Perfect for those fans of the good old slasher films! I'm the type more likely to binge Friday the 13th than Christmas movies, so this was right up my alley! Scary, violent, gory, suspenseful. Absolutely everything a good campy horror should be. A thrilling ride, one that had me biting at my nails and staying up past my bedtime. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I read this ages ago now and thought I'd reviewed it (anyone noticing a theme here?).

Darren and Vanis are a married couple who are having a few problems, to solve that, they decide to fuck everything and go somewhere for a break to reconnect and be at one with each other.

They travel to a cabin in the woods and settle in for some good old fashioned relaxation.

Now, obviously, because it's a cabin in the woods, it's creepy as hell outside but given that they're grown ups and there's sexy times to be had they don't nope the fuck out of there, they stay as weird stuff starts to happen more and more.

Hunter, the Sheriff of Paradise, is not pleasant, he gives not a jot about Darren and Vanis or their issues and turns a blind eye to everything that's going on.

Something lives in the woods, he knows it, the town knows it and we know it, D and V, however, don't know until suddenly they know.

It all goes to hell in a hand basket and there's blood and violence and all that good stuff.

There is a very good base here, a nice layer of story but I can't put my finger on why I don't like it as much as I thought I would, I'm a huge fan of Hunter Shea and I get vibes of his energy in this so I know I want to read more by this author.

One of my favourite parts, in the copy I had anyway, was 'Zebulun Ayers set down his Buck Johnson rifle, wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, and swatted at the fog of MINGES around his head'. I assume the word was supposed to be Midges as we can all imagine a fog of those, a fog of minges, however, is a WHOLE different thing where I'm from and I dont' know if we can get a fog of them.

*Huge thanks to Jackson R. Thomas, Alien Agenda Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Oh, man -- Glenn Rolfe is a double-threat in the publishing industry as both an author, and a publisher who can really pick some amazing talent, such as Jackson R. Thomas! This novella comes with a warning at the beginning, making sure the reader is equipped with full information that this WILL BE a splatterpunk story, and then off you go on this gory roller coaster ride! It scratches that Ketchum/Laymon itch many horror readers have, and the very same readers will look forward to more JRT work in the future. Enjoy!

This sounded like a perfect B-movie backwoods slasher/splatter/gore whatever, and I was not disappointed, mostly. Still, it seems that I've grown tired of the same old, as I had a constant nagging of déjà vu in the back of my head while vacationing in Paradise, Maine. The first half of the book seemed a bit stereotypical, but then I was glad to see that the author threw in some new ideas as well and wrapped it all up in a satisfying gore-fest ending. High entertainment value.

I have never seen a warning at the beginning of a book, but I found this fair warning at the beginning of Paradise, Maine. I rubbed my hands together and thought, "Oh, boy!" I was immediately intrigued.

"Fair warning: For mature audiences only. This is a splatter punk novel. There will be carnage, blood, and scenes you may not be able to handle. The author feels the queasy, horrible scenes presented are in line with the story and characters, the good and the very bad, within the work."

Darren and Vanis have pretty much hit rock bottom in their marriage. Darren hears an ad on the radio for a cabin getaway in place called Paradise, Maine. It says spots are limited, and he believes that this could be his and Vanis's way to recharge and rebuild their marriage. He calls and books the getaway.

Paradise, Maine looks like paradise, but its people know a secret, and they know better than to talk.

The Watcher waits. The Watcher watches...for now, and he's hungry and ready for a blood-soaking, gut-spilling race through his woods.

I had a great time with this book. It's filled to the brim (and running over) with blood and gore and twisted situations. Jackson R. Thomas doesn't let you rest. He keeps the tension tight and the anticipation high. Splatter punk for the world!

Hmmmm, this one promised big, but in my opinion, didn't deliver big. Overly violent, graphic, I found it a challenging read...The Watcher is a little hard to take, along with the townspeople providing it with blankets. Suspenseful, and would probably make a good movie, just not for me.

Seriously bloody splatterpunk novel which will put you off holidaying in Maine for life

Although it has a rather innocuous cover you will be well advised to heed the author’s ‘Fair Warning’ before the start of the novel; “For mature audiences only. This is a splatterpunk novel…” It is a very violent read; expect cannibalism, rape, torture and a high body count all squeezed into 155 brutal pages. If you’re a fan of very nasty fast paced horror then there is a very good chance you will enjoy “Paradise, Maine” but should you be more inclined towards the literary end of the horror genre then check out “The Migration” which was the last title I reviewed on HorrorDNA.Com and is a million miles from this savage little read.

Horror legend Jack Ketchum is one of several authors thanked in the acknowledgements and “Paradise, Maine” is surely inspired by his controversial cult-classic “Off Season” which has a similar plot and is also set in Maine. In the Ketchum novel a group of off-season tourists are hunted by a cannibal family. In this book the unfortunate tourists are stalked by a deformed, but deadly hillman, known locally as the ‘Watcher’. However, do not let the similarities put you off “Paradise, Maine” it’s certainly inspired by Ketchum, but has more than enough going for it to stand on its own two feet. Subtlety might not be its strong point, but it was an intense rollercoaster or a read.

Darren and Vanis have been married for a few years, but after she catches him watching a live sexcam their marriage hit the rocks and in trying to paper over the cracks he stumbles upon an amazing opportunity to stay in a cabin in Paradise, Maine. After arrival everything looks perfect until Vanis swears she sees someone lucking in the shadows watching them. And from that moment on you know exactly what territory this brutal novel is heading into.

At a brief 155 pages “Paradise, Maine” covers a lot of ground and moves at breakneck speed, it’s so fast you’ll hardly have time to catch your breath. The characters are sketchily but skilfully drawn, and one of the strengths of the novel is the fact that it is seen from multiple points of view. Darren and Vanis are key players, but there are other travellers, police, locals and a little girl called Mary. And let us not forget the star of the show, the Watcher himself, who has a decent sized part and is one nasty piece of work. The sequences when Vanis and the Watcher go head to head were a particular highlight, he might be on home turf, but the girl has game.

A further angle which piqued my interest was the wider conspiracy of silence that surrounds the ironically named town of Paradise. Nobody is innocent and everybody turns a blind-eye and this plotline develops nicely with the progression of the plot into a wild finale. The ending was brutal and will be too much for some readers, however, I thought it was balanced with what went before and considering the subject matter was not overtly gratuitous. By way of comparison, Ketchum’s “Off Season” probably still tops it (just).

“Paradise, Maine” will not be for all tastes although it treads familiar ground, the unrelenting pace, great set pieces and terrific forest set action sequences make it a terrific treat for horror fans who like their fiction to have a serious mean streak.

Welcome to Paradise! Paradise I said! Where it's blue skies! Clear waters! The peace and quiet of solitude! Zen and happiness at it's best!

Isn't it amazing how a good getaway is mind relaxing? How a trip into Paradise does a person some good. Not to mention your marriage after you tremendously messed up. Breath in, breath out.

Everything you ever wanted in a getaway and Jackson R. Thomas brings all those aspects of paradise alive with a nasty twist! Maybe an ugly twist is an understatement?

So, what precisely is this book about? A man by the name of Darren and his wife Vanis are having a difficult time with their marriage. (No, I’m not going to say what the issue is, that would be a spoiler, my friends!) Feeling like a dirtbag and realizing this Darren hears a radio commercial on a getaway to Paradise, Maine. Sounding too good to be true!

He picks up the phone and easy as that, he and his wife are off for the getaway of their lives!

When I started to read this book, I read the warnings. I said what? Warnings for a book? The text said, “For mature audiences only.” I thought to myself. Ok, I’m old, I can read this. Next came, “This is a splatterpunk novel.” What’s splatterpunk? This is my first voyage into the world of the splattering punks? (Is that even a real thing?) Finally, it said, “There will be carnage, blood, and scenes you may not be able to handle.” Ah, that’s easy.

I read the prologue, and it was like a scene out of a Friday the 13th movie. Sliced and dice and everything nice! I blinked, and my anticipation grew. I was liking where this was going. Thank goodness I didn't put the book down, the rest of the story just got better.

But once chapter one started, it was back to an ordinary story. Then into chapter two everything seemed somewhat typical for a book that dealt with a dysfunctional marriage. So I thought then, that was it, and the rest of the story was going to be a beautiful time in paradise!

But, guess what? I was wrong. You see, Jackson is a great storyteller and does an exceptional job of relaxing you into The feeling of paradise, and just when you get comfortable, Darren and Vanis are all having a good time, he introduces The Watcher on you in chapter 3! Who’s The Watcher? That’s not for me to say, but I’m pretty sure he’s the head of the welcoming committee in Paradise. Believe me? I wouldn't, it's a horror book remember?

So my thoughts about the book.

I never read a splatterpunk book before. So this book was a treat for being my first time. Mr. Thomas does a magnificent job making the reader feel uncomfortable in more scenes than one. I tried to tell my wife about the storyline, and she told me to shut my mouth, and that was that. It was way out of her comfort zone apparently. I wasn’t allowed to talk about it again. I didn't mention it to her anymore, but I kept on reading. I so wanted to share what was happening in the book, but she couldn't handle it!

Why did I keep on reading? I am a huge horror fan and kept on reading like a champ.

I’ve already talked about the plot, that the book is a horror fan's dream, and this novel isn't for the squeamish. I haven’t talked about the characters.

Jackson put you right into the thick of things when introducing characters and letting you know what they are all about. They were really well created and well thought through. Not at all two-dimensional. You got a pretty good feeling about who was naughty or nice, evil or angelic, and trustworthy and untrustful. I like that with characters when you can really feel what they are all about.

The supporting characters were just as good as the main characters, especially the little Mary.

By now, you can tell how I liked the book. I thought it was great! Overall I really enjoyed it. All blood and guts put aside, it was an entertaining read.

My recommendation. Take the warning at the beginning into consideration. The book is brutal. It’s scary, has a lot of blood, and copulation (trying to keep it clean) in it. If you are a splatterpunk or horror fan, you can’t go wrong this book. It is skillfully written and designed to disturb you in more ways than one.

Well done Mr. Jackson, well done!

Darren and Vanis have hit a rocky patch in their marriage and hope that a romantic getaway to the coast of Maine might help get their relationship back on track. What they don't know is that the locals have a secret, and by the time they find out what it is, it may already be too late.
There's something living in the wild. More beast than man, the locals call it The Watcher. They don't bother it and it doesn't bother them, but there is a price to pay.
"Once every few months, they had to ignore the screams from the mountain behind their shops and homes"
This was a fast paced read with lots of guts and gore that reminded me a bit of Edward Lee (and yes that is meant as a compliment.)

I was first introduced to the twisted world of Jackson R. Thomas last year, with his stellar release The Beast of Brenton Woods. I love werewolf tales and that story lived up to my lofty expectations.
Now Thomas has returned with Paradise, Maine – but don’t let the title or the cover fool you, this is splatter-riffic.
The plot is straight-forward and pulled from my dream horror VHS tapes that I used to rent. A small, quaint town on the coast hides a secret. The Watcher. A figure shrouded in mystery who lives in the hills above them. The townspeople do their part to keep quiet and not interfere. In order to keep The Watcher satiated a mysterious corporation working with the local Sheriff randomly select people to come as sacrifice. They win an all-expenses paid trip to the scenic Paradise, Maine, unaware of their fate.
From here out Thomas takes us on a sprint through the small town, the cabin that the winner’s get to stay in and the hills above. The foot is fully pressed on the gas pedal as things continue to take terrible turn after terrible turn. I love bleak, dark horror and this is done majestically while infused with some obscene gore, done in the best way possible. Even though I knew no good was to come, I still rooted for the folks trying to survive The Watcher.
I had one small gripe with the story overall – some of the characters names. With this being a pre-release ARC and not knowing Jackson personally, it might be that some of the characters were named after friends or family members, but as is, I found some of them to be annoying and I’m usually fine with that. Oh well, that’s on me!
I enjoyed the characters throughout, and several of them had really enjoyable resolves to live, which sometimes can be lacking in a tale like this. I’m not a fan of characters that survive but don’t appear to try hard enough to survive, if that makes sense. Doesn’t happen here!
So if you’re looking for a fun, fast, slaughter house of a story – look no further. Jackson R. Thomas brings the goods and packs them into bite size zip-lock freezer bags making sure to keep the horror fresh on every page! A must read for fans of ‘Brenton’ but also a must read for fans of books and movies that keep the death counts high!
Alien Agenda Publishing continues to release top notch horror for fans and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next!
(Side note – the version I received was a poorly edited pre-release version. I was assured by another reviewer that they received an updated ARC and the spots were fixed. I declined a new version by AAP and didn’t attribute any of the mistakes towards affecting my review! Thanks to Net Galley, Jackson R. Thomas and Glenn with Aliena Agena Publishing for the pre-release ARC!)

The review will be featured on Kendall Reviews shortly and Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon will be updated accordingly!

I dug Jackson R. Thomas’s debut effort, the fun coming-of-age werewolf affair The Beast of Brenton Woods. Taking an extreme horror-fueled trip into the woods for Paradise, Maine for his sophomore story was pretty well a no-brainer.

Almost immediately, you can feel the ghost of Jack Ketchum in these pages, and it’s clear right from the outset that works like Off Season were a huge inspiration in Thomas’s writing. Paradise, Maine follows a similar conceit as Off Season with its cannibal in the woods, although here it’s a disfigured lone wolf, rather than a family of man-eaters terrorizing the vacationers hoping to escape their problems.

Darren and his wife, Vanis, were hoping to patch over some rough spots in their marriage. Vanis is incapable of getting pregnant and during a depression-driven dry spell in their intimacy, she caught Darren watching internet porn, which has opened a sizable rift between them. A trip to a secluded cabin where they can reunite and rediscover each other seems like exactly the kind of vacation they need, and Darren impulsively books the trip. Unfortunately, their dream vacation soon becomes a nightmare and their attempt at renewing their marriage just so happens to coincide with the hunting season of a third-party, known as the Watcher, seeking to sate his own carnal appetites.

Thomas doesn’t pull any punches, and scenes of violence are frequent and visceral. While we get to know Darren and Vanis, waiting for them to get caught in the deformed killer’s path, the Watcher tortures and brutalizes a kidnapped hunter and several of Paradise’s local get in on the action, unwittingly and otherwise.

While Paradise, Maine is a pretty fun read overall, particularly if you’re a thirsty gore-hound, getting to know some of these characters isn’t exactly the thrill of meeting new and interesting acquaintances. Thomas refuses to give us anybody to root for, and even Darren, our main point-of-view into these proceedings, can only obliquely be considered our central protagonist. Darren, unfortunately, is a shallow little slimeball and I never got the impression that his marriage to Vanis was built on something other than sex, and that his affection for her was predicated on anything other than her attractiveness. Through Darren’s eyes, we learn that Vanis is either ultra-hot or simply a bitch, depending on his mood swings, and his interest in his wife seems entirely dependent on how willing she is to let him slip Tab A into Slot B. Vanis herself doesn’t have much in the way of agency until very late in the proceedings, but up to that point we never really get to know her beyond being a receptacle for Darren’s penis. It’s truly unfortunate that the only prominent central female character in this book is sidelined and reduced to little more than a sex object for the majority of Paradise’s page count.

Despite his pretty weak central characters Thomas delivers a brisk slasher read, for the most part. Some of the writing can get bogged down with unnecessary details, passages consisting of an unholy number of clauses, and confusing, wildly swinging point-of-view shifts. In one segment late in the book, I wasn’t sure if we were witnessing an assault through the eyes of Vanis or Mary, a child Vanis comes to protect and likely the only innocent in the whole damn town.

Much of Paradise is comprised of locals and visitors that exist solely to get butchered in various demeaning and inhuman ways. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though, if all you’re looking for is a truly violent and vindictive bit of weekend escapism. You can feel the inspiration Ketchum had on the author, and even if Thomas doesn’t quite yet have the same knack for characterization he’s certainly no slouch when it comes to unflinching brutality. Paradise, Main is a brisk and entertaining bit of bloody mayhem, and Thomas delivers to us yet one more freaking excuse to never, ever go camping…or hiking…or even just leaving the house, really.

Having spent part my childhood in Maine that's what first attracted me to this book I enjoyed it moderately some good parts to it it was a struggle to finish just for me personally though

The old saying that if something is too good to be true than it normally is couldn't be more the case in respect of married couple Darren and Vanis when they win a holiday break at an isolated cabin near a rather inappropriately named small town called Paradise situated on the Maine coast. What a splendid way for them to rekindle what has recently been a rather strained relationship, away from all the cares and worries of daily life. But unfortunately for them all is not what it seems for in the prologue we learn that in the woods surrounding the cabin there lives "The Watcher" and those who stay in the cabin are its prey.

We also soon learn that there is some kind of conspiracy of silence maintained by the local inhabitants in collusion with the local sheriff to ensure that no one interferes with "The Watcher's" murderous activities. Overseeing all this is a shadowy corporation who are behind the luring of the unsuspected to the cabin to satisfy the "The Watcher's" insatiable demand.

I really liked this book and there is enough gore and high body count to keep most horror fans happy. It is not a long book and with its short punchy chapters and page turning narrative I was able to finish it quite comfortably in one sitting. A nice level of suspense is maintained and once the actions gets going you are on a veritable roller coaster ride as Darren, Vanis and Zebulun (who on a nature trip has stumbled upon the mayhem) fight for their survival. If you are looking for a few scares then this is certainly worth a try. Also mention should be made regarding the great cover,

Well, I'm certainly glad that I wasn't reading this while I was off camping all by myself in the middle of nowhere. I've got a couple of months to forget this book before camping season starts, but then I'll probably think back on it during my first hike when I hear that strange animal cry or that stick break in the dark woods.

A young couple wins a week at an insolated cabin in Paradise, Maine. The timing is perfect for them as they need this time to reconnect and it works like magic. They make love, they have fun, they laugh and the get things off their chest. They're not alone though. The "Watcher" is there too and he's enjoying them, the windows without curtains. The Watcher is looking forward to "meeting" them.

This book is a page turner. I really cared about this couple and two more characters that join in later in the story.
I suggest you read it.........from your hotel in the city.
#Netgalley #Paradise,Maine

I expected an exciting horror novel. There was quite a plethora of violence, sex, and some characters who should not even walk the Earth. I am not certain whether the premise on which this novel is based occurred because of greed or of a "mad scientist" type of research. Truly, it could be either, and certainly a lot of money was routinely paid to maintain silence. In some ways I thought of Nazi Germany and how citizens "turned their heads" and ignored the cattle trains, the smoke, and the smell. In this novel, a tiny community in the forest of coastal Maine hosts a "Watcher," who lives in the woods and is provided blankets and food by the Sheriff. Whenever tourists are brought to the cabins, the Watcher has his excitement, and it ain't pretty.

Rated 18+ due to extreme violence, sex, language.