Woven in Blood:Sleeper Cells by Ian Woodhead

This is the story of Damien and Cade. Best of friends and both destined to be fodder for long asleep vampires. When Damien's mother embarks on an affair, she has no idea of the long buried secrets she is in danger of unearthing, and Damien and Cades lives take a very different turn to that which was ordained for them. When the vampires awake, the two clans find a very different world from that which they left behind, and a war breaks out. Now nothing will be the same again, for the humans, vampires or anybody.

I must admit, it took me a long time to get into this, and I almost gave up, not because of the writing because that was great. I struggled because it was vampires, and I just don't like vampires. I am really glad I persevered though, because the story took off and I couldn't read it fast enough. The characters were solid and the pace of the book rocketed along. Be warned though, this is the first in a series. Whilst it can be read on it's own, it is intended to be part of a series. That being said, if you like your vampire full of action and blood, with a sprinkling of sexiness, then this is totally for you.

The Infestation by Matt Shaw

This is the story of Ethan. On his way to work one day he gets caught up in a traffic jam which he soon finds out is a road block. No one has any answers except that there is rioting in the city, and it is not safe to go there. Fearing for his wife and children, he abandons his car and makes a run for it. On the way he is nearly crushed by a downed airplane, and he runs into a military convoy bound for a safe camp. Unwilling to go with them, they knock him out and take him anyway. At the camp, he meets Fiona, a teacher at his daughters school. Between them they decide to escape and make for Ethan's house to find out what is going on. When they get to his house however, their troubles really begin, and the truth is far more horrific than they could have imagined.....

Despite having a terrible fear of spiders I went into this with both eyes open. The story itself is an expansion of a short story Matt wrote for his Literature-Ly You service. Despite being billed as a spider infestation book, there isn't really much full on spider action (to my relief), Matt decided more to play on the psychological side of things, with the break down of society and the chaos that then ensues. Yes, there are one or two parts that creeped me out but by and large there weren't many 'bad' bits. The story itself was well paced, belting along. The characters were solid, and I wanted to invest my time in them. The ending was typical for a Matt Shaw book, and I was not disappointed. If you are a fan, you will know what I mean, if not, well you will just have to wait and see!!

The Hole by William Meikle

This is the story of a small town that suddenly develops sinkholes. A vibration runs through town and the residents develop crippling headaches and nosebleeds and then the holes appear. A small band of people decide to leave town, but they are stopped on the way out by the military. Something is underground, and it is anxious to surface. If it does, the lives of everyone will be in danger. Will anyone survive to tell the tale?

This was truly brilliant. I absolutely loved it. For me it drew similarities to Under the Dome or The Tommyknockers. The pace was relentless, and there were some real 'hide behind your eyes' creepy moments. Some of the characters had flaws in their personality, but they overcame them for the greater good - and that somehow made them more likeable. The ending was explosive, and I almost had a tear in my eye. Willie clearly had a blast writing this, as it comes through in the story loud and clear. I hope there will be more like this, as it was amazing!