Someone to Share My Nightmares by Sonora Taylor #BookReview

Richard Martin (@rickreadshorror) returns to Sci-Fi & Scary with a review of Sonora Taylor’s latest collection.

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A band of bloodthirsty sea creatures terrorize a scientist and a journalist trapped in a Carolina cove. The seduction of a plumber making a house call becomes a nightmarish haunting for both parties. A woman transformed for her lover has second thoughts about just how good “together forever” can be. And the one man a woman wants for Christmas is the holiday demon sent to punish the wicked.

“Someone to Share My Nightmares” is a tapestry of horrors interwoven with sensuality. Can our deepest fears be vanquished when they’re shared with someone else? Or is the danger doubled when two people come together?

Title: Someone to Share My Nightmares | Author: Sonora Taylor | Pub date: 2021-Oct-19th | Pages: 110 | Language: English | ASIN: B09D6J59XJ | Source: Author | Unstarred Review

Someone to Share My Nightmares Review

Sonora Taylor’s fourth short story collection mixes horror and sex to deliver a raunchy. Boasting nine tales that aim to get more than just your spine tingling, ‘Someone To Share My Nightmares’ contains stories including;

•             A film directors’ mysterious death in a local forest may not be the tragic accident the public believes it to be, and one fan is about to come face to face with the true culprit.

•             A late-night booty call turns into a fight for survival when a woman’s home is besieged by spirits there to enact a deadly curse.

•             A virtual assistant seems to have a mind of its own and seems to know a terrible secret that its owner thought long buried.

•             A Marine Biologist discovers a new and deadly species, the terrifying result of river pollution. Now she need only survive long enough to share her findings…

•             A young couple whose relationship woes feel all the more insurmountable when both are immortal.

•             A young woman’s childhood visitation by the notorious Krampus becomes a lifelong obsession, along with her newfound desire to be punished.

I can’t imagine a reader picking up ‘Someone to Share My Nightmares’ and disliking the stories within. There is such a pervading sense of fun to the whole book that it’s impossible not to get swept along for the ride. Shorts like ‘Bump in the Night’ are gloriously silly and over the top, taking the concept of toilet humour to weird and wonderful places, whereas others, such as ‘Tis’ Better to Want’ have a premise so bizarre (and weirdly heart-warming) that readers can at least be guaranteed a unique reading experience. I imagine the latter will prove to be a consistent pick for people’s favourite story of the collection.

My personal favourite was ‘The Parrot’, one of the books more serious offerings, reading like a long-lost episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ or ‘Tales From the Crypt’. Taylor manages to build up some serious tension and the end result is deliciously creepy with a fun twist. A special mention also goes to ‘You Promised Me Forever’ for an interesting take on the vampire myth which explores what a commitment a long term relationship truly is when you’re life span can be measured in millennia.

While there weren’t any stories that I didn’t enjoy to some extent, it was the handful of more unassuming entries that resonated with me, whereas others were entertaining but ultimately forgettable. The story ‘The Sharps’ perhaps best demonstrates my only real issue with the book, as it has a fantastic concept (a ‘meet cute’ romance told via a bloody Creature Feature) but ultimately doesn’t do enough with it, not really committing fully to either the horror or romance elements. 

‘Someone to Share My Nightmares’ is a fun and naughty romp that packs monsters, vampires, vengeful spirits and festive deities into a collection of pure, unashamed entertainment. If you’ve ever been curious what a Krampus striptease might look like, then this is the book for you!  

3 Stars

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While we would normally ask that readers consider purchasing through Bookshop.org to support indie bookstores (and us) while they are supporting authors, at the moment Someone to Share My Nightmares is only only available via Amazon, so please go check that out here.