Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Skin

AUTHOR: Christian Baines

PUBLISHER: Bold Strokes Books

LENGTH: 132 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 14, 2017

BLURB:

Kyle, a young newcomer to New Orleans, is haunted by the memory of his first lover, brutally murdered just outside the French Quarter.
Marc, a young Quarter hustler, is haunted by an eccentric spirit that shares his dreams, and by the handsome but vicious lover who shares his bed.
When the barrier between these men comes down, it will prove thinner than the veil between the living and the dead…or between justice and revenge.

REVIEW:

I had heard some good things about this author and wanted to try a book of his out, so I did. I think I will have to read another because this was not the book for me. Even though the writing itself was well done, the content was just not for me. Very violent. And normally violence and blood and guts doesn’t bother me, but I guess it was the way they died. I don’t know. It was just very harsh for me.

Kyle, being new to New Orleans, decides to go to a bar where he meets a man who will become his lover and best friend. But one night, as they are planning to meet up, his lover is brutally murdered. And Kyle just wants the people responsible found and justice served. Plus he wants his lover back. Although he knows that won’t happen. Then we meet Marc. A dancer in a dive who has to put up with one vicious roommate so he can have a place to live. He also works with the guy and he struggles with putting up with him. But he has nowhere to go. As you read about the lives of both men, you realize that something in the works is pushing them together. And in a twist, you find out why.

Kyle is grieving. He is a farm boy in a big city like New Orleans, struggling to find his way. He’s so happy when he meets Antoine. They are as different as night and day but Kyle doesn’t care. He’s just so happy to be with Antoine. Until someone takes his lover away. Now Kyle is struggling just to stay afloat, to survive without his friend. He turns to some unusual places in order to seek answers. You can’t help but feel for Kyle. Anyone who has lost someone significant, knows how hard it is to pick up and move on. You look to anything and are willing to try almost anything to get the answers you seek. To get closure of some kind. And Kyle is no different. He hurts. And in his quest for the truth and answers, he finds himself in a situation he never expected.

This has some very dark moments in this book. If you can’t handle dubious consent/non consent scenes or beatings and things of that nature, this is definitely not the book for you. There are some very derogatory comments as well. It was a hard book to read. I’m hoping I can find another by this author that I really enjoy. Until then…happy reading!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

boldstrokesbooks

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