*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and to Zoé of Zooloo’s Book Tours and SpellBound Books. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: 𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧.
I set the table for you, come sit.
I hope you enjoy my humble fare, a selection of only the darkest of delights. But make sure and pull your chair in closer to the hearth for the night falls and the wind blows wild muffling the sound of approaching footsteps. Something comes, something creeps ever closer. A nightmare thing.
Enter a dark place between fact and fiction.
On a cold winter’s night whilst crossing the frost covered field to fetch water, a child hears a sound on the air, an infant’s cry. But no baby awaits her hurried progress.
A pensioner rapidly losing her memory exists in a twilight world where only a lost love can bridge the gap between past and present.
A young man at a boutique music festival discovers more than romance in the fading forest.
Something travels the cosmos, a creature of nightmare and terror. A veiled medium sits at a table in a Victorian parlour waiting.
Amongst the lamb, a wolf harvests souls in a bid for promotion.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐄 – 𝐀 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐅.𝐁. 𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧.
This collection of twelve classic dark-fiction tales is perfect for anyone, like me, who used to devour those collections of ‘Tales of the Macabre’, or ‘Stories to Read With the Lights On’.
There are twelve short stories gathered here, comprising ghosts and ghouls, and things that go bump in the night. There are mysterious girls at music festivals and lurking in cemeteries, reminding us not to talk to strangers; there are things down wells, under beds, and hiding in the playhouse, to remind us not to go alone, especially after dark; and there are more human monsters, of the kind that spy on young women (or worse) or burgle old women, reminding us that the young, the elderly and women are all particularly vulnerable to all kinds of predators – in real life, as in fiction.
I have a particular fondness for ‘twist in the tale’ stories, of which you will find a few in this selection, although I’m not going to tell you which ones… no spoilers! I also really enjoyed the title story, ‘The Nightmare’. The young girl reminds me so much of myself as a child and, if I’m honest, as an adult too – bringing her night-time room alive with her darkly fertile imagination, then regretting it. Luckily, despite many sleepless nights, I have never had to regret my conjured horrors as much as she does!
These well-written stories are perfect for dipping into from under your blankets with a warm brew, on a dark and stormy autumn evening. Just remember to leave a light on, and if you hear strange sounds from downstairs or outside, whatever you do, don’t go to check…
I cursed my furtive imagination. It was my downfall. When not making up stories to scare my siblings and friends, I watched horror films and read anything I could get my hands on by Stephen King or James Herbert. It was as if my existence thrived in the twilight world. I hungered for it and my life was brighter, fuller, because of the thrill it brought me. Now, I was paying the price.
– F. B. Hogan, from ‘The Nightmare’ in The Nightmare
F. B. Hogan is a writer, blogger and poet living in the midlands of Ireland. She masquerades as a sensible adult and mother to five children and cat but lives and breathes purely for horror.
Fiona writes in a mix of genres and you can also find her collection of humorous and supernatural tales – The Lights Went Out and Other Stories on Amazon under the name Fiona Cooke. Her novella, a romantic comedy set in Kerry, Ireland – What Happened in Dingle, is also available to download on Amazon.
She scribbles random thoughts about nature, her work and anything that amuses her at her blog https://unusualfiction.wordpress.com/
Fiona has signed a two book contract and her first book, a collection of deliciously dark and twisted tales will be published in October, kicking off SpellBounds SHOctober Horror fest.
Follow her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHazelHedge/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fionacookehogan/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cookehogan
The Nightmare is available on Amazon right now.
Don’t forget to check out the other blog stops on this epic, month-long tour for more great reviews and content (see the ShOctober Week 1 poster below for details)!
Bookshine And Readbows 
Thank you so much for sharing this review and for taking part inthe tour today x
LikeLiked by 1 person