Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Not Your Typical Hallmark

 

TITLE: To Hell with Hallmark
AUTHOR: Brad Ricks
PUBLISHER: Unveiling Nightmares Press
PUBLISHING DATE: November 15, 2024
PAGES: 228   
SOURCE: Kindle Unlimited


FROM GOODREADS: Welcome to Hallmark, Vermont, the setting for every cliched Christmas dream. Idyllic and picturesque, it's where real Christmas magic happens. 
Here, a lonely librarian bumps into the man of her dreams and is swept away into a whirlwind romance. A big city girl runs into her high school sweetheart and rekindles a forgotten spark. A secret prince escapes the pressures of royalty - and finds his true love. 
Except this year, something sinister has infected Hallmark's Christmas magic, turning Christmas morning dreams into Christmas Eve nightmares.

MY THOUGHTS: Now I don't mind a traditional Hallmark Christmas movie or two this time a year, but I also love my Christmas horror and think overall, it's an overlooked niche at Christmastime.  So, when I ran across this book and saw it was available on KU, I grabbed it and immediately devoured it.  

This book had it all - serial killers, werewolves, murderous gingerbread men and vampires.  It's told through a connection of interwoven short stories all set in Hallmark, Vermont at Christmas time.  My favorite stories were "Dimples for the Holidays," "Santa's Roadside Assistant," and "Oh, Christmas Tree."  While the stories aren't extremely gory, they also aren't for people looking for kisses under the mistletoe and good cheer. 

This is probably the closest I've come to giving an anthology a 5-star rating and I will definitely be seeking out more from this author.  

MY RATING: 4 PAWS



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