Random Review: Redemption by Garrett Leigh #Review #Giveaway

Title: Redemption
Series: Darkest Skies #1
Author: Garrett Leigh
Self Published
Publication Date: June 25, 2020
Length: 248 Pages

Reviewed by Sammy


Synopsis

Reformed gangster Luis falls hard for his boss. When friendship turns to love, it’s up to Paolo to convince him second chances are worth the pain.

Luis Pope is back on the street after a six year stretch in prison, but life on the outside seems just out of reach, especially when the whole neighbourhood knows his face for all the wrong reasons.

Paolo’s temper makes it hard to keep staff, and he knows Luis’s rep all too well. But his nonno believes in redemption, and Luis isn’t the tough guy Paolo remembers. Prison has left its mark, inside and out, and all the kindness in the world can’t fix the three inch scar on Luis’s skull.

And it can’t keep ghosts locked up. Luis’s the best worker Paolo’s ever had, and Luis’s happier than he’s ever been. But his old life doesn’t want to stay in the past. Trouble comes to call, and when it makes him an offer he can’t refuse, keeping Paolo safe hurts the most.

Redemption is an angsty, standalone MM romance novel, with second chances, found family, friends-to-lovers, and buckets of hurt/comfort themed loveliness.

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Review

Luis Pope is not sure what frightens him more—the idea that he must find a job or his brother finding him. Being an ex-con and a “road man” who once was the second in command of a lucrative gun and drug business means that if his face is not recognized his name will be particularly since his brother, Dante, still runs the neighborhood with an iron fist. But he is a changed man—one that just wants to get along and find peace. But convincing anyone else of that is not going to be easy.

Paolo runs himself ragged working the family business—a small café that is always busy but barely breaking even. With the bills for both his nonna and nonno’s home care mounting, Paolo is barely keeping afloat and the fact that he can’t seem to keep on any other staff due to his temper does not help. When the guy comes in for a cup of tea and asks about the job he has posted in the window Paolo recognizes him at once. There is no way he’s going to get involved with a Pope—ex-con or not the guy has a reputation and it isn’t a good one. He makes the mistake of discussing it with his nonno who reminds him that everyone deserves a chance at redemption so Paolo decides to take a chance on Luis. Not only does he turn out to be an incredible worker but the attraction between them simmers instantly. Now if only Paolo can trust that Luis is really ready to be a new man and not return to the life he once led.

Garrett Leigh is ready to rip your heart out with their latest release, Redemption, and did so quite successfully to me. If there is another character more deserving of a second chance than Luis Pope than I defy you to name them. By the second page of this novel I was ready to gather this man up and keep him from all harm just like Paolo tries to do eventually. But oh my the claws of his brother run deep and sure and poor Luis is trapped in an endless nightmare of having to either ignore the threat his brother Dante presents to those he cares about or risk going back to prison by becoming a road man once again.

I can’t exactly express to you how emotionally captivating this story is—how deeply it affected me and angered me on Luis’ behalf. It was so patently unfair that this man who simply wanted to make a fresh start just wasn’t allowed to do so. Even though he had someone who wanted to protect him and love him, Luis not only couldn’t see his own worth but couldn’t escape his past either. He is a flawed man who never stands a chance at finding peace—not because of anything he chooses but because of a life forced upon him.

 I could go on and on but suffice it to say that this love story broke my heart and then put it back together again and I loved every minute of it. With gorgeous writing, beautiful characters and resilient love Garrett Leigh creates a gorgeous story called Redemption and I highly recommend it to you.

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Audiobook Review: Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh Narrated by Dan Calley #Review #Giveaway

Title: Rented Heart 

Author: Garrett Leigh

Narrator: Dan Calley

Length:  5 hours, 42 minutes

Publisher: Audible

Reviewed by Sammy 

Synopsis

LAMBDA Finalist 2017

Ex-surfer-turned-businessman Liam Mallaney moved back to Holkham, Norfolk, to mourn the loss of his husband. Grief and loneliness keep him a solitary figure, and he likes it that way. There’s no room in his broken heart for anything else.
Rentboy Zac Payne left London and most of his demons behind, but he still only knows one way to make a living. When he spots Liam in a club one night, it seems he’s found his mark. But Liam proves nicer — and their connection far deeper — than he’d bargained for.
Their arrangement quickly becomes too complicated for Zac, who has other things on his mind: namely his BFF and wayward flatmate, Jamie. Zac owes Jamie the world, and even as Jamie’s drug addiction destroys all they have, Zac won’t leave him behind.
Besides, Liam knows nothing of Zac’s home life, too caught up in his own head to think much beyond the crazy heat he and Zac share. But when trouble comes to Zac’s door, putting his life in danger, Liam must set his grief and anger aside to pick up the pieces

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Review

Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh follows the story of one recovering addict/hooker’s journey from the pit of poverty and struggle to the arms of a man who has lost the love of his life and the joy of living. Zac has been on the streets for way too long and yet he knows little else or feels he deserves anything more. But if he is going to make it and keep the roof over his head come winter then he has to find some more regular johns to make money. When he spots the gorgeous blond outside the club he decides to give him a go and from that moment on Zac will finally find the one thing that has always eluded him—the desire to be something more than the hooker he knows he is.

Liam spots the pretty man across the street and is intrigued. Even the booze he has already ingested isn’t enough to keep the dull pain of his loss in check but still he can’t believe he agrees to go home with a prostitute. But there’s something about Zac that will stay with Liam well beyond that one night and regardless of his mind screaming at him not to see the guy again, Liam does just that. Not only is the sex additive but everything about Zac appeals to Liam—now if only he could be sure that Zac wants to be with him for something other than the money he makes.

Rented Heart is a beautiful hurt/comfort trope—a second chance love story between two men who both have already lost too much in their lives. With beautiful moments of intimacy and even better sections where Liam and Zac learn about each other, this novel steals my breath away. It is raw, unfiltered and emotional and I loved every moment.

Dan Calley’s rich variety of English dialects only added to an already luscious story by Garrett Leigh. With a nice pace for the non-dialogue passages, Mr. Calley’s real talent shined through as he voiced the various characters of the story. I do think the timbre of both Zac and Liam is a bit too similar—particularly in the beginning narration. Because they were both low and similar, it made it difficult to determine who was speaking when because the voices sometimes sounded the same. I was also surprised at the lack of differentiation in their accents—I had imagined Liam might have sounded more posh than Zac but still the intensity in Liam’s tone set his voice apart just enough.

I do believe the strength of Mr. Calley’s ability to infuse emotions into the various scenes of intimacy between Liam and Zac really stood out. This narrator can make you feel the hesitancy and then the almost nonchalant capitulation in both Liam and Zac as they question their actions. It all has to do with the masterful way Calley uses pausing and pacing to create tension and highlight important moments in the story. I think author Garrett Leigh really found an excellent narrator to bring their novel to life.

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