In each of her three Horror Earth novels, author Loretta Kendall allows her heroines to introduce themselves to the reader. First there was Gigi Stein, the former bride of Frank N. Stein. Next was Cleo, the daughter of an ancient pharaoh. And now we have Izzabel “Izzy” Brimstone, a burlesque dancer at the Cursed Cabaret. 

In the past, as a supporting character, Izzy was mainly used for comic relief. Now in her own book, we see a different side to her. She was a naughty devil girl from Terror Town who loved glitter and sparkle, said the author. “She didn’t exactly fit in with the gore hounds and slasher movie types. She was a freak amongst her own kind.”

She was also hotter than hell and twice as spicy. As a succubus, however, she was a dangerous sexual partner. “She’s a temptress,” admitted the owner of the cabaret, “but I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of her blowjobs. She might suck your soul out through your cock.”

For Izzy, humor and sex were used as a shield to protect herself. Privately, she was a vulnerable young sprite. Growing up, she had a rough childhood and an emotional unavailable father. Even though she was viewed as simply a happy-go-lucky party girl, she was actually a very lonely blue devil. All she wanted was a warm hug from her daddy—and a sexy boyfriend wouldn’t be so bad either. 

Her wish for a hot boo was granted the day Remington “Remi” Kane began working at the Cursed Cabaret as a bartender. The two had an immediate attraction to each other, but they were bound by complications beyond their control. Izzy couldn’t escape her soul-sucking habit and Remi was a nuclear enhanced hybrid creature. The two of them together were a ticking time bomb. 

As it turned out, the pair’s relationship problems were the direct result of Tobias Brimstone, Izzy’s estranged father. As the owner of Terror Town’s largest pharmaceutical company, Tobias experimented on Remi like a lab rat. For two years he amplified Remi’s radiation illness and combined it with monster DNA. The results turned the bartender into a translucent skeleton man. His condition was almost horror movie quality, said the author. 

Initially, Tobias seemed like the cruelest demon on Horror Earth. He was a rich autocrat with a black heart and, frankly, Izzy was lucky to be rid of him. But I have to admit, he turned out to be the most nuanced villain in Loretta Kendall’s ongoing Ghouls and Gals series. In comparison, Frank N. Stein was a brute and Papa Imhotep was just a manipulative jerk.

Tobias, on the other hand, still loved his daughter deeply and regretted his wayward science experiments. He was one of the most fearsome dark demons around but he was actually a big softie. Fans of Teen Titans Go! will immediately recognize a similar father/daughter dynamic between Raven and her father Trigon. 

In a funny show-not-tell moment late in the novel, Tobias crashes his daughter’s New Year’s Eve party. He comes through the door blowing smoke and fire, but his performance is undercut by a bountiful buffet of yummy cookies. At that moment, both Izzy and Remi knew that they would live happily ever after.  

[ Izzy’s Cursed Cabaret / By Loretta Kendall / First Printing: February 2024 / ISBN: 9798880386949 ]