Static (Mayhem Motel)

"He has no idea how magnificent...how perfect he is for me. How he gave me something I've always needed instantly. He's crazy if he thinks I'm going to give him up." "He's the rapture I need, and I'm the nightmare he wants." "His eyes...They're so blue." "I'm foaming at the maw to get a taste of him. Of that sweet, delectable fear oozing from his pours. All for me. Because of me. And I'd be a fool to deny myself such a sweet, little treat." "F***, he's got me wrapped around his little finger. Such a strange little thing, he is. Not blurting the one word that could get him out of this. It's almost like he's beggin' for it." "Whether I show up in my darlin's nightmares or his dreams, he will come to see me again. And if he doesn't...I'll find him." "He's the only splash of color I've had in this oil-stauned world I live in, and I don't think I can give that up." "It's not false color like people see during an oil spill, when light reflects on it and they see hues of pigmentation. No. Madison is the whole god**** rainbow put right in front of my very eyes." "I'm your stalker, your nightmare. You're my rapture, my most delicious treat, and I miss you." "I am obsessed with Madison. Wholly and entirely, sickeningly obsessed with him. I want to devour him. I want to consume him. I want to feel him. Taste him. I want to know him. His fears and desires. What drives him and what keeps him awake at night. I want to know what it is that makes him want to live." OMG, this book…

I enjoyed this book. Loved Static/Cedrick and Madison! I am so glad things worked out for them. There should have been more character descriptions, but I still give it four stars.

This isn’t the freakiest book I’ve ever read, but it was a caliente good time. That said, I skimmed a lot of the second half because the editing could use a lot of help. For example, repeating words instead of finding, for the love of god, a synonym. Like one sentence said something like, “I rested my head against the car window and looked out the window.” ?????? I also found the repeated usage of “peak” instead of “peek” extremely distracting—I blame Instagram and the “sneak peak” epidemic—as well as all of the K names. I had a hard time keeping them straight. Anyway, I think this author has worlds of potential, and I’ll definitely be reading the next one. Please please please get another editor.

"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚖—𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎.” Welcome to Mayhem Motel... and what a freaking intro this was. I read the short in the Phobia anthology a while back but even without a reread, this blew any expectations out of the water. Static is a gd mystery to me. Obsessive, possessive, definitely stalkery, and literally makes a living off the fear of others. Yet somewhere in all of that, he is incredibly tender. It’s not something I expected - but the way he is drawn to Madison and what that brings out of him is in such contrast to what most of the world sees of him. I'm obsessed with the way his mind works...these fear inducing situations and all of his little terms of endearment...darlin, treat, prize, little mouse. I'm as smitten + confused as Madi - consider us two twin puddles at the feet of Cedrick. And speaking of Madi, this boy has my whole heart right now. His upbringing and the strength it took to break away from it - I was soft for him immediately. He’s actively trying to unlearn the damage, but it’s these unhinged, adrenaline fueled encounters with Static that force him to decide what he actually wants. These two are chaotic together. Static doesn’t know how to love without possession, and Madison can’t stay away - even when he probably should. I love how they, very unconventionally, figure things out. I also love a book that makes me think between the lines and this was such an interesting play on healthy/unhealthy types…

I was entranced with this book! I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to grab Madi through the kindle and give him a hug. Madi and Cedrick’s crazy matches each others crazy. Watch your TWs!