Friday, February 15, 2019

Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked by Christa Carmen Review

Book Cover Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked by Christa Carmen

A young woman’s fears regarding the gruesome photos appearing on her cell phone prove justified in a ghastly and unexpected way. A chainsaw-wielding Evil Dead fan defends herself against a trio of undead intruders. A bride-to-be comes to wish that the door between the physical and spiritual worlds had stayed shut on All Hallows’ Eve. A lone passenger on a midnight train finds that the engineer has rerouted them toward a past she’d prefer to forget. A mother abandons a life she no longer recognizes as her own to walk up a mysterious staircase in the woods.

In her debut collection, Christa Carmen combines horror, charm, humor, and social critique to shape thirteen haunting, harrowing narratives of women struggling with both otherworldly and real-world problems. From grief, substance abuse, and mental health disorders, to a post-apocalyptic exodus, a seemingly sinister babysitter with unusual motivations, and a group of pesky ex-boyfriends who won’t stay dead, Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked is a compelling exploration of horrors both supernatural and psychological, and an undeniable affirmation of Carmen’s flair for short fiction.

Goodreads | Better World Books | Amazon | Unnerving Press

Cat’s Teaser Revew

Carmen’s use of prose, usually awash with gothic tones, struck me as unequivocally beautiful. I got lost in several tales, some of which brought along some deeper meaning about the unpleasant struggles of life. Drug addiction played a significant role in more than one story, and it often struck me as an antagonist – or a monster – in its own right.

Click here to see Cat’s full review on Red Lace Reviews

Toni’s Teaser Review

Something Borrowed, Something Blood Soaked was a very personal and cathartic collection which drags you through the true horror that is addiction and recovery.

Click here to see Toni’s full review on The Misadventures Of A Reader 

Emily’s Teaser Review

Whatever Christa Carmen does next will be great, and I can’t wait to read more from her! Something Borrowed Something Blood-Soaked was an entertaining collection.

Click here to see Emily’s full review on Goodreads

Alex’s Teaser Review

. . . all thirteen stories in the collection resonate with me on a horror-loving level and I truly recommend this collection! 5 stars for me on this excellent book!

Click here to Alex’s full review on Findingmontauk

About Christa Carmen

Author Photo Christa Carmen

Christa Carmen lives in Westerly, Rhode Island with her husband and a beagle who rivals her in stubbornness. Her short stories have appeared in WolfSinger Publications’ Just Desserts, the DreamFusion anthology, The Book of the Macabre, Devolution Z Horror Magazine, Jitter Press, Corner Bar Magazine,  Literally Stories, Fiction on the Web, the J.J. Outré Review,  pennyshorts, and Dark Fire Fiction. “Four Souls of Eve” is available through Frith Books as a standalone eBook, and is soon to appear in their All Hallows’ anthology, and her gothic ghost story took Best in Genre for Thriller/Horror in wordhaus’ Trick-or-Treat Fall Story Contest. Christa has work forthcoming in Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2, Alban Lake Publishing’s Only the Lonely, Mad Scientist Journal, Anotherealm, Blood Moon Rising, Black Ice Magazine, and Tales to Terrify. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and psychology, and a master’s degree from Boston College in counseling psychology. Christa works for Pfizer in Clinical Trial Packaging, and at a local hospital as a mental health clinician. 

On Halloween 2016, Christa was married at the historic and haunted Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (yes, the inspiration for Stephen King’s ‘The Shining!’). When she’s not writing, she’s volunteering with one of several organizations that aim to maximize public awareness and seek solutions to the ever-growing opioid crisis by connecting the southern RI and southeastern CT region to information, treatment, and additional resources through social media, other media platforms (radio, television), and community events.

Keep up to date with Christa at her website: http://www.christacarmen.com

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