Virtual Book Tour: Junkyard Heart by Garrett Leigh (Reviews + Giveaway)

About Junkyard Heart

Tired of the London rat race and the heartbreak that comes with it, photographer Jas Manning returns to Porthkennack, the Cornish seaside town where he spent every childhood summer on his father’s farm. Resigned to year-round rain, wind, and homemade jam, he’s sorely unprepared for the impact that artsy carpenter Kim Penrose has on his heart.

Kim’s free-loving reputation precedes him, and he’s as generous with his inked-up body as he is with his time. The sex is hot, the easy friendship even better, and Jas’s time with him building his family’s new farmhouse canteen is everything Jas was missing in his empty city life.

But Kim’s carefree existence isn’t as simple as it appears. He’s worked hard to vanquish his demons and build his dreams, but the devil on his shoulder is ruthless, and when it comes to call, their happy bubble bursts like it was never there at all. The canteen opening looms, but Kim is gone in more ways than one, and it’s down to Jas to shore up Kim’s soul and convince him that he deserves his place in Jas’s heart.

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About Porthkennack

Welcome to Porthkennack, a charming Cornish seaside town with a long and sometimes sinister history. Legend says King Arthur's Black Knight built the fort on the headland here, and it’s a certainty that the town was founded on the proceeds of smuggling, piracy on the high seas, and the deliberate wrecking of cargo ships on the rocky shore. Nowadays it draws in the tourists with sunshine and surfing, but locals know that the ghosts of its Gothic past are never far below the surface.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by five award-winning, best-selling British LGBTQ romance authors: Alex Beecroft, Joanna Chambers, Charlie Cochrane, Garrett Leigh, and JL Merrow. Follow Porthkennack and its inhabitants through the centuries and through the full rainbow spectrum with historical and contemporary stand-alone titles.

5 Stars

Garrett Leigh’s ability to create lovable and somewhat damaged men that you can’t help but fall in love with and root for never ceases to amaze me: Jas and Kim were no exception.

After a devastating break-up, Jas moves to Porthkennack to get away from the hustle and bustle, as well as the pain, now associated with London. Although a true city-boy at heart, having been raised in London by his mum, Jas spent his summers in Porthkennack on the farm with his father, step-mum and brothers. Moving there, he meets Kim, a fellow artist and the explosive attraction is instant. Kim seems to have it all together at first glance, but as Jas will soon discover he isn’t the only one dealing with demons from the past.

Neither of these men is without flaws, something I love about Ms. Leigh’s characters, they are real and most often relatable. I absolutely loved Jas and Kim from the start, and as the layers were pulled away and I got to know them better, it only made me love them more.

While the physical relationship between Jas and Kim happens quickly, it takes time for them to really open up to the possibility of a romantic relationship and there’s a lot of push and pull and back and forth between them in the beginning, but once they do finally give into more than just the physical aspect of their relationship, watching them fall in love was an absolutely beautiful thing to witness.

The story is well-written, emotionally driven and a bit angsty, but it is also filled with tenderness, friendship, family, support and love. The chemistry between Jas and Kim was off the charts and the sex was passionate, hot and plentiful. I couldn’t put it down and although the ending was satisfying, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Jas and Kim yet.

I am absolutely loving this little town of Porthkennack and its array of colorful citizens and I’m hoping to catch sight of some of the characters I’ve fallen in love with in future books! Very enjoyable and highly recommendable!!

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

5 Stars!!!

This book was kind of unexpected, in the sense that I knew it would be good, this is Garrett Leigh after all, but I just didn't expect Kim's problems to run so deep.

I loved Kim and my heart broke for him so many times. He'd had such a hard time dealing with his demons and continued to do so every single day. I loved Jas, too, especially once he decided to move forward and forget his past mistakes. Both men were so realistically portrayed, they were flawed and it took them time to get things right, but once they did, they were just perfect together, supporting and being there for each other. The chemistry between them was sizzling and the sex scenes were really hot.

I will admit I wasn't sure about Lena/Red at first, but I loved her inclusion into the story. It was great to see Brix and Calum, too, and have them be such an integral part of the story.

Overall, Junkyard Heart was another hit for Ms. Leigh! The book was enjoyable, poignant, steamy and showed us what living with addiction can do to a person in a believable way. I think this is my favorite book in the series so far, it was just that awesome. Highly recommendable!

*** Copy provided to the reviewer by Riptide Publishing for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

Check out Porthkennack!

About Garrett Leigh

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett's debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Social media:

Website: http://garrettleigh.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks

Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Junkyard Heart, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 9, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!