Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

First Line: This is a fucking mistake.

Oliver and Nathan live together and are practically married, but Oliver, who has a traumatic past, still isn’t used to (and perhaps is a little bored of) the comfort and predictability of his life with Nathan, so he seeks a bit of chaos in the form of infidelity. When his would-be affair partner attempts to kill him, Oliver escapes with his life, but it might end up destroyed anyway.

Though Oliver is the main character, the POV switches back and forth between he and Nathan, which I liked because it gives us a bit of insight into what Nathan is thinking as Oliver spirals.

I want to say more about Nathan and Oliver’s relationship, but I think that if the premise of Bath Haus sounds interesting enough that you want to read it, it’s best to go in a bit blind to their dynamic. Let’s just say it’s not the healthiest of relationships!

I loved Oliver a whole lot. He was an extremely flawed character, but he wasn’t a wholly bad person, and it made him feel real. There were times I wanted to reach into the book and hug him, or slap some sense into him, or walk into the book and give him some much needed advice. The story itself was a good one, very entertaining, a little scary, and I didn’t figure everything out immediately. All good signs!