Stained

Stained #1

by Jessica McBrayer

Thorn works after dark. That’s when she combines her gifts as a tattoo artist and her powers as a natural born witch to weave magick into her ink. Her tattoo parlor, Stained, on Berkeley’s quirky Telegraph Avenue draws clients from all walks of life. Her work is in high demand from the supernatural community and the undead.

With her raven familiar, Thorn’s been on the run all her adult life. She won’t talk about why. She only wants to practice her art in peace. But when a murderer targets her clients, Sé, a tall, dark and Irish detective is assigned to investigate. They must trust each other and survive the cat and mouse game that ensues.

Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Witches, Paranormal Romance

274 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2011

About the author

Jessica McBrayer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. She enjoys reading voraciously as well as writing and is often daydreaming about her next book. A die-hard San Jose Sharks fan, you can find her during hockey season wearing her favorite player’s name on the back of her jersey and yelling at the TV. She never wants to find out what the world would be like without hockey in it.

You can connect with Jessica by emailing jessica@jessicamcbrayer.com

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Be sure to visit www.jessicamcbrayer.com for info on new releases, bonus material and inside information on characters from Jessica’s books.

Don’t miss Jessica’s next book, Jude Sweet Fire - the first book in her new series, Savannah Heat, a hockey romance series chock-full of hunky men, the women that steal their hearts, and all the best feels.

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a debut novel and it shows - but I'm going to cut it some slack and give it three rather than two stars for that reason as it did keep me more or less entertained despite its flaws.
Thorn's magic is interesting and probably the most original aspect of this book, which otherwise consists of a bunch of very run-of-the-mill Urban Fantasy elements. Both plot and characters lacked depth - the cardboard villain and the ridiculously unhinged FBI agent in particular had the complexity and subtlety of 5min caricatures, and none of the others were what I'd call well-rounded either. A lot of the plot hinged on characters behaving erratically and nonsensically (none of these LEOs ought to be anywhere a criminal investigation, for starters). The writing is all telling, no showing, which didn't improve the overall impression.
Not terrible for a debut overall, but I feel no urge to pick up the sequel. 2.5/5

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, which was written by a former student and debater of mine when she was in high school....is excellent! I loved that it was a bit of a love story, too. I couldn't wait to get back to it each day. I liked that Thorn, the main character, was a strong woman, yet a vulnerable woman, too. She could take care of herself, but liked her man to be a man, and be there for her, also. The villain, Caleb, well, let's just say, I didn't think they got him in the end. I had a feeling he wasn't down and out....really! I am anxiously looking forward to a second book in this series. Thorn and Se will be strong characters, helping each other out through all kinds of adventures, I suspect. Oh, and I wasn't sure I'd like the witchcraft "stuff," but I did! It seems Jesse researched it well and made it really believable! Thanks, Jesse, for making me a proud former teacher. You are a fine writer, my dear!

[Wes Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admittedly, this is not the kind of book I would typically read when left to my own devices, but I had the good fortune of receiving this book from Goodreads First Reads giveaway and I was game for it. Stained has all the elements of a fast-paced, seedy, murderous thriller. It is also a very extreme "good vs. evil" story (extreme in that the characters are overwhelmingly good or evil, there is no real obfuscation). And while witchcraft is what sets this apart from most mystery genre books, all the other elements are the same. There's also some vampires, which, "thank the Godess", don't appear very often, except to highten tensions with the main characters. I mentioned that this book was fast-paced and it is actually so much so that it works to the novel's detrement; perhaps no more so than, and here I must say *SPOILER ALERT*, the final showdown between Thorn and Caleb, good and evil respectively, which only lasts about a page and a half. Overall, Stained is a good debut novel and McBrayer should continue to entertain readers of the genre for novels to come.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I opened the kindle edition, I knew I was going to love this book. A strong, smart, intelligent, talented female witch with a conscience as a tattoo artist who uses her art to help people? Sold! Combined with the fast paced, yet incredibly detailed plot line with a story arc that I never saw coming, fabulously well developed characters (including a hysterical raven familiar), and a distinct lack of heavy romance / love triangles and McBrayer has a winner on her hands. As a stand alone novel, it's fabulous, but the ending is wide open for a follow up, which I hope is in the works!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it hoping she has another book out soon would def buy it
worth every penny

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

To the average person, Thorn appears to be your average tattoo artist. She does great work on tattoos and has a long waiting list of customers waiting to get their next ink fix. What people don't know is that she is actually a witch. Not only that but some of her "special" customers want an enchanted talisman worked into their tattoo for protection, wealth etc. However, when her "special" customers start becoming targets of a serial killer whom cuts out these talisman, Thorn is not only in danger because it is clear that the killer is taunting her but she's also a suspect in the local authorities eyes.

Thorn was a pretty interesting character. You would think with being a tattoo artist, riding a bike and being a witch that she would be this kick-ass character but she's really not. She's been on the run for quite some time and really doesn't like trouble. There is even a scene where she gets the crap kicked out of her and just sort of takes the beating without using her spells for fear of revealing herself as a witch.

Then you have Se, the sexy Irish detective. I found his character to be really intriguing. He comes in when the murders pop up to ask Thorn a couple of questions. He instantly knows that she's a witch since he has the "sight", his grandmother was a witch so he grew up around it. He tries to stay as professional as he can when it comes to Thorn but when she becomes the #1 suspect, he warns Thorn that they are coming to arrest her to give her time to run. There was just something about his character that I really liked.

I thought for McBrayar's debut novel, that she did a great job. I really liked the idea of the story and felt that as a whole it was pretty good. It held my attention the entire time and I found myself staying up at night just to get to the end of the story. However, there were a couple of problems I had with the book. One, there were grammar issues in the story and second, I found some of the dialogue to be a bit choppy in some spots. Some of the things the characters said just didn't seem real to me, as if it came from a play or something. However, that didn't ruin the story for me but it did keep me from getting 100% engrossed in the story. I definitely enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

Favorite part...
Thorn has a familiar whom is a Raven. The raven can talk into her mind and can speak and understand English. When Se and Scettico show up at Thorn's apartment door Raven takes that opportunity to let Scettico know what he thinks of him.
Raven flew from his perch and Scettico suddenly had a foul streak down his suit. Se coughed, a sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
"Raven!" Thorn admonished
"Pretty bird, Pretty bird." Raven sang

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

www.the-book-diaries.blogspot.com

Thorn is a tattoo artist that just happens to be a witch. She is the only tattoo artist that can tattoo vampires, because of her healing magick. When her supernatural customers start to turn up dead, Thorn becomes the #1 suspect. She is the last person to see them alive. Se, a detective investigating the murders, has an instant attraction to Thorn and trys to help clear her of the murders. Thorn will not only need her own magick but the magick of her dead grandmother and the help of her loved ones. This book has a good story and has great flow. The book pulls you in and you want to keep reading. Thorn is a strong female that has been on her own for a long time. Se, is a strong male character that has gentlemen qualities which you don’t see too much in male characters, he’s just a genuine good guy. There are secrets with all the characters which makes the story even better. Everyone has their own agenda.

[Lyndac · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I started this book as an Irish BDSM challenge. When I got to over half the book and there hadn't even been a kiss yet, I had made a bad choice for the challenge. I was so into the book though that I finished and am glad I did. Thorn is a tattoo artist who happens to be a witch and blends talisman into her designs. Someone starts to murder her customers and remove only the enchanted part of the tattoo. Enter the hunky cop.

The story is solid and fairly well written. There were a couple of times that I felt Thorn was a cross between Nancy Drew & Hermione Granger. Very polite, sometimes too polite IMO and knowledgeable about her magic. A couple of TSTL moments, but all and all an enjoyable story.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening of this book made me cringe and question whether or not I should continue. I am so glad I did. This book held my attention and kept me wanting more. I really like the characters and the way the author included magic, vampires, and Irish culture. There was just enough romance to satisfy the itch for it without it turning into a romance novel. The ending was OK, this book could turn into a series if the author wanted. I would definitely read more from this author.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good Urban Fantasy. The witchcraft was treated respectfully and the description of characters and setting was excellent. There are some errors which a good editor would have found, but nothing too distracting. It is set up to be an ongoing series although the end of the book is not a horrible cliffhanger - I really hate those!

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and hope that the author decides to make this into a series. I feel that there is more to this story, and the book ends open ended... I bought it on kindle and I'm keeping it in my librabry.

[Marik Berghs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really love the characters and hope this is a beginning of a series. Nice premise and lots of urban fantasy, which I especially enjoy. I love the raven, no spoiler, just saying. This is an enjoyable read with colorful details and a hideous villain. Interesting setting, spooky serial killer, vampires from San Francisco, tattoo parlor on Telegraph Avenue, what's not to love? Did I mention a touch of voodoo? Two sympathetic characters overcoming their mutual mistrust to catch a killer and save their loved ones. Jessica McBrayer's first novel Stained is a good read. She pulls all the threads together for a satisfying resolution.

[Marsha Mundstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book! Hadn't done much reading in awhile....when I started this book, I could not stop. I had to hide my iPad to get other things done! It was an easy fast read for me. No boring lulls. Would recommend this book for anyone.
Marsha M.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's a story about a tattoo artist/witch who is being stalked for her magical abilities. The story line is unique, yes it's a witch story but how the author chose to go about it is quite fascinating. The characters are people you want to know and feel attached to. I am excited to find out what happens next in this series. I listened to the book on audible and was sucked in by the narrator. She did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. Her voice matched what you imagined in your head. This is a great power duo of author and narrator.

[Lynall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense

I really enjoyed this mystery thriller paranormal romance. I thought Thorn was an excellent character and I really enjoyed Se and Raven too. The bad guy is creepy and evil, and this is a great story to read.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book!

Loved the mystery, romance and of course the magical essence that was all mixed in wonderfully. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Tarra · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beautiful cover and book blurb really pulled me in. Witches, vampires, tattoos! I'm game. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations. I keep vacillating between two and three stars. I like the concept and ideas behind this UF book, but so many things didn't work for me. You can read my comments to get my stream of conscious rantings.

As said, I liked the idea. Pretty cool about a witch who weaves spells into her clients tattoos. Irish magic backdrop, I'm always ready to read stories with Irish lore. Hot Irish cop. Really, need I say more about that? I liked the spells at the beginning of each chapter, I thought that was a nice touch.

(BTW, the cover, though beautiful, after reading, you find out it has nothing to do with the book. I hate when that happens).

There were several times that I wanted to give up and skim to the end. But I didn't, which is probably why I'll round up my star rating. This book kept my interest, but as it went on I found myself rolling my eyes more and more (I just wrote that and the first thought was Christian Grey is going to spank me, different book, I digress).

The dialogue was terrible. It sounded like really bad soap opera writing. Every character was melodramatic. I envisioned these characters punctuating every statement with Joey from Friends "smell a fart" acting look. Every character sounded the same. There was a lot of dialogue, and it really was irritating by the end.

The characters were not dynamic enough. They really didn't change or grow at the end. The good guys were really good and the bad guys were bad. Kind of made them boring. I was expecting Thorn to be a badass. She was so mild, centered, peaceful. I wanted to see some rage after so many people in her life have been murdered being associated with her. Nope. Nada. Barely any remorse from her. She doesn't even want to kill the baddie in the end because she just wants to be peaceful. And for a woman who is a martial arts master, we are told many times, she never kicked any butts. What's the purpose of making her a master if she'll never use her skills?

Thorn and Se had a typical quickie book romance. They go from meeting to "I love you" in no time. But I didn't see much of what would connect them outside of the threatening situation they were thrown into. By the time I started to like them together and root for them, it was over. This book is definitely not overly romantic. And the loves scenes are pretty much non existent. This was different, especially for a UF novel. I had to re-read their first time a couple of times to figure out if they actually did the deed.

Both Thorn and Se had interesting histories. I would have liked for their pasts to be explored more.

Nitpicking, but I wish we were told how she got the name Thorn. At one point the cop is checking her background and says, "Just Thorn. No last name." Weird. Especially when we find out that her half brother has the last name Jones. Plain and simple. And I didn't like the Celtic name Se. We are told (thank goodness) that it's pronounced Shay. But it threw me off every time I read it. In fact, I would have preferred her named Shay and him named Thorn.

Yep, there were vampires in this book. They didn't do much.

The ending was short. We are told who the bad guy is early on. Left wide open for future books. I think the bones of this book were there, but for me I needed more of the right kind of filler.

[Becky Shambley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Stained" is an enjoyable, colorful and astonishingly well written novel. As someone with a background in Paganism, I was overwhelmed by the author's obvious efforts to getting the details of a witch's practices correct. While the book is fantasy, there are many books that take creative license beyond the relate-able. such is not the case with this book. Ms. McBrayer's research and hard work shine through in the spells that preface each chapter, the descriptions of the traditions passed from one generation to the next, and yet, the information is never dry.
I could sit and reiterate what the book is about, because I do so love the heroine, Thorn, and think that Se (pronounced Shay), her man, is truly hot, but frankly, i think it is more important how the book made me feel. Having health issues, I use reading to distract myself, and this book is so easy to immerse yourself in, and yet is never, ever, simple. You must be intelligent to read this, thanks to the lack of 'dumbing down' that many authors choose to do with subjects that may not be something super familiar for most. This author obviously knows the value of creating a vision with words that allows you to 'see' the images.
So if someone was to ask me if I recommend this book, my answer would be a resounding yes. With few writing errors, truly colorful characters, and altogether interesting subjects, this would appeal to anyone with a taste for fantasy/mystery/romance. My thanks to the author for sharing her abundant talent with those of us needing that escape!!!

[Alix · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really know how to rate this book. I didn't detest it... but nor did I enjoy it really. I kept picking it up and downing a chapter or two, then putting it down for a few days while I read other things, before returning to it - simply to get it finished.

It kind of felt - a lot at times - like I'd picked up book two or three in a series without realizing it, and had just tried to jump right in. But this isn't book two or three in a series, so that really puzzled me. It just felt like a lot of necessary depth was missing from the plot, which made it incredibly hard to get into.

Along with that, there was a serious um... issue... with the dialogue between characters. As in, there was little to no emotion or inflection at all. It kind of read a lot like "This is my dog Spot. Spot is a good dog." if that makes any sense. It was just very flat at times, alternating with very erm... emotive and Days of Our Lives-ish for no reason... at times.

I don't know. I'm rambling out a review here because I'm not sure what exactly it was that made this book 'meh' for me, just that something (or some things) definitely did, which is mildly irking, because the synopsis has serious potential, and the cover art is gorg.

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good fun read. It had me hooked, despite issues with grammar and sentence structure and the occasional word that felt thrown in there from a dictionary. I would love to put a good editor on this book, because I feel that then it could really blossom.

I liked the idea of a witch using her magic in tattooing, because, like my Celtic ancestors, I think tattooing can be a spiritual process, and involve transformation, helping you take charge of your own skin and bring out who you are. I liked everything about her process of tattooing. The aspects of magical practice were all well written, although I was not such a fan of the magical fights. The love interest was a typical one, but I liked him. I also thought the summoning spell was well done.

There were moments when I wanted to shake the characters and tell them not to do certain things, but I get that with a lot of stories. I was also frustrated that it ended up in the air. All in all, I enjoyed this story, and read most of it in one night. If not for the grammar and occasional word choice, it probably would have got 4 stars.

[Christyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it! A mix of paranormal, fantasy, suspense and romance, Stained was well written with strong characters and a strong plot. The idea behind Thorn working magic into tattoo's was interesting on it's own, with someone cutting off the talisman's she's worked into her art for a nefarious purpose was even more curious. People tend to form perceptions based on superficial aspects, but they would be quite wrong about Thorn. Thorn was a strong, multi-layered character that I was fascinated by and enjoyed getting to know. Raven, her familiar was also great. Se was a great male lead to the isolated Thorn, intelligent, good instincts, loyal, a genuinely good man. I really enjoyed seeing the story unfold and the characters come to life.

I was completely engrossed from start to finish. I was pleased that we got glimpses into both Thorn and Se's perspective's as it allowed me to get to know both of them. I would've liked a firmer wrap up but the ending with Caleb fit with what I've come to know about Thorn and her character. It also leads to the tantalizing possibility of a sequel. 5 Stars!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book because a facebook friend said it was on Kindle for free for a week or so. It was her sister's book. I was pleasantly surprised. It is a metaphysical type book - in other words it is about magic. And they take the magic part seriously - it is just part of the character's life. That being said, it wasn't the sort of magic based fiction I have read before. I enjoyed this immensely and truly hope this author puts out more books like it. I loved the relationships between the characters (including the main character's "familiar") and I loved the basic story line. A great twist on this "type" of book.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good solid story about witches, with a little bit of vampires thrown in. The main character, Thorn, is a witch who owns a tattoo parlor. I really enjoyed the first few chapters, getting to know Thorn, and getting the plot of the serial killer set up. But then, the story evolved into a basic hunt for the serial killer, with Thorn becoming both a target, and the only person who can stop the killer. Overall the book was an enjoyable read.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I giggled, I held my breath... Great story line, plenty of action and a nice twist. I recommend this book if you like magickal read and a variety of characters w/ unique personalities. & the raven rocks! Aside from being able to read this free (Thanks to Ms. McBrayer), the book is really good. I normally read historical fiction, but lately I have found my reading expanding to the unexpected but very welcome!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it. Just now I looked at a review and the person thought that there was not enough angst from the killer--pooh! They rarely think that they will get caught or else they simply think that they are immune to punishment (former jail nurse). I was interested in the way that the author treated the issue of witchcraft, and found the romance angle to be a bonus. I read the audio edition and really enjoyed the performance by Valerie Gilbert.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book combined some of the worst urban fantasy tropes of recent years. It had a "plucky" female heroine, a "tough guy" love interest, useless vampires and one of the worst magic "systems" I've ever read.

I wanted to like it, i truly did, but I couldn't. It had potential, and lived up to none of it.

[Christa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept for a book. Thought I would really enjoy this but instead found myself putting it down and picking back up. The climax was extremely short and the writing was driving me crazy. I finally pushed through to the end. It's safe to say I won't be reading the second one whenever it comes out.

[Lavenia Otts · Rating 5 out of 5]

an interesting paranormal series

Stained is about another witch named Storm. She is a tattoo artist near Berkeley, California. She is being stalked by a dark witch. Great storyline.

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, wheres then next one, I can't wait.

[Ashley Mayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stained was an okay story. It was a little slow and the characters were predictable but there was some interesting parts to the story.