Review by Jodi: Sacrifces by Chris T. Kat

Title: Sacrifices (A Jeff Woods Mystery) 
Author: Chris T. Kat
Publisher: click logo to purchase from pubisher

Rating: 4.5/5 Smooches

Blurb: 

Sequel to Attachment Strings

A Jeff Woods Mystery

When he was outed on the local news, Jeff Woods gave up his dream job as a detective to become an on-air radio personality. The sacrifice was worth it to keep Alex and Sean in his life, but Alex lost his job, too. Jeff can tell Alex worries he’s pressuring Jeff too much, first with Sean and now the lack of money, but he has no idea what that will lead Alex to do. Desperate times bring out the stupidity in some people, and when Jeff discovers Alex is in over his head in a situation he can’t handle, he needs all his self-control to stay calm.

Life is not easy with the Church of Virtue still spouting venom wherever they go, homophobes at the police department, a gangster who wants Alex in the worst possible way, and a bed that barely holds one grown man, much less two (and a child), but Jeff is there to stay for good, and he’ll do what it takes to make Alex believe him.

Review:

        When readers first meet Detective Jeff Woods in Attachment Strings, book one of the Jeff Woods Mystery series, we are presented with a gritty and arrogant detective. At the opening of that book, Woods and his partner, Detective Parker Trenkins are at a murder scene of a disabled man. Trenkins is crude and abrasive. Woods is not much better. Although Woods seems annoyed with his partner’s lack of tact for the dead man they are examining, it seems his concerns are more about appearance than compassion. He reprimands Trenkins for not being politically correct, but he does not seem offended by Trenkins’ prejudicial slurs.

As Woods’ character becomes more developed, it is clear he is a bit of an arrogant jerk. He is a closeted cop with a severe chip on his shoulder and a serious prejudice against disabled people, who, as he admits, disgust him. His attitude and life changes dramatically when he meets Alex Fisher, a hot, sexy, younger man and his severely disabled younger brother Sean. Alex is the yin to Woods’ yang, and ultimately Jeff Woods is not the same man at the end of the book.

Sacrifices opens after Woods has left the police force. During the break between books, Jeff and Alex have grown closer, and the reader sees that Jeff has continued to evolve. The book opens with the two men exploring a monogamous, committed, yet somewhat strained relationship. Jeff and Alex are both taking care of Alex’s brother, Sean. Life is far from rosy.

“For some people, I was a hero—for rescuing Sean and Alex, for having been a cop, for being outed and standing by my man, or whatever other reason. For some people, I was scum for exactly the same reasons. There’s just no pleasing everyone. The members of the Church of Virtue definitely didn’t like me. They didn’t like a lot of people, especially gays.”

Jeff is in love with Alex and will do what it takes to get his young lover to relax and trust him. That is no easy task. To say Alex is skittish is an understatement.  Jeff’s mantra regarding his new family and love for Alex is presented on the first page of the novel: “Mine to protect. Mine to love.”

With Attachment Strings and Sacrifices, Chris T. Kat has written a realistic love story between people who have had a difficult time fitting into society and accepting love. Real life is messy and Kat explores this concept in this series. Both Alex and Jeff are battling internal and external demons. In between the love and tension, Kat throws in quite a bit of drama. She also tackles homophobia and prejudice against the differently abled in a dramatic way.

Sacrifices is written in first person point of view from Jeff’s perspective. As a result of this, Alex’s thoughts and motivations are often hidden from the reader. His actions and conversations with the other characters are the readers only hint into what is going on within his insecure and immature mind.

Both Jeff and Alex are dynamic characters who go through a lot of changes throughout this book. While Jeff does a lot of changing in the first book, Alex is forced to change more in this one.

Jeff’s evolution seems hard fought as does his trying to convince Alex it is okay to depend on him. Jeff’s evolution in this series is dramatic and Kat does a good job making those changes realistic. Although the drama in the book is a bit over-the-top in some areas, it is compelling.

Alex is smart and insightful, but his innocence and insecurity heighten the drama and conflict. In order to appreciate the reasons behind his personal drama, one needs to have read the first book in the series. Alex has never been in a romantic relationship, and as the sole care provider for Sean, Alex is stretched like a rubber band emotionally and physically. He is fearful of losing both Sean and Jeff. And his fear of losing Jeff causes Alex to make some pretty bad and dangerous decisions.

“The authorities hadn’t gotten involved, but the damn Church of Virtue had published an article in our local gazette, accusing Alex of neglect and worse. I wanted to throttle each and every member of this Church because they hurt the people I loved. Alex had been devastated that day and ready to give up. He’d questioned whether he was equipped to raise Sean, and nothing I’d said seemed to get through.”

Sean is more fully developed in this book, and his love for Alex and Jeff seems to be the cement for this developing trust in this relationship. Parker Trenkins, Jeff’s former partner on the force, plays a more important role in this book also. Parker’s relationship with David, although not fully developed, is complex and leaves the reader curious for more information about them.

Kat has a talent for writing sparse prose and engaging dialogue. There is a lot present between the lines of the story, especially when it comes to Alex. The background of the characters is paramount for understanding their actions. The dialogue and sex scenes are intimate and help the reader better understand the characters’ motivations. The subplots in the story help develop the characters’ personalities and help explain some of their seemingly erratic behaviors. Drama with a side of romance makes Sacrifices an engaging story.

Reviewer Note: Thank you to Chris T. Kat for providing an advanced review copy of this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

Buy Links: 

Guest Post: Jodi Interviews Christ T. Kat

Welcome Chris T. Kat to the Smoocher’s Voice blog. We want to thank Chris for taking the time to answer some questions about herself, her writing and the Jeff Woods mystery series. The second book in the series, Sacrifices, released on Dreamspinner Press on April 28. [Yesterday]

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, together with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks, or crafts.

Jodi: Welcome to the blog, Chris. Tell us a little about yourself.

Chris: “I never know what to say here... Okay, let's try: When I don't write, I work as a Special Ed teacher, which I enjoy a lot. I'm specialized in dealing with kids with physical and learning disabilities. At the moment, I work at a primary school where special Ed students also attend. Other than that, I love to spend time with my family, spend time outdoors, and also read lots and lots of books. :)”

Jodi: How long have you been writing in the m/m genre?

Chris: “I started writing fan fiction in 2008, and did that for about three years in various fandoms. In 2011, I decided to write original fiction. And since April 2012, I'm a published author.”

Jodi: What made you choose this genre for your stories?

Chris: “I've always been attracted to same-sex romance stories, even as a very young teenager. However, I do read m/f stories as well, although I generally prefer the younger man older woman trope.”

Jodi: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Chris: “Oooh, what a nice question! Let's see, Dean Koontz, Lynn Flewelling, David Eddings, James Rollins, and the newest addition is Megan Derr.”

Jodi: What inspired you to write the Jeff Woods series?

Chris: “In 2011, I visited my best friend in the US. Everything was new and exciting and wonderful. I was pretty overwhelmed by all the impressions because U.S. cities are so much different from European cities. We took a walk along the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, and I just knew this area had to be the setting for my next book. My poor friend had to suffer through my interrogations about locations of bars, stores, and so on, and she even drove me in and out of Atlantic City, so I could get a better handle on distances.

“For a long time, I wanted to write a story with a severely disabled child (Sean), and the difficulties the families have to face on a daily basis. I also wanted to show the difference between a character who is devoted to the child (Alex) and another character (Jeff Woods) who has a hard time getting over his prejudices.

“I knew right from the beginning that this was going to be a series, and planned for three books. I wanted to show the characters from getting to know each other, to forming a family, and eventually to getting their happily ever after.”

Jodi: Are your characters complete fiction, or are they modeled after real people?

Chris: “[They are] partly fiction and partly modeled after real people. Sean is based upon a boy I had the pleasure to work with years ago. Even as a teacher, you always meet some kids that touch you deeply, and he was definitely one of those.

“Jeff Woods is based on people I met that just couldn't deal with disabled children/people. When I told folks I wanted to become a Special Ed teacher, most of them looked at me as if I'd just grown a second head. The job would be too difficult. How would I cope with all the misery around me? These arguments still make my blood boil. Even nowadays — and I've worked in my job for about fifteen years now — people still either pity me or tell me how brave I am. I grit my teeth through these observations because I don't get it. I love working with kids, whether they're disabled or not, and that's it.

“Anyway, I've met a lot of prejudiced people in my line of work, and also as a mother of an autistic child. I channeled all the prejudices, etc. into the character of Jeff Woods in the first book. My way of dealing with all the insanity, I guess.”

Jodi:  The mistreatment and prejudice against the severely disabled is a theme in some of your books. Why did you choose to attack this subject?

Chris: “Like I said above, I have some strong opinions on the subject. I get that if you've never seen or spoken to a severely disabled person, the first meetings will be awkward. Especially with non-speaking kids, you need patience and regular visits to be able to interpret signs. But if, after years of working at a Special Ed school, you're still whining about the kids drooling and how you always need to change your clothes after work? Ugh! Maybe you've chosen the wrong profession.

“Okay, as you can see I get riled up easily. ;-) Writing about disabilities is something I want to do to help create awareness.”

Jodi: Have you received some negativity about your treatment of this subject in your books?

Chris: “Absolutely. Several people didn't finish the first Jeff Woods mystery because they hated the main character. That's fine by me, I stop reading books too if they're not to my liking. The only thing that really irked me was that some people confused the character's opinion with me as an author. I admit that hurt, but that's the way things go.”

Jodi: According to your blog, there will be one final book in the Jeff Woods series. When is that scheduled to publish?

Chris:   “I'll submit the book today or tomorrow and hope DSP will offer me a contract for it. If that happens, then I assume it'll be released early 2015.”

Jodi: Will Parker and David get their own story?

Chris:  “I'm still torn about that. I'd love to write their story, but I'm thinking about cutting down on my writing time, so I'm not sure which stories will become my priority.”

Jodi: Why did Jeff need to leave the police force between the two books?

Chris: “He didn't need to leave per se, but for the overall story arc, I felt compelled to have him change his profession.”

Jodi: While Jeff and Alex are both dynamic characters, it seems Jeff is presented as more evolved at the beginning of Sacrifices. What makes it so difficult for Alex to trust his feelings, Jeff, and the relationship?

Chris: “Alex has been Sean's sole caretaker for a long time. He's been used to dealing with a lot from a young age on, and for the past years he’s only ever relied on himself. He's had his sexual encounters, but no real relationship. It's a big transition for him to depend on someone else, and he also feels out of his depth since he's never been in a relationship before. In that regard, he’s a very young man, overwhelmed by strong emotions and no knowledge of how to deal with them.”

Jodi: Is the Church of Virtue a metaphor?

Chris:   “Caught that, huh? :) When I named the Church, I checked several Church names, but I knew that I wanted a name that sounds good even though the Church members aren't good people, and definitely not virtuous people.

Jodi: Has it been a challenge to write these books in first person point of view from Jeff’s perspective?

Chris:   “Many of my books are written in first person point of view because it's my favorite point of view. It has its limitations, but generally it's the easiest way for me to slide into a story. These are also the stories that flow best when I write them.

“Writing from Jeff's perspective was a challenge, however, especially in the first book, because I didn't like him much in the beginning. He was a prejudiced asshole, but I always reminded myself that fear and the lack of knowledge guided his actions, not maliciousness. Let's say, writing book two and three was easier since he's now more relaxed and open.”

Purchase from: