What do you think?
Rate this book
Cotton Candy
Working as a gay male prostitute in 1990's New York, Gavin White has seen it all. That is until he meets a trick that says his name is Mr. Nobody.... Mr. Nobody promises Gavin a trip to his own personal "wonderland". Gavin's meaningless life is about to go from bad to worse as he follows Mr. Nobody deeper down the rabbit hole. Pink cotton candy is a story of love, redemption, and sweet sweet madness.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2022
46 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
June 26, 2025
3.5 stars. Not a bad read. Just very raw, gritty, and mean-spirited. Gavin is a tragic character. He was raised in violence and abuse, and lived his adult life as a very low level male escort. Spending his days being forced to do unspeakable things to disgusting clientele, taking orders from a psychotic, unstable pimp. And through all of this, he struggled with the trauma that occurred to him and his little brother Keith. If you are not comfortable with fairly nasty sexual and violent content, I would not recommend this for the average reader. So it’s a simple story, that felt like it was overcomplicated by adding in a lot of excessive and unnecessary people and situations. The writing and premise made me reminiscent of Chad Lutzke but, again, I felt like the story needed to stay a bit more focused, especially as it pertained to Keith, for the flow and ultimate finale to hit the right notes. So, while not a bad read, it had a handful of areas that could have used some retooling for a better overall impact.
August 15, 2024
Who doesn’t love a LGBT extreme horror book? This was a fun book!!
June 11, 2025
*3.5
Read this one ahead of a buddy read of Stuart Bray's compilation "Carnage Candy" with the HGW group as believe Bray's entry there is a sequel to this.
There's some great ideas here and some gruesome violence. But there's also a lot of typos, errors etc which let it down a lot. These occurred quite frequently throughout the story. If you get past these it's quite a good, yet grimy tale following a character at the bottom of the barrel, selling himself to survive with a host of harsh characters throughout who make his life harder. Being an extreme horror story most of these characters are complete scumbags. The ending also took me by surprise as I didn't see that one coming.
Read this one ahead of a buddy read of Stuart Bray's compilation "Carnage Candy" with the HGW group as believe Bray's entry there is a sequel to this.
There's some great ideas here and some gruesome violence. But there's also a lot of typos, errors etc which let it down a lot. These occurred quite frequently throughout the story. If you get past these it's quite a good, yet grimy tale following a character at the bottom of the barrel, selling himself to survive with a host of harsh characters throughout who make his life harder. Being an extreme horror story most of these characters are complete scumbags. The ending also took me by surprise as I didn't see that one coming.
November 16, 2024
‘Cotton Candy’ is the harsh, violent and brutal tale of an inner city abused, gay, male prostitute who’s life just seems to go from bad to worse, and then when all seems lost, it goes right on leading to the gates of Hell it’s very self.
Disturbingly dark and hard-hitting, written with a distinctly deep raw kind of reality, Gavin’s sad journey ultimately ends with a cleverly disguised conclusion that remains beautifully well hidden right until the very end.
Loved it - though most definitely not for the faint of heart.
Rating: 4.8 stars.
Disturbingly dark and hard-hitting, written with a distinctly deep raw kind of reality, Gavin’s sad journey ultimately ends with a cleverly disguised conclusion that remains beautifully well hidden right until the very end.
Loved it - though most definitely not for the faint of heart.
Rating: 4.8 stars.
October 2, 2023
Man oh man do I love going into a book blind and in this case ultimate score!
From the VERY first page it hits you like a Chuck Norris punch in the face followed up by Jean-Claude Van Damme lashing! 😳 But you welcome the opportunity to be pulverized because it's that damn good! Stuart Bray has climbed the rungs of my favorite author list so quickly I have gotten whiplash. In this dirty little tale he brings mental and physical pain with pink flare! I have to give the man a serious applaud for his creativity in each demented scene. To not only shock your brain waves with gore and depravity this one also tug a heart sting or two at the end. Thank you for the ride, I wanna go again!
From the VERY first page it hits you like a Chuck Norris punch in the face followed up by Jean-Claude Van Damme lashing! 😳 But you welcome the opportunity to be pulverized because it's that damn good! Stuart Bray has climbed the rungs of my favorite author list so quickly I have gotten whiplash. In this dirty little tale he brings mental and physical pain with pink flare! I have to give the man a serious applaud for his creativity in each demented scene. To not only shock your brain waves with gore and depravity this one also tug a heart sting or two at the end. Thank you for the ride, I wanna go again!
October 14, 2023
Bray sure knows how to write a broken, messed-up character!
Gavin never had a chance, and life hands him one shit deal after another ....... the end to this story is just crazy I didn't see that twist at all!
Gavin never had a chance, and life hands him one shit deal after another ....... the end to this story is just crazy I didn't see that twist at all!
March 16, 2024
Gavin's had a really fucked up life which has lead him to be a young gay male prostitute. He has a pimp he deals with and has to keep happy. Once night, he meets up with a client who offers a lot but quickly finds out that this wasn't going to end well.
This had some good twists and turns towards the end! I enjoyed the characters and the story as a whole. It was a really great revenge read, I just WISH the revenge would have fully happened. I was left hanging a bit but still enjoyed it. There were parts that were hilarious also! Extra bonus points for great humor!
I do have to point out that there were a lot of grammer/spelling errors throughout the book. That doesn't stop me from liking a book but because there was so much, I have to point it out. I thought the story itself was great and I will read more by the author
This had some good twists and turns towards the end! I enjoyed the characters and the story as a whole. It was a really great revenge read, I just WISH the revenge would have fully happened. I was left hanging a bit but still enjoyed it. There were parts that were hilarious also! Extra bonus points for great humor!
I do have to point out that there were a lot of grammer/spelling errors throughout the book. That doesn't stop me from liking a book but because there was so much, I have to point it out. I thought the story itself was great and I will read more by the author
Read
May 11, 2023I’m a simple man, I see “gay male prostitute” in the synopsis and I instantly add it to my TBR.
September 5, 2023
This one had some really messed up content. This was very well written, and Bray wrote a very interesting main character. I am so glad I discovered Bray's books.
Read
May 4, 2024Feel conflicted about rating a book like this, because it's so depraved, and bleak, that it seems wrong to say I enjoyed it. Could definitely have used a better editor, and I felt so sad for the main character the whole way through, but it certainly wasn't the worst extreme horror book I've ever read. Pretty cool twist at the end, but man. Do not read if you like happy, sweet plots; this has nothing but misery from start to end
June 27, 2024
the multitude of grammar and spelling errors were distracting. the writing felt lazy and repetitive at times with quite a few inconsistencies. the idea was interesting and i understand that it is extreme horror, but i think some subject matter could’ve been handled slightly differently. the ending was lowkey devastating though.
August 19, 2024
This story was absolutely crazy and really good. And I mean no disrespect because Stuart Bray is a great writer. But the constant spelling and grammar errors made it hard to fall into the story. Just a proofreader would have improved it immensely. But will definitely be checking out more of his stuff!
December 18, 2023
This was completely out of my comfort zone regarding its genre but I really did enjoy it, despite its brutality and extreme gore. 3.5 rating because where the hell was the editor?
February 10, 2024
This was gross. And so fucking sad. Why was it so sad 😭😭😭
November 26, 2023
This was my first book by Stuart Bray, and this book delivered nicely. Made me instantly order a second boom from him.
About Cotton Candy, well... Gavin really had it rough, and I felt for him. I loved the route the book took near the ending. It was a nice, unexpected turn of events, which I liked.
Content wise, I mean, Gavin is a gay prostitute that needs to get money for his pimp, one way or another, and the author is very creative with this aspect and some of the characters Gavin encounters. ;) Expect some filth.
The only thing I found annoying was the poor editing of the book despite it claiming to have an editor. Lots of wrong words, wrong punctuation, etc. but that has nothing to do with the story itself.
It's a nice one to add on the bookshelf.
About Cotton Candy, well... Gavin really had it rough, and I felt for him. I loved the route the book took near the ending. It was a nice, unexpected turn of events, which I liked.
Content wise, I mean, Gavin is a gay prostitute that needs to get money for his pimp, one way or another, and the author is very creative with this aspect and some of the characters Gavin encounters. ;) Expect some filth.
The only thing I found annoying was the poor editing of the book despite it claiming to have an editor. Lots of wrong words, wrong punctuation, etc. but that has nothing to do with the story itself.
It's a nice one to add on the bookshelf.
November 11, 2025
This was very messed up, which I can understand since it delivered exactly the premise. While I enjoyed the horror, as other reviews say: this book needed a (better) editor. I think there are some good ideas, and despite it not being a light reading, I liked following Gavin through his life because it made me care about him, and I believe that is one of the best things an author can achieve.
About the twist, I kind of guessed it halfway through but it still felt like a punch in the gut. I am not the type of reader that only wants , but this one still had me feeling empty. I guess that's life.
About the twist, I kind of guessed it halfway through but it still felt like a punch in the gut. I am not the type of reader that only wants , but this one still had me feeling empty. I guess that's life.
November 27, 2024
"...That is until he meets a trick that says his name is Mr. Nobody.... Mr. Nobody promises Gavin a trip to his own personal "wonderland". Gavin's meaningless life is about to go from bad to worse as he follows Mr. Nobody deeper down the rabbit hole. Pink cotton candy is a story of love, redemption, and sweet sweet madness."
I'm clearly missing something. There was never a man who introduced himself as Mr. Nobody. There was no love. Except for the fact that the mc was a prostitute, I felt like I read a completely different book.
I'm clearly missing something. There was never a man who introduced himself as Mr. Nobody. There was no love. Except for the fact that the mc was a prostitute, I felt like I read a completely different book.
August 11, 2023
One thing I love in books is broken characters, and this book has one of the most tragic characters I have ever come across. Gavin is a male prostitute in Moon City who has had a fucking rough life, and it just gets worse. This story is dark, bleak, and heartbreaking. Bray is an incredible storyteller. His work is not to be missed. Fantastic.
5 severed fingers out of 5
5 severed fingers out of 5
June 20, 2023
This book threw me off. I definitely expected one thing going in, and received that plus huge twists and turns I was not expecting. The over the top gore, the absolutely depraved things poor Gavin went through…will definitely be keeping me up thinking about it for the next few days.
January 23, 2024
Okay, this was bleak. This was fucking bleak. Gavin's character is tragic, touching and well written. The story is dark and intriguing, full of gruesome propositions. BUT. The prologue promised clowns but then there were no clowns and I'm taking it very personally.
No, seriously, this was amazing
No, seriously, this was amazing
June 1, 2023
Exactly what I needed to read. Stuart Bray us fast becoming my go to author. I really liked this story I'm sad for pinky but he was endearing and likeable. Life dealt him a shit had that's for sure!
January 18, 2025
Gavin White has had the hardest life. For most of his adolescence, he was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by his father for being gay. He watched his mother get murdered. He spent 2 years in jail for armed robbery. Once free, he began whore house hopping and selling his body on the street, where he's encountered the most disturbed members of society. A wife-killing madman, a disgusting zoophiliac, a murderous middle schooler, etc. And life at the whore house isn't much better than the depravity on the street. His pimp is an abusive selfish asshole, the other prostitutes are caddy bitches, and a psychopath named Kevin has taken a liking to him. The only thing getting him through this miserable existence is the knowledge that his kid brother is nearby living a meaningful life, what Gavin always wished for him despite their horrible early years in their childhood home. But soon Gavin receives a letter stating his brother's life is at risk, and he must take action to protect him. Shortly after Kevin goes on a murderous rampage in the name of love. Gavin is spared, but his life literally could not get any worse.... Or could it?
I really enjoyed this story and I loved the twist at the end. There are some disgusting scenes in here that make it a must-read if you enjoy splatterpunk. I'm just disappointed in the amount of typos and mistakes in the writing. I ended up acting as an editor while reading this story, highlighting and correcting all of the annoying little typos, and I only got about half of them. Mistakes like that, especially when there are so many so often, really take me out of the story and it makes me wonder, did the author even re-read his own work?? Like did he just type everything out and not give it another look? It low-key feels like an insult to the reader. If he didn't actually read this book, why should I??
Despite the lack of editing, I still enjoyed the story. Another aspect I liked was the mystery of the old man with the bluest eyes he's ever seen. Was that a guardian angel? God himself? It was a nice contrast to the depravity in this story; the abuse, the murder, the shitty cards Gavin had been dealt. It's good to know someone is looking out for him.
I really enjoyed this story and I loved the twist at the end. There are some disgusting scenes in here that make it a must-read if you enjoy splatterpunk. I'm just disappointed in the amount of typos and mistakes in the writing. I ended up acting as an editor while reading this story, highlighting and correcting all of the annoying little typos, and I only got about half of them. Mistakes like that, especially when there are so many so often, really take me out of the story and it makes me wonder, did the author even re-read his own work?? Like did he just type everything out and not give it another look? It low-key feels like an insult to the reader. If he didn't actually read this book, why should I??
Despite the lack of editing, I still enjoyed the story. Another aspect I liked was the mystery of the old man with the bluest eyes he's ever seen. Was that a guardian angel? God himself? It was a nice contrast to the depravity in this story; the abuse, the murder, the shitty cards Gavin had been dealt. It's good to know someone is looking out for him.
December 10, 2023
definitely interesting. More of a violent thriller than a splatterpunk horror as the cover warning would make you think it is. and honestly- its a good change of pace. It’s never slow and the choice words the group of prostitutes had for each other in some parts had me cackling. Not sure if it was supposed to be funny but none the less the tongue in cheek sarcastic crude statements were a break from the doom that was to come. As for the end, OH MY GOD NOOOOO-! It felt so much like a “fuck you” but a really good shocking one. The way it so bluntly ended afterwards too had my jaw dropped and I just stared at the screen blinking. My only complaint (sort of?) is that there are a lot of very weird characters. Honestly a few too many psychos in one place by chance to feel realistic. The scene with the necrophilic kid in the limo made zero sense at all. Everyone is bonkers and are just disturbingly desensitized to violence. They say you walk past 15 people capable of murder in your lifetime, Gavin met them all in one shot. Kindle version has typos but it doesn’t change the quality of the story itself. The vibe I get from this is like the premise of a film I’d find on effedupmovies. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
June 14, 2025
Rating 3.0 Stars
This is the prequel to "Carnage Candy" Edited by Stuart Bray, my Buddy Read for June 12th on HGW. I was not especially impressed by the first half of the narrative. The sexually explicit exploits of Gavin, a low-level male hooker, tended to be more distasteful and bizarre as opposed to amusing. However, I enjoyed the second half of the story quite a bit. The tale became more about Gavin with his heavy emotional baggage reflecting on his abusive childhood by his own father and yet was resilient enough to protect his younger brother from exploitation with all he had at his disposal. I earned respect for Cotton Candy and admired his perseverance and courage. The conflicts were more grounded and believable despite the colorful elements.
I am looking forward to reading the upcoming short story collection. I may write a little more detailed opinion after reading "Candy Carnage". I might have gone to 3.5 stars on the read but the story without editing was filled with small problems of all sorts and due to the pervasiveness, it does interfere with the readers enjoyment.
This is the prequel to "Carnage Candy" Edited by Stuart Bray, my Buddy Read for June 12th on HGW. I was not especially impressed by the first half of the narrative. The sexually explicit exploits of Gavin, a low-level male hooker, tended to be more distasteful and bizarre as opposed to amusing. However, I enjoyed the second half of the story quite a bit. The tale became more about Gavin with his heavy emotional baggage reflecting on his abusive childhood by his own father and yet was resilient enough to protect his younger brother from exploitation with all he had at his disposal. I earned respect for Cotton Candy and admired his perseverance and courage. The conflicts were more grounded and believable despite the colorful elements.
I am looking forward to reading the upcoming short story collection. I may write a little more detailed opinion after reading "Candy Carnage". I might have gone to 3.5 stars on the read but the story without editing was filled with small problems of all sorts and due to the pervasiveness, it does interfere with the readers enjoyment.
December 25, 2023
BRUTAL. That's one word I would use to describe this story.. BRUTAL and kinda gross. And the ending just made me mad, like really mad. I didn't see that ending coming.
Gavin is a male, gay prostitute and due to unfortunately circumstances, he works for a mean pimp. Gavin's life is horrible, sad, and about to get from real bad to worse. UNBELIEVABLE WORSE.
This was a wild ride for sure. The first chapter almost made me give-up due to the content but I powered through. But that is the beauty of reading extreme horror, once you get past the icky stuff you'll be rewarded by a truly good and sad story. And that's why I enjoy Splatterpunk so much. And Stuart Bray does a fantastic job hitting you in the feels just to rip it away from you. He probably smiled when he wrote that ending.
Gavin is a male, gay prostitute and due to unfortunately circumstances, he works for a mean pimp. Gavin's life is horrible, sad, and about to get from real bad to worse. UNBELIEVABLE WORSE.
This was a wild ride for sure. The first chapter almost made me give-up due to the content but I powered through. But that is the beauty of reading extreme horror, once you get past the icky stuff you'll be rewarded by a truly good and sad story. And that's why I enjoy Splatterpunk so much. And Stuart Bray does a fantastic job hitting you in the feels just to rip it away from you. He probably smiled when he wrote that ending.
September 5, 2024
This has the potential to be a 5 star for me. Main thing preventing it is that the synopsis is inaccurate and suggests a further dive that I didn't get. The ending teased something and I would LOVE for anyone to explain it, or tell me there is some hidden sequel I can't find.
March 8, 2025
“I can’t grab your hand, sir” the little girl replied like she was about to cry. “Why not sweetie?” I asked looking back into the cage. “I don’t have anything to grab your hand with.”Is "emotional horror" a genre? If so, catalogue this with those. I rate books by how they make me feel. They don't have to be 100% edited like a pro or a literary masterpiece. And this little book has stuck with me for days and my heart still hurts for the MC.
The horror in this book comes from many angles. The over-all "gotham city" dark vibes, the only-in-your-nightmares cast of characters(wait for the limo scene!), and the physical & emotional trauma our MC never gets to wake from.
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
November 22, 2023
Another spectacular book by Stuart Bray
I've read a lot of Stuart's work, and this one definitely took me off guard.
Pretty much through the entire book I thought I knew what was going on, and the last 10 pages of this book absolutely destroyed everything you thought you knew. When I say my jaw dropped in one of the last scenes, I mean it literally. A plot twist that I don't think anyone could see coming. Excellent work by an excellent author. 5 star book and one of my personal favorites by this author?
I've read a lot of Stuart's work, and this one definitely took me off guard.
Pretty much through the entire book I thought I knew what was going on, and the last 10 pages of this book absolutely destroyed everything you thought you knew. When I say my jaw dropped in one of the last scenes, I mean it literally. A plot twist that I don't think anyone could see coming. Excellent work by an excellent author. 5 star book and one of my personal favorites by this author?
December 31, 2023
Ummmm 🤨 I don’t know how to feel really about this. Yep, it’s extreme horror so goes without saying there are some major triggers in here. Heads up, if you have an animal trigger, you’re not going to want to read this one… I have to admit, it seemed to have more of a plot than some others in the same genre, so for that, I gave an extra star. But, it also felt a bit, simple, for lack of a better word. Not a lot of substance to it. It’ll certainly shock, although it’s not one of the “worse” I’ve read, but you wouldn’t go into this expecting substance. Well, i didn’t, anyway. Okay read.
September 25, 2024
woooweee! The depth of a brothers love is beautifully showcased in this gore-filled extravaganza. Gavin wants nothing more than to make sure his little brother Keith has the life he deserves. The SA at the hands of his father push Gavin into a life of male prostitution, where he'll do anything to make it through one more night. The twists and turns read like a fine tuned piano and the "shock" of Gavins fate will make you cringe. I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Brays writing and will definately read more of his work. highly recommend for the spatterpunk genre lover.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews