Slide (Roads: Book 1)

Title:  Slide  (Roads: Book 1)

Author:  Garrett Leigh

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press

Length:  274 pages

Rating:  A List

Up All Night Satisfaction

Blurb:  Roads: Book One

Don’t look back. Don’t you ever look back…

Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.

Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.

Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life.

Review:  Wow, wow, wow…

With the help of his friend, Ellie, Ash is off drugs, working as a tattoo artist, and off the streets, rooming with a paramedic named Pete. Shortly after moving in Ash and Pete begin a tentative friendship, stymied by Pete’s crazy work schedule and Ash’s perpetual insomnia. Over time friendship becomes more, but when a past like Ash’s goes ignored there will be consequences to the relationship.

Having personally dealt with depression I understood Ash’s apathy, that deep and abiding sense of empty nothingness that pervades his mind and body throughout the story. While I have never dealt with issues such as the ones Ash has there is something very authentic about his state of mind that the reader can empathize with.

This book was powerful, I felt such a connection to Ash and Pete as they slogged through life. Although at times I thought Pete could have used a stiff kick in the nuts… But even when I felt Pete should have done more, noticed signs sooner, I also had to remember that real people aren’t perfect. Sometimes even the most caring loved ones miss things, not out of malice but out of a lack of understanding, out of weariness.

The book probably has more coincidences than I would have liked, a little suspended disbelief at times. And the variation on the Big Misunderstanding made me sort of ragey for a time. But despite its flaws I found the story very engaging.

Reading great books from new to me authors always gives me something to look forward to. I cannot wait to read more from this author and this series. While this is in no way what I would call a feel good romp, the emotional payoff is worth the heartache.

Reviewed by Jules

Title:  Marked  (Roads: Book 1.5)

Author:  Garrett Leigh

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press

Length:  20 pages

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blurb:  Roads: Book 1.5

Missing Moment from Slide

It’s been six months since Ash shuffled into Pete’s life and turned his world upside down, and six months since they sat in an all-night diner plotting Ash’s theoretical solution for Pete’s faded, botched tattoo. Pete has just about given up hope of Ash ever fulfilling his promise when one day the end of a long shift finds Ash waiting for him.

Tonight is the night.

Ash is ready, and it seems the time has come for him to leave his mark on Pete in more ways than he ever imagined.

Review:  This isn’t a separate story, more like deleted scenes from Slide. Something that might not have flowed in the novel but is nice to read as a bonus. Scenes that were not pivotal to the story progression tend to be deleted during editing but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good!

I love the fact that the author and publisher chose to give us this added interlude. Perfect for just a little extra connection to the characters!

Reviewed by Jules