Bump in the Night in Riptide Publishing

Oct 11, 2013 Vanessa North rated it really liked it

I almost missed out on this book because I "don't read horror." Seriously, I don't, and it's because anything that contributes to my already over the top anxiety is generally not good for me, so I avoid horror books and horror movies.

But I love several of the authors involved in this project, so, armed with my guard dog and a glass of wine, I dug in. :)

The first story, Resurrection Man, is a Frankenstein-type tale. I have never read Laylah Hunter before, and I enjoyed this introduction to her wo I almost missed out on this book because I "don't read horror." Seriously, I don't, and it's because anything that contributes to my already over the top anxiety is generally not good for me, so I avoid horror books and horror movies.

But I love several of the authors involved in this project, so, armed with my guard dog and a glass of wine, I dug in. :)

The first story, Resurrection Man, is a Frankenstein-type tale. I have never read Laylah Hunter before, and I enjoyed this introduction to her work. It was sensual and a little scary, but not too much. I really felt a sense of Josef's desperation and Adel's need for warmth and comfort.

The second story, Mating Season, is a tentacle monster story by Kari Gregg. I've read stories by Kari in the past, and IIRC, all the ones I've read had some kind of kinky taboo to them. This story was creepy, and hot and I sort of love tentacle stories, so this was definitely one of my favorites in the collection.

Flesh and Song by Ally Blue was interesting, with vivid imagery and a sense of desperate loneliness and mindless devotion. The timeline however, stretching over months but told in a short story, never really gelled for me. I know there was a sense of being lost to time, lost to ambition, but I never really felt a sense of it beyond the MC's confusion. I still enjoyed the story, but think perhaps that particular aspect of it, though effective, made it harder to connect.

Out from Under by Brien Michaels--more tentacles! The last time I read something by Brien, it scared the hell out of me, so I was a little nervous about this one. The imagery in this story is bright and intense, almost like a comic book--in fact, my brain filled in the imagery with comic-style graphics and it really, really worked for me. I loved it.

Sleeping with Ghosts was my favorite story in this collection, and also my first time reading Peter Hansen. The best word I can think of to describe this story is "atmospheric." It was haunting and measured, and the worldbuilding was *just* right. Not too much to make the story feel rushed, but enough to really draw you in and give you a feel for the social and religious dynamics involved. SO. GOOD.

Blasphemer, Sinner, Saint by Heidi Belleau and Sam Schooler. I love these ladies, and was so excited to read something they wrote together. Now, another review I read referred to part of this story as "shocking" because it took place in a church. Being raised in a secular home, I didn't find it so much shocking as "fitting," both for the story and for a bit of social commentary. For centuries, churches have manipulated their own flocks through fear--whether through fear of hell or fear of social ostracization. It seemed only fitting for a church to figure prominently in this story which dealt with both a fear of social condemnation and dealing with the moral responsibility inherent in passing judgment on another. Good shit, this.

Overall, I give the collection 4 stars and recommend for just about anyone. :)

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Oct 15, 2013 Thomaidha Papa rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, anthology

4 Hearts
Review written for MM Good book Reviews
Follow the link for Riptide's ‘Bump in the Night’ Blog Tour and Author Giveaway!

Review:
So, I’ve been reading anthologies lately and almost all of them have this thing in common. No, not the theme (that is a given) rather the fact that after a while all the stories in the anthology seem the same, no unique ones to make a stand, a very few grab your attention. They are nice, but you forget them after a day or two.

But this one, oh my God, this antholog ...more

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Aug 08, 2017 SarahBeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: mm-romance, mm-demons

"Resurrection Man" by Laylah Hunter - 2.5 stars

"Mating Season" by Kari Gregg - 4 stars

"Flesh and Song" by Ally Blue - 3 stars

"Out From Under" by Brien Michaels - 3 stars

"Sleeping With Ghosts" by Peter Hansen - 2.5 stars

"Blasphemer, Sinner, Saint" by Heidi Belleau and Sam Schooler -4 stars ...more

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