Surface Scratch

In some vampire novels, the fangs might as well be a costume piece. Surface Scratch definitely does not fall into that category: the sex, blood, and violence are very real. The plot also tries to give a realistic take on how a human given immortality might act, and how refined a person's tastes can get over a longer-than-normal life span.

The action scenes, whether fighting or very much not fighting, were among the highlights for me. Vivid descriptions, especially in terms of senses or space, made it easy for me to picture what was happening as I read. Dialogue and a great cast of supporting actors also helped keep me invested despite some of what I found rougher about the novel.

Barely out of his teens, Caleb has already had enough bad experiences to last a lifetime before Surface Scratch even begins. The raw voice of that character drew me in from the excerpt and made me excited to read more. This is someone who's clearly scarred but not broken. Unfortunately, much of what resonated with me at the start began slowly disappearing. Not entirely gone by any means, but the character loses too much agency too fast, even in the context of entering a BDSM relationship with a much, much older man.

How these kinds of relationships are portrayed is my other main concern. Yes, there is more than one instance where someone helps Caleb work through traumatic episodes (never from any of the new ordeals, but still stemming from the car accident that left him so scarred). In fact, one of my favorite scenes involves using the senses to walk him back from a panic attack. Overall though, it was hard to root for a relationship that felt so unhealthy for one of its members. I understand it's hard to marry vampire with safe BDSM practices, but I was hoping to see more of that here. Especially given how inexperienced one partner is.

Given that quasi warning above, I did very much enjoy reading Surface Scratch and am happy that the author is continuing the saga in a second book. Fans of m/m romance with a touch of violence or of morally grey vampires should take a bite.