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Hurt
A bar that acts as a buffer between two vicious gangs may be an unlikely place to save a soul…
The Sunspot is not the kind of place anyone wants to end up. Straddling the territories between two of the most vicious gangs in the country, it serves as neutral ground. A place for mediocre beer served with a side of anonymity.
Kurt Beckett was born under a bad sign with tragedy in his blood. In the trenches of his parent’s heavy expectations, he and his sisters formed a bond. They were all they had. Until a horrific accident takes his parents and his older sister’s lives. Suddenly responsible for the crumbling remnants of his family, his parent’s mistakes have come to haunt him. Beaten, abused, and bloody, he finds a spot of warmth in The Sunspots neon glow.
Grant Weaver is the leader of the infamous Weaver Syndicate. He’s cool, calculating, and vicious. The only thing quicker than his mind is his blade. Grant’s only priority is growing his gang’s power—until he meets Kurt. An accidental encounter in the bar leaves Grant bewitched by the man, and his loyalties in question.
But Kurt is not just a surly bar tender—he might be the spark that lights the fire between two gangs already at each other’s throats. Grant will have to question everything he’s ever known, and Kurt will have to choose between happiness with Grant…and keeping his family safe.
The Sunspot is not the kind of place anyone wants to end up. Straddling the territories between two of the most vicious gangs in the country, it serves as neutral ground. A place for mediocre beer served with a side of anonymity.
Kurt Beckett was born under a bad sign with tragedy in his blood. In the trenches of his parent’s heavy expectations, he and his sisters formed a bond. They were all they had. Until a horrific accident takes his parents and his older sister’s lives. Suddenly responsible for the crumbling remnants of his family, his parent’s mistakes have come to haunt him. Beaten, abused, and bloody, he finds a spot of warmth in The Sunspots neon glow.
Grant Weaver is the leader of the infamous Weaver Syndicate. He’s cool, calculating, and vicious. The only thing quicker than his mind is his blade. Grant’s only priority is growing his gang’s power—until he meets Kurt. An accidental encounter in the bar leaves Grant bewitched by the man, and his loyalties in question.
But Kurt is not just a surly bar tender—he might be the spark that lights the fire between two gangs already at each other’s throats. Grant will have to question everything he’s ever known, and Kurt will have to choose between happiness with Grant…and keeping his family safe.
584 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 12, 2022
20 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline McCall
7 books23 followersJacqueline McCall is a displaced Texan, living on a farm in Central Florida. Raised as an only child by a single mother, she was often left alone. To fill her time, she picked up reading. When hyper fixating on characters wasn’t enough, she started creating her own. Like her characters, she never pulls punches. Preferring to write characters that aren’t being rescued by the knight on the white horse, but rather a beaten, bloody, morally grey savior.
Basically nocturnal, she prefers long naps behind blackout curtains and energy drinks. She can never remember keyboard short cuts and hates when her phone updates. When not writing, she enjoys riding her horses, being judged by cats, and cursing.
Basically nocturnal, she prefers long naps behind blackout curtains and energy drinks. She can never remember keyboard short cuts and hates when her phone updates. When not writing, she enjoys riding her horses, being judged by cats, and cursing.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 5, 2022
Wow, I don't even know how to start on this review. When I saw it on Booksirens and read an excerpt, I was fascinated by it. It's not really a book for the faint of heart, there is on page torture, so please be warned.
Also, the story isn't really centered on just 2 MC's, at least that's my opinion. We get to follow more persons in the story which made it rather interesting to me.
A small summary of a few persons in the book:
The main MC's are Kurt and Grant. Kurt is working as a bartender in The Sunspot, a shady bar that is the neutral ground between two rival gangs. He's grumpy, withdrawn, hates his life and you can take that very literally. He comes from a musical family where music was everything. His parents hated him and pretended he didn't excist. After the death of his parents and older sister, he takes custody of his younger sister Willow and his nephew Noah. In the beginning of the story I had a real hard time warming up to him, but once I learned more about his background and -story, I felt heartbroken for him.
Grant is second in command of the Weaver Syndicate. He comes to the bar one evening and hears Kurt play the guitar and sing. He's immediately smitten. To say their relationship is going smoothly is a HUGE understatement. Kurt wants nothing to do with Grant in the beginning due to other things happening in his life, but Grant is persistent.
Willow is Kurt's adopted sister and a musical prodigy. She gave up everything after her parents death to stay with Kurt and Noah. She's a dancer in The Sunspot and will to just about everything to stay with Kurt. When she meets Robert her whole life changes.
Robert is Grants brother, and smitten about Willow. He's extremely introverted, hard and cruel but has a heart of gold for Willow.
Noah is Kurt and Willow's nephew. He's the Heir of another rival gang, but wants nothing to do with them. Years ago he was sent to his uncle, the leader of that gang, by Kurt for his own protection. Unfortunatly Noah doesn't see it that way and keeps running away back to Kurt and Willow.
There's so much going on in the book that it's really hard to give a full review. It's gritty, cruel, heartbreakingly tender at moments and it kept me glued to the pages.
Even though I started reading reluctantly, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised and definitely look forward to the next book in the series which will be Jamie's.
I apologize to the author and the readers for this rather weird review, but I find it difficult to give the book the justice it deserves. My only nagging point is that the editing could have been better, but that's just me.
*I received an advanced copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
Also, the story isn't really centered on just 2 MC's, at least that's my opinion. We get to follow more persons in the story which made it rather interesting to me.
A small summary of a few persons in the book:
The main MC's are Kurt and Grant. Kurt is working as a bartender in The Sunspot, a shady bar that is the neutral ground between two rival gangs. He's grumpy, withdrawn, hates his life and you can take that very literally. He comes from a musical family where music was everything. His parents hated him and pretended he didn't excist. After the death of his parents and older sister, he takes custody of his younger sister Willow and his nephew Noah. In the beginning of the story I had a real hard time warming up to him, but once I learned more about his background and -story, I felt heartbroken for him.
Grant is second in command of the Weaver Syndicate. He comes to the bar one evening and hears Kurt play the guitar and sing. He's immediately smitten. To say their relationship is going smoothly is a HUGE understatement. Kurt wants nothing to do with Grant in the beginning due to other things happening in his life, but Grant is persistent.
Willow is Kurt's adopted sister and a musical prodigy. She gave up everything after her parents death to stay with Kurt and Noah. She's a dancer in The Sunspot and will to just about everything to stay with Kurt. When she meets Robert her whole life changes.
Robert is Grants brother, and smitten about Willow. He's extremely introverted, hard and cruel but has a heart of gold for Willow.
Noah is Kurt and Willow's nephew. He's the Heir of another rival gang, but wants nothing to do with them. Years ago he was sent to his uncle, the leader of that gang, by Kurt for his own protection. Unfortunatly Noah doesn't see it that way and keeps running away back to Kurt and Willow.
There's so much going on in the book that it's really hard to give a full review. It's gritty, cruel, heartbreakingly tender at moments and it kept me glued to the pages.
Even though I started reading reluctantly, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised and definitely look forward to the next book in the series which will be Jamie's.
I apologize to the author and the readers for this rather weird review, but I find it difficult to give the book the justice it deserves. My only nagging point is that the editing could have been better, but that's just me.
*I received an advanced copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
October 2, 2022
I was a little hesitant in starting this book as I am not a fan of gang/mafia type stories but I'm REALLY glad I did. It's complicated, messy, lots of violence and torture on-page and lengthy, but absolutely worth reading. The characters are complex and beautifully written, the plots and subplots were good, and especially the feels from the last chapters kept me awake half the night. It's definitely gone onto my reread pile.
I was received an advance reader copy for free, and am happy to leave a voluntary review.
I was received an advance reader copy for free, and am happy to leave a voluntary review.
September 24, 2022
I must say that by just reading Hurt, Jacqueline McCall is an amazing writer. This novel had incredible realism - dark, Mafia fiction but with incredible realism with well-developed characters and well-written plot and subplots.
dnf
August 19, 2022After 130 pages of empty words, of Kurt and Grant almost not interacting if not , which was kind of lame in my opinion, I decided to call it quits. This book is clearly not for me.
The concept is very good, to be honest. I love books about gangs and morally gray characters, and this kind of setting in particular - the Sunspot, the neutral ground, the decadent haven in the middle of nowhere - has a lot of potential.
But the writing has some major issues, the first being the head-hopping. It was no joke, sometimes it made me seasick.
The second issue is the tense(s). I don't know if it was deliberate (there are some authors who think that the feeling is more important than the grammar) but the seasickness only increased because the tense kept going back and forth from past to present.
And if I have to be fussy, the blurb is misleading: it only talks about Grant and Kurt, but a lot happens from other characters' perspective, to the point that at 20% of the book we only have, like, three scenes from Grant's point of view. And isn't he one of the main characters? I think it should be mentioned.
The concept is very good, to be honest. I love books about gangs and morally gray characters, and this kind of setting in particular - the Sunspot, the neutral ground, the decadent haven in the middle of nowhere - has a lot of potential.
But the writing has some major issues, the first being the head-hopping. It was no joke, sometimes it made me seasick.
The second issue is the tense(s). I don't know if it was deliberate (there are some authors who think that the feeling is more important than the grammar) but the seasickness only increased because the tense kept going back and forth from past to present.
And if I have to be fussy, the blurb is misleading: it only talks about Grant and Kurt, but a lot happens from other characters' perspective, to the point that at 20% of the book we only have, like, three scenes from Grant's point of view. And isn't he one of the main characters? I think it should be mentioned.
June 21, 2024
An outstanding tale from a true storyteller.
This is truly one of the best told stories I've ever read.
First thing I'll mention, make sure to heed the trigger warnings in the summary, as this is a rough tale. Some parts of the story are absolutely gutting, but I wouldn't have it any other way. There's such feeling, such emotion and grit to the characters. We watch them suffer and bleed, we cry for them and sometimes with them, and we are rewarded when we see them rally and win. I love stories that get to me so much that I have to toss the book aside for a moment to collect myself...and then scramble to pick it back up again because I have to know what's going to happen next. This one delivers.
Another thing I like about this book is that it really leans into realism. Trauma hurts and leaves permanent scars. Things don't just magically get better, but rather people must exercise patience and fortitude and dig deep within themselves to find hope, sometimes after finding none upon a first attempt. This is a tale of destruction and pain and redemption, of care and love and strength.
The only downside I can mention is that there are some typos scattered throughout. If you are sensitive to the rare misuse of grammar or the wrong name or pronoun used on occasion, this may not be the book for you. However, if like me you value a moving story much more than perfection, then I cannot recommend this enough.
I am a huge fan of this author, and I will absolutely buy everything that she publishes.
This is truly one of the best told stories I've ever read.
First thing I'll mention, make sure to heed the trigger warnings in the summary, as this is a rough tale. Some parts of the story are absolutely gutting, but I wouldn't have it any other way. There's such feeling, such emotion and grit to the characters. We watch them suffer and bleed, we cry for them and sometimes with them, and we are rewarded when we see them rally and win. I love stories that get to me so much that I have to toss the book aside for a moment to collect myself...and then scramble to pick it back up again because I have to know what's going to happen next. This one delivers.
Another thing I like about this book is that it really leans into realism. Trauma hurts and leaves permanent scars. Things don't just magically get better, but rather people must exercise patience and fortitude and dig deep within themselves to find hope, sometimes after finding none upon a first attempt. This is a tale of destruction and pain and redemption, of care and love and strength.
The only downside I can mention is that there are some typos scattered throughout. If you are sensitive to the rare misuse of grammar or the wrong name or pronoun used on occasion, this may not be the book for you. However, if like me you value a moving story much more than perfection, then I cannot recommend this enough.
I am a huge fan of this author, and I will absolutely buy everything that she publishes.
January 7, 2023
I loved this book. . . but be sure to carefully review the Trigger Warnings. There is blood, on page torture, and rough violence.
Now that I have said all that, despite all the morally gray (and almost black in a few cases) characters. . . I loved them all. Grant and Kurt are the only ones featured in the summary, but they did a disservice to the readers by not at least mentioning the others that make such an impact: Willow, Noah, and Robert to start. The world in which Grant and Kurt reside is not the two of them alone. The author has created and entire community for them to interact with. . . which I greatly appreciated.
I liked the Sunspot as a setting. A neutral bar for opposing factions and gangs to parley was a great premise to introduce Grant and Kurt to each other. I wanted more action in the bar, to be honest.
I am eagerly awaiting the next volume of this series.
* I received and eARC from the publisher via BookSirens. This review is entirely my own and freely given.*
Now that I have said all that, despite all the morally gray (and almost black in a few cases) characters. . . I loved them all. Grant and Kurt are the only ones featured in the summary, but they did a disservice to the readers by not at least mentioning the others that make such an impact: Willow, Noah, and Robert to start. The world in which Grant and Kurt reside is not the two of them alone. The author has created and entire community for them to interact with. . . which I greatly appreciated.
I liked the Sunspot as a setting. A neutral bar for opposing factions and gangs to parley was a great premise to introduce Grant and Kurt to each other. I wanted more action in the bar, to be honest.
I am eagerly awaiting the next volume of this series.
* I received and eARC from the publisher via BookSirens. This review is entirely my own and freely given.*
January 23, 2023
This book is FRIGGIN AWESOME! The storyline is really intense and kept me unable to put the book down! So much going on with so many characters, but it flows so smoothly that you never get overwhelmed or lost!
The characters jump off of the pages and I could actually hear them talking they were so extremely well written! They also cover such a wide range of personalities that it just really makes it that much more interesting!
I thought thought that the first book I read by Ms. McCall, Delta Delta Flyboy was amazing and I'm just blown away that this was even more intense and I love it even more!
If you can't tell, I highly recommend this book!
There's a few things that may be triggers though so please read the description of the book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The characters jump off of the pages and I could actually hear them talking they were so extremely well written! They also cover such a wide range of personalities that it just really makes it that much more interesting!
I thought thought that the first book I read by Ms. McCall, Delta Delta Flyboy was amazing and I'm just blown away that this was even more intense and I love it even more!
If you can't tell, I highly recommend this book!
There's a few things that may be triggers though so please read the description of the book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 25, 2023
3.5?
La cosa positiva delle fanfiction è che i personaggi si conoscono già, si legge una storia conoscendo già una base preesistente, che sia di ambientazione o per i personaggi. Quanto una fanfiction diventa libro indipendente non si deve dare per scontato che le persone che arrivano a leggerlo come tale non conoscano a loro volta queste basi. Quello che succede con questo libro è che rispetto alla versione fanfiction, sono solo stati cambiati i nomi, e non vengono date al lettore le nozioni che servono per comprendere appieno la lore di base.
Non per questo è una brutta lettura, forse con un po’ di tell di troppo, con alcune scene un poco inverosimili, ma tratta tematiche molti pesanti e lo fa bene.
Mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere una versione più rifinita di questa storia, ma sono comunque soddisfatta.
La cosa positiva delle fanfiction è che i personaggi si conoscono già, si legge una storia conoscendo già una base preesistente, che sia di ambientazione o per i personaggi. Quanto una fanfiction diventa libro indipendente non si deve dare per scontato che le persone che arrivano a leggerlo come tale non conoscano a loro volta queste basi. Quello che succede con questo libro è che rispetto alla versione fanfiction, sono solo stati cambiati i nomi, e non vengono date al lettore le nozioni che servono per comprendere appieno la lore di base.
Non per questo è una brutta lettura, forse con un po’ di tell di troppo, con alcune scene un poco inverosimili, ma tratta tematiche molti pesanti e lo fa bene.
Mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere una versione più rifinita di questa storia, ma sono comunque soddisfatta.
December 6, 2022
This book is nothing less than stunning. It is over 600 pages. I read it in two sittings. It is spellbinding.
The characters are deep and vary in morality from blackest ebony to gray at best. But with the exception of the two most evil characters, you are rooting for these iffy people to have happy endings.
McCall is an exceptional writer. Instead of saying Kurt is depressed, she describes him watching someone happy and musing to himself that being happy is "suspicious as hell." Instead of simply saying he is not a good person, one character reports his day's activities including "shopping for bell peppers with the blood of three people under my fingernails."
The book is violent and describes sexual abuse in detail. Please read and heed the trigger warnings.
The characters are deep and vary in morality from blackest ebony to gray at best. But with the exception of the two most evil characters, you are rooting for these iffy people to have happy endings.
McCall is an exceptional writer. Instead of saying Kurt is depressed, she describes him watching someone happy and musing to himself that being happy is "suspicious as hell." Instead of simply saying he is not a good person, one character reports his day's activities including "shopping for bell peppers with the blood of three people under my fingernails."
The book is violent and describes sexual abuse in detail. Please read and heed the trigger warnings.
October 31, 2022
Jacqueline is excellent at writing a love story. This is a book with violence and torture, fear and obsession, but best of all love. Kurt and Grant, Willow and Roland, Noah and Elijah all find each other through a bar called Sunspot. It was intense and absorbing in a gang related war that tried to tear them apart. It is not filled with sex scenes but rather filled with overwhelming devotion, want and need. This is the second book of hers I have read and it was even better than the first. She knows how to make you feel, cry and want so badly for the characters to find happiness. I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary opinion.
December 24, 2022
Beautiful and Tragic
This book messed me up big time! Reading some of the reviews I didn’t realize how much this book would draw me in. I HIGHLY recommend anyone reading this to read the trigger warnings. This book is not for the faint of heart. It’s tragic, it’s beautiful, and it keeps you invested till the very last page. Jacqueline McCall did an amazing job from the very first page. While sometimes it was hard to follow which character you were reading about I found it didn’t matter and eventually I got so invested in the characters I could tell with one sentence who’s POV I was reading. An amazing book and I can not recommend it enough. READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS!!
This book messed me up big time! Reading some of the reviews I didn’t realize how much this book would draw me in. I HIGHLY recommend anyone reading this to read the trigger warnings. This book is not for the faint of heart. It’s tragic, it’s beautiful, and it keeps you invested till the very last page. Jacqueline McCall did an amazing job from the very first page. While sometimes it was hard to follow which character you were reading about I found it didn’t matter and eventually I got so invested in the characters I could tell with one sentence who’s POV I was reading. An amazing book and I can not recommend it enough. READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS!!
September 11, 2022
This is the story of Kurt and Grant. It is the first book in the Glow in the Desert series. This is not a light read and please read the trigger warnings. This book is an emotional roller coaster and raw and gritty. The characters, both main and secondary are amazing. The storyline is complicated and keeps you riveted to the pages. I can't wait for the next installment. Definitely recommended.
I received this book as an Arc and I am happily reviewing it voluntarily.
I received this book as an Arc and I am happily reviewing it voluntarily.
May 3, 2025
Messy yet beautiful, a story about survival, love and acceptance, that there is light at thexendcof the tunnel. A very realistic storytelling, slowburn, Adequate character development and less mindless sexy time. It's a masterpiece in itself.
p.s- there are few to a lot of typos and you need to roll with it.
p.s- there are few to a lot of typos and you need to roll with it.
August 15, 2022
Nabouchane emocemi!
June 22, 2025
Does it hurt? Like hell!
Do I like it? You have no idea.
This book has everything:
Great writing. I experienced what the character felt. And it was not pleasant or cute, but it was real. I can hardly think of another book where I experienced the same thing.
Flawed characters. There is not a single character that is perfect. But you will not find badly written characters either. Just people. With guns,
Humor. ✨Jamie ✨
Angst. I cried so many times you have no idea.
Healing. I found this story before its book version and fell in love with it. That time was quite dark for me, and this story was what I needed. It helped me a lot, especially helped me to heal.
So, in other words, the author is psychotic and sadistic, and I love her for it.
Do I like it? You have no idea.
This book has everything:
Great writing. I experienced what the character felt. And it was not pleasant or cute, but it was real. I can hardly think of another book where I experienced the same thing.
Flawed characters. There is not a single character that is perfect. But you will not find badly written characters either. Just people. With guns,
Humor. ✨Jamie ✨
Angst. I cried so many times you have no idea.
Healing. I found this story before its book version and fell in love with it. That time was quite dark for me, and this story was what I needed. It helped me a lot, especially helped me to heal.
So, in other words, the author is psychotic and sadistic, and I love her for it.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews