PUB DAY REVIEW! | BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon 🔥

Thank you to @doubledaybooks, @pjvernonbooks, & @netgalley for the eARC!

“The intimacy of sex mirrors the intimacy of murder. At least murder that requires one to use one’s hands. To breathe into his ear. The French call orgasm “the little death.” / Is this what they had in mind?”

This was WILD. And HOT 🔥. STEAMY. THRILLING. NAIL BITING.

Oliver Park. Recovering addict. Has a steady job. Has been in a committed relationship with Dr. Nathan Klein. The much older and successful surgeon. Owner of a gorgeous house in an upscale DC neighborhood where he and Oliver live together. The dog. The Range Rover. The friends, the money, the status.

But Oliver is bored. And one night while Nathan is out of town, Oliver decides to hit up Haus, a gay bathhouse were strangers meet for some NST hook ups. A stranger sits next to him. A hand on a thigh, a whisper in the ear. They go to a private room. And then shit hits the fan and Oliver makes it out barely alive. How will he explain this? Nathan can’t find out. So he lies.

And this lie will set off a chain of events that will have you biting your nails, questioning your sanity, and racing to finish to make all of the puzzle pieces fit neatly together.

Vernon has done an incredible job with this twisty, dark, and sexy af domestic thriller. Power dynamics, secrets, lies, infidelity, the dark side of hookup culture. It’s all weaved in seamlessly to create a truly tense and fulfilling read.

BATH HAUS is out NOW and I suggest you drop everything and pick up a copy! You do not want to miss out on this one.

This novel I think will do to the thriller genre what Gone Girl did when it came out. This is a deeply twisty novel with characters with so much meat on their bones. To describe them any further would spoil the ride. It is extremely rare, you might say pot of gold at the end of the rainbow rare, to find a thriller in which the main characters, plot and motivation is centered on adult gay men. This book is just so perfect in capturing the voices of the gay experience. With each page turn I was enthralled and my heart genuinely became attached to these characters. PJ Vernon I think will go down as the novelist who broke out of the closet to publish a groundbreaking gay thriller.
I received a copy from the publisher and chose to write an honest review of it.

This one was a rollercoaster ride full of lies, secrets and betrayal.

Oliver is living his best life. He’s a recovering addict who is currently sober and is in love. He lives in DC with his partner, Nathan. Nathan is out of Oliver’s league, he’s a trauma surgeon and comes from a very wealthy family. Oliver jeopardizes everything when he goes to Haus, a gay bathhouse, and has an encounter with another man. An encounter which is almost leads to death and will continue haunt and test his relationship with Nathan even after he escapes.

This was fast paced and intense! It was told through dual POV’s of Oliver and Nathan and I loved every minute of it. It had me on the edge of my seat with the anticipation of what was going to happen next. It’s the perfect domestic thriller, a must read!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Everyone knows an Oliver Park. You know, the friend that constantly make wrong choices, no matter the circumstances and seems to be a magnet for bad things being drawn to them? While it can make for a frustrating friendship it does make for a wonderful character flaw in PJ Vernon’s #BathHaus, especially when one bone headed indiscretion starts a domino effect of escalating tension that will keep you guessing till the very end.

So yes Oliver seems to have a perfect life with his partner and near husband Nick. They live in an impressive brownstone in Georgetown where Nick is a respected doctor. The problem is that Oliver is bored with his somewhat vanilla relationship and wants a little excitement. So one night on a whim he goes to a bath house and gets picked up, which in this case I mean literally when the man begins to strangle him. More than some fetishized kink this is a murder attempt and Oliver escapes, but then begins spinning like water down a drain as he tries to figure out what to do. Thus begins a series of lies as he covers from Nick what he’s done which feels surmountable until the man who left his fingerprints all over his neck suddenly texts him. Whoa!

Vernon moves #fatalattraction into the modern age using apps, geotracking and the sheer dread of what’s going to pop up on your phone screen all while taking swipes at classism, infidelity, and the age old query of how well do you know your partner. Strap in cause this book is such a fun, sexy ride that will keep you guessing until the end.

Thanks to PRH International and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, that was INTENSE! This was my first gay domestic thriller and now I want more! It is so refreshing to see some diversification in the genre. Not only straight people behave stupidly and appallingly!

The story started off with a bang and didn’t hit the brakes until the very last end. It was dark, compelling and full of twists that will make you say OMG many times.

Both main characters, Oliver and Nathan, were wonderfully developed and the study on their relationship was such an interesting one. Wanna read about a toxic relationship? Look no further! That was a time bomb waiting to explode and when it did it was in a really spectacular way.

I loved seeing the gayness of it all front and center in the story, no apologies, and in a big publishing house! We seriously need more queer representation in thrillers in which the plot is not about the characters being gay but a plot where the characters happen to be gay.

But Bath Haus was great not only because of the representation but for the story itself. It had all the elements you want in a domestic thriller and more. Sex, drugs, infidelity, steam!, a psychopath…If that’s not bingeable I don’t know what is!

Hope this book means the start of a new trend and that we’ll have many more queer thrillers in the months to come. I, for one, can’t wait to see what P.J. Vernon comes out with next.

With six months yet until the end of the year Bath Haus is a serious contender to be one of my top 10 books of 2021.

When this book was compared to the gay GONE GIRL, i thought "well those are some big shoes to fill." Let me say, it completely lived up to that hype. It was truly refreshing to read a novel about gay mean that was simply a great crime thriller, that happened to have gay characters. This feels ground-breaking and like the type of book that breaks stereotypes. It's beautifully and smartly plotted. The characters feel both real and compelling. I genuinely cared about Oliver and Nathan. PJ Vernon did something special and I hope that people find their way to this novel so that they can see what it's like to normalize a group through literature, who are usually considered a "genre" otherwise.

𝐒𝐞𝐱. 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐬. 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫!⁣
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This psychological thriller is told in dual points of view: Oliver Park, a young man recovering from a drug addiction, and Nathan Klein, a wealthy surgeon who is responsible for Park’s recovery. These two happen to be married…or so they like to pretend to be. ⁣
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It is quickly apparent to readers that the relationship is in trouble as the beginning pages find Oliver inside the doors of a bathhouse. His intentions for the visit quickly go out the door (along with him) when events take a turn for the worst. He flees home with more than guilty conscience and so sets the stage for all the drama that follows.⁣
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Holy shit, folks! 🤯 P.J. DELIVERS!! I honestly didn’t know I was needing a thriller like this from an author until I found myself bingeing this bad boy in under a day! ⁣
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The ladies of our book club, #candidbabesbuddyreads, were lucky to receive ARCs of this title via Vernon himself and while most of the group immediately read and posted raving reviews, I intentionally took a pause from diving in. I tend to be an outlier when it comes to “buzzy” books and I didn’t want this title to be one of them, but I’m so happy to report that it did NOT disappoint! ⁣
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For thriller-lovers like myself, I promise you won’t want to miss out on what is for sure going to be one of the summer’s hottest reads!

This twisty thriller is the perfect summer read. Oliver seemingly has a perfect life -- but all is not well beneath the surface. When he decides to cheat on his long-term partner, Nathan, things go awry (to say the least), kicking off a cat-and-mouse game that threatens to destroy the lives of Oliver and all those within his orbit. This one kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Highly recommended!

Oliver is bored in his relationship with Nathan, a prominent surgeon, their mansion in Georgetown, Washington, DC, and of his life in general. He decides to do what he knows he shouldn't - he heads to Haus, the local gay bathhouse to hook up with a stranger and get lost in the moment. After a hookup gone horribly wrong, Oliver escapes Haus beaten, bruised, and now hunted by the man who assaulted him. As he tries to alert police and seek justice while also hiding the details from his partner, his life begins to spiral out of control until the novel reaches its terrifying end.

This novel was terrifying, thrilling, and darkly atmospheric. The author provided excellent descriptions of places, especially the bathhouse. I could almost feel myself in the establishment, smell the stale air, and see the men slinking around looking for fun. Admittedly, this section was also quite terrifying! I enjoyed the suspenseful twists and turns that followed the initial trip to Haus, and I thought they were well-plotted. The main characters all felt fleshed out, while a few, like Nathan's mother, did feel a bit more like caricatures, though understandably so.

I would highly suggest this novel to anyone who wants a sexy, suspenseful summertime read that will leave you breathlessly surging towards the conclusion!

It requires a unique talent to take what amounts to long-standing tropes of a particular genre then bend them ever so subtly in such a way whereas to end up with something that feels totally fresh and innovative, however that is exactly what P. J. Vernon has accomplished with Bath Haus – an Own Voices mystery that could be classified as DOMestic SUBspense, if that were not trying just a little too hard to be witty and clever.

Bath Haus is the story of Oliver and Nathan, a couple who seem on the verge of having it all. Despite their differences – Oliver is younger and a recovering addict, while Nathan is more mature and a successful surgeon – their life around Washington DC seems comfortable and content, albeit perhaps just a tad humdrum. All that changes when Nathan is called away on a business trip.

While Oliver knows it is a horrible idea, he simply cannot resist the temptation to visit Haus, a gay bathhouse notorious for providing steamy action and easy hook-ups far away from prying eyes. It is there that he encounters Kristian and follows the sexy man into a private room – a decision that will have devastating consequences. Locked in a room the size of a closet with a stranger, Oliver realizes his mistake too late. Kristian’s aura of sadomasochistic roughness suddenly turns dangerous when he attempts to strangle Oliver.

Barely escaping with his life, Oliver must now face a daunting decision: does he go to the police and risk having his cheating escapade exposed to his loving husband or does he keep quiet, suffering the post-traumatic stress of such a horrific incident alone? Turns out he might not have a choice. When Kristian begins taunting and threatening Oliver from afar, the only way to stay alive might be to come clean about his indiscretion. And even that might not be enough.

Each of the five sections of the novel is titled after a stage of asphyxiation which is fitting as the novel is in a constant state of tightening the noose leading to the reader’s breathless consumption of the action at hand. At times, things get so intense that some readers might long for a safe word to give them a breather from the onslaught.

P. J. Vernon’s coup d’literature is his ability to make readers care for Oliver – a character flawed in so many ways. While Oliver is constantly making bad choices, readers are encouraged to root for him because of the surrounding cast. The power dynamics in the Oliver/Nathan relationship place Oliver in the under-dog position, while at the same time juxtaposing him with a truly evil character like Kristian makes Oliver’s transgressions seem like simple mistakes. No one is going to let Oliver off the hook completely – he did walk into Haus willingly – but perhaps death is too high a price to pay for such a colossal lapse in judgement.

P. J. Vernon’s debut, When You Find Me, forecasted a successful crime fiction career for this new talent, but it is Bath Haus that cements it. The combination of sexy and dangerous is something that few readers can resist, so Vernon capitalizes on that while staying true to himself – and in doing so he might just cause a seismic shift in the crime fiction genre itself.

Recently, the Candid Babes book club could not stop raving about this new thriller perfect for #pridemonth. We reached out to author @pjvernonbooks who sent us all widgets so that we could read his hit novel, BATH HAUS!

This book does not disappoint! The drama starts at the beginning when Oliver visits a Haus, a gay bathhouse, when his husband is away for business. He meets Kristian who he is immediately attracted to and they go to a private room. A line has been crossed and Oliver is lucky to escape. This starts the novels chase, with Oliver on the run from this monster.

This begins a long line of lies and hiding the truth from Nathan. But Nathan also had a few things he’s hiding. Oliver is a former drug addict and this is actually how he meets his husband. It seems like Nathan is always looking for signs of drug use or hiding things so he’s constantly checking in and very protective. This book is very quick with details so you don’t want to put it down. It has everything you want in a thriller, fast paced, some steamy moments, lots of lies and deceit! I also liked the use of hookup apps used in the book.

Recently, the Candid Babes book club could not stop raving about this new thriller perfect for #pridemonth. We reached out to author @pjvernonbooks who sent us all widgets so that we could read his hit novel, BATH HAUS!

This book does not disappoint! The drama starts at the beginning when Oliver visits a Haus, a gay bathhouse, when his husband is away for business. He meets Kristian who he is immediately attracted to and they go to a private room. A line has been crossed and Oliver is lucky to escape. This starts the novels chase, with Oliver on the run from this monster.

This begins a long line of lies and hiding the truth from Nathan. But Nathan also had a few things he’s hiding. Oliver is a former drug addict and this is actually how he meets his husband. It seems like Nathan is always looking for signs of drug use or hiding things so he’s constantly checking in and very protective. This book is very quick with details so you don’t want to put it down. It has everything you want in a thriller, fast paced, some steamy moments, lots of lies and deceit! I also liked the use of hookup apps used in the book.

🛁 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 / 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪 ⁣🛁⁣⁣
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Title: #bathhaus⁣
Author: @pjvernonbooks⁣
Pub Date: 6/15/21⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Publisher: @doubledaybooks⁣
Type: #ebook #arc (thanks @netgalley)⁣
Genre: #mystery #thriller #domesticsuspense⁣
Must Read rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣⁣⭐⁣
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𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:⁣
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-Hello, PJ Vernon ... I see you and I LOVE YOU! Where have you been my entire life?! Reading Bath Haus has been one of the most fun and intoxicating literary experiences I've had in 2021. This book is a MUST read, guys. I promise you wont regret grabbing this and I highly suggest purchasing a physical copy for your bookshelf. Mine is on pre-order and I cannot wait to share my copy with friends!⁣
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-For 320 wild and riveting pages, the reader is transported, given multiple anxiety attacks and taken on a rollercoaster of emotions! I devoured this in one sitting and I am desperate to read more by this author. I love that this book focuses on LGTBQIA+ characters - it was so refreshing to read something that was open & honest, while being utterly thrilling! This is a domestic suspense book at its finest, but I really appreciated the unique twists and turns. I always worry that I am going to tire of thrillers, but this one reminds me why I love the genre so much!⁣
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- I LOVED the characters in this one - they were dark, sexy and full of secrets and bad mistakes. You'll find yourself rooting for both Oliver and Nathan for completely different reasons (I don't want to give too much away...) all the way until the very end. This one starts off with a literal bang and does not relent. I am so excited to finally share my review of this one. Please let me know if / when you read this one - CAN'T WAIT TO DISCUSS!

BATH HAUS
P. J. Vernon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: 06.15.21

Evocative. bold. taut. sexy, twisty, edgy!

Prime for the big screen or TV series. Buckle up and get ready for the THRILL ride of your life! This one is a barn-burner.

P.J. Vernon delivers a stellar psychological thriller; BATH HAUS unravels a deliciously dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. The wicked secrets and lies of a gay couple will keep you on the edge of your seat from page one to the explosive ending.

Oliver and Nathan are partners. Not legally married; however, they do wear wedding rings.

Oliver is a recovering addict from Indiana, and Nathan, the older prominent DC trauma surgeon, rescued him. Hint: Nathan is controlling and has Oliver (younger) on a short leash, and this little puppy wants to break free with a bit of side action.

It seems like a good time to pull the trigger for a game of exotic pleasure at Bath Haus since the dog keeper (master daddy) is away on a medical conference business trip. No one will ever know, and who could blame him for a bit of escape from the clutches of his controlling partner.

Oh, in addition, Nathan's parent's Victor and Kathy, are wealthy and controlling as well, and they do not like Oliver and think he is not good enough for their son and would like nothing more than Nathan to end the relationship. (you see where the control comes from)

Nathan's century-old dream home in DC, where they reside, is immaculate, and Oliver is always on pins and needles not to screw up or mess up. They do not have a child together, no marriage license, and no mortgage.

After Oliver spends time mulling over an app, MeetLockr, he decides to go for it. He owes Nathan his life, and he will feel guilty, but he decides to take the plunge. He never feels entirely up to par when they are around Nathan's friends or family.

The anticipation is overwhelming. Oliver is nervous, giddy, and feels a bit naughty and sinister. Can he go through with it?

Haus caters to consequence-free expression, and he is going to give in.

When he arrives at Bath Haus, the gay bathhouse, he is told to go to #903. He slides in his key. He meets Kristian. He is intoxicating, and this little Wonderland is about to start. He has pulled the trigger. He is about to cheat. This cannot be undone.

However, things do NOT go as he planned.

Things turn kinky and dangerous. This little puppy does NOT get what he came for (double darn). Instead, the man with the ocean-deep eyes is trying to KILL him. He must get air, and he must escape. He has to get out.

Wow, that was INTENSE!

OK, now what? He manages to escape. Was there evidence? However, there is undeniable proof—evidence beyond all doubt. The bruises on his throat are of human fingers.

As he is trying to cover his tracks, he creates a little problem at home with the bathroom water and calls Darryl their contractor. Now more worries and expenses. What will Nathan say?

He has only a little time to figure out what he will tell Nathan. He will call and expect him to Facetime. How will he hide the dark bruises on his neck? He decides he will say he was mugged.

"When it comes to lying, there's a golden rule; tell as much truth as you can. The truth is, after all, the easiest to remember. It's the most consistent with inarguable fact. There are two inarguable facts in my situation. The bruises on my throat and the flooded bathroom. A traumatic event, the catalyst of both."

Now the last part needs to change. He was not at Haus. He was not the victim of attempted homicide. He was mugged on his run. The reaction is the same. He is distraught, panicked, and afraid. He then has to take care of the wallet but does not think it entirely thru.

He dodges one bullet, then the police to work around and a report. Keeping all the lies in order. Then Nathan wants a police report filed.

Then things get complex. Kristin found him. He knows his name. He knows who he is. Now he is stalking him. Then the texts come. An envelope. The threats. Then Kristian shows up at the house as a worker! This must stop. Then Nathan's dog goes missing.

Oliver is worried about Nathan finding out the truth and kicking him to the curb. Nathan was not like Hector, his past lover, and partner in Indiana; however, he lives in fear every day Nathan will find out.

It is a spiderweb and it expands. However, Nathan has secrets of his own. Then Oliver decides to meet Kristian to have a showdown. However, once again there is a claustrophobic heart-pounding scene in the elevator.

Then the cat and mouse game leaves DC and moves to South Carolina to Nathan's family island. Hopefully, this little weekend away, he can fix the relationship between him and Nathan.

There is also Tom (disgusting) Nathan's friend who loves to date his boy toys, and you must read to find out all the deliciously wicked and sinister details. Nathan invites Tom and his boy toy (which turns out to be someone from Oliver's past), and the parents show up.

However, it is now showtime. This high-adrenaline action-packed showdown has Oliver trapped once again on this stupid island (like at the Bath Haus, the elevator, and now the room). His worst nightmare.

A text comes in. All the horror Oliver has been running from is right in front of him! The past comes back to haunt him. Nothing or no one is as they appear. Truth & lies.

Hot Dang! The showdown scene in SC was INTENSE. Heart-pounding suspense! This book is unputdownable, and if I could give it 10 stars I would. Gaslighting at its finest.

OK, this was off-the-charts EPIC! I read PJ Vernon's first book and loved it and was busy stalking to see if he had any other books, and WOW - here was BATH HAUS! I could not wait to get my hands on it. Like no other, this is a psychological thriller on steroids, and loved every minute of reading.

What makes this such a stand-out novel is the fact the characters are gay. This would not have been half as much fun if it had been a regular husband and wife. There are so many more juicy stories to tell, and man does PJ get his characters into a tangled sinister web.

From alternating points of view: Nathan and Oliver, the author never misses a beat. Rich in detail, place, and both character-driven and plot-driven, this action-packed sizzler will have you turning the pages obsessively, and when it ends, you are dying to see what is coming next from this super-star author!

ELECTRIFYING! PJ Vernon nailed it. Killed it. Brilliant. And this cover . . . dynamite! Fans of Robyn Harding and BA Paris will devour BATH HAUS.

Stay tuned for my Elevator Ride with the Author on June 15th where we will go behind the scenes of the book and this stand-out author. We want more of this. Keep them coming, PLEASE! #TopBooks2021 #June2021Books #pridemonth2021

A special thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

Review:
Blog: #JDCMustReaBooks
www.JudithDCollins.com
@Judithdcollins

Bath Haus:

“When it comes to lying, there’s a golden rule: tell as much truth as you can. The truth is, after all, the easiest to remember. It’s the most consistent with inarguable fact. There are two inarguable facts in my situation. My bruised throat and our flooded bathroom. A traumatic event, the catalyst of both.”

Holy mother forking shirt y’all. Read it now.

I was itchy the entire time. I literally itch in anticipation. I get anxious and sometimes I actually forget to breathe. Bath Haus was the ultimate itch that needed a scratch.

I thought I had it figured out and in true Mellie fashion I was smirking when it all came in play. Guess who has egg on their face because they were completely wrong? Me. Me. Me. This was a blindside and I’m still reeling.

This book is toxic as hell. It’s a wild ride, and it made me cuss several times. I felt so paranoid, and will probably forever have trust issues.

PJ Vernon knocks this book out of the park y’all. If you have a chance or read it, do it. I am just floored by this book, these characters, the plot, all of it. Floored. My book club would not stop raving about PJ’s writing, and they never steer me wrong. We are truly Vernon’s #1 fan club, and it’s so easy to support an author who writes a phenomenal book and also it just a phenomenal human. Please order Bath Haus because it and PJ deserve all the praise!

Thank you &douvleday (#PRHPartner) and PJ for the gifted copies! Bath Haus is out the 15th, and it’s unbelievably worth the wait.

From the very beginning we’re taught not to lie. Truth is virtuous, they tell us, while dishonesty equals sin. But no matter how often we are directed toward this golden rule, the urge to lie never goes away. A hurtful fact becomes a fib. Accuracy evolves into evasion. And when faced with punishment, even the saintly can have second thoughts. The truth is lying is a useful tool.

Lies are the central engine of P.J. Vernon’s Bath Haus (Doubleday), and the riveting story they deliver is the best thriller of the year.

Oliver Park has never had it easy. Born in a dead-end town to troubled parents, his life was headed nowhere fast thanks to a manipulative boyfriend and an addiction to prescription pills. Then Oliver met Nathan, a handsome older man and surgeon at Walter Reed. Now five years sober, Oliver and Nathan have built the perfect life in their palatial Georgetown home. But what seems like a domestic ideal is crumbling from the inside.

You see, under the surface, things aren’t so great for the happy couple. Nathan is controlling and drinks too much. Oliver is sexually unsatisfied and struggles to live up to Nathan’s monogamous expectations. When Nathan leaves town for a conference, Oliver drums up the courage to go to Haus for a secret night of consequence-free sex. But what starts as anonymous fun soon turns deadly when Oliver meets a homicidal patron with a penchant for strangulation. Although he escapes with his life, the visibly battered Oliver must cover up his indiscretions from his exacting partner while avoiding the stranger hell-bent on finishing what he started.

Bath Haus is the definition of a gripping read. P.J. Vernon’s clever plotting weaves its way into the reader’s psyche so tightly that even seasoned Thriller readers will be left guessing until the final pages. But it’s not just the plot that sets Bath Haus apart from the pack. Vernon’s delicious prose reads like a Michelin-starred meal. Every sentence is a delectable bite of deftly chosen phrases. Readers will have a hard time balancing their desire to savor every sentence with their need to race to Bath Haus’s shocking conclusion.

This book, ya’ll!!! A gay thriller that is actually FREAKING FANTASTIC!!! I want, no I need more. I loved it!! The writing was engrossing. The characters, complex but so relatable. The thrills that this book gave will be hard to top! Following this author every step of their career from now on!

This was the first queer domestic thriller I've read and it was a really unique point of view. The whole book was based on layers and layers of deceit. It made me wonder about how terrible people were at making decisions. This book showed how one lie can lead to a whole series of disasters. And what people were willing to do to cover up that lie. It was an extreme shock to all senses.

The writing style was articulate and saucy. The tone of the book wa dramatic and grim. The narration had multiple POVs. There were no good characters in the book. It was a bunch of people who were lying through their teeth, each for their own weird reasons. The plot was thrilling and it kept me on my toes. The violence depicted in the book was very graphic at times.

The story was about Nathan and Oliver. Oliver was a recovered addict who worked as a receptionist and Nathan was a doctor. They met when Oliver was getting sober at the hospital and have been together for 5 years. But things have gotten boring for Oliver. So he starts cheating on Nathan. Eventually he decided to go to a bath haus to hook up with someone. But he gets assaulted there and almost dies. His throat was marked with bruises and he lied to Nathan saying he was mugged.

But little does he know that one lie was going to be one step too far. A web lies were spun, we get totally confused after a point. Does the killer her his way? Read to find out! The ending was explosive and pretty exciting. Definitely recommending it to all thriller lovers.

Thank you to Netgally for this ARC. A man in an involved relationship risks it all one night at a gay bathhouse. However, he did not intend to risk is life! After being assaulted Oliver finds that one mistake breeds many more and he spends time trying to both cover up his infidelity and protect himself and his loves from the original assailant. What seemed a onetime act of random violence follows every aspect of his life and makes you wonder, What is really going on here? This is a slow burner. If you want fast-paced suspense this is not the one. Well written and even through terribly slow at times I had to keep reading to discover the deadly secrets.

I dug the fact that almost all the characters were completely fudged up. I like messy characters. Although, I found Oliver too immature, and Nathan too controlling. Together, they just didn’t work. At all. It made me cringe every time.

The trauma the characters experience here, and the anxiety, it was visceral. It all felt so real. It was devastating and hard to read at times. But that’s the mark of a good writer, I guess. If only the antagonists were a little less, um, exaggerated? The book kind of loses some steam at times (the pacing stop-and-go). It was oftentimes hard to suspend my disbelief, if I’m being honest. A lot of scenarios seemed all too convenient to further the plot in the right direction, but wholly implausible to me on an emotional and logical level. I don’t know… a lot of things would’ve been solved in this book if the characters talked (like, actually TALKED) to one another. Then again, it wouldn’t have made for such a thrilling thriller.