WEREWOLF IN TEXAS by Allison Woods In a town forgotten by time, something ancient has awakened. Devil’s Valley, Texas. A sleepy southern town tucked between fields of dust and secrets. The kind of place where time moves slow, folks know your name—and everyone carries a story they're too scared to tell. Jack Reeves, a man running from ghosts of his own, never planned on staying long. Once a respected homicide detective, now just a broken man with a bottle in his hand and guilt stitched into his bones. But something in the air smells wrong. Something in the soil feels... cursed. Then the killings begin. First, it’s a body found near the fields. Torn apart. Mutilated. Impossible wounds the sheriff writes off as a wild animal attack. But Jack knows better. He’s seen violence. He’s lived in its shadow. And whatever did this—wasn’t an animal. The town grows restless. Whispers bloom in the corners of church halls and dive bars. People vanish. Teenagers are found in pieces. And each night, the moon hangs heavier, blood-red, as if watching. As the Black Moon rises, Jack finds himself dragged into a nightmare he never believed in—where myth bleeds into reality, and monsters don't just live in the woods. They live among us. In the faces we trust. In the people we love. And in Devil’s Valley, the line between man and monster is vanishing fast. A battle is coming. But Jack’s not sure who he’s fighting— The beast in the dark? Or the one growing inside himself. If you horror with secrets buried deepCharacters with scars that never healedStories where the monster is just as much human as it is beastDark folklore with modern teethEndings that leave you hauntedThen WEREWOLF IN TEXAS is the nightmare you’ve been waiting for. Lock your doors. Say your prayers. And don’t look too long at the moon. Because in Devil’s Valley … Something is hungry.
I've read a few of Allison Woods books so far and, while they're all ok, none of them reached their full potential. This book, however, showcased the author really finding her groove. The story was nothing necessarily unique or innovative, but it stuck to the standard werewolf lore and did it well. Jack was a great lead, having enough emotionality to compliment his brutish qualities. And his character's arc was more than enough. I would have liked some additional context on his family's demise and the importance of his property with the killings. Just a little more on each would've added more to his already adequate development. And the sparing usage of the actual creatures was great. Lots of foreshadowing and atmosphere ahead of the eventual reveal, which the gore even being used very strategically, as well. Fans of werewolf fare will soak this up. Definitely the best that I've seen Allison Woods, to date.
A fast moving story with an unexpected ending. Five stars for the pacing.
Is it a great novel? No. There are issues with continuity (the breeze was hot and dry, but the following paragraph it was chilling; the chapels floor was stone, but next paragraph his boots were walking on wood; etc) and repetitious similes. But the creature was great, lots of action, and a surprise ending, so I can overlook some syntax when the horror rocks.
Can’t necessarily recommend, but I did enjoy the time spent with Jack and Emma.
Admittedly this is my first werewolf read. Sure I’ve seen more movies than I care to admit but this was the werewolf book I’ve read. It follows a pretty solid ‘who’s the werewolf’ formula that was enjoyable. Filled with wonderful similes that allow for great imagery the book was a good read.
Pros: + great descriptions of the atmosphere of the location + healthy amount of blood + good monster
Cons: - I found it predictable - main character is an Eeyore all the way through - there were portions of the end that felt like they could have been explained a little better
Overall I had a great time with the book. For a first werewolf story I feel like it was very solid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Not a ton of depth but definitely a nice short horror read. No idea what’s up with a couple of the characters that could have been flushed out but worth the time.
Fun campy premise. It started out interesting and I was able to ignore the repetition of the descriptions and “as if the” and the odd passage of time, but as it continued, it killed the story for me. By the end, I was just ready to be done. The repetitive descriptions are a major downer. The first time, I found it well done. The 200th time, I was over it. There are also moments where things repeat. There’s an entire paragraph that repeats. Someone falls to their knees twice. His knuckles are white but he’s actually curling his fingers and NOW his knuckles are white. For a good werewolf story, I think I can overlook a lot. But we barely get any lore on how these werewolves function. How do they function day to day? Do they only change during the lunar event? Where did the rest of them come from? What their purpose is. Do they wipe out the town every 150 years? And why people don’t just leave. The passage of time is unclear as the moon is high but it’s sunny and hot? And also cold? The setting is very cool. I liked the way it took place in an old creaky chapel with the red moon. But the twist at the end was made clear by how often it was repeated that a character seemed different or odd or strangely calm or ethereal. I called the twist the second that character was introduced. I couldn’t immerse myself in any horror aspect of the story because of the repetitive writing. 1/5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Does this story have inconsistencies here and there? Yes. Are there repetitive sentences or words? Yes. Were there gory, ferocious kills? No. Did I still enjoy it? HELL YES! So, no, I won't deduct the final star for these minor issues, as the overall experience more than compensates for them.
150 years ago in a small town, people witnessed a celestial event called the Black Moon and they did something very bad on that night which cursed the village. It’s how the story starts. Then we switch to present time.
We get to meet Jack, the protagonist. Suffering a terrible loss, finding solace in numbing his mind with alcohol and isolating himself from everyone, hoping this will silence the nightmares plaguing his mind. He finds himself accused of murders he knows he didn't commit. However, as a reader you start to question his sanity and whether what he sees or hears is real or just a PTSD symptom. For a while you’re engulfed in this psychological horror that I just ate right up.
A great premise, a great hook and boy was I lured in. Not just by the beautiful atmosphere, but also because of Jack's cynical personality. He turned bitter, but in a very entertaining way for the reader. He's a likable character. And his pup, Duke, was just the perfect companion. The way Jack cares for his dog is just melting my heart. Needless to say I knew something bad would happen and this wouldn’t last for long, not for Jack.
From the beginning, as that rare event is happening again, we get Jack waking up from a nightmare to go outside and witness something grim. Cattle mutilated, a creature prowling in the shadows, the smell of death and terrifying silence in the air, and he is out to hunt the beast. The town is empty, his dog was running away when he called. Then he ends up hurt and blacks out. The supposed beast didn't hurt him more than just knocking him out. And even more hallucinations followed, a believable aftermath of a traumatic event. At this point you start believing Jack goes completely insane. Add in the mix his violent outbursts towards certain characters and you get the recipe for an unreliable source.
Then, we get a new variable in the story. A romantic interest, Emma, a doctor. It was so sweet and peculiar how this unfolded. His life was sad, regardless of how funny he wanted to be. And to see that he allowed himself to feel something after years of grief and guilt, to see a spark of light in his darkness was delightfully heart wrenching.
Of course, there are so many hints scattered around the story, so perfectly disguised, so deliciously evident sometimes, that I found myself smiling like a damn fool on many occasions.
The atmosphere is often suspenseful, easily keeping you trapped there, wishing to uncover the truth. The story itself is original and confusing you, making you believe it’s something else. And the way we learn more about Jack as we advance into the story, it’s a very interesting journey.
Many characters look like suspects and act like they’re hiding something, you get the creepy gravedigger, the sweet, caring pastor, an angry ex-husband, even the seemingly blind cops to the whole thing. But there are certain foreshadowing hints here and there, at least for me, that give away the identity of the beast.
The ending is just perfection. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
This book was a bit of a struggle getting through. There's no doubt the author has talent and the story was intriguing, but some things were just to distracting for me, which made it difficult to fully enjoy the book.
There's some repetition here and there and throughout the book, some details just don't add up. Minor ones mostly, but a few bigger ones as well, which conflicted with the flow of the story, having to go back a couple of times because of the confusion. The author is also quite wordy, which is a certain style; some people appreciate it, but for me, it was a bit much at times. Things pick up in the second half of the book, where the story just flows better, but it still suffers from the earlier mentioned drawbacks.
I never really got a particular sense of dread or felt any tension reading the book, which in part, was probably due to the fact that the main character wasn't particularly likeable.
The book was interesting enough to keep on reading and I'm glad I did, because the ending was interesting, but not enough to leave me with a satisfied feeling afterwards. It's 3,5 stars, rounded up to 4, because the story certainly is original.
It's funny; I read this without ever hearing of a Black Moon, only to discover there is one happening right now. This was a Curse of the Werewolf story set in Devil’s Valley, TIX, that kicks off immediately with a condemned man cursing the town forevermore. It was never clear where he gained that authority. Skip to modern day, and some unidentified animal or violent killer commits a string of brutal murders. We are introduced to a cast of one-dimensional characters/suspects, with the drunken hero, Jack Reeves, being the focus. For me, there was little werewolf action until the very end. At only 164 pages, it was pretty easy to spot the werewolf in human form early on. That said, the story did not end the way I expected. I came up with a more satisfying ending that I think would have worked better. I’m giving this effort a 3* because the ending could have been significantly improved with minimal additions. Well written and coherent. Thank you, Allison.
This was a good werewolf story. The surprise ending was good. Not necessarily because of who, but how. Good characters. I found it strange that, a couple times I felt the story should have continued in one direction but at the next chapter that line was dropped and a new one was introduced. Maybe it is as some reviewers said, the continuity of the story was someway interrupted. In spite of that I can recommend the story.
Excellent! Extremely the best role written one so far. I was actually thinking it was her no spoiler alert won’t do that. You truly had me convinced it with someone else I’ve read so many books, movies etc. I can usually tell within the first 10 to 15 minutes who done it who’s whatever this one you totally had me convinced it with someone else excellent can’t wait for you to have more books written
I decided to take a break from the zombie apocalypse novels and try something different for a change. The book moves along at a quick pace and winds up with enough vagueness that it could be continued. Though I guessed the penultimate climax I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not.Never thought I would write that a review before. Enjoyable read.
It was a very interesting book. Animals found dead then people, it just keeps going. Main character becomes more likeable as the story progresses. I never saw the identity of the monster coming. I probably should have but I didn't expect it. Good book
Visceral and brutal. The author’s ominous scene descriptions pack a punch, leading you deeper into the darkness. Though the sun is bright the dark is always nearby. The threat is always imminent.
If you like cheesy werewolf movies, you’ll love this book. It’s fast paced and never boring. I read it in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down for long. The writing feels like a new author, but the storyline is well paced and the plot is fun.
This was really good, totally enjoyed reading, the ending really surprised me wasn't expecting Emma to be the monster poor Jack but he kicked some butt....
This was a nice short story about werewolves. I enjoyed it. As others have mentioned, there were inconsistencies about the time of day it was, but other than that, it wasn't too bad. It had good descriptions of everything. Read this if you're in a reading slump and need some pure gore in your life to spice things up. But, otherwise, a good story.