Debt by K.C. Wells a pre-release review

Debt by K.C. Wells

Pages: 254

Details: ARC received from Author

E-book

The blurb:

Two months after Mitch Jenkins had the rug pulled out from under him when his two-year relationship came to an abrupt end, he is still hurting. A colleague’s attempt to cheer him up brings Mitch to a secret “club.” Mitch isn’t remotely interested in the twinks parading like peacocks, until he spies the young man at the back of the room, nose firmly in a book and oblivious to his surroundings. Now Mitch is interested.

Nikko Kurokawa wants to pay his debt and get the hell out of the Black Lounge—where he is forced to not only have sex, but sometimes suffer abuse to please clients. Earning his freedom isn’t proving easy, especially when he starts attracting interest. Life becomes that little bit easier to bear when he meets Mitch, who is nothing like the other men who frequent the club. And when Mitch crawls under his skin and into his heart, Nikko figures he can put up with anything. Before long he’ll be out of there, and he and Mitch can figure out if they have a future together.

Neither of them counted on those who don’t want Nikko to leave….

My thoughts:

I’m writing this review from memory. I was fortunate enough to be one of the beta readers for Debt and my thoughts below will be based on everything I thought and, more importantly felt, when I read the story. It’s not that I don’t want to re-read the book, or even that I doubt I will re-read it (and that’s saying something since I rarely revisit books, no matter how much I loved them the first time). No, this is a case of me wanting to share the love without having to wait until I have time to fit that second read in.

Under almost all other circumstances writing a review for a book I’ve read months ago would be an impossible ask. I read too much, I write my own stories and as a result details about characters and story-lines tend to fade into the background after a few weeks. The same cannot be said for Debt. That story and those characters are etched on my memory, still as vivid as they were the moment I finished reading the last chapter.

You know (at least I hope you do) how sometimes a character shows up on the pages of a book, starts telling you his story, and in the process works his way into your heart and takes up residence there? That is exactly what Nikko did in Debt. He’s as strong as he’s vulnerable and as honest as he’s loyal. I defy anybody to read/meet him and not fall hard and fast, just as Mitch did.

To say Nikko went to hell and back in this story would be an understatement. Most of the horrors he endures are off page, but just knowing about them was enough to shred my heart. But Nikko is resilient; he has a rare sense of self for one so young and clings to it with all his might. Of course, Mitch’s frequent visits mean Nikko has something to look forward to while he endures the horrors bestowed on him. Mitch is his light in the darkness, his focus when the nightmare threatens to get too much to bear.

Mitch was an interesting character in that while he is a good bit older than Nikko he at times almost appears more juvenile and insecure. I loved this. Debt could so easily have been a predictable tale of an older, more experienced man rescuing the younger, more innocent victim. That however is not the story this book tells. This is a story of two men facing a nightmare together, overcoming the obstacles in their way and finding a way to make the seemingly impossible work.

As always K.C. Wells brings us wonderful secondary characters as well as memorable protagonists. Mitch’s family and the way they interacted with each other was wonderful. I especially liked that the author kept the family’s reaction to Nikko’s tale realistic without turning it into a major drama.

Well written, at times heartbreaking, often touching, very sexy, and with an unforgettable storyline and characters, Debt is without a doubt one of my favourites among K.C. Well’s amazing books.

Pre-order / Buy links

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