The Struggle is real

I loved this book. True life & fantasy combined. Excellence. The Struggle to leave the past behind is very real and definitely comes with complications. That's what makes this story so real.

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Love and hate.

This makes one hate people who force others to do what their bidding and even worse when they are family members and this story does it all but there is a good dise of m/m love 💘

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A Fresh Start.

MM, Second Chance, Contemporary, Romance. Compelling, binge listen, Angsty, Steamy, Love story. I absolutely love this story and Dan Calley has done a brilliant job of bringing their story to life, I have listened to the entire book in one sitting as I got into it that I just couldn't press pause, (who needs sleep!?) I loved the series when I read it and my love for it has only increased now I've heard the audio version. Some twists and turns, action drama and a guaranteed HEA.

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Another great audio frm Garrett Leigh & Dan Calley

It hasn't been that long since I read Redemption and a lot of it was still fresh in my mind. Even so, the audiobook captured me all over again and affected me almost as deeply as the book did when I first read it.

It took me a few books to get used to Dan Calley's British accent (US gal here) but I've now listened to about 14 audiobooks that he's performed and I can emphatically say that he has a wonderfully gritty style that works for the books that I've listened to – especially this one.

There really isn't much more that I can say about this story that I didn't already say in my original review from July 9, 2020 (shown below).

I knew this book was gonna tear me up.

I've now read enough books by Garrett Leigh to know when one is probably going to affect me deeply and Redemption surely did that and it was worth every bit the emotion it wrought from me.

Luis Pope was recently released from prison and is looking for work. When he sees the Help Wanted sign in the window of the café he used frequent, he figures it's fate. But café owner, Paolo, remembers Luis from his gangster days and isn't interested in having one of the Pope brothers working for him. Fortunately for Luis, Paolo's grandfather convinces Paolo that he should give Luis a chance.

So, after that rather rocky beginning, Luis provides exactly the type of help that Paolo needed in the café. He's quiet and efficient and has skills that he surprised Paolo with when Paolo needed help in an emergency. This was a wonderful slow-burn story that turns hot as fire as the relationship between Luis and Paolo grows.

Luis and Paolo have chemistry that is off the charts and one of the most devoted relationships I've read recently. The story is gritty and uses a lot of British slang. I didn't always know exactly what the terms meant but it didn't matter because the meaning was clear enough through context. (The author did give a great explanation of many of the terms before the story began).

This book made me believe in the power of redemption and that second chances are something that most people deserve. I'm not doing a good job of explaining how good this book was. If you love a wonderful, angsty story with a HEA don't just take my word for it, grab a copy and read it for yourself; I don't think you'll regret it a bit.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

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Hurt/Comfort at its best!

5 Stars!

Second chances is not really my favorite, but the kind of second chances Garrett Leigh explored here? Please sign me up for all of it! 

Luis has just been released from jail after 6 years and he needs to find a job to start pulling his life back together. Paolo goes through employees faster than he can hire them, and knows of Luis's rep, so he's not all that keen on giving him a job when Luis asks about the sign on Paolo's cafeteria. He decides to give Luis a chance and slowly, they grow closer. However, the past has a way of coming back and hit you when you least expect it. 

I wanted to cuddle Luis and make it all better. Yes, he made mistakes in the past, but he really wanted to turn his life around and make something of himself. And while Paolo was all gruff at first, it wasn't long until he fell under Luis's spell. They had amazing chemistry, but above that, they supported each other and they both were better men when they were together. 

Dan Calley did an outstanding job with both Luis and Paolo and conveying the level of emotion that Garrett's writing evokes. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators because of this precisely. 

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, Garrett Leigh writes the best flawed, ordinary men that I've read. They're just so real and their problems so poignant, that you can't not feel for them and want them to get the Happily Ever After they deserve, and Redemption was another example of this. I just adored this book and I'm sure I'll be listening to it again in the future. 

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Hang on to your hearts

This is the sort of book you expect when you read a Garrett Leigh book. It's a book with heart and real characters who will worm their way into your soul and rip it out through your tears while your heart beats a mile a minute to escape that overwhelming sense of menace from Luis's past that overshadows the book.

Luis and Paolo have amazing chemistry from the very start.

An angsty but glorious hurt/comfort read that is made even better by the narrator's performance.

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