Stevie‘s review of Junkyard Heart (Porthkennack, Book 7) by Garrett Leigh
Contemporary Bisexual Romance published by Riptide Publishing 02 Dec 17
Garrett Leigh’s second outing in the Porthkennack universe has some overlaps with the characters and settings of her earlier visit to the town, but that’s no bad thing; the staff and customers of the tattoo studio were intriguing on first meeting and only become more so as we learn more about them. This time around we also get to meet another sprawling family of locals, the Mannings of Belly Acre Farm, and their produce business.
Jas Manning grew up mostly in London with his mother, but spent most of his summers on the farm with his father (a bit of a hippy to say the least), stepmother, and brothers. Over the years, the farm has diversified to keep ahead of downturns in agricultural incomes, and on Jas’ return to the family after a relationship break-up, he is put to work staffing their stall at various local shows. Taking a break from the food tent to explore the show’s other attractions, Jas becomes fascinated by the upcycled furniture in one stall, and by the furniture’s designer, Kim Penrose. Convinced that Kim’s work is just what his family needs for their latest venture – a café in one of the old barns – Jas tries to find out more; however, their next meeting, at a gig where Jas is photographing the band, ends in rushed sex with little in the way of conversation.
All is not lost: Jas and Kim make contact again, and a deal is struck. Jas is wary of getting too involved, because of the way his last relationship ended, especially since Kim is still on very good terms with his ex, who is now on tour with the band Jas was photographing. Kim’s own issues don’t help, and it seems that Jas may not be able to give him the support Kim needs when Jas’ photography work takes him away from Porthkennack for days at a time.
I really enjoyed this book, and it was particularly good to see secondary characters from Leigh’s previous book in the series come into their own in this one. The various business ventures the guys are involved in felt very real, given that I have some sort of involvement in most of them, though mainly as a customer. There’s obviously a lot of mileage in this series yet, and I’m keen to find out who we’re going to meet next and what brings them to, or keeps them in, Porthkennack.
Grade: A
Summary:
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.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
