Review: Relic by Roy Hudson

Genre: Horror/drama

Synopsis: R.L. Simmons is an actor who made his career in the stereotypical horror role as the villain. Then he gets his break in a traditional role and is nominated for an award. One night he does an interview on The Richmond Show. Leaving the show he is struck by a drunk driver and horribly disfigured... in true Phantom fashion.

This begins a year of therapy and surgeries, and reclusive behavior. Through it all, his buddy and manager Derek sticks by him. Then Halloween comes. A time where he can cover his disfigured face with masks with none the wiser. During his ventures out he meets the lovely Julie Hawkes, a romance actress who is not even remotely concerned about his face. Unfortunately, there were more emotional scars than physical from the accident, and Relic's sanity unravels into a sordid and twisted mess of a world in which he cannot bear to lose the woman of his dreams.

The Good

This author is a new star worth watching. His character development, and the bonds he forms are charming and real. He brings pop culture references into the story to tie it to the real world and tickle our funny bones. I adore Derek and his commitment to Relic, his fear and frustrations at becoming the third wheel, and watching his best friend slowly change and spiral into insanity.

The Bad

Unlike The Odic Touch, there were moments especially towards the end of this story that felt forced. Thought processes that felt stilted. Having never been crazy, maybe that is how crazy people think... I don't know. But it wasn't the smooth flow that is frequently found in this author's writing.

The Ugly

This was actually really hard for me, being a HUGE Phantom of the Opera fan. Clearly the author is a big fan as well. He was going for a modern, realistic phantom-esque story. (He even says so in his forward.) And so I guess, for me, this set me up to hate the book from the beginning. If you aren't a huge phantom fan, then maybe it won't bother you nearly as much. But through the whole thing I kept referencing my fond memories and attachments to the characters of the Phantom of the Opera. It didn't have the same depth, the same societal challenges, or even the same passionate romance. What would have been a good story, once compared to the love of my life, became bland and irritating as an attempt of comparison. Something I probably would never have come to had the author not put it right there in my face at the very beginning, before even reading the book.

Overall

That being said, if you are not a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera, and you like a good psychological horror with a splash of romance, then this book is definitely for you! As I said, this author is one worth watching, and I am eagerly awaiting his next book! You can purchase a copy from the link above and on the right.



Until Next Time, 

Keep Reading!

Elements of a Broken Mind, Hot New Psychic Thriller Now Out

Hello my lovelies! I am proud to announce that Elements of a Broken Mind, the first book in the Clear Angel Chronicles is now out! If you love psychic detective stories, this is definitely one to add to your reading list!
Here is the paperback cover, courtesy of a collaboration between John Harrison and me.

Isn't that just gorgeous?

Here is the back cover blurb:

Grant Anderson is a small-town detective whose job was quiet and easy until three girls end up dead. A serial killer is stalking the young ladies in his town. Without the high tech equipment of the big cities at his fingertips, Grant must rely on good old-fashioned police work; but with no discernable pattern and no clues to follow, the case seems to be grinding to a halt. 

Then Grant gets a visit from a mysterious young woman. Who is Clear Angel? What is her connection to the case? If Grant is to believe her, then he must accept that she has "seen" these things. But Grant is a professional. He cannot  believe in psychics! Yet when another girl goes missing, and Grant's search is yielding nothing, he is desperate enough to try.

Clear Angel has always been  special. Seclusion has kept the nightmares at bay. Then the nightmares begin again. Are they premonitions of events to come? Are they the sick fantasies of a madman? 

  Then one evening she runs into a stranger and finds out that not only are they real, but they are happening in her home town. After a lifetime of running and hiding from what she can dow, she is now forced to reach out to the most unlikely person in an effort to save innocent girls, and perhaps the world!

Grant and Clear team up to stop a madman bent on the destruction of the world. As their feelings for one another grow, they try to deny them. But when Clear goes missing, Grant must face his feelings and saver her before it is too late.

You can get  an e-book version from Smashwords.

The paperback version is available from Createspace or you can order it from your local bookstore!

If you would like a free e-copy for review, please let me know in the comments below. I am giving out fifty copies, and they are going quick! Let me know the link to your blog, where you will post the reviews, and what e-mail addess you would like to send your free copy!

Until next time,
Happy Reading!