relly's reviews
2332 reviews

4 stars

I'm not going to lie - I love Garrett Leigh books, she sucks me into the story every time and I enjoy how there are character cross overs from the other books. It always makes me want to go and read the other books to meet them again. 

Angels in the City
I loved Jonah here. Sasha with his lack of communication was harder to get to know, but he still found his way to leave a mark. It seems to be a character trait both he and Alexi share. He made it hard for Jonah as he didn't open up very well and gave mixed signals. I liked that Jonah walked away for a bit. Although it hurt he needed to make sure it was right for him. Jonah was a lot more sunshine and it was nice to see him get his HEA

Christmas Mountain
Rami and Fen were a favourite. I connected quickly with Rami. He's reactions were so that I was able to understand. He couldn't just move because his sister wanted him to. He had a life and job in Manchester, and I would have reacted the same, no matter how much living on the mountain sounded like the best thing ever.

Fen was lovely. He gave Rami the room to make his decision but also at the same time communicated what he needed and stood by that. He had his own demons and he quietly dealt with them. 

The family community on the mountain was fabulous. The kids were kids and they lived a life I'd love to lead. 

Very entertaining story.

Hometown Christmas
This one I have read before
I loved both Gavin and Yani. Their road to togetherness was well done. Both had their own set of issues and they weren’t swept under the carpet or ignored, they were open about them with each other.

I enjoyed how Yani was an unwilling volunteer at the beginning but then got sucked in and donated a lot more time than agreed to at the start. I thought his OCD was done well

I enjoyed Gavin’s military background was discussed vaguely and didn’t become the focal point, we got enough to move the story forward, which worked for me. His friends are great and I now want to go and read their books.

Arc provided by GRR

4 stars

Audio Review

I love this book and the narrator did a fabulous job.

Listening to Rupert gain confidence and the friendships made with all the guys was so nice. I felt for Callum with the way he felt he had to live his life, and I really enjoyed that Rupert never once made him feel bad about the choices he had made, in fact he helped Callum come to terms with them within himself.
Callum's family were a hoot and the kids were kids. 

Great book to listen to, I can see me relistening to it often

4 Stars

Set in the early days of Nero's Rome, this murder mystery takes us on an epic journey through everyday Rome, with all the political machinations of the time. Each Character had their own secrets and the murder mystery was well played out. I'm not sure if it was because I was enjoying the story and immersing myself in the culture but I never once worked out the killer, and I did like how actual events were woven into the story and the conclusion of the case.

You can tell the author has done a lot of research as the characters came alive, whether they were of the affluent class or the slaves; each character had their own personality and place within the story. I loved reading all the interactions between Valerius and his slaves - His jokes with Hursa to the banter with Juba, who was smarter than a bodyguard but stuck in the position anyway. Everyone liked to think that the man ruled the house but Valerius was under no illusion that the women folk ran his life. He accepted it and was quite happy in the way it was.

I did find it hard at the start with a lot of the characters being addressed in different ways depending on who they were talking to, I believe this would have been correct forms of address but with them each having their name and family name, our main character himself was Valerius or Quintus depending on who was speaking to him.

Valerius was a hard character to like at the start as he came across as a wastrel and a drunk. Once he found something to put his mind to he became a much better narrator and showed off his intelligence.

I very much liked Atreus. He was a quiet achiever who stuck to his guns and did the right thing. He was frustrated at being blocked from investigating properly at times and the doors that Valerius could open for him due to his status. The friendship that developed between the two men was really nice to read.

Looking forward to the next case these guys look into. 

Arc provided by Author 

4.5 stars

This was one of the very first books I read when I entered the m/m genre and it holds a special place in my heart. I remember embarking on a L.A Witt reading expedition after this reading everything she wrote I could get my hands on. Listening to the audio it still held up for me and was still as enjoyable as the many rereads I have done of this book.

I loved Dustin and Brandon. Brandon showed a lot of patience and let Dustin work his way through his coming out process. The only time he really pushed, I didn't blame him. To hear your relationship referred to as nothing would have hurt me too. 

Dustin was great. He took being attracted to Brandon in his strides and never went back and forth with denial which was refreshing. Yes he questioned his attraction but when forced to do so really looked into what he felt and wasn't afraid to talk to his friends and family, in fact the family were some of the ones that made him second guess himself and question his motives. The way he was outed was so wrong and I felt very sorry for him. Everyone should come out when they decide.

Wish the second book was on audio.

4 Stars

It's been a fair while since I read Toby's book, so to be honest I've kind of forgotten how Rob treated him. I know it wasn't great but then without remembering he didn't have a lot to make up for while I was reading this one.

I loved Rob and felt or him at times. He'd got himself into this spot and even though his family and friends wouldn't care, he couldn't bring himself to come out. The way he treated his animals was gorgeous. He might try and tell himself he's a just a dairy farmer etc, but his animals were his babies. 

I liked Evan too.Not a much as Rob as I don't feel like I know him as well. I did like that he was all for it. He was happy to come out and was happy at the farm with Rob.

I was worried about how the doctor/patient part was going to go, but that was fixed pretty quickly and I was happy with how that was done.

It was great to see the Rossingley crew again.

Arc provided by GRR

3 stars

Audiobook review

I loved Smiley in the previous installments and was really looking forward to his story
It just didn't feel like a lot happened.
the start was good and it started with a bang but then kind of ran out of steam
Smiley didn't live up to his name. He spent majority of the book angry and Jericho actually called him Grumpy at one point. I did enjoy the friendship between smiley and Jericho. The more I see of Jericho the more I like him and want his book
Vanni was a weak female lead and needed to stand up for herself more.  

4 stars

 

I've been waiting for this book and was not disappointed, this series seems to get better and better with each book and can't be read as a standalone.

 

The fact that we have seen Nash and Orla get together in previous books and then watched the attraction between the two of them and Loche helped to move this one forward as all the ground work was done in the previous books. I was interested to see how Ms Leigh was going to jump over the final hurdle and get them together.

 

Time was still spent for the two guys to get over their individual issues. Orla really kind of has it together. She knows what she wants and she knows her men. She pushed and prodded and got them all together well. 

 

My heart broke for Locke and what he went through. His relationship with Willow was fabulous. I loved the time he put into getting Nash comfortable with them, he knew Nash wanted him just needed to get it right in his own head and Locke helped him with that.

 

Nash's protective side was great to see. He ran himself ragged protecting his family and the truths he had to keep hidden weighed heavily on him. I can't wait to see what he does in the next one.

 

I knew there was a cliffhanger at the end and thought i was prepared but it's seriously going to kill me waiting for the next one to come out

 

ARC provided by GRR

4 stars

Ollie got his man. We've seen Ollie from the very first book and he's always been a favourite. His book needed to be special for me and get him a much deserved HEA. He got it as well as a partner that understood him and was there for him. Once Bayu accepted the inevitable he opened up to Ollie and the rest of the pack and  allowed the magic that is Ollie to seep through him.

This one broke my heart in places. I kind of knew it was coming but still ripped my heart out. I did love how Bayu stood up and protected Ollie and helped him when he was unable to help himself. 

Looking forward to Ben's book now

3 Stars

I had issues with this one and it was all on Darkness
Kat I liked but Darkness came off as a jerk for the majority of the book. His back and forth was annoying and the way he treated Kat was terrible. 
Kat was a good strong female character. She did forgive Darkness a bit easily but she also had the courage to walk away and try and protect herself

4 stars
 
When I started this one I was excited for Jack’s story but also a little apprehensive with the blurb. We’ve seen Jack and his siblings grow up from childhood, so I really wanted him to find the right mate. I shouldn’t have been worried. This one met all my expectations

I loved the interactions between Jack and Coal. Once they got together they were all it. I’m still not sure why Coal was so hesitant but at least he didn’t go back and forth once the decision was made.

I liked seeing Coal lose it after Jak was taken and how everyone all worked together understanding his pain, to help him find his lost mate. I also really liked that they took into account Jack’s injuries and he didn’t miraculously get better and able to chase after the baddie again. He had to take time to heal and this gave the guys time to get to know each other as mates as well.

The reveal of the oracle was done well for me. I didn’t pick him and I thought it was funny that Jack knew when everyone else didn’t. Looking forward to Ben’s book now