Beneath the Stain

By: Amy Lane

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

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.

©2014 Amy Lane (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press

Unexpectedly good

I bought this book on a whim and fully expected to hate it. This book was really well written, the story was long and cohesive, the characters were deep enough to become invested in and the narrator brought a large variety of characters personalities to life and even the porno-like scenes didn't seem as stagey as most in the genre (yeah, I'm a big ole prude...).

Ms. Lane, strong work, charming and worth the time to write a good review - which from me is saying a lot.

Family, young love, friendship and romance...

Would you listen to Beneath the Stain again? Why?

I never re-listen to books and rarely watch movies more than once, so its hard to say. I did enjoy all the characters and the family dynamics and wouldn't mind.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is really tough. There were quite a few favorite characters. I would have to say Trav. He was both a rock and broken at the same time. I enjoyed watching him discover who he was through the journey of the brothers. I especially loved his vulnerability/tough guy persona.

What about Nick J. Russo’s performance did you like?

I thought he did a good job given each brother their own voice. He was able to navigate the female voices later on in the book as well.

If you could rename Beneath the Stain, what would you call it?

Brotherhood

Any additional comments?

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Sometimes Mackie's personality didnt seemed justifiable. Parts of his characters behavior wasn't really supported for how he described himself. He wasn't really mean or spoiled etc., but he was made to be that way. There was a small disconnect in that regard. The other characters, were spot on. I could really appreciate Grant and Mackie's relationship as the book wined down and that was due to how well the 2 characters were developed in the beginning.

Bring Your Tissues

Wonderful Book!! Well told story that I was hesitant to listen to based on the book summary but am so very glad that I gave it a chance. Very well written with vivid characters that will make you laugh and break your heart - sometimes simultaneously.
So refreshing to listen to a M/M based romance that has "meat" to it - this story has has heart and soul and it is so very well told.

Narration was excellent overall and matched the material in wit and style.

Highly recommend, but do bring your tissues - you will need them several times during the course of the story. Enjoy!

It's a classic for a reason

Well I'm glad I did it in audio, and I totally understand why it's such a classic. It definitely was that good but that's my angst allotment for awhile. My brain is pretty fried right now, and I'm a little sick to my stomach, but that's how I know it affected me I guess.

Nick J. Russo was great, though I did have to switch between reading and listening. His singing pretty much cracked me up, so there's that.

One of my favorite books

I’ve read this book many times so I had to buy the audio. This is a very in depth, heart breaking story. It’s gritty and hard and amazing. I adore Mackey. The story is interesting then breaks your heart. Then rips your heart out. Then slowly builds your heart back with some hope. Then adds some more pain. I loved watching the true love story develop. Trav was designed perfectly for this type of story.
It was a little disappointing that the narrator didn’t have a singing voice but that was ok.

Yes, it made me cry again!

If you could sum up Beneath the Stain in three words, what would they be?

How do I love this book. It will make you ache, cry, smile and fall in love. I know that what Amy Lane offers is always good, but this book is so much more. Joy in epic proportions.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Men in Love

Wow what a ride

I put off this book for a while because I assumed it would be another Amy Lane emotional rollercoaster and I had to be in the right frame of mind to jump on. I was right and wrong. It was an emotional rollercoaster and it did make me cry, but it was a really uplifting read in the end. But it does take a while to get there, but honestly I was really sad when it ended. This is the story of family, tragedy, recovery and of course love conquers all. Definitely worth a credit.

Truly Romantic Love Story Truly romantic love story

I really liked how the author used these characters to put a face on what it's like to be LGBT in a relationship. The fear, the happiness, sadness, the confusion and every emotion was found in this story through all of the characters. Bravo

I Loved It.

What A Powerful Story. Amazing. So Much Heart And Soul Went Into This Book And It's Brightly Portrayed Through These Wonderful Characters.

One of 2 of the best MM books I have ever read.

This story made me want to behave like a rock star. I laughed and cried and screamed and wanted to break stuff while jumping around a stage. But I had to do all of those things quietly so that I wouldn't miss 1 mesmerising word that Mr. Russo read.