Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Heart by Garrett Leigh

There are no words! this story was absolutely beautiful. I feel like every word I'm going to say about this one won't be able to express how much I enjoyed it and was glued to my place unable to put it down (though life made me do that! which was cruel!).

After reading "Roads" series last month I knew I HAVE to try more books by Garrett. I started looking for her books and found most of them besides one short novella called "Gypsy Rain" which is now unavailable, turns out that short novella is actually the beginning of this one. 

The story starts from Sebastian "Seb" Wright's POV. He own a family bakery which specializes in making fudge. He manages the shop his grand-grand-parents left him but though he loves to cook and make the pastries, managing the shop especially in the small town he grew up in, isn't what he craves or wants. His life changes one night when upon walking back home a stranger points out his wallet fell to the ground.

My first thought as probably yours would be that the gypsy who pointed out the wallet on the ground took with his sticky fingers a few things from the wallet before acting all saintly. But it's not what actually happened. What happened is an actual nice gesture from one person to another which is the first stepping stone to a beautiful sensitive relationship. 

When Seb sees the same "kid" trying to shelter himself from heavy rain right outside his shop he invites him in and from there on, for the rest of the summer they find a routine that suits them both. Declan Sweeney, known to anyone else but himself as simply "Dex" helps washing the dishes and wrapping orders in exchange for a meal and a chance to get away from the rain. 

As the time goes by, Seb gets attached to Dex but he is afraid of expressing his growing desire to the younger man, afraid of scaring him off. At the end, after an amazing night together Dex leaves never to return again. 

I think this is were the short novella ended and this one continues with the most heart breakingly beautiful love story I've read in a LONG time. In a way better than with Roads which I loved to pieces! 

The rest of the story (right until the last two chapters) is told from Dex's POV and it's wrecking. The abuse he went through, the way he considers himself, and especially how much he changes throughout the story is something to behold. My heart was clenched most of the book, praying for him and Seb to find their way to each other's arms once again and though it took a while and though there were many secrets (= Dex's past) between them, Seb was patient the whole time, realizing what Dex NEEDS is what he should give him. Time, space, a comforting hug, endless kisses, whichever and whenever. Though most of the time Seb was guessing the importance of that is in coupling of the two words together - Dex, need. No one before has EVER thought of Dex's needs. No one took them in to consideration and Seb, being the amazing person that he is, gives Dex exactly that without ever realizing how important this is for Dex. 

I won't write about how Seb and Dex find each other, and not about Dex's past and how it's all resolved, I'll let you read it and enjoy it. You have to be into uber wounded heroes to appreciate this one, if you are, this would be a beautiful ride for you. I wanted to say "a total joy" but with Dex's life, it's impossible to use that word up until the very end of the novel which left me absolutely joyful. 

I loved both Seb and Dex, loved their relationship and it's buildup. Though it took time to form and for trust to build (even though it was sort of there most of the time) it was amazing seeing it evolve. Seeing the both of them alone and together and the impact they had on one another. Mostly Seb on Dex but as the story comes to an end, when you think about Seb, where he started and where he is today and what he is planning for the rest of his life you see the change there as well. 

I am simply in love with Garrett's writing. I don't think I can get enough of it. I have most of her novels planned for this month. Can't wait to have my hands on them! 

As you can guess - HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 



Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 196 pages, 15-17 March 2015 / On GoodReads

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