Back Piece

Skin Deep Inc., Book 1

By: L.A. Witt

Narrated by: Michael Ferraiuolo

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Colin Spencer is a tattoo artist with a past he'd prefer to keep a secret. Actually, he has a few secrets that he'd rather people didn't know about, which is why Colin doesn't do commitment. But when a shy sailor approaches him at the gym, Colin finds this guy pushing all his buttons.

Growing up in a conservative family, then escaping with the Navy, Daniel Moore is an unsure virgin who feels like he can't share his true self with anyone. Seeing Colin - and his tattoos - at the gym are the sign Daniel needs to finally get those tattoos he's always wanted, and maybe try his hand at flirting.

As Colin and Daniel spend more time together, their awkward hesitations turn into a deep passion neither expected. But with both men harboring secrets, will their relationship be able to survive their insecurities and become something beautiful?

Contains mature themes.

©2017 L. A. Witt (P)2019 Tantor

Good story. Good narration.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and I appreciated the messages in the story. The pacing was a bit slow for my taste. The conflict was mostly resolved, but I felt like I needed something more. There are more books in the series so we may connect with the main characters again later. Narration was nicely done.

Just Okay

It’s hard to review this book because I just could not relate to the characters. The characters were not memorable to me and I didn’t “feel” the love. The story was not bad, it was just not entertaining. I read and listen to a lot of MM romance and yes this story is not the worst but it is very forgettable.

Dull

The whole thing felt very dull and predictable.
Lots of internal monologue and overthinking from both sides.

This is one of my favorite narrators and not even that helped.
Not that enjoyable.

fantastic and sensitive

This book depicts the growing love of two contemporary men who find each other in different stages of life - one, Collins, seasoned tattoo artist who has been around the block of relationships, another, Daniel, who is just discovering the freedom of living away from his family with their deeply seated Christian beliefs and homophobia.

Their budding relationship is challenged over and over with their inner struggles - Collins own eating disorders, and Daniel's conflict with wanting to live his own life yet fear his parents ever finding out.

The relationship developes in a beautiful, natural manner that allows you to slowly understand each character and root for their happiness and HEA.

Michael Ferraiulo skillful narration sucks you smoothly into the flow of thoughts, actions and descriptions.

The writer gives apt descriptions of the unique background of each character, whether Collin's past occupation, how he experiences his eating disorders, or the different ways each character experiences their relationship.

There are many small insights into situations like the Daniel's struggle of wishing to keep his ties to his family despite how hurtful they can become towards him with their homophobic behaviour - without their knowing so.

This book gives you a safe feeling that the characters despite their struggles are going to find a way through, and sometimes that is just what you need from a book.

However, the HEA isnt without a cost and the characters each earn it for themselves and together and the end is a very satisfying one.

Spoilers

Needs an epilogue. What happened? Did they stay together? What happened at first deployment listening to the second book hope it has the same characters

Back Piece

I was wanting books about tattoo artist and this was it (plus it was on audio) lol. It’s not my favorite trope, the adult person hiding in the closet, especially when that adult male is miserable and uncomfortable even being around his family. But, the author gave us two guys with issues who still manage to find love.

This was the first time I listened to this narrator and I thought he did a great job.

One of the best coming out portrayals that I’ve read.

Both characters are adults living on their own, established in their careers and out in their daily lives. One is still closeted to his religious parents. The way that relationship is shown, on the one hand a rich loving family relationship, on the other hand a harsh judgmental streak that puts distance between them, mirrored my own lived experience. LA Witt captured the complexity of that duality better than I’ve seen it done before.

I don’t have personal experience with an eating disorder, but it seemed that topic was handled well also. There was nuance to the portrayal that I don’t normally find in fiction.

There is so much to like about this story.
First times. Baggage from past bad relationships. Fantastically supportive friends and family members holding you up and catching you when you fall. Tenderness and heat.

Really well done.

Michael Ferriauolo is one of the best. Always a gem.

Definitely worth the listen.

Tattoo sweetness

This was such a sweet sweet listen. Tattoo artist/ military. MM. Contemporary. Hurt/Hurt. Mental health rep. Spice 3.5. Highly Recommend

Conflicted about this

The writing is often very, very beautiful. It’s lush. Evocative of good and bad and more. This book is disturbing on purpose, but also possibly accidentally as well (see Warning).

The POV of someone who lives with a mental illness creatively and with professional help is arguably something many people should read in something this captivating. I’d like to see this kind of representation more often.

However.

Warning:
If you’re reading / listening to this after the book _ Let There Be Light _ and you liked the character Royal (“Blue”), this story portrays him as thoughtless and selfish at best, lacking empathy for both his twin and his “best friend,” and downright, intentionally cruel at his worst. It’s hard to reconcile with his first portrayal.

I liked Royal in the first book.
It was a gut punch to have him so shallow, self-centered, harmful and hypocritical in this book. What was kindness in the first book is turned into something ugly.

Both he and his twin show next to no compassion for someone they claim to care for. They’re selfish, that selfishness is reinforced by others while someone else is suffering without support.

While there is a happy ending, it’s hard to believe. I am choosing to think that a whole lot of apologies were made to the boyfriend / best friend even though they’re not in the book.

Many of these themes spoke to my own experience, but in the end, those beautiful words and familiar world of color can’t keep me from wishing I hadn’t encountered this book.

Somewhere in all those masterful portrayals, a sketchbook full of a suffering young man’s talent and life seems to have been forgotten or disregarded.

Eleven hours of audiobook would seem to be enough to allow both MCs compassion, friendship and love. It didn’t, in my own experience, despite all those beautiful words. We were invited into both MCs hearts, then carried along to a place where only one of them is three dimensional in the end.

Maybe the book was meant to be devastating that way, to shove one person’s pain and loss out of the spotlight.

Life can be this blindly cruel to those who don’t deserve it.

People are punished for keeping their word, their promises.

If an unresolved undertone of angst is your thing, wow, you’ve hit the jackpot. This one is stunning.

Such a sweet story!

As per usual Michael Ferraiuolo was amazing and emotive!

The story itself was also very good and I loved the main characters. I do have a few problems however; the transitions from one setting to another were not smooth, and I would sometimes just sit there like, "Wait when did we get here?"
Additionally, sometimes I couldn't tell If a character was speaking out loud, or if they were just thinking to themselves. This problem, likely, has to do with the fact that it's an audiobook and would be easier to tell which is which if I were reading on paper.

This wasn't a deal breaker for me and honestly the story was amazing besides those 2 things.

100% recommend.