DNF 19%.

I did not connect with the characters or their situation. As I was not enjoying myself, I stopped reading. In the past where I have not, I have ended up flying into a rage and writing a vituperative review.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review. Netgalley is also insisting that I rate this book - I do not usually, when I have only read 19%.

I don't think you have to read the first part of this duology, Forgiven, to pick this one up - but it will help you to understand the characters and this relationship better if you do. So, I recommend you start with the m/f story first.

Look, I want to tell you I loved this. I was mostly meh about Forgiven - lot's of sex, not a lot of character development, and a couple I was happy to see get their HEA, but I wasn't super invested in. While that book didn't really do it for me, Gus Amour - the most important secondary character in that story, did. Nice guy, great brother (to Mia Amour from Forgiven, awesome friend (to Luke Daley from Forgiven), and diligent employee (also Luke). Also hot. Also gay. Also super duper in Garrett Leigh's romantic wheelhouse. I was stoked for his story - especially since it also featured Luke's younger, slightly messed up brother Billy.

When Unforgotten kicks off, Billy's just lost his most recent total shit job (after punching a customer who kicked his cat), he's nearly broke, slightly feral (like his best friend, Grey - a half-feral cat), and homeless. Slightly drunk and with nowhere else to go, he turns to his older brother Luke for help. The relationship between Luke and Billy is a strained, hot mess - Luke left Billy as a young boy to join the Navy and help his family out - and Billy never forgave him for it. Billy ran with a rough crowd and was in and out of trouble for most of Luke's years in the military, and when Luke finally did return, Billy didn't. They've lived separate lives for so long, they can barely have a conversation without it turning into a fight. Mia isn't feeling it and instead suggests Billy stay with Gus - who conveniently lives near by and now has an empty spare room.

When Mia asks Gus to take in Billy, he's happy to help though nervous about the state of his own relationship with him. Years ago the two shared an intense and passionate kiss before Gus put an end to it - overwhelmed with the feelings Billy stirred in him and unwilling to take advantage of his younger friend. He's never forgotten the kiss or how Billy made him feel, and he's anxious to help Billy get back on his feet.

Billy gets on board with the plan quickly - living with Luke was a nightmarish prospect, and he nursed a crush on Gus since they were school kids. His life is a mess, he can't resist the attraction he feels towards Gus - who seems super into hooking up via Grindr, he's jobless and homeless, and his relationship with Luke seems to get worse with every interaction. He's determined to treat his sojourn at Gus's as something temporary, and plans to move on as soon as he gets his life back in order. Ahem.

Okay. So like I said, I was hoping to love this. I didn't. Billy is difficult to love - he is defensively nasty & I'm not in love with that personality type, and Gus is super into Billy but unwilling/unable to tell him. I just didn't see how these opposites were so attracted to each other, and that incendiary kiss so many years ago must have been something crazy amazing for them to still be thinking about it so long afterwards. I was underwhelmed with the mention of it and had a hard time buying into this pining since childhood story line. That said, I do love the friends to lovers trope and I wanted these two to have a happy ever after, so I was invested in them for that reason and it kept me turning pages long after I thought the relationship was a bit toooooooo farfetched.

The other big problem? The sex. OH NO I DIDN'T. Yep, this GL fan was not impressed with the sexy times in this story. Billy has led a wild and crazy life...but he hasn't had a ton of hook-ups or sex. What kind of wild guy is that? And Gus is a Grindr maestro? But sex with Billy is TOTALLY DIFFERENT. AWESOME. AMAZING. ETC. ETC. Great, you guys have great chemistry and you're totally into each other. Yep, good, good. But a near virgin and a hook-up king are going to have some awkward moments as they learn each other and these two...well, they never do. Come on! Great sex can happen - but let's allow for some nerves and weirdness. Please. Minds don't have to be blown from the get-go.

They pine. They flirt. They hook-up. They have regrets. Repeat & add in some cooking lessons and a near death experience. That's the relationship in nutshell.

Anywho. Normally, GL's version of relationship angst is my jam. I liked this, but I just wasn't feeling these characters or this story, and the duology is a miss for me.

Sometimes a book knocks your socks off, and sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately this one fell into the latter category for me. I hate giving a less than stellar review of a book, but I refuse to be dishonest as well. Let's start with the good. This book is very well written. It flowed perfectly and I didn't notice any grammatical errors which can really take away from a book. The characters were also flushed out and realistically flawed which is a strong suit of this author.

What did not work for me was the romance. I didn't feel the chemistry between Gus and Billy. I tried, I really did. Both MCs talked ( well thought) about how they felt so much passion from their kisses and encounters, but I did not see that translate to the page. Billy was so gruff and Gus was a wall of fake smiles. As much as they thought about their feelings for each other, neither every really communicated it. In fact their actions a lot of the time indicated the opposite, especially in Billy's case. Even their siblings mentioned how they had no idea what was between them was even serious.

Luke and Mia intrigued me enough to actually think about reading their book and I rarely read MF anymore. I like how Mia is described as such a strong female character who seems to give zero fucks and is quick to use her hot temper. Also the little tease at the end did it's job. Everything else I have read by Garrett Leigh has been 4 plus stars, so I think this one may be a one off or maybe a it's not you its me situation.

When Billy sees a guy kick the stray cat he's befriended, he punches him and loses his job. This leaves him with his bike and a new cat and nowhere to stay. Left with no other options, he reaches out to his estranged brother. Rather than staying with brother Luke and his girlfriend Mia, Billy ends up staying with Mia's brother.
Mia's brother - Gus remembers Billy alright. They shared a kiss one night years before and it's lingered in Gus' mind. But, when Billy arrives, it's clear that what he needs is a place to get back on his feet. The two men are thrown together as roommates, then coworkers and their relationship begins to change.

Billy is a great character! While he won't deny having made some bad decisions in the past, a lot of what people think about him simply isn't true. Maybe his tattoos and wild hair give one impression...but the fact that he can't watch an animal be hurt gives another impression. I liked the way that Billy processed things because it felt very human to me. Just like most of us, he doesn't figure things out instantly. He takes time to go through events in his mind and realizes his mistakes even if he doesn't necessarily know what to do. One of the things I've always appreciated about Garrett Leigh's books is how authentic the characters seem.

Gus! Oh, Gus. When Gus first appears in this book, he seems to be the one who has everything together. But Gus is dealing with a lot of things that people just don't even notice. He's the one who stayed behind when everyone else ran from things that happened in their past. every time he reaches out to someone, he risks putting himself into the same situation again: watching his loved ones leave.

I loved the relationships in this story. Billy and Luke are brothers who love each other but have been apart too long to know how to even "be" with each other. That felt so real to me. Mia and Gus have the kind of sibling relationship that makes me laugh. They push each other constantly and had a love/hate relationship as they were growing up.

The best part about this book is that all the characters, whether supporting or otherwise, care about one another. the issue for all of them is "how" they show they care and what that means for the future.
Another great book from Garrett Leigh...it can be read as a stand-alone.

Unforgotten is the second book in Garrett Leigh's Forgiven series. Even though its part of a series I feel it can be read as a stand alone and if you're a fan off m/m romances I would recommend this one.

If you read my review of book one, Forgiven, you'll know I was not pleased with it but Wow the m/m genre is obviously where Garrett Leigh knows how to shine. I loved this one, and I don't even know where to start. Not that this book doesn't fit into the vibe or setting of the series, but it's just done so well compared to book one.

I loved both of Unforgotten's leading men. Gus was a peacemaker , who kept his hurt and anger inside and didn't let it leak out and effect those around him. Billy, oh my precious Billy, he was a mess but against everyone always thinking the worst of him he was really trying dispite that. The man had the sweetest relationship with his cat, that alone should tell you the type of person he was inside even if it was buried under layers of hurt. Gus and Billy built a friendship while living together, a relationship that included angst and sexual tension. I looked forward to every smile Gus pulled out Billy and don't get me started on the amount of cuddling (happy sigh). I'm fixating on the sweet parts, but their journey wasn't smooth. Gus didn't want to get in too deep with his best friends brother and ruin things for their healing relationship. Billy didn't think he was deserving of Gus' love. That led to some hot and cold whiplash from Gus and as well as a few miscommunications, but through it all I was routing for them.

Like the previous book, we have two characters who don't handle their emotions in the healthiest way. Gus used the Grindr hook ups to distract himself from the thoughts in his head while Billy used fights and confrontation as a distraction. However unlike the previous book, the relationship wasn't filled with constant hateful words and anger. Unlike the last book, this also had a satisfying ending, it wasn't a big out of nowhere unbelievable drama, and it fit into the storyline.

Unforgotten is full of angst and fire but also tender moments and family. I'm glad that I gave Garrett Leigh's writing another shot because I'll be keeping an eye out for her future m/m releases and will be checking out her back list.

I was intrigued by Billy after reading Forgiven so I was really glad to read his HEA with Gus. I loved that they had a moment in the past that neither could stop thinking about. Both have a lot of hurts for similar and different reasons, yet they work through them together and are able to build something new that belongs to them.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I love a slow burn relationship, and I particularly loved how in this book it was navigated amongst themes of reconciliation, family, and found family. The two main characters Billy and Gus - former friends who shared a kiss once what feels like a lifetime ago - have to figure out how to be around each other, and they also have to decide how much they are willing to risk by pursuing what they want. I enjoyed how their conversations were messy and all over the place; it felt true to how miscommunication happens in real life even when you're actually trying to communicate. The ebb and flow of their relationship felt real, and I loved the back and forth banter. While Billy and Gus are figuring out their own relationship, they also have to figure out how to be around their families after periods of estrangement and hurtful decisions of the past. Especially for Billy and his brother Luke, anyone who has a rocky relationship with a sibling will understand how you can love somebody and still hate them sometimes. Also, for anyone who has experienced the awkwardness of not knowing what to say or what to do with the people you love and feel like you should know but just don't, this resonates strongly. This is a really solid story about finding your way, reconnecting with loved ones, and making choices that will make you happy even if they're scary.

Gus and Billy shared a scorching kiss years ago that neither have been able to forget. Gus is the one who stayed in town despite family and friends leaving, while Billy is the troublemaker who left and only returns when he desperately needs a place to regroup. They end up living and working together with an off-the-charts attraction between them. Billy, full of personal issues and edginess, shows up with a half-feral cat he has rescued that steals the show, while Gus is the supposedly steady one with his own abandonment issues who has never been able to commit to anyone. As their relationship grows, each has trouble trusting what is happening until a crisis shows them that what they have is well worth keeping. I loved their story amidst the very real setting of working class Britain. Highly recommended.

Part two of this excellent series from Garrett picks up shortly after the end of book one, however, you could read this one as a standalone and not be lost.

It would be a shame, as Forgiven was a very good second chance, teenage lovers reunited MF romance for Mia and Luke.

This one though is all male and boy what a pair Gus and Billy are.

Gus is Mia’s brother, Billy is Luke’s and they’ve never been able to forget a drunken kiss they shared years before.

Before life turned them down different, but equally sad and lonely, paths and before Luke came home from the Navy to make things up with Mia.

This has all the usual Garrett Leigh hallmarks, it’s rooted firmly in British life, it’s raw and holds no punches back as it explores the mess people can make of their lives without really knowing why they don’t stop it.

It has two men, both hurting inside, both fighting with dealing with siblings who ran away and left them behind to deal with the aftermath of a parent’s death, it has emotional connectivity, unbridled lust, and it has hearts that are drawn together again and again.

There’re hiccups along the way, but it also has the signature dish from any Garrett romance – hope. It brings hope that even two men who’ve never moved on, can find their happy ever after together.

I loved Billy, and I loved Gus, for different reasons. Billy is spikey and hot-tempered, too quick to fly off the handle, but also capable of rescuing a stray cat and giving it a home even when he has nothing for himself.

Gus is repressed, locking away his emotions, hiding himself inside no commitment Grindr hookups and his work, relying on his friendship with Luke for actual companionship, but also a ticking timebomb of feelings just waiting to explode.

The small town vibe felt familiar and realistic, the grudges left because of Billy’s wayward teenage years, the inherent suspicion when he returns, the inability to let go of the past and move forward and, ultimately, the love which grows from the roots of family and familiarity, from never being able to forget that one guy who rocked your world.

The plot beats of the narrative worked for me, they drove the story onwards without feeling like they’d just been thrown in for the sake of it and I enjoyed being on the journey with Billy and Gus.

When I read the first book in the Forgiven Series by Garrett Leigh, Forgiven, I couldn't wait to get stuck into the second book in the series. We had met Gus and in a much smaller way, Billy, in that first book and I had a feeling that I was going to enjoy reading about them. I was not wrong.
Billy has had a difficult time, drifting from place to place and getting himself into all kinds of trouble. He's a damaged young man after the death of his father and feeling that his older brother Luke abandoned him. In many was Gus seems to have everything sorted, but he's experienced much of the same pain and difficulties that Gus has been faced with. Together they begin to heal and put old demons to bed.
I loved the interactions between Gus and Billy. I think that they worked particularly well as it wasn't the case that one had to fix the other, just that together they were able to deal with their own problems.
This was a great read and I really enjoyed joining this family again as they sort themselves out and fall in love. I don't know if there will be further instalments in this series or it will remain as a duet of books. Either way, it's a satisfying and enjoyable read and I'd highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was okay. Like, I loved the first 50% and then the rest was just...okay? I was wondering if I was going to love this or not after, erm, my feelings for the first book, but I did. Mostly. I was looking forward to Gus and Billy’s book after their intro in Forgiven, and this certainly delivered on the angst front at least.

Trigger warnings involved mentions of parents dying from illness, chronic illness, mentions of drug use, health scare (carbon monoxide poisoning), violence, and animal abuse and animal neglect.

Billy is a guy who’s mostly been on his own since his older brother, Luke, ran away to join the Navy 10 years ago, right after their father died. He’s got a bad rep around his hometown of Rushmere and it’s the last place he wants to go back to. But with his older brother finally getting his act together and getting his HEA, and Billy finding himself without a job and homeless, he finally makes the journey back home.

So, Gus is someone we’ve met more of in the first book (or more so than Billy, at least). Gus’s older sister Mia is the one who got back together with Luke and got her HEA. We know that Gus is the one who stayed behind in Rushmere when tragedy struck both their families, but he’s also known as the chill one who doesn’t get angry or rattled. He’s a bit of a playboy compared Luke, Mia, and Billy.

There’s a lot in this story to deal with. On the one hand, Billy’s not happy to ask for help but still longs for an easier relationship with Luke. And then there’s Gus doesn’t want to do anything to jeapordize that relationship just because he’s attracted to Billy, but Luke is his BFF and his boss (they work together in Luke’s family roofing business).

There is angst in this book and there is a lot of baggage to deal with because there is 10 years of emotions that don’t go away overnight. Neither character has ever gone to therapy and there’s still a lot of hurt on both sides that hasn’t ever been handled and just repressed for one and expressed in destructive ways in another.

So I’m not sure about this book and the ultimate fight and kind of breakup for Gus and Billy? There’s still a lot of speaking in circles and becoming repetitive, something I also had a problem with in the first book. There are moments where I think a lot could be resolved if they’d only just tell the truth. I know Gus isn’t big on words but does Billy ever give him a chance to explain? Does Gus ever even talk to Billy about what his plan was with using Grindr as an alibi for the thing he was doing? Unless I missed it, I don’t think it ever came back up. If it wasn’t for the big climactic, over-dramatic moment at the end, would they have ever managed to talk it all out? And while I do love a good story where the gentle giant just has all these FEELS that needs to come out, it also breaks my heart. Gus is so precious and just really needed a nice long cry much earlier on in his life.

I do find that I love Billy more than I expected but the big conflict at the end between him and Gus, and then trying to wrap it all up with a bigger event...well, I felt like something got lost in Billy’s story somehow. The ending was a bit too much in my opinion and it was more about Gus than Billy.

On a slightly more positive note, one of my favorite parts of this book was the cat! Grey is awesome and I only wish there was more interactions with this cool cat. I am skeptical about how Billy grabbed a cast iron to use as a temporary litter box and about how Grey ate Gus’s protein powder and no one was worried at all? I know Greg was a stray cat before so he’s probably made of tougher stuff, but still. I’m all for more animal interactions in books.

So...the sex in this book? I don’t know. Gus is understanding and all about consent, but it was still uncomfortable to read in a way? I don’t really know what it is exactly, but Billy mentions several times (to the reader, not to Gus) that he’s uncomfortable with the thought of penetrative sex because he’s had a bad experience before. But he also feels bad not going straight to it with Gus since Gus is notorious for hooking up with a new guy he finds on Grindr every night. They do take things slow because Gus is nothing if not understanding and don’t jump to penetrative sex right off the bat (but still naked), but I still felt better just quickly skimming all the sex scenes. Maybe it’s because there wasn’t more of a talk about the hesitation behind Billy’s reluctance to have penetrative sex despite his feelings for Gus.

After reading this book, did I feel like you have to read the first book? Maybe not. The French thing? Still not explained. So unless you really feel like you have to read books in a series to get the complete story. They seem to work pretty well as standalones, but you will have an established couple already in this book that are really important to Gus and Billy’s lives. I think it was interesting reading about Luke and Mia from new perspectives, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to start this book and go back and read their book second if you really wanted to.

Overall, I think this series was just okay compared to Garrett Leigh’s previous books, but it is interesting to see her expand and publish with Harlequin. I do wish there was an option to have these books available in paperback for readers on top of an ebook and audio. It would have been nice to see more characters in the series besides our main 4 - Mia, Luke, Gus, and Billy - so that we could maybe wish for more books? More queer books? But it is what it is, I guess. These were both quick and angsty reads with a touch of the melodramatic, so if that’s what you’re looking for and have read everything from the author’s backlist? I say, go ahead and read these books too.

***Thanks to the publisher for approving me for this ARC on NetGalley.***