Sunday, March 1, 2015

Rare (Roads #2) by Garrett Leigh

This is the second and last installment in the Roads series. Well, there is still one free scene in "Freed", yet the love story and the Happily Ever After of Pete Adams and Ash Fagin is here and it couldn't be righter or sweeter. 

The first installment finished with Ash seeing his sister for the first time on the streets of Philadelphia. He didn't know that for sure back then and didn't want to believe he actually has a family member out there, but Ellie did her job well, it WAS her. But that's not the time and place they acknowledge their kinship. It happens later, and totally by mistake. I guessed who she was and how they would meet in the previous installment, I had a feeling it would be similar to the way both Pete and Ash were tormented by the same man for different reasons (I'm talking about Daryl Hunter who abused Ash as a kid and bashed Pete with a bat when he was trying to get Daryl's wife into the ambulance while on duty as a paramedic). I don't want to spoiler so I won't specifically tell you how it happens. 


It was heart crushing seeing Ash trying his best to deal with finding his sister Danni. It was obvious that he was stressed out she would be disappointed in him somehow. His insecurities might have improved from his relationship with Pete and also the extensive therapy he was going through, yet I guess objectively he isn't a regular guy, he went through some truly horrible stuff and he isn't the brightest guy out there when it comes to dealing with life. Yet all Danni wants is to get to know her brother and actually HAVE a brother. All she has at the moment is her step father whom she loves dearly but that's it... Having Ash is something she craved for the past 8 years, trying to look for him and missing him by mere months when he found himself on the streets of Philadelphia (the city she was raised in) right when she left to study in Seattle... 

This book, like the previous one, is separated into two parts. The first part starts from Ash's POV telling us of his life with Pete a year after the occurrences of the previous book and continue with Pete's POV for the rest of the part. This first part was a bit slow going in my opinion. We got too much details on Pete's work and how much it was draining him.. I would have preferred to either hear less about it or hear more about Ash and Danni and the way it all progressed which is why I'm giving this one 4 stars instead of 5. 

The second half of the book, told solely from Ash's POV was MUCH better (also much more angsty). It deals with Ash taking care of Pete (for a change..) who suffers from a bad injury. It was truly heart breaking seeing Pete from Ash's eyes and also seeing how much Pete means to him and how much he is willing to do but also how much he has changed in the last four years that made him capable of taking care of his partner. Yeah he had his weaker moments, we all do. It was truly beautiful. I even found myself in tears at a certain point with Pete REALLY making it difficult for Ash with his attitude and temper.   

The story ended in the best way possible to all sides. I really enjoyed getting to know Pete and Ash, was happy with how their lives turned out and how everything came together for (almost) all of them. It was a beautiful love story, really enjoyed our wounded hero - Ash - and the way he changed and grew.

I'm looking forward to the little glimpse in "Freed" though I got my HEA and I'm really to check out more books by Garrett.   


Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 232 pages, 27-28 February 2015 / On GoodReads
 
 
ABOUT THIS SERIES
 
Roads is a MM Romance series by Garrett Leigh telling us the heart breakingly beautiful love story between Pete Adams and Ash Fagin. 

The series is compiled from two parts. There are also two short novellas containing extra scenes from each of the novels, but a few years later another book was added which brings a better HEA for the couple. 
You can download those for free from the publisher's website right here - 

Ash had a rough childhood, living in several foster care houses before he ended up living on the street of Philadelphia drawing with chalk on side walks. That's where Ellie finds him. A rich girl with a heart of gold who does her best to help him build some sort of a life. After rehab and finished his studies to become a tattoo artist she brings him back with her to Chicago there she introduces him to Pete - a guy who is looking to rent his free bedroom. 

At first they barely speak to one another. Ash isn't a very communicative guy and Pete is working a lot of consuming hours as a paramedic. Yet somehow through few talks they do have something forms there. Pete holds his hand out to Ash, and surprisingly Ash accepts. From there it was a beautiful slide into an amazing love story, against all odds, or rather against Ash's horrible past who doesn't stay there and comes roaring back. 

The first book was outstanding. An amazing, angsty read. I loved it to pieces. Pete was a sweet heart and Ash, he was something else. It was impossible not to fall for the both of them. They had quite a long way to go to deal with Ash's past and present but with the faith, acceptance and strength Pete showed it's no wonder it all worked out in the end. 

It's a beautiful beautiful love story for the "wounded hero" lovers.  

Books:
1. Slide (Published 13 October 2013) ★★★★★  
1.5. Marked (Published 14 October 2013) ★★★★★ 
2. Rare (Published 17 January 2014) ★★★★
2.5. Freed (Published 17 January 2014) ★★★★★
3. Circle (Published 5 September 2017) ★★★★
 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment