Out of the Shadows

Out of the Shadows really touched my heart. I know that there are people who pay no attention to disfigurements and/or other things that make some people different from others; those for whom things like that just don't matter. But to read it in a story like this really made me feel good.

Josh Wendell is excited to get assigned to do the renovations on the apartment where the mystery man lives. No one has ever seen him out and about and the rumors have him being anything between a monster and a serial killer.

Christian Hernandez is a hermit; housebound because he can't stand the thought of being around people and having them stare at his disfigurement. He is quite dismayed to find out that his apartment is on the list of the first ones being renovated. He has resigned himself that he will be confined to his bedroom for the duration of the work.

This is a slow-burn type of story. While there are some steamy love scenes, they are secondary to the story of John and Christian's developing relationship. It takes Josh several days to get Wendell to reveal himself but gradually a friendship begins. Christian is at times uncomfortable with the things that Josh pushes him to do but he finally realizes how much he wants to stop living in the shadows.

I just loved Josh; his compassion for Christian, and understanding of his feelings, really touched my heart. There is no way to truly understand what someone with a disfigurement like Christian's goes through but the way Josh drew him out over time and gently pushed him to try and step into the light was a wonderful story.

I have only one small criticism, which kept this from being a 5-star read for me. I am perfectly willing and capable of suspending belief when I read a book but the short time it took Josh to complete tear out and renovation of two bathrooms and a kitchen – by himself – was pushing it a bit for me.

Please don't let my minor concern keep you from reading the book because otherwise it's a great story. I probably wouldn't even mention it but I felt obligated to do so for anyone reading this review.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com.***

Christian lives his life in hiding. He watches, works, and basically hides from the world. The same world that dealt him a cruel blow of fate. He is interested for the first time in someone. Does not even know his name.

Josh usually works in the gardens on the property. While the renovations are going on he will be working inside the units. He meets Christian and it is almost game over from the start. The attraction is immediate. The voice, the humor, the mystery.... it just all makes for a hot package.

This story is a very realistic & sweet account of how it is possible to look past the obvious and find someone attractive. I think we learn a lot from these characters. I found myself unable to put the book down. I hope we get to learn more about the other characters inside this great book.


***This early copy was given in exchange for an honest review only.

This story is sweet and hopeful. Josh comes across Christian at work and slowly draws him not only to himself but also into the light. I like that it was a story of slow and steady not some great dramatic leap. It feels real.

It's a shame, really, that our society, our world, is so hung up on the outside package of a person. Looks are revered and studies have been done that prove, scientifically, that the beautiful people, on average, have an easier time going through life. School is easier, getting the better paying jobs is easier, and, of course, interpersonal relationships are far easier. So I'm always thrilled when an author writes a story where one, or even both, main characters have a disability or a flaw that somehow makes people view them as ugly, or unappealing. In Christian's case, his physical deformities are purely from an accident - it could have happened to anyone - but the stares and the whispers got to be so much that he has hidden himself away from people. Luckily for him, Josh has a heart and a soul that matches his outside good looks, and Josh thinks Christian is pretty amazing just as he is.

“I’ve slipped and fallen, I’ve cut my head, and I talked about what was the worst moment in my life, and in spite of all that, this is the most optimistic I’ve felt in a long, long time.”

It was inevitable, I believe, that Josh and Christian would become friends during the time that Josh is doing the renovations to Christian’s apartment. Well, once they get past the talking to each other through a door, anyway. They're both kind, considerate men, with gentle natures and compassionate souls. When they both discover that the other is gay, they each have remarkably similar reactions. Initially Christian is thrilled, until he sees his own reflection and realizes Josh would never be interested in him. Josh is ecstatic realizing how much they have in common and how much he already likes Christian, until he realizes that doesn't mean Christian likes him or that he'd even welcome any advances.

Josh is dead-on when he tells Christian he is strong and a survivor. I can't begin to imagine the courage it took for Christian to take those baby steps into the world. He had Josh beside him, but, in the end, Christian is still the one who made the decision to stop existing and to begin living. Much like Josh was, I was very proud of Christian. These two men were fabulous main characters, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that Josh’s friends - Nate, Dylan, and Logan - gave me the warm fuzzies as well.

Another lovely, sweet story from Dreamspun Desires. It wasn't difficult to fall for Josh or Christian. As always, the beautiful K.C. Wells penned a delightful book filled with hope, laughter, desire, and love. The most important, of course, being love.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

3.5 stars rounded up because it's K.C. Wells.

K.C. Wells certainly knows how to write a tender, heartwarming hurt/comfort story. The setting intrigued me as well, since I lived in the Boston area for many years. Both men are good characters, built up well with strong dialogue and communication. Josh’s property maintenance job puts him in Christian’s apartment, where Christian has hidden himself away for years. Once Josh actually meets him, he sets out to upgrade Christian’s life too, building trust and friendship and coaxing Christian to face some of his fears. It’s not agoraphobia, as the blurb makes it clear it’s an appearance issue for Christian. Josh’s friends are great secondary characters, exhibiting much of the same kind, gentle traits as Josh, and extending their circle to include Christian. The relationship is a slow build and slow burn, with Josh’s patient understanding of Christian’s one-small-step-at-a-time efforts.

I wasn’t taken by the pace of the story. Less detail in the first half might have allowed more development for Christian’s turnaround. After 8 years of near-isolation, it seemed too quick and smacked of a love cures all scenario. I’d also have preferred to see Josh supporting Christian along with some kind of professional help. There was a nice amount of sweetness and romance, without getting overly sappy, but I couldn’t sense any kind of tue sexual tension or strong spark between the two men. I was expecting the lower heat level with the Dreamspun Desires label.

The way two of Josh’s “straight” friends were depicted, perhaps there will be a sequel for this one. If you enjoy others in the Dreamspun Desires series or like the lighter, low angst stories that K.C. Wells does so well, you’re certain to enjoy this one.

*ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Jessie G Books review blog for the purpose of an impartial review*