Recipes for Newlyweds: Stories of Marital Bliss

by Jordan Triplett, S.E. Howard, Sue Rovens

a ceremonial union of two people; a joining of hearts and hands

A wedding is a blissful affair and the years after said to be some of the happiest of your life. But what happens when happily wedded turns into worst nightmare? When ‘til death do us part’ becomes literal? When the lines between spouses blur until nothing is left but one?

With a foreword by MJ Mars and stories by S.E. Howard, Sue Rovens, Andrew Najberg, Viggy Parr Hampton, T.E. Whitehill, C S Jones, Rebecca Burgess, RC Lehan, and Besu Tadesse, Recipes for Stories of Marital Bliss takes every dirty little secret of married life and exposes them in horrifying detail.

Are you ready to say I do?

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2026

Reviews

[Leasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun collection of horror stories with a unique recipe addition after each tale. Highlights for me were the stories by T.E. Whitehill and Besu Tadesse.

[Jessica Richters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly loved every single tale in this anthology. All of the authors have very unique stories and everyones writing styles seem to flow together nicely.
My reading speed varies on the style of writing and the language of a book, and I absolutely flew through this one.
If you like horror, definitely give this one a go!

[N.J. Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great anthology of horror as seen through the marital lens. Only one story stuck out to me as not particularly marital horror, but it did involve hunting partners. The stories are fun, quick, and bring up a certain dread that makes one realize that all is not wedded bliss. Big fan of the zombie fruit salad story, but loved Rebecca Burgess's, Sue Rovens's stories.

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forward by Mj Mars was beautifully written.
"There is also darkness and terror hiding in the shadows of the marital home. Lurking within the bride or groom. Hell, isn’t that always the case?"

Story 1.. Jenny's Room by S.E. Howard this was so damn good. Set in 1888, Emmet is searching for a wife through the paper. And he got the perfect wife 😏. That ending was great and unexpected.
"Widower and farmer seeks God-fearing, obedient woman to marry."

Story 2.... Spoons by Sue Rovens
What would you do if you were given spoons for your birthday?? Every year. Probably get mad and feel a little miserable right? This was a great revenge story.

Story 3.... Strawberries and Cream by Andrew Najberg ... I'm never eating strawberries again. This was definitely a gross story.

Story 4.... I'm slowly turning into you by Viggy Par Hampton. Well this has totally different meaning from two become one. “We’re finally becoming one,” I said softly. “Isn’t it wonderful?”.... this was twisted and wonderful.

Story 5.... Devotion do us part by T.E Whitehill. This was a creepy little story of a man desperate to save his wife, but has he gone to far.

Story 6.... When Did I go by CS Jones
Imagine being at a hunting lodge and chaos erupts all around you... how far do you go to survive?

Story 7 .... Honeymoon Phase by Rebecca Burgess . This story was very good. I would love to read more about Lyra. Be careful who you marry.

Story 8....Fruit Salad Zombies by R.C. Lehan. Fabulous zombie story. And I agree peaches are nasty.


Story 9....Still Nothing by Besu Tadessa. Great story of what could happen if you loose passion, communication or love in your marriage. This one was a little brutal, but very good.

[Rachel Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO fun!! I enjoyed every story.

Ok. It's been over a week since I read this, been a lil busy but I am now here with my thoughts; there are 9 short stories in this collection and I think I'll just share the notes I made for each:

1) Jenny's Room - S.E. Howard
Late 1800s, rural, Gothic feels, isolation. Growing feeling that things are not as they seem...marital bliss?? Yeah, not so much. Strong creepy/eerie beginning to the collection. (I know I use "creepy" and "eerie" as descriptive words and that's just how it's going to be...it was often VERY creepy AND eerie.

2) Spoons - Sue Rovens
Yeah, I like it when shitty men no longer...that's it, short and satisfying!

3) Strawberries and Cream - Andrew Najberg
Kinda icky guys. But also really funny because like...who actually comes up with an idea SO bizarre!? I'm not complaining though--that's my type of weird. AND a betrayal!! Fun and drama aplenty!

4) I'm Slowly Turning Into You - Viggy Parr Hampton
This felt very black widow-esque...like the Giggling Granny killer. It was sharp, quirky and clever!

5) Devotion Do Us Part - T.E. Whitehill
Ah, a good old Faustian tale. A bookstore worker and a clearly cursed ass fuck book. Tell me why I thought of Life-Size with Lindsay Lohan and Tyra Banks; also, someone tell me why that movie has a 5.6 rating on IMDB? What nonsense.

6) When Did I Go - C.S. Jones
Quick, gross and creepy. I LOVE a story with cannibalism! Brutal.

7) Honeymoon Phase - Rebecca Burgess
Ooooh, the devilish ladies are making themselves known in this short story collection! So creepy and I fucking love a hidden room.

8) Fruit Salad Zombies - R.C. Lehan
Wow, a story centered around fruit salad but make it horror...and also tragic! A brilliant combination if you ask me.

9) Still Nothing - Besu Tadesse
Two unwell people and what already starts out as a twisted horror tale becomes a full on shit show. Oh man, what a ride that was!

I thought this was an AWESOME collection; every story was enjoyable though some haunted me a little more than others. What's great is that there is a wide array of horror styles featured that I know every horror lover will find something just right for them. I predicted I would enjoy this collection, I just didn't expect it to slap THIS much.

Thank you to one of the authors for the opportunity to read Recipes for Newlyweds early, I'm endlessly grateful :)

[Lia's Haunted Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marriage is terrifying on its own: committing your life to another person, navigating new responsibilities, and accepting that it won't always be easy or beautiful. Recipes for Newlyweds leans into that fear and runs with it, delivering a fun collection that tackles love and partnership through some genuinely wild lenses: zombies, bizarre bodily amalgamation, food as metaphor, and the slow, creeping horror of becoming someone else entirely.

The range here is what makes it work. It's funny, it's unsettling, and it understands that marriage, like horror, lives in the space between comfort and dread.
Story Ratings:
• Jenny's Room – 5/5
• Spoons - 4/5
• Strawberries and Cream - 5/5
• I'm Slowly Turning Into You - 5/5
• Devotion Do Us Part - 4/5
• When Did I Go - 4/5
• Honeymoon Phase - 4/5
• Fruit Salad Zombies - 4/5
• Still Nothing - 5/5

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young woman answers an ad in a newspaper. This leads to an unexpected discovery. A married couple begins to fuse together. Marriage is many things these stories take you behind some unique happenings.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and LOVED it!!!!!! People who’ve never been married should read it before committing to a relationship hahahaa most stories depict what happens after years, and years, and years of being together with a person until you both become one. … literally

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super fun and easy short story collection. I enjoyed every single story in here but esp loved Jenny’s Room, I’m Slowly Turning into You and Honeymoon Phase. They all were really unique and I loved the theme of marriage as a connection in all these stories.

[Jaime (the macabre bibliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and random relationship horror shorts. We get a little of everything including zombies, humor, revenge and body horror.