Stray Fears

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: Declan Winters

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Elien Martel is a survivor, but surviving, he’s beginning to discover, isn’t the same thing as living. In the house he shares with his much older boyfriend, Elien spends his days trying to stay as far away from living as possible. Living, he has learned, means that sooner or later you’ll get hurt.

When a member of Elien’s support group dies under strange circumstances, though, Elien finds himself in a web of bizarre coincidences. The responding officer turns out to be another member of Elien’s support group - a man named Mason, who has made no effort to hide his dislike of Elien. Then, just a few days later, Mason tries to kill Elien in front of dozens of witnesses.

As violence ripples through Elien’s world, he begins to suspect that the coincidences are not coincidences at all. Something is at work behind the cascade of tragedies, something vicious and intelligent. Something that has wanted Elien for a long time.

To defeat it, Elien will have to do what he fears most and face the darkness in his own past. Worse, he’ll have to take the risk of trying to live again.

©2020 Gregory Ashe (P)2022 Gregory Ashe

Addicting and creepy!

Sooo I finished this book in one sitting - very much so had my attention from start to finish, which to me is a very good sign for a mystery/romance!

This has spooky stuff, this has horror, this has gore. This also has a very slow and sweet romance!

I appreciated the little cute moments between the MCs, eating pizza in bed, bickering, setting boundaries, understanding that they came with baggage. It worked. Also don't mind me finding overbearing parents actually endearing??

I will say the beginning was a little rough to start out with, but once it started moving and there was character development and background shared, I was invested.

Also! The narration!! Was so good! 4.5 stars only because I think it'll only get better in the next book.

Super fun

I hesitate to say "fun" because there are some really horrible things that happen in this book. But it's also kind of funny. I was very entertained while getting chores done. It's also, contrary to what one reviewer wrote, hardly the kind of explicit you'd read in a romance novel. I mean, there are sex scenes, but they exist to show the difference between the relationships, and it's not any more than you'd see on Netflix.

I'm a little curious about the actual history and culture behind the myths these books are based on. It's pretty rare to read nuanced representations of non mainstream culture written by people not from that culture. So... this probably isn't great. Fortunately for me, I am too ignorant to be offended. Next time I'm in NO it would be interesting to research though.

Ashe did a great Paranormal

I was excited to see Gregory Ashe do a paranormal/horror type book. NOLA is a great setting to have it in and the story uses its surroundings to make the experience realistic - even for a paranormal one. The characters are well developed, each having their own set of problems that encourage you to engage with who they are and what they are trying to achieve. All the while introducing a mystery component - perfect Gregory Ashe style - to uncovering the evil doings. This is my first Declan Winters narration and I thought he did a perfect job portraying Eileen and Dag and making who they are come "off the page". Looking forward to seeing what else Gregory Ashe can do in the genre.

Gregory Ashe does it again

ash has always been one of my favorite MM novelists. He spins stories that progress organically are interesting. Build up the characters in ways that are real and has a talent for writing, true Romance, as in the pretty and the ugly.

This is a pretty standard mystery, monster book. The scares weren’t very incredible although there are some gruesome scenes being an MM novel I will say that there’s at least one block within a chapter describing a lovemaking scene, which is broken up into two parts. That scene itself is gratuitous, but not graphic. Nothing about it is flippant. The scene is very much a first time/coming-of-age/exploring unexplored territory scene.

there are some moments where you want to slap some characters but overall this is not an anxiety book. It was a very easy listen, and I recommend it to any MM fans looking for that little something else.

Layers of Reality and Fantasy

I received an advance copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. Here it is.
I don't have patience for horror books, but this one is a sensible, nicely articulated story. Its strength lies in the way it represents the uncanny element, pouring it on a most common situation (a multi layered abusive relationship which is in itself frightening). The reader discovers the depth of the abuse and finding a path to sanity, while figuring out the clues on the monster. It is a chase of self discovery, building trust, growing up, and chasing some scary (in more than one way) creatures. The main characters are endearing, and the parents of one of them are epic. Definitely enjoyable.

Great Scary Story

Great story. Believable characters. Louisiana is always a good setting for a scary story. Narration suited the story.

Excellent!

I loved this book! Not often do I listen to books non-stop, however, Stray Fears grabbed by attention from the very beginning and didn’t let up until it was finished. I loved Declan Winters’ distinct accent on the main characters and could easily tell them apart. Sometimes a narrator has trouble with distinguishing between characters when there are distinct accents, but not in this instance. Well Done, Declan!
The story itself was interesting as well. This, for me, was an excellent change of pace compared to the other books written by Gregory Ashe. It had a great pace and each character was well-developed. I particularly enjoyed the Republican-quasi hippie parents (as odd as it sounds writing this, trust me, you’ll enjoy them popping up!) as well as the mystery of the plot. Again, a great listen and while I’m not sure where the characters go from this book but I’d gladly welcome more of them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well this was different

This was definitely a different type of book for GA. It is a paranormal horror mystery based in NOLA. The opposite attract couple are Dag and Elien. They are drawn together by tragic circumstances and are really forced together to battle the “big bad.” Elien has an especially dark history and lots of demons. He isn’t really a likeable character until Dag comes into his life. Dag on the other hand is just wonderful. But his parents really steal the show as VERY supportive of their gay son despite being “white, straight, Republicans”; they are hysterical and I absolutely loved them.

The “big bad” is interesting, as it is not a common monster. I had a suspicion about who was behind it near the end, but was still surprised with the twist. I enjoyed this story very much, but it is not for the faint of heart. That said, I would love to hear more from Elien and Dag, as it is a HFN ending. The narrator does an amazing job of bringing this story to life. Great performance and I will seek out other books he performs on.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review.

A different kind of story

Omg, I can’t even describe how much I loved this. If you want something creepy, that raises your hackles, but also makes you crave more, here’s your book. Jesus.

Declan Winters for the win!

I already read the book and it's RIVETING, but Declan Winters adds some layers to it. I enjoyed his narration, his voice, the way he did Dag's hilarious parents! It was pure enjoyment. On to the next one.