Tease

Title: Tease
Author: Mina Kelly
Publisher: Loose Id
Genre: Paranormal M/M
Length: Novella (96 PDF pages)
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Summary Review: An affair of the heart that had to overcome prejudice of a different kind, before our lovers could be together.

THE BLURB

When Barnabas rescues a stranger from a storm, he knows he’s in for a tempestuous time. Lust wars with more altruistic feelings to paralyze Barnabas until the stranger makes the first move for him — and then there’s no stopping either of them.

Inside, outside, against the wall, and even occasionally on the bed. But Barnabas starts to wonder if the sex is a distraction from something more important, something his English language challenged new lover isn’t saying. When the truth is finally revealed, the betrayal cuts deep, and for Barnabas, it may be too little, too late.

THE REVIEW

Tease is one of four books that I read recently set in the wild coast of Cornwall, but it’s completely different from any of the others. This is also one of the few books that I had difficulty rating because it’s such a strange tale.

Barnabas, the first person narrator, is a painter. He barely makes ends meet selling his paintings to tourists who visit Tremanhir in rural Cornwall, the small fishing village where he lives. Many of his paintings reflect the sea and its creatures, mostly seals, as well as local colour and storms which he loves. He has few friends since his schoolmates are all at university in London while he’s living in a two room cottage in a remote location.

One evening, during a particularly bad storm, he heard a cry for help and when he went to the cliffs he found a man, half drowned and almost naked except for a few ragged strips of leather. The man did not appear to understand what Barnabas was trying to say, as it was hard to be heard above the howling winds and the barking of the seals. The rescue was treacherous and it took Barnabas several hours of backbreaking work to lift the stranger and carry him to his cottage .

When he woke up the next day Barnabas realized that the stranger was very beautiful with unusual small, pointed ears set high on his head. He found out that his new friend wouldn’t or couldn’t speak and didn’t seem to understand what he was saying and he communicated through gestures, a strange barking rasp or wheeze, and smiles. This state of affairs went on for a few days while he recovered from his injuries which were healing at a miraculous rate. His only concern seemed to be for the rags that he was wearing when he was rescued. He wasn’t reassured when Barnabas showed him the few remnants he was able to find, which he had washed, and he became almost violent and would not be comforted when he thought the rest might be lost forever. While living together a sexual attraction developed between them and being young, healthy, and not having had sex with anyone for a long time, Barnabas was quite happy to let nature take its course. The sex was everything he could have wished for and he would have been quite happy to stay in bed for days with his new partner.

Since they had to have money for fresh fish which Barnabas’s new friend, whom he called Tease, seemed to love, they went into the village to sell some paintings. When the locals saw Tease’s stunning exotic looks he drew stares and everyone looked at him strangely. Barnabas got the impression that they knew him but no one said anything other than to mutter darkly about ‘foreigners,’ and Barnabas wondered what they all knew that he didn’t. The next day Tease seemed very sad and cried when they didn’t  find more of the scraps of fabric, and Barnabas decided to go back to where he had rescued him during the storm. When they arrived at the cliffs Tease refused to leave and eventually Barnabas went back to the cottage. He returned later and found Tease in the water and it was then he realized who he was and rejected him.

There was a lot about this book that bothered me. The use of the word “friend” throughout I thought was too repetitive, even though Barnabas didn’t know the name of the man he rescued. Also, Barnabas was a local so he should have figured out who or what Tease was way before he did, and I didn’t understand why he felt this extreme sense of betrayal when all was revealed. Was it because he thought he should have unravelled the mystery much earlier? Or did he feel that Tease deliberately kept the truth from him? From my assessment of what Tease was trying to tell him, using sign language, he definitely was doing his best to “show and tell,” but Barnabas was either too dumb to figure it out or he was blinded by the sex. Tease’s looks and mannerisms, as well as the reactions of the other villagers when they saw him should have been a huge clue. There is also an element of the story that really grossed me out and I’m not sure that all of it was necessary, but obviously the author went for the maximum shock effect. I can’t give you any details because that would be a plot spoiler, but I would be interested in the reactions of those of you who do read this book, as long as your comments on the review are spoiler free.

The writing was good for the most part but I did think that some of the silliness between Tease and Barnabas, such as tickling, was a bit childish. But that’s just me.

Tease would be of interest to those readers who like unusual pairings.