My Favorite August Reads

I made it, I’m here y’all! Six days late but here we are. I’m still getting the hang of this blog thing. Anyway! August was DARK! I read a ton of horror that involved darker themes such as murder, death, and trauma. An honorable mention is Briardark, but it didn’t quite make it on the list. Now, before I crown my number one pick let me tell you to read all content warnings. If you’d love to read Library At Mount Char but have triggers i will give you a heads-up. Intense acts of violence, violence against kids, murder, gore, blood, death, assault, SA (caught me off guard)

i don’t have triggers and don’t read them, so I just grimaced and turned the page. LAMC is a horror book. I know some will say it’s dark sci-fi fantasy but there are horrific moments )in my opinion) that catapult this into the horror genre. It’s by no means extreme horror but it toed the boundary.

Midnight Rooms is another you must understand from the beginning, it is gothic horror darning on the jagged rim of Dark Romance. Which remember, is seldom healthy. If you don’t read said sub-genre great, move along. The other two are light romance reads I thoroughly enjoyed. No complaints. There might be one or two acts of violence in each book but nothing heavy.

I adored these books for my emotional response. Each novel pulled a visceral reaction from me and that’s what I call good storytelling. It’s my type of glorious word weaving. I will say the ending in LAMC left a sour taste on my tongue, and maybe that’s what the author wanted, I have no idea. I wanted blood-stained justice and didn’t get it. BUT! My expectations are a me problem, not an author problem.

With the talking bits done, I wanna give that five outta five, number one spot to Midnight Rooms. I have to! I was smelling mold and drinking down honey thick tea. it was a terrific dive into a surreal fantasy world with many secrets and some were left shrouded in mystery. Whatever this author writes i will buy!

Midnight Rooms By Donyae Coles

This! This and this! Midnight Rooms almost feels like a deconstruction of the Gothic genre and I for one lovvvved it! As we all know, I adore horror and all things creepy. The blurb for MIdnight Rooms grabbed me by the neck. From the first few lines I knew I’d devour this novel, and I did just that. Eleven hours, with a full-time work schedule. I tore it up!

Midnight Rooms follows Orebella, a young woman who is married and whisked away by a rich gentleman named Elias Blakersby. She is tossed into a world of mold, ruin, and the unwell. We witness Orebella spiral as she takes to her new life as wife and Lady of Korringhill Manor.

This is a dark gothic romance, and heavy on the DARK. Some have stated they’d consider some aspects extreme horror. I would not because I have read EH a few times. If I had to rate the horror in this book I’d give it two skulls for unsettling depictions of gore, blood, and one scene of grotesque violence. I loved Midnight Rooms for its supernatural atmosphere, creepy family ties, and secrets. Are all those secrets exposed? No, But I think the most important ones are given enough airtime. This mystique adds to the world Donyae crafted and expands it.

She put her foot in it! As black folks would say, mainly about food, but hear me out, it works here too. Thanks to the author’s attention to detail, I was fully immersed and invested. Midnight Rooms had me smacking my lips, glaring, and cussing.

As I have said this is a dark romance, if you aren’t acquainted with said genre, i do not read this book, please. Midnight Rooms deserves more than, “not my cup of tea”. Dark romance is just that. Elias and Orebella are rough, tumble, sharp, and a subplot. But, as a romance girlie too, I enjoyed it. As with most things in this lovely, horrifying fairy tale show. I felt mildew and mold on my skin, I inhaled tallow and was scared for poor Orebella most of the time.

If you like your Gothic read rotting from the inside out, by all means, give Midnight Rooms a chance. Please, this book deserves more readers. It is incredibly important to support Black authors who write horror, as our piece is so very small in this world. We need more support for scifi, paranormal, and horror writers to be honest. Our voices belong in every genre.

CW: Blood, gore, dubious consent, assault by others than the MMC, violence, possible incest, murder, drugging, and cannibalism

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I Know I’m In For It

Y’all, I don’t know what the fuck is going onnnnnnn…I mean, I do, but I don’t. I’ve already read some terrible shit and this early in, I know it is only going to get worse. This is like cosmic horror, sci-fi, and fantasy in one package. I love that, but mannnn…it is NOT bad by any means. This is kinda artful, actually. Grotesque at times, some scenes have made my stomach churn. I will give y’all a review in a bit. Shiaaat! This is shaping up to be some mess. I know mess when I see it.

If you’ve read LaMC what is your overall rating???

Horror and Heartstrings

I had a great time this month! And as you can see it’s a mishmash of romance and horror. Two genres I hold dear. I will say, the horror reads were fairly light, nothing too creepy or bleak.

Though, hold up, How to Sell a Haunted House?
Pupkin was a fucking menace and a horrible twisted thing. I know what he truly was but STILL, come onnnn, he was a maniac. He moved mean and did it because he wanted to, because the lil shit thought it was funny.
I woulda tossed his rabid and ratty ass in a WOODCHIPPER! Time to play! Fuck you! And don’t even get me started on the Juggernaut puppet. Holy hellscape, this book was more funny than scary. A bit unnerving if you hate dolls, puppets, and the like. Folks terrified of Slappy from Goosebumps might throw this book across the room and flee in terror.
As for me? It takes something more to rattle my bones. Eg. The Ritual, War of the Worlds, The Willows, and Kane Pixels Backrooms made my guts bubble. I didn’t wanna go to sleep after reading/watching that shit. I don’t want it on my brain, feeding sleep demons or whatever.
Because, you know, like a normal person, I love consuming horror media right before bed.
What a dimwitted badass!
Anyway, liminal space, alien invasion and folk horror give me absolute chills. Creature features, cursed/haunted objects and such, are a good time, I love reading them.
With that said, I rec most of the books here. If you love vampires and monsterfuckery then PLEASE, I implore you to devour Velvet Steel. And if you enjoy lighthearted alien romances, Contagion is delightful. Oh! And if mm is more your jam, The Stallion Ridge series is a fantasy western with spurs, saddles and heart. Give it a shot.

Shifter Cotton Candy

I’m not taking this book seriously at all. It’s cute, fun and sexy. Just a little 25k novella. Nothing too much. It’s a release, a cleanser, a break, and freedom. Low plot, cozy, and warm. Letting other ideas flow and float while writing a series saves my sanity.
This one doesn’t even have a title yet. A himbo lamia (MMC/35), and a chameleon shifter nerd (FMC/40) have crossed paths thanks to the FMC escaping death. I have no idea where they’re going, but I know the FMC has to stay alive long enough for me to find out. Two idiots falling in love. My favorite trope.
Zion and Scrap! Sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S my ass to everyone who tries to gatekeep when it comes to older FMCs and romantasy!

Fat Women Belong In Every Genre

I don’t care what y’all say. We belong in every trope and genre. We should have space in the fictional world. I hate how folks tend to erase our existence. I started reading a certain paranormal series and all the FMCs HAD to be fit and thin to become a mate. This turned me off. Because women come in ALLL shapes and sizes. And they should be represented. As an author, I understand, we are free to write what we want.

I know that.

And as readers, we are free to read (or not) whatever we want.

My issue here is not with the author, it’s with how thin and fat bodies are portrayed. Good vs Evil. It’s absolutely INFURIATING. Please, give me a good reason why. Beyond what others perceive as beautiful and what society has told you is an acceptable physique, why must a character be thin? Why?

This is why we write and are so vocal about body-positive representation. They want us to sit in a corner and be friends who never get the guy/girl/them. They’d rather we stay the funny fat friend and nothing more. I love how self-publishing has given us the freedom to be loud and happy.

Trad pubs hate footing the bill for us. Nowadays, since the movement is over and done (money-wise). They’re back to sneering at fat main characters. Well, I say fuck them and anyone else who thinks we don’t belong in certain genres.

FAT FMCs ARE ALLOWED TO EXIST IN A MIDDLE EARTH-DYSTOPIAN-WESTERN-RGENECY ROMANCE-SEASIDE-SCIFI ALIEN-HORROR BOOKS DAMN IT!