Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked

By: Christa Carmen

Narrated by: Rebekah Tyler

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 13 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.

©2018 Christa Lynn Quattromani Beauchamp (P)2019 Christa Lynn Quattromani Beauchamp

One of the Best Collections of Horror

It is hard to summarize this collection because it covers so much ground and is so amazing. This collection is as if the author wanted to show she could write on any horror sub genre and hit every note from dramatic to terror as a resume of work.

She succeeds and surpasses any expectation that is put upon her. In one tale she may bring the reader to almost tears and the next tale cools them with existential dread. You fear for your sanity at one moment at the supernatural and then shiver because the real world is too terrible on its own in the next.

This is absolutely one of the best collections I have ever heard on Audible. Additionally the Narrator is near perfect in delivery with a good range of both the female and male voice. She does a fantastic job of conveying both story and message.

I cannot in any way recommend this more highly. I had the pleasure of hearing this author speak at a panel at NecronomiCon and picked this book up immediatly after and I could not be more pleased with my decision.

Deftly mixes emotion and terror

The writer seems to get how to combine depth of feeling with the vulnerability of horror. She balances pathos with terror to bring about some good scares and at time heart wrenching characters. Highly recommend.

A must read/listen

Raw & unfiltered yet each scene is set so eloquently. The author is so descriptive you’re going to want to either listen to this undistracted or purchase the book and read it the old fashioned way. Tip: 1.25 speed made the pace more engaging for me.