I picked up this book because I fancied something other than a contemporary romance and the UF elements in the book caught my attention - as did the extract. It's always a good sign if the extract gets you interested enough to read on and the combination of radio talk show hero mixed with banished fae other hero seemed refreshingly different from the sort of books I've been reading recently.The story begins with Will, who hosts a radio talk show where gay men phone in with either a question or a confession. One of the callers that night is a mysterious man who confesses that he pays for sex because all the men he gets close to get hurt. The caller turns out to be Cobalt who runs a club/tattoo parlour called The Grotto. Cobalt is a banished fae whose previous human lovers have all either gone mad or killed themselves once they discover his true identity. Cobalt is also being stalked by another fae, Eoghann, who was responsible for Cobalt's original banishment and now wants Cobalt to return and be his lover once more. Will and Cobalt meet when Will's producer takes him out for a night of drinking and they end up at The Grotto. There's an instant attraction between them and when Will's abusive lover takes things too far, Will finds himself asking Cobalt for help.
The first two thirds of this book were pretty gripping. Partner abuse amongst the gay community is not a theme I've come across much in m/m books (in fact I can only think of one other story I've read with it in) and the way that Will is portrayed seemed exactly right. Will is essentially a mentally strong man who is attracted to physically strong men. These men have tried to dominate Will and when he has refused to submit to them then they have used their physical prowess to force that domination. Will blames himself and makes excuses time after time, and so the cycle of abuse continues. I found this aspect of the book quite difficult to read at times and, be warned, there are a couple of horrific physical abuse scenes in the book. I had a great deal of sympathy for Will but also a certain amount of exasperation over his self-blame. When Will meets Cobalt and sees that his past relationships have all been about power struggles, it was heartening to see him begin to believe that he can find someone who is willing to be an equal partner in a relationship.
Compared to the complexity of Will, Cobalt is rather more simplistic. His relationship within the fae community is explored and I liked that he had a kindly nature and that he too is a victim of circumstance - something he is trying to change during his banishment to the human world. I was rather frustrated by his constant self-flagellation about his past lovers and how that impacted on his treatment of Will. As a result of this he blew hot and cold as he veered from falling in love with Will to pushing him away 'for his own good'. These types of characters always annoy me a bit as I just get irritated that they can't make their mind up.
After such a great set up with the characters and the fae world building, I was rather disappointed when things made a turn for the worst in the last third of the book. There were a couple of incidents which just didn't sit right with me. One of those is that Will gets arrested and the cops take him to a interview room and beat him up. Really? Will is a minor celebrity in town and a well known gay man and the cops beat him up. That just didn't ring true for me at all. Then, instead of protesting and calling for his lawyer, Will just sits there and does nothing. Will then makes a couple of decisions which veered very close to TSTL and I began to wonder what had happened to the intelligent man who I'd gotten to know for the first part of the book.
Having said that, Skin Deep is still worth reading. I got a great deal of enjoyment reading about these characters and their journey towards love. The world building is secure and interesting; the secondary characters are extremely well drawn, especially Will's friend Tess and the slightly creepy unseelie, Uriskel; and I found the pages turning at a great pace as I eagerly read on towards the end. If you're looking for a UF which successfully integrates both human and paranormal aspects then this would be a great book to try. Grade: Good.
Buy this book HERE.
I really liked this one. Mainly because of the world building. It was unusual enough to hit my happy reader buttons. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Jen.
Kris: I saw that you'd given this 4 stars at GRs and I thought 'good grief, Kris has given a higher rating to a book than me'. That's quite unusual, you know :).
ReplyDeleteI liked this one, even with the ending issues you mentioned. I think it was because it was 'different'.
ReplyDeleteNice review!
Thanks, Wren.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that both you and Kris felt the unusual setting was a big bonus. It strikes me that after what seemed like a huge glut of UF/paranormals there isn't as much around at the moment.
For a change I think I'd be more attracted to this if it were a straight contemporary without the UF elements.
ReplyDeleteHi Lesley
ReplyDeleteI can see why in a way. I'd be interested in reading another book which deals sympathetically with partner abuse. It would work well in a straight contemporary setting.
You know sometimes you read a review or a blurb and thing "oh yeah, I'd like to try that."? This one? Not so much. LOL Not sure it's the theme or your reservations about the end portion but it's not screaming out "read me read me".
ReplyDeleteMost of the time when partner abuse takes place I find it is a case of the strong alpha male rides in on his white horse and rescues the other hero. Not sure that's very realistic, but then again it's fiction.
Hmm. Between your review and the comments, I think this goes on my "pick it up if it's super cheap on sale sometime" list!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Lesley-- I think I'd like this one better as a straight contemporary, but that's probably because I don't like UF. The blurb lost me at "fae". I think partner abuse would make an interesting story, though.
ReplyDelete***This comment may contain spoilers***
ReplyDeleteHi Jenre,
I was surprised reading your review where you said that the police beat Will up, because I honestly did not recall any kind of police brutality in this story. So, obviously, I had to look it up, and all I could find was two lines, one that describes Will being "slammed against the counter" and having his hands cuffed behind his back when he's arrested (keep in mind he's been accused of assault and has a concealed weapon without a permit) and then later, when he's led to an interrogation room, and is "knock[ed] around a bit" and not offered a phone call. To me, this sounds more like standard treatment, which often delays things like phone calls in order to intimidate someone into confessing. I took the 'knocking around a bit' to mean that they probably shoved him into the room or the chair. Will doesn't describe any injuries that result from his treatment by the police, and in fact, seems more concerned with the burns from his spilled coffee, so I can only imagine that it was more an issue of attitude than actual physical brutality. This doesn't necessarily excuse the police from being assholes, but I don't think it really constitutes being 'beat up.' I feel like this is an important distinction because your review makes it sound as the whole precinct went in on a free for all, and that really isn't the case.
As to the issue of not immediately asking for a lawyer, I think this also stems from his fear of his abusive partner, who is a cop. He's carrying the gun to defend himself against Lyle, and he finds himself in a conundrum when it comes to explaining that without accusing Lyle of abuse, which he's afraid to do. So, his hesitance to call a lawyer, while obviously a mistake in the eyes of an outside parties, seems perfectly logical to him, and makes a lot of sense for someone who is more concerned about protecting their life than their career. Again, I'm not trying to excuse poor judgement, but I think it would help to put it into context.
I've had this one on my TBB since it came out but just wasn't 100% sure about it. It sounds like I'd probably enjoy it so will definitely end up getting it one day (probably on sale like Chris).
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Chris: It was still a good book and one that UF fans will enjoy.
ReplyDeleteRichelle: The partner abuse was unusual and worked well with the UF setting, but if you're not keen on UF then this book won't be for you.
Hi PinkPixie
ReplyDeleteIt was the line 'knocked him about' that made me think that he'd been beaten by the police - perhaps beaten was too strong a word - 'smacked about' might have been a better way of putting it.
Perhaps this is to do with language/culture but in the UK if you are 'knocked about' it means that you are pushed, hit and kicked which to me screams inappropriate police behaviour and in most cases would have the protag shouting for their lawyer and phone call. If the author had said that he was 'pushed roughly into the chair' then that would have been understandable, but 'knocked about' made it seem like more than that.
I may be reading too much into it, but my main point it that Will's passivity at this point was at direct odds with his tough personality earlier in the book and the circumstances were just a slightly contrived way of getting Will to meet with Lyle again.
Hi Lily: It's still worth reading despite my few reservations.
ReplyDeleteI liked this one especially because of the UF elements. Jen when I read in your review about the police abuse I thought you meant his abusive partner.
ReplyDeleteHi Ingrid
ReplyDeleteIt must just be me that got annoyed by the police thing. You know when something just really irritates you and no-one else? It just goes to show that we are all different when we read a book and different things stand out as either good or bad.
Ending issues aside it sounds like a good book. I'll have to add it to my list - oy. It's dangerous coming to your blog! lol
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy
ReplyDeleteIt was a good book and well worth adding to your list.
Tam
ReplyDeleteI just realised that I missed you out! Sorry chuck.
In terms of the whole white horse thing, this book didn't quite work that way. Cobalt does sort of 'rescue' Will but Will has the strength to stand up to Lyle - at least by phone - and so I did feel that for most of the book, Cobalt was there to help Will, not to take over his life. If that makes sense.
Thank you Jenre. I like the sound of this - the unusual world-building and the topics is addresses. It's on the list of eBooks (which seems to be exponentially growing :)
ReplyDeleteHi Orannia
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy reading this book when you finally get down the list to it :).