Lee Allen Howard

The Adamson Family by Lee Allen Howard is a spooky thrill ride packed with mysteries and drama!

I am a big fan of the spooks! I love horror, spooky things, Halloween, and all of that jazz. You might not realize that if you follow me since my reads are typically romance, but horror and thrills are MY JAM. So of course I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to pick up The Adamson Family! A spooky book being requested for me to read?! That spoke to my soul.

The Adamson Family follows Ren, a fifteen-year-old, living quite the interesting life. His Mom was institutionalized and the stigma is troublesome. And now, his sister Calista seems to be following in his Mom's footsteps and is going off the rails. To boot, there's a creepy, old house down the road that Ren decides he needs to stay in. What else do you do when you're fifteen years old, your family is falling apart, and there's nothing fun to do in your town? While staying there, Ren meets another young teen who is hiding out and befriends him. And suddenly, secrets start coming out left and right... Can Ren manage the secrets, family struggles, and just be a regular teen?

There's lots of mystery in this book. Is the house's lore about the family true? Is his sister truly following in his Mom's footsteps? Is there something darker going on than he realizes? Add in lots of spooks and pinches of horror, you've got one killer book. I was glued to this book and binging it, knowing full well I needed to see how this book was going to end. And MAN, does it really knock you out with that ending. Chef's kiss!

I loved this book. I highly recommend this quick read if you love horror.

Five out of five stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the author, Lee Allen Howard, in exchange for an honest review.… (más)

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Death Perception

Thank you to Blackthorn Book Tours for providing me a copy for an honest review!

Kennet has a gift. He can discern how someone died by roasting marshmallows over their ashes. Considering he works for the local crematorium, he has the chance to use his abilities on the job. But he’s always seen his gift as nothing but a parlor trick. After all, when someone has already died does it even matter if he can discern their cause of death? Until his death perception starts to differ from the paperwork. And as the body count rises, he begins to think a killer is on the loose. As Kennet searches for the truth, he will uncover dark secrets and hidden agendas that may very well mean his own death.

Kennet is a character who is down on his luck but refuses to give up. He lives with his elderly mother in a care facility and knows he must strike out on his own, but feels stuck. He doesn’t make enough money to live on his own, yet at the same time, he wants to do better for himself. Haunted by an abusive past, he refuses to become his father. Kennet is constantly comparing himself to his father, and because of this pushes himself harder and harder each day to do better. Even when his temper gets the best of him, he refuses to strike out at those he loves. Lee Allen Howard succeeded in creating a wholesome character readers can’t help but become focused on. He chose to build Kennet up as a character and allowed his ability to accent Kennet’s personality instead of letting it dominate the storyline.

Death Perception is told from multiple points of view. As the story unfolds, readers are allowed to see the motivations behind the murders and how Kennet stumbles into them. Knowing what the antagonists have in store for the story and Kennet helps build up the tension in each moment. It also adds to the overall darker tone of the story and shows an uglier side to humanity. This story hits close to home because the circumstances surrounding the murder mystery feel like they could have occurred in the real world. It’s disturbing to realize people can sink so low, but at the same time, it makes the perfect murder mystery.

There are some religious undertones to Kennet’s abilities, but they never overshadow the main plot. And Lee Allen Howard has also worked in a coming of age story among the main murder mystery. While the various topics don’t seem like they would fit together, it just works. All the pieces line up to tell a slice of life story peppered with mystery and supernatural abilities. If you’re looking for a book to kick off the spooky season, but you don’t want to dive too deeply into horror, give Death Perception a try.… (más)

The Bedwetter started off strong, but the pace didn't pick up again until three-quarters of the way through it. There was sufficient suspense, but I found the conclusion to be anticlimactic. I thought certain events would occur sooner in the story than they did, and while the psychological horror aspects were riveting, the rest of the story dragged a bit for me. However, when I got used to the story's structure and resulting pacing, I was able to appreciate the work as a whole more. While this wasn't my favorite book in the horror genre, there was much I appreciated about it.

The Bedwetter was well-edited, and the characters were disturbingly realistic. Russel's narration and character development particularly shined. Telling the story from Russel's perspective put me in his demented mind and gave the work a distinct voice. Howard succeeded in helping me sympathize with the person Russel could have been, making the character's fall all the more heartbreaking. If you're interested in reading a chilling, slower-paced story detailing a man's frightening descent into madness, The Bedwetter by Lee Allen Howard may be just what you're looking for.

(Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book from Blackthorn Book Tours for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own and are honest and unbiased.)

Trigger Warning: This work contains scenes of torture and mutilation (human and animal), murder, child abuse, profanity, possibly triggering sexual situations, misogyny, and homophobia.… (más)