5 Stars

Garrett Leigh’s ability to create lovable and somewhat damaged men that you can’t help but fall in love with and root for never ceases to amaze me: Jas and Kim were no exception.

After a devastating break-up, Jas moves to Porthkennack to get away from the hustle and bustle, as well as the pain, now associated with London. Although a true city-boy at heart, having been raised in London by his mum, Jas spent his summers in Porthkennack on the farm with his father, step-mum and brothers. Moving there, he meets Kim, a fellow artist and the explosive attraction is instant. Kim seems to have it all together at first glance, but as Jas will soon discover he isn’t the only one dealing with demons from the past.

Neither of these men is without flaws, something I love about Ms. Leigh’s characters, they are real and most often relatable. I absolutely loved Jas and Kim from the start, and as the layers were pulled away and I got to know them better, it only made me love them more.

While the physical relationship between Jas and Kim happens quickly, it takes time for them to really open up to the possibility of a romantic relationship
and there’s a lot of push and pull and back and forth between them in the beginning, but once they do finally give into more than just the physical aspect of their relationship, watching them fall in love was an absolutely beautiful thing to witness.

The story is well-written, emotionally driven and a bit angsty, but it is also filled with tenderness, friendship, family, support and love. The chemistry between Jas and Kim was off the charts and the sex was passionate, hot and plentiful. I couldn’t put it down and although the ending was satisfying, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Jas and Kim yet.

I am absolutely loving this little town of Porthkennack and its array of colorful citizens and I’m hoping to catch sight of some of the characters I’ve fallen in love with in future books! Very enjoyable and highly recommendable!!

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Jas returns to Porthkennack after a devastating breakup that leaves him hesitant to get involved again. When he meets Kim at an outdoor fair, he's intrigued but wary. He's definitely attracted to Kim, but not quite ready for anything in the way of a relationship.

Kim feels the attraction too, and when they hookup at a concert where Jas is taking photos, it's the beginning of a tense friendship / relationship/ ???. Neither Jas or Kim is quite sure. One thing is for certain, and that's Kim has some past difficulties with addiction, and he's also got something going with Lena, the red-haired singer and tattoo artist where Kim also works.

I thought this was a very emotional, albeit quiet tale of two men finding each other and figuring out just what that means. Jas is concerned after finding out about Lena, because of the heartbreak caused by his former lover. And Kim has problems with alcoholism and depression that make him not the easiest person to connect with. I loved all that about this story. Jas and Kim are complex humans searching for something/someone to stave off the loneliness they feel.

This is my second Porthkennack book and I loved it! There's a lot of charm in this little seaside community, and that also translates to the dialect of the characters which makes reading this seem like a mini-vacation to the Cornish seaside town. This is what draws me back to this series. These characters carry their scars unapologetically, and I love that about them too.

I should give a warning that there's quite a bit of talk about depression and addiction in this tale, and that may be triggering for some readers. I know I felt it deeply and I'm sure it will hit home for other readers.

I loved Jas and Kim's story. It didn't have a huge amount of conflict because most of that was very internal. This was a quick read, and only took a couple of days to finish. Overall, I'd recommend this if you are interested in reading an M/M romance about learning to live with past mistakes and finding a way to embrace the promise of a happy future.

An ARC was provided for review.

A great, engaging read from start to finish. Both Jas and Kim are likable and have depth that keeps you rooting for them. As the adult child of an alcoholic, I loved how the author showed alcoholism as just one facet of Kim's personality (in that he tends toward obsessiveness in a lot of areas). The twists and turns of their relationship was only made better by the extremely hot physical connection they share. Definitely one that is worth a re-read.

This is the seventh book in the Porthkennack series. It is a MM romance set in set Cornish seaside. Even though the characters go through quite a bit of difficulty to get their happy ending, I really enjoyed this book. The characters are very complicated and Garrett Leigh did a wonderful job creating them. I felt like I knew them by the end of the story. The setting is wonderful and the pace of the story was excellent. Even though this is the seventh in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone book.

Although Junkyard Heart is the 7th book int he Porthkennack series it can be read as a stand alone easily (I did).

The books I've read by Garrett Leigh tend to be very angsty but this one although it did have angst was the perfect level for me. Not too much but plenty to keep you hooked and hoping for the best. Both Jas and Kim are very realistic characters with real problems and baggage. Jas is coming out of a relationship where he found out his boyfriend had been married with children and Kim is facing his demons of addiction.

The two men are instantly attracted to each other and start a sexual relationship right away but the rest of their relationship grows over time. They build a solid friendship as they get to know each other and begin to fall for one another. I thought the author did a fantastic job dealing with a character with an addiction and the difficulties of facing both past decisions and the one day at a time struggle. Jas and Kim worked together and the way they came together and grew together felt realistic. Although there were some struggles along the way, a bit of miscommunication and some drama there was also an overall thread of hope throughout the book.

The secondary characters were interesting although the relationship between Kim and Lena was a bit confusing to me at first (and this probably stems from not reading the previous book). I really loved Brix and Calum and will definitely go back and read their book.

I loved the way the author concluded the book and I believed the HFN. Overall, a very good book that I can recommend.

I swear nobody does angst like Garrett Leigh, and I don’t mean in the I want to throw my kindle against the wall way. Junkyard Heart is book 7 in the Porthkennack but can be read as a stand alone although I have read book 4 in the series, which is also by Garrett, and the guys from that book do make an appearance.

These guys just absolutely stole my heart. Jas is understandably jaded after a horrible breakup that brought him back to his hometown of Porthkennack. While helping his family sell their goods at the annual jam festival he meets Kim. Kim is an amazing furniture maker, or furniture artist as I like to think of him as, and they kinda hit it off. Jas is very taken by the man but as he has sworn off men, he’s not giving him a second thought. Well until they run into each other later that night at a concert that Jas is shooting. And boy do they heat up that concert.

Jas just can’t get Kim out of his mind, and as luck would have it Kim’s furniture artistry is needed for a new project on the family’s farm. Again the heat is turned up to maximum level with these two and then a bomb is dropped on Jas that he feels like a bit of his past is wanting to repeat itself.

Both of them bring a good amount of past baggage to the table and once they are able to sort through it, what they are able to have is just beautiful.

Garrett, you have done it again!!!

I give this book 4.5 stars.

Rough and complicated. Broken vulnerable hearts, sensitive souls and addictions all wrapped in tattoos, big mouths and rough exterior...Kim and Jas

Confusing as hell they were....Verbally vague... until they couldn't stop being together.
Denying that love was meant to be... they stumble to each other. Others pushed them to connect more and give some eye openers.
They want to be friends....friends with benefits or without... it was a cobblepath with trickers.

It was a good read...told from Jas his mind, I missed Kim his view, still good written, captivating, only I had some trouble to connect, with both men, they felt far away... complicated and vague. Maybe it was because they had trouble to connect....and were complicated and vague with each other.

Kindly received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley

In Junkyard Heart we revisit the Porthkennack where Calum and Brix fell in love. Well, I fell in love with them and their small group of friends, so I was happy to be back in town.

This time out we meet Jas, a photographer and sometimes graphic designer, who's returned home after a devastating break-up. Jas is lost. The end of his relationship crushed him and the betrayal hurts in ways he's unwilling to examine or share; Jas doubts he'll ever fall in love again. Returning home is bittersweet - he's happy to be there with a family that loves and cares for him, but many of the things that irritated him about summers spent on the farm in the small Cornish seaside town of Porthkennack, are much the same as they ever were.

One morning, on a break from selling homeade jams at a local farmers market, he finds his attention snagged on one vendor in particular. The furniture pieces - all made from reclaimed woods and materials, are beautiful, so he pulls out his cell phone to snag a few pictures. When the carpenter spots him, says hello and introduces himself, the furniture fades into the backdrop. Instead Jas finds himself riveted by the beautiful face of local carpenter Kim Penrose.

Kim is similarly smitten by Jas. The two share a bit about themselves as their attraction slowly simmers, and then Jas returns to the family booth to finish out the day. But Kim isn't quite ready to let Jas get away, and seeks him out before the end of the day. The two have a passionate, frantic hook-up before they part...but neither one is sure what exactly is happening between them.

Readers familiar with the series already know Kim from House of Cards. At the time, Kim was in a relationship with Lena but it was unclear whether they were still together by the end of that story. In Junkyard Heart their relationship is still slightly vague - not because they don't love each other, but because Kim is a recovering addict and Lena's place in his life is fluid.

When Kim and Jas meet, their attraction and affection for each other is explosive. Both men fall hard for each other - and it's obvious early on that both want more from the relationship than they can articulate to themselves or each other. But they're also lost in different ways. Jas is reeling from the betrayal of his last relationship, he distracts himself with work as a graphic designer and the odd job as a concert photographer - which is fulfilling emotionally and professionally. He falls hard for Kim - but after the his last disastrous relationship, he's afraid to trust again.

Kim is kind, loving and his open relationship with Lena has taught him how to be a compassionate partner and lover. He's able to keep his demons at bay with help from Lena, tattooing with Brix and building the beautiful furniture that first caught Jas's eye. But his past as an addict and unwillingness to ask for help threaten his sobriety and keep him from fully giving into a relationship with Jas. He knows he wants Jas - but doubts he's enough for the other man.

Jas needs Kim and Kim needs Jas - they fit like two pieces of a puzzle - but it takes a near break down from Kim for each of them to realize it. When Jas's family asks Kim to produce furniture for a canteen they're opening on the farm, he's thrilled. It's a fantastic opportunity to produce his beautiful furniture on a paid commission, but his happiness is tempered by anxiety about meeting deadlines to get it all completed. He's trying to balance his desire for Jas and time together with his professional commitment - and need to complete the job on time.

I don't want to spoil this novel, so I'm not going to give away how it ends. Suffice it to say, Ms. Leigh (as usual) does a masterful job developing the intensely passionate relationship between Kim and Jas in parallel to the backstories that inform who the men are when they meet in Porthkennack. It's romantic, tender and moving. I loved the cameo's from House of Cards, and Lena's involvement is particularly well done.

Junkyard Heart is classic Garrett Leigh - and that's a good thing.

Photographer and web designer Jas Manning returns from London to Porthkennack, the Cornish seaside town where his father and stepmother live on their farm. When he meets Kim Penrose, it’s lust at first sight. The slender, inked man is an artist who crafts furniture and other household items from driftwood and other scrap woods. The two fall into sex together and it’s as hot as they anticipate, but Jas isn’t ready for another relationship and he starts to see Kim as being too good to just use for sex. Having recently broken up with his cheating long-term partner who took Jas’s trust with him, he’s come home to Porthkennack to find some peace. Add to Jas’s respect for Kim the fact that Kim is still close to his ex-wife in an on-again, off-again odd relationship that allows both to be in each other’s space pretty frequently and it’s better for the two men to just be friends.

Kim has his own demons. A recovering alcoholic who falls easily into bouts of depression, especially when things go well, Kim is crazy about Jas and yet continually pushes him away.

The early part of this book was spent establishing this push-pull arrangement, the basics of each man’s psyche, and their attraction to each other despite their conscious efforts to maintain a distance. Emotions obviously win in this case as they decide they can indeed have a “friends-with-benefits” relationship. But then they go on their merry way and don’t hook up at all. They’re “back in the silent phase of (our) never-ending cycle of miscommunication.”

When the author finally brings them together, they each discover in their own way, and in their own time, that theirs is much more than a passing encounter. In Jas’s words: “Falling in love. Because I could love him and he could love me, if only we’d both stop sitting down at the foot of the hill.” They realize are in it for the long haul, and eventually Jas gets to heal his soul from his breakup and Kim finds someone to take care of his “junkyard heart.”

I enjoyed this story right from the start as the author’s writing style and creativity brought the story to life. I’ve also enjoyed this series, penned by various authors, but so far, I think those I’ve enjoyed most have been those written by Garrett Leigh. There’s a lot of character development here and no nasty females or homophobic evil-preacher fathers, both of which seem to be making an appearance in many stories recently. Each character undergoes a period of self-reflection, coming to accept themselves and their life circumstances as they are. And both acknowledge that they will be true to the other, worthy of their trust, as they love each other deeply.

As a bonus to this story, some of the secondary characters include Brix Lusmoore and his lover, Calum Hardy, both of whom appeared in House of Cards.

I recommend this to all lovers of MM romance, especially those who enjoy hurt-comfort and UK-based stories set on the Cornish coast. I always feel transported there when I visit Porthkennack, and I hope others will too. Though the story has a good deal of angst, there’s even more hope to it. Very definitely worth reading.

Garrett Leigh writes some of the best written storylines in the world of M/M romances, and Junkyard Hearts was no exception. Emotionally charged and character-driven, I really loved this addition to the Porthkennack series.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. Kim has an addiction problem that leads him to self destruct when he can’t cope. He mets and falls in love with Jasper who has return to the family farm after leaving London. The story is how they cope with issues in both if their lives and in the end become stronger because of their love. This is not my typical storyline that I read but it was a good. It had a human touch in that you could feel their individual pain they were dealing with. It does need a reproofing but overall it is very good.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author but I will be looking for more books. This book was well written.

This was my first outing in the Porthkennack series and it won't be my last.
Junkyard Heart was beautifully written and poignant, I thoroughly enjoyed this story of little sea side Cornish town and its eclectic inhabitants. The MC's felt so real dealing with real problems, layered pasts and letting someone into your heart when you've been so hurt before.
I really, truly loved this book, definitely a favourite of mine.
4. 5 Stars

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Enjoyable romance between two skittish characters, Kim (a secondary character from Leigh's House of Cards) and Jas. Kim has struggled with alcoholism for years, and Jas has left London, his past as a player, and a married lover behind. They're immediately attracted to each other but hesitant to get involved, especially when Jas thinks that Kim is in love with his beautiful, wild friend Lena.

I enjoyed Jas' interesting family dynamics, cameo appearances from Cards' Brix and Callum, and of course the description of the beautiful, rugged Porthkennack landscape (not to mention the description of two beautiful, rugged men having a shag). There's one scene involving Jas, Kim and Lena that is a little weird, but it makes a bit more sense in retrospect. Leigh's portrayal of alcoholism as a lifelong struggle is respectful and, I think, authentic.

I've only read a few of Leigh's novels but she seems to be a dependable, skilled author and I look forward to exploring her previous releases.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 3 out of 5

Simply another case where the story not exactly what I imagine it would be when I started. I knew Leigh’s brand of angst, so I was bit threw off because I thought Jas and Kim initial meeting was pretty cute. Then the whole story, despite Kim’s addiction problem, didn’t feel that ‘moody’ for me. Guess I couldn’t figure out where the story would go, I kept expecting something worse waiting at the end of the line and it didn’t.

I am being very vague, I know. But that was what I felt — detached. It was Garrett Leigh’s writing that kept me going.

I DID feel uncomfortable with Lena’s situation though. ** SPOILERS ** I know that Kim doesn’t cheat on Lena with Jas considering Lena she has been away, and when Kim is with Lena he has open relationship … but since Jas has his heart broken when he falls hard with a man who turns out to be married, this thing didn’t make me happy. And that scene when Lena is watching the two men having sex? WEIRD. I guess that part is just not my cup of tea.

This is not an easy book for me. I lived with an addict for so many years, all the denial, and rejection to stop the addiction, at some point, killing me inside slowly.
While my past rejected to be clean and keep going, I gave up after it drained me and almost killed my second baby for his behavior.
Good thing is, some people have 'courage' to admit that they're an addict. That's not easy, because there's always a denial in the beginning.
While Jas struggled to moved on from his past love affair, Kim somehow managed to stay sober for quite a long time. The two 'almost' broken soul finding sanctuary in each other heart.
This book is very British, but I liked that Garrett took us to travel to Cornwall, I need to go there someday :)
Well done, Garrett. I enjoyed this one a lot!

Junkyard Heart, Garrett Leigh

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, LGBTQIA

Porthkennack and Garret Leigh - real treat to read.
Like the Bluewater Bay series, also from Riptide, Porthkennack covers books written by different authors about the same place.
For me it means even when books are approaching double figures they still retain that freshness first books in a series have, as each author puts their own ideas and spin to the stories. 

I knew I loved Garret's writing from other stories, and this one was another fabulous novel. I so felt for the characters, the tentative on or off relationship, each one not sure how the other really feels, and feeling uncertain of how best to move things on.
For a long while it means they're nothing more than some hot sex, though you can see how both really feel about the other, but neither are quite ready to put themselves out and admit it.
Jas is wary because of his past heartbreak, and is cautious about relationships, especially when it appears that Kit may not be un-involved with someone else. Kit has issues that make him feel very unworthy, depressed at times, low self esteem. 

Both are incredibly talented and I really enjoyed reading about Kit's creations, and the whole barn renovation. I loved Red's connection, enjoyed catching up with Brix and Cal and it was a story that was a joy to read and will join the keepers file for rereading. 
 
Stars: five, another fabulous read from a talented author and a great addition to the Porthkennack stories. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers