Reviewer's Rating:
4
4.0Overall score
What a wonderful and tender story.
Out of the Shadows By K. C. Wells
Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM
Released: August 15. 2017
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Design: Bree Archer
Can he step out of the shadows and into love’s light?
Eight years ago, Christian Hernandez moved to Jamaica Plain in southern Boston, took refuge in his apartment, and cut himself off from the outside world. And that’s how he’d like it to stay.
Josh Wendell has heard his coworkers gossip about the occupant of apartment #1. No one sees the mystery man, and Josh loves a mystery. So when he is hired to refurbish the apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms, Josh is eager to discover the truth behind the rumors.
When he comes face-to-face with Christian, Josh understands why Christian hides from prying eyes. As the two men bond, Josh sees past his exterior to the man within, and he likes what he sees. But can Christian find the courage to emerge from the darkness of his lonely existence for the man who has claimed his heart?
62,991 words
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
What a wonderful and tender story.
Out of the Shadows really touched my heart. I know that there are people who pay no attention to disfigurements and/or other things that make some people different from others; those for whom things like that just don’t matter. But to read it in a story like this really made me feel good.
Josh Wendell is excited to get assigned to do the renovations on the apartment where the mystery man lives. No one has ever seen him out and about and the rumors have him being anything between a monster and a serial killer.
Christian Hernandez is a hermit; housebound because he can’t stand the thought of being around people and having them stare at his disfigurement. He is quite dismayed to find out that his apartment is on the list of the first ones being renovated. He has resigned himself that he will be confined to his bedroom for the duration of the work.
This is a slow-burn type of story. While there are some steamy love scenes, they are secondary to the story of John and Christian’s developing relationship. It takes Josh several days to get Wendell to reveal himself but gradually a friendship begins. Christian is at times uncomfortable with the things that Josh pushes him to do but he finally realizes how much he wants to stop living in the shadows.
I just loved Josh; his compassion for Christian, and understanding of his feelings, really touched my heart. There is no way to truly understand what someone with a disfigurement like Christian’s goes through but the way Josh drew him out over time and gently pushed him to try and step into the light was a wonderful story.
I have only one small criticism, which kept this from being a 5-star read for me. I am perfectly willing and capable of suspending belief when I read a book but the short time it took Josh to complete tear out and renovation of two bathrooms and a kitchen – by himself – was pushing it a bit for me.
Please don’t let my minor concern keep you from reading the book because otherwise it’s a great story. I probably wouldn’t even mention it but I felt obligated to do so for anyone reading this review.
♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon UK ♥ Dreamspinner Press ♥
August 21 – The Way She Reads
August 23 – Urban Smoothie Read
August 25 – Bonkers About Books, BooksLaidBareBoys, Dog-Eared Daydreams, Making It Happen
August 28 – Gay Media Reviews
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Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….
K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.
And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….
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