I gotta be honest, I simply have no feelings about this book. I read it because it was on my NetGalley app and because I don’t like DNFing books, but I really didn’t care much about the characters or the plot or any of it. The social commentary was kind of on the nose, the plot was confusing, the horror uninspiring, and the characters hard to tell apart. Plus I’m generally not a fan of demonic horror and magic systems in the first place; I think it’s really difficult to keep them from becoming contrived and to avoid getting bogged down in all the religious context. Not to mention most people either don’t find the devil to be an inherently frightening concept anymore, or are uncomfortable with the Biblical undertones (in my case, a bit of both). And there was just nothing about this book that addressed any of those issues. There wasn’t anything that I aggressively took issue with either; I just have no real thoughts or feelings about any of it. What I’m looking for in a book is something that resonates emotionally, and there was nothing here that did.

The covenant sacrifice by Lee Allen Howard is a good read about a guy trying to find himself while at the same time fighting off evil. The story keeps you engaged and wondering what will happen next. You start to root for certain characters towards the end. If you are LGBT it can be relatable. Overall it was a good story that kept my attention and kept me entertained. I enjoyed it.

There is so little gay adult relationship in the horror genre that it is hard not to want to support and promote any book that adds to the representation. Sadly, while this is an excellent read and I was entertained from start to finish,
I feel that the horror and romantic side of the novel were unbalanced and ended up holding the book back.
Fans of horror will most likely find this book mid at best. The atmosphere is built well, but the horror elements are pretty tame. Conversely, the romance seems to lack the time to develop organically alongside the main plot..

The Covenant Sacrifice is a very enjoyable read. Horror, spirituality, and a great deal of supernatural intrigue. All of this surrounding the revival of a long-abandoned romance. Lee Allen Howard has crafted likeable main characters and some true villains as well. Though a little light on the horror and a little heavy of the romance, still a good book and well worth the time spent reading.

I received an advance copy from the author and leave my voluntary review.

I was not very impressed by the book. I found it rather predictable, and didn’t connect much with the characters. I think that it needs more flair, and more personality. It felt very much like a forgettable horror movie.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lee Allen Howard, and Three First Names for providing me with an ARC copy to review.
This book was a solid 3 stars for me, verging on 3.5. It definitely falls into the genre of folk horror, which is one of my favorites generally, and I was very fond of the romance. However, I feel like the book took a while to hit its stride, and I wish in places that it has expanded on its own lore and spent more time giving us a clearer idea of what was actually going on, rather than relying on the religious elements to carry the narrative. The perspective choices, though a valuable and interesting storytelling tool, were also, in places, confusing.
Overall, though I had some wishes for things to be different, I enjoyed this book, and would read more by the author.

I wanted to like this more than I did, because the premise sounded intriguing and yay gay horror book. I ultimately enjoyed the book, but was slightly letdown by the overall package.

My biggest complaint is that a lot of the dialogue sounds like it was written for a time period that the book was NOT set in. It's a modern book, but almost every character seems to speak like it's set in the 30's or 40's and it began to grate on me by the end of the book. I'm not sure if it was a stylistic choice or what, but whatever it was it took me so far out of the book almost every time it happened.

The horror is fun, but it's nothing I haven't seen or read before. The romance is good, but it is again muddled by the problems I had with the writing.

Overall, it wasn't great but it wasn't terrible and I enjoyed the time I spent with the book by the end.

This story certainly sounded promising, but the romance aspects felt more at the forefront than the horror. I’m never a fan of that in thrilling/scary stories… I want to be scared.

The dialogue was ok, felt a bit awkward in some parts and with some POVs.

I dunno, just felt like I was expecting more from this book.

Other folks should give this a read and see what they think, especially if you do like romances or LGBTQ+ fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & Three First Names for a copy to review!

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

It took me a few days digesting this before I felt like I could give it a fair review.

It felt like a bit of a fever dream....it's partly supernatural, partly religious (both Christian and Devil worshiping), part Southern horror....with a big dollop of gay romance thrown in, too.

It's a freaking wild ride.

I don't know if I'd recommend it, not because of the story - because the plot itself was fun and well paced (no annoying "filler"), but for two reasons:

1) the writing occasionally felt clunky. Not all the time, but there were moments I wondered if this was Lee Allen Howard's first book. (It's not).

2) the romance felt VERY heavy handed. It felt more along the lines of "YAY gays! You must accept our love!" vs a more natural "we are in love and yes happen to be gay." I don't know how to explain it. I felt like I was getting thunked over the head by it. I'm all for coming-out stories, or stories of the struggle being gay, or any versions therein. I wasn't a fan.

Overall: a fun read, but not necessarily a *good*, well written one.

Jarod Huntingdon wants more than anything to start a family, yet he's unable to commit to his girlfriend and isn't sure why. When the father of his childhood best friend, Scotty, passes away, Jarod takes the opportunity to return home to the remote rural community of Annastasis Creek for a season of soul-searching. He isn't sure that he should be because he doesn't want to face his past, but he does it anyway. People go missing after a violent rainstorm traps everyone in town. Can the local priest stop the evil that wants to take over the world or will evil win time?

I downloaded this book after connecting with the author via the IBPA intrigued by his promises of horror meets gay romance. He did not disappoint. Everything I loved about the book may also be interpreted as a flaw, and that is only because I think this ambitious author successfully merged what I feel should be a trilogy into what I would call a rather short book.

Most of the book, which is presented in third person limited POV but transitions to just about every character in the town by the end, follows Jarrod. Jarrod is a great character. I read this book for Jarrod and I am so pleased with his eventual openness and honesty with Scotty, his childhood best friend. Most of the book is well-written, the advanced copy I saw did have a couple small errors, but towards the end some of the dialogue feels unnatural.

Approach this book as a dark history of a cursed town, chase some ghosts and monsters while the townspeople face a fierce storm that leaves them stranded. See small town secrets and attitudes bring some people closer together and lead others into evil.

Jarrod leaves his nursing job in Pittsburgh to return to his hometown in Potter Country for the funeral of the father of his childhood best friend, Scotty. There is a rift between the two men that is very beautifully told and gradually explained, which also directly relates to the monster the town faces. A storm causes a mud slide to isolate the town and knock out electricity and cell phones don't work here on a good day.

Just the storyline of the two men coming to grips with their past would satisfy me. But this novel also dips deep into the past with some hillybilly hotheads who worship Satan and a disgraced preacher-- and we learn about their misdeeds and how that led to a monster that rises with the cicadas every 17 years.

But there's still one more thread, and in this case, we learn the preacher's backstory which the author impressively adheres to the historical events, follies and attitudes of the early part of the mid-Twentieth Century (great use of the tragedy of thalidomide) and I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say the book is full of overflowing closets: closets for the queer people in this small town and closets for the skeletons.

First time venturing into the horror genre in years but I was intrigued by the addition of the "closeted + small-town conservative upbringing MC with unresolved feelings" trope. Add in the nasty gooey supernatural elements to it and I thought it was a pretty good twist to those queer coming of age stories (Well they're past 30 but I pretend they picked up where they left off during the 17 year gap lol😭)

Being back at where it all began for our MC Jarod, brings back bad memories and feelings he's been trying to avoid analyzing (cough 🚬🐐cough). Despite that, neither him nor his bestie Scotty can forget their past. I really appreciate that they're older here because personally I just enjoy it more when men can be adults and talk about their💫feelings💫. I'm really glad the author allowed them to embrace who they are and where they go from there, and the subplot's pacing was generous as well.

Unfortunately though there seems to be an inconvenient setback in the form of dead people appearing and live people going missing, putting a halt in their long-overdue reunion. Again, not familiar with the genre but from the handful of horror movies I've seen against my will there tends to be a lot of blood and the christian faith involved, so I supposed it must be quite apt and generally had no complaints as far as the plot went. There was a little bit of a double narrative going on between the residents of Annastasis Creek and the pastor's POV which were mostly him recounting past events in the form of journal entries. The dual storylines helps the reader see the whole book in context as the story progresses so I thought that was neatly done as well.

My only complaint was that there was a little dissatisfaction from my part when it came to the pastor's POVs because a lot of it felt like rambling peppered with religious references that as a non-christian I kinda have to force myself to get through it. I suppose you could spin it around that it was intentional in order to reflect the mental state of the character or something like that, or perhaps I'm just an impatient person but that's about it. On top of that there was a lot of repetition with the whole "covenant sacrifice" thing like that man was obsessed lmao. I counted at least 3 separate times where he writes in his journal "scott must die!!1!1!11!" before I reached the point where i thought to myself like "OKAY we get it just say you wanna kill the gays man sheesh."

Overall I enjoyed the story and how it concluded.

In Lee Allen Howard's gripping and haunting novel, "The Covenant Sacrifice," readers are taken on a chilling journey into a remote rural community where the line between the living and the dead blurs, and the true monsters may not be what they seem. With a captivating blend of supernatural horror and psychological suspense, Howard weaves a tale that left me on the edge of my seat until the very last page.

The story revolves around Jarod Huntingdon, a man desperate to start a family but held back by his own uncertainties. Seeking clarity, Jarod returns to his hometown of Annastasis Creek after the passing of his childhood best friend's father. However, his homecoming is marred by a violent rainstorm that isolates the community from the outside world, leading to the mysterious disappearance of its residents one by one.

As Jarod gets involved in the search efforts, he stumbles upon a centuries-old curse tied to the reappearance of cicadas. The curse, inflicted upon the community after a tragic house fire claimed the lives of five young people, demands a sinner to be sacrificed to appease its malevolent forces. Unraveling the secrets and facing the horrifying truth, Jarod must confront the defrocked pastor, Uriah Zalmon, who holds the key to breaking the curse.

Howard's writing style is lyrical and atmospheric, painting a vivid and eerie portrait of Annastasis Creek and its residents. Howard builds suspense, ratcheting up the tension with each new revelation and eerie occurrence. The vivid descriptions of the cicadas' song and the rain-soaked valley heighten the sense of dread that immersed me in a world teetering on the edge of darkness.

Jarod Huntingdon is a relatable and empathetic protagonist, struggling with his own fears and uncertainties while facing the horrors unfolding around him. The supporting characters, including the enigmatic Uriah Zalmon and the Covenant Trustees, adds depth and complexity to the narrative, with their motivations and secrets gradually unveiled.

"The Covenant Sacrifice" is more than a traditional horror novel. It explores themes of family, identity, and the destructive power of secrets. Through Jarod's journey, Howard investigates the consequences of unresolved guilt, the dangers of blind faith, and the lengths people will go to protect their loved ones. The book also touches on social issues, tackling homophobia and the manipulation of religious doctrine with nuance and sensitivity.

With its blend of supernatural elements and psychological suspense, "The Covenant Sacrifice" will appeal to fans of horror and thriller genres. Howard masterfully crafts a story that kept me guessing, delivering both chilling scares and profound emotional resonance. As the dead return to Annastasis Creek and the cicadas' relentless song fills the air, readers will find themselves captivated by this atmospheric and thought-provoking tale of darkness and redemption.

3.5 stars

This was a very well written horror. I’m not sure it brought anything new and amazing to the genre but it was a very enjoyable read none the less. I liked the atmosphere and dread that the author was able to build.

I’ll look forward to reading more of what Howard writes in the future.

Started promising, seemingly new take on the horror genre, maybe something I hadn't seen a million times before. But then it just ended up being a middle of the road novel with nothing new to it.