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marilynw's review
4.0
If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of Deadly Women and Retribution by various authors
The women in these stories take matters into their own hands in more ways than I could have ever imagined. My favorite stories are “Predator” (a woman makes sure the predator, who she is close to, will never escape retribution) and “Political Suicide” (revenge in more ways than one). Sixteen stories that show women are not the weaker sex, that they will not take betrayal lightly.
Published October 26th 2020
Thank you to Sinister Smile Press for this ARC.
The women in these stories take matters into their own hands in more ways than I could have ever imagined. My favorite stories are “Predator” (a woman makes sure the predator, who she is close to, will never escape retribution) and “Political Suicide” (revenge in more ways than one). Sixteen stories that show women are not the weaker sex, that they will not take betrayal lightly.
Published October 26th 2020
Thank you to Sinister Smile Press for this ARC.
wolfshine's review
5.0
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
A perfect way to sum up this anthology of 16 kickass stories. Women will do what it takes to protect those they love, and these stories take that to the extreme. Murder, mystery, and revenge flows throughout this collection. Even though every story is dramatically different, the theme of a strong female ensures that every story is connected in a way.
I tried to compile a top five favorites, but it was tough to choose so I whittled it down to my top six (in no particular order):
1. The Long December by Steven Pajak: A daughter is determined to get revenge on the people responsible for her mother’s suicide. This was an emotional rollercoaster.
2. Predator by J.H. Moncrieff: “Not my son. Not my child.” When a detective finds pictures of her son deep on the Dark Web, she takes on a special mission: protect him at all costs. It was easy to lose myself in the details of this one. The emotions were raw and, as a parent, very easy for me to relate to the MC.
3. Political Suicide by Bridget Nelson: A beautiful story of Karma at its finest. After a politician cuts funding to a much-needed medical program, the MC’s son dies of cancer. In a desperate move to avenge him, she comes up with the perfect plan of an eye for an eye. The plot in this one was very original.
4. To Hell and Back by Mark Young: In order to save her daughter, a woman must make a trip to the underworld. Very cool themes of paranormal, horror, and suspense. Not to mention a kickass MC.
5. Forget Me Not by Claire Brown: When a woman wishes her children away, the wish is granted. Be careful what you wish for! This one was another emotional rollercoaster. Mixed with the suspense of the paranormal, it had me on the edge of my seat. Not to mention that ending.
6. Lucy by R.E. Sargent: A woman enlists help from a stranger to escape her abusive husband. Thing is, her plans go much deeper than that. I always love R.E. Sargent’s stories for his awesome way of writing strong woman with dark plans.
Even though I’m not mentioning every story in my review, I enjoyed them all. Each of them spoke of the depths of human nature and what exactly can happen when a person is pushed too far.
Perfect collection of stories to invoke a range of emotions in readers across the board.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
A perfect way to sum up this anthology of 16 kickass stories. Women will do what it takes to protect those they love, and these stories take that to the extreme. Murder, mystery, and revenge flows throughout this collection. Even though every story is dramatically different, the theme of a strong female ensures that every story is connected in a way.
I tried to compile a top five favorites, but it was tough to choose so I whittled it down to my top six (in no particular order):
1. The Long December by Steven Pajak: A daughter is determined to get revenge on the people responsible for her mother’s suicide. This was an emotional rollercoaster.
2. Predator by J.H. Moncrieff: “Not my son. Not my child.” When a detective finds pictures of her son deep on the Dark Web, she takes on a special mission: protect him at all costs. It was easy to lose myself in the details of this one. The emotions were raw and, as a parent, very easy for me to relate to the MC.
3. Political Suicide by Bridget Nelson: A beautiful story of Karma at its finest. After a politician cuts funding to a much-needed medical program, the MC’s son dies of cancer. In a desperate move to avenge him, she comes up with the perfect plan of an eye for an eye. The plot in this one was very original.
4. To Hell and Back by Mark Young: In order to save her daughter, a woman must make a trip to the underworld. Very cool themes of paranormal, horror, and suspense. Not to mention a kickass MC.
5. Forget Me Not by Claire Brown: When a woman wishes her children away, the wish is granted. Be careful what you wish for! This one was another emotional rollercoaster. Mixed with the suspense of the paranormal, it had me on the edge of my seat. Not to mention that ending.
6. Lucy by R.E. Sargent: A woman enlists help from a stranger to escape her abusive husband. Thing is, her plans go much deeper than that. I always love R.E. Sargent’s stories for his awesome way of writing strong woman with dark plans.
Even though I’m not mentioning every story in my review, I enjoyed them all. Each of them spoke of the depths of human nature and what exactly can happen when a person is pushed too far.
Perfect collection of stories to invoke a range of emotions in readers across the board.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
javierfp82's review
4.0
Short stories aren’t my thing. I usually end up disappointed wishing for something more, i.e., a more elaborate plot, better developed characters... So you’ll be wondering... if you don’t like short stories why are you reading a short stories anthology?. Well, one and most important, because my friend Bridgett wrote one of the stories in this collection (from now on, my Published Author Friend Bridgett