Not reviewing because the book has been removed from the Riptide Publishing website and the rights reverted to the author.

Will not be reading or reviewing due to the rights reversion back to the author

This is a pretty enjoyable read. If you’re familiar with Garrett Leigh’s work, you know that none of her characters have it easy; however, that doesn’t make the love story any less enjoyable. The author has the great ability of pulling the reader into the lives of the characters and makes you truly root for them. If you’re interested in a gritty, tender and well-written story about two flawed men, this is the book for you.

Jamie is a recovering addict on his way back home to England from California. A year clean he just wants to settle into the little town he picked to live in.

Marc, returning to England after a surgery on his leg, is in pain and just wants to get back home.

Their plane hit turbulence which terrified Jamie. Marc used to flying from his time in the service calmed Jamie down and talked him through it. Jamie was surprised to learn about Marc’s prosthetic leg, and Marc could see Jamie's old track marks. This chance meeting set them both on a new course.

Marc is a trauma specialist in an emergency room. Exhausting hours haven't allowed him to start the much needed cleanup in his moms house. Him and Jamie meet again and get to know each other. Jamie can't find a job so Marc offers him one cleaning out the clutter. They slowly get to know one another. Jamie taking over the task of cleaning and cooking. Jamie, because he isn't comfortable getting close to someone mostly does his job when Marc is at work. This doesn't stop the rapport that develop between them. Marc knows Jamie has other issues but wants him anyway. Jamie’s not sure he can reconcile his past to a future with Marc. Though that is what he wants. The issues they face seem insurmountable, but once love is on the table, they just might get through it.

This is not a feel good book. It deals with addiction recovery in someone who has other issues to deal with also. Ultimately it was a satisfying book.

This book shattered my heart and tore my soul into tiny pieces. This is not a hearts and flowers kind of love story, it's dark and gritty. Jaimie was addicted to drugs..... and had a huge fall out that ruined everything he had.

Jaimie is now in recovery, starting his life over and what awaits him on a flight back to the UK......
life is pretty damn good. He meets a man named Marc, who also has his own inner demons.

These two become well acquainted and Marc offers him a proposition.... to spend time with each-other..... Jamie cold not refuse.

This book was such a thrilling experience.... to never give up, and to let someone in.

Number two in the Rented Heart series, but can stand alone. Jamie returns to England, and he's just trying to stay clean, find a place he can afford to live, and get a job. Marc is recovering from combat injuries and offers friendship and a job. Both struggle with their personal demons, and help the other with understanding and acceptance.

** spoiler alert **




An ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
*** This book is not yet released so if you don't want to see any type of spoiler (I made this as spoiler free as I could), you shouldn't read on.***

I have been looking forward to this book since I met Jamie in Rented Heart. I loved Rented Heart, and my heart ached for Jamie - he was such a lost soul. But I knew if Garrett Leigh couldn't bring Jamie back from the brink, nobody could. What a story!

If you are not familiar with Garrett's writing, you should know this is not a hearts and flowers, sunshine and rainbows journey. It's going to be hard and sometimes dark, the characters are going to work hard for their happiness. Soul to Keep isn't as dark and depressing as Rented Heart, in my opinion, but it's no walk in the park either.

Since I don't want to spoil Rented Heart for those who haven't read it yet, I will simply say Jamie had it rough and he is lucky to be alive today. If it had not been for his friend Zac, and then Zac's BF Liam, Jamie would be lost to us. But now Jamie is one year sober/clean and he is ready to move forward, even if he doesn't know what direction forward is.

I do need to put a bit of warning here before I go into the rest of the story because Jamie and Marc's relationship starts quickly. They meet on a plane, then run into each at the hospital, and they feel a connection with each other. They both feel better when they are with the other, and while at first Jamie is afraid to believe he deserves anything good (and he's afraid he will hurt Marc in the end), he somehow knows Marc is good for him. I am not a fan of the "insta-love" trope, and I did bring out my squinty eye here, but I also enjoyed seeing Jamie happy. I did feel their relationship was rushed particularly because Jamie is still recovering and getting his feet sturdy under him, and Marc isn't exactly stable himself. They both have issues and I felt they were looking for the other to "heal" them. This did bother me, but at the same time I brushed it away because I loved these characters so much.

There is a lot on page showing Jamie's struggles with staying clean, his OCD, self doubt and a deluge of other things. It was hard to see this but I also saw he was determined. He went to his meetings and didn't hide (much). There are rough moments for Jamie, especially between him and Marc. Marc is struggling to allow himself to be weak, or to at least show weakness. Since he lost his leg, he has kept pushing himself. He knows his limits, but doesn't like to admit them. I thought it was extremely touching to see his trust in Jamie grow so much that he could let Jamie help him. They took care of each other, and that is always a good things. [I do think they are little too dependent on each other, but I think this will go away as Jamie gets more and more steady and secure. (hide spoiler)]

Something else fans of Garrett Leigh's will enjoy is she brings back characters from Between Ghosts, Connor & Nat. I've not read Between Ghosts yet (it's on my TBR pile) but I didn't need to to enjoy seeing them. I loved seeing these men and how they interacted with Marc and Jamie. Reading Soul to Keep certainly bumped this one up the list to read asap. :)

Overall I really, really enjoyed this story and do recommend. 4 stars! [Because of the inst-love. I thought this could have been drawn out more over time. (hide spoiler)]

P.S. The epilogue was sweet and set one year in the future. We get to see Zac again!! I don't think this will be the last we see of these characters, and based on the ending, I have a feeling I know who the next story will be about. Time will tell. ;)

Part of the Rented Heart Series, but it can be read on it's own. I would definitely recommend reading Rented Heart though too because it's so good. I personally LOVE Garrett's books, they always hit the spot for me with the characters, plot, descriptions and emotions they convey and this book delivered all that. Such a sweet and intense story, very endearing, I just wanted, well.... more. More drama, more angst, more of everything really but that's just me bring greedy. Eagerly awaiting more from Garrett like always.

Solid 3.5 Garrett Leigh is on my list of automatic requests because her writing is on point and she's a pro at navigating hard-hitting issues with ease and delicacy. Definitely didn't disappoint with the second book of the Rented Heart series.

Jamie and Marc are two damaged guys in different ways who meet on a plane and then reconnect by chance on the ground. Jamie is more psychologically damaged, while Marc has a physical disability and maybe some PTSD. I loved both of them and I love Garrett Leigh's writing, the hurt/comfort element, and the angst.

I think it takes skill and courage to write about addiction issues, and she does it sensitively and amazingly well. The only reason for not giving 5 stars here is that much as I loved them both, I wouldn't have put these two guys together. But maybe that's a lack of imagination on my part.

I didn't realize this was book 2 in a series when I requested it. In fact it didn't matter, the story worked fine as a standalone, and it made me want to go back and read Rented Heart. As if my TBR wasn't long enough :)

When I first picked this book, I didn’t realize this Jamie was Zac’s addict friend in Rented Heart, a story that I enjoyed immensely last year. Jamie was painted as a pretty hopeless and destitute addict in that one and for good reason. However, a year after agreeing to get clean and come to California with Liam and Zac, Jamie is in a different head space. Still an addict, but in recovery and working on fighting his demons.

He knows he can’t stay in the US, and he can’t return to the London area, so he randomly picks a spot on the map in England and lands in Matlock Bath. Is it a coincidence that the good-looking older guy who helps him through the shakes brought on by turbulence high over the Atlantic happens to be from the same small town? Not really. This is fiction, after all.

The two coincidentally run into one another a few weeks later and begin a friendly relationship that ultimately leads to romance, despite the personal challenges and hurdles thrown in their way. Among these are Mark’s inability to place his trust in others where his own welfare is concerned and his inability to give up control. The thirty-nine-year-old man has lived as a soldier and a doctor for most of his adult life—both situations that demanded a certain type of behavior. To trust in twenty-five-year-old Jamie—a recovering addict with PTSD and OCD issues is very difficult for him.

Happily, they manage to navigate through the twists and turns that life throws their way. The heart of this story is not only in the relationship-building between the two, it’s in the characters themselves as they face life and it’s challenges and grow both individually and as a couple. The author is wonderfully creative with her ability to craft three-dimensional, reality-based, very human characters, and that comes through completely in this emotional drama.

If I had to pick one thing that I would have changed, it would be that I’d like to have been present for whatever took place in the year that Jamie stayed in California. What was his relationship with Liam and Zac like? How did Marvin fit into his life? Why is Marvin so reluctant to let Jamie leave? There was a gap there that was never back-filled, so more information about that would have been appreciated.

But there is a very satisfying and believable ending to this story that happens to include a vignette with Liam and Zac, and perhaps a setup for a future story. I would love to see a story featuring Marc’s friend Wedge, who was injured in the line of duty in the latter part of this story. Or possibly a future story about Marvin? Maybe both? It’s hard to say, but whatever may happen in future, those who enjoy a character-driven MM romance should consider this one. Highly recommended.

Not the best this author has written, but if you're after a glimpse into the UK health system (?), this gives you that.

GL couldn't write a bad book, I feel I must say at this point. She has a way with words and paints a picture, but this was one of her more mundane ones, and it felt as if it skimmed things, rather than delved into them, i.e. into the guys' pasts, into their romance, and into their future. At the end, I wasn't sure if I was reading a HEA or a HFN - I suspect the latter, tbh.

Neither guy was particularly likable, but at the same time, neither was unlikable. I think the sheer everyday-ness of the tale is what let it down, as nothing really exciting happened, not even at the end when one lead and a friend disappeared briefly and what I suspect is a future storyline arc got introduced.

Neither guy was fleshed out, and tbh, there were too many names dropped in it, with both the guys from book 1 and possibly another unrelated book appearing in it, plus another whose name got dropped a few times.

I also found it confusing as there was what I thought was a voice in Marc's head, but which turned out to be the voice of a friend he kept hearing, Nat. And, having a friend called Nat and a cat called Natalie gave me a further moment of confusion!

This tale paints a picture of the NHS that may be sadly true, but I am not sure how interesting anyone will find that. Paying £300 for a local private consultation to fast-track entry into the NHS isn't realistic (the figure is grossly overinflated) and tbh, the days of medics' friends-and-family skipping queues doesn't happen (married to a nurse, and yes, we've benefited many times in the past) via name-dropping. There are a couple of more mundane things that came up, but they added nothing to the tale, tbh.

It's an OK read, but rather unsatisfying.

ARC courtesy of Riptide Publishing and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

This was just about the sweetest book in the whole world! I love addiction stories. So much so that I wrote one of my own. But it was the balance of a recovering addict and a disabled doctor that really elevated this book from a good book to a great one that I'll definitely want to read again.

From the very start, and a chance meeting in an airplane back to England, the stories of Marc (doctor) and Jamie (recovering addict) are closely in tune. They've walked very similar roads, despite the different paths they've taken to get there. That's the case not just in Marc's own mind, but in the very way the writer chooses to put the story on the page.

When Jamie gets back to England, he's feeling very lost when he happens upon the kind stranger from the airplane. Marc, feeling similarly lost when he's not in the middle of one of his rotations, invites Jamie into his home and very shortly after has a job for him to do that will ease both of their minds.

The interactions between these characters, the time in which Garrett dedicated to the slow burn and the reasons behind the actions these characters each take is one of the reasons this book will be an easy comfort read for me from now on. Nothing bad happens, but that doesn't manage to take away the tension of the book. It has all the right beats. Both characters are distinct and have individual voices that make it clear which character's head we are in throughout all the alternating viewpoints.

Having not read the previous book in the series (I did not know there was a previous book in the series till I was several chapters in) didn't actually ruin anything for me. In fact, I felt it stood alone fairly well. I'm excited to add this author to my authors I'll be keeping an eye out for from now on.

Part of the Rented Heart Series but can definitely be read on it's own,however I would recommend reading Rented Heart because it's one of her best.

It's no secret that Garrett Leigh is one of my favourite Authors.Her books always hit the spot for me,however I was a bit underwhelmed here.



Jamie was introduced in book one and I was more than a bit fascinated by him and couldn't wait to get his story.He has been in California for the past year recovering from a drug addition but he's had enough of the sunshine and wants to return to the UK.He,randomly picks a small town in the Derbyshire Peak District to settle in and it's on the flight from the US that he meets Marc.


Marc, an ex Army Medic,is also recovering-from a life changing injury he got while in Iraq.Marc has it in his nature to care for people and he's more than a bit fascinated with the beautiful young man he encounters on the flight.

By chance or by fate,they find themselves living near each other in the same town.They start a tentative friendship which becomes more over time.It's a slow burn but given the men's backgrounds it fit the story perfectly.


Both men's recovery processes were extremely well written and believable but I just felt something was missing here for me.

Overall,enjoyable enough and I would recommend it...

After loving book 1, "Rented Heart," I had extremely high hopes for Jamie's story, since the majority of the drama in the first book happened to Zac as a side-effect to Jamie's continuing, terrible life choices.

Book 2, "Soul to Keep," began one year after Jamie had been shipped off to California, to go through rehab and begin his long road to recovery from heroin addiction, so the majority of Jamie's most challenging struggles had already taken place, fast forwarded and entirely off-page.

But California was a bit "too perfect" for Jamie's tastes, so his itchy feet led him to randomly stick a pin in a map and move his life to the middle-of-nowhere, Matlock Bath, England to force himself to make a fresh start.

Then Jamie met "wounded hero" Marc, an ex-Army medic, who had lost a lower leg to an IED in Iraq and currently worked as an ER doctor, on his flight from Chicago to the UK.

Marc's tendency to take care of others immediately drew him to the recovering addict he'd been seated beside during some rough turbulence, then they found themselves being neighbors once Marc arrived back home.

However, from that point on in the story, I felt as though nothing much *really* happened, as the book began the same slow march from "they meet" to "they lived happily ever after" that I've seen hundreds of times before.

I kept waiting for something unexpected and exciting to happen, but it never really did, so other than this being a nice, somewhat-expected, comfort-healing story, I can't really think of a single thing that stood out as being unique.

I did actually like both MC's; however, as I didn't find the story very eventful, I'll definitely end up remembering the details from book 1 much more vividly than those in this book.

2.75 stars.

Reviewed for Netgalley

Mild Spoilers - 2.5 stars

When I requested this to read, it would have helped to know that it was the second in a series. I read half the book feeling like I should know more about these characters than the story itself was telling me.

I’ve certainly read worse in the LGBT genre, but overall, for a Garrett Leigh book, I felt that Soul to Keep was subpar. Leigh set a very high standard for me with her Roads series. Pete and Ash were so well developed, and their story was so engrossing. I wish I could say the same for Marc and Jamie, but I found their relationship a bit too easy. Their dialogue was too sweet, and the story never really to delved into their pasts and pieced together the significance of the individual experiences that haunted each of them. I was ready to learn more about both their pasts, but that information was never forthcoming. I just got little hints and few details.

There were many things that were hinted at but never explained. For example, Marc talks about losing himself in the bottle, which led me to believe that he was a recovering alcoholic, but apparently not because he later goes to a bar with friends. And we are told that Jamie’s home life was horrible enough to make him run away to a life of drugs and whoring himself out for his next fix, but when his reason is revealed it makes no sense. He ran away from a stepfather who hinted at wanting to have sex with him in order to have sex with a bunch of strangers for drugs. Um, okayyyyy.

But the most annoying part to me was what wasn’t there. In the scene where Marc realizes Jamie is an addict, it reads, “Marc pictured the scars lettering Jamie’s slender forearms and joined the dots.” But when did Marc ever see Jamie’s arms? I went back and reread twice up to that point and there was no mention prior to this of Marc ever noticing or seeing Jamie’s scars. So, either a section where this happened was cut, or this is a rather big oversight that I could not ignore and that really distracted me.

Soul to Keep wasn’t a bad read, and readers who enjoy this genre will most likely enjoy this book as well. I just wanted more.

Soul To Keep is the first book by Garrett Leigh I read and I’m quite sure it won’t be the last one. Also it is the second book in the Rented Heart series, but can perfectly be read as a stand-alone in my honest opinion, because that’s what I did. I might have missed some backstory about Jamie and Zac (main character from the previous book), but I didn’t need it to understand Soul To Keep, so no harm in not knowing the first book.

Garrett Leigh’s characters were quite broken. Marc not as much as Jamie, but he also struggles. Both, Jamie and Marc, had to fight with some sort of darkness in their life and I like, how after meeting and getting to know each other, they complemented each other. Their relationship started off as some sort of friendship and morphed into a romantical relationship. What I loved about that relationship as well was that it was quite a slowburner. The first time they really had sex was at 80% of the book. Don’t understand that wrong, they did make out a bit before that with BJs and stuff like that, but it took some time till they had the real deal. Nowadays I feel like most of the books have the first sex scene in the first 30% and sometimes it feels totally unnatural, more like it’s a requirement to have one that early. So I was glad that was not the case in Soul To Keep.

I also liked how Garrett Leigh dealed with Jamie’s addiction and other problems and didn’t totally make them disappear at the end of the book, because that’s not really the way that works. That little conflict Marc and Jamie had near the end also made perfectly sense, because of Jamie’s past.

Also this book had quite a lot of angst, mostly from Jamie’s POV. Marc was more relaxed in that manner, because he already had enough years to deal with his problems, but I liked to read from both POV’s. That’s always my favourite, because this way I can experience the feelings from both sides of the story.

I absolutely recommend this book, if you are looking for an angsty, but at the same time cute and slowburner-y book to fill some of your hours.

Rating: 4,25 stars