Lead Me Into Darkness (Jaime’s review)

Title: Lead Me Into Darkness: Five Halloween Tales of Paranormal Romance
Author: Santino Hassell, J.R. Gray, Kris Ripper, J.C. Lillis, and Roan Parrish
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 29, 2015
Genre(s): M/M Paranormal
Page Count:
Reviewed by: JLoves2Read for Gay Book Reviews and Alpha Book Club
Heat Level: 3 flames out of 5
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Lead Me Into Darkness: Five Halloween Tales of Paranormal Romance

All-Hallows-Eve brings out the wicked in even the most reserved among us… and the lure of romance is the keenest incentive to follow a beloved into the unknown. Lead Me Into Darkness is a compilation of original tales of queer paranormal romance by five of the hottest authors of contemporary romance.

Take You Farther by Santino Hassell
Brian Watts’ boyfriend is a newly turned vampire, and he’s shouldering the blame. Watts would do anything–including offering up a vein, stripping for cash, and demanding answers from other creatures of the night–to redeem himself and save the man he loves.

Memory Hill by J.C. Lillis
Billy Hartigan’s been dead for ten years, and it’s really pissing him off. Stuck in Memory Hill Cemetery due to “unfinished business,” he fritters away the long days playing monster movies in his head, reliving the glory days of his indie band, and mourning his missed chance at love with his best friend. Then one Halloween he gets a visit from troubled teen geek Todd Racklin, the last living fan of Billy’s old band. Todd needs some beyond-the-grave help from his idol–and his visits might hold the key to Billy’s release from Memory Hill.

Grave Circumstances by J.R. Gray
Secret agendas collide with guns, ghosts and confusing erections, on a tour through a haunted graveyard. Jesse’s been carrying a secret and needs a night alone with George. But George has his own agenda, leading Jesse into darkness, the fright of his life, and a blinding release he won’t soon forget.

Boyfriends in the Boneyard by Kris Ripper
In a perfect world, Truman Jennings would be spending Halloween with both his husband and his boyfriend; alas, in this one he’s on a ghost tour with his husband, and his boyfriend is probably watching scary movies and eating pizza rolls.
The cemetery is appropriately creepy, their tour guide weaves a good yarn, and Hugh’s in a very odd (but utterly delightful) mood. When Hugh leads him away from the group Truman doesn’t know what to think, but considering his husband’s filthy, kinky mind, he’s more than willing to find out. As usual, Hugh has both tricks and treats up his sleeve.

Mayfair by Roan Parrish This book was not Reviewed
Jocelyn has been secretly in love with her best friend Bethany for a year. And it’s hell. But there are other things—dark, creeping, illusory things—that are tormenting Jocelyn even more. They’ve been appearing more and more lately and Jocelyn is starting to doubt her sanity. But a Devil’s Night ritual in a Detroit cemetery may reveal more than she ever imagined…

This is a great collection of fun reads that fits right in with the time of year it’s being released, Halloween. I have to admit that all of these authors were new to me but I enjoyed them all and will look to read work from them in the future. So starting in order as they appear in the book let me give you a little feedback on each book, ready?

Take You Farther by Santino Hassell 3 Stars
This book takes place in the paranormal playground of the United States, yes – that’s right, New Orleans! So right away, you have to love the story because no paranormal story can go wrong in the magical city. I felt a bit lost in this book because as I came to realize it’s a spin off from Stygian so not having read that story I came in at a loss. I have to say this is one of my pet peeves from authors, don’t put a book in an anthology that the reader is not able to fully enjoy without reading a prior book. However, I was still able to enjoy the story – I just think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous book.

Memory Hill by J.C. Lillis 4 Stars
This story had me laughing. First, we have ghost who is trapped because he didn’t tell his best friend he loved him, unfinished business and all.. and I love the creative wordplay of “Memory Hill Cemetery” where Billy is forced to relive and mourn all the areas in his life he either messed up or missed an opportunity. The way poor Billy get’s “un-stuck” is very creative and adds to the story well. This really was a great little story.

Grave Circumstances by J.R. Gray 2 Stars
I am going to be brutally honest here, because I feel like that is how reviews should be done-right? The highlight of this story was a very-very hot sex scene, beyond that I fee this story really needs to head back to the editing room. There were so many time jumps and lapses I was unable to fully follow this story. I feel like I missed so much because I got frustrated with it. However, I think if it was reworked a bit it would be great.

Boyfriends in the Boneyard by Kris Ripper 3.5 Stars
HOT. SEX. GRAVEYARD. MENAGE – Twisted, but very well written. I enjoyed this book second most out of the Anthology. It has a hot premise easy to follow and is a quick fun read.

Mayfair by Roan Parrish -Did Not Read
This book was not reviewed simply because its f/f — Sorry.