Lee Allen's Blog, page 24
January 31, 2021
Bitten - Teaser II
Here is a second teaser for my new novel, BITTEN, coming this Valentine's Day!
___
It takes many mouths to tell a tale, many years to form a history, many minds to inform a philosophy. A tangle of events, experiences and perspectives to develop a full image of the truth. Even then, it may be seen through a darkened glass, veiled by smoke and mirrors.
Many may think they know me, but I assure them they do not. There are those who wish to consume others, to feed on them like vultures, yet they fail to see beneath the mask. For to truly know another, you must meet them within the shadows of the night.
Do you wish to know who I am? Do you dare to know me? You wish to partake of my body; of my blood. Perhaps in the darkest corner, you shall find my retreated soul, where it lies damned in eternal torment.
How to embark on such a quest, you may ask yourself? First, you must hear my confession.
___
BITTEN, an erotic horror thriller.
A tale of murder, fear and desire…
A serial murder investigation draws near its conclusion. For seven years the killer has evaded capture, but the police finally have their prime suspect in custody – a man who claims to be a vampire over three hundred years old.
PC Holleigh Ryder is tasked with the most unsettling and challenging assignment of her career. All she wants is to get to the truth and achieve justice for the murdered women, but this has been no ordinary case and it is far from over.
The vampire has his own endgame in mind, one that may leave the police praying they had left the damned undisturbed in their graves.
Available to pre-order on Amazon.
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___
It takes many mouths to tell a tale, many years to form a history, many minds to inform a philosophy. A tangle of events, experiences and perspectives to develop a full image of the truth. Even then, it may be seen through a darkened glass, veiled by smoke and mirrors.
Many may think they know me, but I assure them they do not. There are those who wish to consume others, to feed on them like vultures, yet they fail to see beneath the mask. For to truly know another, you must meet them within the shadows of the night.
Do you wish to know who I am? Do you dare to know me? You wish to partake of my body; of my blood. Perhaps in the darkest corner, you shall find my retreated soul, where it lies damned in eternal torment.
How to embark on such a quest, you may ask yourself? First, you must hear my confession.
___
BITTEN, an erotic horror thriller.
A tale of murder, fear and desire…
A serial murder investigation draws near its conclusion. For seven years the killer has evaded capture, but the police finally have their prime suspect in custody – a man who claims to be a vampire over three hundred years old.
PC Holleigh Ryder is tasked with the most unsettling and challenging assignment of her career. All she wants is to get to the truth and achieve justice for the murdered women, but this has been no ordinary case and it is far from over.
The vampire has his own endgame in mind, one that may leave the police praying they had left the damned undisturbed in their graves.
Available to pre-order on Amazon.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
January 30, 2021
Bitten - Teaser I
Here is the first teaser for my upcoming novel, BITTEN, available from this Valentine's Day!
___
For centuries, human beings have reported the phenomena of waking in the small hours of the morning for no discernible reason.
It is believed that this is the time when evil is at its most potent, while others suggest this is when the veil between the living and the dead is at its most porous.
Perhaps they have awoken from a dream they cannot remember. Some attribute the uneasy feeling of eyes upon them to animals hidden outside in the darkness.
However they interpret it, many cannot shake off that feeling of being watched, the shiver running through them even as they turn over to return to sleep.
___
BITTEN, an erotic horror thriller, coming this Valentine's Day!
A tale of murder, fear and desire…
A serial murder investigation draws near its conclusion. For seven years the killer has evaded capture, but the police finally have their prime suspect in custody – a man who claims to be a vampire over three hundred years old.
PC Holleigh Ryder is tasked with the most unsettling and challenging assignment of her career. All she wants is to get to the truth and achieve justice for the murdered women, but this has been no ordinary case and it is far from over.
The vampire has his own endgame in mind, one that may leave the police praying they had left the damned undisturbed in their graves.
Check out the cover reveal from earlier this week over on Instagram.
Available to pre-order on Amazon.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
___
For centuries, human beings have reported the phenomena of waking in the small hours of the morning for no discernible reason.
It is believed that this is the time when evil is at its most potent, while others suggest this is when the veil between the living and the dead is at its most porous.
Perhaps they have awoken from a dream they cannot remember. Some attribute the uneasy feeling of eyes upon them to animals hidden outside in the darkness.
However they interpret it, many cannot shake off that feeling of being watched, the shiver running through them even as they turn over to return to sleep.
___
BITTEN, an erotic horror thriller, coming this Valentine's Day!
A tale of murder, fear and desire…
A serial murder investigation draws near its conclusion. For seven years the killer has evaded capture, but the police finally have their prime suspect in custody – a man who claims to be a vampire over three hundred years old.
PC Holleigh Ryder is tasked with the most unsettling and challenging assignment of her career. All she wants is to get to the truth and achieve justice for the murdered women, but this has been no ordinary case and it is far from over.
The vampire has his own endgame in mind, one that may leave the police praying they had left the damned undisturbed in their graves.
Check out the cover reveal from earlier this week over on Instagram.
Available to pre-order on Amazon.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
January 29, 2021
Stephen King's Elevation - Review
Elevation by Stephen KingMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
An entertaining novella set in Castle Rock, with a strange mystery at its centre.
Scott Carey confides in his friend and doctor that he is experiencing increasingly bizarre medical symptoms – he is measuring weight loss at a consistent and alarming rate, yet is experiencing no physical signs. In fact, he is feeling healthier than ever.
His new neighbours, Deirdre and Missy, have only recently moved to Castle Rock, and Scott is becoming ever more frustrated with their dogs defecating on his front lawn. Scott’s attempts to resolve the issue amicably are met with disbelief. However, when he presents evidence, it only serves to sour their relationship further.
Scott bears no ill will towards his neighbours and strives to forge a friendship with them, particularly when he witnesses the discrimination the couple are facing in the village, which also threatens the success of their new business. As he embarks on this mission, Scott continues to ruminate on one question – what will happen when his weight hits zero?
Stephen King has not only mastered several genres, but also multiple forms of narrative – his novels (including sheer epics), novellas and short stories all equally skilful and successful, packed with well-developed characters, vivid imagery and intriguing plotting. The fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, has featured and been alluded to in multiple Stephen King stories, beginning with the novel ‘The Dead Zone’ in 1979; it has even earnt its own TV series of the same name. Visiting there once again makes you feel immediately at home.
The novella also explores the impact of everyday, largely passive but no less harmful, prejudice and discrimination that remains woven into many a community – at the story’s heart is a message that to care for and help our fellow human beings with love and compassion is surely the true purpose of our lives.
‘Elevation’ is a heart-warming tale that ends with a poignant, emotional finale.
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January 25, 2021
Happy St. Dywnwen's Day! Plus, an update on "Bitten"...
Happy St. Dwynwen's Day from here in Wales!
As the Welsh patron saint of lovers, St. Dwynwen's day is regarded as Wales' equivalent to Valentine's Day.
Dwynwen's tale is that she fell in love with a man whom she was not permitted to marry, another having been selected for her, and prayed to God to let her forget him. She was granted her wish by an angel visiting her with a potion to drink, while the object of her affection was frozen in a block of ice.
Subsequently, God granted her three wishes - for the love of her life to be freed from his frozen prison; for the hopes and dreams of those truly in love to be granted; and, finally, that she should never marry another. She thus devoted her life to serving God, as a nun.
Look out for the date, 25th January, marked by a pivotal scene in my new book, BITTEN.
I have been hard at work editing the final chapters this past weekend. Editing is often the part of the process filled with most anxiety, when I begin to question every word, every sentence, everything each character says, every plot point. But it is always incredibly rewarding when it's complete; the hope being to have polished the book to the best that it can be.
Look out for the cover reveal later this week on Instagram, @leeallenauthor (link below). I shall also soon share some teasers to whet your appetites...
BITTEN, an erotic horror thriller, coming this Valentine's Day!
Available to pre-order on Amazon.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
As the Welsh patron saint of lovers, St. Dwynwen's day is regarded as Wales' equivalent to Valentine's Day.
Dwynwen's tale is that she fell in love with a man whom she was not permitted to marry, another having been selected for her, and prayed to God to let her forget him. She was granted her wish by an angel visiting her with a potion to drink, while the object of her affection was frozen in a block of ice.
Subsequently, God granted her three wishes - for the love of her life to be freed from his frozen prison; for the hopes and dreams of those truly in love to be granted; and, finally, that she should never marry another. She thus devoted her life to serving God, as a nun.
Look out for the date, 25th January, marked by a pivotal scene in my new book, BITTEN.
I have been hard at work editing the final chapters this past weekend. Editing is often the part of the process filled with most anxiety, when I begin to question every word, every sentence, everything each character says, every plot point. But it is always incredibly rewarding when it's complete; the hope being to have polished the book to the best that it can be.
Look out for the cover reveal later this week on Instagram, @leeallenauthor (link below). I shall also soon share some teasers to whet your appetites...
BITTEN, an erotic horror thriller, coming this Valentine's Day!
Available to pre-order on Amazon.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
January 24, 2021
James Lovegrove's Sherlock Holmes & The Beast of the Stapletons - Review
Sherlock Holmes and The Beast of the Stapletons by James LovegroveMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A gripping, adventurous mystery and a sequel to, arguably, Sherlock Holmes’ most famous case – ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.
It has been five years since Sherlock Holmes unmasked the nefarious villain behind the fearsome hound of the Baskervilles. But the Baskerville curse appears to have struck once again. Corporal Grier, an old friend of Sir Henry Baskerville, calls upon Holmes and begs him to intervene to save his friend’s sanity and uncover the latest vendetta against the family.
Sir Henry’s wife, Lady Audrey, was recently found dead, the blood drained from her body. Rumours abound that her life was claimed by a gigantic, vampiric moth, which has been seen in flight above the Dartmouth moorland at night. Holmes, of course, dismisses this supernatural explanation, and agrees to investigate the supposed reignited curse.
Amidst the harsh terrain of the mire, Holmes follows the trail in a quest to unmask the villain. But a twisted scheme is afoot, one that will prove to be more far-reaching and perilous as Holmes and Watson uncover the true horrors behind the beast of the Stapletons.
Having thoroughly enjoyed James Lovegrove’s ‘The Christmas Demon’, I was excited to discover this new adventure, one that would again delve into suspected folkloric persecution, and a return to the story of one of my favourites amongst Holmes’ cases – a true masterpiece by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
‘The Beast of the Stapletons’ did not disappoint – once again told by Dr Watson, this is a fast-paced tale full of twists and turns, packed with mystery and adventure. Witnessing Sherlock Holmes at work is always thrilling, the nefarious scheme at the centre of this plot amply testing his skills. This book is also packed with allusions to other Holmes’ cases, that will entertain any Sherlockian fan, as well as some amusing moments, and a final, satisfying twist.
Another brilliant addition to the ever-expanding Holmes universe, ‘Sherlock Holmes & The Beast of the Stapletons’ is wonderfully entertaining; highly recommended to fans old and new.
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January 17, 2021
Bitten - Coming This Valentine's Day!
My new novel, BITTEN - coming this Valentine's Day! Check out the synopsis below:
A tale of murder, fear and desire…
A serial murder investigation draws near its conclusion. For seven years the killer has evaded capture, but the police finally have their prime suspect in custody – a man who claims to be a vampire over three hundred years old.
PC Holleigh Ryder is tasked with the most unsettling and challenging assignment of her career. All she wants is to get to the truth and achieve justice for the murdered women, but this has been no ordinary case and it is far from over.
The vampire has his own endgame in mind, one that may leave the police praying they had left the damned undisturbed in their graves.
Now available to pre-order on Amazon.
Don't miss the cover reveal and teasers on Instagram and Facebook over the coming weeks - follow me @leeallenauthor, links below.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
A tale of murder, fear and desire…
A serial murder investigation draws near its conclusion. For seven years the killer has evaded capture, but the police finally have their prime suspect in custody – a man who claims to be a vampire over three hundred years old.
PC Holleigh Ryder is tasked with the most unsettling and challenging assignment of her career. All she wants is to get to the truth and achieve justice for the murdered women, but this has been no ordinary case and it is far from over.
The vampire has his own endgame in mind, one that may leave the police praying they had left the damned undisturbed in their graves.
Now available to pre-order on Amazon.
Don't miss the cover reveal and teasers on Instagram and Facebook over the coming weeks - follow me @leeallenauthor, links below.
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
January 16, 2021
Bitten - Coming This Valentine's Day!
I am very excited to announce that I will be releasing my new novel, BITTEN this Valentine's Day.
I write this having written the book's final words - always such a momentous and surreal feeling; a book that I have been working on for a very long time. The idea first came to me in January 2015, while I was still working on 'The Jack O'Lantern Men', orginally planned as the third in a trio of supernaturally-themed seasonal novellas.
The more I delved into the stories of these characters, the more there was to tell. Some of the themes I explored in bitesize chunks in 'Whispers from the Dead of Night' have also woven themselves into my new tale of murder, fear and desire. I cannot wait to share this with you!
Redrafting and editing is well underway, and the book will soon be available to pre-order. Look out for the synopsis, which I shall share with you tomorrow. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @leeallenauthor and don't miss the cover reveal and teasers over the coming weeks.
It is almost time to disturb the slumber of the damned...
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
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I write this having written the book's final words - always such a momentous and surreal feeling; a book that I have been working on for a very long time. The idea first came to me in January 2015, while I was still working on 'The Jack O'Lantern Men', orginally planned as the third in a trio of supernaturally-themed seasonal novellas.
The more I delved into the stories of these characters, the more there was to tell. Some of the themes I explored in bitesize chunks in 'Whispers from the Dead of Night' have also woven themselves into my new tale of murder, fear and desire. I cannot wait to share this with you!
Redrafting and editing is well underway, and the book will soon be available to pre-order. Look out for the synopsis, which I shall share with you tomorrow. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @leeallenauthor and don't miss the cover reveal and teasers over the coming weeks.
It is almost time to disturb the slumber of the damned...
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
January 15, 2021
S.J. Watson's Final Cut - Review
Final Cut by S.J. WatsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The scars of the past still ache in S.J. Watson's third immersive thriller.
Filmmaker Alex travels to the coastal town of Blackwood Bay to make a documentary. Her intention was to make a film about the everyday life of a community, but this is the last place she would have chosen to make it. The town is haunted by the shadows of its past - the suicide of a teenage girl many years before and the disappearance of another. Now, another girl is missing.
The town's residents are suspicious of Alex's intentions. She assures them she is not there to dig up the past. But she is troubled by the behaviour of the residents, her fears for the local teenage girls justified when another of them goes missing. Unsure who can be trusted, Alex searches for the truth, shot by shot, which threatens to reveal not only the town's murky secrets, but a direct link into her own past.
Told in a style that perfectly evokes the bleak atmosphere and uncompromising climate of this haunted, closed community, 'Final Cut' explores trauma and guilt, and the deep scars of abuse.
I first encountered S.J. Watson's work when I saw the film adaptation of 'Before I Go To Sleep' - a masterfully plotted thriller full of twists and psychological sleight-of-hand. I then read his second thriller, 'Second Life', on its release six years ago.
Bleak, tense and haunting, 'Final Cut' is driven by lead character, Alex, delving deep into her thoughts and feelings. The narrative sucks you in as if you are slowly immersing yourself in the cold, unforgiving ocean - tightly-plotted through to its perilous conclusion. Another gripping and engrossing psychological thriller.
Second Life by S.J. WatsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
An intense thriller that refuses to allow you to put it down; Julia's double life gripped from beginning to end. A fantastic read.
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January 3, 2021
Sophie Hannah's The Killings at Kingfisher Hill - Review
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie HannahMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot returns to unravel another complex mystery in the fourth novel in Sophie Hannah’s continuation series.
Poirot has received a request to investigate a murder for which someone has already been convicted. Not only that, he has been asked to do this without anyone knowing that he is doing so. Along with his friend, Inspector Catchpool of Scotland Yard, Poirot is preparing to travel via luxury coach to the Kingfisher Hill estate, where the murder took place.
But before they even embark on their journey, Catchpool and Poirot encounter a woman behaving strangely, who declares that, if she takes this journey, she will be murdered. Stranger still, whilst travelling, Poirot is told a confession to an unknown murder by a stranger. Before they arrive at the Devonport family home, Poirot is deeply intrigued to find he already has three mysteries to solve.
Whilst concealing their true motives for being there, Poirot and Catchpool endeavour to begin their investigation. But the mystery is to become more complex still – only Poirot’s deductive genius can unravel the tangled web and find the truth behind the killings at Kingfisher Hill.
Sophie Hannah’s previous three novels featuring Poirot were superb, and this is yet another fantastic story. Engrossing, thrilling and well-written, it is driven equally by the increasing complexity of the mystery and the well-developed characters – the Devonport family is both entitled and troubled, some of them at times obnoxious and deeply frustrating for the detectives. Alongside Catchpool, we witness Poirot work, applying order and method to decipher the clues. As all the best mysteries are, this is an emotional and intellectual journey, with moments of perplexity, humour and danger along the way.
It would not be a Poirot novel without the final ‘drawing room revelation’ as Poirot gathers all the players together and reveals the truth behind the case. These are my favourite moments – Poirot always displaying his passion, morality, sheer brilliance and ingenuity with theatrical flair.
Once again, I loved this novel and long may these new cases continue. Sophie Hannah has already announced she is working on a fifth in the series, which I eagerly await. When I first encountered Poirot many years ago, I never imagined I would experience the joy of a brand new novel in the series. To have experienced this four times is truly a gift.
Full of devious twists and intriguing turns, ‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ is a perfectly plotted puzzle to stimulate and entertain the little grey cells. I cannot recommend this series enough.
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December 31, 2020
Vanessa LaFaye's Miss Marley - Review
Miss Marley: The Untold Story of Jacob Marley’s Sister by Vanessa LafayeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A heartwarming prequel to Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Orphaned at a young age, Clara and Jacob Marley soon find themselves in a fight for survival on the streets of London. Jacob is determined to do whatever it takes to prevent them further suffering, striving to gather whatever money he can by whatever means required to pull them from their life of squalor and deprivation.
Through sheer will and courage, Clara and Jacob begin to build a life for themselves, finding opportunities for work. Jacob joins a bookkeeping firm and becomes acquainted with Ebenezer Scrooge – they are true kindred spirits, determined to become successful and never be without money again. As the firm of Scrooge and Marley is formed and builds, Clara struggles to come to terms with the changes she sees in her brother – their life of hardship and his newfound success have turned his heart to blackened stone.
Clara finds her own sources of joy in her life. But tragedy threatens to strike and there is but limited time for Clara to save her brother from the chains he has forged, from which he may never be free.
As the first ghost to visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve in Dickens’ classic tale, Jacob Marley is one of the most significant characters in ‘A Christmas Carol’, the catalyst by which the rest of the story unfolds. Yet we only meet him fleetingly and know little of his life aside from him having been guilty of the same sins as Scrooge, whom Marley implores to use what remains of his life to change for the better. As such, Jacob Marley remains shrouded in mystery.
‘Miss Marley’ tells of Marley’s history from the perspective of his younger sister, Clara. Both suffer the same loss and hardship, yet we witness the two paths that such torture of the human spirit can lead one to follow – Clara embraces gratitude and a greater appreciation of the beauty of life, while Jacob becomes hardened and uncaring. There is no time when these differences are more apparent than at Christmastime.
Beautifully written in the lyrical prose of Dickens’ era, this charming novella brims with imagery of the season of goodwill, while laced with heartbreak and despair – a consistently emotional rollercoaster. It engrosses from beginning to end; a touching addition to the legacy of this legendary Christmas ghost story.
The true tragedy of this work is that its author, Vanessa LaFaye, sadly passed away while writing it. Much like Dickens himself, she left her final book incomplete. Her friend and fellow writer and Dickens enthusiast, Rebecca Mascull, completed the book, capturing the spirit of the story seamlessly. The finale is evermore poignant for this.
If the legacy of ‘A Christmas Carol’ teaches us anything, it’s that, no matter how short our lives are, what we leave behind long outlives us and is born of what we hold in our hearts. Stories are immortal and, in them, their authors live forever.
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