wicked-things-edited-by-jae

Wicked Things: Lesbian Halloween Short Stories edited by Jae and Astrid Ohletz is a collection of short stories of woman-loving vampires, ghosts, werewolves, spectrals, and humans. Some are spooky, some are mysterious, and some are hot – very hot. This is solid fun.

The Characters

There are a cast of supernatural and human characters who are at times lovable, quirky, funny, sexy, dangerous, eerie, and odd.

The Writing Style

This collection starts off strong with Spirit Quest LLC by Andi Marquette, a ghosthunter story that is fun and touching. A Certain Moon by Elaine Burnes is next and I loved Ann and Erica, the quirky secret, and the perfect ending – or is it? Moondance by Bridget Essex has me thinking twice about any future camping trips in October, and the magic of Taylor-Made by Catherine Lane still has me thinking.

The Pros

I was going to say there’s a story for everyone, but I know you’ll find more than one to call your favorite. This is the second Halloween anthology put together by Astrid Ohletz and Jae of Yvla Publishing and I hope they don’t stop at two.

This Halloween collection features stories by Andi Marquette, Elaine Burnes, Lois Cloarec Hart, Bridget Essex, May Dawney, Q. Kelly, Cori Kane, R.G. Emanuelle, Steph Gottschalk, Catherine Lane, Erzabet Bishop, S. M. Harding, Orhea the Dreamer, and Eve Francis.

[tweetthis]“So you believe in happily ever after?” Erica chuckled. “Hardly. That’s why I write fiction.”[/tweetthis]

The Cons

I don’t like to see the word “suckled” in an erotic scene. It stops me cold.

The Conclusion

I love short story collections and this one was sexy, spooky, and fun. My favorite stories were the in the first third of the book and the final third of the book. The middle third were fine stories, but didn’t have the same kick as the others for me. The theme of the collection is Halloween and each author has used that theme to tell individual stories. These are not all erotic stories or creepy stories or romantic stories – this book has an assortment of Halloween treats for the reader to enjoy.

Excerpt from Wicked Things edited by Jae and Astrid Ohletz

laney-favourite-booksFrom Spirit Quest LLC by Andi Marquette

“She was mad hot,” Mike said over her shoulder. “And I don’t even like girls that way.”

“It’s so sad that she died so young.” Mandy had joined them. “And now she’s stuck at the house.”

“So the rumors say.” Allie flipped the page to the anecdotes that detailed the strange occurrences at the house, which was now a tourist attraction. “Objects being moved. Furniture, too. Especially in what used to be the parlor, which, apparently, was one of Lily’s favorite rooms. She liked to entertain there.”

“Did she have any boyfriends?” Mandy craned her neck to see the page.

“No mention of any. She wasn’t married, either.”

“Sounds les-bish to me.” Mike pointed at another photo of her. “I mean, seriously. Not just mad hot. Smokin’ hot. And there was lots of experimenting going on then. All those sassy flappers getting a little somethin’ somethin’ in the back of a neighborhood speakeasy.”

Allie laughed. “Great story, dude. If only it were true.”

“Hey, it could be. You never know. The love that dare not speak its name was getting spoken a hell of a lot. And I’m betting Miss Smokin’ Hot here did some talking with the ladies, if you know what I mean.”

Mandy giggled while Allie studied the photo Mike had singled out. In this one, Lily stood next to a gorgeous car of the era, her foot places jauntily on the running board. The car’s driver’s side window was open, and Lily rested her right hand on the door, her expression a grinning challenge with hints of mischief. She was dressed in a light-colored dress, and a dark coat. A Twenties-era tight cap adorned her head, tilted just so. Allie had written the photo’s date underneath. It had been taken the year before Lily died.

“I mean, twenty-five in this photo and back then, if she wasn’t married yet…leaning les-bish,” Make said. “Just sayin’.”

Mandy smacked him playfully on the arm. “Has anybody seen her?”

Allie nodded. “The current caretaker — remember Mary Clement? — claims she has. Most recently a month ago.”

“Uh-huh. She only shows for the ladies.” Mike nudged Allie’s right arm with his and Allie smiled.

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[tweetthis]Check out this review of Wicked Things edited by Jae and Astrid Ohletz[/tweetthis]

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 978-3955332730
  • Publisher: Ylva Publishing, 2014

Note: I received a free review copy of Wicked Things: Lesbian Halloween Short Stories edited by Jae and Astrid Ohletz. No money was exchanged for this review. I will always review books as honestly as possible and on occasion I refuse to review books.