The Angel and Shyla Tales

Holy cow this was a twisted story. Having listened to other books by this author he is apparently trying to outdo himself with each new book. If you are not willing to listen to just an absolutely gruesome and disturbing story involving some of the most disgusting, pornographic, and sensitive topics this book is not for you. This type of story is definitely for a select group of people. I would have to imagine that the depraved mind of the author can’t get much worse than what was in this book. Looking forward to his next book to see. Much like his other books he is very descriptive and definitely paints a detailed picture of everything which puts you right there in that motel room with Angel and Shyla.
Really enjoyed the format of this book, almost a Canterbury Tales style with one story interwoven with other tales being told by two people in a lonely motel room. All of the stories are buttoned up nicely at the end, even though they seem random at the time. Isn’t too hard to catch what is going on but oh boy is there an endgame that nobody can see coming.
Craig Beck does a great job. I really like the tone of his voice and think it works well for this genre of story. His British accent and professionalism totally belongs in a genre that would never talk about prolapsing, but I’m glad he narrates these books too.
was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I feared the worst, but enjoyed it anyway

I was offered this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Due to the warning on the cover, in the email and in some reviews, I dug around a bit to see just how bad it really was.

I don't know whether I should be proud of this or if it makes me a bad human being, but I felt the warnings were unwarranted. There's a few scenes that are disgusting, but we're not talking mentally-scarring. We're talking "oh man, that's gross". Maybe I'm just a bit desensitized, but if you're worried about wanting to puke or having nightmares from listening to this tale, I think you'll be fine.

On to the story. So there's a guy who summons an escort to a hotel room. Instead of getting down to business, he begins by telling her seemingly-random stories -- sizing her up for his end-game.

The stories he tells are where you'll find a bit of grossness, but again, there's nothing over the top or gratuitous. It's certainly not the focus of the story and it all fits nicely into the narrative. Stop worrying!

As our John makes his way through the tales, you begin to form an idea of where things are going. You're not sure, but you're getting there. The author does a good job of making sure you piece things together just as our in-story listening character does.

The end-game is a bit out there and perhaps slightly anti-climatic for all that came before, but it's still an enjoyable listen.

The narrator did a very good job all around, though I will say his shortcoming was female voices. Thankfully the cast of characters here is small-enough that it's not a huge problem.

If you like a bit of mystery with a topping of weird. Give a try!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Freaking Loved It

Any additional comments?

I LOVE a book that has stories within stories and this one was masterfully done. An intricate tale of a disturbing life that culminates in something beautiful - how Ralston accomplished this I do not know. It was fantastic. Beck did a brilliant job of narrating, his performance was just right at all times keeping me absolutely hooked throughout. This IS a gruesome horror tale and certainly not for the easily offended. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys some serious horror!

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

This is fantastic!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this book but I can definitely say I am glad I did! Duncan Ralston was a new author to me and now I want to find more of his works. Reading the summary, I went into this thinking it was a haunted motel room or there was some sort of evil entity involved but I was not prepared for the truth.

The stories within the story were gruesome and great! I had an idea as the story progressed of what Angel's motive was but didn't see the end coming. I was actually bummed it was over.

Craig Beck narrated this perfectly! I listened at work and it made those 3 hours go by so quickly I was sad I still had 5 more hours of work to go. I found a few more Craig Beck narrated books I will have to get.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ah to be born again

Would you consider the audio edition of Woom to be better than the print version?

After listening to the audiobook I signed up for Amazon Kindle Unlimited and found a lot of other works by the author. I listened and read the book at times at the same time and I must say that though I enjoyed the book listening to it was far better. I listened some stories I read again just for the difference and enjoyed it more.

What did you like best about this story?

I went into the story thinking it was going to be a haunted room but as it turns out it's far worse than that. The depravity that humans do in that room and the history it has was far better than what I expected.

What does Craig Beck bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It made the story better, Craig Beck was a perfect choice for the narration. He brought Angel to life and there were times that the characters lisp would slip out and he did it perfectly, much better than what it was in my head.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Ah to be born again

Any additional comments?

I loved it, this book has opened up a new genre for me that I didn't even know existed. I have added more works from Duncan Ralston and Matt Shaw to my kindle and am looking forward to their next work.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Weird Sick Rebirth

I did enjoy listening to this book even though it was short it covered much disgusting explicit psychological horror of one man. It was highly imaginable story and unexpected ending. Highly recommend to listeners of Matt Shaw. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author. THANK YOU!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Crazy and original and very very good!

Wow. This one was really great. The story was crazy and original and the narrator absolutely nailed it. I didn’t know what to expect when I agreed to a review audio copy, but I am really glad I took on a chance on a new-to-me author. I will be looking up more of Mr. Ralstons work for sure.

Shyla is meeting a client in room 6 at the Lonely Motel for a little partay. Unfortunately, Angel the man who called the escort service has some history at the Lonely Motel. Bloody history.

Several mini stories form a patchwork tale that culminates in one messy f’d up finale. Solid 4.5 Stars and Highly Recommended!

*I received a complimentary review copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review. This was it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

MOTEL SICK: IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK !

Any additional comments?

Have you ever wondered what strange scenarios have been played out prior to your stay in a motel room? Enter Room Six at the Lonely Motel and let Angel (a historical guide with a secret) blow your mind. The vile vignettes include drugs, sex, premature births, deaths, rebirth, porn shoots, vomit, diarrhea, other bodily fluids, a prostitute (did I mention sex?), condoms, and wire hangers, which all come together in the end with a scene that redefines "giving head" in a sickening yet maternal climax. This audiobook delivers the goods.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Extremely gory horror, be warned

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

This book isn't for everyone. If you don't like extreme gore and horror, then you might want to skip this one. Otherwise, it's an interesting listen. I'm not sure if I necessarily liked the stories but they did make me think. They catch your attention despite yourself and you find yourself thinking about them from time to time.

The writing was well done and very descriptive, which didn't help matters, but I would like to read something from this author that is less extreme. Ralston really painted a picture, I could see what was going on each story and made each character and story life-like.

This is a series of short stories but they're wrapped around the main story and even though you can see how things are going to end before you get there, you still find yourself wanting to keep going, just to see what would happen to each character, if things would go the way you thought or not.

Some of the stories are harder to get through but if you can, it's worth it. They help explain Angel's thinking and why he's there with Shyla. You can't agree with what he does but you can at least understand his reasoning for it.

Craig Beck does a very good job in narrating the stories, giving each story and character their own voice and makes you feel as if someone is sharing these stories with you, rather than reading a book. His voice fits the tone of the stories and when there's panic or action, he gets you wrapped into the story but when things are slower, his voice helps sooth and gives you a chance to try and process what you heard.

Overall, an interesting set of stories and I'm going to find myself thinking about them from time to time for quite a while yet.

damn...

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a grisly and disturbing story. If you are easily offended, disturbed, or grossed out, you should just skip this book. If you are someone who likes horror stories like this, you need to pick this one up. You will find yourself muttering, "damn..." to yourself throughout the book and, like me, think about what you just listened to for a few days. To me, that screams great book.