Dark Rainbow

I was given an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting mix of stories. Some, better than others, but nothing was 'bad', in my opinion. I look forward to reading more like this, and appreciate the opportunity to read and review.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I never thought such a combination could give so good results. There were stories that didn't surprise me at first, but things improve story after story. Each one has its own macabre charm.

This is my first time reading a book from Riverdale Avenue Books, and I'll definitely be back for more. While there were some minor typos and basic editing errors in the second half of the book, this is definitely worth your time if the description catches your interest.
Andrew Robertson has put together quite a compelling collection of queer, erotic horror stories. I was pleased that not all of the stories had tragic endings, and also pleased that the horror element was pretty prominent thoroughout. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone feeling prudish, because there are definitely some pretty graphic sex scenes. If you're looking for queer flavor in your paranormal erotica, this is definitely the book for you.

This is an anthology of erotic horror stories, each with a LGBTQIA angle. Although, having said that, most of them are either lesbian or gay and not all of them are erotic but that didn’t necessarily detract from the story. As it the case with any anthology, there will be stories that blow you away and others that leave you indifferent. I enjoyed most of these and there were more stand-outs than fall-flats.

Pip and Estella by Valerie Alexander
Wonderfully dark and twisted retake of Great Expectations. Estella is looking for a wealthy husband at her mother's constant urging. Love doesn't matter, only money and power. Mrs Havisham doesn't want the same fate to befall her daughter as it did her. Reclusive and bitter, she only comes out at night and is the worst nightmare for any of the suitors who fall in love with Estella. Great story and I loved the black humour in this.

Goldilocks and Her undead Bear by Julianne Snow
Goldy is a drag queen and her backup singers are Dave, Abe and Gavin. Goldilocks and Her Three Bears play sold out shows in all the downtown drag clubs nearly every night. One night she hears the screams from the audience before she sees the zombies. This one grossed me out a little, but that's the point, isn't it?

Think of Me by Lindsay King-Miller
Written from the point of view of Jess, Sasha's dead wife. Sasha is now with Taylor who loves her and wants to marry but also recognizes Sasha's love and loss of Jess. This is very beautifully written albeit incredibly sad.

Odd Man Out by Derek Clendening
Ben and Patrick are looking for a third in their relationship. Patrick thinks he's found the perfect guy in Mack. But Ben and Patrick are hiding a secret desire. This felt a little flat to me and was missing a sinister undertone which would have made it much darker and tense.

Affliction by Spinster Eskie
Perfectly horrible! This is written from the point of view of an escort who is talking directly to the reader. She's a highly paid prostitute but not for her looks or her sexual prowess, but for her affliction. I love the way this made me wince and my skin crawl.

His Type by Sèphera Girón
Tommy is out with his mates lamenting his poor choices in partners. He seems to choose men who take for a ride and fleece him. Later at a club he sees someone who is his type. This was a little slow to start but picks up pace and interest from about midway.

The Life Model by Jim Towns
Shy, wallflower Tara applies for a position as an artist's model at the local college. She finds being naked in front of strangers oddly freeing and not nearly as frightening as she'd thought. I quite enjoyed reading this one. It's higher on the erotic scale and lower on the horror than most of the other stories so far.

The God Modulation by Kimberly Gondrella
Cassidy and her boyfriend are in a band with Maverick. Cassidy doesn't like Maverick much but Lucien has been his protector since childhood and isn't prepared to ditch him. Maverick wants Lucien, he just needs Lucien to see that. There is no shying away from the horror of this one. Maverick's malevolence is palpable.

Monday by Benjamin Johnson
Stephen, in his last year of high school, warns classmate, Elias, that the other boys are out to get him. Elias offers him something in return. I loved the way this was written and the wonderful descriptions but I felt a little disappointed by the story.

The Dark Gem by Lisi Damette
Jolene Harris limps into the general store having to put up with the 'walked into a door again?' comments from the store keeper. Later, she waits for the return of her husband Barnaby. And waits.
This is a western setting with saloons and brothels. Weirdly, this has been the easiest read so far, and by that I mean that it didn't freak me out.

The Christ of St Jozef Church by Angel Leigh McCoy
Michael, a doctor of economics, is in Tilburg, Netherlands, on the pretense of a conference. He's there for a holy transformation which will require a sacrifice from him. Then he meets Nicholaas.
I was really uncomfortable reading this but also blown away by the unraveling of the story.

Eye Contact by Jeff C Stevenson
Steven was born without a pupil and iris in one eye. It was accepted by his peers when he was younger but high school was a different story. This is a good story but I'm not sure I'd class it as horror.

Broken Lines of Salt and Flesh by Robert E Furey
Dani goes over to her friend, Samantha's, house after she dumps her boyfriend having caught him cheating. Sam is a Wiccan and promises Dani she has some things that will help her. I'm not entirely sure what happened in this story even having read it twice.

The Grave of Lilith by Harry F Rey
Jonathan meets up with Richard in Jerusalem thanks to the introduction of a mutual friend. It's 1982 and Jonathan is there studying biblical archaeology and Richard is an archaeologist. Richard convinces him to go to a dig site which is normally closed to all. I didn't connect with this story or the characters. It took too long to get to the climax with information that didn't seem germane and didn't enhance my involvement in the story.

The God of Small Favours by H P Medina
Jin, Avocet and Jackdaw have made their way by boat to a house they intend to rob. Jin is not happy when he sees the windows open fearing the job will be too easy. In what seems like an abandoned house, the three split up. I thought this was quite a sweet story which is probably not the best reaction for a story in a horror anthology.

Book received from Netgalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for an honest review.