Review: Unforgotten by Garrett Leigh

Unforgotten by Garrett Leigh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Published: February 2021

The last thing Billy wants to do is return to Rushmere. Even though his brother lives there with his girlfriend, he still doesn't feel like there is anything there for him. One pleasant memory is on his mind though, the night he kissed Gus Amour. He has never felt the same since. Now he's about to be roommates with Gus. Will they stay that way or will Billy run like he usually does?

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. 

Male on male romance is not my thing. There were some parts of this book that I truly didn't understand. But with that aside, overall this was a very interesting love story. Billy and Gus had a moment together that neither of them has been able to forget. But their situation is complicated. Their siblings are in love with each other and have been most of their lives. Even ten years apart couldn't separate that love.

Billy is a runner and Gus is a serial "dater". Can they both put their egos and scared feelings aside to see what they could truly be?

While overall, I enjoyed the book and the story, I think this will be my first and last male/male romance.

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EXCERPT

It had been years since I’d last seen Billy Daley, but since Luke had given up pretending his brother didn’t exist, and had rekindled with his long-lost true love—again, my sister—Billy had come up in conversation a lot. I wondered if he still had the same hair: scruffy, soft, and just long enough to hang over his collar. I—

“Where is he now?” Mia snapped.

“He didn’t say, and he sounded off his nut.”

“Don’t make assumptions. He’s been sober every time you’ve seen him since the accident.”

“I’ve seen him twice.”

“Whose fault is that?”

I winced and averted my gaze as Luke let out a heavy sigh. God, why were families so complicated? The Daleys made mine look like the Waltons, and we’d been reunited for less than a year.

A year that had changed my life for the better. Mia was a royal pain even when she was trying to be nice, but despite the years we’d spent hurting and apart, I couldn’t imagine her not being more than a phone call away, or turning her back if I was the one down on my luck.

Saying all that, Luke was right: him and Billy would murder each other in the first ten minutes of cohabitation. With their ma decamped to Spain, if Billy wanted to come home to Rushmere, there was only one option. “He can stay here.”

Mia and Luke swivelled their collective attention to me, eyes wide, as if they’d forgotten I was there, in my own kitchen. Nice. I pushed my cereal bowl away and wiped my mouth. “I have a spare room, remember? Not doing anything with it now you two are shacked up at Luke’s place, so…”

They were still staring. I switched between them. Comprehension was starting to dawn in Mia’s gaze, but Luke was looking at me like I was an alien.

“But…” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and darted a glance at Mia.

Oh lord, this was going to be funny. The bloke was the coolest I’d ever known, and surprisingly open-minded given his military background and the fact that he spoke about three whole sentences a day, but I didn’t need him to speak to know what was making him squirm, and I couldn’t contain my amusement.

A laugh bubbled out of me. “Jesus, man. Please tell me you’re not still hung up on what I told you over the summer? It really wasn’t a big deal.”

Luke slow blinked. “You hooked up with my brother. How is that not a big deal?”

“Please,” I scoffed. “It wasn’t a hook-up, it didn’t get that far. And we were both bladdered. He’s probably forgotten about it.”

“You didn’t.”

“Yeah, but I’m not your brother, am I? Besides, it was years ago. I don’t even know why I told you. And in case you’ve forgotten, you’ve been hooking up with my sister my entire life and I’ve never complained.”

Luke said nothing, his standard MO.

I let him be and looked at Mia.

She shrugged. “I think it’s a good idea, if Billy’s up for it. Gus is boring as hell, and better than that, he’s never home, so you won’t have to worry about a repeat performance.”

“As if I’m worried about that.” Luke’s frown deepened. “I’m more concerned that Billy will fuck up Gus’s life like he has his own. My brother is a shitshow of chaos.”

“So am I,” Mia countered. “And you both deal with that just fine.”

“Yeah, but—” Luke caught himself before the conversation strayed into a zone I was definitely not comfortable playing in. These days, dude was my BFF whether he’d admit it or not, but I wasn’t down with bearing witness to whatever dirty words had been about to come out of his mouth to my sister.

To distract myself from the smouldering smirk he sent her way instead, I let my mind drift to his brother. With his dirty blond hair and chiselled jaw, Luke had long been the hottest dude in town, if the graffiti on lampposts and toilet doors was to be believed. But for me, it had always been Billy. He was darker than Luke, in more ways than one. Wild. More hooligan than lovable rogue.

Even if I never saw him again, I’d remember his kiss forever.

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Review: Forgiven by Garrett Leigh

Forgiven by Garrett Leigh

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Published: Jan. 2021

Mia has just returned to her hometown of Rushmere to open her own flower shop. She'll be living with her brother Gus. Little does she know, Luke, the man who broke her heart 10 years ago is also back in town. Her brother works for him. Will they be able to rekindle their romance, or will the pain of heartbreak be too much to overcome.

Thank you to Carina & Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book. 

We all have that one lover who broke our hearts without an explanation. What would you do if you saw them again? Would old sparks reignite or would the pain remain? For Mia and Luke, they were both broken hearted and confused by the other's actions. Luke fled to the Navy, and Mia to France. Unfortunately, being apart didn't make the hurt go away. No one they dated or married could compare either.

I like second chance romances, but this one just missed the mark for me. I'm not sure if it was because of the repetition or what. Mia and Luke would see each other around town and with just a look there was an attitude issue. Neither one of them can say what is on their mind and admit how much they have feelings for each other now and how much they loved each other in the past.

This is the first book in a series and the first book I have read by this author. The next book in the series, Unforgotten will be released next month (Feb.2021).

EXCERPT

Mia Amour. Her name had haunted me so much my bunkmate had once found me sleep-scrawling it on our cabin wall. He thought it had meant something—that I was writing a message from another dimension in a language he didn’t understand—but the reality had been far more simple: even on the other side of the world, I couldn’t get her out of my head.

Somehow, though, over time, I’d forgotten what her eyes did to me. How they could root me to the spot with a single glance and empty my mind of anything but her. Mia. I counted my heartbeats as they thundered in my ears. One, two, three, four. And then she tore her stormy blue gaze away from mine and walked out of the chip shop.

I reached for the empty space she left behind, and my faculties slowly returned to me as her footsteps echoed in my shell-shocked brain. As drawn to her as I’d always been, I drifted after her, but when I got outside, she was gone.

A thousand emotions warred in my gut, but the age-old frustration was so familiar I felt sick. Fucking Mia Amour. Deep down, I’d always hated her as much as I’d loved her, because there was no one else on earth who could make my heart pound like she did, my palms sweat, and my fingers tremble.

Cursing, I hauled myself back into the van. Gus followed a moment later, an open bag of chips in each hand. “Where’d you get to? It was your turn to buy tea.”

I tossed him a crumpled-up fiver. “Why didn’t you tell me your sister was in town?”

“Oh fuck.” Gus held out a bag of chips, then set it on the dashboard when I made no move to claim it. “Are we really doing this?”

I gave him a flat look.

He sighed. “Fuck’s sake. Why would I tell you? You two aren’t exactly friends, and you haven’t been a couple since I was fourteen and nicking Mayfair Lights from her school bag.”

Shit, had it been that long? Why was it that just a glimpse of her face could set me back a decade? The weight in my chest increased and I started the van, gunning the rickety diesel engine with a roar. “Either way, a fucking heads-up would’ve been nice.”

“But why, though?” Gus pointed a chip at me. “You want her number so you can catch up on old times?”

I wondered if he’d actually give it to me. Then pictured myself calling Mia and her reaction to hearing my voice for the first time in ten long years.

A legit shudder passed through me. I was done torturing myself for putting my family first, for giving up my entire life to keep a roof over my mum’s head, but that didn’t make the obvious anger in Mia’s eyes easier to bear. Her temper had fascinated seventeen-year-old me—sometimes I’d wound her up on purpose, just to revel in her flushed skin and sharp tongue—but I didn’t have the stones to take it now. My Mia angst tolerance was at an all-time complacent low.

“Luke?”

I spared Gus another glare. “What?”

“Can I eat your chips?”

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Review: Custom Built by Chantal Fernando

Custom Built by Chantal Fernando
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Published: November 2020

 

 Bronte lost her mom at a young age, so it’s just her and her dad and her uncle Neville. When Bronte suddenly loses her job she must find something new. Her uncle suggests she starts to work at a local motorcycle shop, Fast & Fury. Bronte doesn’t know anything about motorcycles, but she is a fast learner, it also doesn’t hurt that the manager of the place, Crow, is drop-dead gorgeous. When there is an unexpected death in her family, Bronte will question everything she has known about her life. Will she be able to get her life together to find out what is going on or will she lose her family and friends?

Thanks to Harlequin/Carina Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was sucked into this book from the very beginning. This book made me laugh, it made me cry and it kept my attention the entire time. I couldn’t put it down until I knew exactly what was going on. This is the first book in the series and I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next. So much went on in this story that I can’t even imagine what else there could be.

What would you do if you found out that your family had a secret life you knew nothing about? An uncle with a secret daughter, a father with a secret business. When all of the secrets come out, no one is safe from danger. With her life and her job on the line, Bronte must do all she can to survive. In the meantime she makes new friends and new loves, but will they be with her until the end?

This is the first book I’ve read by Chantal Fernando, but it will not be the last. 

EXCERPT:

Stepping inside the warehouse is like a whole other world. There’s beautifully done graffiti on the walls, and the workspace shows off brand-new, sparkling bikes. The main room leads into a wide spacious garage, and it has a cool, urban vibe. There’s music playing over the speakers, and it doesn’t look like they have spared any expense with the interior design. In the middle, there’s a reception area with a large, expensive-looking wooden desk and a little staircase leading to another level, one with bikes in various states of being rebuilt. It’s a pretty awesome space.

“Hello?” I call out when I see no one around. Apparently they really do need staff. I’m assuming I’m supposed to be meeting Crow, but I have no idea what to expect right now.

A door opens from behind the reception area, and a tall, muscular blond man walks out. He’s very handsome. He’s covered in tattoos and looks good even bowing shirt with a white top underneath. I wonder if this is his usual look.

Even with the shirt, he screams bad boy.

The bright pattern isn’t fooling anybody.

Blue eyes lock on me. “Bronte Pierce?”

“That’s me,” I say, shaking his hand as he offers it. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Crow, and I’m in charge here. We have two mechanics coming in and out to help Cam put together the bikes. But it’s a small group since we only do custom pieces.”

So this is who messaged me yesterday.

“So are you Abbie’s partner?” I ask, since Uncle Neville said he owned the place. If he is, she has done very, very well for herself.

He gives me a confused look, then laughs. I don’t want to admit what the sound of his laugh does to me; it’s deep and all consuming. Great, now I’m having weird feelings about my cousin’s partner and I haven’t even met my cousin yet. Way to build a relationship. Oh yeah, and he’s my boss.

Snap out of it, Bronte. You’re here to work, and that’s it.

Once he’s done laughing, he still has a smirk on his face. I’m not going to lie; it kind of annoys me. “No, Temper is Abbie’s partner. Don’t let him hear you ask me that.”

“But you said you’re in charge. I was told Abbie’s partner owns the place.”

His smirk is gone and now he just looks annoyed. 

“Yes, Temper technically owns it, but I am in charge here. Is that going to be a problem?”

Shit. Great, first I was attracted to the boss, and now I’m pissing him off. “Nope. Not a problem. Sorry, I just found out about Abbie, so I’m playing catch-up. You’re in charge. Got it.”

And apparently not a topic I will bring up again.

He looks at me skeptically but gives me a brief nod. “We basically need someone to man the reception, answer phones, order parts and stay on top of all the bookkeeping. Sound manageable?”

I decide that honesty is the best policy. “I have done some admin work before, but I don’t know anything about bikes or ordering parts. But I’m a quick learner and I’m sure I can pick it up.” I give him my best I-am-confident look.

I hope he buys it.

It’s the truth, though. I’ve done work more complicated than this, and I’m eager to learn and be the best at whatever job I am doing. I’m someone who takes pride in her work, and I know that I’m going to be an asset to his team.

“Abbie said you were a private investigator?”

“I was an assistant to one, yes.” I nod.

“Huh. I would have guessed a librarian,” he comments, making my eyes widen. I mean, I was only just thinking the same thing based on how I dressed today, but it’s rude of him to mention that, especially after only just meeting me. “I hope you’re able to handle the job, and don’t expect any special treatment just because you’re Abbie’s long-lost cousin.”

My jaw drops. His comment really gets to me, even though I don’t want to let him see that. “I don’t expect any special treatment.”

“That’s good, but not true, because special treatment got you this job in the first place,” he replies casually, as if his words aren’t hitting every damn nerve.

I should have known that this job was going to come with a catch, and it looks like I’ve found it. An annoying, smart-ass boss.

Copyright © 2020 by Chantal Fernando

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Title: Custom Built

Author: Chantal Fernando

*new* Series: Fast & Fury, #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Imprint: Carina Press 

On Sale: November 24, 2020

Format: Mass Market Paperback (ebook and audio also available)

About Chantal Fernando

Chantal Fernando is the New York Times bestselling author of the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club series, the Cursed Raven Motorcycle Club series, and the Maybe series, along with several other novels. She lives in Western Australia, where she is working on her next book.

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