Tag Archives: Contemporary

September 24, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Intercepted Wishes

Title: Intercepted Wishes

Author: Mike Sutton

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: March 10, 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 7 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Blurb:

Wishes are made. Some take time to be granted. Getting in the way is like walking into traffic.

Content Warning: Rape.

Review:

Luck is real.

Brian genuinely came across as a happy-go-lucky teen or maybe young adult to me. He had clearly had a pretty good life up until this point, and his assumptions about how the world works were as naive as they were cheerful. While I was obviously disturbed by his decision to steal money from the fountain, I was curious to learn more about his justification for doing so and about what he decided to spend that pocket change on.

This short story needed more development in my opinion. There were some fascinating ideas packed into it, including the thought that stealing coins from a fountain can affect someone’s fate in ways that they couldn’t possibly have anticipated, but they were never fleshed out enough for me to fully understand what was going on. This was particularly true for the ending which I found confusing and disturbing. As much as I wanted to give this one a much higher rating, I had too many questions about the world building and plot development to justify doing so.

The paranormal elements were memorable and sometimes funny. I liked the fact that Brian didn’t have any warning about the consequences of his actions as this piece was honestly too short for that sort of foreshadowing to be effective in my opinion. Instead, he faced the consequences of his actions rapidly and in increasingly surprising ways. Had the ending matched the humorous tone of the beginning and middle, this would have been an even better read. This is sometimes how things play out in real life, too, so it was interesting to see natural consequences in action.

Intercepted Wishes had a creative premise.

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Tagged as 2010s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Fantasy, Mike Sutton, Paranormal, Self-Published

September 17, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Catch-All Drawer

Title: Catch-All Drawer

Author: Manuel Sánchez

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: October 9, 2025

Genres: Science Fiction, Alternate History, Historical, Contemporary

Length: About 97 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

A delight for the senses that will surprise you on every page. A journey filled with irony, sensuality, and human passions. Catch-all Drawer is an anthology of eight fiction stories where the author transports us with vibrant language to a world full of sensations, fantasy, and extraordinary situations: A fascinating woman in ancient Egypt, Virgil’s curious pet in Imperial Rome, the animal jungle of modern multinational corporations, the sensual dream of a red lantern, a mischievous worm, the circus of politics, the madness of a selfie in Australian waters, or the misadventures of a couple in the solitude of erotic contact social networks immerse us in stories of wild and addictive beauty.

Content Warning: Brief references to sex and infidelity.

Review:

A little bit of everything can add up to a full meal.

I loved the satirical take on modern workplace politics in general in “The Gazpacho.” Honestly, this was my favorite story of the collection because of how well it described both the joys and frustrations of working with the same group of people over a long period of time. While the specific setting here was in an office, I think the vast majority of the plot would have turned out more or less the same had it been in a restaurant, medical setting, warehouse, store, or just about any other place of work because of how keenly the author focused on the personalities of the characters as they interacted with one another and dealt with sometimes ridiculous rules.

Kudos to the author for experimenting with the science fiction genre so much in this book. While not every tale was to my taste, most of them were and I must tip my cap to him for being so willing to try new things and see what may or may not resonate with his readers. “A Selfie,” which followed a couple who decided to swim with the sharks on their honeymoon to Australia, was one such example of this. I struggled to understand why these characters were not only willing to take so many risks with their safety but also unwilling to learn from their past mistakes. It would have been helpful to have more character development here so that I could understand their perspectives better.

The email format of “The Worm” made me smile. It’s a writing style that pops up on occasion in what I read, and I’m always interested in seeing where new authors take it because of how much it reminds me of the old epistolary novels that share so much in common with this newer form of storytelling one message at a time. Another interesting thing about this piece was related to how trustworthy I found the protagonist. Other readers should decide for themselves what they think of him, of course, but I thought this was a good example of how to create a main character who is simultaneously fascinating and deeply unlikable (in my opinion, of course).

Catch-All Drawer was my introduction to Mr. Sánchez‘s work, and my curiosity has been piqued to see what else he might write in the future.

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Tagged as Alternate History, Book Reviews, Collections, Contemporary, Historical, Manuel Sánchez, Science Fiction, Self-Published, Short Story

September 10, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of The Corner of My Eye

Title: The Corner of My Eye

Author: Rudolph Kohn

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: February 14, 2023

Genres: Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 7 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Moving into a new house can be stressful, and it can be refreshing. But what do you do when you start to hear strange sounds and see hints of motion out of the corner of your eye? What happens to your mind when all of your efforts to get to the bottom of these strange phenomena comes up with nothing? A short Lovecraftian story about figments of your imagination, or perhaps reality.

Review:

Always ask questions if something seems too good to be true.

One of my favorite things about this tale was that almost nothing was revealed about the protagonist. The first paragraph mentioned that they had just bought a new home, but this was really the only piece of information shared about them. Everything else, including their sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, and a million other descriptive adjectives that could be used to paint a mental image of who they were as a person, was left blank. This meant that basically any reader out there could imagine themselves in this character’s shoes as they closed on their new home and gradually began to realize they weren’t the only occupant there.

I did find myself wishing that the last scene could provide a deeper explanation of what was already inhabiting the narrator’s new home, especially given the other knowledge this individual had acquired by that point. While I wouldn’t have expected to know everything by the final sentence, having even a few more sentences explaining what was going on would have encouraged me to choose a full five-star rating for this short story.

This started off as a fairly typical paranormal story but soon shifted into something a bit more frightening than is usual for this genre. I loved seeing the protagonist react to each new development as they attempted to figure out how to best handle a situation that was rapidly spiraling out of control. As much as I wanted that final scene to provide a little more guidance, it did end on a deliciously scary note and was well worth the read.

The Corner of My Eye made me shiver.

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Tagged as 2020s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Paranormal, Rudolph Kohn, Self-Published, Short Story

July 9, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Planeta

Book cover for Planeta by Ana Oncina. Image on cover is a drawing of a Spanish woman who is standing behind a green-skinned person, possibly an alien, who is covering their eyes with their hands. Title: Planeta

Author: Ana Oncina

Publisher: LoveLove

Publication Date: February 18, 2025

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, LGBTQ+, Romance, Contemporary, Futuristic

Length: 224 pages

Source: I borrowed it from the library.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Welcome to Planeta.For months, Valentina has been dreaming of a strange world and a beautiful girl.In her dreams, she’s Val3, and she and An3 live together on a lonely planet in a distant future, entirely unlike the picturesque village where Valentina resides in her waking life. One fateful day, Val’s world gets turned upside down when the girl from her dreams appears in front of her as Anne.While Valentina and Val3 grapple for control of their respective realities, the question of which is real threatens to derail the course of both their love stories. In either world, can anyone really be made for each other…?

Content Warning: Depression.

Review:

Who wouldn’t want their dreams to come true?

The romance between Valentina (Val3) and Anne (An3) was sweet and gentle. I loved seeing them interact with each other and wondered what their future(s) might hold together. These were among my favorite scenes in this graphic novel, and I would have enjoyed having even more of them. They added depth to the plot and helped me get to know both of these characters much better than I would have otherwise. It was a good example of how the romance and science fiction genres can be blended together in natural ways that can appeal to fans who might otherwise not pick up a book from one of those genres.

I struggled to understand the ending and thought what was shared in those last few scenes didn’t match the tone of everything that had come before. It felt like the storyline was foreshadowing a conclusion that never ended up happening. For example, the dual timelines were written in way that made me think one of them was the real one and the other was a dream world, but this mystery was never really solved. As much as I wanted to give this one a higher rating, my confusion and disappointment at how this wrapped up prevented me from doing so.

With that being said, this story did capture the feeling of waking up from a hyper-realistic dream and being momentarily confused and disappointed that none of those events actually took place. This isn’t something that’s easy to explain in fiction, so kudos to Ms. Oncina for making it feel so realistic and relatable. I can’t think of many other authors who have pulled it off, and it makes me want to read more from her in the future.

Planeta was creative.

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Tagged as 2020s, Ana Oncina, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Futuristic, Graphic Novels, LGBT, LoveLove, Manga, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction

July 2, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of A Hundred Julys

Title: A Hundred Julys

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: June 29, 2016

Genres:Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: About 35 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #8: Mysterious sightings—and a legend of unrequited love—draws Finley’s newest resident into the midst of the folklore surrounding the town.

Norma Johnson, owner of Finley’s only antique store, has always felt she was mysteriously drawn to the small town. Forced to host the July vintage car show, she bumps headlong into the legend that has surrounded Finley for a century—and in so doing, gains a new perspective on the far-reaching effects of love…

A Hundred Julys is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include: Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, April’s Promise, Mayday Mayday Mayday, and Chasing June. Stories following A Hundred Julys include Under the August Moon, Song for September, October Omen, and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning: Grief.

Review:

The past and present can have more in common than you might think!

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that compared Norma with Amos, the ghost who had been haunting Finley for well over a century. Both of these characters had lost romantic partners and never quite moved on from that loss. While I can’t go into much more detail about this without sharing spoilers, I thought it was a marvellous way to connect the past to the present and help to explain why Amos hadn’t found peace in the afterlife yet.

I would have liked to see more plot development in this tale. There was so much more the author could have done with Norma as a character, especially given the many similarities between her and Amos despite the very different eras and cultures they came from. Had a few more pages been added to explore these themes, I would have easily chosen a much higher rating given how much I’ve come to love these characters and this setting over the past eleven months.

The romantic subplot was handled nicely. I enjoy the foreshadowing of it that appeared quite early on and looked forward to discovering how it would unfold as the characters who were involved in it slowly realized the newest possibilities in their lives. There’s something to be said for a slow burn like this, especially for individuals who aren’t even entirely sure that they’re open to falling in love at that point in their lives.

A Hundred Julys was romantic and just a little otherworldly.

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Tagged as 2010s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Holly Schindler, Paranormal, Romance, Self-Published, Short Story

May 21, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of This House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are

Title: This House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are

Author: Stephen Howard

Publisher: Wild Hunt Books

Publication Date: April 3, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Mystery, Contemporary

Length: 106 pages

Source: I borrowed it from the library.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A couple mourning the loss of their young daughter take up an opportunity to renovate a rural cottage on the remote North Yorkshire Moors. However, they can’t process their grief as increasingly eerie events unfold. Is it their daughter haunting them or something else?

Content Warning: the death a child that occurred before this novella began. I will be discussing it briefly in my review.

Review:

Moving forward rarely happens on a set schedule.

I adored the house’s motivation for attempting to communicate with Priya and Simon, the couple who just moved in. While I can’t go into detail about this without sharing spoilers, it was a fresh perspective on the haunted house genre that made me eagerly want to learn more. Mr. Howard is a creative storyteller, and these scenes in particular were well done and made me want to check out more of his work.

This would have been a much stronger work if more time had been spent fleshing it out, especially when it came to the character development. While the minimalistic descriptions worked better for the storyline given how straightforward it was for the most part, I found myself wishing I knew more about who Simon and Priya were as individuals. There simply wasn’t enough space in this novella to explore their personalities, histories, and what their marriage had been like before little Lily passed away.

The ending was as unexpected as it was thought provoking. I was intrigued by what it had to say about the process of grief and how easy it is to get stuck in certain phases of it for some people. It takes courage to pull oneself out of those spirals and move forward when what one really wants to do is wallow in the past. While I would have liked to see another chapter added at the end to explain what was really going on in the house, I also understand why the author decided to leave those questions unanswered. Grief in real life is often accompanied by questions that can’t possibly be answered, too, so it made sense to reflect that in fiction as well.

If anyone reading this review would like a recommendation for a similar read, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters explores similar themes surrounding grief, the loss of a child, and the physical and emotional decay of a home and may be of interest to you.

This House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are made me want to read more haunted house tales.

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Tagged as 2020s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Novella, Paranormal, Psychological Horror, Stephen Howard, Wild Hunt Books

May 7, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Mayday Mayday Mayday

Title: Mayday Mayday Mayday

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: About 21 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #6: A tale that explores how holiday magic can carry forward into the rest of the year, featuring Natalie and the mysterious George from “Come December.”

Engagement should be a happy time in a young woman’s life, but for Natalie, it’s plagued with doubts. She’d only known Damien four months when she accepted his proposal, and now, when the two are together, she hears a distinct Mayday distress call. Where is the voice coming from? Does it have anything to do with the enigmatic figure she encountered in the cemetery last winter? Or is Natalie finding a way to tell herself she thinks she’s about to go down in flames?

Mayday Mayday Mayday is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, and April’s Promise. Stories following Mayday Mayday Mayday include Chasing June, A Hundred Julys, Under the August Moon, Song for September, October Omen, and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning: World War I, a plane crash, and a dangerous accident on a balcony. I will be briefly referencing the first two topics in my review.

Review:

This is one of those rare series that only gets better over time.

There was the perfect amount of conflict in this short story, and I’m saying that as a reviewer who previously had constructive criticism about this topic when I was first introduced to this universe in Under the August Moon. It’s important to acknowledge growth when it happens, and I loved the direction Ms. Schindler took her tale for the May instalment of it. Yes, the core of it remained whimsical and romantic, just as I’d expect from this setting, but the inclusion of higher-stakes moments as well kept my interest levels high.

As someone who doesn’t read much romance, I appreciated how that genre was woven into Natalie’s life as she adjusted to living in a new community and dealt with a mysterious figure she’d recently met in the local cemetery. The themes fit together naturally which is always something I enjoy discovering in books that dip their toes into more than one genre. This was an excellent example of how to do just that while satisfying both readers who may not be well-versed in romance or paranormal fiction as well as those who already know they like those types of stories. I love it when authors create these seamless pathways to discovering new genres!

World War I isn’t as common referenced as World War II is in a lot of modern fiction, so my ears perk up when a blurb mentions references to the First World War. There were no graphic descriptions of war included, but there were a few scenes that mentioned a plane crash from that era. I found them tastefully written yet also heartbreaking given the subject matter involved. These moments also added layers of depth not only to the storyline itself but also to Natalie’s personality as she figured out who was calling for May Day and why.

Mayday Mayday Mayday made me yearn for more.

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Tagged as 2020s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Holly Schindler, Paranormal, Romance, Self-Published, Short Story, World War I

April 23, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Interruptions

Title: Interruptions

Author: P.B. Cannon

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: February 16, 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: 20 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Cady and Sam don’t like excitement. So, they have good reason to love their lifestyle in the small town of Matthews, N.C. They’ve got a cute kid, good jobs, great neighbors, and their home beats the wheels off their last address. Unfortunately, interruption rears its head when it’s least expected, leading to that unwanted unrest they’ve been avoiding. What’s a couple of homebody werewolves to do?

Content Warning: Brief references to sexual harassment and humans being attacked by fantasy creatures.

Review:

Werewolves need to rest, too.

Cady’s character development was quite well done. Her relationships with her husband and child were explored in depth as well as her feelings on a variety of topics ranging from race to European beauty standards to why she so desperately wanted her neighbourhood to remain a quiet and peaceful place to live. She was the sort of protagonist I’d love to invite out for a cup of coffee so I could get to know her better as what I learned about her from this piece only made me more curious about who she was as a person.

The ending felt abrupt to me. I should note that this is part of a serial, a type of tale that is well known for ending on cliffhangers, so do keep those facts in mind while reading. Even when including them, though, I wished more attention would have been paid to developing that final scene. The way it was written felt more like the end of a chapter in a book than a short story. In my opinion, serials work better when each instalment in them stands alone as a fully formed tale, and I did not feel like this quite met that standard even though I deeply enjoyed reading it otherwise.

This was a good example of how to write an exciting fantasy story in a suburban setting. Most modern fantasy that I’ve read has either been set in rural or urban areas, so it was refreshing to see a different sort of setting being utilized. I especially liked the brief moments where Cady talked about simple aspects of living in the suburbs like finding a good parking spot or maintaining positive relationships with the neighbours. Yes, both of these topics were relevant to her adventures on this particular night, but I’ll leave it up to other readers to discover why.

Interruptions was exciting.

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Tagged as 2010s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Fantasy, P.B. Cannon, Self-Published, Short Story, Werewolves

March 19, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of The Visitor

Book cover for The Visitor by Neil Shooter. Image on cover is a photo taken of a one-story ranch-style house after dusk. You can see the road bend in front of the house, some trees on the left, and the house itself sitting quietly, but all of this is shrouded in the darkness of night that obscures most details about any of them.

Title: The Visitor

Author: Neil Shooter

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 6, 2016

Genres: Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Historical, Contemporary

Length: 11 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

On an ordinary blustery British night an extraordinary visitor comes, a time traveller, with a paradox. But time is relative.

Content Warning: References to alcoholism and mild homophobia.

Review:

How far would you go to correct the past?

The conversational structure of this short story kept my interest levels high. It takes effort to include necessary details about character and plot development while still making sure both characters are speaking to each other in ways that feel natural. Mr. Shooter did a good job balancing these needs while pushing the storyline forward with every reply. It felt like I truly was listening in on someone else’s conversation.

I had some trouble understanding the significance of the final scene due to how vague it was. While I have a theory about what it probably meant, I wasn’t sure if that was what the author was trying to convey or if I’d misunderstood something along the way. It would have been helpful to have a few more hints about what was happening and if my interpretation of it was the correct one (or one of the correct ones). This is something I’m saying as a reader who normally enjoys

It was also entertaining to see how Dean, the protagonist, explained how time travel works and why he decided to go back so many years. While I can’t share a lot of details about these aspects of the tale for spoiler reasons, they were reasonable and helped to answer several questions I had about how certain details were meant to fit together. It was also fun to get to know Dean a little better as his personality was a little bit of a mystery to me at first. Honestly, I would have made the same choice he did if such things were possible.

This was my first experience with this author’s work, and I will be coming back for more.

The Visitor was thought provoking.

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Tagged as 2010s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Historical, LGBT, Neil Shooter, Science Fiction, Short Story, Time Travel

February 26, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Five Miles Out Of Black Creek

Title: Five Miles Out Of Black Creek

Author: Neil Shooter

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 30, 2016

Genres: Horror, LGBTQ+, Contemporary

Length:13 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Dean Rand is in a bit of a slump, and needs to sell a story fast. Can this one save his bacon? Dr. Chang’s dirty white farmhouse in the middle of nowhere? Well, in the middle of Hamilton County, five miles out of Black Creek. Sure, the view is great, but it’s so isolated. Why would a scientist want to live here? Or work here?

Content Warning: Blood.

Review:

Not every farm is a tranquil getaway from city life.

Let’s see how much I can say about the antagonists of this piece without giving away too many clues about who or what they are. This means that my review may feel a little mysterious, but I’d rather allow other readers to discover for themselves what’s going on than to know ahead of time what to expect. What I can say about the antagonists is that they had good reasons for behaving the way that they did and that they provided plenty of conflict for Dean to work through during his visit. There’s definitely something to be said for that! I also appreciated how unusual some of them were. That is to say, they didn’t exactly conform to mainstream ideas of what should be attempting to harm the protagonist in this genre, and that’s a good thing.

It would have been more helpful to have additional plot development. I knew what the twist in the end probably would be by the time I read the first scene, and unfortunately this was the sort of tale that, in my opinion, works better if one doesn’t know what to expect in advance. The character development was sufficient for something of this length, so it was really just the depth of the plot that held me back from choosing a higher rating.

With that being said, I do enjoy rural horror. Sometimes other genres glamorize this setting in ways that make me uncomfortable as someone who grew up in various rural places and intimately knows both the negative and positive aspects of that environment, so it was refreshing to see a character drive out to the middle of nowhere and be genuinely taken aback by what he found there. I also appreciated the way the story played around with the trope of a highly educated city slicker arriving at a farm and realizing there are still things about life he doesn’t know. This is something that happens to all sorts of people when they find themselves in cultures or places they’re unfamiliar with, after all, and it was well used here.

Five Miles Out Of Black Creek made me shudder.

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Tagged as 2010s, Book Reviews, Contemporary, Horror, LGBT, Neil Shooter, Self-Published, Short Story

Tag Archives: Contemporary

A Review of Intercepted Wishes

A Review of Catch-All Drawer

A Review of The Corner of My Eye

A Review of Planeta

A Review of A Hundred Julys

A Review of This House Isn’t Haunted, But We Are

A Review of Mayday Mayday Mayday

A Review of Interruptions

A Review of The Visitor

A Review of Five Miles Out Of Black Creek

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