Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Bashed
AUTHOR: Rick R. Reed
PUBLISHER: Ninestar Press
LENGTH: 231 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2020
BLURB:
Three haters. Two lovers. And a collision course with tragedy.
It should have been a perfect night out. Instead, Mark and Donald collide with tragedy when they leave their favorite night spot. That dark October night, three gay-bashers emerge from the gloom, armed with slurs, fists, and an aluminum baseball bat.
The hate crime leaves Donald lost and alone, clinging to the memory of the only man he ever loved. He is haunted, both literally and figuratively, by Mark and what might have been. Trapped in a limbo offering no closure, Donald can’t immediately accept the salvation his new neighbor, Walter, offers. Walter’s kindness and patience are qualities his sixteen-year-old nephew, Justin, understands well. Walter provides the only sense of family the boy’s ever known. But Justin holds a dark secret that threatens to tear Donald and Walter apart before their love even has a chance to blossom.
REVIEW:
So, the blurb tells a lot. You basically have the meat of the story in it. And it’s a doozy.
But what you don’t have in the blurb, is the emotion, the feeling. The trauma of what happened and how it affected the victims. And how it even affected the bashers. And then knowing it was somewhat based on a true story, makes it really hit home.
Needless to say, there are super triggers in this book. There is homophobic chants, stalking, attempted murder, murder, self-defense, PTSD, and much more. So if any of this is a problem for you, please take care.
I can’t tell you how much this story destroyed me. It wouldn’t be so bad, if this kind of thing wasn’t an every day occurrence. Day after day, night after night, anyone in the lgbt community is usually targeted. And when having someone in the lgbt community as a kid in my family, it terrifies me even more. You want your friends, family and so on, to be able to find love and be happy, but why does it have to be at such a cost?
How many people go to bars every day? And I got to thinking about it. There are so many predators out there. People who just don’t care. And it’s not always the lgbt community. Sometimes everyone is a target. But you have to agree that the lgbt are more often targeted. And it saddens me because ‘straight’ or ‘cis’ people get to have the same fun or go to the same kinds of bars. And yes, some of them become victims, but why does it always have to be anyone, period? Just because we want to have a good time. Just because we are different. And it breaks me even more that this story is so true. It really is a very true story. For the thousands of victims each day. I thank the heavens for the ones who survive, but even then some of them can’t take what they’ve been through or go on with the loss of the ones who didn’t make.
And then I get irritated even more because politics and the police who don’t help as much as they should. Things that could be done to make the streets safer. Lights in dark areas, emergency buttons or something somewhere.
This is a good story, it really is. But it’s going to get at you. Probably worse than me, maybe not. Either way, it’s an emotional story and one that will put you through the ringer.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Rick Reed knows of what he writes from his own life experience. Homophobes should read this book because they would see themselves don the pages – and maybe, just maybe would feel shame.
Well done, Rick
YOu’re right that they should. Sad part is most could care less. But if something like that happened to them, you’d bet they’d be screaming loudly.