Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Tired of the London rat race and the heartbreak that comes with it, photographer Jas Manning returns to Porth Ewan, 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.

 

 

First edition published at Riptide Publishing, December 2017. Previously published with the Porthkennack shared world series, these books have been significantly reworked and re-edited.

 

Book Review

“It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” – Joseph Campbell

Things that have been broken, including hearts, become stronger when mended. Jas Manning went off to the big city to find a more exciting life. Instead, what he finds himself in is a world of pain with a controlling, abusive man. Hoping to rest his bruised, broken heart, Jas escapes back home, with no expectations but to be away from his cruel ex-lover. As fate would have it, Jas is inexplicably drawn to Kim, an easy-going, free spirit, perhaps even more broken than Jas.

Jas is at loose ends when he comes back home. He's relieved to be away from London, but not quite sure how to fit in in Porth Ewan Bay after being gone for so long. Jas is fortunate to have a family that loves him but he doesn't feel comfortable spending much time with them. It's been a long time since he was a farm boy selling jam at festivals like his family still does, but it's at the festival that Jas meets Kim, a complicated but enduring man. They have an instant physical connection that explodes into unbridled passion the first night they are together. Neither of them are prepared for the emotional connection that swiftly follows.

The closer Jas gets to Kim, the more he realizes that Kim is not as free as he seems. Jas is out of his depth as to how to deal with Kim's unpredictable moods that drive him harder than he can go sometimes, leaving Kim completely exhausted and frazzled. Also, Jas is confused about his relationship with his friend, Lena. Kim says that Lena is his best friend, someone who has always been there to comfort and pick him up when he falls, which is more often than not. Jas wants to believe that, but when they are together, there seems to be so much more there that he can't help but be unsettled. It seems as if Lena is ready to move on, but won't leave her precious Kim until she is sure he has someone to support and love him, like she has done for so many years. After a while, it becomes apparent that Jas’s feelings for Kim are genuine. Lena sees what a kind, nurturing, patient man Jas is. She decides that Jas just might be the one to take over for her.

Garrett has written an emotionally charged love story, one that reminded me that love can and does heal. That doesn't mean all will be perfect with love, it's not, but with love comes a strength, an understanding not present without it. Loving someone else give us the strength to love ourselves. That is the only way positive changes can occur. Kim and Jas both desperately need love in their lives in order to heal. Thanks, Garrett, for the emotional, intense book.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 175 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	05-June-2024
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Junkyard-Heart-Porth-Rebel-Kings-ebook/dp/B0CWJGYYGD