Slap Happy Fun Time

Beneath The Scars - A.M. Carroll 1/5 stars                                                                    I received a copy of Beneath The Scars from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review       So what I thought would be a pretty decent suspense thriller turned out to be less about suspense, and more about romance, and annoying characters that almost induce vomiting. When you read a blurb you can almost guarantee that you know what you're getting into. Not the case here at all. If anything, the suspense is almost nonexistent, and the focus is mostly on Jay and Lacey, and it could work if they weren't so annoying, and well, let's just say they're boring. Nothing about this novel is suspenseful, and shouldn't even be classified as such. Even women who like this kind of stuff would be disapp...

Fast Times At Cine Mega Plex High 5/5 stars                                                         This has been on my to be read list since it first came out, but then I got a bit sidetracked which happens more than I care to admit. As I looked through my Kindle app I rediscovered this and I began to read. Vaughn is a talented guy. He knows how to create these weird, sick stories, but they're well written, and laced with the right amount of black humor that you can't help but laugh at. It's a short story collection where all the stories are linked together, and influenced by various film genres. Thing is, Vaughn has put his own little spin on each genre so it becomes something a bit darker and far more twisted.        While it may offend some readers, if you're a fan of weird fiction, this is a classic that spoofs some ...

Waiting To Be Heard - Amanda Knox 3/5 stars                                                                      Books like these are expected to change the way people see you, and offer some sort of insight into who you are as a person. If you're Amanda Knox, odds are you're still going to hate you simply because she was the most hated woman in Italy, and who knows, maybe she still is. When you're paid 4 million bucks to write a book it better be good, or at the least try and convince people you're not a sadistic, heartless bitch. Amanda's book does that. It shows that she isn't just a pretty face for a penchant for casual sex, or a burning hate in her heart for Meredith Kirchner. Amanda spent four years of her life in an Italian prison for a crime she didn't commit, and the police were convinced that she a...

Sebastian Bach - 18 And Life On Skid Row 3/5                                                                         First off, I want to say how disappointed I am in the poster that came with the book. I was expecting the bloated, puffy, Sebastian Back circa 2017, but what I got was Sebastian Bach circa 1991. Isn't that false advertising? Why even include a poster on the back of a slip cover anyway? Secondly, did we even need this book? Skid Row's first two albums were perfect hard rock and metal,  and then they just disappeared because they started to suck. Of course we may have the answer we've all wanted for twenty years. Why did they fire this guy? Wasn't he after all the voice of Skid Row? I dunno, but when I saw the price of the hardcover vs the cost of the paperback I figured I should chec...

Psycho Circus: A Collection Of Horror  - T.S. Woolard 5/5 stars                                                           I received a copy of Psycho Circus in exchange for an honest review       When you call a book Psycho Circus, you better deliver something unique, or at least a little weird. I've read a lot of weird books, and I've read a lot of extreme books as well. To describe this one would be a mixture of the two. While it's not a straight up horror collection, it's still pretty damn good. The problem I find with a lot of extreme horror is that it lacks a clear plot, and only wants to beat the reader into submission with its brutality. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I crave a little more from my books.        Woolard is a decent writer that explores the dark side of human...

Controversy Creates Cash - Eric Bischoff                                                                      Here's the interesting thing about Bischoff's biography. It's not your typical bio, and for some it's exactly what you expect it to be. Not a story of a man's life, but a story about a company called WCW. That's why most of us picked up this book. Hell, it's why I paid 2.99 for it on Kindle. I'm sure Bischoff has lead an interesting life, but Eric himself knows why we're all gathered here to read his book. There are a few interesting notes about his personal life, but the focus here is on his career as the guy who killed WCW. He was the most hated man in professional wrestling and for good reason. I want some dirt, and I want to see pics of Eric hoisting that dirt onto the bodies of his enemies. ...

Halloween Carnival Vol 4 Various Authors  5/5 stars                                                                                                              I received a copy of Halloween Carnival Volume 4 from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review      So far the series has been pretty decent, and I like that the series has remained strong throughout. These have all been great and each volume has kept the gore and violence down to a minimum. This is really a series for all fans of horror. Each volume has a little something for everyone which is what makes it so great. After reading volume 4 it's clear that if you want to start this series out of order, you should start here. Th...

Brother Sam The Short, Spectacular Life Of Sam Kinison 3/5 stars       I will never forget the first time I saw Kinison on HBO. It was late and I was probably 11 or 12 at the time, and it was about midnight which meant whatever I watched, I had to be quiet. Then I saw Sam, and I could not stop laughing. At the end of his set my stomach hurt, I had tears pouring out of my eyes, but I knew I saw something ground breaking. Sam was the voice of the people. He said what most guys thought, and even wished they had the balls to say. When he passed it stunned me, and I remember listening to Have You Seen Me Lately and tried to imagine a world without Sam. I heard about the book many years later, but it took me a while to track it down. Hell, I don't even think it's in print anymore. I own the hardback and when I did a search for it, that's all I could find.       So, reading the book there was a lot that stood out. Sam was truly a genius, and he was out of co...

Ketchup On Everything - Nathan Robinson 5/5 stars                                                            Okay, first things first. This is not a horror novel, at least it doesn't appear to be in the traditional sense. The only real horror comes toward the end of the novella, and that's where you have the obligatory: "Well, I didn't see that coming!" It's a huge moment, but up until that point, the only horror is the loss Elliot and his wife feel when their son disappears out of thin air. If anything, this is a sad, depressing book that you simply can't stop reading. How does a kid just vanish? Will they ever find him? If you're overly sensitive to missing kids, or know one who has recently gone missing, well, you should stop reading right away. Seriously, just don't even attempt reading this novella. Put it down and pick up some...

The Darkness In The Woods - Kasey Hill, and Elias Raven 5/5 stars                                                         I received a copy of The Darkness In The Woods in exchange for an honest review       The Darkness In The Woods is the sort of horror novel that doesn't tread a lot of new ground, but works amazingly well for what it is. We've read stories like this before, and we know exactly what to expect, but sometimes, the best horror comes from the familiar. I know exactly what you're thinking. if it's unoriginal why are you giving it five stars? I'm glad you asked and I was going to tell you anyway. It's an occult/paranormal novel, and it's set up pretty well. You have a great back story that ties everything together, and let's be honest, if you have a story set in the woods with any sort of family drama ending in ...

Boobageddon - Jimmy Pudge & Jack Savage 5/5 stars                                                                  I'm a huge fan of Pudge's and was bummed out when he decided to stop writing. When I heard he was co-writing a book with Jack Savage I was excited and then sad to hear that this may in fact be the last book we see from the king of white trash fiction. It was great to see a final release, and it's nice to see that nothing has changed. It's still white trash fiction filled with larger than life characters and two heroes who are clueless, and then slowly turn into a pair of bad asses.  Pudge and Savage have created a fun book that will never be considered classy fiction, but who cares? These may be the only authors who have created a drinking game to go along with their book. Every time you see boobs...

Halloween Carnival Volume 3 - Various Authors                                                                                                                       I received a copy of Halloween Carnival in exchange for an honest review        Wow, volume 3 already, and I have to say as a reviewer, and a fan of horror, this is one series of anthologies that shows no signs of slowing down at all. If you're a fan of either of those things, well, this is one series that delivers. These are short, easy reads with the theme being Halloween. I had planned on reading the entire series before Halloween but I fell behind, so here we are at the beginning of November and I have ...

     The Doll House - Phoebe Morgan 5/5 stars                                                                       I received a copy of The Doll House in exchange for an honest review       Phoebe Morgan is on hell of a writer. She has a talent here for creating characters that you can relate to even when they become slightly annoying. We know what's happening to Corinne, but no one believes her, and let's be honest, if we were telling people things like this were happening, who'd believe us? Are these the ravings of a woman slowly losing her mind? What's going on with her sister Ashley? Is her husband having an affair? These plot lines add to the underlying tension of the novel, and then you have this creepy third person who appears truly insane. It's clear she and her mom ar...

Makeup To Breakup: My Life In And Out Of Kiss   3/5 stars/                                                                 Just when you think you have the entire story behind Kisstory another book comes out, and it's just as ugly as the last one. I'm not talking about the bio Nothing To Lose because that was as close to the truth as you're going to get to the behind the scenes world of all things Kiss. Criss' bio is full of anger, and even bitterness. Every time he cries, you should take a drink. Hell, you should invite your friends over to group read this one just so you can create a new drinking game. This is an interesting read, and what surprised me was that Peter is supposed to be uneducated, yet he wrote a better book than Gene Simmons. You want dirt? Here is a book you full of it. Criss holds nothing back ...

 Halloween Carnival Vol 2 - Various Authors  4/5 stars                                                                              I received Halloween Carnival Vol 2 in exchange for an honest review       It's hard to keep momentum going throughout an anthology series especially if the theme is Halloween. I liked this one better than the first volume because the stories here were a bit darker, and didn't start out wanting to depress you. I like where the series is going and each story presents you with something different. What I'm finding is that these stories aren't about the scares, but the atmosphere. These stories embody the dark, almost foreboding atmosphere of what the holiday is about.       It does stumble a bit, but still, it's not a...

Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell With Black Sabbath 5/5                                                                             At best, I would consider myself a casual fan of Black Sabbath. There's no denying the fact that they invented not only heavy metal, but paved the way for every other band after them to pledge their allegiance to Satan. I didn't get into the band until Ronnie James Dio joined and believe me, I got a lot of grief for not enjoying the original lineup as much as everyone else did. The point here is that Iommi's biography is meant for a wide audience. Even a casual fan can pick this book up and enjoy it which is cool. The book is merely the story of the band, not exactly Iommi and that makes the book a bit more interesting than most bio's.    ...

   Disturbed - Jennifer Jaynes 5/5 stars                                                             I received a copy of Disturbed from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review       You ever read a book that totally blows your mind, and leaves you wondering what the hell you just read? This is one such book. Seriously, Disturbed is the kind of book that dares you to figure out the who and the why, and even gives you some clues. Turns out, none of it matters! This is all about pacing, and creating characters that not only enhance the story, but keep the reader guessing until the very end. What happened to Chelsea that night? Why did she survive? Those are the recurring questions, and Jaynes even gives us a character from the past to enhance the mystery of it all. Disturbed slowly pulls you along slowly ...

 It Always Bites You In The End - Michael Fisher  5/5 stars                                                                         I have to admit that lately I haven't been reading a lot of horror, but it's not because I'm bored with the genre. I've become hooked on suspense thrillers. Why am I mentioning this while reviewing Michael Fisher's latest release? Because at it's core, it's exactly what a suspense thriller is, but there's also a bit of the supernatural in there as well to give it a little kick. Fisher is a talented writer that has essentially created the perfect book, and It Always Bites You In The End keeps you guessing until the very last page. The bodies began piling up, and they all seem to be linked to the tattoos that the deceased have recently acquired. Sounds pretty simple...

 Don't Wake Up - Liz Lawler 3/5 stars                                                     Not only did I receive a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I also bought a copy through Amazon's Kindle First program       Wow, this was one book that I was really not digging. Lawler sets us up with a great beginning, but Alex Taylor is not a great lead character. I get it in hindsight, I really do. This is a woman we're supposed to think is crazy, so crazy that she made this crazy abduction. From the outset it does seem that way. There's no evidence at all that Alex was abducted. Problem is, Alex is a borderline alcoholic and annoying. When writing a book like this it's important to have something about the lead character you can relate to, but here, not the case. I was ready to throw the towel in on this and ju...

     Halloween Carnival Vol 1 (Various Authors) 4/5 stars                                                      I received a copy of Haloween Carnival from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.       It's official, Halloween is officially upon us and Hydra has come to get us in the Halloween spirit with a new anthology series. I loved the cover, but let's go ahead and be honest here by admitting this isn't exactly what I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, but I wasn't exactly sure how this was going to end, or even what it was trying to achieve. When you think of Halloween stories you expect scary, but none of these are. That's not a bad thing, and if anything, it sets up the series to be something different which it achieves nicely. Two of these stories have a nice Twilight Zone feel ...

Stephen King - It                                                                It isn't an easy novel to read, but not because of its length. That's only a smart part of what makes it so hard to get through. It was written way back in 1986, a time when people weren't so politically correct, or required a trigger warning to go along with whatever they read or watched. People weren't easily offended so the themes that King places in his novel didn't seem so politically incorrect. If you're easily offended, this is clearly not a novel you should read. There is a bit of racism, and homophobia mixed into the central plot, but there's something march darker, and far more sinister to worry about here. If It had teeth, it would bite, and bite hard.      It is simply put, a masterpiece of horror fiction and easi...

Teeth Marks - Matthew Weber 5/5                                                                  Once in awhile I get review copies of books from authors, but I've never gotten one with a barf bag. I’m serious, Matthew Webber sent me not one, but two barf bag with a couple of his releases. As I began to read Teeth Marks I prepared myself for the most vile horror money could buy, but then I relaxed because the bag isn't really necessary. It’s a great marketing tool, but I kept waiting to be horrified, or at least offended, but it just didn't happen. I’m not complaining at all because if anything, Teeth is exactly the kind of horror I enjoy. It jumps and jives all over the place, and it’s well written. The guy has talent, and I plan on reading more of his stuff as soon as I can get my hands on it.   ...

Just Another Week In Suburbia - Les Zig 5/5                                                                                                                                       I received a copy of Suburbia from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review        As I sit here trying to figure out my review, all I can say is this is a must read. It's anything but a typical week anywhere, and to think this all started over a condom that fell out a woman's purse. It's the catalyst for everything that suddenly goes wrong in Casper's life. This a meek man who slowly sees his entire life slipping away from him, and there's no way to s...

Fiends - Richard Laymon 4/5 stars                                                                                                                                         Fiend is an interesting short story collection, and at times, it doesn't feel like a Richard Laymon book. The opening novella is classic Laymon, but it for all of its brutality, there's a bit of a disconnect. This is what we've come to expect from the guy, but here, it's just to lure in his faithful readers, and Fiends as a whole just feels nonsensical. Who acts this way? Why are these people so fucking stupid? Laymon is better than this, and as the collection rolls on it's clea...

Island - Richard Laymon - 5/5 stars                                                                          Let's be perfectly honest here and admit that Island is not your typical horror novel. It's far darker, and way more sadistic. There's a layer of grit there too that adds to the tension and uneasiness of how it all develops. Is it perfect? No, it's not. The story is told through the journal of Rupert Conway, and we see things through the eyes of a horny teenager which makes sense because we can see early on that Rupert isn't exactly a hit with the ladies. Hell, when we were eighteen, being stranded on a deserted island with three women would be heaven. As a narrator, he's simply doing the best he can. Instead of telling us everything, he's telling us what he feels we should know. The facts ...

Exposed - Lisa Scottoline 5/5 stars                                                                                       I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review       There's good news and bad news. The bad news is Exposed is part of an ongoing series, but the good news is you don't have to read the other books in the series to know what's going on. While the main characters remain intact through each book, there is a stand alone novel, but to be fair, I plan on reading the other books in the series just to see how they measure up. From just this novel alone, I like Bennie and Mary, but as the book goes on you can see cracks begin to form in their partnership because of a case that Mary has just taken on.   ...

Rather Be Fishing - Lucretia Stanhope - 5/5                                                        Rather Be Fishing: Tales of A Monster Hunter was a lot of fun to read because it manages to do everything right. It takes risks, and best of all it places its tongue firmly in its cheek the entire time. Stanhope's novel seems pretty straight forward. Monster hunter battles a variety of monsters. You're expecting a lot of gore, a lot of horror, right? What you get is comedic tale with very little horror. Instead of being just a straight novel, we get short stories which are cases Mike has taken on. This makes the book unique and interesting because each case is different and shows us just how out of shape our hunter really is. You get Mike's story and how he became a monster hunter, but it's told slowly, and evolves organically.     ...

     The Lake - Richard Laymon 3/5 stars                                                                      The Lake was released after Richard Laymon’s untimely death, but is it really as bad as everyone says it is? This may be a trunk novel, but it’s actually not that bad. There are three major storylines, and one isn’t even introduced until the half way point of the novel. It seems as if Laymon was tinkering with the formula a little, and trying out a new way to tell a story without the usual amount of gore. At times, The Lake comes off as creepy at best, but the usual gore we’ve come to expect from Laymon is almost gone. Also, because this is a novel Laymon probably didn’t want released, there’s some issues. Storylines suddenly appear, but make no sense. They add nothing to the novel...

 The Lies She Told - Cate Holahan 5/5                                                                           I recieved a copy of Lies from Netgalley in Exchange for an honest review       Lies She Told is the kind of book you start reading, but can't put down. The story is told from two perspectives, and I know it sounds confusing, but Cate does a great job at keeping things simple. You have the perspective of a character in a new novel, and the author herself who is going through her own personal crisis. As the novel progresses, things begin to spiral out of control, and fact blurs into fiction. Cate unravels the suspense slowly, just enough to tease you and then you're hit with an ending that I never saw coming. Liza is a character you can get behind, her story is intere...