Horror Book Review: Dead Over Heels (Theresa Braun)

Theresa Braun is a horror fiction & occasional romance writer whose previous work includes the short story, Shout at the Devil (appearing in Under the Bed magazine) & While My Guitar Gently Weeps which is available in Hindered Souls.

Dead Over Heels combines both horror, crime & romance to tell the story of Veronica, a woman about to give up on dating. She wants to find love but is starting to believe it just isn’t going to happen. That is until she gets chatting to Sebastian online. The two hit it off & agree to meet.

At the restaurant the pair discover that they share stuff in common, quite a bit in fact. The occult, witchcraft, ghosts & having a parent disappear on Christmas Eve when they were children. Coincidence? Or is something sinister at play here?

At 69 pages long there isn’t much time to build a lot of story here but Braun does a masterful job of creating two characters that are both believable & interesting. Veronica cynical nature towards the dating scene is understandable as is her interest in the mysterious Sebastian.

What makes Dead Over Heels such a gripping read is that it doesn’t go in the direction you expect it too. Far from it. A sudden revelation & the realisation of just what is happening is thrilling. It’s a satisfying payoff, one that leaves you with food for thought & a need to re-read to see what you may have missed now you know what happens.

The only area it’s found lacking is with the amount of detail surrounding the ‘twist’. It would have been interesting to delve further into that side of the story. It would have really helped the finale have even more impact.

A highly enjoyable read, none the less. The mix of sinister horror & romance working really well together!

You can pick up Dead Over Heels on Amazon. Check out Theresa Braun’s website, Facebook & Twitter for more about her work!