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In the Genes
Mary is stuck with her adoptive family, who treat her like their personal house slave from a young age.
Her ‘mum’ seems to hate her, her 'dad’ barely acknowledges her, her 'brother’ wants to give her a different kind of love, and her 'sister’, well, she tries, sometimes.
All she dreams of is a normal family and finding her biological parents, but hope is a fickle thing, and only you decide where it takes you.
When it ceases to exist, Mary has nothing else to cling to...
Her ‘mum’ seems to hate her, her 'dad’ barely acknowledges her, her 'brother’ wants to give her a different kind of love, and her 'sister’, well, she tries, sometimes.
All she dreams of is a normal family and finding her biological parents, but hope is a fickle thing, and only you decide where it takes you.
When it ceases to exist, Mary has nothing else to cling to...
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Published January 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 11, 2026
“In The Genes” - Does this come with a free therapy session?
★★★★★
Did I stay up till late at night because I needed to finish this novel? Yes, yes I did. Do I regret it? Not at all!
This collaboration absolutely smashed and I want to thank both Lesley A. Camphouse and E.R. Vickers for their brilliant writing and the ARC of this novel. I leave this review voluntarily.
I had an idea of what to expect and this story hits all the marks. “In The Genes” is a story of hope and trauma, an unsettling emotional ride that will have you feeling all the feels and leave a scar on your soul.
★★★★★
Did I stay up till late at night because I needed to finish this novel? Yes, yes I did. Do I regret it? Not at all!
This collaboration absolutely smashed and I want to thank both Lesley A. Camphouse and E.R. Vickers for their brilliant writing and the ARC of this novel. I leave this review voluntarily.
I had an idea of what to expect and this story hits all the marks. “In The Genes” is a story of hope and trauma, an unsettling emotional ride that will have you feeling all the feels and leave a scar on your soul.
Review of advance copy received from Author
"𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵. 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦?"
This story pulled on my heartstrings, it's so heartbreaking and the worst thing is that this sort of thing happens in real life.
Camphouse and Vickers did a very good at setting a real life issue into this book and then spun it into a sicking, yet victorious and bloody revenge.
This read was a short one, I read it in one sitting but holy hell does it pack a hell of a punch throughout the story, even until the very end!
This story pulled on my heartstrings, it's so heartbreaking and the worst thing is that this sort of thing happens in real life.
Camphouse and Vickers did a very good at setting a real life issue into this book and then spun it into a sicking, yet victorious and bloody revenge.
This read was a short one, I read it in one sitting but holy hell does it pack a hell of a punch throughout the story, even until the very end!
January 5, 2026
Got this as an Arc from the author!
Love the whole plot of the book! Finished in one sitting! Definitely recommend
Bad ass girl vibes!!
Loved Mary!
Can’t wait to read the rest of your books. I have them all on my TBR
Love the whole plot of the book! Finished in one sitting! Definitely recommend
Bad ass girl vibes!!
Loved Mary!
Can’t wait to read the rest of your books. I have them all on my TBR
January 21, 2026
In The Genes 🧬
As always it’s such a pleasure to be on Lesley’s street team, I love all her books equally & was super excited to see she’d teamed up with Vickers for this one!
All Mary wanted was to be adopted into a loving family, to be accepted, loved & cherished. Unfortunately Mary did get adopted, but not into a loving family no, more so into an abusive household that don’t really need another child they just wanted one to do the housework & to use as a little slave & plaything 😔
She endures the abuse, day in, day out. Not only from her “family” but from school bullies too. One can only take so much before they SNAP & snap is certainly what Mary does 🫣
Ohhhh this was so good but so sad & the ending! The twist 😱😱 I did NOT see that coming at all!!
I hated Anne & Dawson so much, I wanted to actually cry for Mary 😭 She really did put up with so much, I’d of snapped long before she did!
On this occasion I was rooting for the brutality & egging it on fully 😌 obviously I got fully invested into this story which is the signs of 2 incredible authors being able to bring a story to life & make you feel every emotion with it!
Brilliantly done 👌🏻 thank you so much for the ARC, yous two make the perfect duo!!
Releasing 23rd January, make sure to get those pre-orders in 🤎
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As always it’s such a pleasure to be on Lesley’s street team, I love all her books equally & was super excited to see she’d teamed up with Vickers for this one!
All Mary wanted was to be adopted into a loving family, to be accepted, loved & cherished. Unfortunately Mary did get adopted, but not into a loving family no, more so into an abusive household that don’t really need another child they just wanted one to do the housework & to use as a little slave & plaything 😔
She endures the abuse, day in, day out. Not only from her “family” but from school bullies too. One can only take so much before they SNAP & snap is certainly what Mary does 🫣
Ohhhh this was so good but so sad & the ending! The twist 😱😱 I did NOT see that coming at all!!
I hated Anne & Dawson so much, I wanted to actually cry for Mary 😭 She really did put up with so much, I’d of snapped long before she did!
On this occasion I was rooting for the brutality & egging it on fully 😌 obviously I got fully invested into this story which is the signs of 2 incredible authors being able to bring a story to life & make you feel every emotion with it!
Brilliantly done 👌🏻 thank you so much for the ARC, yous two make the perfect duo!!
Releasing 23rd January, make sure to get those pre-orders in 🤎
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 12, 2026
4.5 Rounded Down
Mary is an orphan who finally thought her dream family adopted her, only to find out they are anything but dreamy. She gets physically and mentally accosted by her parents, especially her evil mother Anne, and is sexually abused by her brother. Soon she will be 18 and can leave, but where will she go? She feels trapped and she is at her tipping point.
Mary just wants to find her real parents. Hell, she’ll even take any form of relative at this point. The urge to belong and just be loved is so strong and heartbreaking.
I think it’s natural for somebody to wonder where they come from and that is instilled to Mary. She’s on a mission to find out what she can about her birth parents and of course has to do everything in secret.
Mary feels like Cinderella, only worse and with no happy ending.
Mary constantly daydreams of ways she can get back at her family. A push down the stairs? Hit her mom over the head with the kettle? Kick somebody in the teeth?
There is an interesting relationship between Mary and Daisy that I found very tragic. I kept getting my hopes up anytime Daisy appeared just WISHING she would be there for Mary more.
The back and forth between “then” chapters and “now” chapters shows the progression of Mary’s terrible life. She goes from happy and hopeful to resigned and unhappy to straight up miserable and completely detached.
There was such a slowburn regarding the extreme horror aspect. But when it hits, it hits with nonstop rage and blood. And the last page is a doozy.
Mary is an orphan who finally thought her dream family adopted her, only to find out they are anything but dreamy. She gets physically and mentally accosted by her parents, especially her evil mother Anne, and is sexually abused by her brother. Soon she will be 18 and can leave, but where will she go? She feels trapped and she is at her tipping point.
Mary just wants to find her real parents. Hell, she’ll even take any form of relative at this point. The urge to belong and just be loved is so strong and heartbreaking.
I think it’s natural for somebody to wonder where they come from and that is instilled to Mary. She’s on a mission to find out what she can about her birth parents and of course has to do everything in secret.
Mary feels like Cinderella, only worse and with no happy ending.
Mary constantly daydreams of ways she can get back at her family. A push down the stairs? Hit her mom over the head with the kettle? Kick somebody in the teeth?
There is an interesting relationship between Mary and Daisy that I found very tragic. I kept getting my hopes up anytime Daisy appeared just WISHING she would be there for Mary more.
The back and forth between “then” chapters and “now” chapters shows the progression of Mary’s terrible life. She goes from happy and hopeful to resigned and unhappy to straight up miserable and completely detached.
There was such a slowburn regarding the extreme horror aspect. But when it hits, it hits with nonstop rage and blood. And the last page is a doozy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review: E.R.Vickers & Lesley A Camphouse - In The Genes
This is a wonderfully dark tale of deprivation. An unwanted child called Mary, dumped as a baby, and forgotten in the system until a family comes and welcomes her with open arms.
Was this the point her life would finally be flooded with happiness? Was her luck changing for the good?
No. In fact things were about to get worse. Much worse. The new family acted like they hated her and Mary's life downward spirals. She's a slave. A nothing. A reject.
This novella is like a short, sharp punch in the gut. Reminiscent of Ketchum's, The Girl next Door. It's emotionally harrowing. But you can't pull yourself away from it. I finished it the same day I started it.
Vickers and Camphouse give us a polished story straight from hell. This is splatterpunk, but this is also real life and that's what's so scary!
This is a wonderfully dark tale of deprivation. An unwanted child called Mary, dumped as a baby, and forgotten in the system until a family comes and welcomes her with open arms.
Was this the point her life would finally be flooded with happiness? Was her luck changing for the good?
No. In fact things were about to get worse. Much worse. The new family acted like they hated her and Mary's life downward spirals. She's a slave. A nothing. A reject.
This novella is like a short, sharp punch in the gut. Reminiscent of Ketchum's, The Girl next Door. It's emotionally harrowing. But you can't pull yourself away from it. I finished it the same day I started it.
Vickers and Camphouse give us a polished story straight from hell. This is splatterpunk, but this is also real life and that's what's so scary!
January 26, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5!
Mary’s story is brutal, heartbreaking, and infuriating in equal measure. The abuse she suffers made me feel physically sick, and honestly, I don’t know how she didn’t snap much sooner than she did. Page after page, you’re just waiting for someone or something to intervene, and when that moment finally comes, it’s shocking, visceral and deeply satisfying.
I never stopped cheering Mary on, and I desperately wanted her so-called family to finally get the comeuppance they so richly deserved. This book made me furious in the best possible way - the anger that I felt proves both authors have done their job perfectly!
Dark, disturbing, and unforgettable, go and grab it, NOW!!
PS, that ending - please tell me there is a prequel in the works? 👀
PPS - sorry it’s late, been a bit busy with my new job! 💜🫶
Mary’s story is brutal, heartbreaking, and infuriating in equal measure. The abuse she suffers made me feel physically sick, and honestly, I don’t know how she didn’t snap much sooner than she did. Page after page, you’re just waiting for someone or something to intervene, and when that moment finally comes, it’s shocking, visceral and deeply satisfying.
I never stopped cheering Mary on, and I desperately wanted her so-called family to finally get the comeuppance they so richly deserved. This book made me furious in the best possible way - the anger that I felt proves both authors have done their job perfectly!
Dark, disturbing, and unforgettable, go and grab it, NOW!!
PS, that ending - please tell me there is a prequel in the works? 👀
PPS - sorry it’s late, been a bit busy with my new job! 💜🫶
Review of advance copy received from Author
Starting off slow and ending with a punch, this Cinderella-esque novella is proof that everyone has a breaking point.
We are introduced to a young Mary while she is living with kind foster parents and follow her to her adoptive parents house. There, we are witness to her abuse, both physical and psychological, as she grows from a shy little girl into a rebellious teenager. Treated like a slave and the object of her brother's sexual desires, there is only so much a girl can take before she snaps.
How far would you go to finally be free?
We are introduced to a young Mary while she is living with kind foster parents and follow her to her adoptive parents house. There, we are witness to her abuse, both physical and psychological, as she grows from a shy little girl into a rebellious teenager. Treated like a slave and the object of her brother's sexual desires, there is only so much a girl can take before she snaps.
How far would you go to finally be free?
Review of advance copy received from Author
You can only push a woman so far before rage consumes her and she cracks.
Mary is happy to finally find a permanent adoptive family. But they have more sinister intentions. Using her as a slave and abusing her for years. Until Mary has had enough.
This little fucked up tale delivers plenty gore and even had me gagging. And oh my god, THAT PLOTTWIST!!!
Mary is happy to finally find a permanent adoptive family. But they have more sinister intentions. Using her as a slave and abusing her for years. Until Mary has had enough.
This little fucked up tale delivers plenty gore and even had me gagging. And oh my god, THAT PLOTTWIST!!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Holy crap! That was amazing. It started slow, building the emotions, really making sure we felt for Mary, connected to her. And then, it all just took off. My jaw was on the floor!
Review of advance copy received from Author
THIS has some very dark Cinderella energy, just stripped of all the magic that you're used to, and dipped in gloom and doom.
If Cinderella's story was rewritten as an extreme horror novella, this would be it — minus the fairy godmother, and with the level of cruelty turned all the way up to 100!
Poor Mary...her life was a slow, grinding nightmare, and raised by her adoptive family who never even wanted her, her only existence was to serve. Like a slave - Cleaning, Obeying, just Enduring.
Each family member represented a different kind of horror. There was NEGLECT, HATRED and something far more disturbing lurking just beneath the surface.
The horror is OH SO QUIET...at first, but it will slowly creep in when you least expect it, but theres a semblance of hope...however, after you read this, you will realise that having any kind of hope is DANGEROUS, because it is simply a TRAP.
As the novella unfolds, the atmosphere begins to tighten, and we're left bracing ourselves for something awful to happen and when it came, I wasn't exactly ready for the FALLOUT 😳🤢
Contrary to what you believe about the story of Cinderella this isn’t a feel-good survival story. This is about what happens when hope runs out… and what fills the space it leaves behind.
🌟Read this if you like:
Cinderella retellings with blood, gore and teeth
Extreme horror that focuses on psychological torment (or just Lesley, and I do)
Stories about abuse, endurance, and moral rot and
Novellas that do not offer comfort or mercy
What a fantastic novella and a great collaboration! Definitely looking forward to your other works...be interesting to see you do a different spin on Snow White or Sleeping Beauty haha!!!
If Cinderella's story was rewritten as an extreme horror novella, this would be it — minus the fairy godmother, and with the level of cruelty turned all the way up to 100!
Poor Mary...her life was a slow, grinding nightmare, and raised by her adoptive family who never even wanted her, her only existence was to serve. Like a slave - Cleaning, Obeying, just Enduring.
Each family member represented a different kind of horror. There was NEGLECT, HATRED and something far more disturbing lurking just beneath the surface.
The horror is OH SO QUIET...at first, but it will slowly creep in when you least expect it, but theres a semblance of hope...however, after you read this, you will realise that having any kind of hope is DANGEROUS, because it is simply a TRAP.
As the novella unfolds, the atmosphere begins to tighten, and we're left bracing ourselves for something awful to happen and when it came, I wasn't exactly ready for the FALLOUT 😳🤢
Contrary to what you believe about the story of Cinderella this isn’t a feel-good survival story. This is about what happens when hope runs out… and what fills the space it leaves behind.
🌟Read this if you like:
Cinderella retellings with blood, gore and teeth
Extreme horror that focuses on psychological torment (or just Lesley, and I do)
Stories about abuse, endurance, and moral rot and
Novellas that do not offer comfort or mercy
What a fantastic novella and a great collaboration! Definitely looking forward to your other works...be interesting to see you do a different spin on Snow White or Sleeping Beauty haha!!!
January 29, 2026
This one really packed a gut punch!
In this story we follow Mary. Mary Is an orphan and She is full of excitement when she is adopted by her new family. Unfortunately her excitement is very short lived and what she dreamed would be a happy family life is far from that.
Her new mother treats her with absolute contempt and treats her like the family servant and nothing that Mary does is good enough.
She suffers physical and psychological
abuse from her, sexual abuse from her brother and her father turns a blind eye and doesn't even give her the time of day.
Her sister tries to offer her some Companionship but the fear of going against her mother soon puts pay to any relationship.
All Mary Can do is endure the nightmare that is her life until she is old enough to leave and follow her dream of finding her birth parents.
But everybody has a breaking point.
This was such a page turner. I started and finished this in the Same afternoon.
The story is told in Then' and 'now chapters which gives you as the reader a real understanding of the awful things Mary has endured.
It’s a Credit to both authors the amount of Character development and emo tional attachment you feel towards Mary within a novella length Story.
The brutality and Violence in this Story were nothing less than I expected bulld up of backstory that came first made it hit even harder.
The last few pages of this book were Heartbreaking and the ending was perfect. It was like a realisation that changed the way I had understood everything that came before.
I was thinking about this long after I finished reading It
In this story we follow Mary. Mary Is an orphan and She is full of excitement when she is adopted by her new family. Unfortunately her excitement is very short lived and what she dreamed would be a happy family life is far from that.
Her new mother treats her with absolute contempt and treats her like the family servant and nothing that Mary does is good enough.
She suffers physical and psychological
abuse from her, sexual abuse from her brother and her father turns a blind eye and doesn't even give her the time of day.
Her sister tries to offer her some Companionship but the fear of going against her mother soon puts pay to any relationship.
All Mary Can do is endure the nightmare that is her life until she is old enough to leave and follow her dream of finding her birth parents.
But everybody has a breaking point.
This was such a page turner. I started and finished this in the Same afternoon.
The story is told in Then' and 'now chapters which gives you as the reader a real understanding of the awful things Mary has endured.
It’s a Credit to both authors the amount of Character development and emo tional attachment you feel towards Mary within a novella length Story.
The brutality and Violence in this Story were nothing less than I expected bulld up of backstory that came first made it hit even harder.
The last few pages of this book were Heartbreaking and the ending was perfect. It was like a realisation that changed the way I had understood everything that came before.
I was thinking about this long after I finished reading It
January 25, 2026
Summary: Mary is raised in a house that feeds on her. Her adoptive family doesn’t love her - they use her. A mother who loathes her existence. A father who pretends she’s invisible. A brother whose hunger is wrong, watching, waiting. A sister who helps when she can… and looks away when she can’t.
Mary scrubs floors and swallows fear, clinging to one fragile dream: that somewhere, her real family exists - and they might want her. But hope rots fast in a place like this.
When hope finally dies, something else takes its place... and what grows in its absence is far more terrifying than the family that broke her.
Review: Oh wow - that ending hit like a brick to the face. I genuinely did not see it coming.
From the very start, my heart ached for Mary. All she ever wanted was to be loved, and watching her endure such relentless cruelty was devastating. This book doesn’t flinch - it’s brutal, bleak, and unapologetically cruel in the best way horror should be.
And then that twist. Absolutely shocking. A total punch to the gut that recontextualizes everything that came before it and lingers long after the final page. Disturbing, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.
Mary scrubs floors and swallows fear, clinging to one fragile dream: that somewhere, her real family exists - and they might want her. But hope rots fast in a place like this.
When hope finally dies, something else takes its place... and what grows in its absence is far more terrifying than the family that broke her.
Review: Oh wow - that ending hit like a brick to the face. I genuinely did not see it coming.
From the very start, my heart ached for Mary. All she ever wanted was to be loved, and watching her endure such relentless cruelty was devastating. This book doesn’t flinch - it’s brutal, bleak, and unapologetically cruel in the best way horror should be.
And then that twist. Absolutely shocking. A total punch to the gut that recontextualizes everything that came before it and lingers long after the final page. Disturbing, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.
January 27, 2026
The type of Cinderella story that will leave your stomach churning and your mind reeling. This short little extreme horror novel not only packs a punch - but also gives you the twist of your life.
Mary is an orphan girl, picked up from a home when she was small – she remembers moving into her adoptive family home, how nice they were with her at first, how lovely it was to be included and have a family of her own. It doesn't take long before the severe abuse starts... I felt incredibly sad for Mary, what her adoptive family and school kids put her through is worse than the nine circles of hell on a good day. So when things change for Mary, I was obviously very happy for her, it's a ‘good for her’ moment for sure. She completely changes after her mental break and well, she lets her self go and takes what revenge is due. To say life has been difficult for her is an understatement and I really enjoyed the ride of her rage right to the end.
We see blood, we see gore, we see bloody scalps... and a whole ton of other trigger warnings so please make sure you check them out before going into this, as I have mentioned is does contain severe child abuse and a lot of other content warnings... Please protect your mental health.
In Her Genes is available now via ZON - Thank you to Lesley for the trust and for this ARC – I highly apparated you and the you create work.
Mary is an orphan girl, picked up from a home when she was small – she remembers moving into her adoptive family home, how nice they were with her at first, how lovely it was to be included and have a family of her own. It doesn't take long before the severe abuse starts... I felt incredibly sad for Mary, what her adoptive family and school kids put her through is worse than the nine circles of hell on a good day. So when things change for Mary, I was obviously very happy for her, it's a ‘good for her’ moment for sure. She completely changes after her mental break and well, she lets her self go and takes what revenge is due. To say life has been difficult for her is an understatement and I really enjoyed the ride of her rage right to the end.
We see blood, we see gore, we see bloody scalps... and a whole ton of other trigger warnings so please make sure you check them out before going into this, as I have mentioned is does contain severe child abuse and a lot of other content warnings... Please protect your mental health.
In Her Genes is available now via ZON - Thank you to Lesley for the trust and for this ARC – I highly apparated you and the you create work.
Review of advance copy received from Author
this was so -gruesomely- well written (to no-one's surprise really)
these two managed to write a tragic story full of extreme horror and gore and still be able to make you feel everything the MC feels throughout her journey.
Mary’s story is pretty much what most people fear for the kids that have to go on the system for any reason. She is a little girl with the hope of being adopted into a loving and caring family but finds herself in a place very close to hell. A family that abuses her, use her, enslave her. She tries to cling herself to the hope of finding her real family and hoping they are the complete opposite of where she is now. We see how, finally after all the abuse, snaps and takes her own justice.
these two managed to write a tragic story full of extreme horror and gore and still be able to make you feel everything the MC feels throughout her journey.
Mary’s story is pretty much what most people fear for the kids that have to go on the system for any reason. She is a little girl with the hope of being adopted into a loving and caring family but finds herself in a place very close to hell. A family that abuses her, use her, enslave her. She tries to cling herself to the hope of finding her real family and hoping they are the complete opposite of where she is now. We see how, finally after all the abuse, snaps and takes her own justice.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was lucky enough to ARC for this trauma-tale from Camphouse and Vickers, a pairing that work incredibly well, delivering this emotionally weighty story with an extreme horror edge.
'Another year, I didn’t succumb to the temptation to k*ll myself and
end my damn misery—the pull to know where my real parents are is
just too strong. Hope is a funny thing sometimes.'
Mary's new life with her new family isn't exactly as she'd hoped. What starts out as a kindly, caring atmosphere quickly sours as Mary becomes the proverbial 'Cinderella' of the family, forced to cook, clean, and everything in between for her cruel foster mother, Anne. But Anne isn't alone in her torment, as Mary soon finds, experiencing sexual advances from her adoptive brother, and total disregard from her new father, Jason. The only fleeting glimmer of hope manifests in Daisy, Mary's adoptive sister, summoning thoughts that maybe she has a secret to hide, a reason for her unwillingness to fully unleash the hatred. In The Genes is a painful, and heartbreaking story, that puts the reader into the thick of a dire domestic abuse situation, a situation that will not end until every member of the family is brought to heel.
This was an interesting and relatively quick read, managing to cover a rich narrative arc in merely 66 pages! The twist at the end I wasn't expecting and was a great final nail in the coffin for Mary's story. Well done to Camphouse and Vickers for crafting such a spectacularly paced tale! I've now read a fair share of Camphouse's amazing work, and so I'm looking forward to giving Vickers's other offerings a good look, too!
'Another year, I didn’t succumb to the temptation to k*ll myself and
end my damn misery—the pull to know where my real parents are is
just too strong. Hope is a funny thing sometimes.'
Mary's new life with her new family isn't exactly as she'd hoped. What starts out as a kindly, caring atmosphere quickly sours as Mary becomes the proverbial 'Cinderella' of the family, forced to cook, clean, and everything in between for her cruel foster mother, Anne. But Anne isn't alone in her torment, as Mary soon finds, experiencing sexual advances from her adoptive brother, and total disregard from her new father, Jason. The only fleeting glimmer of hope manifests in Daisy, Mary's adoptive sister, summoning thoughts that maybe she has a secret to hide, a reason for her unwillingness to fully unleash the hatred. In The Genes is a painful, and heartbreaking story, that puts the reader into the thick of a dire domestic abuse situation, a situation that will not end until every member of the family is brought to heel.
This was an interesting and relatively quick read, managing to cover a rich narrative arc in merely 66 pages! The twist at the end I wasn't expecting and was a great final nail in the coffin for Mary's story. Well done to Camphouse and Vickers for crafting such a spectacularly paced tale! I've now read a fair share of Camphouse's amazing work, and so I'm looking forward to giving Vickers's other offerings a good look, too!
Review of advance copy received from Author
In The Genes is a collaboration between E.R. Vickers and Lesley A. Camphouse. I am a huge fan of Camphouse, and I’m new to Vickers, so I was excited to see what was in store for me. This book is extreme horror, so prepare for blood and gore and unsavory people.
Mary is an orphan who was adopted by a horrible family that abused and tormented her. Anne, her adoptive mom, took great pleasure in making Mary’s life miserable. The only one that is halfway nice to her is Daisy, her sister. If the torment she suffered at home wasn’t enough, she was also bullied at school. Mary wanted nothing more than to find her real family. To be loved and cared for.
We slowly watch as Mary finally has enough and takes matters into her own hands with a fierceness! She does not hold back when doling out the payment for the treatment she has endured. You can only push someone so far before they snap. And before it is all over - a plot twist that punches you in the chest! Well played….
Thanks to E.R. Vickers and Lesley A. Camphouse for gifting me an eARC of In the Genes. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Mary is an orphan who was adopted by a horrible family that abused and tormented her. Anne, her adoptive mom, took great pleasure in making Mary’s life miserable. The only one that is halfway nice to her is Daisy, her sister. If the torment she suffered at home wasn’t enough, she was also bullied at school. Mary wanted nothing more than to find her real family. To be loved and cared for.
We slowly watch as Mary finally has enough and takes matters into her own hands with a fierceness! She does not hold back when doling out the payment for the treatment she has endured. You can only push someone so far before they snap. And before it is all over - a plot twist that punches you in the chest! Well played….
Thanks to E.R. Vickers and Lesley A. Camphouse for gifting me an eARC of In the Genes. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
You know, I wish it hadn’t come to this, I wish you had let me alone. You really should learn to respect women’s boundaries
Thank you so much Lesley for the ARC, I really appreciate it 🖤
In The Genes is an Extreme Horror novella that takes us to Mary’s life. She has been living with fosters families until one day she gets adopted by this family that seems loving and caring.
This is another great story from the unhinged mind of Lesley Camphouse this time in collab with E.R. Vickers, it has Cinderella’s vibes, and will catch your attention from the first line.
The writing pulls the reader deeper with every page, without relief. It all starts slow, the authors want you to know Mary’s story, to feel it. Then without mercy things escalate fast, and you find yourself going down the rabbit hole of violence, female rage and revenge.
The ending had me looking at my kindle dumbfounded because I didn’t see that coming, and the last verse of the book hold so much sadness that will hurt for days.
Thank you so much Lesley for the ARC, I really appreciate it 🖤
In The Genes is an Extreme Horror novella that takes us to Mary’s life. She has been living with fosters families until one day she gets adopted by this family that seems loving and caring.
This is another great story from the unhinged mind of Lesley Camphouse this time in collab with E.R. Vickers, it has Cinderella’s vibes, and will catch your attention from the first line.
The writing pulls the reader deeper with every page, without relief. It all starts slow, the authors want you to know Mary’s story, to feel it. Then without mercy things escalate fast, and you find yourself going down the rabbit hole of violence, female rage and revenge.
The ending had me looking at my kindle dumbfounded because I didn’t see that coming, and the last verse of the book hold so much sadness that will hurt for days.
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5* rounded up
This was a wonderfully dark tale, resembling a twisted and sinister Cinderella retelling.
This story was devastatingly heartbreaking and hopeless as we follow Mary, who believes she has found her dream family after being adopted. Unfortunately, it was Mary's worst nightmare.
My soul was destroyed and wrung out reading In The Genes, and the ending left my jaw on the floor. My heart broke so many times for Mary and I was rooting for her from the get go, but she just kept facing more hardships and abuse, right to the very end.
Vickers and Camphouse have such a wonderful way with words, especially on this collaborative piece. They truly had reader's feeling so many intense emotions and caring deeply for Mary. I was left absolutely broken by the end.
Thank you so much to the authors for an advance copy of In The Genes! All opinions are mine and have been left voluntarily.
This was a wonderfully dark tale, resembling a twisted and sinister Cinderella retelling.
This story was devastatingly heartbreaking and hopeless as we follow Mary, who believes she has found her dream family after being adopted. Unfortunately, it was Mary's worst nightmare.
My soul was destroyed and wrung out reading In The Genes, and the ending left my jaw on the floor. My heart broke so many times for Mary and I was rooting for her from the get go, but she just kept facing more hardships and abuse, right to the very end.
Vickers and Camphouse have such a wonderful way with words, especially on this collaborative piece. They truly had reader's feeling so many intense emotions and caring deeply for Mary. I was left absolutely broken by the end.
Thank you so much to the authors for an advance copy of In The Genes! All opinions are mine and have been left voluntarily.
February 9, 2026
A Slow Descent into Violence
Ohhh Besties... "In The Genes" crawls under your skin and stays there. The 'Then/Now' chapter structure is brutal in the best way, showing Mary’s life deteriorate in real time: from hopeful and yearning to resigned, miserable, and eventually terrifyingly detached. Watching that emotional decay hurt… and it’s supposed to 😔.
Mary’s adoptive family is a nightmare disguised as normal, and every interaction tightens the noose. The extreme horror is a slow burn, but besties, when it hits? It’s full-on rage, blood, and earned revenge. Feminine rage takes the wheel and does not brake!
The violence is graphic, the splatterpunk elements go hard, and the final page had me like… WHOA 👀! Dark, disturbing, and absolutely TBR-worthy. Trust me... you’ll need someone to scream about this with.
My Ratings: ⭐ 4.5/5 ▪︎ 🥵 0/5
🥀 For my rating scale breakdown, head over to my Goodreads &/or Amazon profile! 🖤
Ohhh Besties... "In The Genes" crawls under your skin and stays there. The 'Then/Now' chapter structure is brutal in the best way, showing Mary’s life deteriorate in real time: from hopeful and yearning to resigned, miserable, and eventually terrifyingly detached. Watching that emotional decay hurt… and it’s supposed to 😔.
Mary’s adoptive family is a nightmare disguised as normal, and every interaction tightens the noose. The extreme horror is a slow burn, but besties, when it hits? It’s full-on rage, blood, and earned revenge. Feminine rage takes the wheel and does not brake!
The violence is graphic, the splatterpunk elements go hard, and the final page had me like… WHOA 👀! Dark, disturbing, and absolutely TBR-worthy. Trust me... you’ll need someone to scream about this with.
My Ratings: ⭐ 4.5/5 ▪︎ 🥵 0/5
🥀 For my rating scale breakdown, head over to my Goodreads &/or Amazon profile! 🖤
Review of advance copy received from Author
We all have dreams and hopes for our lives, but what happens when everything shifts? When what was once a dream turns into a nightmare?
Mary was adopted into a family, and she thought everything would be perfect. She believed she’d finally have a place where she truly belonged. Sadly, that’s not how it turned out; instead, Mary found herself treated like a personal house slave. After enduring so much, she eventually reaches her breaking point.
This book is a slow burn that makes you feel every emotion Mary goes through. I really appreciate the horror elements, along with the graphic and gory scenes. You should definitely give this book a read—you won’t regret it! After finishing it, I’m eager to see more collaborations from Vickers and Camphouse.
Thank you E.R & Lesley for allowing me to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Mary was adopted into a family, and she thought everything would be perfect. She believed she’d finally have a place where she truly belonged. Sadly, that’s not how it turned out; instead, Mary found herself treated like a personal house slave. After enduring so much, she eventually reaches her breaking point.
This book is a slow burn that makes you feel every emotion Mary goes through. I really appreciate the horror elements, along with the graphic and gory scenes. You should definitely give this book a read—you won’t regret it! After finishing it, I’m eager to see more collaborations from Vickers and Camphouse.
Thank you E.R & Lesley for allowing me to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In the Genes by E.R. Vickers & Lesley A. Camphouse
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
An extreme Cinderella-ish story with abuse, darkness, strong emotions and revenge!
Mary was in foster care for several years, before a loving couple comes to finally adopt her.
Although they appeared to be kind, things did not play out in a joyful way once at their home. Mary’s new mom is extremely abusive to her, her dad doesn’t really care about her, her brother is a disgusting pervert towards her, and her sister doesn’t stand up for her abusive treatment.
After years of being treated so horribly, Mary finally cracks! The ending is unbelievable!! Jaw completely on the floor!!
I was lucky to get an arc of this entertaining novella! It’s very well written and hooked me from page 1!!
*It’s an awesome, must read story! This book comes out January 23rd!*
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
An extreme Cinderella-ish story with abuse, darkness, strong emotions and revenge!
Mary was in foster care for several years, before a loving couple comes to finally adopt her.
Although they appeared to be kind, things did not play out in a joyful way once at their home. Mary’s new mom is extremely abusive to her, her dad doesn’t really care about her, her brother is a disgusting pervert towards her, and her sister doesn’t stand up for her abusive treatment.
After years of being treated so horribly, Mary finally cracks! The ending is unbelievable!! Jaw completely on the floor!!
I was lucky to get an arc of this entertaining novella! It’s very well written and hooked me from page 1!!
*It’s an awesome, must read story! This book comes out January 23rd!*
Review of advance copy received from Author
I feel completely blessed to get my first ever ARC from Lesley. She’s quickly rose to become my favourite author.
In a short 60 pages, Lesley is able to convey a killer story with a twist I didn’t see coming. As usual.
This story follows Mary — a foster child in the system who dreams of finding a family who loves her like their own. Instead she finds Anne and Jason, and their two children. Dealing with horrific physical, mental and sexual abuse, Mary longs for the day she can find more out about her biological parents. As the abuse continues to break her will, will the answers she seek help her or make things worse.
In a short 60 pages, Lesley is able to convey a killer story with a twist I didn’t see coming. As usual.
This story follows Mary — a foster child in the system who dreams of finding a family who loves her like their own. Instead she finds Anne and Jason, and their two children. Dealing with horrific physical, mental and sexual abuse, Mary longs for the day she can find more out about her biological parents. As the abuse continues to break her will, will the answers she seek help her or make things worse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In the genes
A story of sorrow and what truly happens when the human soul is broken.
Mary in care from birth is adopted by a lovely couple with an existing daughter and son. That is where the fairytale ends and the nightmare begins.
An adoptive brother that has clearly watched to many adult movies. A violent and hateful mother who belittles and beats Mary in body and soul, a complacent sister and father letting this all happen.
All Mary wanted was to be loved and have a happy ending.
This was raw, heartbreaking and truly tragic. Of course this is extreme so check your triggers but my heart connected to Mary and was she freed in the end? You decide.
A story of sorrow and what truly happens when the human soul is broken.
Mary in care from birth is adopted by a lovely couple with an existing daughter and son. That is where the fairytale ends and the nightmare begins.
An adoptive brother that has clearly watched to many adult movies. A violent and hateful mother who belittles and beats Mary in body and soul, a complacent sister and father letting this all happen.
All Mary wanted was to be loved and have a happy ending.
This was raw, heartbreaking and truly tragic. Of course this is extreme so check your triggers but my heart connected to Mary and was she freed in the end? You decide.
January 23, 2026
In the Genes is a quietly unsettling horror story that sneaks up on you. It follows a foster child who is adopted into a family where things feel off almost immediately. The discomfort builds little by little, and once it starts unraveling, the dread doesn’t let go. My anxiety was through the roof reading this one.
What really worked for me was the emotional side of the story. The themes of identity, control, and bodily autonomy hit hard without feeling heavy-handed. Lesley Camphouse is an incredible horror author, and paired with E.R. Vickers, this story lingers in your head long after you finish.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I've read all Lesley's books and needless to say was delighted to read this. My first time reading E.R.Vickers and the colab flowed seamlessly.
The story flips from 'then' to 'now' as we see how poor Mary ends up in the horrible situation she finds herself in. Desperate to find a way out, just wanting to be loved, she later discovers a shocking truth and the ending was totally unexpected.
Another excellent story, some highly disturbing scenes as to be expected, highly recommended!
The story flips from 'then' to 'now' as we see how poor Mary ends up in the horrible situation she finds herself in. Desperate to find a way out, just wanting to be loved, she later discovers a shocking truth and the ending was totally unexpected.
Another excellent story, some highly disturbing scenes as to be expected, highly recommended!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Finished it in one sitting. Had to. It’s short,tense and every page kept me turning. Thank you to the authors for the arc read.
Mary thinks she’s finally found her forever home family. Adopted out of foster care, she dreams of warmth ,safety, and a place to belong. What she gets is something else entirely.
Her new home treats her like a live-in maid, crushing the fairytale ending she imagined. The Cinderella dream twists into something darker, something she never asked for.
Mary thinks she’s finally found her forever home family. Adopted out of foster care, she dreams of warmth ,safety, and a place to belong. What she gets is something else entirely.
Her new home treats her like a live-in maid, crushing the fairytale ending she imagined. The Cinderella dream twists into something darker, something she never asked for.
Review of advance copy received from Author
🩸🔪 In The Genes by Les Ley and E. R. Vickers 🔪🩸
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Mary is stuck with her adoptive family, who treat her like their personal house slave from a young age. Her ‘mum’ seems to hate her, her 'dad’ barely acknowledges her, her 'brother’ wants to give her a different kind of love, and her 'sister’, well, she tries, sometimes. All she dreams of is a normal family and finding her biological parents, but hope is a fickle thing, and only you decide where it takes you. When it ceases to exist, Mary has nothing else to cling to...
What a short but powerful story we have here! See what happens when hope gets taken away, and there is nothing left. Expect the usual high-quality writing you'd expect from these authors, along with lots of emotion, violence, and an ending you may not see coming.
Grab your copy when it's out this Friday!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Mary is stuck with her adoptive family, who treat her like their personal house slave from a young age. Her ‘mum’ seems to hate her, her 'dad’ barely acknowledges her, her 'brother’ wants to give her a different kind of love, and her 'sister’, well, she tries, sometimes. All she dreams of is a normal family and finding her biological parents, but hope is a fickle thing, and only you decide where it takes you. When it ceases to exist, Mary has nothing else to cling to...
What a short but powerful story we have here! See what happens when hope gets taken away, and there is nothing left. Expect the usual high-quality writing you'd expect from these authors, along with lots of emotion, violence, and an ending you may not see coming.
Grab your copy when it's out this Friday!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Mary is adopted into a family that should have protected her and instead turns her life into a nightmare. She’s abused, treated like a servant, and stripped of any sense of safety. The only thing she clings to is the hope that somewhere out there, her real family exists. As the story unfolds, Mary gets tired of surviving quietly, and then all hell breaks loose, and she does not hold back.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A beautifully dark reimagined Cinderella story, but extreme horror style! Both authors did an excellent job on this collaboration.
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