Out of the Shadows

By K.C. Wells

Can he step out of the shadows and into love’s light? 

Eight years ago, Christian Hernandez moved to the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, took refuge in his apartment, and cut himself off from the outside world. And that’s how he’d like it to stay. 

Josh Wendell has heard his coworkers gossip about the occupant of apartment #1. No one sees the mystery man, and Josh loves a mystery. So when he is hired to refurbish the apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms, Josh is eager to discover the truth behind the rumors.

When he comes face-to-face with Christian, Josh understands why Christian hides from prying eyes. As the two men bond, Josh sees past his exterior to the man within, and he likes what he sees. But can Christian find the courage to emerge from the darkness of his lonely existence for the man who has claimed his heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
• Release date: Aug 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635338706

K.C. Wells

K.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing. The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come. If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places: Email: [e-mail] Facebook: www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld KC’s men In Love (my readers group): http://bit.ly/2hXL6wJ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/K-C-Wells/e/B00AECQ1LQ Twitter: @K_C_Wells Website: www.kcwellswrites.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-c-wells

Reviews for Out of the Shadows

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm usually a sucker for the "beauty and the beast" trope, so of course I would have snapped this book right up even if I wasn't a Dreamspun Desires subscription member, because BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The "beast" in the story is Christian Hernandez, who is pretty much a recluse in his apartment. He rarely leaves it, and when he does, it's under the cover of darkness with a hoodie drawn up to hide his scarred face. He's lived in this barely existing way for years, and he's content to keep up that lifestyle until the "belle" in the story, Josh, makes an unexpected appearance in his apartment and life.Josh is beautiful and kind, a Harry Potter nerd, and employed by the company that owns Christian's apartment. He's in charge of updating multiple apartments, and the first one on his list is Christian's. Of course, he's curious about seeing the reclusive tenant face-to-face, especially since there are multiple rumors swirling around him, but once he realizes that Christian is closing him off from everyone and everything, Josh makes it his life's mission to get Christian to open up and realize that not everyone is going to mock him. I guess the reason that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was hoping to was because Josh is just TOO good. He's too damned sweet and kind and understanding. I felt like I was getting multiple cavities in every one of my teeth while reading this book; it was really just too over the top for me. I know that the Dreamspun Desires line is all about the happy ending, and that's more than fine with me, but it's okay to put in a little more angst. Almost every BatB retelling has at least a moderate amount of angst, and this version was angst-lite. Also, Josh's friends felt...weird. I had a hard time imagining a group of mostly-straight young men acting the way they did. Altogether, it was an okay book, but a little too syrupy sweet for my liking. It was a slow burn romance, which I appreciated. I'd recommend it to those who are looking for a gay, angst-lite BatB retelling, but I can't count it as one of my favorite retellings of the story.