Joshua Skye

Liam O'Shay lives a quiet, closeted life in the small Appalachian mining town of Willow's Knot. But his occasional trips to Morgantown with his gay friends provides him with a small outlet and chance to be himself. And it is on one of these trips that he meets a mysterious and fascinating writer named Jeremy who just sow happens to also be from his quiet hometown. As the two start to pursue romance, however, Liam begins to experience unexplained phenomena that he can't help but think has show more something to do with his new beau. But what is the truth of what's happening around him? And is Jeremy connected? Or is Jeremy the one person who can help him make sense of his new world?

I fully understand that things become confusing for Liam, and there is some benefit to the author showing that to readers. But I honestly found myself very confused at times and not entirely sure it was an intentional device. There are a lot of twists here, so it's certainly not boring by any means. But those moments where I couldn't follow just left me feeling like I wasn't fully invested in or connected to the story. show less

More an horror than a romance, I think Bareback is a metaphor for the monsters you can find on your everyday life.

Alex is a small town boy who is swept away one night by a fascinating stranger, and exchange English student who is spending the summer. In comparison to the most mundane Morgan, Alex is really naïve, and so when Morgan asks to have unprotected sex, Alex just trusts his words. Of course it was not a good idea, and days later Alex starts to be ill, and Morgan is just show more disappeared.

More than the plot that is indeed quite linear and simple, I think the strength of the story lies on its contemporaneity. Alex is an everyday guy, he discusses of movies and politics, truth be told he is really an ordinary guy, just cute enough to catch your eyes, but probably not fated to anything grandeur, if not for his meeting with Morgan.

But I think the metaphor is also on his “bad” decision to have unprotected sex with Morgan, you never really know the person you are having sex with, especially if you met him just that night. In the end Morgan is not “the” monster, but he could have been, and Alex didn’t do anything to protect himself.

Quite traditional werewolf novel, as I said, more an horror than a romance, it seemed like I was reading something out of the late ‘70s or ‘80s.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603815082/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

I did like the idea to some extend (religion is not my favorite subject, but I can deal), but the execution was terrible :/
1 star