Paint It Black (Beneath the Stain #2) by Amy Lane

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Blurb

Everybody thinks Mackey Sanders’s Outbreak Monkey is the last coming of Rock ’n’ Roll Jesus, but Cheever Sanders can’t wait to make a name for himself where nobody expects him to fill his famous brothers’ shoes. He’s tired of living in their shadow.

Blake Manning has been one of Outbreak Monkey’s lead guitarists for ten years. He got this gig on luck and love, not talent. So hearing that Cheever is blowing through Outbreak Monkey’s hard-earned money in an epic stretch of partying pisses him off.

Blake shows up at Cheever’s nonstop orgy to enforce some rules, but instead of a jaded punk, he finds a lost boy as talented at painting as Mackey is at song-making, and terrified to let anybody see the real him. Childhood abuse and a suicide attempt left Cheever on the edge of survival—a place Blake knows all too well.

Both men have to make peace with being second banana in the public eye. Can they find the magic of coming absolute first with each other?

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Paint It Black is a fantastic romance by Amy Lane. The second in the Beneath the Stain series, it's a great follow up to Beneath the Stain.

The story of Cheever and Blake, both men have been through hell. They have a strong friendship that helps save them, eventually leading to more. Cheever is Mackey's younger brother who's lost and broken. He's a talented young man, but he's killing himself with drugs and sex. With Blake's help, Cheever's able to heal, although it's a long rode to happiness.

Cheever and Blake are two men who both struggle with self confidence issues.
Cheever's always been the "other" kid, the younger brother of successful rockers. His is a life of feeling inferior, resentful, and disposable. He's always longed to be seen by someone.


Blake's a member of the band, who's struggled with his own demons. He's always wanted someone to love and care for him. His relationship with Cheever provides tremendous peace, love, and happiness to each man. And, holy crap, I got all the feels when Cheever calls Blake "baby boy!"

Of course, there's an age gap between Cheever and his brother's friend Blake. This aspect is well done, with a lot of consideration and issues.

Their story is one of resentment, fear, anger, and hatred. The author delves into the world of rockers and bands, as we get to follow more of Outbreak Monkey's adventures.


Paint It Black is a heavy, complex read, which is superb. I highly recommend this Amy Lane book when you're looking for a comfort/hurt romance.

Beneath the Stain (Beneath the Stain #1) by Amy Lane

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Blurb

In a town as small as Tyson, CA, everybody knew the four brothers with the four different fathers-- and their penchant for making good music when they weren't getting into trouble. For Mackey Sanders, playing in Outbreak Monkey with his brothers and their friends—especially Grant Adams--made Tyson bearable. But Grant has plans for getting Mackey and the Sanders boys out of Tyson, even if that means staying behind.

Between the heartbreak of leaving Grant and the terrifying, glamorous life of rock stardom, Mackey is adrift and sinking fast. When he's hit rock bottom, Trav Ford shows up, courtesy of their record company and a producer who wants to see what Mackey can do if he doesn't flame out first. But cleaning up his act means coming clean about Grant, and that's not easy to do or say. Mackey might make it with Trav's help--but Trav's not sure he's going to survive falling in love with Mackey.

Mackey James Sanders comes with a whole lot of messy, painful baggage, and law-and-order Trav doesn't do messy or painful. And just when Trav thinks they may have mastered every demon in Mackey's past, the biggest, baddest demon of all comes knocking.

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Amy Lane's Beneath the Stain has long been on my to-be-read list. With the second book, Paint It Black releasing, I am finally diving into this rocker romance.

Mackey and his band were mere boys when they started playing a lot of gigs. 

Learning of Mackey's past, and his budding relationship with Grant, ultimately brought tears to my eyes. Grant's beard made me so upset for Mackey, a bringing me to tears. And Grant's fear of his father finding out his secret is understandable, as well as heart-wrenching. 

The author spends a lot of time exploring Mackey's youth, the band's beginnings, and Mackey's heartbreak. The secrets, the hiding, the pressure on Grant to marry a girl, all nearly killed Mackey. God, my heart broke for young Mackey. 


As the band signs a contract and moves away, the money flies and Mackey struggles with this new life. And, omg, the downfall into drugs near killed me. 

What a rollercoaster of a life for Mackey. Everything is such a damn struggle, with his life full of pain, fear, guilt, and shame. 

Be warned that their is a rape scene. Avoid if that's a trigger for you.

It's a story of living with and facing past pains and hurt. And ultimately, it's a strong and worthy story of longing and healing. 

The writing is spectacular, with complex characters, a multi-layered story, and every damn word being important. It's long and full of emotions. I loved it. Loved it all!

Wow, Beneath the Stain is seriously one hell of an emotional ride. First love, homophobia, fame, drugs, rehab, more love, and making amends. It's all there, and it's all absolutely amazing. I can't praise Amy Lane enough for this gem.

String Boys by Amy Lane

Dreamspinner Press Link

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Blurb

Seth Arnold learned at an early age that two things in life could make his soul soar—his violin and Kelly Cruz. In Seth’s uncertain childhood, the kindness of the Cruz family, especially Kelly and his brother, Matty, gave Seth the stability to make his violin sing with the purest sound and opened a world of possibility beyond his home in Sacramento.

Kelly Cruz has loved Seth forever, but he knows Seth’s talents shouldn’t be hidden, not when the world is waiting. Encouraging Seth to follow his music might break Kelly’s heart, but he is determined to see the violin set Seth’s soul free. When their world is devastated by a violent sexual assault and Matty’s prejudices turn him from a brother to an enemy, Seth and Kelly’s future becomes uncertain.

Seth can’t come home and Kelly can’t leave, but they are held together by a love that they clutch with both hands.

Seth and Kelly are young and the world is wide—the only thing they know for certain is they’ll follow their heartstrings to each other’s arms whenever time and fate allow. And pray that one day they can follow that string to forever… before it slices their hearts in two.

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

An extraordinary tale of family, of heartache, and of healing, it's tough to explain how emotional Amy Lane's String Boys really is. 

Seth and Kelly's love story covers many, many years of complications and separation. There's pain, love, betrayal, and more family issues than one could ever imagine. The struggle with loss and grief, blame and expectations, let downs and responsibilities.

It wonderfully explores the struggle of coming out, dealing with extreme homophobia, the spiral of drugs, and the hatred that comes with some religions.

It's full of complex characters, all of whom contribute to the storyline greatly.

And pretty much everyone suffers. There's an extensive exploration of family, both the highs and the lows. The way family can have excellent influences, as well as huge let downs and betrayal. The utter tragedy of having other's affecting one's life and decisions. The relationship the boys have with their fathers is so damn touching. The good, the bad, the tragic.  All of it makes for emotional scenes that will hit you hard.

The love between Seth and Kelly is absolute and unconditional. The sex scenes are great, not so much on their actions, but in their depth of emotion. The love and tenderness is clearly displayed. 

Ultimately it's a story of hope and overcoming all the obstacles. 

Please note that there's a rape in the story. It's off page, but some of the effects of it are detailed. Skip this one if that's a trigger for you.

Obviously the writing is fantastic if the story can affect me this much. Despite the slow-ish pace, the character development is accomplished, and feelings jump off the page. I love this story. I wish I could give it 10 stars. Intriguing from the start, it's not until later that the twists and turns just  punch you in the gut, leaving you unable to put it down.

The storyline is superb. String Boys is a must read in my book. This is one of those amazing books that leaves me wanting to thank Amy Lane for writing it, as well as yell at her for writing it. If you read it, you'll understand. 

GRL 2018 SPOTLIGHT - Amy Lane - Bonfires

In my attempt to cover some of the attending authors for this year's GRL,
I am reviewing 

Bonfires by Amy Lane!

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BLURB

Bonfires: Book One

Ten years ago Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron George lost his wife and moved to Colton, hoping growing up in a small town would be better for his children. He’s gotten to know his community, including Mr. Larkin, the bouncy, funny science teacher. But when Larx is dragged unwillingly into administration, he stops coaching the track team and starts running alone. Aaron—who thought life began and ended with his kids—is distracted by a glistening chest and a principal running on a dangerous road.

Larx has been living for his kids too—and for his students at Colton High. He’s not ready to be charmed by Aaron, but when they start running together, he comes to appreciate the deputy’s steadiness, humor, and complete understanding of Larx’s priorities. Children first, job second, his own interests a sad last.

It only takes one kiss for two men approaching fifty to start acting like teenagers in love, even amid all the responsibilities they shoulder. Then an act of violence puts their burgeoning relationship on hold. The adult responsibilities they’ve embraced are now instrumental in keeping their town from exploding. When things come to a head, they realize their newly forged family might be what keeps the world from spinning out of control.

REVIEW

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Wow, after reading Amy Lane's Bonfires, I am left wondering why I waited so long.

This story contains a whole lot of wonderful story arcs within it. At it's heart, it is a love story between two middle aged men, who are almost 50. That alone, had me excited. 

Aaron's wife died ten years ago, leaving him to raise their three children alone. He always knew he was bisexual, he just never acted upon his feelings before. 

Larx is a teacher, who forms a friendship with Aaron after Aaron keeps pushing them into situations together. They bond over sharing stories of their past.  

The relationship is tender and beautiful, and we get some fantastic and memorable scenes as this is Aaron's first time with a guy. They are romantic and charming together, as Aaron finds the passion he's always lacked. 

As their romance progresses, they face a lot of the usual problems affecting people of their age, and I find this part so  darn realistic and refreshing. Their situations, comments and thoughts about growing old are wonderfully written. 

Their story contains a lot of complications, including the debate over when is the right time to come out, the fear of sexual assault charges facing teachers, harassment and homophobia, in addition to murder, attempted murder and the search for a killer. 

Overall, it is a remarkable story of two middle age men finding love again, after years of being alone. Their story is wonderful, but it is made so much better by the addition of their kids, who add so much love and humor to the story. I loved every scene with the kids and am so glad that the kids were included so often.

In addition to the kids adding humor, you will love Larx's snark and smart-ass remarks.

As a fan of Amy Lane, I was expecting to like Bonfires, but it ended up being so much more than I expected. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!

Amy Lane

Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house. 

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