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AUDIO REVIEW: Forgotten by Colette Davison
Heaven and Hell Club: Forgotten – Colette Davison
Can he build a future, when he’s forgotten his past?
Jared has fought hard to achieve something close to ‘normal’. Needing to get away from his well meaning but suffocating family, he follows a message he wrote on a scrap of paper to a new city, hoping to find a missing piece of his past.
When Kyrone, a cocky pole dancer at the Heaven and Hell Club, saunters into the tattoo parlour Jared works in, his life is turned upside down again. A passionate one night stand turns into something unexpected for both men. But life is never simple as they work out if they can have a future beyond what has been forgotten.
Forgotten is an MM romance with hurt/comfort, a small age gap, and two men who need to learn to be true to themselves. It is the second book in the Heaven and Hell Club series and, whilst it can be read as a standalone, works better if read after Broken
Imagine waking up one day with no memory of your past. Your family and friends are strangers, your life a complete blank.
That’s what happened to Jared. He was in a car accident and suffered traumatic brain injury that resulted in retrograde amnesia. With his past erased, he had to start life all over again.
If I thought Jag’s book was angsty, Jared’s book was much more intensely emotional. Copious amounts of tears were shed and you got to hand it to Piers Ryman, his voice acting knocked it out of the park. He effectively wrung out all the emotions off every scene.
This was also a book where I felt the pain, literally. As a result of his brain injury, Jared suffers from recurring headaches and migraines. Something I also suffer from and was experiencing while listening to the audiobook. I never felt as in tune with a character as I was with Jared right at that moment.
I loved how strong Jared is. He had the courage to rebuild his life and try to live as normally as he could despite all the hurdles he had to overcome daily. He’s a talented tattoo artist. He’s also very conscious of the fact that he might have hurt other people because he couldn’t be his old self that they wanted him to be or he might have done something wrong in the past that he just couldn’t remember.
Kyrone was exactly the man for Jared. At first, I was kinda meh about him. I mean, who calls himself an adonis, for fuck’s sake? AND tattoos it on his chest! But Kyrone revealed a deeply nurturing side of his personality that endeared himself, the kind who’s ready to drop everything when his boyfriend needs him. And he’s ready to do it anytime, anywhere too. Attaboy!
It’s not all angst and tears. There’s a lot of fluff in this book too. Kyrone wins the award for the best date idea ever for his brilliant ‘let’s play spies’ game. It tops Michael’s indoor picnic/star-gazing date idea from Broken.
And speaking of Michael, him and Jag were in for a surprise at Jared’s appearance. It went down as a catastrophic mess but happily, in the end, poor Jag finally had his closure.
The supporting characters were really great too. There were more page-time for the other dancers of the club. The other characters present were Jared’s kind-hearted boss from the tattoo parlor and his family.
The latter one threw me in for a loop because I was expecting them to be the villainous antagonist. Initial impressions confirmed it to be so until it was slowly revealed they were much more than what they appeared to be.
Forgotten could be read as a standalone but I recommend reading book 1, Broken, to fully appreciate the connection between the characters. And most especially because Colette Davison writes outstanding people. They are what makes me come back to Heaven and Hell Club time and time again. They go through so much and your heart breaks for them. They emerge stronger, happier and their joy resonates with you.
Do read if you like stories featuring cocky tattoos, jumper cuddles and enlightened seagulls.
P.S.
Thank you to Gay Book Promotions and Audible UK for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
review of Broken, Heaven and Hell Club book 1, here
Colette Davison books here.Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Clean Slate
Artist: TOKiMONSTA feat. Gavin Turek
Album: Clean Slate -
AUDIO REVIEW: Falling for My Roommate by Garrett Leigh
Falling for My Roommmate – Garrett Leigh
Falling for his roommate gives ex footballer Micah the second chance he deserves, and what could be better than loving your best friend?
Micah
I’m a broke ex-football player with a bum leg and PTSD. Last summer, I had two choices: the streets, or find a cheap room to rent in the city. I chose the second option, which landed me with a brand-new problem, cos I hadn’t banked on my roommate becoming my best friend. Or that before long I’d find myself head over heels in love with him. Trouble is, even if Sam likes me back, I ain’t fit to be no one’s boyfriend. I don’t know how. All I do is wade through every precious moment and hope that he doesn’t regret the day he ever met me.Sam
I’m a gay book nerd with no business falling in love with hunky athletes. Micah is the dictionary definition of beautiful, inside and out, he just doesn’t know it. And he definitely doesn’t know I’m ridiculously in love with him. The embarrassing kind of love.He’s all I can think about.
But it’s not as simple as loving someone who doesn’t love me back. Micah is damaged goods—at least, that’s how he’d put it. The world has chewed him up and spat him out, and he thinks he deserved it. That he’s still the battered mess he was a year ago.
I want to shake him, and shout in his face that he’s not. To force the truth on him and make him believe in himself the way I do. But I can’t save Micah. One day, perhaps he’ll realise that he already saved himself.
Trust Garrett Leigh to create a raw, emotionally gripping story out of the simple premise of falling in love with a roommate.
Micah and Sam are roommates and best friends. After mutually pining for each other and some sassing from nosy friends, they finally had the courage to confess their feelings and kiss.
You think it would end happily there.
After the kiss came miscommunications and insecurities. If these are your pet peeves, they could get pretty annoying.
Sam is Micah’s own personal ray of sunshine. I liked how they played off each other and how domestic they are. They’re practically like an old married couple with their household routines down pat. I enjoyed their banters. My favorite part were the trips to the library and cuddling in the corners.
But this is not just about romance. It’s so much more.
Most of the Garrett Leigh’s books I’ve read featured characters with mental illness and how this affects their lives and relationships.
My heart went out to Micah. He made poor choices in the past and now had to live with the consequences. He has PTSD, depression and a bum leg. He might have sunk back to his gloomy moods but I appreciated that he knew when to ask for help. All he wanted was to live a normal life with Sam.
Sam, himself, was not perfect. He was quick to make negative assumptions that hurt Micah. Their relationship basically revolves around Micah and his issues and I loved how he really tried to be there for Micah 101% of the time.
I also appreciated how the story underscored the importance of proper and consistent mental health care. It painted an accurate picture of what happens when we stop taking meds, even if not on purpose. And as expected with this author, she handled the issue with much respect and sensitivity.
The story also talked about the aftermath of a public outing by a footballer. Sad to say that the media treated gay footballers horribly. Tabloid columns splashed lurid headlines. Paparazzi preyed on their every move. No wonder Micah is going mad just thinking about how it could affect him and Sam. Especially on the heels of another public outing that had gone down disastrously.
Narrator Dan Calley did a great job bringing this book to life. The spot-on voice acting coupled with a variety of authentic accents made the conversations sound very natural.
Falling for My Roommate ran through a variety emotions that strongly resonated with me. The characters are flawed yet they made me root hard for them. There’s a lot of angst, some humor, some sweeter moments. The ending was full of hope and promise. All in all, it is a beautiful book that’s a pleasure to read/listen to.
P.S.
Thank you to Signal Boost Promotions and Audible UK for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of Garrett Leigh books here.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: A Million Years
Artist: Human Drama
Album: The World Inside -
REVIEW: Heartsong by T.J. Klune
Green Creek: Heartsong – T.J. Klune
All Robbie Fontaine ever wanted was a place to belong. After the death of his mother, he bounces around from pack to pack, forming temporary bonds to keep from turning feral. It’s enough—until he receives a summons from the wolf stronghold in Caswell, Maine.
Life as the trusted second to Michelle Hughes—the Alpha of all—and the cherished friend of a gentle old witch teaches Robbie what it means to be pack, to have a home.
But when a mission from Michelle sends Robbie into the field, he finds himself questioning where he belongs and everything he’s been told. Whispers of traitorous wolves and wild magic abound—but who are the traitors and who the betrayed?
More than anything, Robbie hungers for answers, because one of those alleged traitors is Kelly Bennett—the wolf who may be his mate.
The truth has a way of coming out. And when it does, everything will shatter.
THIS BOOK
Grass.
Lake water.
Sunshine.Robbie. Kelly.
My soft, soft boys…
At first, I thought it was a flashback.
It’s not.
Then I thought Ezra and his liverspots was a nice old man.
He’s so much more than that.
Oh, no. No no no!
T.J. Klune took us once again to Green Creek and the wonderful Bennett pack. But not before he tore a piece of them out yet again. Even the wolf mother, Elizabeth, started to think they were cursed.
Heartsong was a fight to survive. To find the mate who was stolen. To take back the memories that were erased. To restore bonds that were shattered. To heal hearts that were broken. To have a place to belong to and peace and love and happiness even just for now.
I howl for you.
Heartsong is packed with FEELS. It was fluffy and awesome and bittersweet and funny, also painful and shitshitshit I can’t look and oh my fucking gad how can you do that to them, TJ!!!
I.FELT.EVERYTHING.
P.S.
Heartsong is the third book of the mind-blowing Green Creek series. The books are best read in order because you’ll howl for them too.
T.J. Klune books here.
Happy Asexual Awareness Week, everyone!
I’m very glad to celebrate it with the amazing ace, Kelly, middle Bennett brother, Green Creek deputy and Robbie’s mate. These two are adorbs! Kelbie is my favorite Green Creek ship.
Carter as mayor is gold tho.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfectSoundtrack: I See You
Artist: Missio
Album: The Darker The Weather // The Better The Man
