Pina Coladas and Rats

Pina Coladas and Rats #1

by Angel Ramon

A woman's Caribbean dream life turns into a rat-infested nightmare! Otilia, a woman looking to escape the hustle and bustle of NYC purchases her dream home in a start-up neighborhood in the quaint town of Salinas, Puerto Rico. What's the catch? The start-up neighborhood is being built over a huge sugar cane farm. Also, the town has a dirty little secret - killer rats are on the loose. Unlike regular rodents, these bloodthirsty creatures are attacking residents and leaving a trail of destruction.

Otilia's new life quickly turns into a fight for survival as she and her husband are faced with hordes of rats ready to make them their next meal. However, this mystery runs deeper than just a killer rodent infestation. Something much darker is lurking in the shadows and threatens to change Puerto Rico forever.Get ready for a spine-tingling extreme horror story set in a time before technology ruled society. Don't miss out on this heart-pumping tale that will have you checking under your bed for rats.Who said rats couldn't enjoy a pina colada by the shore?Trigger warnings include mentions of gore, religious cults, and one heck of a story!

Genres: Horror

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2023

Reviews

[Brendon Lowe]

DNF at page 70 of 164.

Not going to rate it because I didn't finish it but its just not for me. The scenes of the Rats killing people are hardly described outside them biting people and they die. The plot drags and the dialogue is not authentic at all. Plus the characters half speak in English then change to talk in Spanish as well so I had no idea what they were saying.

It's an indie author starting out and I'm sure will improve. Its not overly terrible I guess but definitely not for me and was forcing myself to read it. I have so much more to get to. Not a gripe on the author just maybe not the target audience seems suited for maybe a teenager.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a minute to get into this one, but once I had a chance to really sit with it, I plowed through it. I had a peek at the reviews before writing my own and was surprised (though not that surprised) that many of the nitpicks were over grammar and language. Sure, this book could use another pass by an editor. Yes, there is some Spanish sprinkled in, but it is almost always followed by an English interpretation. Not direct translation, but you get the gist of it. None of this bothers me. My brain autocorrects as I read and I am accustomed to communicating with people who regularly switch between English and Spanish in the same sentence.

Anyway, this was a fun story. A couple moves to Salinas, Puerto Rico just in time for the big rat uprising. In the beginning, it just seems like a city-wide infestation that's gotten out of control. Things turn more sinister and the rats begin busting into buildings and eating people. We follow our merry band of survivors around as they try stay one step ahead of the hordes of rats. Somewhere along the way, they learn of an evacuation plan that was never shared with the majority of the Salinas population. So now they have a destination, but we soon discover that there is more going on in Salinas than weird murder rats taking over the place. I really enjoyed this. It has that zombie-esque survival type pacing that I like. There is some suspension of disbelief in play here (really, they never seem to run out of ammo). It feels like a campy horror movie and I am here for it.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly written, terrible dialogue, short irritating sentences.
“ in a far, a small pack of rats were crawling. They looked innocent enough as they fed off wheat grains that were growing. The rain didnt seem to bother them. A farmer came out of his house and spotted the rats. He scared them out of the wheat field. the rats ran from the farmer, looking for a place to hide.They seemed harmless “

“ the palm trees were the highlight of the airport. Ruban had the address to the house. While he and his wife took the trip,to Puerto Rico, they left their keys with a good friend. His name was Frank

Same style of writing as my primer reader in 1964.

Spot ca run.
See Spot run.
Run, run Spot
Run, run run

I think it may not have been written in english and was badly translated.

[Hilton Alligood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written.

Whew! What a chore it was to finish this. I feel like perhaps English is not the first language of the author. Started out ok, but then every page made me cringe.Examples: the expression is Fell swoop,not "false swoop". It should be couldn't care less,not could. More than once it is written that blood was in a pale, instead of pail. County Rd 3 became Country Rd 3, I then backto to
County. And last it not least "The rats made caught up". ?????. Angel, you need a ride editor/proofreader,

[Joshua Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh rats!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Nothing better than escaping the craziness of New York and live a peaceful island life of Puerto Rico. At least that's what Otilia and Ruben wanted when they bought their home in Salinas, a quaint little town. Unfortunately, as the couple settles in, the neighborhood is being terrorized by infected rats that have a ravenous craving for human flesh. There's plenty of action, suspense, and horror-filled scenes that you might want to have a few pina coladas and rat traps set in your home just to ease your mind as you delve into this brand new horror series. I highly recommend it!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me of watching those old '80s horror movies. Felt very nostalgic

[Kaycee Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Pina Coladas... And getting caught in the rain...

Do you want to have some fun? In the Caribbean Sun on a sandy beach with a tropical cocktail in your hand?

Well.. avoid Salinas, Puerto Rico - Unless.. you are up for a different kind of fun adventure.

Deep in the heart of an Island Paradise, you can join Otilia, Jack, Jessie, and company as they flee hordes of Zombie Rats that are mysteriously destroying the population of Salinas. Well.. not the entire population. It seems like there’s a plot being hatched by some spooky Santeria followers who are determined to extinguish one sector of society. The rats, unfortunately, are running amok and our heroic and determined crew of protagonists try to avoid being eaten or becoming victims of a mentally deranged, cult guy, while solving the mystery…as Moonlight Sonata plays in the background.

Oh, yeah..… there’s even a little undercurrent of romance. (You know, men want what they want.. right in the midst of a zombie rodent calamity)

This novel is very engaging and entertaining! It has the feel of a horror drama with characters that animate themselves off the pages so that you can enjoy the journey. That includes the thousands of green-eyed rats and some hybrid gigantic ones. At times, I imagined watching this in a theater with 3d glasses on.

Setting it in a time span, the mid-80s, also added a dimension to the story. We take for granted that in 2023, you just pick up the cell phone and get the authorities to come nuke the rats. But in 1985, you are searching for pay phones and hoping the wires haven’t been chewed up. (It was good to know, that even though these rats were devouring human flesh, they still used electric wires as an appetizer.)

So, it's time for a vacation from all those run-in-the-mill, mainland zombie stories… (The Walking Who?) Get down to the island and check this one out... Then.. extend your holiday and pick up the newly released sequel…

Felicidades Ángel por una novela maravillosa !!

[Horror Bookworm Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Horror Bookworm Recommendation
Pina Coladas and Rats by Angel Ramon
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

Salinas, Puerto Rico, 1985. Ruben and Otilia have chosen this beautiful island paradise as their dream life. However, as eerie dark clouds and heavy rains descend upon their small town, they soon learn that the beautiful island offers not just scenic beaches, Pina Coladas and fishing spots but also a terrifying infestation of killer rats with glowing green eyes.

Author Angel Ramon serves up his own salt rimmed margaritas with a tasty blend of island lime juice and creepy rats. When a group of strangers are brutally attacked, they are forced to work together to find the truth behind a particular hunger for flesh and blood, a truth beyond explanation. In an effort to prevent from being picked off one by one, the assemblage of survivors enter a desperate gory battle against vicious creatures. Ramon’s self made army of rodents take this sharp clawed and pointy teeth creature feature to a new entertaining horrific level.

Spiritual vs Science vs Religion, the symbolic heathens within these pages run rampant with uncharacteristic abandonment. Angel Ramon has accomplished an avenue of pure wicked eco-horror enjoyment. And for this I tip my hat for delivering the disquieting goods. Independently published and written with unrelenting intensity, this strange journey is well worth the investment…and just enough gruesome carnage to satisfy those in need.

Encounters with these long-tailed rodents is definitely beyond stereotypical. As the fray begin searching for their next meal, remember the objective is to escape and survive. Infected with venomous demon like scavengers, Pina Coladas and Rats by Angel Ramon is a wild adventure into “survival of the fittest.” A horrific environmental Horror Bookworm Recommendation.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pina Coladas and Rats has a really interesting storyline. Otilia and her husband have just moved to Puerto Rico, but all is not as it seems in Salinas as killer rats have started to take over. The whole book is Otilia's journey to survive and the people she meets along the way.

Unfortunately, the writing was clunky. I know some Spanish so I could get by with the bits of Spanish dialogue, but the translations of them right after bogged the writing down. The random political and religious dialogue toward the middle of the book was really awkward. It came out of left field and, while a very cool mechanic, didn't fit much with what was already happening. I needed some lead up to integrate those concepts better into the story.

I don't feel like I got to know the characters as much as I'd have liked to. I wanted them to survive because they were who I'd been reading about, but I didn't care much about them beyond that. They didn't feel a whole lot like true main characters to me; more like main characters by convenience. I wish they would've grown a bit more over the book, especially with the sparks of a relationship forming between Otilia and Jack. This book presumably happened in one day, but the passage of time when it comes to weather/natural occurrences and relationships developing seemed extremely skewed.

While I had my problems with the execution of Pina Coladas and Rats, I'd be willing to give this series another go and see how the second book fares. It is a fun concept, and I'd like to see where this storyline goes from here.

[Bernard Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author has traveled a long way: from the sci-fi space wars, zombie horror series, dinosaur fantasy horror, to name just a few, and under his pane name Angelus Maximus to LitRPG, historical war fiction, and Greek and Roman drama. I’ve read lots of his books, but his latest horror, Pina Coladas and Rats, strikes me as very likely my favorite book that came from the pen of the writing machine called Angel Ramon. And not only because of its setting in the 1980s, which are the years I am always happy to return to!

I may be controversial when saying that because I have an unexplained natural fear of rats, but I also have a natural attraction toward places like Puerto Rico, so maybe this part won me over. Either way, Pina Coladas and Rats is an engaging, capturing, thrilling read that pulls you through its story with the strings of suspense and curiosity. It is a successful horror fiction with the promise of a sequel, which I will also read. I just hope that the author won’t write too many books in the series because with such stories there is always a danger of repeating yourself or watering down its frightening effect. But let’s see where the killer rats will take us!

I must also say a few words about the book cover, which is amazing and perfect for this book. It was wow at first sight. Pina Coladas and Rats is the complete package, so, Angel, make sure you won’t disappoint us with Book 2!

[Meghan Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay where do I start with this one? Other than stating this one really wasn't for me.

The entire plot of this book felt like the story line of a cheep indie horror game you watch your horror gamer friend stream because they ran out of content for the week and needed to find something to do. What does that mean? This is a bread crumb plot if I have ever read one, going from point A to get to point B. Fetch/find this random object so that you can get to the next part of the quest. Rinse and Repeat. This fell so flat for me because the characters were... flat... and their dialogue was annoying and poorly written.

The entire thing felt like a cheesey sci-fi action B movie. That being said, I was reading this book out loud to my partner and he was LOVING the entire thing!! As books with that kind of vibe are his preferred "fluff" reading.

While this book really wasn't for me, I didn't DNF and stuck through it, and can see what kind of audience would enjoy this book. For me, the cover art and title was what intrigued me to read this. book through KU.

[Wil Forbis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started Angel Ramon’s “Pina Coladas and Rats” a few months ago, but got distracted mid-book when I went on vacation. It took me a bit to pick it up again, but I’m glad I did. It’s a fun, over the top, campy horrorfest in line with classic “killer animal” movies like Night of the Lepus or Kingdom of Spiders.

The story takes place in Puerto Rico and follows several characters across a landscape that reveals itself to be overwhelmed with mutant rodents.

That characters are varied and interesting. And there were lots of scene changes which I feel help make a story feel like it’s going somewhere (because it is, literally.)

I liked the inclusion of some Spanish dialogue. (The meaning of the phrases is always clearly conveyed for non-speakers.) It almost felt like educational horror!

There was some redundancy. Characters would be introduced in the narrative text, then the same details would be mentioned in dialogue and conversation later. Minor complaint, though.

All in all, 4 stars out of 5.

[Stephen Blumberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgic homage, but in need of work

In the beginning I was confused as rats and mice were talked about interchangeably so I was not sure whether rats and mice were two separate entities or what, but later in the book someone is shooting at a rat and then in the same paragraph, said rat is referred to as a mouse, so no idea. Lots of telling, not showing and lots of unclimactic encounters with the rats, such as “a hoard of rats came down the hall. They shot the rats. (Next scene.)” And why is the character who lost her loving husband brutally to rats flirting with some guy?

I won’t lie though, the Resident: Evil homage, with learning clues to the plot through found notes and the whole mansion with the booby traps and special keys and moon light sonata being played was great. I loved those games growing up and that was the saving grace of this book for me. I will read the sequels. I want to see how this author develops his writing.

[Megan Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept and the idea. Infected killer rats and people trapped on an island, what more do you need?
I had fun getting to know some of the characters and a few of the others just felt a little two dimensional. I believe the book could use another round of editing but the typos are easy to look past for the fun adventure that Angel wrote for us.
The idea of a survival adventure against a killer rat infestation sounds like a great idea for a movie or survival horror game. The book reads very much like a horror movie. Lots of action and descriptions.
As mentioned in the beginning this was originally written as a serial series and I believe that it would have been very cool to read in a horror magazine. Angel helps to keep the reader's mind on what is happening at the beginning of each chapter so we don't get lost along the way through this horrifying survival adventure through Puerto Rico.

[joshua penrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dream house in Puerto Rico ruined by some rats and if that’s not enough of a pull for you just wait! The story is fun and the characters are straight out of a video game. If you’re looking for some light reading and a silly premise then look no further.

Pros:
+ rats as the villains is a great deal of fun
+ set in the 80’s allowing us to forget about the internet or cell phones

Cons:
- read a little clunky like everything was a description of a cut scene from a video game
- many of the ‘found equipment’ felt like it was stuff from a video game
- one of the twists towards the end was to add cult/religion in and that felt mildly forced or out of the blue

I May have some cons about this story but it has many sequels which I believe are direct sequels and those could clear up some of the problems I had. The premise is wonderful.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd horror story

Olivia, Ruben, her husband, and Frank, a friend and neighbor, are the three main characters we begin the book with. Not all of them make it to the end, though. Shortly after moving into their dream home, they notice weird behavior by the mice (or rats?) and that they seem to have green blood sometimes. The story gets progressively wierder and more gory. I found the narrative story telling to be a tad bit off-putting as it was very disjointed in some parts, smoother in others. It was almost as if the editing wasn't done right. This made the book much harder to read and stay in the story. Another round of editing might be I'm order to smooth out these last rough edges.

[Mary Woldering · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love bad old horror films! When I saw the cover of Angel Ramon's latest work I knew I wanted to give it a try. I was not disappointed. I kept thinking I should recommend it to my grandsons who love horror.
It's set in Salinas, Puerto Rico and is about an expat couple who move there only to find the town overtaken with giant man-eating rats with green glowing eyes. The fight to survive and to escape begins. Slowly the survivors band together to evacuate, but more than that they discover who started the evil rats and turned them on Salinas,
There's a Book 2 coming an naturally I'll read that too. Truly page turning and delightful despite the predictability factor. I can't wait for Book 2

[J.M. Horn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throwback to older horror movies from the 70s and 80s.

Ramon crafted a unique tale of a small town in Puerto Rico that is overrun by abnormal rats.

The premise is interesting and a few characters help drive the story.

There are some clunky passages and another round of edits would have cleaned it up.

Ramon had some Spanish peppered throughout the story but he would translate it in the same sentence for the reader. I understand why he didn't but it brought me out of the story. The story would feel smoother if he left it was Spanish.

There is potential here. Looking forward to reading more of the series.

[Jen Ramsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes all the best of the creature feature b movie, and puts it in the written word. A fun, slightly gory story which is well worth a read. There are times it gets a little repetitive, but that doesn't detract from the tale overall. It also changed tack slightly towards the end of the story, and ended up getting a resident evil vibe, which i was not expecting at all. Now i want a pina colada- minis the rats!

[Stevie Hostetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pina Coladas and Rats was a thrilling and darkly entertaining read! The eerie atmosphere and unsettling twists kept me hooked, and the blend of horror with unexpected humor made it truly unique. While the story delivered plenty of scares and surprises, there were some noticeable editing errors that occasionally disrupted the flow. Despite these minor flaws, the creativity and tension of the narrative made it an enjoyable experience. A must-read for fans of quirky, offbeat horror!

[Micki-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh I hate creepy rats.. a story of survival with Infected killer rats and people trapped on an island, no way to get away but fight or die

Otilia is looking to escape the craziness of NYC buying her dream home in a start up neighborhood in Salinas Puerto Rico in hopes to find some peace. Instead it becomes a fight for survival for her and her husband when find her self in a killer rat infestation.

[Amy Whitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great B-Horror type book!

I really enjoyed this book! It took me back to my childhood when I watched a movie called Deadly Eyes and was terrified of rats. Without giving away any spoilers, I loved the ending and what could become... It was exactly what I was looking for and would definitely recommend.
Happy reading!

[Anna Rimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rats

Ok, that was pretty tense and scary,really scary,I really don't like rats now,but the truth is,, I really enjoyed it, it was great and it's fun to be scared a litle,ok quite a lot ,so I look forward to the sequel to discover, well that's the mystery yet to be answered .but it ,you won't regret it

[tiffany griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like piña coladas... and rats...

This one was near and dear to me as a rat owner! I loved the amount of gore and descriptive writing. The story line was constantly surprising me and I live for that in a book. Highly recommend for a dark night or a day at the beach. It'll make you rethink how you feel about rats, even if you love them. Trust me.😏

[RK Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book goes places that you will NOT expect

you’ll come for the green-eyed, green-blooded killer Zombie vampire rats. you’ll stay for the psycho Santeria-practicing eugenicist missionary madman. and you’d think that when Otilia and Ruben left New York that they’d be getting out of the “rat race” both literally and figuratively. think again!

[Jürgen]

This was so painful to read that even rating it just 1 star would be way to much. The writing was bad, dialogue was bad, editing was bad, characters were airheads, etc.....I just gave up after chapter 4 and wont read any other books of this author.
Pity, it could have been a nice creature feature book.

[Alex Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reac

Loved this story, the characters were good and funny at times, but the rate were scarry, and I hope we will see more of them. Highly recommend that you read this book, for scares and fun.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun Creature Feature

Interesting premise and an enjoyable story. In need of some proofreading and editing which was sometimes distracting (ie “pales” of blood). Will still read the sequel though.

[Olivia Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this doesn't seem to have been proofread and the writing comes across like an incorrect google translation.
The idea of legions of rats as villains is a good one, but not executed well here. Best of luck to the author with his other books.

[Dollie Staley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different. But in an amazing way! You should definitely pick this series up and give it a go!

Angel Ramon did a fantastic job. Different? Yes , but in an absolutely amazing way! You definitely need to give this series a try. You won't be disappointed!