Bliss

By: J. R. Curtis

Narrated by: Tony Deurmier

David Boone, a man with a perfect life, a nice house, a beautiful wife, and a beloved dog.

With the house to himself for a week, David is thrilled to have time to pursue his dreams of becoming a successful writer. But as the hours tick by in his dark and empty home, solitude begins to feel suffocating and his grip on reality starts to slip.

Suddenly plagued by nightmarish visions and hallucinations, David begins to wonder just how much of what he is seeing is only his imagination. Would you even know if you were losing your mind?

©2025 Joshua George Olsen (P)2026 Joshua George Olsen

Psychological Horror Elements

I just finished Bliss by J.R. Curtis and really enjoyed it. It’s one of those psychological horror stories where things start out grounded, then slowly slips into that uncomfortable “something isn’t right here” territory. The isolation, the pressure of the main character trying to finish his book, and the weird things creeping into his reality keep the tension simmering the whole time. J.R. does an excellent job of illustration mental health in his words.

If you like horror that messes with your head a bit and makes you question what’s real, Bliss is a solid read. Definitely worth checking out!

A mind-bending trip!

What an experience! I truly enjoyed Bliss and found myself constantly wondering where it would take me next. Is it a hallucination? A psychotic break? A fevered delirium? I won’t spoil it—you'll have to see what the ending holds for yourself.

My only gripe was the narration. It felt a bit too "one-note" and lacked the drama needed for such an intense story. The telephone calls were the only time the tone really shifted. It might have been a stylistic choice to match the inner monologue, but it made it hard to stay focused at times.

Story: 4/5 Narration: 2.5/5

Thanks to J.R. Curtis for the review copy. I'm definitely a fan of the writing!

What is real?

WTF did I just read?? The book starts out with the main character, David Boone, experiencing a horrible nightmare. Recovering from the flu, David thinks that his dream is caused by his fever. However, after his wife leaves on a business trip, things start to quickly devolve.

This is a gruesome, gory fever dream that will keep you guessing as to what is actually happening to David. Is he still suffering hallucinations from a fever or is he losing his mind? There are some truly horrible descriptions of body horror that will make you cringe, so be warned. As a person who worked in a slaughterhouse, one particular part of the book was especially horrific and I could imagine every detail.

The narrator did a great job and added a lot to this book. Definitely not for the squeamish, but still a well-written and memorable book.

Old themes made a new

JR Curtis has managed to take a storyline very familiar to anybody growing up in the 1980s and 1990s and put a fresh horrifying spin on it. Fans of both horror, sci-fi, and political thrillers will find something to like in bliss.

Intense and wild!!

Bliss by J.R. Curtis
Narrated by Tony Deurmier
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is a wild story!! Thrills, chills and blissful horror!!
David, has a dream of being a successful writer and is finally living a happy life until he takes a mysterious downhill turn and his world changes!
This book is filled with nightmares, hallucinations and poor David doesn’t know what’s real or fake anymore.

This book is full of amazing imagery and I was able to listen to it like I was watching a movie!! The story is intense from start to finish!!

I was lucky to listen to the audio version and the narrator did a fantastic job!!

*I highly recommend the read or listen!!*