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Love Lies Bleeding
Pamela just wants to reunite in the afterlife with her dead fiancé, Grady. Problem is, Grady was a secret agent, and his coded emails have infuriated both his employers and his enemies. They need Pamela alive. So, instead of her planned suicide, she is kidnapped by black ops agents, tortured by mobster warlords, hunted by a psychotic killer, and chased by zombies … all necessary evils in order to ultimately walk into the sunset with her true love.
This novella (approximately 28,000 words) is adapted from a screenplay written by the author. As such, it is best to let the story wash over you ... like you would watch a movie. As an added bonus, this version includes a twelve-chapter excerpt from the novel, After the Virus.
WARNING: Love Lies Bleeding is a darkly comedic, bloody romance about love conquering all, even death. This is NOT a young adult novel. It contains graphic violence, nasty language, and more than a little bit of flesh eating. There are no soft kisses, soulful stares, or moonlit rainstorms.
This novella (approximately 28,000 words) is adapted from a screenplay written by the author. As such, it is best to let the story wash over you ... like you would watch a movie. As an added bonus, this version includes a twelve-chapter excerpt from the novel, After the Virus.
WARNING: Love Lies Bleeding is a darkly comedic, bloody romance about love conquering all, even death. This is NOT a young adult novel. It contains graphic violence, nasty language, and more than a little bit of flesh eating. There are no soft kisses, soulful stares, or moonlit rainstorms.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2012
6 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Meghan Ciana Doidge
47 books1,298 followersMeghan Ciana Doidge writes tales of true love conquering all, even death. Though sometimes the love is elusive, the vampires and werewolves come out to play in the daylight, and bloody mayhem ensues.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 25, 2012
I received a free eBook from the author via Making Connections in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to have to gather my thoughts on this for a bit. This must also be mentioned, the cover is just gorgeous. I admit, zombies are not my usual thing but I couldn't pass this one up after reading the blurb and seeing the cover.
This novella reads very quickly, and even hard to put down at times. It was hard to follow at the beginning with the initial 'world building'. That was likely my biggest hurdle with the novella. Oh, and one other thing that I felt was unnecessary was the zodiac references (mostly early on in the story.) These are the two biggest reasons this didn't get a higher rating.
There are VERY different themes mashes together with zombies. Not what I was expecting at all. Girl loses boy, starts to loose a few screws, goes to the funeral in the wedding dress that represented a future that would never happen. Girl is depressed, and tries to kill herself. THEN the book really begins to get interesting...
I really enjoyed the use of multi-media within the book*. Music was thrown in several times (one of my favorite songs, in fact, "Hold On") along with descriptions of the wedding DVD showcasing the back story of their relationship. Overall, the writing itself seemed almost poetic at times which took a moment to be comfortable with. The juxtaposition of the subject matter and the tone really worked for me by the end.
I almost worried I had the wrong book for a while because I kept thinking, "I thought this was a zombie book. Where are the zombies?" But then we reach it, and - oh boy - there are the zombies.
The end had be rooting for the very last people I expected to be rooting for. Kind of disturbing, in a good way. I would most definitely read more by this author in the future!
*Edit* The music, DVD and other multimedia I mention is not included with the book, it is only described and used as a literary device to engage your other senses while reading. I am sorry if I mislead anyone in thinking a soundtrack or DVD was actually included along with the book.
I'm going to have to gather my thoughts on this for a bit. This must also be mentioned, the cover is just gorgeous. I admit, zombies are not my usual thing but I couldn't pass this one up after reading the blurb and seeing the cover.
This novella reads very quickly, and even hard to put down at times. It was hard to follow at the beginning with the initial 'world building'. That was likely my biggest hurdle with the novella. Oh, and one other thing that I felt was unnecessary was the zodiac references (mostly early on in the story.) These are the two biggest reasons this didn't get a higher rating.
There are VERY different themes mashes together with zombies. Not what I was expecting at all. Girl loses boy, starts to loose a few screws, goes to the funeral in the wedding dress that represented a future that would never happen. Girl is depressed, and tries to kill herself. THEN the book really begins to get interesting...
I really enjoyed the use of multi-media within the book*. Music was thrown in several times (one of my favorite songs, in fact, "Hold On") along with descriptions of the wedding DVD showcasing the back story of their relationship. Overall, the writing itself seemed almost poetic at times which took a moment to be comfortable with. The juxtaposition of the subject matter and the tone really worked for me by the end.
I almost worried I had the wrong book for a while because I kept thinking, "I thought this was a zombie book. Where are the zombies?" But then we reach it, and - oh boy - there are the zombies.
The end had be rooting for the very last people I expected to be rooting for. Kind of disturbing, in a good way. I would most definitely read more by this author in the future!
*Edit* The music, DVD and other multimedia I mention is not included with the book, it is only described and used as a literary device to engage your other senses while reading. I am sorry if I mislead anyone in thinking a soundtrack or DVD was actually included along with the book.
March 6, 2014
In the mood for an unusual zombie romance?
LAST AMAZON PROMO: May 30 to June 3, 2013
www.amazon.com/Love-Lies-Bleeding-ebo...
LOVE LIES BLEEDING, a novella by relative newcomer Meghan Ciana Doidge, is definitely a "mood read". It has been a long time since I've read anything like it and the term "black comedy" doesn't do it justice. Imagine an Abbott and Costello episode written by Stephen King. Or perhaps Quentin Tarantino's True Romance/Pulp Fiction meets Night of the Living Dead.
If these references quirk your interest, then you'll most likely enjoy the off-beat humor in this book. But I recommend that you read (or re-read) the blurb just prior to starting it. It took me two tries to get into this book, and on the second attempt, re-reading the blurb got me into the proper mindset.
LOVE LIES BLEEDING opens with a hazy, dreamy quality which perfectly reflects the mental and emotional state of Pamela, the female protag, when we first meet her. On what should've been her wedding day, Pamela is instead preparing for her fiancé's funeral. However, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing and no one are as they seem—at least to Pamela. But the dramatis personæ coming out of the woodworks clearly got the memo.
Her initial suicide attempt foiled, Pamela floats through the bizarre series of events in alternating states of apathy, confusion, terror and resignation, fixated on returning to the cemetery and dying by Grady's grave. Unfortunately, everyone who abducts Pamela is determined to keep her alive long enough to discover Grady's secrets.
But in the end, love does conquer all, . "And they all lived happily ever after..."
COMMENTS: Another reviewer used the term "poetic" and that's exactly what I thought while reading Chapter 1. However, the writing became less polished in spots further into the story, and in certain scenes, I could discern the novella's origins as a screenplay. In particular, it took me a while to get comfortable with the fluid switches among multiple/simultaneous POVs. Also, there were some editing/proofing errors (but well within the "we're all human" range).
Nonetheless, LOVE LIES BLEEDING was engrossing enough for me to disregard all this and simply enjoy its dark wackiness, choking out an involuntary laugh every now and then.
LAST AMAZON PROMO: May 30 to June 3, 2013
www.amazon.com/Love-Lies-Bleeding-ebo...
LOVE LIES BLEEDING, a novella by relative newcomer Meghan Ciana Doidge, is definitely a "mood read". It has been a long time since I've read anything like it and the term "black comedy" doesn't do it justice. Imagine an Abbott and Costello episode written by Stephen King. Or perhaps Quentin Tarantino's True Romance/Pulp Fiction meets Night of the Living Dead.
If these references quirk your interest, then you'll most likely enjoy the off-beat humor in this book. But I recommend that you read (or re-read) the blurb just prior to starting it. It took me two tries to get into this book, and on the second attempt, re-reading the blurb got me into the proper mindset.
LOVE LIES BLEEDING opens with a hazy, dreamy quality which perfectly reflects the mental and emotional state of Pamela, the female protag, when we first meet her. On what should've been her wedding day, Pamela is instead preparing for her fiancé's funeral. However, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing and no one are as they seem—at least to Pamela. But the dramatis personæ coming out of the woodworks clearly got the memo.
Her initial suicide attempt foiled, Pamela floats through the bizarre series of events in alternating states of apathy, confusion, terror and resignation, fixated on returning to the cemetery and dying by Grady's grave. Unfortunately, everyone who abducts Pamela is determined to keep her alive long enough to discover Grady's secrets.
But in the end, love does conquer all, . "And they all lived happily ever after..."
COMMENTS: Another reviewer used the term "poetic" and that's exactly what I thought while reading Chapter 1. However, the writing became less polished in spots further into the story, and in certain scenes, I could discern the novella's origins as a screenplay. In particular, it took me a while to get comfortable with the fluid switches among multiple/simultaneous POVs. Also, there were some editing/proofing errors (but well within the "we're all human" range).
Nonetheless, LOVE LIES BLEEDING was engrossing enough for me to disregard all this and simply enjoy its dark wackiness, choking out an involuntary laugh every now and then.
October 26, 2012
I wanted to like this book. I really, really wanted to like this book. It has a lot of the things I enjoy: atmospheric, near poetic writing; action and adventure; mystery; paranormal/fantastical elements; and even a romantic, happily-ever-after of sorts. So many elements, so few pages. In the end, the story felt a little....schizophrenic?....to me. Was it an atmospheric tale of love and loss? Was it an action-packed tale of espionage and intrigue? Was it a cautionary tale of government experiments gone awry?
So many of the characters are never clearly defined, their actions never explained until well after the fact, if at all. This may be the authors attempt to maintain mystery, but more often it's just confusing. In one scene, Erwin is holding the main character, Pamela, in an 'undisclosed location' for questioning. In the next scene he is helping her escape. We have no insight into his mind, no idea what his motivation is. I kept thinking what on earth is going on, why is he doing this? It only later becomes clear he is really kidnapping her to hand her over to Mr. Doyle, one of only two characters who are clearly defined as bad guys. Then another person shows up to "rescue" Pamela, but again we have no idea who this woman really works for, what she really wants. After finishing the book, I still don't know for whom any of these people actually worked: The government, an opposing government, some secret group with their own agenda, mad scientists? No clue. Because the background for these characters was never well defined, their motivations were unclear, and at times their dialogue made no sense to me. Like I was getting it out of context.
I love mysteries. I like questioning what's really going on in a story. But I don't like questioning every single thing in a story. I need some basic, well-defined framework within which to work. Ultimately, there were too many mysteries, too many questions unanswered for me to be able to fully enjoy the story. A little more introduction to the various characters and what they were after would have gone a long way to resolving most of my issues with the story.
The one mysterious element to the story that did worked for me: Pamela. Did she know the truth about Grady? Did she know he was a spy? Did she know the answer to decoding the emails? Or was she the innocent, grieving fiance she appeared to be? Given the way she took out Shep, I have to wonder.
I also liked the ending. Loved that Pamela and Grady were reunited. Even though I saw it coming it was still rather sweet and cute. Well, in it's own gruesome zombie way.
So many of the characters are never clearly defined, their actions never explained until well after the fact, if at all. This may be the authors attempt to maintain mystery, but more often it's just confusing. In one scene, Erwin is holding the main character, Pamela, in an 'undisclosed location' for questioning. In the next scene he is helping her escape. We have no insight into his mind, no idea what his motivation is. I kept thinking what on earth is going on, why is he doing this? It only later becomes clear he is really kidnapping her to hand her over to Mr. Doyle, one of only two characters who are clearly defined as bad guys. Then another person shows up to "rescue" Pamela, but again we have no idea who this woman really works for, what she really wants. After finishing the book, I still don't know for whom any of these people actually worked: The government, an opposing government, some secret group with their own agenda, mad scientists? No clue. Because the background for these characters was never well defined, their motivations were unclear, and at times their dialogue made no sense to me. Like I was getting it out of context.
I love mysteries. I like questioning what's really going on in a story. But I don't like questioning every single thing in a story. I need some basic, well-defined framework within which to work. Ultimately, there were too many mysteries, too many questions unanswered for me to be able to fully enjoy the story. A little more introduction to the various characters and what they were after would have gone a long way to resolving most of my issues with the story.
The one mysterious element to the story that did worked for me: Pamela. Did she know the truth about Grady? Did she know he was a spy? Did she know the answer to decoding the emails? Or was she the innocent, grieving fiance she appeared to be? Given the way she took out Shep, I have to wonder.
I also liked the ending. Loved that Pamela and Grady were reunited. Even though I saw it coming it was still rather sweet and cute. Well, in it's own gruesome zombie way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2012
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
First and foremost, that cover is absolutely stunning!!! I mean, the minute I saw it, I knew that I wanted to read it, and as it’s a novella and relatively short, that’s exactly what I did.
Love Lies Bleeding is unlike any zombie novel that I’ve read, and, in fact, I forgot that it was about zombies at all, until the very end. This story is definitely not your normal, run of the mill zombie book. It’s also not a traditional story about a girl pining away for the love she’s lost, although that is how the story opens. Doidge sets the stage with the funeral of Grady, sending Pamela into a funk in which she wants nothing more than to die alongside Grady’s grave. And this, my dear readers, is where the story begins to lift off. And get weird. Now, weird usually has negative connotations, but rest assured, I’m using it as a positive here—readers just need to know that this novella has a lot of twists and turns that might leave them scratching their heads, but it is a dark comedy, after all, and I definitely found a lot of the quirky elements, characters, and twists to be quite funny.
If you’re in the mood for something unusual, this is definitely it. I highly suggest you pick it up!!
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
First and foremost, that cover is absolutely stunning!!! I mean, the minute I saw it, I knew that I wanted to read it, and as it’s a novella and relatively short, that’s exactly what I did.
Love Lies Bleeding is unlike any zombie novel that I’ve read, and, in fact, I forgot that it was about zombies at all, until the very end. This story is definitely not your normal, run of the mill zombie book. It’s also not a traditional story about a girl pining away for the love she’s lost, although that is how the story opens. Doidge sets the stage with the funeral of Grady, sending Pamela into a funk in which she wants nothing more than to die alongside Grady’s grave. And this, my dear readers, is where the story begins to lift off. And get weird. Now, weird usually has negative connotations, but rest assured, I’m using it as a positive here—readers just need to know that this novella has a lot of twists and turns that might leave them scratching their heads, but it is a dark comedy, after all, and I definitely found a lot of the quirky elements, characters, and twists to be quite funny.
If you’re in the mood for something unusual, this is definitely it. I highly suggest you pick it up!!
April 24, 2013
With Love Lies Bleeding initially being written as a screenplay, it started off a bit slow as there is quite a bit of world building and I was a little confused as to where things were headed. However, once the action started it was practically nonstop. I have to admit that no one character really struck me as fantastic. I am by no means saying this story had poorly written characters, Doidge has created several very interest and fun characters. I just didn't connect with them as much as another reader might. I was more taken in by the environment and action, which includes the actions and interactions of the characters amongst each other.
A few descriptor words I would use to give an idea of the range of feelings Love Lies Bleeding can leave you with would be: odd, funny, tense, confused, cute, disturbing, heartbroken, happy and the best adjective....quirky. It was a highly enjoyable read, definitely worth the time. It's not your typical zombie story, but there are definitely zombies in it.
Short review, but as Love Lies Bleeding is a novella I don't like to get too in depth, plus the synopsis above gives all the information that is needed. So go buy yourself a copy today!
A few descriptor words I would use to give an idea of the range of feelings Love Lies Bleeding can leave you with would be: odd, funny, tense, confused, cute, disturbing, heartbroken, happy and the best adjective....quirky. It was a highly enjoyable read, definitely worth the time. It's not your typical zombie story, but there are definitely zombies in it.
Short review, but as Love Lies Bleeding is a novella I don't like to get too in depth, plus the synopsis above gives all the information that is needed. So go buy yourself a copy today!
June 24, 2013
Well... this was certainly a cheeky fun quick read! I wasn't sure what to expect, and was very pleasantly surprised by the ending! True love conquers all, even when zombies are involved! Another well written story, Meghan!
January 11, 2013
I'll read you soon, my precioussss!
February 27, 2026
This was weird and confusing. There was so much going on, that I couldn't really soak in the story. I felt like I missed souch cuz I couldn't keep up. I think this needed to be a longer story to really embrace what was happening.
November 17, 2020
Wasn't crazy about this book. Hard to follow for the first few chapters. But I do love this author!
November 6, 2012
This was strange novella for me. There was a difficult tone to this story that was hard to figure out.
The initial scene, of Pamela dressing as a bride to attend her fiancee's funeral, was sad and showed how emotionally broken the main character was. And her emotional fragility was very understandable considering her loss. But this story then took a very strange turn as she is brought in for questioning over her fiancee's emails to her. At times, the personalities and actions of the other characters was perplexing and unbelievable, and some of the plots twists and turns almost silly and without much sense.
Yet, I enjoyed the constant action packed pace of this novel and the twists that kept me surprised and riveted. I wanted to know how it would end, and whether there was more to these emails between Pamela and Grady. As weak as Pamela was in the beginning, she certainly was a survivor and constantly surprised me on how she handled the strange situations she found herself in, minute after minute.
It was strangely comedic and dark, and unlike any zombie novel I have ever read. I am intrigued by this writer, and would love to read more of her works. A very interesting read that I would recommend to readers looking for a strange tale that will keep you on your toes.
*I received a eBook copy of this book for free to review from the author; this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.*
The initial scene, of Pamela dressing as a bride to attend her fiancee's funeral, was sad and showed how emotionally broken the main character was. And her emotional fragility was very understandable considering her loss. But this story then took a very strange turn as she is brought in for questioning over her fiancee's emails to her. At times, the personalities and actions of the other characters was perplexing and unbelievable, and some of the plots twists and turns almost silly and without much sense.
Yet, I enjoyed the constant action packed pace of this novel and the twists that kept me surprised and riveted. I wanted to know how it would end, and whether there was more to these emails between Pamela and Grady. As weak as Pamela was in the beginning, she certainly was a survivor and constantly surprised me on how she handled the strange situations she found herself in, minute after minute.
It was strangely comedic and dark, and unlike any zombie novel I have ever read. I am intrigued by this writer, and would love to read more of her works. A very interesting read that I would recommend to readers looking for a strange tale that will keep you on your toes.
*I received a eBook copy of this book for free to review from the author; this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.*
January 20, 2013
This will a first for me. Writing a review about a book that would have been three stars until I hit the ending. For over half of the book I was hanging on every word, and thoroughly enjoying this story. I would have honestly reviewed with a three if this had continued. Then as if a totally different story, the second half or even last quarter of the book just seemed to fall off for me. When I reflect trying to determine just where this story went wrong I have to say it was almost immediately from the point that you realize it is a zombie story. I hate to say this because I have read Zombie books that I loved, but this story zipped right along wonderful until they attempted to transition to the conclusion. It was like reading a mystery up until we find ourselves in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. I hate writing negative reviews, and I always stand behind on respects for any author. Although, I have to say without a doubt that this story just doesn’t work for me. I even think if the story had been reworked, and a slightly different ending maybe it could have been better. With all of this being said I is easy to see the potential of this talented author through much of this story. I would be happy to read something different from this author, because I truly think with a different story she could be spectacular. ~BookWhisperer Reviewer JO~
October 16, 2012
I personally found the story of this book weird, it not the kind of story I usually read.
But it was a well writen book. You could picture the characters and the story line of book.This is a real horror/lovestory.
The story starts out with a bride getting ready for what seems to be her wedding day and from there the story gets very dark and strange. It kept a fast moving pace and if you like this kind of story,I'm sure you would enjoy this book.....
But it was a well writen book. You could picture the characters and the story line of book.This is a real horror/lovestory.
The story starts out with a bride getting ready for what seems to be her wedding day and from there the story gets very dark and strange. It kept a fast moving pace and if you like this kind of story,I'm sure you would enjoy this book.....
December 28, 2012
The minute the bride walked down the aisle to her groom in the casket, I knew I was in for a different kind of book that I would never usually read. Glad I picked this up at Amazon for free and didn't pay big bucks for a hardback. Then when everyone turned into zombies, well let's just say I was grossed out when they started picking up each others arms to take a bite. I realize there are people out there with this kind of taste in books, but me not one of them. It was, however, a fast read.
November 4, 2020
Oof, what a crazy, interesting, unexpected novel! I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. The voice was a bit different. I’m not sure, but it may have been omniscient point of view. There was insight coming from multiple characters. I didn’t expect the twists at the end. I had no idea the novel involved “creatures.” I admire the tenacity and fight of the main character. The ending was gruesomely sweet.
February 7, 2023
I'm blown away! I loved this darkly comic love story. It has a "True Romance" "Reservoir Dogs" feel with hints of the cornetto trilogy about it.
Loved the writing style, engaged with Pamela (the heroine) & enjoyed the plot twists & turns.
Can't believe more people haven't read this.
Loved the writing style, engaged with Pamela (the heroine) & enjoyed the plot twists & turns.
Can't believe more people haven't read this.
December 29, 2016
I finished this ages ago and have no idea why I didn't mark it as read!
I found this an interesting read. I'm not a huge zombie-in-written-form fan and found this a little hard going. Glad it was a novella. And glad it ended the way that it did!
I found this an interesting read. I'm not a huge zombie-in-written-form fan and found this a little hard going. Glad it was a novella. And glad it ended the way that it did!
kindle-i-own-to-read
November 25, 2012Amazon Freebie 11/24/2012
January 21, 2017
too. many. words. too. little. story.
April 29, 2017
Fun book, beautifully written in parts, and hilarious in others.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews