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Ball and Chain

Do you have to be told twice? Stay away from the fucking clowns.

Jessica is to meet the same fate as those before her … or is she? She was at the Fear Factory. Now she’s in a cage, and everything has gone horribly, horribly, wrong. But worse, one of the carnies seems to have taken a bit of a shine to her.

Being married to a stabby rapist clown is better than becoming a sausage, right?

Right?

Ball and Chain is a disgusting tale of bloody rape, cannibalism, murder, and weird smells. It’s gross in a lot of parts, so if you don’t want to read about bodily fluids and sickening bodily fragrances, then perhaps you might want to give this one a miss, yes?

Carnie II: Ball and Chain is an extreme horror novella, painted with the blackest of humour. Consider this a trigger warning for just about everything.

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2021

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Ash Ericmore

173 books321 followers

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5 stars
59 (33%)
4 stars
61 (34%)
3 stars
48 (27%)
2 stars
6 (3%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Lady MacDeath 🌒🌕🌘.
433 reviews219 followers
July 22, 2022
Carnie Carnage!!

Another awesome read from AE. This is book 2 in the ‘Carnie’ series, and is just as bloody, gory, and depraved as the 1st! This one centres around Jess, who is another victim of the cannibalistic murderous clowns, tho this time, Michael, one of the ‘carnie’s’ takes a shine to Jess, and takes her back to his caravan, where he makes her his ‘wife’. From then on, Jess is existing in a hell! This book involves life in the caravan community, not so much in the carnival, but it’s a lot of fun, and once again, ends on a cliffhanger. I think this story runs alongside book 1, as the victims from that book, show up at the end. I promise this isn’t a spoiler though! I love this series and can’t wait to read the others. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for DA.
Author 3 books134 followers
August 3, 2022
Better than the first

I really enjoyed this deeper look into the life of the carnies. It's what I was wanting when I read the first book, I had wanted to know more. I also loved how the ending made you realize this was happening at the same time as the first book. Now I can't wait for book 3!
526 reviews52 followers
December 2, 2021
Man the hell with clowns and carnivals. I am really happy that I read these books back to back. Carnie 2 was a brutal blood bath and my favorite of the two. Ash Ericmore is a brutal writer that never disappoints and always brings it. If you are looking for a fast brutal series to read the Carnie series delivers. I blazed through both of them and read this one in one sitting just fast paced and kept me locked in until the end. Solid series all around.
1,051 reviews30 followers
March 27, 2023
Out in the country side of Wales a few buildings, tents, a barn and some caravans. The carnies are back kidnapping victims, naked, they wake up in the back of a lorry, in a cage, after being drugged in the horror house of fun, the fear factory. She is now forced to be the wife of a sick depraved dirty blood stained cannibal clown. She is chained to a bed and has to cook and clean. She will be forced to dissect another victim. The caravan is a shit hole, rotten food, nothing ever washed, worse than any rat infested dumpster. Using her skills she will cut of the penis of this fucking clown and make him swallow it. Better than the first book.
Profile Image for Lindsay Crook.
1,097 reviews41 followers
October 23, 2021
Stay away from the clowns.

Oh that was blood soaked. I loved this more than the first Carnie . Everything was more. More gore more violence and more character building. I need a Carnie 3
Profile Image for Slim Jones.
44 reviews11 followers
September 21, 2022
Pretty good continuation from carnie I. Love clowns!!! Some good torture scenes.
Profile Image for Sidney Shiv.
Author 19 books22 followers
April 7, 2022
Carnie II Ball & Chain by Ash Ericmore is a perfect follow up to the first book. This book is fast paced and, like the first one, reads like watching a brutal horror movie in real time.

In this book, we gain a little more insight into the mysterious band of carnies as one of the depraved clowns takes a new captive as his bride. The female protagonist is amazing. The author did a fantastic job of laying out her thought process which, in turn, made her whole horrific journey all the more terrifying.

I can’t wait to read more!
Profile Image for ❤ArtfullySinful❤ .
741 reviews53 followers
March 12, 2022
“Good luck,” he whispered. “Stay away from the clowns.”

In the days before Mia and her friends were abducted and brought to the horror of the carnival, Jessica 'Jess' and her boyfriend Blake found themselves in a horrific situation. They too attended one of the carnivals with the clowns, except when she awoke badly bruised and disoriented she was met with the slaughtered remains of the man she loved. Spared from her own death by taking the fancy from Collumn, she was treated like a slave made into a wife. As he robbed her virginity from her while the rest of the "family" watched, she vowed her revenge would come and come sweetly. Night after night she spent cleaning and searching for a way out, all the while preparing his dinner with mystery meats and handing over sex. It wasn't until he was out working another event when one of the other woman would approach her and warm her not to eat the meat the clowns brought home. It would take a lot of acting and patience, but she lured him into believing she was this innocent, loving wife before she tied him to the bed under the guise of kinky sex. This was after he brought home Eli, a woman he raped and murdered and left for her to dissect the remains. As she stabbed him to death in his own bed, she laughed at him as she slipped the chain from her ankle. It wasn't until she was stumbling through the darkness that she caught her first glimpses of Mia running for her life as she too tucked tail and ran.

She was screaming Bozo as the clown fucked her, the blade of the knife impaled through her shoulder. As he pulled it out. Pushed it in the other shoulder. Please, she was screaming. Bozo.
Profile Image for Rachel.
367 reviews15 followers
Read
October 6, 2022
1. The first book in the Carnie trilogy was good. This book was GREAT! I loved seeing a bit more into the secret lives of carnies 😜
2. Jess (the MC) is a feisty and intelligent woman. I LOVE a strong female lead and that's what Ash delivers in this installment of Carnie. She also has some incredible patience which culminates in an AMAZING moment.
3. If you weren't afraid of clowns before, this series (well, at least the first 2 books since I've not yet read the 3rd) will make you feel a bit sketchy about them if not striking fear into your heart. Speaking of hearts, I wouldn't eat any meat that the clowns bring you 😈
4. There is so much I want to know about the caravan. Like where are they all from? How many of them were taken from 'normal' lives? What does "we're all family here" mean?
5. Can't wait to dive into book 3 eventually. My TBR is outta control!
Profile Image for Monica Milton.
33 reviews5 followers
May 1, 2022
Not your usual horror !

Definitely not your usual horror but if you've read Ash Ericmore then you'll know that and know what to expect. Carnie book 2 does not disappoint, if anything it's better than the first book. As with most Ash stories, expect sickness, depravity, blood, gore, knob cheese and dark humour. Loved this sequel and I hope there is a 3rd one coming soon, please. 10/10
Profile Image for Thriller.reading.raven.
163 reviews2 followers
December 17, 2022
Warning: Very graphic.
This is book 2 from the Carnie series and this one was just as brutal. Definite trigger warnings. This is an extreme horror book and it can be pretty disturbing and gross. But here I am ready to move onto the 3rd book of this series. Ha! These are short novellas but they pack a punch. I like that this one gave us a look into the lives of the carnies. Overall f*cked up and I love it.
Profile Image for Kadlin.
150 reviews2 followers
March 18, 2024
Good read!

“She’s over here,” some girl was shouting. Jess didn’t recognise her. Not at all. She was naked. Jess scanned the area. Looking for the cause of the commotion. She stabbed Liam, the girl was screaming. Wait until they see what I did to Callum. She smiled. Caught sight of someone fleeing. Someone running towards the tree line. A girl. Naked. Carrying a torch. Someone like her. A victim.
Profile Image for Glance Ghoulish.
181 reviews14 followers
June 8, 2025
I am really loving this series, I'm unsure if I love the first or second more.
It's horrible, disgusting and DEAR LORD the amount of gagging I did over the cheesy smell descriptions 🤮

Carnie 2 is a lot more personal and I feel more attached to the FMC, so I felt for her more during her struggles. Basically Callum is a right c**t and I wanted to smash his face in!

But yet again more carnie, cannibalism, clowning around with dark humour to boot.
Check your triggers.

64 reviews
April 27, 2023
Predictable

Book 2 was another I'm quick read following on from part I which meant it as pretty similar to the first book. What I did like is that co.e the end u can tell it's written as happening at the same time the girls escape in Carnie 1. Hoping Carnie 3 will be a bit different as the escaped girls get their revenge.
Profile Image for Frankie Yates.
211 reviews11 followers
July 18, 2023
I actually found this book a lot nastier than the first! I just left like it was missing something.
Same as the first, I want more Fear Factory action! It seems wild to have such a unique idea of a travelling horror carnival (scare maze and killer clowns included!) and not use the setting for much more than an intro.
Profile Image for RatedHforHorror.
170 reviews13 followers
October 8, 2024
I really liked this one. You are mostly in the carnie camp and following Jess who is forced into marrying a clown and is forced to stay with him and is chained up in his caravan. This is a brutal one that shows how theses carnies live and what they do to outsiders. I really liked how a few characters in the first one comes into play and their interactions. Just remember, don't eat the meat.
Profile Image for Aiden Messer.
Author 43 books158 followers
April 9, 2023
This was pretty different from the first one. It started off strong and kept getting more and more gruesome. It was really dark, disturbing, and captivating. Still lacked funny killer clowns tho (but that's just me being an annoying killer clown enthusiast I guess) Also, I really loved the ending
Profile Image for Kaz Atkinson.
58 reviews2 followers
February 23, 2025
Great book. Preferred the first as this was a bit too rapey. Would have been 5 stars otherwise. I love extreme horror just not a fan of excess female sexual violence. Looking forward to reading the third one though. Love his writing style. Easy to read.
Profile Image for Trish.
590 reviews28 followers
June 29, 2025
In parallel to the action in Carnie, Bozo takes a shine to one of the captives. He wants to keep her as his own.

An innocent girl, who doesn’t quite turn out as her ‘husband’ intended.

And now…straight onto the third book 😱
Profile Image for Erica smith.
340 reviews2 followers
December 4, 2021
Bad ending

The ending of both books felt like they were not finished . there wasn't enough detail for me neither . why were the clowns doing this ? No-one will know .
Profile Image for kim wood.
231 reviews7 followers
June 14, 2022
Gore upon bloody gore !! Carnie # 2 is better than the first offering from Ash , even though I have that book a 5 star rating also I
Love his books
Profile Image for Dire Raven.
99 reviews3 followers
August 3, 2022
whoa

This second book was more intense than the first. Never eat the meat the clowns give you. Callum is so messed up but I think Micheal will not stop until she’s found.
Profile Image for Mrsgmamma.
221 reviews43 followers
January 12, 2023
What a sick, twisted, sadistic book. Definitely enjoyed this one!!
Profile Image for Molly-Jane Eley.
133 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2023
I preferred this to the last, and I like who the timelines of both books were simultaneous! Looking forward to reading the final chapter in this saga!
Profile Image for Savannah.
9 reviews
January 21, 2025
Chapter 21 chefs kiss of brilliance. Jess had me cheering her on in that chapter, she did her damn thing.
Profile Image for RavenReads.
595 reviews7 followers
June 15, 2025
Well, after reading the first installment, I bought the next two in the trilogy. I have to say, this one was even more disturbing than the first… and that is saying something.
Profile Image for Michelle J..
24 reviews
April 22, 2024
Definitely better than the first Carnie book. I felt like it had more of a story and what Jess experienced.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews