Review: Stained by Chris T. Kat

Blair Clark has reached his breaking point. Forced to leave one job because of sexual harassment, he’s having difficulty finding another. Since no one believes what happened, Blair’s left with a stain on his employment record that he can’t get rid of. He’s had to move back home with his mother. As if that’s not bad enough, he realizes his crush, Travis, is simply using him. His romantic life looks as hopeless as his job search.

Jack Ross is sure he’ll never find anyone who’ll love him for who he is. All anyone sees is the port-wine stain on his left cheek—not the man behind it. Even his mother thinks he should get rid of it. But the procedure is difficult and painful.

When Blair applies for a secretarial position with Jack’s firm, both men learn that beauty is, indeed, in the eye of the beholder. It’ll take a lot of trust to chase away their insecurities, but if they take a chance on one another, love will find a way.

I love books with less than perfect characters. I like the fact that Jack is not another 'image-ly flawless' MC - sometimes I get really tired of beautiful and perfect main characters. I'd rather the plot didn't revolve around this 'flaw' (which is not a flaw, it is a part of the human make up, we are all different and beauty is far too defined by media and societal standards, though that is an argument for another day), but I do like the fact that he was different than the usually defined standards of beauty. That said, I did like the fact that the reader is able to understand how it feels to be different from an 'accepted' norm. How it affects the way that others actions are perceived and felt. I wanted to shout at Jack that it doesn't matter what the hell he looks like, to be himself, don't over-think others reactions - and I would have been a great big hypocrite, because I have alopecia and won't go out in public without wearing a hat. Only a very, very few see me hatless these days. It's not even that bad in the scheme of things, but I am totally conscious of it so I understood why Jack was how he was, even though part of me hated him for it. Even though most of me wanted to shout "Seriously dude, if they judge you for your looks it's their loss". Freud would have a field day with that, huh. This isn't about me though, it's about the story... and why I only gave it 2.75 stars.

Despite the fact that I loved the blurb and set up, the story didn't quite work for me. I think I wanted something more serious than I got; something more emotional. What I read felt a little too soap opera like for my taste. Characters felt exaggerated and the storyline overly dramatic in a divisive way. It is probably exactly some people's cup of tea, but it wasn't mine. 

The problem with accepting requested reviews is that I owe everyone an honest opinion - but opinions are, by their very nature, utterly biased. Biased to the reader's taste, and thoughts, and experiences, and likes and dislikes. If I'd bought the book I'd probably have left a rating on GR (more for my records than anything else) and carried on my merry way. I didn't though, the book was given in exchange for an honest review and my honest opinion is I didn't enjoy it more than 2.75 hearts. The key word being I. It wasn't full of editorial errors or plot-holes, it just didn't float my boat. The 39 4+ GR ratings (at time of writing) show that at least 39 people have a different opinion to me. I'm neither right nor wrong, I'm just giving my view that this book really wasn't for me. seriously, this review could really have just been the central paragraph, because that is what it all boils down to.

For more information see Goodreads or Dreamspinner Press

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Drifting Sands (The Warfield Hotel Mysteries) by C. J. Baty

As he approaches his fortieth birthday, Justin Warfield feels alone, drifting like the sand that blows along the beach near his family’s hotel. He has done exactly as his father wanted. Married the right girl and carried on the family tradition of running the Warfield Hotel. On paper things seem perfect, but happiness hasn’t been a part of his life for a very long time.

Marcus Drummond once spent a summer with his best friend Peter at the Warfield Hotel and fell hard for Peter’s much older brother. Five years later he’s back, and this time hopes that Justin will see him as more than his kid brother’s friend.

Sparks fly when the two meet again, but there are a few things standing in their way. The closet that Justin has himself buried in and someone on a killing spree, dumping bodies on the Warfield beach . . . victims that indicate Justin may be involved in some way. 

I have a confession to make. This book has been on my review TBR pile for a while. I started it and then put it down. Started again and once more put it to one side... it took me a while to get into... but I think this was definitely a me thing. Sometimes I have to be in the right mood for a certain type of book. When I picked this up a third time, I couldn't put it down. Honestly, I loved it and can't wait to read the next in the series.

The Warfield Hotel and general setting of this story is as much part of the cast as any other character. CJ Baty has written a wonderful murder mystery in this setting. The thing is... I'm not sure it's solved yet. Sure, there was a conclusion, it seems wrapped up, but I'm really not convinced. And I LOVE this. I want more - but not in that horrible cliffhanger way where I felt I've only been fed half a story in order to line an authors pocket (I know that's not how it works, but we've all read those books which really are only half a book, none of the story solved until the second instalment. It's made me hate cliffhangers!).

Justin is not perfect, he tries hard, but he makes mistakes. His father's influence over his life - even though he's long gone - made me frustrated. I could understand (some) of Justin's reasoning, he was trying to keep what he loved. His brother, the hotel - and TBH, his father sounds like a completely manipulative bastard. The thing is, I felt Caroline ended up as a victim. While she could be seen as a hateful character, I have to admit I felt more than a little sorry for her. 

I liked the dynamics between Marcus and Justin. I can't wait to see how it moves on between them. It wasn't a sweet romance - I wouldn't have believed it if it was. It was hot and cold and horny and subdued. Frustrating at times - and sometimes Justin annoyed me. Sometimes I wanted to shake him. Sometimes his decisions pissed me off no end. Then other times I felt so bad for him. I ached for him to have the easy settled - open - life he craved.

Marcus was unendingly patient, I felt. I'd like to know more about him. He's nobody's fool, smart and savvy, his attraction to Justin wasn't sickeningly sweet. It was real, and I wanted for him to get an HEA so much!

Before I go, I just want to mention Moses. Now he seems a really hateful character. One of those with absolutely nothing to like about him - and yet he intrigues me. I feel there's more if we just get to dig deeper - he's part of the reason I want book 2 so much. 

This book is well worth reading, I'm just sorry it took me so long to get into it. Like I said, I honestly believe this was me and not the story! Recommended.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information see Goodreads.