When Dean moved with his father to Greenville, he had hoped to find a simpler life after the Gordian knot of his past. Meeting his new neighbor Nate seemed like a great chance for a little simple fun for the summer; sex and laughs with no complications. However, once Nate’s sister Sally arrives home from college, Dean finds himself equally attracted to her and his new uncomplicated life becomes quite complicated indeed.
Madness, death, and secrets follow as the sharp points of this love triangle begin to draw blood.
Dark, sexy bleatings, my lovely tribe! This book is a bit out of the box to find here, since we almost exclusively review horror (and this doesn’t fall under that category). However, I like Mark (the author), and wanted to read this so…that’s the whole story about this review decision. Though this book doesn’t technically fall under horror, I would say it’s horror adjacent because the themes are certainly ones you’d find in horror, as is one particular event.
Before getting into the story, I’d like to mention that there are a few very detailed sexy scenes, which turned me a similar colour to the average tomato. I don’t know how I could have possibly been caught off-guard, since Mark told me upfront and it also says ‘an erotic novel’ right there on the cover. As an insane prude when it comes to reading, these weren’t my favourite scenes (if you’ve read other reviews of mine, you’ve probably seen me say that many times), but for those less boring than me (especially if you like sexy books), I’d imagine they’ll be a highlight!
So, Dean moves to a new town for a fresh start with his dad. His mum realised she was gay many years into the marriage, and left them for a new partner. Dean has strong feelings about this, and developed a problem with alcohol and his behaviour in general. Now he’s in a new house and is about to embark on a repeat of his senior years.
Nate is a senior and lives in the house next door. He’s bullied by the local homophobe and very isolated. He lacks a social group, doesn’t get along with his sister (who isn’t always around anyway), and his dad is an author who spends a lot of time away. The guy is desperate for meaningful human connection, which he finds in Dean when they meet and immediately start a sexual relationship.
Dean repeatedly insists that this is a “no strings” kind of friendship with benefits, but Nate is convinced that he can make Dean fall in love with him. Things only get more complicated when Sally, Nate’s sister, returns home and meets Dean, because there is a noticeable spark between them.
Alrighty, let me get my criticisms out of the way first, because I hate airing them. There’s a serious incident in the back half of the book, and the way all of the characters respond to it is a bit unhinged. The situation becomes something it really didn’t need to be, and for a minute there, it took me out of the book because I had a hard time believing the response of one particular character. However, this wasn’t enough to spoil the book for me really, since the decision making character in question isn’t well, and when you combine this with the raw emotion of the situation, it didn’t feel completely unbelievable. Emotions do typically overrule logic, especially when the emotions are attached to teens or young adults, when everything is already heightened. So actually, I guess that wasn’t really a criticism.
The sexy scenes made me cringe – not because they weren’t well written or believable, but because I’m just uncomfortable reading sexy scenes in general – and I initially thought they were unnecessarily detailed. Again, I don’t typically read anything erotic, so I’m not the ideal audience. However, I also take that comment (about them being unnecessarily detailed) back because one of the characters in this sexual entanglement is experienced and views sex as a fun activity, and the other was a virgin before this situationship, who experiences it as part of the love he’s developing. It’s a really significant part of the connection and informs his feelings going forward.
This wasn’t a perfect story for me but I did find it impossible to put down and I read it in one sitting. I’m a major fan of character driven stories and this definitely fits that description. Mark created three main characters that are so layered that I could never figure out if I liked or disliked any of them, I kept swinging between judgments. Dean, I think, is a bit of an asshole. He’s quite aware that despite what he says, Nate is reading into his behaviour, but he wants something from Nate – initially sex, but also friendship – so he doesn’t cut things off properly. However, Dean experienced a lot of pain through his adolescence, which has shaped his attachment style, views, and outlook. I don’t like the way he behaves but I understand the place it’s coming from.
Nate is slightly obsessive, overemotional, and seems to need control, and some of his behaviour raises an eyebrow. However, he has been deeply troubled since childhood and his issues have not been properly dealt with by the people who should have cared to help. His only parent is noticeably absent, and has tasked Nate’s sister with keeping an eye on him. This, in my opinion, demonstrates a parental failure (and probably a long-running one).
Sally seems like an asshole that bullies her brother initially, but she’s the older sibling that’s had the responsibility of keeping her brother in check thrown at her. She has also, at least in this regard, been failed by her parent. She has a shameful past with guys (in her own opinion), but she was raised in a house with no mum, and a dad that prioritised his career, and his son over his daughter.
There’s just so much going on for all of these people that my final feelings towards them all mostly landed on sympathy. It’s an infuriating read in some places, an emotional one in others, but it’s always totally engrossing and interesting.
I’d recommend this to people who enjoy character-focused stories for sure. If you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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