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Always, in This Nightmare
All Ella Novotny wants is a good night’s sleep and someone to share her life with. Maybe some calm, too. A break from the everyday hustle.
Yet everything around her seems to elevate her dealing with her bitter mother’s health problems, navigating a boss’ who takes advantage of her kindness, coming home to an empty house. Not even therapy can stave off the nightmares.
She never expected to find love in the most terrifying of places.
One night, the improbable happens. Ella is thrust into a romantic affair with her sleep paralysis demon, Mara, through whom she discovers an intoxicating source of power in a world not meant for her. A world of living nightmares who feast upon the fears of sleeping humans.
Torn between these two worlds, Ella wrestles with her desire for a normal life, uncovering a strength she can have all to herself, and an impossible relationship with a woman who has haunted her for her entire adult life.
When danger slips past the nightmares and into our world, Ella discovers whether Mara truly loves her or if she’s just another monster using Ella for her fear.
Yet everything around her seems to elevate her dealing with her bitter mother’s health problems, navigating a boss’ who takes advantage of her kindness, coming home to an empty house. Not even therapy can stave off the nightmares.
She never expected to find love in the most terrifying of places.
One night, the improbable happens. Ella is thrust into a romantic affair with her sleep paralysis demon, Mara, through whom she discovers an intoxicating source of power in a world not meant for her. A world of living nightmares who feast upon the fears of sleeping humans.
Torn between these two worlds, Ella wrestles with her desire for a normal life, uncovering a strength she can have all to herself, and an impossible relationship with a woman who has haunted her for her entire adult life.
When danger slips past the nightmares and into our world, Ella discovers whether Mara truly loves her or if she’s just another monster using Ella for her fear.
- GenresHorror
362 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 23, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 for @j.e.erickson’s Always, In This Nightmare - a sapphic horror romance that, no shit, legitimately made me wish I was a dream demon. Remember reading Twilight and we all wanted to be vampires? IT’S LIKE THAT. Wildly imaginative and chillingly scary, main character Ella could not be farther from a two-dimensional flat-arc study. She is dynamic, flawed, strong, smart, courageous, and I love her. She’s also got a boss that is so perfectly written you really will want to sucker punch him. Sleep paralysis has always been a topic that terrifies me; Justin brought all that home and STILL made me want to live in his book. The magnitude of my hope for a sequel cannot be overstated. Also, cover art by @nw.reader is just everything 😍🙌
Recommended for indie/trad horror fiction lovers, 18+.
Trigger warnings for mental health, sleep-related conditions / issues, paralysis, SA, violence, paranormal, cancer, death.
Recommended for indie/trad horror fiction lovers, 18+.
Trigger warnings for mental health, sleep-related conditions / issues, paralysis, SA, violence, paranormal, cancer, death.
January 16, 2024
Big shout out to the author here, who was kind enough to let me read this before publication (:
Always, In This Nightmare is a paranormal romance which offers an inventive twist on the concepts of demons and sleep paralysis. To begin with the protagonist Ella lives in fear of a shadow creature which haunts her nights. However, when this haunting takes a sudden and unexpected turn she begins to realise that there is far more to the monster-- and its motives for stalking her-- than she could've imagined.
Although I absolutely love the concept of this book there were a few things which stopped me from enjoying it as much as I'd wanted to. At times it felt a little repetitive in describing the troubles in Ella's personal life, and maybe the story could've been slightly shorter overall. The spice level, while not excessive was a bit much for me and I wasn't 100% keen on how the blossoming romance between Ella and the demon was executed.
That said there were plenty of plus points as well. The book is well written and even though this is mostly a supernatural love story there are enough creepy moments to please horror lovers too. Most of all I thought the mental health struggles Ella deals with were skillfully portrayed, both accurately and sensitively handled by the author.
A dark and imaginative tale well worth a look for fans of otherworldly romances
Always, In This Nightmare is a paranormal romance which offers an inventive twist on the concepts of demons and sleep paralysis. To begin with the protagonist Ella lives in fear of a shadow creature which haunts her nights. However, when this haunting takes a sudden and unexpected turn she begins to realise that there is far more to the monster-- and its motives for stalking her-- than she could've imagined.
Although I absolutely love the concept of this book there were a few things which stopped me from enjoying it as much as I'd wanted to. At times it felt a little repetitive in describing the troubles in Ella's personal life, and maybe the story could've been slightly shorter overall. The spice level, while not excessive was a bit much for me and I wasn't 100% keen on how the blossoming romance between Ella and the demon was executed.
That said there were plenty of plus points as well. The book is well written and even though this is mostly a supernatural love story there are enough creepy moments to please horror lovers too. Most of all I thought the mental health struggles Ella deals with were skillfully portrayed, both accurately and sensitively handled by the author.
A dark and imaginative tale well worth a look for fans of otherworldly romances
February 10, 2025
I'm just going to say this right up front in all caps, in case the right people happen to see this: J.E. ERICKSON DESERVES A MAJOR PUBLISHING HOUSE CONTRACT BECAUSE YES, HE'S THAT FRIGGIN' GOOD.
Agents? Publishers? You listening? You should be.
On to the book. This ithe fourth novel of Erickson's I've both read and enjoyed the heck out of. He can always be counted on to bring the horror, and he absolutely does.
"I breathe nightmares and speak torments. I know fear, Ella. And I know your fear best."
Mara, one of the two main characters says that. But it could just as easily be Mr. Erickson speaking to his readers. I firmly believe this man breathes nightmares and speaks torments. And he knows all our fears.
But what makes his horror visceral is that it's entwined into the soul of each of his characters, and spreads its tendrils between the various characters. Ella and Mara. Ella and Jerome. Ella and Mara and Jerome.
Erickson excels at characters who live and breathe, who share the same wants, needs, and fears as you and me. Ella's a hot mess, but she's a hot mess that we understand. We've seen her. We've worked with her, been friends with her. She's our sister or our mother or our daughter.
And for the most part, this book could have been written without any supernatural content, just a thriller about a love triangle with two women broken in different, but similar ways, and the man who dares involve himself in their lives. It could have been that, and it would have been both a well-written love triangle, and one seriously amazing thriller.
But the supernatural element only serves to heighten the horror, to increase the emotions, and to raise the stakes.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: In the indie world of horror, while there's many, many incredible authors doing incredible work, Erickson is absolutely at the top of my list as the best of them.
Read this book.
Agents? Publishers? You listening? You should be.
On to the book. This ithe fourth novel of Erickson's I've both read and enjoyed the heck out of. He can always be counted on to bring the horror, and he absolutely does.
"I breathe nightmares and speak torments. I know fear, Ella. And I know your fear best."
Mara, one of the two main characters says that. But it could just as easily be Mr. Erickson speaking to his readers. I firmly believe this man breathes nightmares and speaks torments. And he knows all our fears.
But what makes his horror visceral is that it's entwined into the soul of each of his characters, and spreads its tendrils between the various characters. Ella and Mara. Ella and Jerome. Ella and Mara and Jerome.
Erickson excels at characters who live and breathe, who share the same wants, needs, and fears as you and me. Ella's a hot mess, but she's a hot mess that we understand. We've seen her. We've worked with her, been friends with her. She's our sister or our mother or our daughter.
And for the most part, this book could have been written without any supernatural content, just a thriller about a love triangle with two women broken in different, but similar ways, and the man who dares involve himself in their lives. It could have been that, and it would have been both a well-written love triangle, and one seriously amazing thriller.
But the supernatural element only serves to heighten the horror, to increase the emotions, and to raise the stakes.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: In the indie world of horror, while there's many, many incredible authors doing incredible work, Erickson is absolutely at the top of my list as the best of them.
Read this book.
March 3, 2024
J.E. Erickson always spins a good yarn, and this is no exception.
Always, in This Nightmare follows a woman, Ella, who suffers from nightmares, night terrors, and sleep paralysis. Except... all isn't what it seems. Ella finds solace in the arms of her sleep paralysis demon, Mara, and the two embark on a lovely journey.
I ship them, and I would also love to visit the star space.
Keep on writing Erickson!
Always, in This Nightmare follows a woman, Ella, who suffers from nightmares, night terrors, and sleep paralysis. Except... all isn't what it seems. Ella finds solace in the arms of her sleep paralysis demon, Mara, and the two embark on a lovely journey.
I ship them, and I would also love to visit the star space.
Keep on writing Erickson!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews