Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

Unforgotten by Garrett Leigh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Part two of this excellent series from Garrett picks up shortly after the end of book one, however, you could read this one as a standalone and not be lost.

It would be a shame, as Forgiven was a very good second chance, teenage lovers reunited MF romance for Mia and Luke.

This one though is all male and boy what a pair Gus and Billy are.

Gus is Mia’s brother, Billy is Luke’s and they’ve never been able to forget a drunken kiss they shared years before.

Before life turned them down different, but equally sad and lonely, paths and before Luke came home from the Navy to make things up with Mia.

This has all the usual Garrett Leigh hallmarks, it’s rooted firmly in British life, it’s raw and holds no punches back as it explores the mess people can make of their lives without really knowing why they don’t stop it.

It has two men, both hurting inside, both fighting with dealing with siblings who ran away and left them behind to deal with the aftermath of a parent’s death, it has emotional connectivity, unbridled lust, and it has hearts that are drawn together again and again.

There’re hiccups along the way, but it also has the signature dish from any Garrett romance – hope. It brings hope that even two men who’ve never moved on, can find their happy ever after together.

I loved Billy, and I loved Gus, for different reasons. Billy is spikey and hot-tempered, too quick to fly off the handle, but also capable of rescuing a stray cat and giving it a home even when he has nothing for himself.

Gus is repressed, locking away his emotions, hiding himself inside no commitment Grindr hookups and his work, relying on his friendship with Luke for actual companionship, but also a ticking timebomb of feelings just waiting to explode.

The small town vibe felt familiar and realistic, the grudges left because of Billy’s wayward teenage years, the inherent suspicion when he returns, the inability to let go of the past and move forward and, ultimately, the love which grows from the roots of family and familiarity, from never being able to forget that one guy who rocked your world.

The plot beats of the narrative worked for me, they drove the story onwards without feeling like they’d just been thrown in for the sake of it and I enjoyed being on the journey with Billy and Gus.

#ARC kindly received from the publishers Carina Press via NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review

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