*Two Books – Two Reviews*

My Mate Jack

Blurb:

Will Barter’s been in love with his best mate Jack for as long as he can remember. They’ve shared everything: love, life, laughs, even Will’s first kiss. But Jack’s straight, and Will’s long-buried infatuation means nothing until their last summer together draws to a close.

Then one night, everything changes, but with Will bound for university in Leeds, and Jack for his dream DJ job in Ibiza, there’s no time to explore their blurred lines. Before long all that’s left are secrets, lies, and misunderstandings.

In the months that follow, anger and hurt overshadow fifteen years of friendship, and Will must dig deep to remember Jack is his mate… his best mate, and nothing matters more than that, right?

Stats:

Rating:     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ratings are 1 to 5 stars and based mostly on GoodReads standards.
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Review:

My Mate Jack is friends-to-lovers — gay guy and his assumed-straight longtime childhood friend. Oh Lordy, the angst within.

The platonic love here, for a best friend, is off the charts with a bestie bond that transcends. It’s the kind of depth of friendship that is rare, the kind to hold onto when you have it, the kind easily survives distance and time.

But…what happens when one bloke’s love runs just a bit deeper, beyond pals who know just about everything about each other? There’s a fear in knowing those deeper feelings could be the catalyst to destroy that friendship if they’re not returned.

They have one night when Will’s wildest dreams come true, and Jack just might be experimenting before they both go on to follow their individual dreams after graduation. Will, onto University; Jack to be a rising star DJ in Ibiza. For the first time ever, they’re apart for a significant length of time and communication is sporadic. Will’s feelings never wane, Jack’s remain a mystery.

I could say that parts of Will and Jack’s separation took way too long to resolve…but I’m not so sure about that. Mainly, it takes a few steps back in time to end of the 20th century and leads us into the 21st when email and cell phones were still rare enough that not everyone had technology at their fingertips. And this is the kind of story that, to have a believable HEA, the characters needed to go through some serious growth, separately. And growth takes time, so does getting an education and building a career in the entertainment biz.

Listen, I pretty much love everything Garrett Leigh writes. This book is no different. It carefully explores the bonds of friendship, breaks apart a co-dependency, deals with boatloads of fear and frustration, and then lays a foundation for an enduring love.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner | AllRomance

Lucky Man

Blurb:

As a diehard music fan, a dirty, smoky gig is Vice Squad Detective Danny Jones’s idea of heaven. While watching one of the most popular bands in Northern England, the sight of gorgeous rock star Finn McGovern changes his life forever.

Beneath the tattoos and leather jacket, Finn is kind and sweet, but when he confesses a dark secret to Danny, it tests their fledgling bond. Danny digs deep to accept Finn, but before long, a terrifying trail of death threatens to tear them apart before they’ve even got started.

A monster is killing prostitutes on Danny’s patch, and when a dead girl turns up too close to home, Danny discovers a heartbreaking link between the girl and his bright new life with Finn, a life he’ll do anything to protect.

Stats:

Rating:     ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Ratings are 1 to 5 stars and based mostly on GoodReads standards.
Click for more information regarding ratings.

Review:

Lucky Man spins Heated Beat into whole new territory with Finn, a super sexy musician whose soulful tunes cut Danny the cop to the core with the feels.

This begins with what could easily be a simple one night stand. But, these guys are undoubtedly caught on each other’s hook from the get-go. Their lives are vastly different, though they’re both somewhat tortured souls. Danny is up to his eyeballs in trying to solve a serial killer case and Finn…well, besides the late-night music gig, has a few secrets — the kind Danny NEEDS to know if there’s to be a future in Coupledom.

This was gorgeous for the most part. Threaded throughout are the pieces of a mystery that Danny is busting his ass to solve. And…I don’t know how much I really cared about that. It, too, was a big deal in the grand scheme but it may be that I wasn’t so much in the mood to read about homicides. Eh… Call me greedy (because I am) I wanted a whole lot more of Danny and Finn working toward their happy.

Bonus is that we get to touch base with Will and Jack from book one. What they’re up to might be a bit frustrating for some readers — it sort of was for me, but then life is frustrating sometimes so I ended up simply appreciating the glimpse I got of them and decided to keep hope alive that they’ll eventually sort their shit out.

I love how Garrett Leigh is unafraid to tackle sensitive subjects and whittle away at characters so that we get all of them. Finn’s secrets are a BIG DEAL. Huge. And Danny gets lots of sage advice from Finn’s friends, namely: don’t let him down. Which, obviously should be one of the cornerstones of any relationship — but here most especially. Danny’s layers are also somewhat tortured and may have a few things to do with some commitment issues that hold him back.

The attraction between these guys is palpable and scorching hot. They’re tentative with each other, a little unsure at times, caught up in their own heads at times. But watching them figure it all out and end up stronger as a couple was glorious.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner | AllRomance

The collection is available in paperback from Dreamspinner.

About the Author:

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits is a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com and co-owns the specialist stock photography company M O O N Stock Photography.

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This includes voluntary and honest reviews of Advance Review Copies generously provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions.