Disclosure:
I received an Advance Reader copy of Coleridge from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. They give me no money, nor do they in any way influence my thoughts – those are 100% my own for better or worse.
Note from 2023: It looks like this one never made it past the collapse of SSP.
Edition:
Kindle e-ARC
Synopsis:
Coleridge was the start of everything for Zadie and Dalia. Their love of the old house began as a restoration project and blossomed into a love story. Until the tragedy.
Coleridge was all Dalia Cromwell had left. It served as both a tribute to their love and a harsh reminder to her loss. Until the visitor arrived.
Coleridge was his obsession. Slade knew more about the house than Dalia did. And he knew of its past. By the end of their long night together in the house, Dalia would know all of Coleridge’s secrets, and Zadie’s.
My Thoughts:
This was a lot of story for such a short number of pages. It starts with Dalia, who we come to learn recently lost her partner Zadie. Dalia and Zadie had purhcased a house together in order to team up, restore it, and sell it for a profit. But during the renovation, the two developed feelings for each other that were so strong that the house ceased to be a project and was instead being fixed up in order to become their home together. And then tragedy struck.
After Zadie’s death, Dalia is left with the house, and all of the bittersweet reminders of her lost love. And then a man, claiming to be Zadie’s father arrives – but his behavior quickly leads Dalia to believe that he isn’t who he says he is.
“I believe you are in possession of something I want. Something I simply must have. I mean to have it before I leave. One way or another.”
Who is this man? What does he want?
There’s a lotta bit of mystery, a little bit of spookies, a home invasion, some mysticism, and even…*gasp* those damn lesbians in horror again (please see my review of Sara Tantlinger’s To Be Devoured for context – this isn’t an out of nowhere statement, I promise. It’s sort of like an ‘in joke’ so GET IN ON IT! 🙃). There’s also a heavy thread of tragedy here, so if you’re a crier be sure to keep your tissues handy.
About the Author:
Tom Deady is the author of several short stories, as well as a non-fiction book on the Red Sox historic 2004 season.
Tom’s debut novel, Haven, is available now from Cemetery Dance on Amazon in ebook and paperback (https://www.amazon.com/Haven-Tom-Dead…).
Haven is the 2016 Bram Stoker Winner of Superior Achievement in a First Novel.
Tom’s second novel, Eternal Darkness, is available now from Bloodshot Books in ebook and trade paperback format. (https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Darkne…).
Tom has a Masters Degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University, and is a member of both the Horror Writers Association and the New England Horror Writers.
Tom is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, where is actively working on his next novel.
Rating:
I wish that this was a little bit longer so that the lore could have been explored a little bit further. I feel like it was a really interesting facet of the story that, unfortunately, felt a bit too vague for my tastes. Overall though, it is a very enjoyable, very quick read. You could easily knock this one out before bed (because who doesn’t like to dream about spooky things?)
Coleridge By Tom Deady Silver Shamrock Publishing Dark Fiction ASIN: B0848Q2CDZ Expected Publication: March 24, 2020 E-book, Paperback 101 pages
