin - Hunting Witches: An Elders Keep Novel

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Shadow Work Publishing

Publication Date: 15^th July 2016

Pages: 186

REVIEWED BY NEV

A copy of Hunting Witches was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Jeffery X Martin in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Shadow Work Publishing.

The above is sort of true. Mr Martin actually won the author’s part of the writing competition during the Confessions First birthday party. Part of his prize was some blog time which, luckily for me, has included this review. I will hold my hand up and admit to the fact that the only thing I have read of his previously was the story he entered in the competition. I loved it so much though that I just had to do this. It’s very exciting when someone gets me totally interested in their writing in a one hundred word short.

This is what I thought of Hunting Witches.

Elders Keep is a place of secrets. Secrets so old and secrets so vicious that many of its districts lay empty, people are simply too afraid to live there.

Mark and Nika Pendleton have recently moved to the area after Mark landed a dream job. They know there is something strange there, but it doesn’t seem to put them off moving to the area.

They should have paid attention to the signs. They should have stayed where they were. The people of Elders Keep are hunting witches and they have Mark and Nika in their sights.

INTERVIEW: JEFFERY X MARTIN - PART TWO

Welcome to Part Two of Confessions of a Reviewers’ interview with Jeffery X Martin, otherwise known as X. If you want to know why this is then you obviously haven’t read Part One yet and need to fix that!

In tonight’s section X kicks things off by talking about his latest book, Hunting Witches, then give you a bit more info about himself and finally takes on The Ten Confessions.

As with last nights, this one is funny, emotional does contain some swear words!

It’s the middle of the week so go grab some pizza, a beer, sit back, and mostly……enjoy!

INTERVIEW: JEFFERY X MARTIN - PART ONE

Welcome to Part One of the Confessions of a Reviewer’s interview with Jeffery X Martin. For the purposes of this interview, and because he tells people to, he will, from this point on, be known as X!

You may or may not know a lot about the man in question but hopefully over the next few nights you will learn some more and get a feel for the sort of person he is and how he writes.

One thing is for sure; you will read some aspects of this interview and laugh out loud and you will read some aspects and think what the actual f………?

In Part One tonight we learn about the general goings on in X’s life and a bit about his writing and writing influences. In Part Two, tomorrow night we discuss, in detail, his new book Hunting Witches which has just been released. He will of course be taking on the mighty Ten Confessions.

On Wednesday night I will be posting my review of Hunting Witches and this is one you will want to look out for.

Nothing left to say at this point other than go grab some nibbles and a drink and sit back, and most of all……enjoy!