The blurb sounds promising... The blurb lies.

The writing in this book is amateur at best and there's hardly any substance to make up for it.

The pacing is messed up. Someone is killed in the first chapter. The second chapter goes back in time and starts a lead up to the murder and then at some point prior to the murder, the time jumps to 3 weeks after the murder with no reaction to it (public or personal), and carries on from there. The murder itself is totally glossed over.

The plot is weak, directionless and with almost no conflict. After the murder in the first chapter, the next actual plot development doesn't happen until 77% into the book. Up until then, characters flit around from place to place without motive. Scenes that could be used to set up conflict and a purpose to the plot are wasted on copious explicit descriptions of cocks and precum and gay strippers grinding on each other. So much so, that the voodoo storyline seems like it's wedged in as an afterthought.

The insta-love between Kyle and Antoine is OTT, and the fact Kyle wants to commit suicide after Antoine's death even though they'd only been dating about a month prior is also stupid.

The worst thing about the book is the ridiculous amount of gratuitous sex that I can only imagine was written for the author's own sexual gratification because it does nothing to serve the plot. 
It's a badly strung together compilation of cheesy sex scenes and pointless violence. The protagonist is a vile, abusive maniac but because he's hot, everyone goes weak at the knees and gets a hardon, even when he's in the process of physically beating them up.

Skin is not a thriller, it's basically 50 Shades of Gay but with more racial and homophobic slurs.

I messed up.  I cannot rate this book.  I accepted it by mistake.  It is not the genre that my students read.  I apologize for the mixup.

The final act of Skin makes the story - once the plot drifts into New Orleans Voodoo madness, it becomes more than a seedy slice-of-life about unlikable dancers/hustlers. 

The first half was maddening in its own way, as the only sympathetic character is the murdered boyfriend. The other three characters - Kyle, Marc, and Ash - are varying degrees of racists suffering from internalized homophobia. The reader is drawn into the gritty, oversexed world the characters inhabit, and it's not necessarily a pleasant experience. 

I wish the Voodoo aspect of the book (which was interesting and I would have liked to read more about) was introduced slowly throughout the first part of the book, which would have added some creepy menacing mystery to the setting, foreshadowing what was to come, and giving the plot an overall more holistic feel. More Voodoo!

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed how the story of Kyle, Marc, and Ash's lives came together and hurtled to a manic, bloody climax (so to speak...)

This book was a big letdown for me. I expected a creepy ghost story but there were no ghosts. Marc, who is mentioned to be haunted by a vicious spirit, only encounters something supernatural for maybe 3 times for not longer than the blink of an eye. And one has to get through half of the book before "the spirit" appears for the first time. Early into the book he is in a situation where he wakes up and thinks: "Have I blacked-out again?" and before or after that? His black-outs are never mentioned again. At first I thought, all right, there must be a soirit who is occupying his body at times, hence his blackouts. But as he never has blackouts and as there never is a ghost doing something, I just don't know where the books intention was when they wrote: "Marc, ... , is haunted by an eccentric spirit that shares his dreams,..." What dreams? When?

Skin is - excuse the language - full of sh*t. For the most part there is rape, sexual assault, abusive relationships and an overall hornyness of each and every character. Seriously. I like me some hot scenes but these dudes are completely out of control here. There isn't at least one situation where they don't get "hard ons". For about 70% of this book they are getting it on. And yeah, the language. This book is not for the faint of heart. You have to deal with a lot of derogatory and offending language.

So, expecting a ghost story and a broken lover who lost his companion seeking either revenge or salvation, I felt like being slapped in the face - with a boner I guess. Skin is a very rough, sometimes gross story about a lot of sex that somehow turns into a Voodoo-Thing at the end. While I could have liked the voodoo part it was too little, too late. I actually don't know why I bothered finishing this book as I mostly rolled my eyes and got angry by the constant abuse, blood and semen everywhere. I think I was just hoping that the story would at one point turn from gross to creepy and bring on the actual story.

The pure awesomeness of this story, the OMG I can't stop turning the pages, deserves 5+ stars. I totally wanted to 5 star this from A-V. Then V-Z sailed over my head and I was lost. 

I still have no clue what happened. Thinking I must have had a brain fart, I read the ending twice, I still don't get it. The story went all voodoo paranormal, spirits, dead dogs, or were they? and while I love me some paranormal/otherworldly  happenings, I need to be able to follow along. That didn't happen in this instance, and dammit that fact guts me. 

I urge readers, with no aversion to darker content (non-con messed up shit) to pick this story up, and my fellow book junkies, feel free to explain the ending to this poor simpleton.

Ooooooh yes! Perfect read for this time of year. 

The writing here is just top notch before you even get into the plot. So readable very descriptive, in sharp contrast to the book I just read (thankfully) the scene is set so melodically I truly felt I could see New Orleans but above that I could hear and smell it too. 

The plot. Unsettling. Voodoo spirits, hoodoo hexes, body switching and ressurection. The supernatural elements here (A psychopomp who can work some strong magic!) are strangely real feeling, I could picture them clear as day. The murders were described in a way that wasn't just like "ooh then there was some blood lets move on" but you could wince at every connecting blow. There is a twist in here that I didn't see right up until the reveal, superbly done. I can't say much without spoiling but the ending had me shuddering. 

This is an adult book with adult themes. Sexual assault, graphic scenes and strong language. Some very emotive language being used here definitely not for the easilly offended. Also NOT a happy cookie cutter ending here (yay!)

Not for me.  I don't usually read books from this genre, but when I do I am very picky.  While I am very appreciative of the publisher allowing me a copy to review, this one just didn't tick my boxes when it comes to this genre.  It was me, not the book.

This book reminded me of the great southern horror writer, Poppy Z. Brite, in fact it seems like it would be perfect for fans of her writing, of which I am myself. I love the setting of New Orleans and having horror set there seems so apt, Mr. Baines has done a great job bringing the story to life, I look forward to reading more of his work

I want to start off by saying this book IS NOT for everyone. There are graphic scenes of murder, abuse, knife play/blood play, rape, and repeated use of derogatory language and terms.

The aforementioned warning out of the way, I was completely and totally enthralled with this story. I very much enjoyed it, of course, reading through parts of it was not "fun" in any sense of the word but it all contributed to the story and wove a tale that I will not ever forget. This book is categorized as 'Horror' and it doesn't disappoint. The atmosphere and tone are dark and mysterious - completely and totally perfect for what you are going to experience.

I don't want to go too deep into the meat of the story because a spoiler would completely ruin it and I ain't about all that mess. The story is set in New Orleans, LA - present day. Our MC Kyle, meets the love of his life in a bar and our story builds from there. Voodoo and magic are integral to the plot and I found that part of the story to be fascinating. The author obviously did his homework and it shows in a completely engaging and at times, horrifying way. 

<i>Marc cried out as the animal snapped at him, dropping it onto the ground as its frozen limbs cricked back to life. One paw, then another, each inch of movement seeming a little less difficult and more fluid than the last. The beast's claws clicked along the concrete as it dragged itself forward, faster and faster, building momentum as it covered more ground.</i>

To sum it up, I read this book as fast as I could. I thought about it when I wasn't reading it. This guy can write. I have already added his other books to my TBR list and I'll tackle those with the same alacrity that I scarfed this one down with. If you are a fan of the horror genre and have a tough stomach, buy this. Read it. In the dark. By yourself. Trust me.