Skin by Christian Baines.
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.
An OK read. 3*.

When I started reading this book, I didn't realize it was going to be so short, and I was surprised when it ended. There are a lot of trigger warnings for rape and gore that I would have liked to know before going into it. Fortunately, those things don't turn me off from reading a book, but still. I actually really enjoyed this book. It satisfied my need for creepy, thrilling things. The writing was good, and I liked the paranormal (fantasy?) aspects as well as the LGBTQ+ representation. The thing I liked the most was the plot twist. With this being such a short book, I wouldn't have expected it to have all it did, but since I didn't know that going into it, the plot really surprised me. I also loved that I didn't expect it at all. It was fast-paced and action-packed. Overall, I'm glad I finally read it.

This LGBT centric story features fantasy/ paranormal elements. At its core the story is a classic “be careful what you wish for” tale. The story is probably outside of the mainstream tastes so it probably wouldn’t be a popular choice for library book clubs. There is an audience for this book but it is very narrow. New Orleans, voodoo and the supernatural give this thriller a twist.

*thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

1 star.

While I liked the description of this, the idea of it. This book is clearly not for me. It seemed pointless and the bad language, constant swearing just ruins it. I just really didn't enjoy it. The story did not even flow together. I got 30% of the way through and just stopped.

5 stars

Synopsis: Antoine is running late to meet his boyfriend, Kyle. He is dressed in a woman's suit, and runs in to some men who make him nervous. Even though he manages to elude them, one manages to find him later before he reaches his boyfriend, and Antoine is attacked and murdered.
Kyle, who hadn't really had anyone be kind to him from the time that he was a child until he met Antoine, is devastated, and all he wants is revenge. He will do anything to secure it, even consult with some of Antoine's less than savoury friends, some of whom practice voodoo.
Marc is also new to town, and takes a job as a dancer at a strip club. He shares a bed with Ash, who claims to not be gay, but also initiates touching. Ash can turn violent with little to no notice, though, and Marc is trapped in an ever tightening circle of violence with Ash and the crazy voice in his head that nobody else can hear.

What I liked: the story. The writing style. Trying to figure out what the heck was going on. The characters weren't very sympathetic, except for Antoine, but they were very clearly drawn. This was engaging with twists and turns, and chapters that were not chronological.

What I didn't like: nothing.

Overall impression: first chapter told from Antoine's POV, and then subsequent chapters alternating between Kyle and Marc. The writing was really well done: well planned and well executed. There was a definite feeling of being in the magic of New Orleans, along with the characters, while reading. The story was suspenseful and interesting. This is not a romance; more of a fable with a moral of the story, and the ending was shocking but I don't think it could have ended any other way.

*I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely awful. The story had absolutely no depth to it whatsoever just a bunch of random sentences thrown together to make a quick buck.

I feel like I need to bleach my eyes.

When writing a dnf review or a review with a low rating I like to include parts of the book I liked. But there were absolutely none in Skin. In all honesty I should have dnf-ed sooner, but I am relieved that I didn’t struggle on because I’ve heard it gets even worse.

So, the reason for my dnf? I didn’t enjoy reading Skin at all and then there were the rape parts. Imagine a character is being hunted by three men and it is crystal clear that they are out for blood. Is that a situation to notice how “cute” one of them is? Are you fucking seriously?! And then the on page rape scene is written for erotic intent. HOW ABOUT NO?!

The way the male character with a ‘feminine touch’ was written read to me a lot like sexism. Add a lot of female slurs and I’m out.

If you’re interested in a review of a reader who struggled through Skin check out Sameena Jehanzbeb’s.

Last words: So much nope.

I was pretty excited to read Skin from the description, a murder-mystery set in the hustle and bustle of New Orleans sounded steamy and exciting. But, perhaps that was the problem for me, I went in expecting paranormal and murder antics, but for a good portion of the book found myself to be reading erotica.

I'm certainly no prude, and enjoy erotica, when I'm expecting it. But the sheer amount of gratuitous sex scenes in this book was a real turn off for me, particularly when it was mixed up with such violent scenes. I also wonder why it was necessary to fixate so heavily on only oral sex - I actually ended up finding the endless description of oral sex boring!

That said, the book does pick up pace and up the supernatural aspect towards the end of the story, and I did enjoy the twist. I wish the pacing had been more level, and there had been a stronger focus on blending the sex, magic and violence. To me, it currently reads like two books that were merged rather than a cohesive and sexy thriller.

Ummm I'm completely confused. I'm not sure what i was reading or how i even feel about this book.
Skin is a very tough read, with all the sex and other things too gory to mention then somehow turns into a Voodoo-ish thing at the end. I was also slightly confused the whole time about the main characters in this book. Like are they the same people? WTF is going on??? This just was not my cup of tea. Sorry!

Thanks to NetGalley!!

Well-written, likable characters. A touch confusing but it all came together in the end. I enjoyed it immensely.

Skin was an interesting story, but the writing was often muddled or confusing.

I was definitely wanting more paranormal than what this story provided. Interesting concept and love the New Orleans atmosphere.

Christian Baines’s Skin is a mixed bag. On one hand, you have a very interesting dark tale dealing with voodoo, New Orleans and the gay issues and unfortunately on the other hand, a book steeped in erotica that tends to overshadow the true story underneath.

Baines excels when exploring the sexuality of each of his characters to the point that he showcases this very predominately through almost every chapter. Ripping chests and biceps, sexual organs worshipped and guys pressing up against each other for the love of outward beauty, and all the stereotypes are represented from the overly effeminate to the cowboy stud puppet. Although he is very adept at writing this, I did find myself skimming through it as it become tiresome and irksome after the fifth passage.

Underneath all this though, there is a fascinating dark story about voodoo and homophobia that seems to be an afterthought. His description of the New Orleans setting is very well polished, but we have two dimensional characters occupying this space. It is a real shame that he didn’t put more time in developing this part of the book because he would end up with a sure fire winner.

His characters, Ash, Travis and Mike are rather flat. The relationships are flat and uninspiring and there is really not a winning spark in any of the characters. They seem to be cardboard cut outs of real people and not sure if this was deliberate or an oversight. The one and only true three dimensional character is Antoine and he basically disappears after the first chapter. As stated before, if these characters were more developed this would be an interesting and thought provoking piece of work.

Overall, Baines is a very talented writer and he excels in a lot of what he is trying to do. His erotica is well written, premise is excellent but lack of emotional driven characters leaves the book rather flat. All in all, it is an interesting attempt to mix genres and would be interested to see what he may produce in the future. Skins is hot on erotica, interesting in the dark fiction and uninspired characters that I could not invest any emotional depth on.

"‘Just ink,’ he says. 'Just ink.’ Probably the most dangerous substance on this here earth. There’ve been wars started by 'just ink.’"

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Bold Strokes Books, Inc. Trigger warnings: rape, violence, gore, murder.

When Kyle’s lover is murdered outside the French Quarter, he becomes fixated on revenge. Marc is a young hustler new to New Orleans who is haunted by a strangely familiar spirit and may be sharing a bed with a murderer. The connections between them cross the lines between both right and wrong, living and dead.

Had this not been a review book, I’m not sure I would have continued after the first chapter, because it’s extremely gritty. I don’t know why I’m fine with ax-murderers painting the walls red with blood, but when it comes to people getting the shit beat out of them, my brain goes NOPE. It’s rape, hate crime, violence, and murder all crammed into one chapter, and it’s a straightforward warning that this book isn’t for weak stomachs or mild hearts.

But it isn’t all bad. The writing is good, and the plot is twisty and fast-moving. Read enough novels and very few of them can surprise you, but this one turned around on me a couple of times. I wanted more fluffy romance scenes between Kyle and his boyfriend (too bad it isn’t that kind of book), and they’re a weird contrast to the grim reality of the rest of the novel. I enjoyed watching the first half of the plot come together because I genuinely had no idea where it was going.

It turns out my favorite character gets murdered in the first chapter, so there’s that. (This isn’t a spoiler; it’s right in the description.) He’s interesting and resists cliches, and I like that he’s completely his own person. Kyle and Marc are a little flatter, and Ash is outright despicable. He managed to ruin most of the book for me. I don’t want chapters that are cozied up to a homophobic killer; I don’t want to get to know him, or spend page time with him, or start to understand him. And maybe that’s the problem, because for all the time we spend with Ash, I still really don’t understand him at all.

There’s also the problem that almost every other scene is graphically sexual. I’m fine with sex scenes here and there in a novel, but this is overdone, and it’s awkward. There’s nothing romantic or even very sexy about any of it; most of the characters outright don’t even like each other. There’s an overwhelming ick feeling in a lot of the chapters, which is not the kind of horror that I’m interested in. I hope this is an exaggerated portrayal of the New Orleans LGBTQ community, as it’s an exaggerated portrayal of Voodoo, because neither is painted in a particularly warm light. The end twist is definitely a surprise, but it’s far from satisfying. It’s a novel that works well in grittiness and shock value, but less well in character development and storytelling. It likely isn’t something I’ll return to.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Shocking & brilliant! I'm definitely interested in more from this author!

This one was suuuuuper creepy and I legit had no idea what was going in. It absolutely snuck up on me and I was extremely surprised at the end of it. I enjoyed this read, perfect for the time of year and I will definitely be seeking out more from this author.

The summary that is given for this book, while it is correct, is really vague and kind of misleading. But that is probably a good thing, otherwise, I probably would not have read this book. There is a lot of sexual content in this book, just letting you know up front. I do not typically read books with this much sex, but I am glad I let my discomfort not stop me from continuing to the end.
The story is told from three points of view, Antoine, Marc, and Kyle. They reside in New Orleans were voodoo is part of the culture. With the majority being told by Marc and Kyle. They do not know each other, but their lives are very intertwined. I will leave it at that. I am glad I went into this book knowing very little. I do wish I was more prepared for the amount of sexual content, but as I said, I got over my discomfort and read a really good story with a WOW ending. Seriously, the end was gripping. Kudos to Mr. Baines for really giving this book a spectacular ending I never saw coming. I am giving this a solid 4-star rating.

I've been dying to read thriller for a while. and here this one is. This's a mix up between thriller and LGBT kinda story, it was very intriguing. I had so much fun reading this one. I might be going to re-read this lovely one. I highly recommend this one. :)