Love Letters: A Dark Chapter Press Unlimited Short: L

Dark Chapter Press A-Z, Book 12

By: Roma Gray

Narrated by: JD Kelly

Love letters. A fond token of remembrance, a treasured means of communication between loved ones, a primitive form of sentiment that has outlived the intrusion of modern technology.

Love letters are cherished; they contain intimate secrets and private thoughts, but they can also reveal a darker side to the human emotion, a very real evil that is more than just words on a page.

©2017 Roma Gray (P)2018 Roma Gray

You don't always want to receive love letters

Roma Gray is disturbing. She can creep me out with just a few words, and I have learned that she never holds back when she tells a story. Most of the time her protagonists don't meet with a happy ending, unless you come to the conclusion that she is generally writing from the perspective of the villains.

Here, she provides us with the story of a woman who has been abused by her husband, a husband who had been so verbose and affectionate in his letters to her so long ago. Now, his letters carry the threat of pain and death to her and her unborn child. Once flowing and curvasive words have now become irregular and blocky, what once spoke of love is now infused with venom and vitriol. She and her lover sneak off to hide from him, but soon it becomes clear that the old postal addage ADDRESS UNKNOWN does not apply.

Gray hold nothing back, and no subject seems to be taboo. I love that. There should be no restrictions when it comes to horror, and she lives that with every tale she writes. I have to admit, I am a funeral director, I deal with death every single day, and this story made me a little queasy. Good for her. I need that. This is a wonderful short story, and I can really see Gray's progression as a writer here. She is very comfortable with the uncomfortable, and can make you feel for her protagonist n just a few words, so that when the danger comes you are genuinely concerned. She just keeps improving as she goes, and honestly, if she keeps up this pace and writes a LONGER novel I can see her being mentioned alongside Stephen King. Although, I have to admit, I think King is an over-hyped hack who focuses more on farts and boogers than horror. Yeah, she'll surpass him with a little elbow grease.

My only regret is that Terry Self didn't get to narrate this short, but JD Kelly does a fantastic job. I actually think that the switch might have helped me as a listener, as this was someone new and his different style really set me up with a different mood going into the story. JD does an excellent job, and if anyone can fill in for Self, it would be him. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

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Favorite Roma Gray Story!

I love Roma Gray’s short horror stories! This story is especially scary. Love letters aren’t always wanted.

Just straight up violence

Quick, violent, and satisfying. Also, I'm pretty sure the narrator is an actual vampire.

This is one of those buyer beware stories. If you're looking for a horror short story, you've found it. just don't listen with the idea that you're going to get something happy and shiny.

Disturbing

Just as I have come to expect, this is a dark and disturbing short story. It is difficult to describe it, but if you like this type of story, don’t skip this one. I look forward from more from the author.

Weirdly compulsive listen

After I listened to “No One Knows We’re Here” by Roma Gray, I had new admiration for short-story authors. I can’t write short and compact stories with an emotional punch, but Gray certainly can. This story is disconcerting, disturbing, and a weirdly compulsive listen.

I can’t go into much detail, but it was shocking in its intensity and violence. This book is not for the faint-of-heart. If you are looking for a quick dip into horror, I can recommend this.

That being said, the book is set in Washington State and the narrator is using a British accent. He’s great, but it was jarring at first. Besides that, it was a good short.

A nasty little quickie...

...and perhaps a cautionary tale against abusive relationships. Not for the faint of heart. But a nice commute-length snack for gluttons of horror. Well done.

Not my normal read

Wow, short and to the point. Not what I normally listen to. Perhaps more disturbing than I would have liked.

Not disappointed

Love letters is a little different than the typical Roma Gray story, but it is still fantastic. It's a short story, so there isn't much I can say without spoiling something. I will say I held my breath many times during this suspenseful story. What's most scary about it is that it could REALLY happen just the way she writes it. Give a listen; you won't regret it. Definitely worth a credit, or buying outright if you want to save your credit for a longer story.

Not my cup of tea.

I received this audiobook for an honest review. I hate to be the one with the low rating but...

This is the first time when Terry F. Self hasn't narrated one of Roma Gray's audiobooks (not that I've listened to). I'm a big fan of him, not as much with this new narrator. While he has a nice speaking voice, I'm not sure if he is new because he didn't use much variety when it came to the character voices.

As for the story...for me, it seems like it's either a hit or miss- as to whether I'll like it or not. On that note, I wasn't so much a fan of this story, unfortunately. I was somewhat left bored and not interested in what happened to the characters. As I stated I'm a fan of her usual narrator; I'm also a fan of Roma Gray overall. She has unique ideas when it comes to storytelling.