FMB Blog Tours Presents: CONSUMED BY LOVE

Genre: Erotic / Horror

Length: Short Story - 5,000 words

Ebook:  35 pages 

Publication Date: February 27, 2011

Publisher: Fighting Monkey Press

AMAZON SYNOPSIS: 

Consumed by Love is the story of a couple who must face one partner's supernatural transformation. This short piece is written in the style of a classic horror story with a dark take on the addictive nature of love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway.

Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry as a freelance accountant for several international law firms. She now operates her own accounting firm in the Washington DC area, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and two terrible dogs. When not preparing taxes, she is busy penning her next novel.

Author of many short stories, Pavarti spans genres from Horror and Erotica all the way to Fantasy. Currently Pavarti is hard at work preparing for the release of her upcoming novel Shadow on the Wall, a Muslim Superhero Literary Fiction.

MY REVIEW:

A disturbingly dark story, this short was labeled as horror and erotic. As a short story, I expected it to move quickly. I think it was a little too fast and not quite sure how to give a review without giving spoilers so this one will have spoilers.

Spoiler Alert:

I can see the horror and although the couple have sex, I don't really see that it was erotic in this story. The horror aspect is there, however, this was not my kind of story. Although the author did a good job of describing Hugo's transformation into the creature he was becoming it was hard for me to really connect with him or even his wife Bree.

Hugo has just lost his father who he was never really close to. He feels out of sorts and becomes sick. Doctors are unable to find out what is wrong with him. A strong young man, he becomes haggard and drawn and craves blood. I thought maybe he was turning into a vampire. Yet he keeps staring at the moon. 

Bree becomes very concerned when he sits for days on end and doesn't move, just continues to stare out the window. Suddenly, he gets up, comes to bed and makes love to her and bites off her ear. Becoming lethargic again, Hugo sits in the chair until once again he goes and makes love to her and bites off yet another part of her. 

Bree calls his sister who speaks a strange language, I assumed Native American since the sister comments that he needs to come home and lead his people. Warning Bree not to allow him to complete his transformation, into what, we never find out because the author never reveals this. 

It is obvious that Bree loves her husband so much, to be with him, she loses everything including their jobs, house they had built and oh, she allows him to chew off parts of her body just to make him happy. In the end, Hugo is unable to contain his love and hunger for her. Bree is literally Consumed by Love.

I have to give this story 2.5 - 3 stars only because of the originality of the plot. There were issues I found with how the conversations were laid out. It was hard to tell who was speaking at times which really slowed the story down. I felt the author was telling me the story at some points rather than showing. I know this is a work of fiction and anything can happen. As a reader though, I honestly want to be able to immerse myself in the characters world and believe for that time it can really happen. Honestly, for me, this story was just not believable because there were too many things left unresolved.