Stephen Cooper. My fellow extreme horror and splatterpunk fiends know and love him. His support for his fellow authors is endless and unwavering. His YouTube channel Splatploitation features book reviews, interviews, vlogs about his experience as an indie author, and so much more. We know his face and his soft voice and the joy he radiates when he’s talking about his latest read. We know him, but have we read any of his books? I admit I am guilty of not having read any of them until today. I own a few but you know, stiflingly large TBR.

One day, Cooper shared a new vlog expressing his disappointment over his latest release, Beneath the Rot. He remains positive as ever, but the melancholy in that soft voice combined with the furrowed brows was just too much. It was time for me to read his work. Because I haven’t read The Rot, I skipped Beneath the Rot and bought his first audiobook, Everything’s Gotta Be Love or Death. This is less book review and more a letter to Stephen Cooper.

That said, this is still a book review so let’s talk about it. Everything’s Gotta Be Love or Death is both a mantra and foreshadowing. Brandon hates his life. People walk all over him and his existence is one big pity party. His friends keep him around to be the responsible one, the one who keeps an eye on the clock and makes sure tabs are paid. One night while his friends are having their fun and he’s just waiting, he meets a sexy stranger named Vince who promises to change his life. He is immediately taken by this handsome man with the devilish grin and lofty promises. He has no idea what Vince has in store for him. What follows is what Brandon perceives as a whirlwind romance on a trail of brutality. Everything’s Gotta Be Love or Death is more than Vince’s mantra; it’s his lifestyle.

A note about the audiobook: I loved it. I really enjoyed both the performance and the sound of the narrator’s voice. There is only one book narrated by Aksel Erzinclioglu on Audible but I hope that he continues in this line of work. He mastered the dark charisma of Vince.

This book will get you thinking about the lengths you’d go to escape unbearable loneliness and find a sense of belonging. I think we all can relate on some level. Really enjoyed this book. It is a mere 95 pages long, but Cooper managed well developed characters and a cohesive story. He writes murder and erotic scenes with equal skill and zero cringe. Well, except in the way you want to cringe at horror. This might ruin burgers for you for a minute. Maybe. What a great ending. I look forward to reading more of Cooper’s work.

I hope you’re okay, Stephen. I hope you know that your contributions to the community matter. And I hope you don’t let your failed release make you doubt your ability as a writer or your value to the community.