VBT + Review + #Giveaway: Special Levels of Earthly Hell by Merry Freer @MFreerWriter @GoddessFish

Special Levels of Earthly Hell

by Merry Freer

GENRE:  Horror, Supernatural

BLURB:

Drew Collins experiences the world in black and white. As an educated man of science, he rejects belief in the paranormal and the existence of demons. Until an evil energy he calls "The Beast" repeatedly enters his bedroom at night and takes possession of his wife's body.

What he witnesses at night in his own bedroom cannot be reconciled with science. And yet he sees it with his own eyes, feels its presence, ominous and evil, with his entire being.

Against every instinct, Drew reaches out for help. It is not just his marriage that’s at stake. The evil force has invaded his wife's family, tearing them apart and culminating in bloodshed and murder. Drew must face a stark choice: sacrifice his belief that the world is a rational place and fight an entity he doesn’t understand and is reluctant to label, or abandon his wife and her family.

Author's Note to the Reader: Sadly, the most frightening and brutal events in this book are factual. The story is loosely based on one family's experience with multiple tragedies, some of them "ripped from the headlines." It is also an excruciatingly factual account of one man's experience with a loved one who is possessed by a demonic presence. However, it transcends genre and is as much a tale of romance, of cultural barriers, of abuse, and of family drama, as it is of demonic possession.The link between the introduction of an evil spirit and the heartbreaking misfortunes that are visited on the family is left for the reader to decide.

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Excerpt:

It was 3:00am, though Drew didn’t notice the time. He was startled into a state of complete consciousness by a feeling of intense dread and fear. Had he been sleeping? Had the feeling returned because he let go – drifted off and let down his guard? Terror ripped through him when he sensed a malevolent force above him. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Even in the pitch darkness of the room, he could see that a dark silhouette straddled him, standing upright, and as he recognized the form, he knew, with a lightning fast certainty he didn’t yet understand, that it only appeared to be his Adriana, her body inhabited by the evil force, her spirit squeezed from her helpless body and now possessed by whatever energy had terrorized them. He brought his eyes to meet those of the adversary that stood above him, silently begging to find recognition, but its black, dead eyes rolled back in their sockets and he realized instantly, as though by telepathy, that it intended to attack him...to fall on him! The form became completely rigid, falling straight forward like a stone slab toward his prone body, with no regard to how it might land. He let out a scream of primal fear that came from the depths of his being. Some kind of demonic beast was hurtling toward him and, throwing up his arms and hands to protect himself from its fall, he instinctively pushed at the foreign creature and threw it from his body, his hands burning with the contact. The creature’s head took the force of the fall, cracking into the heavy nightstand beside the bed.

Sitting up in the bed, shaking, perspiration dripping from his pores, he reached for the lamp on the nightstand and reluctantly turned the switch, terrified of what he might find, knowing he had no choice.

On the floor beside the table lay Adriana, his wife, in a fetal position, holding the back of her head, crying and confused. Drew climbed from the bed, taking her in his arms.

“What happened to me?” she whimpered, still rubbing the growing bump on her head.

“You don’t remember anything?” Drew whispered, carrying her limp body back to the bed.

“I think I hurt my head,” she said.

“You climbed over me to turn on the light and you fell,” Drew lied.

My Review:

While on vacation in Mexico Drew Collins and educated man of science meets a very beautiful woman Adriana Alvarez who works at the Department of Social Services in the capitol city of Guanajuato, deep in the center of Mexico. Adriana takes Drew on a tour of the city of all the famous places in history. Drew and Adrian fall head over heels in love the first time they lay eyes on each other and decide to live in the United States.

Drew takes Adriana home with him to his mother’s where he lives. Adriana and his mother like each other from the very first time they see each other. His mother is very happy that he has finally found someone to love and she has a daughter now. She spoils Adriana by taking her shopping all the time and buying her everything. If Adriana just makes a commit stating that she likes something then “Sweetie” buys it for her.

Everything is going just great for Drew and Adriana. Adriana works very hard trying to help Drew so they can make more money and have more things. She works more than one job so that they can buy a second house and rent it out. Adriana has big plans for the both of them.

Drew loves his wife so much that when a demon enters into her body he doesn’t tell her so that she can help fight it. He doesn’t think she can handle it. If he had told her so that they could have fought this demon with their love then maybe they wouldn’t have had to go through the things they did. Drew had a hard time dealing with the demon himself. He wasn’t sure he believed in demons. With being an educated man of science he didn’t believe in any religion so therefore he didn’t see how he could believe in demons. But he has witnessed the demonic possession of his wife and now of his sisters in laws. And this demon is tearing their families apart and killing innocence people. He doesn’t know how much more he can take.

When I read the summary for Special Levels of Earthly Hell I thought it would be great to read a book about the supernatural where someone is possessed like the shows on tv about the supernatural. I liked following along with Drew, Adriana and her family and all of the adventures with the demon. But I do wish Drew had enlisted Adriana and her sisters help in fighting the demon. If he had only given them the choice to fight then things might not have turned out the way they did. I mean it was their life and bodies it should have been their choice not his. Drew is a good loving father and husband but I do think he could have handled it a little different.

But with saying all that I did like Drew very much and I do think that he was doing what he thought was the best thing for his wife and family. Drew has a very big and loving heart. He cares for everyone and will do what he can for people even if when he doesn’t have to. If someone needs his help he will give it no matter what time of day or night it may be he is there.

Special Levels of Earthly Hell will have your emotions on many, many different levels themselves. It will have you laughing one minute and then the next you will be crying your heart out. I was definitely not expecting that ending it blew me away. If you have not read Special Levels of Earthly Hell then I recommend that you do. It will stay with you long after you have finished reading it. 

AUTHOR BIO:

Merry Freer is an author of memoir and fact-based fiction. “Special Levels of Earthly Hell: The Story of One Family’s Chilling Struggle with Demonic Possession”  was inspired by actual events that were experienced by her nuclear and extended families, tearing relationships apart and making national news headlines. This book comes on the heels of her first book, a memoir named “Doctor, Doctor.”  While "Doctor, Doctor" is her debut novel, she has been a writer and editor for many years, including work with the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Hall of Champions. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from San Diego State University and has been a featured speaker for classes dealing with medical ethics.

Her controversial memoir, "Doctor, Doctor," topped the Best Seller List in True Crime/White Collar Crime for 10 months and received a "Best Books of 2014" award from "Suspense Magazine."

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