Title: It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered
Author: Scott Hendricks
Genre: Mystery/lesbian
ISBN: 978-0-557-48054-8

D. Harlan Wilson returns with another ferociously mindbending collection of short fiction. Masked in absurdity, these stories reveal the horrifying an...mBlThe story: Carla Banks and Lori Williams are two roommates who share more than just a living space: their steamy evenings together ignite feelings of desire within each of them. After reuniting with Gloria, an old friend, the three of them head to Carla's parents' anniversary party at a resort. At the party, emotions run high, lovers are betrayed, and chaos ensues when a string of bloody murders breaks out! Disturbingly, the killer seems to have an eye on Carla and Lori!

Review: How much do I enjoy it when men write books with sex in them? So much. See, women tend to forget the plot and focus on satisfying their own sopping vaginas. Scott Hendricks, on the other hand, is a master at keeping the reader hooked and guessing with tight plot, fast-moving action, and danger around every corner.

While the more intelligent reader might have a shot at guessing the ending, I was totally shocked.

What impressed me most was Gloria's backstory. I ended up falling in love with the character because of how sympathetic I felt for her.

The plot totally WOW'd me, but the writing style left a few things to be desired. The dialogue sounded slightly unnatural at times and on an average, there were more syntax errors than one would find in a book published through a press. Overall, I'd give this book three stars.

They Had Goat Heads by D. Harlan Wilson

Title: They Had Goat Heads
Author: D. Harlan Wilson
ISBN: 0982628129 (isbn13: 9780982628126)

D. Harlan Wilson returns with another ferociously mindbending collection of short fiction. Masked in absurdity, these stories reveal the horrifying an...mBlBlurb: D. Harlan Wilson returns with another ferociously mindbending collection of short fiction. Masked in absurdity, these stories reveal the horrifying and hilarious faces of everyday life. Wilson tells of egg raids, hog rippers, monk spitters, fathers who take their children to pet stores to buy them whales, sociopaths who threaten to clothesline eternity, and the simple act of the story itself becoming a means of repetitive, endless torture. Put on your goat head, hop in your hovercraft, and take a ride with a juggernaut of modern imaginative fiction.

Review: It's extremely rare that I genuinely dislike a piece of fiction. So why did I dislike They Had Goat Heads? I think the answer lies in the definition of fiction.

Plot. Characters. All that jazz. In these short stories, the elements of fiction are barely discernible. The moment some semblance of plot begins to pop up, it's killed instantly by a random slew of profanity or nonsense. This weird hybrid between bad poetry and schizophrenic prose is "repetitive, endless torture" to sit through. Don't waste your money.

I'm going to two-star this one because the story "Quality of Life" managed to save it for a moment.

A Different Hunger - dark fantasy by Lila Richards

Title: A Different Hunger
Author: Lila Richards
Genre: Dark fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-877546-40-2
Price: 6.99
Publisher: Bluewood Publishing
Author blurb: In 1875 Rufus de Hunte falls in love with Serafina Radzinskaya, only
to discover she is a vampire. Torn between love and horror, he becomes embroiled
in an ancient vendetta in an attempt to save the love of his life.

Alright, that was the easy part. Now I have to synthesize my thoughts on this book, but it's a little hard to figure out where to start. I was impressed, I was really impressed. This was an entertaining read to say the least.

The first thing that came to mind as I read the first couple of chapters was, "I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said 'you're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air'." Excuse my silliness, but it fits--after Rufus's father finds out he has an illegal duel pending, he plans to have the boy sent to his uncle's place in New Zealand so that any trouble he causes can't reflect poorly upon the family name. It's a quite amusing start to the novel, for those who can see the humor in it. After that plot device kicks off the story, though, it embarks on a 166-page journey of riveting romance and intense character development.

I can see Rufus becoming a reader favorite for most people who pick up this book--he's chivalrous, kind, and lovable. I, however, was really taken with Serafina. In essence, she's Rufus's matched opposite: impulsive, capricious, fiery, and a tad libertine. Too many times I've seen today's paranormal romance retreat back into the dark ages in terms of the characterization of their females--timid, submissive types are on the rise, but Lila Richards has really succeeded in giving Serafina a mind of her own and a strong-willed personality to boot.

And backstory. One thing that's hard to pull off in a novel is backstory, but these vampires have really hit the nail on the head. Serafina's backstory, as well as that of her creator, Anton Springer, really make you understand why the characters are the way they are.

Next topic: villains. If you're one of those people who looks forward to meeting the villains when you read the book, you're going to like the ones Richards presents. The principal villain, who Serafina, Rufus, and Anton must eventually face, is totally vile, but somehow, you kinda want to be like her. Her characterization just appeals to the twisted desires of the human id that we all have. To me, that's the mark of a well-developed villain.

And I won't spoil the ending here or anything, but I was really satisfied with the way the three main characters got their conclusions.

I said I was going to be honest with this first review of a current book, maybe even scathingly and brutally so, and I hate to disappoint you and myself, but I honestly and truly have nothing bad to say about A Different Hunger. If I were you, I'd definitely shell out the seven bucks to get this book.