Beneath the Stain

By: Amy Lane

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 16 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Outstanding story and performance

This book exceeded my expectations in so many ways. The storytelling is vivid and realistic, so much so that I found it seeping into my experience in the "real world" between listens. I wasn't expecting a realistic portrayal of forbidden love, rehab, small town bigots and a cast iron Captain America...but that's what this story brought me. At the end of it, I still feel it taking a space inside. Great work. Highly recommended!

Amy Lane does it again!

What is better than small town Rockers making it to the big time? The heart wrenching story of how they got there and issues they have to overcome to continue to thrive. Macky, his band of brothers and their manager have to fight not only the baggage from the demons of the past, but also the ones that come back. Beautifully written, emotionally charged, Ms Lane weaves the the issues of addiction and surviving a traumatic childhood, with the high stress, fast paced lifestyle of celebrity rockers into a complete and satisfying story of love, redemption and hope. One minute you'll be laughing and next in tears, but always needing to know what happens next.

Narrator Nick J. Russo is a master at his craft. His pacing and animation of both the charters and the narrative are superb, bringing to life the book in a whole new way.

A neat and heartfelt title

For all its angst, this book is an optimistic love story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The audio performance was equally well done.

Holy lord in heaven !

What an amazing book! I’m a freakin’ mess!!
The narrator couldn’t have done any better . He’s perfect ! But the author .. I can’t decide if I wanna kiss her on the mouth or smack her for wrecking me !
I highly recommend this book - but only if you are in a good place because you’re gonna need the strength . *sigh* ♥️

Sexy, angsty, pawerful story

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

Wow! Simply Amazing!

Who was your favorite character and why?

That's hard to pick. I liked Mackay of course. He is a great main character, and I love a damaged man, but I loved Trav---strong and willing to take on such young boys, damaged and on the loose. And then there was Grant though left behind sorta sealed the story.

What does Nick J. Russo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think Nick J Russo brought so much passion to this story that you wouldn't experience on your own. He didn't just read the book. He became the characters. Each had their own voice and the passion between Trav and Mackey was unfathomable. Nick made those love scenes with every breath, moan and whisper. He gave me shivers.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several. This entire book is compelling from the rehab to the scene at the end.
The love scenes left me breathless, and a couple of scenes one at the beginning and one near the end with Grant and Mackay left me in tears.

Any additional comments?

Rock band stories aren't in my favorite categories, but occasionally there is one that hits my radar. I love Amy Lane, and Nick J Russo is also on my must listen to list. I have heard so much about this book that I had to give it a go. I am so glad that I did.
Beneath the stain is about youth, poor boys suddenly tossed on their own into a world of drugs and sex, then getting help to clean up and become something. Just when you think Mackay has faced his demons and finds his happy, a big one pops up that could shake him and Trav apart.
There are so many characters in this story to love and so much drama, that even though it was 16 hours long I didn't want to stop( yes I finished in two days)
If you like rock bands, angst, passion, an allover great romance and some very hot man-sex you should love this.

This story...

A group of boys who were brothers grew up in Tyson, California, started a band when Mackey was 10.
This small town filled with small-minded people tried to drag them all down. They spent their childhood fighting.
At 14, Mackey gets his first kiss from a boy, Grant 17, who turns out to be his first love.
Stolen moments were all they ever shared as they hid in the river shadows in secret away from prying eyes who would never understand their love.
At 19, Mackey and his brothers get the biggest opportunity of their careers it only costs his first heartbreak and leaving a brother/lover/bandmate behind.
Becoming a Rockstar leads to a path of being drugged out and f**ked by nameless, faceless people. Horrible things happen. Rehab or death the only choices left.
Trav a new manager comes in and fixes what was left.
Mackey and him fall in love, but the past is never far behind.
Bad news again, return to a town that never loved them to say goodbye to the boy they left behind.

Love this story. One of my favorite by this author. It is filled with heartbreak but also with so many beautiful moments shared between a band of brothers.

The narrator wasn't perfect but he made this story come to life.

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.