Soul to Keep by Garrett Leigh

Soul to Keep by Garrett Leigh

Review by Lauren

source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own

Official Summary (add to Goodreads): Recovering addict Jamie Yorke has returned to England from California. With no home or family to speak of, he sticks a pin in a map and finds a small town in the Derbyshire Peak District. Matlock Bath is a quiet place—he just needs to get there, keep his head down, and stay clean. Simple, right? Until a chance meeting on the flight home alters the course of his so-called life forever.

Ex-Army medic Marc Ramsey is recovering from life-changing combat injuries while pulling nights as a trauma specialist at the local hospital. Keeping busy is a habit he can’t quit, but when Jamie—so wild and beautiful—bursts into his life, working himself into the ground isn’t as compelling as it used to be.

Marc falls hard, but chaos lurks behind Jamie’s fragile facade. He’s winning his battle against addiction, but another old foe is slowly consuming him. Both men have weathered many storms, but the path to the peace they deserve might prove the roughest ride yet.

Review: This is the second book in the Rented Heart series, but I haven't read the first. However, the first does feature Jamie, so if you're interested in his full story, I'd recommend reading them in order. Otherwise, Soul to Keep works fine as a stand-alone novel. Both guys in this book have dealt with a lot in their past. Marc will always be haunted by his time in the army, and he sees a lot of tragedy in his current job working in a hospital. As for Jamie, he's not sure where his life is leading him, only that needs to stay sober in order to have a good future. I thought the two guys worked really well together. While it seems like Marc helps Jamie more than the other way around, I do think they are both good for each other in different ways. I do wish the book was a bit longer as it would have been nice to see more of Marc and Jamie's relationship once things are a bit more on an even level. Most of Soul to Keep is them working through their own individual problems while eventually trying to make a go of a relationship. At any rate, I did really like this one and I'd read more from the author!!

What Remains by Garrett Leigh

What Remains by Garrett Leigh 

Review by Lauren

source: copy for review; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Web designer Jodi Peters is a solitary creature. Lunch twice a week with his ex-girlfriend-turned-BFF and the occasional messy venture to a dodgy gay bar is all the company he needs, right? 

Then one night he stumbles across newly divorced firefighter Rupert O’Neil. Rupert is lost and lonely, but just about the sweetest bloke Jodi has ever known. Add in the heady current between them, and Jodi can’t help falling hard in love. He offers Rupert a home within the walls of his cosy Tottenham flat—a sanctuary to nurture their own brand of family—and for four blissful years, life is never sweeter.

Until a cruel twist of fate snatches it all away. A moment of distraction leaves Jodi fighting for a life he can’t remember and shatters Rupert’s heart. Jodi doesn’t know him—or want to. With little left of the man he adores, Rupert must cling to what remains of his shaky faith and pray that Jodi can learn to love him again. 

Review: What Remains is a very different sort of love story. In the beginning, Jodi is out as bi and knows what he likes, but Rupert is an ex-husband with a young daughter. He knows he likes guys, but he doesn't know anything about being with one. Jodi shows him the way though, and the two of them fall in love and start to build a life together.

The first half of the book goes back and forth between time, showing the current moment - five years after the guy's first meet - and the past when the two are getting to know each other and build a relationship. The second half of the book takes place completely in the present. Don't worry, it's easy to follow!

Rupert and Jodi are different in some ways, but they really do complement each other. You root for them and want everything to work out. It's a tough ride though because five years after they have met and are in an established relationship, Jodi gets in an accident and is put in hospital for a couple months. Even when he gets home, he's not the same. He's on medication and often in a lot of pain...but the worst thing of all is that he doesn't remember the last five years of his life. That's right, he's forgotten his whole relationship with Rupert. I don't think this is much of a spoiler, because it essentially hints at it in the summary. I'll leave the rest for you to read about though!

Will Rupert and Jodi make it work a second time around? Is Jodi able to call himself bi, or will he only ever remember being with women? There are a lot of questions and it's not easy for either man, but it's so worth reading about their journey.