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Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love

Evans Light (Goodreads Author),

Edward Lorn (Goodreads Author),

Adam Light (Goodreads Author),

Jason Parent (Goodreads Author),

Gregor Xane (Goodreads Author),

Mike Tenebrae (Illustrator)

3.94 · Rating details · 53 ratings · 27 reviews

The creators of the bestselling BAD APPLES: FIVE SLICES OF HALLOWEEN HORROR team up once again to bring you five dark tales of twisted love.

ELEANOR, by Jason Parent

When Father Stuart McKenzie finds a disfigured girl abandoned on the steps of his church, he decides the child is a blessing from God and raises her as his own. But the special needs of Eleanor demand more from ...more

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Paperback, 250 pages

Published March 16th 2015 by Corpus Press

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Feb 14, 2015 Kimberly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: story-collections

4.5 stars.

DEAD ROSES is a collection of dark tales from the authors that brought us BAD APPLES. As with its predecessor, we have five distinct tales--this time dealing with the theme of "twisted love" in various guises.

The first story, "Eleanor", by Jason Parent, was my personal favorite in this collection. It's an emotionally charged story about a love that should never be--and yet, profoundly "understandable" at the same time. How desperate are we all to be loved and accepted? To what lengths ...more

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Feb 14, 2015 Gregor Xane added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: 2015

Released March 16, 2015!

Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love is available in paperback and eBook.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon Australia

Also, if you're so inclined, you may Order a Signed Limited Edition hardcover or paperback. ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2015 Edward Lorn added it · (Review from the author)

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. IT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT.

As of today, this book exists on Amazon. If you enjoyed our previous effort, Bad Apples, you might wanna give this one a go as well.

For those of you that follow Gregor, Evans, Jason, Adam, and myself, I apologize in advance for filling your feeds with this book. This will be my only post on the subject, but there are five of us, and each one will want to do their own promotion. Not to mention friends, fans, and followers reading and reviewing and pos ...more

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Feb 14, 2015 Andi Rawson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5 stars.

Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love is from the same awesome guys who brought us Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror; an awesome anthology if you haven't already read it.

Eleanor, by Jason Parent: When a disfigured baby is dropped at his door, Father Stuart McKenzie doesn't know what to do other than take it in. Figuring it is a sign from God, he raises Eleanor as his daughter but unbeknownst to the rest of his congregation for the fear of the repercussions that would c 4.5 stars.

Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love is from the same awesome guys who brought us Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror; an awesome anthology if you haven't already read it.

Eleanor, by Jason Parent: When a disfigured baby is dropped at his door, Father Stuart McKenzie doesn't know what to do other than take it in. Figuring it is a sign from God, he raises Eleanor as his daughter but unbeknownst to the rest of his congregation for the fear of the repercussions that would come with anyone seeing her. As much as he loved her, even he couldn't bear to look at her and made her wear a mask to cover her deformities. As Eleanor grows older she starts wanting the only thing that he can't... shouldn't... give her.

Love Lies in Eyes, by Evans Light: When Nathan meets the girl of his dreams not once but twice, he decides then and there to never let her go. Fortunately for Nathan, Eve wants the same thing and makes him promise to be hers forever. Life is good until Eve starts suffocating him and he has to let her go. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be one of his options...

Panacea, by Adam Light: Rob and Molly have been together since they were young. Still very much in love, Rob is left to face the possibility of life without her as Molly is dying from cancer. But what if there was a cure? A Panacea? Would you not give anything for the one that you loved and would it not be worth it if you could have them for just a little bit longer?

Cinder Block, by Edward Lorn: Toby's dad is gone and his mother is a whore. When Toby finally finds someone he loves he will do anything to make sure that no one gets between them, no matter what. Love may not last forever but Cinder Blocks do.

Loving the Goat, by Gregor Xane: Gregor loves his goats and so does Bill Capra, a graphic artist who can't get enough of them. Literally. When Bill finally tracks down the thing he wants most in life, he goes after it with reckless abandon. He will be ridiculed and shunned for his love no more! Right?

Great stories. Great authors. Buy it. Read it. Love it. Just don't let Gregor catch you loving the goats--those are his. ...more

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Mar 21, 2015 Steve rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, anthology, read-in-2015

Another excellent anthology from Evans Light, Edward Lorn, Adam Light, Jason Parent, and Gregor Xane. In this volume, they each provide their own take on twisted love (and it should be noted that it really is TWISTED!).

If you liked their previous anthology, Bad Apples, this one is even better. Looking forward to what they come up with next!

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2015 Bill rated it it was amazing

I don't know what it is about these guys, but they gel very well together. After reading Bad Apples last year, I was super excited to hear about this one from Light, Parent, Light, Lorn and Xane. People in the know, just call them LPLLX...Ok fine, nobody calls them that.

The title says Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love and man they were not kidding. Each one of these short stories are very well written and each had its own distinct voice. Bring on more from these guys - maybe a Christmas terror an ...more

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Feb 14, 2015 Evans Light added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: have-it, horror, horror-short-story-anthology, wrote-it

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT.

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON. ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2015 Kaisersoze rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy, horror, best-reads-of-2015, horror-awesome

Following hot on the heels of last year's Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror, Parent, Lorn, Xane and the Brothers Light have again come together with five short stories this time thematically linked by the idea of love. All bring something compelling to the table, and each is unique insofar as offering at least one thing you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Better still, all are exceptionally well-written and the pages genuinely fly by. I could scarcely believe how quickly I devoure Following hot on the heels of last year's Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror, Parent, Lorn, Xane and the Brothers Light have again come together with five short stories this time thematically linked by the idea of love. All bring something compelling to the table, and each is unique insofar as offering at least one thing you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Better still, all are exceptionally well-written and the pages genuinely fly by. I could scarcely believe how quickly I devoured this collection, such was the strength of the prose and the eagerness I felt to read "just one page more".

ELEANOR by Jason Parent kicks things off in style, with a special spin on the idea of forbidden love between a priest in the Catholic church and his disfigured adopted daughter. It's explicit and unsettling and all the more powerful for both of these qualities. It also sets up the rest of the collection perfectly.

The fantastically titled LOVE LIES IN EYES by Evans Light is probably the most accessible of the five stories, telling a very simple tale that emphasises the fickle nature of love with a supernatural twist. The set up means there are few surprises in this one, but it does come to a very satisfying conclusion that adds further evidence to that old saying about a woman scorned ...

Adam Light's PANACEA is the most horrific of the five tales and for that reason it readily appealed to this reader. You know without a shadow of a doubt that the miracle cure Rob offers to his cancer-riddled wife is going to end badly, but I doubt many people will see exactly where Light is heading with this until he gets there. Basically, this was a top notch, nasty story.

I have to admit to being surprised that a tale from the word processor of Edward Lorn would be so short, but CINDER BLOCK manages to be both sharp and to the point while leaving much for the reader to ponder about how we learn what love is.

And finally, there is Gregor Xane's LOVING THE GOAT. Let's just start with an acknowledgement that this one is way, way out there. It's by far the longest (actually being more of a novella than short story) and would be more accurately labelled bizarro than horror. But it is decidedly dark, and if you can get past the difficulties I had liking the protagonist (given what he does), then there is quite the strange and oddly compelling journey to be had.

All in all, I probably did not enjoy this one quite as much as I did Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror, but I still got a hell of a kick out of it. Given Dead Roses was out almost in time for Valentine's Day, I'm going to go right ahead and assume we can expect more holiday-themed collections from the authors in the very near future. The mind boggles wondering what they could do with a Thanksgiving collection, or one based around Independence Day ...

4 Parents Modelling Very Bad Examples for Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love.

This review is based on a free copy provided by Jason Parent, who did not even want an honest review in exchange for it. Well, he got one anyway! ...more

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Jan 27, 2020 Well Read Beard rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-books

Unfiltered Extreme Visceral Love. All the pain and desire wrapped in a 5 story collection.

This is a another engaging collection from Corpus press. Five different authors take on the loose theme of love. Different voices and different styles combine to create a circus of a reading experience. We dig deep into all the feelings: new love, old love, holding on, letting go, vengeance and regret.

Eleanor - Jason Parent - A platonic love turns improper. Vicious, jaw-drop ending.

Love Lies In Eyes - Evans ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Scot rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

A very solid 4 stars

Dead Roses is a great anthology collecting short stories from five great authors. Each story is about twisted love and each story is a bizarre love story, some of which are a bit taboo. These authors have once again combined their "powers" to create a very memorable book. Although each story is really good and allows the reader a glimpse into an odd relationship, the standout story in the his collection for me was the story by Evans Light. That story is very easily going to b ...more

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Feb 25, 2015 Peter rated it really liked it

I was first introduce to these author's in their ground breaking anthology Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror. They are back again with Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales Of Twisted Love. Each story is well written and has a unique style of it's own. These five tales from the dark side definitely proves that love hurts. Dead Roses is a one of a kind horror anthology that is a must read. I would highly recommend this book! ...more

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Apr 10, 2019 Thomas Strömquist rated it liked it

A mixed experience for me, I think I may be in a horror short story slump. The first story, Eleanor , was all right, but with a quite expected and not very effective ‘chilling’ ending. Love Lies In Eyes I enjoyed quite a lot, that held a good piece of claustrophobic stalker horror. Panacea was back to same old, same old again with no explanations, no logic and nothing new. Cinder Block is a good, melancholy, Bay’s End story that I really liked as much as the first time I read it (available in ...more

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Mar 08, 2015 Nev Murray rated it really liked it

Shelves: short-story-collections, 200-300-read, 2015, confessions-comp

This copy of Dead Roses was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer as part of a special article on the site for the books launch and in return for an honest review. This is that review.

I have been looking forward to this one for a long long time after hearing such good stories about this group’s previous collaboration, Bad Apples: 5 Slices of Halloween Horror. I have read all but one of these authors previously and already know they can produce some very powerful short stories.

ELEANOR BY JASON PARENT ...more

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Jun 14, 2015 Josh rated it really liked it

Bad Apples, the first anthology by these five indie horror heavyweights, was an auspicious one with strong potential to become a Halloween classic, and one of my favorite reads of 2014. Dead Roses has a looser theme, dealing as it does with “twisted love” in various forms and degrees, but rest assured it's just as strong as its predecessor. Each story is unique, yet fits alongside the others perfectly well (except for the last, but it sure as hell fits the theme.)

Jason Parent gets the ball rolli Bad Apples, the first anthology by these five indie horror heavyweights, was an auspicious one with strong potential to become a Halloween classic, and one of my favorite reads of 2014. Dead Roses has a looser theme, dealing as it does with “twisted love” in various forms and degrees, but rest assured it's just as strong as its predecessor. Each story is unique, yet fits alongside the others perfectly well (except for the last, but it sure as hell fits the theme.)

Jason Parent gets the ball rolling this time around with “Eleanor”, a tale of covetous love and a parent's protective nature gone horribly askew. Its subdued and poignant approach to the genre does well to get under the reader's skin, so to speak, and it's a good choice to start the book with.

“Love Lies in Eyes”, Evans Light's contribution, is peppered with his brand of black humor but is dead serious and moving in parts. In search of “The One”, its ordinary college dude protagonist becomes entangled with a decidedly extraordinary lover, marking the beginning of a vicious cycle with more than its fair share of heartache, heartbreak, and murder.

Adam Light's “Panacea” deals with terminal illness and the lengths we'd go to heal a loved one. Sometimes, unfortunately, those lengths just happen to be forced upon us and rife with unspeakable horror. This is by far the most visceral story up to this point, and will appease the bloody cravings of all you gorehounds out there.

Edward Lorn is up next with “Cinder Block”, a story in which the mentally unstable (to put it kindly) and spurned narrator conflates love, lust, possession, and violence with extreme abandon. It's a short, nasty little piece with a fitting title.

Lorn laid claim to the wildest story in Bad Apples, but in Dead Roses Gregor Xane goes way beyond what-the-hell-did-i-just read territory with “Loving the Goat”. It's another story with a fitting title, but one that gives only an inkling of what you're getting into. Covering a wide swath of genres, from gross-out horror to comedy to sci-fi to detective fiction, this one closes out the anthology on a bat-shit crazy note and a bang in more than one sense of the word.

As with any anthology, not all of the stories in Dead Roses will be to everyone's taste, but I urge all horror fans to pick this one up. It's well-written across the board, and provides a glimpse into the singular imaginations of five of today's most talented writers of horror. Here's hoping they keep going with this whole shared anthology thing, because this is the kind of stuff the genre needs more of. ...more

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Feb 20, 2015 Amber G rated it really liked it

I won this through a Goodread First Reads contest and thought I would review it. I loved the first three stories, but could have done without the last two. Very...weird. The stories are scary, funny, descriptive, imaginative, creative, and at times, kind of relatable. There were also some parts that i found a little too messed up (disturbing) for my taste. It did have me on the edge of my seat the entire time though, couldn't put it down =] I give it 4 stars because it was a great book, but the ...more

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May 16, 2015 Rodney rated it really liked it

4.5 stars. These authors are great together. I don't think the stories could have complimented each other any better. I should have read this sooner and will say that Bad Apples, their other anthology, has certainly moved up in my seemingly infinite TBR pile. My favorites here were Love Lies in the Eyes by Evans Light, Panacea by Adam Light, and Loving the Goat by Gregor Xane. I hope this bunch continues to do what they have done here, as I really enjoyed this. ...more

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Jan 18, 2017 Keith A rated it really liked it

A nice collection of horror love stories. My favorite was "Loving the Goat". A true heart felt love story that brought tears to my eyes. Reminds me of the line, "two way petting zoo" from the Office. I mean everyone loves their pets, right? ...more

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Mar 01, 2015 Pam Mooney rated it really liked it

Great stories that go well together yet the voices are original. I love the dark twist in each tale. Very compelling - each author makes you want to read the next. New to these authors but will be looking for and watching their work from now on. A good read!

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May 26, 2015 David rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Dead Roses was another fine horror anthology. A brief commentary on each:

Eleanor by Jason Parent - This one made me sad more than anything. Very well done and empathetic characters.

Love Lies in Eyes by Evans Light - My favorite of the collection. This could easily be the basis for a movie or at least a horror TV short if we only had some vehicles for that still.

Panacea by Adam Light - This one caught me by surprise. A sad story which really took I turn I didn't see. Very freaky but enjoyable!

Cin ...more

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Jan 19, 2016 Soraya Bowie rated it really liked it

There are five stories in this collection and I enjoyed the first four, however I did find number five to be a bit too much. It was a story that involved beastially, so if you are not comfortable reading about that then avoid the last story.

That aside I really enjoyed this collection, it really is twisted to say the least. My favorite story is definitely the second one. If you loved messed up love stories with lots of horror then this is the book for you.

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Jul 01, 2016 John Gibbons rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Well these guys would sure fuck up any Valentines Day, and it's much needed. Love is a messy thing. A dark thing. Unfortunately, most of the notions we have about love come from really crappy movies. You know the kind. Guy or gal falls in love at first sight with someone and they live happily ever after, blah blah blah. If you know that that relationship is bullshit than this is the book for you. In this collection you'll find stories of obsession, possession and goat love. All of the stories we ...more

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Apr 27, 2015 Joel Kleehammer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

After reading Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror, I knew I had to read this book. Evans Light, Adam Light, Gregor Xane, Jason Parent, and Edward Lorn returned for another trip down creepy lane. Just like Bad Apples, I got this book because Gregor Xane is in it. Having Adam and Evans Light in it just makes it that much better. I enjoyed every page of every story in this book.

ELEANOR, by Jason Parent: Sick and twisted, and not completely unlike the story of "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles, ...more

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Apr 01, 2018 lee_readsbooks rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle, anthology

I am a huge fan of the Bad Apples books so I was so excited to read this and get some more short stories from a bunch of extremely talented writers.

Evens Light and Adam Light wrote entertaining, slightly chilling, and beyond creepy romantic tales that I really enjoyed reading. I'm yet to find something either of them have written that I haven't liked.

Awesome Awesome Awesome story from Edward Lorn, I know how much he dislikes romance so the twist he puts on his tale is great I think this story i ...more

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Mar 28, 2016 Tamara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

These five guys ...

... Rock together! Another perverted antho from some sick authors that put together deviant tales. Sound up your alley? Mine too. Of course, I always have a fave story or two in any collection. Pick up a copy and decide which of these love stories turns you on the most.

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Apr 03, 2018 J. Peter W. rated it really liked it

A great collection of five stories that are dark and weird and delightful. The two that really stood out to me were 'Eleanor' and 'Loving the Goat'. Gregor Xane continues to impress me. ...more

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Feb 28, 2018 C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, creepy, drama, horror, revenge, thriller, suspense

Pretty great short stories, I think the one by Adam Light was set in Jacksonville Florida, I recognized the landmarks, Orange Park and Blanding.

great job guys

Cherie

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Oct 30, 2015 Jen Light rated it it was amazing

I've only read one of the stories from this book so far, Panacea By Adam Light. I have to say that I really enjoyed the story. I've been wanting to read the story since it came out but the author just happens to be my husband...and let's just say that I have to sleep next to him and I do not always want to know what is going on in that head of his...so I'm slowy getting the courage up to read his stories :) I'm easily creeped out but I'm coming around..lol. My only complaint is that you wrote ab ...more

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About Evans Light

Evans Light

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Evans Light is author of Screamscapes: Tales of Terror, the upcoming I Am Halloween, and more. He is editor of Doorbells at Dusk and the ongoing In Darkness, Delight horror anthology series, and is co-creator of Bad Apples: Halloween Horrors and Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love.

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