Book picks similar to
The Couvade by Joanna Koch
horror
ebook
fiction
lgbt
Strange Grace
Tessa Gratton - 2018
The legend says they loved each other, but can the story be trusted at all? Find out in this lush, atmospheric fantasy novel that entwines love, lies, and sacrifice.Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devil’s Forest. Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early. Bound by duty, secrets, and the love they share for one another, Mairwen, a spirited witch; Rhun, the expected saint; and Arthur, a restless outcast, will each have a role to play as the devil demands a body to fill the bargain. But the devil these friends find is not the one they expect, and the lies they uncover will turn their town—and their hearts—inside out.
In the Hills Above the Gristmill
Kalvin Ellis - 2020
After the tragic death of her mother, Paisley began to see her anxiety-induced hyper-focus as a strength. She has used this focus to become a paranormal investigator with an up and coming web series that she hopes will propel her into becoming an expert in her field. Hollis Grimm is a charismatic preacher from the small Appalachian mining town of Grey Water Ridge. When he contacts Paisley to help shine some light on the mysterious mutilation of seven women in the woods outside of town, she is on the first flight out. The locals believe God has sent a creature to punish the town for its sins, and this has captured Paisley’s attention more than the preacher or the murders themselves. The preacher, an outsider turned sheriff, an heiress and internet celebrity, a man obsessed with the past, an old-timer with an ax to grind, an obsessed fan, and a growing number of bodies stand between Paisley and the truth. After digging into the dark secrets of the town’s history and discovering a strange pattern she must decide what is more dangerous, the monster in the woods, or the people who believe in him. If she isn't careful, she will not be leaving Grey Water Ridge with the story, let alone her life.
Shifters
Edward Lee - 2005
transitive: sciff: to mutate, and tannin: one who. Modern English translation: SHIFTER Richard Locke is a poet. He hasn't written much since Clare, the woman he was going to propose to, told him she wasn't in love with him anymore. Captain Jack Cordesman is investigating a series of murders in which the victims appear to have been partially eaten. So far the only evidence linking these murders are the red, female hairs found at the crime scenes and a bar napkin with one of Locke's poems scribbled on it. With a rundown mansion, priceless automobiles, and guest houses filled with brutalities the likes of which you'll never forget, Shifters is full of fun time gore...and monsters.
Daphne Byrne #1
Laura Marks - 2020
The sudden death of her father has left her alone with her irresponsible, grief-stricken mother-who becomes easy prey for a group of occultists promising to contact her dead husband. While fighting to disentangle her mother from these charlatans, Daphne begins to sense a strange, insidious presence in her own body...an entity with unspeakable appetites. What does “Brother” want? And could she even stop him if she tried?
The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror
Mallory Ortberg - 2018
Lavery comes a collection of darkly mischievous stories based on classic fairy tales. Adapted from his beloved "Children's Stories Made Horrific" series, The Merry Spinster takes up the trademark wit that endeared Lavery to readers of both The Toast and his best-selling debut Texts from Jane Eyre. The feature become among the most popular on the site, with each entry bringing in tens of thousands of views, as the stories proved a perfect vehicle for Lavery’s eye for deconstruction and destabilization. Sinister and inviting, familiar and alien all at the same time, The Merry Spinster updates traditional children's stories and fairy tales with elements of psychological horror, emotional clarity, and a keen sense of feminist mischief.Readers of The Toast will instantly recognize Lavery's boisterous good humor and uber-nerd swagger: those new to Lavery's oeuvre will delight in his unique spin on fiction, where something a bit mischievous and unsettling is always at work just beneath the surface.Unfalteringly faithful to its beloved source material, The Merry Spinster also illuminates the unsuspected, and frequently, alarming emotional complexities at play in the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, as we tuck ourselves in for the night.Bedtime will never be the same.The daughter cells --The thankless child --Fear not: an incident log --The six boy-coffins --The rabbit --The merry spinster --The wedding party --Some of us had been threatening our friend Mr.Toad --Cast your bread upon the waters --The frog's princess --Good fences make good neighbors
Three Incidents at Foster Manor
P.T. Phronk - 2019
An apocalyptic storm. Whispering voices in the air. She was right to fear the worst-case scenario. Amy Burnett has been buried in her work as a security expert. She likes it that way—her dark past can’t invade her thoughts as long as she stays holed up in her office. So why the heck has she ended up at a gothic mansion’s doorstep in the middle of the night? It’s because Craig Foster summoned her there. Amy’s company built the sealed chamber in his basement, for any worrisome worst-case scenario, but now the safe room has presented a scenario of its own: Craig’s daughter is trapped inside. It should be a quick fix. After all, what’s the worst thing that can happen when a stranger arrives at a remote mansion on a stormy night? An impossible mystery? A haunting? A visit from the lurking strangers in the woods? Surely not all three—that would require extraordinarily bad luck. Unfortunately, Amy’s been short on luck lately. Three Incidents at Foster Manor will keep you guessing until the end with a twist-filled, fast-paced, genre-blending mix of mystery, ghost story, thriller, and cosmic horror that will chill you to the core. This is a standalone story, but also acts as a sequel to P.T. Phronk's previous mystery, The Arborist. "Full of interesting characters, twists and scares, it will keep you off-balance all the way to the end!" —Franny "I'm always down some ghostly fun but then the fun dial twisted and wow." —Amazon Reviewer "If you like reading stories somewhat reminiscent of The Twilight Zone this is for you." —Alanna Patterson
Two Truths and a Lie
Sarah Pinsker - 2020
But he does remember. And so does her mom. So why doesn’t Stella? The more she investigates the show and the grip it has on her hometown, the eerier the mystery grows.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps
Kai Ashante Wilson - 2015
With his ancestors' artifacts in hand, the Sorcerer follows the Captain, a beautiful man with song for a voice and hair that drinks the sunlight.The two of them are the descendants of the gods who abandoned the Earth for Heaven, and they will need all the gifts those divine ancestors left to them to keep their caravan brothers alive.The one safe road between the northern oasis and southern kingdom is stalked by a necromantic terror. Demane may have to master his wild powers and trade humanity for godhood if he is to keep his brothers and his beloved captain alive.
Wedding Tiers / Sowing Secrets / Chocolate Wishes
Trisha Ashley - 2013
It seems like it’s going to be always the cakemaker, never the bride until charming photographer Noah arrives on the scene…Sowing Secrets tells the story of Fran, who seems to have it all with her lovely husband and cottage in the country. That is until ex-boyfriend Tom turns up and Fran’s perfect world is turned upside down.Life is sweet for chocolate maker Chloe in Chocolate Wishes. That is until the new vicar Raffy arrives in the village; Chloe’s first love and the man who broke her heart…
Sickness Behind Young Eyes
Jack Lewis - 2015
It doesn't matter how much horror he has seen though, because nobody will believe him. He has never been able to prove it, until now. He gets a letter from a man desperate for help. A village is being haunted. Nobody dares speak of it, and those who do are visited by something terrible. A dark horror is at work here, and Jeremiah wants to get to the heart of it. Ella is a university student obsessed with her work, but she's slipping. Her attempts to keep hold of her dreams lead her to a remote Scottish village with a dark history, where a tragedy has cast a shadow over the streets. Beneath this village lies a horrific secret, and those who uncover it will wish they hadn't. What kind of evil is at work here, and what is terrifying the people so much? What's the deal with the creepy cottage and the woods that lurk just beyond it? This is the beginning of a new horror series from the author of the Fear the Dead.
Time Was
Ian McDonald - 2018
Brought together by a secret project designed to hide British targets from German radar, the two founded a love that could not be revealed. When the project went wrong, Tom and Ben vanished into nothingness, presumed dead. Their bodies were never found.Now the two are lost in time, hunting each other across decades, leaving clues in books of poetry and trying to make their disparate timelines overlap.
The Stone
Seb L. Carter - 2017
Seven years ago, Liam’s father picked up a gun, killed his family then himself. Liam was left behind to carry the burden and the guilt. Now Liam only wants to finish college and live a normal life. But when he is handed a stone, a stone that appears plain, he is catapulted into an unknown world of mystery and magic……and mayhem. A CIA agent finds himself a part of something with more secrets than the government he works for. Patrick possesses a psychic ability to find people. Coerced to find Liam, their first meeting reawakens an ancient connection. Together, they find themselves in the midst of a culling, the destruction of a secret society formed millennia ago. Destiny unites a group of strangers to face an antediluvian evil that has the world as its prize. The Stone is a paranormal, urban fantasy adventure that involves a secret agent, a law man, and a gay guy who becomes a hero. This novel features an LGBT relationship with a low-heat romantic subplot. 142,000 words
Vicious
Brandon Massey - 2006
. .The night is full of wild things...When Kym Phillips embarks on a road trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles to take her younger sister to college, she's anticipating an opportunity to bond with her sister and a chance to see the country. And as an accomplished, single professional with her thirtieth birthday only a week away and no marriage prospects in sight, Kym is looking forward to some quiet time to reflect on the frustrating course of her love life.Waiting for them...He roams the lonely highways and barren canyons of the Southwest. Leader of a pack of vicious minions, he hunts the night for travelers far from home... for prey.Deep into their journey, Kym realizes that someone is following them. Someone with an uncanny predator's instinct. Someone with a sick hunger for blood. Someone who, no matter what they do to escape, is utterly relentless...Explosive, lightning-paced, and impossible to put down, this is Brandon Massey at his thrilling best.
The Red Tree
Caitlín R. Kiernan - 2009
Within its walls she discovers an unfinished manuscript written by the house's former tenant--an anthropologist obsessed with the ancient oak growing on a desolate corner of the property.Tied to local legends of supernatural magic, as well as documented accidents and murders, the gnarled tree takes root in Sarah's imagination, prompting her to write her own account of its unsavory history.And as the oak continues to possess her dreams and nearly almost all her waking thoughts, Sarah risks her health and her sanity to unearth a revelation planted centuries ago...
Forbid the Sea
Seanan McGuire - 2013
But even a King can get lonely...When Tybalt meets a Selkie stranger named Dylan, it seems almost inevitable that they should become entangled with each other—the lonely King and the man without friends or family in London were virtually designed to be together. But sadly, designs can only hold for as long as they are left alone, and when the Undersea inevitably arrives looking for their missing son, Tybalt will have to choose. His Kingdom, or Dylan?Either way, he loses.