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mommasaystoread's review against another edition
3.0
A detective and a rent boy. Sounds like the perfect combination for and emotional storm when they can't stay away from each other. Except that's the really the direction taken in Tainted Life. Instead, there's a whole lot going on all at once, but then everything gets resolved very quickly. Some things are a little over the top and could've made for a gripping story, but there's just a bit too much going on. It felt like the story couldn't really settle on a plot, so it took several routes to get to the end and all of them got a little short-changed.
That said, I really liked both Pete and Liam. They're both wounded and in need of some comfort, and they just work together regardless of the differences in their lifestyles. Mel Gough does an excellent job of making their chemistry shine even when they're at odds with each other. The dialogue is another shining star for this emotional story. It's well done and flows wonderfully.
Narrator Brian Meslar did an excellent job with the performance on this one. The accents and voices are distinctive and add that something extra to the listening experience. He did a brilliant job of bringing Pete and Liam to life as well as the secondary characters who popped in along the way.
In the end, there were things I liked and things I didn't, but I did like the characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed Meslar's narration. The story left me somewhere in the fair to midlin range, but it was certainly worth the listen.
That said, I really liked both Pete and Liam. They're both wounded and in need of some comfort, and they just work together regardless of the differences in their lifestyles. Mel Gough does an excellent job of making their chemistry shine even when they're at odds with each other. The dialogue is another shining star for this emotional story. It's well done and flows wonderfully.
Narrator Brian Meslar did an excellent job with the performance on this one. The accents and voices are distinctive and add that something extra to the listening experience. He did a brilliant job of bringing Pete and Liam to life as well as the secondary characters who popped in along the way.
In the end, there were things I liked and things I didn't, but I did like the characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed Meslar's narration. The story left me somewhere in the fair to midlin range, but it was certainly worth the listen.
aligroen's review against another edition
4.0
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review An Alisa Review:
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Ohh man, this one pulls at your heart strings. Pete’s wife just filed for divorce and seems to be making it out to be his fault. Liam has been doing what he needs to survive but being with Liam gives him a little bit of happiness.
Pete has quite a bit to work through and I liked watching him figure out what is important to him and go for it. I was glad he stayed by Liam’s side when he got hurt and the time they spent together helped them build some base for a relationship. These two played off each other well and I liked how Liam interacted with Pete’s son. I would have liked to see a bit more of a conclusion with Pete’s wife than the hostile truce she seems to have.
The cover art by Jazz Design is a beautiful picture of these two.
Book Link: Tainted Life is available as a free ebook when you sign up for Mel's mailing list: https://melgough.com/newsletter
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Ohh man, this one pulls at your heart strings. Pete’s wife just filed for divorce and seems to be making it out to be his fault. Liam has been doing what he needs to survive but being with Liam gives him a little bit of happiness.
Pete has quite a bit to work through and I liked watching him figure out what is important to him and go for it. I was glad he stayed by Liam’s side when he got hurt and the time they spent together helped them build some base for a relationship. These two played off each other well and I liked how Liam interacted with Pete’s son. I would have liked to see a bit more of a conclusion with Pete’s wife than the hostile truce she seems to have.
The cover art by Jazz Design is a beautiful picture of these two.
Book Link: Tainted Life is available as a free ebook when you sign up for Mel's mailing list: https://melgough.com/newsletter
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
Pete Tucker is a Detective Inspector with New Scotland Yard; he likes his job and was promoted fairly quick. He was once married and has a young son, but life took a hard turn for him. Even when things were getting bad in his marriage, he was never unfaithful to his now ex-wife. Now he’s newly divorced, has a new place to live, and finds himself fighting for custody of his son. Needing to find some kind of relaxation, he heads to the Turner Tavern to try to slake his hunger, where a young man by the name of Liam starts a conversation with him.
Liam Jackson’s life is in chaos. He lives with an abusive brother and, at times, takes chances and meets men for money. While Liam struggles, he is also a talented photographer and has some of his work on display at his friend Kat’s gallery.
What Pete and Liam thought was only a one-night-stand, develops into a little more. And then the stress in Pete’s life turns into fear for Liam. Liam’s panic sends him into a bad situation, and he finds himself on the brink of death. Pete, with his own guilt, takes care of Liam, but Liam is by no means out of danger.
Tainted Life is my first time reading Mel Gough, and I found this novel to be very well written. It’s a fairly quick and good read with some tense moments, and the descriptive settings and verbiage give the novel a true London feel. The storyline doesn’t focus on the mysterious cases as much as it does on Pete and how he has to deal with his life and his job. I liked both Pete and Liam and the in-depth look into both these characters. They each have their own issues to face, and they have to decide whether to share them if there’s going to be any chance for an understanding and a relationship to exist between them. As a secondary character, I really liked Kat, who comes through for both Pete and Liam.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
Liam Jackson’s life is in chaos. He lives with an abusive brother and, at times, takes chances and meets men for money. While Liam struggles, he is also a talented photographer and has some of his work on display at his friend Kat’s gallery.
What Pete and Liam thought was only a one-night-stand, develops into a little more. And then the stress in Pete’s life turns into fear for Liam. Liam’s panic sends him into a bad situation, and he finds himself on the brink of death. Pete, with his own guilt, takes care of Liam, but Liam is by no means out of danger.
Tainted Life is my first time reading Mel Gough, and I found this novel to be very well written. It’s a fairly quick and good read with some tense moments, and the descriptive settings and verbiage give the novel a true London feel. The storyline doesn’t focus on the mysterious cases as much as it does on Pete and how he has to deal with his life and his job. I liked both Pete and Liam and the in-depth look into both these characters. They each have their own issues to face, and they have to decide whether to share them if there’s going to be any chance for an understanding and a relationship to exist between them. As a secondary character, I really liked Kat, who comes through for both Pete and Liam.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
anitalouise's review
3.0
I really, really enjoyed the writing. The beginning of the book starts with a one-night stand (my jam!!) and the dynamic between Liam and Pete just grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. Liked Pete - his character reminded me of the lads in the British crime series, Prime Suspect, with Helen Mirren. But then the story goes a little sideways with Liam's incident and what happens and next thing we know, the characters are saying the L words. Wait, what!! I needed a bit more story to fill out Pete's and Liam's personality and their relationship such as it is. A lot goes on in these short pages but most of the romance is focused on what happened to Liam and how Pete cares for him. And what was that bit with Charlie!!! That wasn't explained at all. But I was bowled over by the quality of the writing - so much so, that I paused to look for the author's other books. Just needed more story to fill out the missing bits. Looking forward to reading this author's new book due out soon.
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