The Sweet, The Spooky & The Terrifying

by Rachel Ann Hubert

Three short stories for every aspect of Halloween.

One sweet. One spooky. And one terrifying.

Included in this book:
Alone Together (The Sweet): The story of a college student determined to ostracize himself from everyone else around him. When he gets an unwanted guest for the night though, he'll soon see that being invisible isn't all that bad. And that sometimes it's worth stepping outside your comfort zone and shushing that negative voice inside your head.

The Monster Within (The Spooky): Jules is starting over in a new town, new house, new everything. But this town isn't all it seems. While she tries to start fresh, memories from her previous life start trickling in. What is she running away from? And what is running away from her...

The Ouroboros (The Terrifying): It started as a tickle. A tickle that became an itch. And itch at the back of his throat that not only could he not ignore...but that he could not escape.

Genres: Horror

69 pages, Paperback

Published October 27, 2023

Reviews

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant spooky and thrilling short read just squeezed in at the end of autumn. The third story was genuinely unsettling! All of them are quick reads and will get your heart racing.

[Miya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been 5 stars but the last story didn’t do it for me. I truly enjoyed The Sweet and The Spooky but The Terrifying wasn’t much of anything IMO. Regardless, this was a nice quick read to end the Spooky Szn 👻

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the different stories and found them super fun. If you want some fun Halloween type stories, you should check this one out.

[Dave Musson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If digital books had a smell, this one would smell like pumpkin spice. A cute trio of stories that were a fun and breezy read and spot on for this time of the year.

[Chloe A · Rating 3 out of 5]

for a spooky short story collection, that wasn’t too spooky (which a plus for me lol), it was fun to read for the halloween season

do i have some critiques on the writing? sure. do they matter to me much for the reasons i chose to read this? nope!

also— i think the first two could have been fleshed out closer to novella length stories (60-100 each). i would’ve loved to see this further character development and plot pacing with more space for the storyline to settle into itself.

this isn’t to say that the shorter format it bad, just to say that writing small can be difficult, because as a writer you sometimes struggle to gage the edges of your world for what the story requires.

[bewitching endings · Rating 4 out of 5]

After seeing a post on the gram about indie author Halloween haunt fest, I gave the website a quick peek and discovered this treat. I devoured the three short shores in this book within hours. Alone Together (the sweet), The Monster (the spooky), & The Ouroboros (the terrifying), left me wanting more and kept me on my toes with suspense. The chapters were fairly short, I think the eBook version was around 60 pages. While others might want more within the chapters, for me, it was perfect since I had very little time for reading. If you’re looking for a book that’s easy/fast to read, cozy, and full of spooky vibes for the season, this book is it.

[Billy Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect mix of sweet and spooky!

I had a great time reading through these short stories, it was just in time for the season!
This little novella will keep you on your toes with some tense moments,
and make your heart melt with some delightfully sweet ones.

This was a fantastic Halloween highlight; I strongly suggest it and will be checking out other works by this author in the future!

[Morgan Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured this!!

When I say I devoured this, I mean it! I didn’t put this book down until I had finished it. If you are looking for stories with suspense and just right amount of spooky Halloween energy, this is the book for you!

[Lexy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn’t exactly my cup of tea; I think the problem was that the stories were too short. I kinda liked the first one, I did enjoyed the second, but the third… was a no for me. Still, it was a quick read, and I think I want to see more of this author.

[Ingríð Älva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small book, cute but little boring for me

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three short stories in one. Perfect to get you in the Halloween mood. These are obviously pretty quick reads but I just wanted a little more. Still good though!

[Jessica Piro · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 October/Halloween short stories, but not all as the title promises.
The Sweet: yes. It was cute and sweet.
The Spooky: kinda. It had spooky, eerie elements, but I felt lost.
The Terrifying: no. It was... odd.