The Avarice by Nico Bell

The Avarice Reviews

• 
  Karla Kay

  With all anthologies, the voices of each author shine through with exceptional stories. All the contributing authors did an amazing job at weaving together these dark tales of greed. Each one focuses on a different concept of how and what the character’s are willing to do to earn their desired riches, material gains, and fame.
  
  In these seven tales we are given a look into greedy, dark desires filled with dread and doom.
  
  ~The Secret Recipe by Nico Bell
  The desire to own a business that has a hidden secret and causes everything to spiral out of control ending in destruction and regret.
  
  ~Balminder’s Miracle Elixir by Jill Girardi
  The desire to rid oneself of a wife to gain all her money using dark practices. Watch out for the risen for she is filled with wrath and vengeance.
  
  ~Greedy Pig by Lyndsey Ellis Holloway
  A possessive and narcissistic man hell bent on completely controlling his girl but she has her own plans. She slowly and painfully exacts her revenge.
  
  ~Quota by Ruthann Jagge
  The desire to become an internet presence. To be recognized, admired, and gain all the attention. To finally have that social standing. At what cost and how far will one go to gain that ubiquitous fame?
  
  ~Wreckers by Kenzie Jennings
  Vain intentions, mayhem and madness. A vision to rid the world of greed and debauchery. A spiritual cleansing of the world through cultish practices causing a following of suicidal ideations and homicide.
  
  ~Pape Satàn Aleppe by Rebecca Rowland
  The desperation for wealth leads to a kidnapping gone wrong. The devil is ever lurking behind the evils of the world.
  
  ~The Stone Collector by Sonora Taylor
  A young girl living in the shadows of her mother’s simple life. Wanting more that life has to offer and to escape from the clutches of this mundaneness. She is willing to sacrifice everything to reach her desires but she must pay the price that is asked of her.
  
  Rich with imagery and depth, each of these are a stand out in the author’s ability to deliver creepy, dark, and twisted tales of greed.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed all of these!
  
  *Announcment from D&T:
  We are happy to announce that all money received from the sale of our anthology, “The Avarice”, will go to The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship. We love who this scholarship is awarded to and the difference it makes.
  
  *This series is dedicated to Brad Tierney.
• 
  Tera (TheBookishAbyss)

  This book contains seven short stories wonderfully written and horrifically fulfilling. There’s Sophie who will keep her bakery open at any cost, and Jonathan who’s just trying to steal his wife’s fortune. Then, we meet Matt, a real a-hole who needs to be taught a lesson, and Marlena, who has achieved her dream as a social media influencer. Next up, we follow Jasper and Taylor whose widely publicized breakup begins the attack of The Square, and Mitch and Ree whose desperation results in a devilish scheme. Lastly, there is Lavinia, who will do anything to attain riches to live her own life.
  
  Greed is on full display in unique storylines with surprising depth for the shorter length. Each author masterfully weaves a tale that grabs attention and never lets go until the entire book has been devoured.
• 
  Jeremy Fowler

  What if you just wanted MORE? But so much more that desire took control of you. This collection of stories is guaranteed to make you want to scale back in your life and really make you question if you really NEED it vs WANTing it.
  
  From a baker whose family recipe is the best tasting thing around, to a man who can't decide between his wife and his mistress, to a greedy abuser taking more and more from his partner, these stories are horrifying and just might make you sick to your stomach. Give this collection a read and prepare to learn about the sin of Avarice!
• 
  Diana Richie (Indie Book Addict)

  The Avarice is a collection of shorts focused on greed. The ladies included in this anthology did an amazing job. Each author captured greed in their own way and created some gripping tales. You need this book!
  
  The Secret Recipe by Nico Bell
  Sophie and her mom were well on their way to opening Bab’s Bakery. Tragedy strikes just before the Grand Opening, and she loses her mom. Sophie pushes on excited for the future until a mysterious woman shows up and changes everything. Fantastic and creepy with a wild ending!
  
  Balminder’s Miracle Elixir by Jill Girardi
  Danvers is excited and preparing to marry Aralina. The big day is here, but unfortunately Danvers learns the hard way about internet scams. Fast paced and bloody read. I loved it as is, but this would be amazing as a longer story. Very gripping!
  
  Greedy Pig by Lyndsey Ellis Holloway
  Matt and Lucy were going to have the perfect life, or so he thought. Lucy played along, but deep down she was actually tired of Matt’s hateful and controlling ways. He stripped her of everything and now it’s her turn. A great revenge story that will have you cheering for Lucy.
  
  Quota by Ruthann Jagge
  Marlena gets the opportunity of a lifetime with the company “Deliciously You” or so she thinks. As she rises to the top, she learns some disturbing things about the MLM company. How much more is she willing to sacrifice to make it big? Great story! I could feel Marlena’s excitement and her dread as things changed. Another one that would be even more amazing as a longer story.
  
  Wreckers by Kenzie Jennings
  A group of people around the country called The Square are on a mission. Welcoming the next best thing to a spiritual cleansing so they believe. What is happening is devastating and shocking. Fantastic read! It was thrilling to learn more about The Square and terrifying to know something like this could really exist.
  
  Pape Satàn Aleppe by Rebecca Rowland
  Mitch and Irene decide to kidnap the CEO, hoping for a generous ransom payout. During their travels odd things begin to happen. Are they going crazy or maybe they just messed with the wrong guy. A chilling story of how far some are willing to go when they are desperate.
  
  The Stone Collector by Sonora Taylor
  Lavinia lives with her mother and baby sister in a worn-down cottage in the woods. Lavinia is highly unsatisfied with her life. Always sent out into the woods to collect crystals and gems so her mother could craft wares to support their very modest lifestyle. Nothing in return, and she wants more. When she stumbles upon a cave, Lavinia believes things are about to change and she will have everything she’s ever wanted until the truth about the cave is revealed. Another gripping and creepy tale.
• 
  Nat Whiston

  Oh, this collection was a treat. I loved that every take on the sin of Greed was more wicked and wild than the last.
  Starting with Secret Recipe which sets the scene for this anthology, and also gave me a feel of what to expect for Wrath. Which will be the Anthology I will contribute to. Nico did an amazing job mixing paranormal and unsettling vibes with his girl and her Bakery story. But betrayal is not as sweet as her cakes, and boy does she learn a hard lesson. Balminder's Miracle Elixir was almost poetic justice mixed with an Edgar Allan Poe vibe. That has a drizzle and gory vibe that I am living for right now. When a man decides to double cross his wife by buying into a doughy miracle cure. He should have read the fine print. Jill brought out the side of Greed that is all too familiar a scenario and made it their own.
  Then we come to my personal favourite Greedy Pig by Lyndsey Ellis Holloway, I have not had a chance to read this author's work. But honey I am buying what she is selling! What a creative take on Greed, I loved the direction she took with her story. It has everything including a guy you can not help but LOATHE. Matthew is a manipulative and all-around evil piece of work. This story hit so many emotions by encompassing every aspect that I wanted. The ending was superb and I loved that she slipped in some Divine Comedy reference there.
  Of course, we come to Ruth, author of the New Girl's Patient. Who proves again she can do wrong with her story Quota. This one feeds on the all too familiar greed for attention, I love the fact that Ruth has successfully scared the crap out of me using social media. Another exceptional take, with a very twisted moral to the story. It will make you look at Avon rep jobs differently. I'll tell you that much.
  Wreckers was another amazing story with a deliciously good twist, and a perfect cautionary tale to beware of a sweet-looking old lady. I almost felt like I was reading an episode of Criminal minds, so Kenzie knocked this one out of the park for me.
  Papa Satan also ventures into some darker sides of the human mind, as well as also delving into the dark adventure that Dante and Virgil took. Whereas the stone Collector brought to the surface that even innocence can be corrupted by this very sin. Both stories held my attention and had me gripping the pillows on the sofa as I read. This collection was inventive and great at creating tension and atmosphere.
  The writing by all accounts was seamless as each story flows beautifully into the other. I hate to say it folks, but I have really got my work cut out for me. To meet the incredible standard of writing that was put into this anthology.
• 
  Karen Oldman

  I really enjoyed this book. Each story was distinct from the last,and still fully took on the theme of avarice. Short stories are like instant gratification reading for me when I can't focus and I do particularly love a themed anthology. This one was done incredibly well.
  
  There is an MLM horror which I adored.
  A revenge story that definitely focused more on avarice than wrath.
  A woman pushed to her limit and holy wow, I didn't see that twist coming.
  Desperation fueled kidnappings.
  A girl's desire to have a more comfortable life gone terribly wrong.
  Magically won inheritances with a hefty cost.
  Cultish well meaning fanaticism turned deadly.
  
  
  
• 
  Becky

  My top three favorites, all 5 ⭐️: “The Stone Collector” by Sonora Taylor; “Wreckers” by Kenzie Jennings; “Quota” by Ruthann Jagge.
• 
  Nat Whiston

  Oh, this collection was a treat. I loved that every take on the sin of Greed was more wicked and wild than the last.
  Starting with Secret Recipe which sets the scene for this anthology, and also gave me a feel of what to expect for Wrath. Which will be the Anthology I will contribute to. Nico did an amazing job mixing paranormal and unsettling vibes with his girl and her Bakery story. But betrayal is not as sweet as her cakes, and boy does she learn a hard lesson. Balminder's Miracle Elixir was almost poetic justice mixed with an Edgar Allan Poe vibe. That has a drizzle and gory vibe that I am living for right now. When a man decides to double cross his wife by buying into a doughy miracle cure. He should have read the fine print. Jill brought out the side of Greed that is all too familiar a scenario and made it their own.
  Then we come to my personal favourite Greedy Pig by Lyndsey Ellis Holloway, I have not had a chance to read this author's work. But honey I am buying what she is selling! What a creative take on Greed, I loved the direction she took with her story. It has everything including a guy you can not help but LOATHE. Matthew is a manipulative and all-around evil piece of work. This story hit so many emotions by encompassing every aspect that I wanted. The ending was superb and I loved that she slipped in some Divine Comedy reference there.
  Of course, we come to Ruth, author of the New Girl's Patient. Who proves again she can do wrong with her story Quota. This one feeds on the all too familiar greed for attention, I love the fact that Ruth has successfully scared the crap out of me using social media. Another exceptional take, with a very twisted moral to the story. It will make you look at Avon rep jobs differently. I'll tell you that much.
  Wreckers was another amazing story with a deliciously good twist, and a perfect cautionary tale to beware of a sweet-looking old lady. I almost felt like I was reading an episode of Criminal minds, so Kenzie knocked this one out of the park for me.
  Papa Satan also ventures into some darker sides of the human mind, as well as also delving into the dark adventure that Dante and Virgil took. Whereas the stone Collector brought to the surface that even innocence can be corrupted by this very sin. Both stories held my attention and had me gripping the pillows on the sofa as I read. This collection was inventive and great at creating tension and atmosphere.
  The writing by all accounts was seamless as each story flows beautifully into the other. I hate to say it folks, but I have really got my work cut out for me. To meet the incredible standard of writing that was put into this anthology.
• 
  Madeline

  A great bunch of stories about greed and all are well-written but very different from one another, which is exactly what I want in an anthology. My favorite story by far was "Greedy Pig" by Lyndsay Ellis Holloway, but all seven of the stories are good, some by authors I already knew and some by authors brand new to me. However, there's no way to easily seek out other books by the new to me authors because for some unknown reason, the editor does not put a biography or bibliography for any of the authors. Yet she lists her OWN biography and asks people to follow her on Amazon to find "all of the publications she is featured in"?? Also unfortunate is the publisher doesn't put the author's names at the top of the page, I had to flip back to find the name of the person writing. No offense to the authors because they did a great job, but its too bad the anthology wasn't edited by someone else who might have been less "greedy" with the credit.