Thomas R. Clark
Published: July 14, 2020
Purchased at NoCoCon
It's March 1993, and a storm is coming ... On the eve of a massive Nor'easter menacing the Eastern Seaboard. Singer Corey Collins meets Sandy Bellavia at a karaoke bar in upstate New York. Corey thinks he's met the girl of his desires, and follows "Bella" to her home for shelter from the storm. Soon Corey finds himself fulfilling a bucket-list sex and rock-n-roll fantasy.
Until Corey hears a legion of taunting voices in his head, whispering madness ... and nightmares invade Corey's dreams. Now trapped in the heart of a raging blizzard as snow accumulates by the foot, Corey learns his lover isn't who, or what, he believed. She's something terrifying, ancient...
...and hungry.
Review: I picked this up from a local authors booth at the comic con this past weekend. I read the first few pages while manning our booth and it caught my interest. When I got home, after doing all my wifely and motherly duties (Why do kids always wait until 6pm Sunday night to say hey mom I got homework?) I plopped my butt down on the couch and read this straight through, something I haven't done in a very long time.
From the beginning I was hooked, you could tell there was something quite not right yet also weren't sure what it was. It was intriguing and made me keep reading to figure out what was up with this mysterious woman. Corey was a likeable character and, having live in Northern New York my whole life, I could empathize with his plight of dealing with the snow and being snowed in. Also the way Mr. Clark described the weather actually gave me chills.
The plot moved along at a good clip, but it was a little jarring at times with the sudden POV shifts. Yet they did add to the story, and once I knew it could happen it wasn't as jarring, so I was able to forgive them. I will say if you are squeamish then this might not be the book for you, as it reminded me of the old fashion horror movies like The Thing or The Mist.
I enjoyed Mr Clark's writing style and his reference to Boris Vallejo made me stupidly happy. Although unless you are a fantasy nerd you probably wouldn't get the reference. I really enjoyed Bella's Boys and will be looking to get more from this author.
