The blurb sounds promising... The blurb lies.

The writing in this book is amateur at best and there's hardly any substance to make up for it.

The pacing is messed up. Someone is killed in the first chapter. The second chapter goes back in time and starts a lead up to the murder and then at some point prior to the murder, the time jumps to 3 weeks after the murder with no reaction to it (public or personal), and carries on from there. The murder itself is totally glossed over.

The plot is weak, directionless and with almost no conflict. After the murder in the first chapter, the next actual plot development doesn't happen until 77% into the book. Up until then, characters flit around from place to place without motive. Scenes that could be used to set up conflict and a purpose to the plot are wasted on copious explicit descriptions of cocks and precum and gay strippers grinding on each other. So much so, that the voodoo storyline seems like it's wedged in as an afterthought.

The insta-love between Kyle and Antoine is OTT, and the fact Kyle wants to commit suicide after Antoine's death even though they'd only been dating about a month prior is also stupid.

The worst thing about the book is the ridiculous amount of gratuitous sex that I can only imagine was written for the author's own sexual gratification because it does nothing to serve the plot.
It's a badly strung together compilation of cheesy sex scenes and pointless violence. The protagonist is a vile, abusive maniac but because he's hot, everyone goes weak at the knees and gets a hardon, even when he's in the process of physically beating them up.

Skin is not a thriller, it's basically 50 Shades of Gay but with more racial and homophobic slurs.

I messed up. I cannot rate this book. I accepted it by mistake. It is not the genre that my students read. I apologize for the mixup.

The pure awesomeness of this story, the OMG I can't stop turning the pages, deserves 5+ stars. I totally wanted to 5 star this from A-V. Then V-Z sailed over my head and I was lost.

I still have no clue what happened. Thinking I must have had a brain fart, I read the ending twice, I still don't get it. The story went all voodoo paranormal, spirits, dead dogs, or were they? and while I love me some paranormal/otherworldly happenings, I need to be able to follow along. That didn't happen in this instance, and dammit that fact guts me.

I urge readers, with no aversion to darker content (non-con messed up shit) to pick this story up, and my fellow book junkies, feel free to explain the ending to this poor simpleton.

This book reminded me of the great southern horror writer, Poppy Z. Brite, in fact it seems like it would be perfect for fans of her writing, of which I am myself. I love the setting of New Orleans and having horror set there seems so apt, Mr. Baines has done a great job bringing the story to life, I look forward to reading more of his work