1/5⭐

Nope!

I have no clue what this was supposed to be but definitely nothing from I read in the blurb.

I wished to DNF this book on so many occasions but I was hoping by the end it decided what to be.. nope!

I admire the people who really enjoyed it but this was just not for me.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really disappointed with this story. What could have been a really good detective/horror story was ruined by adding smut for the sake of adding smut.

The writing style, I enjoyed, the story right up until the ending I was enjoying but the ending rendered the rest of the story pointless.

Granted, I received this as an ARC so it is possible the final version was edited more succinctly, but overall the story was heavy on description but incomplete in tying the story together. I'm not sure if a sequel is planned, but the ending was strange and unresolved. I love books set in Louisiana, mysteries/thrillers, and even dark romance, but as other reviews mentioned, this was trying to be too much at the same time. Hopefully future books by this author will find their niche/flow. Thanks to Lege Indutries for sharing this on Netgalley.

My name is Leah and I really wanted this book to give me a thrill with a character of the same name. I realized I was going to have to seriously skim this one early in. The first 8% was a boring recounting of the town of Gueydan and I kept falling asleep. I finally picked it back up to check it off my ARC to-read list and as long as I didn't get stuck in the details, I made it through. The smut was fine, but something comparable to what you'd find on literotica. Nothing super special.

This gets 1 stars because of the general boring nature of 95% of the book, the ending being super predictable, and the lameness of the plot. I was tempted to give an extra star for great character naming, but I can't do it.

Appreciation to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for access to this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Props to the cover because that was what drew my to this book!! I don't read a lot of Horror, or any really, but the premise was intriguing nad the cover was gorgeous so I thought I would try to branch out. Unfortunately, this book was not for me in the slightest, it was a weird combination of erotic horror and outdoorsy murder suspense, I honestly don't even know how to describe it. I think it would've been better if it had either just focused on the erotic horror which actually were my favorite parts or if it had focused on the murder investigations because instead what we are left with is a jarring back and forth that did not make sense. I found it odd more time was spent on the men finding the dead women and how this affected them then the actual crime itself or the victims. Ultimately, I had sooo many questions and none of them were answered.

I did not expect the ending, although the beginning seemed repetitive. I did enjoy the setting description and the multiple POVs. This was overall surprising to be in the victim's POV.
Thank you, NetGalley, Lege Industries, and Shane LEGE for the ARC!

Cypress Tombs is the kind of Southern gothic nightmare that creeps into your bones and refuses to leave. Leah, a coroner’s assistant who thought she’d seen the worst of humanity, suddenly becomes the center of the exact horror she was trying to solve. And let me tell you, it is tense.

The story grabs you by the throat from the first chapter and never lets go. One moment you're vibing at the Duck Festival, the next thing you know, you're waking up bound and gagged in a remote swamp, like something out of a true crime special. The dread is visceral, the fear is palpable, and the pacing is so tight I couldn't put it down without needing to know if Leah would make it out alive.

There’s something terrifyingly intimate about Leah's point of view. She's smart, capable, and still vulnerable in a way that feels painfully real. You feel the weight of her past cases, the trauma of recognizing her own nightmare in the clues she’s lived with for months. And her captor? Absolutely chilling.

Shane Lege does not pull punches. This is a psychological horror wrapped in bayou atmosphere, dripping with tension, and grounded by a heroine you genuinely root for.

📚Cypress Tombs📚
By Shane Lege

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Star Review
🌶️ Low Spiciness Level with one scene.

Cypress Tombs is novella in length at only 104 pages. This was my first book by this author. I read this via ARC from NetGalley. The “erotica” & “romance” genres were what made me choose to read this book.

I gave this book 3 stars. The writing style was well done. The POV is done in third person and changes to a different character several times. The author is a very descriptive writer and there were a few times where I felt I was there with the characters in the book. There is definitely suspense loaded into this book. The ending has quite the twist! There is no resolution to the main plot at the end, unfortunately. However, the author clearly intended for this to happen.

There is very little spice in this book, only one scene.

The story is about the murder and dumping of womens’ bodies in the Louisiana bayou. They are all found “entombed” within the cypress knees of Cypress trees in the bayou. The POV goes from the unsuspecting folks who find the bodies to the police investigating the murders. One POV is from a victim after she is kidnapped and is being held. Her POV begins the book with chapter 1 then comes along every few chapters after the discovery of the other womens’ bodies.

I did enjoy this book as it was full of suspense and was not a very long read. It is different from my normal reading of the romance fiction genre.

Happy Reading! 📖

Sloppy writing, sloppy premise, confusing and absent plot. Not sure why there were so many scenes involving hunting, that broke up the kidnapping scenes, but also didn't add anything to the story (not that there is one).

Complete garbage. The writing was so laughably bad and repetitive that it took me a minute to realize that the letter (t) was missing from words throughout the entire story.
Women other than the old woman with the landline, are all victims or silent. And to have the whole thing be some sort of weird fetish was off putting to say the least.
Do not recommend, no stars.

Hmm dark fantasy and dark situations for sure. I wanted more character development in the narrative. Definitely spicy and moments that did scare me a bit lol but a palette cleanser for me. I had to push through this one. Great story idea!

The story follows Leah, a coroner's assistant intimately familiar with the gruesome details of a string of abductions, becomes the next victim, forced to confront the very nightmares she once meticulously examined. Lege masterfully crafts an atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia. From the moment Leah awakens, bound and blindfolded, the reader feels her disorientation and terror. The echoes of the previous victims' fates hang heavy in the air, amplifying the stakes and creating a constant sense of impending doom. The evocative descriptions of the remote bayou setting further heighten the isolation and vulnerability that Leah experiences.
The narrative is a gripping blend of psychological torment and suspense. As Leah struggles against her captor, the novel explores the themes of control, fear, and the desperate will to survive. The reader is drawn into Leah's internal struggle as she grapples with the horrifying reality of her situation and desperately tries to piece together how she became a target.
Lege successfully portrays Leah as intelligent and resourceful, yet also realistically vulnerable. Her intimate knowledge of the crimes, rather than providing an easy escape, adds a layer of psychological complexity as she battles both her captor and the trauma of the past.
This is for readers who enjoy thrillers with a strong psychological element and a protagonist fighting against impossible odds, Shane Lege's novel is a compelling and unsettling read. It's a chilling exploration of the darkness that can lurk beneath the surface, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit when faced with unimaginable horror.

This book felt a bit mischaracterized for me. Its listed as a Thriller, Erotica, Romance but I would say it is much better described as pure horror. Leah is an unreliable narrator in a way that is so disturbing that it made me so disoriented and horrified. It honestly left me so disturbed and confused, and the second to last chapter left me with so many unanswered questions.

This book includes:
- TWTTWTWTWT
- gruesome murder
- dead bodies greatly described
- open police investigations
- small town horror

I wish this book was longer I need more to really get into this book. I wanted more plot and more back story. I like the book and would recommend I just wanted more.

WOW! I didn’t anticipate this book! I don’t want to say anything that would spoil it for others. It starts as a murder investigation when women begin floating up in the bayou. It goes on from there. WAY beyond! A crazy, twisted quick read.

So let me start off by saying that the blurb sounded interesting. It had that murder/suspense aspect that people love but with a different spin on it. That was about the only positive thing I would say about this book. To put it simply, it was overwritten. Some much description for no reason. It seems like the author was just trying to compensate for a lack of story. Additionally, the electronic copy that I received had some glitch where any word with two corresponding "t's" would be deleted. So attempt would look like a empt and that just made it even more challenging to read. Not a fan.

⚠️WARNING — SPOILER AHEAD⚠️
(but trust me, you need it)

This book is NOT noncon. That is an extremely important distinction, and one you deserve to know before you start reading. If you're going in blind, you might DNF early. This story deliberately walks the line between horror and desire, and if you didn't know it wasn't noncon it would be a deeply uncomfortable experience.

I get it—not knowing at the start is the point. But I just can’t risk anyone picking this up, not finishing, and thinking that’s what I’m into.

This book is bold. There's no other word for it. It tiptoes the line between horror and erotica with the precision of a psychological scalpel—and it left me unsure whether I needed a cold shower or a therapy session...but it worked.

The premise? A woman wakes up bound, gagged, and blindfolded—paralleling recent brutal murders. The writing is cinematic, the dread is palpable, and the author doesn’t flinch. For a long stretch of this novella, you’re left wondering: Is this a horror story? A dark romance? A crime thriller in disguise? And for a while? It’s brilliant. I found myself constantly questioning the author’s intent. Is he exploring the darkness we all carry? The thrilling overlap between danger and desire? Or holding up a mirror to readers who find themselves turned on by it all?

If the ending had landed, this might’ve been a dark romance masterpiece.

And for most of the story, I was on board. Completely hooked. But when the resolution hit, the tone shifted abruptly. The ending felt rushed, with an info-dump explanation that broke the immersive spell the rest of the story worked so hard to build. I wish it had ended more cinematically—on a moment of revelation, then cut to an epilogue that explained everything in a way that kept the same voice and tension. Instead, it felt like the author stepped out from behind the curtain and said, “Okay! Show’s over. Here’s what you just read.”

Would I recommend it? Depends.
If you like American Horror Story for how it mixes fear and arousal—yes.
If dubcon, BDSM dynamics, or psychological games are a hard no—run far, far away.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lege Industries LLC for this ARC!

My rating reflects the experience I had while reading this with the spoiler.
I went in knowing this was consensual play masquerading as noncon. That allowed me to enjoy the tension, the writing, the game the author was playing.

Without that knowledge? I would’ve stopped reading early, deeply disturbed. That’s not a critique of the writing—it’s a warning about the reader experience.

This story was twisted in its execution and effective in what it set out to do… but only if you know what game you’re playing.

This book was a bit of a roller-coaster ride. I found the book had sections that read out as suspense thriller, and other parts as horror and dark erotica. It was like the author couldn't make up on what the main storyline would follow. The characters were good, and I found the first bit of the book really kept my attention then I was having difficulty being able to focus and finish the book. I know not every book will be what I like or want to read but I do give it a go. I will still be recommending to my friends and followers.

Two hunters find a body and report it to the police. The hunters are distraught and cannot unsee the horror in their discovery. Meanwhile Leah is being held captive. She cannot see or hear who has taken her. What should she do? How should she feel? This book focuses on emotions. Both with the kidnapping and those who find the victims. It is a little slow and I thought it was a bit repetitive. I was surprised by the ending. I thought it was a good ending. It is a good book it was just a little slow. I would recommend it though. It was interesting how each of the chapters is in a different point of view. Depending on the character within the chapters

I've rated this 2 stars as I felt the story was unfinished. The mystery behind the serial killer was interested but left unanswered. The story arc of her investigating such serial killer to then get captured by him was also very interesting to me. However with the plot twist showing that wasn't the case and was role playing it felt almost chopped up. Like an unfinished murder mystery thrown in with a dark romance. The writing style was great and made the story easy to read and follow but overall I found the ending disappointing. The spicey scenes in the book were also very well written.