Author: Amanda Headlee
Publisher: Uncomfortably Dark Publishing
Publication Date: September 3, 2025
When I first saw the cover of this book, my first thought was, “This is horror?”. When I realized it was both historical and western, I groaned. But since it was a novella, I figured, what do I have to lose? Because I had to know how a villain is made.
The dedication says it all: “For those who let the fire in – not just to burn, but to become”.
Bea has left an untenable situation in Philadelphia, and plans to take a train all the way to San Francisco. But when she only makes it to Chicago, on waning funds, she realizes she needs a job if she’s going to continue her journey. When she approaches a man about job opportunities and he invites her in, it sets in motion an evil that shows Bea that sometimes villains are born out of circumstance, nurtured rather than born that way.
The next train takes her as far as Colorado, where she meets a doctor who sees in her a companion with whom he can hold forth on scholarly topics. He offers her room and board. But he’s hiding a secret in the office that he keeps off limits.
It’s in the discovery of those secrets that Bea’s mind splinters. But his mistake was in underestimating the fierceness of a woman determined to survive by any means necessary.
This was a beautifully told tale of the progression of circumstances, the evolution of the will to live, and the innate strength of a woman who has endured more than enough.
P. S. You can also find a bonus playlist on Spotify under the book title.
Thank you to Booked With the Emilys and Uncomfortably Dark Publishing for taking me on this advance readers feature tour.
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