Childhood Shadows and Faith

Adam Goode grows up in a large, devout Christian family, the eldest son of a charismatic but domineering pastor, Truett Goode. The household is bustling, but beneath the surface, Adam witnesses his father's anger, hypocrisy, and emotional abuse. Adam's sense of self-worth is tied to pleasing his father and upholding the family's public image. The church is both sanctuary and prison, and Adam's identity is forged in the tension between faith, family, and the unspoken traumas that ripple through their home.

The Diner Encounter

Now an adult, Adam is a rising star in his father's church, writing sermons and living in his father's shadow. At a crowded diner, he meets Sage, a vibrant, tattooed, pink-haired woman who works nights at a local sex club. Their banter is electric, and Adam is drawn to her authenticity and irreverence. Despite their differences, a spark ignites—a collision of worlds that leaves both unsettled and intrigued. Sage, in a stagnant relationship with her club-owner boyfriend Brett, is equally captivated by Adam's kindness and restraint.

Broken Homes, Broken Hearts

Sage's life is a patchwork of survival and resilience. Estranged from her family, she finds kinship with Gladys, the eccentric laundromat owner, and cares for her three-legged dog, Roscoe. Her relationship with Brett is transactional and unfulfilling, and her work at the club exposes her to the city's underbelly. Sage yearns for meaning, respect, and a sense of belonging. Adam, meanwhile, is suffocating under his father's expectations, his own desires repressed by religious guilt and the need to be "good."

The Club's Dark Secrets

Adam's world is upended when he uncovers that his father secretly owns the deed to Pink, Sage's sex club—a direct contradiction to his public crusade against vice. Adam's confrontation with this truth is explosive: he witnesses his father's debauchery firsthand, shattering his faith in the man he idolized. The revelation is a catalyst, forcing Adam to question everything—his family, his faith, and his own identity.

Family, Faith, and Facades

Adam's family life is a study in appearances. Sunday dinners are rituals of forced harmony, with his mother clinging to tradition and his brothers drifting away. Adam is pressured to date "appropriate" women, but his thoughts return to Sage. The Goode family's public image is everything, but secrets fester beneath the surface. Adam's growing resentment and Sage's dissatisfaction with Brett set the stage for rebellion.

The Spark of Rebellion

A drunken, angry Adam confronts Sage at the club, leading to a violent showdown with his father. Both Adam and Sage are betrayed by those closest to them—Adam by his father's duplicity, Sage by Brett's selfishness. In the aftermath, they find themselves drawn together, tending each other's wounds. Their connection deepens, fueled by shared pain and a mutual hunger for something real.

Collision at Pink

Adam's confrontation with his father at Pink turns physical, exposing the Goode family's secrets to a wider circle. Sage is caught in the crossfire, her loyalty to the club and her own dreams tested. The violence is a breaking point for Adam, who is forced to reckon with the darkness within himself and the legacy of his father's abuse.

Aftermath and Awakening

In the wake of violence, Adam and Sage seek solace in each other. Their sexual connection is raw, cathartic, and boundary-pushing, challenging Adam's ingrained beliefs about sin and pleasure. Both struggle with shame and vulnerability, but their intimacy becomes a crucible for healing. They begin to imagine a future together, even as the past threatens to pull them apart.

The Pact: Fake Lovers

Sage proposes a plan: they will pretend to be a couple, making their relationship public to scandalize Adam's father and undermine his hold on the church and the club. Their "fake" relationship is a calculated act of rebellion, but the lines between pretense and reality blur as their feelings deepen. Together, they orchestrate viral sex tapes, public appearances, and a campaign to expose hypocrisy—risking everything for a shot at freedom.

Scandal in the Spotlight

The plan works: Adam and Sage's explicit videos go viral, igniting a media firestorm. Truett's reputation crumbles, the church reels, and the Goode family is thrown into chaos. Adam's brothers are forced to confront the truth, and his mother is devastated. Sage's ex, Brett, lashes out violently, and Adam is pushed to the brink, torn between vengeance and virtue.

Playing with Fire

Adam and Sage's relationship evolves into a space of radical honesty and sexual exploration. Adam confronts his own desires for dominance and degradation, learning to trust Sage and himself. Their scenes are intense, consensual, and healing—transforming shame into power. Together, they redefine what it means to be "good," embracing both their darkness and their light.

The Gala and the Kiss

At a high-profile charity gala, Adam and Sage make a statement, flaunting their relationship in front of the city's elite. The event is a turning point: they kiss publicly, shattering the Goode family's image and forcing Truett to confront his own impotence. The fallout is immediate and severe, but Adam and Sage find strength in each other, their love now undeniable.

Sex, Shame, and Salvation

Adam's journey is one of spiritual deconstruction. He grapples with the contradictions of his upbringing, the meaning of faith, and the possibility of redemption outside the church. Sage, too, confronts her own wounds—her longing for family, her fear of abandonment, and her right to pleasure. Together, they forge a new path, one that honors both their bodies and their souls.

The Fall of Heroes

The final confrontation with Truett is brutal. In a drunken rage, he attacks Sage, nearly killing her. Adam arrives in time to save her, but the trauma is profound. The Goode family is forced to face the truth: their patriarch is a monster, and the legacy of silence is over. Adam's mother, Melanie, finally breaks free, and the church is left leaderless.

Violence, Betrayal, and Truth

Truett is arrested, the family secrets laid bare. Adam confesses his own failings—to his mother, his brothers, and to Sage. He writes to his estranged brother Isaac, seeking forgiveness and connection. The cost of truth is high, but the possibility of healing emerges. Adam and Sage must decide if they can build a life together in the ruins of the past.

Healing, Hurt, and Hope

Sage's recovery is slow and painful, but Adam is steadfast. Both attend therapy, confront their demons, and learn to trust again. The club, now free from Brett and Truett, becomes a space for community and empowerment. Adam rejects his father's legacy, choosing instead to support Sage's dreams and redefine his own purpose.

Choosing Each Other

Adam and Sage's love is tested but endures. They choose each other, not as saviors or martyrs, but as partners—imperfect, passionate, and real. Together, they rebuild: Adam helps Sage relaunch the club as "Sinners and Saints," a place of safety and liberation. They find family in each other and in their chosen community, embracing both their wounds and their desires.

Rebuilding: Sinners and Saints

In the aftermath, Adam and Sage create a new home—one that honors both their pasts and their hopes for the future. The club thrives as a haven for outsiders, and Adam finds meaning in service, love, and honest connection. The story ends not with triumph, but with hard-won peace: two anti-heroes, remade by love, daring to believe in both sin and salvation.

Characters

Adam Goode

Adam is the eldest son of a powerful pastor, raised to be the heir to a religious empire. He is intelligent, sensitive, and deeply conflicted—torn between his desire to please his father and his own hunger for authenticity and pleasure. Adam's journey is one of deconstruction: he must confront the hypocrisy of his upbringing, his own capacity for darkness, and the possibility of love outside the boundaries of faith. His relationship with Sage is transformative, forcing him to reckon with shame, desire, and the meaning of goodness. Adam's arc is from dutiful son to self-actualized man, learning to choose himself and those he loves over inherited dogma.

Sage Astor

Sage is a fiercely independent, tattooed, and unapologetic woman who has survived abandonment, abuse, and the grind of the sex industry. She is witty, compassionate, and deeply wounded—longing for family, respect, and a place to call home. Sage's relationship with Adam is both a lifeline and a crucible: he sees her, values her, and challenges her to claim her own worth. Her journey is about healing, trust, and the right to pleasure and power. Sage's arc is from outsider to builder of community, learning that she is worthy of love and that her desires are not a source of shame.

Truett Goode

Truett is a master manipulator, a preacher whose public persona masks a life of vice, violence, and hypocrisy. He is both father and adversary to Adam, embodying the toxic legacy of religious trauma and patriarchal control. Truett's downfall is the engine of the plot: his secrets, abuses, and eventual violence force his family and community to confront the truth. He is a cautionary figure—a man who confuses power with virtue and destroys those closest to him.

Melanie Goode

Melanie is the heart of the Goode family, a woman who endures her husband's abuses with grace and silence. She is loving, nurturing, and deeply wounded by the loss of her son Isaac and the collapse of her marriage. Melanie's arc is one of awakening: she must find the courage to protect herself and her children, and to let go of the illusions that have kept her trapped.

Brett

Brett is Sage's boyfriend and the owner of Pink. He is charming, irresponsible, and ultimately cowardly—more interested in profit and ego than in Sage's well-being. His betrayal and violence are pivotal, pushing Sage toward Adam and forcing her to claim her own power. Brett is a symbol of the toxic masculinity that pervades both the club and the church.

Gladys

Gladys is the owner of the laundromat where Sage lives. She is blunt, loving, and fiercely protective—a surrogate mother who offers Sage the acceptance and support she never found at home. Gladys represents the possibility of chosen family and the power of community.

Isaac Goode

Isaac is Adam's younger brother, driven away by Truett's homophobia and abuse. His absence haunts the family, a symbol of the cost of silence and the need for truth. Isaac's story is one of survival and the hope of reconciliation.

Caleb and Lucas Goode

Caleb and Lucas are Adam's younger brothers, each coping with the family legacy in their own way. Caleb is pragmatic and supportive, Lucas more withdrawn. Both are affected by their father's tyranny and Adam's rebellion, serving as mirrors and contrasts to Adam's journey.

Sadie

Sadie is a manager at the club who becomes Sage's right hand. She is competent, ambitious, and loyal, helping Sage transform the club into a space of empowerment and safety. Sadie represents the possibility of growth and the importance of solidarity among women.

Roscoe

Roscoe is Sage's beloved pet, a survivor like his owner. He is a source of comfort, humor, and unconditional love—a reminder that healing is possible, even after loss.

Plot Devices

Dual Narration and Perspective

The novel alternates between Adam and Sage's points of view, allowing readers to experience both the internal and external struggles of each character. This structure deepens empathy, exposes misunderstandings, and highlights the ways trauma and desire shape perception. The dual narration is essential for exploring themes of shame, faith, and self-acceptance.

The Sex Club as Symbol

Pink, the sex club, is both battleground and sanctuary. It represents the collision of public virtue and private vice, the hypocrisy of religious authority, and the possibility of sexual healing. The club is a crucible where characters confront their desires, their shame, and the power dynamics that define their lives.

Fake Relationship Trope

Adam and Sage's pact to fake a relationship for revenge is a classic romance device, but here it is subverted: the pretense becomes a space for genuine vulnerability, trust, and transformation. The trope allows for exploration of performance, authenticity, and the blurry line between acting and being.

Scandal and Public Exposure

The release of Adam and Sage's sex tapes is both plot engine and thematic statement. The public scandal forces characters to confront their own values, the limits of forgiveness, and the cost of truth. The tapes are a metaphor for the exposure of secrets and the liberation that comes from refusing to hide.

Violence and Redemption

Violence—both physical and emotional—is a recurring motif, from Truett's abuse to Adam's fight with Brett. These moments are not gratuitous but serve as crucibles for change, forcing characters to choose between perpetuating cycles of harm or seeking healing. Redemption is hard-won, requiring confession, accountability, and the courage to break with the past.

Found Family and Community

The novel foregrounds the importance of chosen family—Gladys, Sadie, and the community at the club and the church. These relationships offer models of care, acceptance, and solidarity, challenging the primacy of blood ties and traditional authority.

Analysis

Last updated: May 24, 2025