Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: Beneath the Stain Part 1

AUTHOR: Amy Lane

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 95 pages

BLURB:

Part One of Beneath the Stain

In one breath of shotgunned pot smoke, Grant Adams breaks every taboo Mackey knows—and Mackey refuses to look back. In the shadows of their small town, Mackey and Grant carry on a precocious affair under the noses and behind the backs of girlfriends, parents, and overprotective older brothers. When Mackey’s band finally has a chance to make it big, Mackey and Grant are put to the test.

And fail miserably.

REVIEW:

This is like reviewing a television show… Beneath the Stain is being released in seven parts, starting August 29th, the last part releasing on October 10th. If you go to the Dreamspinner Press website it has the multiple ways you can purchase it. I’ve added the link below. Each part also come with what Amy is calling DVD extras, a little bit more that wasn’t included in the story. I’ll be reviewing these parts weekly as they come out.

This first part is really about establishing characters and the beginning of their story. The main character is McKay “Mackey” Sanders, a rock star in the making even at fourteen. He and his brothers, plus a couple of friends, put together a band with little money and a lot of talent. Starting at the high school prom and moving up from there, they have the goal of getting the hell out of their small home town. The Sanders boys have a single mom and four absent fathers, and are actually a hell of a team. Their mom works, the two older brothers work for money, and Mackey works for instruments. They take turns watching the littlest one and it all works fairly well. They practice, Mackey writes songs, good shit happens and bad.

But these are teenage boys in a small town. For the most part they stay out of trouble, but for Mackey it’s a hard place to be a gay teenager. Especially when he is in love with his brothers best friend and fellow band member, Grant Adams. His feeling are returned, and he learns about sex at a very young age. It was right on the edge of making me uncomfortable to read about Mackey having sex at fourteen or so when this starts, and Grant is seventeen. But I was a horny teen a long time ago, and know what it’s like, and was able to work past my squeamishness. Mackey is soooo not fourteen, even when he is fourteen. He’s an old soul just waiting for his body to catch up. So they learn about sex and passion together, Mackey writes some beautiful hormone and sex fueled songs, but it all has a cost.

I assume everyone who reads books in this genre is familiar with Amy Lane. If you aren’t, you need to be now. Immediately. Even with this short amount of writing, just 95 pages with a little bit extra (remember the DVD extras? It’s there!) I can tell this is going to be fantastic. Amy knows music, knows angst and drama, and knows how to write a damn fine story. Her characters have so much to them, Mackey walks the fine line between light and dark, creative genius and fucked up kid. He’s too young to know what he is doing, about the music, the passion, the sex, all of it. Grant is a mess, scared and lost, but giving and caring. Each brother brings issues and talent to the table, as does Stevie, the other band mate. And their mom, who seems to really be trying to do her best. Amy writes not only a story, but bits of songs to go with it, weaving Mackey’s songs in with real ones to make the music an integral part of the story. So this is the great start to a book, great writing, fantastic characters, the beginning of a deep plot, sex, angst and drama. Everything we want!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner