Title: Unforgotten
Series: Forgiven: Book Two
Author: Garrett Leigh
Publisher: Carina Press
Length: 224 Pages
Category: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
At a Glance: Bottom line? I had so much fun getting to know these characters. If you’re already a fan of Leigh’s style, you know she’s a master at bringing broken guys together and making them whole. And, if you’re a new reader, then you’re in for a treat…You get to watch the Queen of Hurt/Comfort at work.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Billy Daley hasn’t been home in years, and he likes it that way. He’s just fine on his own—he has a cash-in-hand job at a scrapyard, a half-feral cat to keep him company, and many miles between him, his hometown and all the baggage that comes with it.
Until the job goes sideways. Suddenly he’s back in Rushmere, working for none other than his brother’s best friend—a man whose kiss Billy can’t seem to forget.
Gus Amour’s memories of Billy Daley are all spiky edges, lips crushed against lips and a reckless streak that always ended in trouble. But when Billy needs a place to stay, Gus steps in. He’d do anything for the Daley family, including living, and working, side by side with a man who makes his heart beat too fast and his blood run too hot—two things he’s been running from for years.
It doesn’t take long before their easy banter, lingering touches and heated glances become a temptation too hard to resist. But falling into bed and falling in love are two different things, and love has never come easy to either Billy or Gus. Only when fate threatens to steal away their opportunity for a second chance will they realize they don’t need easy.
They just need each other.
Review: Garrett Leigh is quite possibly the reigning queen of hurt/comfort romance in the LGBTQ space. There are a lot of authors who write this trope well, but I don’t know that there is anyone who does it better or more genuinely. Her new novel, Unforgotten, is replete with Leigh’s signature moves: well-developed characters, lushly detailed descriptions of everything from the landscape to the food, and original plotlines that make you care about all the players and what’s going on in their lives. I was drawn in from the initial intro to Billy—who, in the opening, seems almost as feral as his cat, Grey—and every single scene with Gus, to the wonderfully satisfying ending.
Billy Daley has come to the end of the line in his current situation. An altercation with his boss—after an altercation with a dickhead customer—leaves him with no job, no place to live, and no choice but to head back home to Rushmere to face both his brother and the intense crush he ran away from five years ago. Billy has some unresolved resentment toward his brother, Luke, who left to join the Navy after their dad died, a reputation from his past as a troublemaking kid, and an almost terminally grumpy attitude, but none of those issues come close to how unprepared he is to be face to face with Gus Amour again.
I love Gus so much, you guys. He has some baggage of his own, of course—mainly abandonment issues and a restlessness that have resulted in a Grindr predilection, and a fear of getting close to anyone—but, he is an amazing friend to Luke, and so, so good for Billy. In fact, one of the most endearing things about him is how much he cares about Billy and Luke repairing their relationship. Which, at times feels hopeless, given the fact that Billy and Luke can’t be in the same place together for five minutes without fighting or one of them storming off, and Billy seems ready to leave town again the moment he can. But eventually Gus finds himself unable to resist his draw to Billy, and he has to figure out how to reconcile his feelings with his need to help everyone keep the peace.
The development of Gus and Billy’s relationship was fantastic; both the feelings and the sexual tension between them are unmistakable. I loved how tentative they were at times, even though their desire was so obvious, and I loved the care Gus took with Billy when he found out how inexperienced and nervous he was about starting anything. And I loved how honest and vulnerable Billy was with his feelings when he opened up, and how in awe of Gus he was. This bit was so good:
I kind of wanted to know every single thing about him. I wanted to fill my mind with as much of him as possible, cos despite the fact his physical presence was giving me a heart attack, everything about him soothed my soul.
Bottom line? I had so much fun getting to know these characters, and I’m sure fans of Leigh’s Forgiven will be thrilled to see Luke and Mia again. But, Billy and Gus will steal your heart. If you’re already a fan of Leigh’s style, you know she’s a master at bringing broken guys together and making them whole. And, if you’re a new reader, then you’re in for a treat…You get to watch the Queen of Hurt/Comfort at work.
You can buy Unforgotten here:
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