BANTER BUDDIES: A Dual View of Garrett Leigh's 'House of Cards'
Oh, you guys, Annie and I couldn't wait to share this book with you...wow oh wow!!! Leigh Garrett's House of Cards is a slow burn, friends to lovers story with so many issues at heart that are dealt with in the most soothing and comforting way.
If you read one of Garrett's Porthkennack series books let this be the one.
Take it from Annie and I. You don't want to miss it!
Trio
Title: House of Cards
Series: Porthkennack #4
Author: Garrett Leigh
Published: July 17, 2017
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist: G.D. Leigh/Black Jazz Design
Genre: Erotic Romance; Contemporary Romance
Length: 249 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Bisexual; Comfort/Hurt; Friends to Lovers; Second Chance; Tattoos/Piercings; HEA; Standalone; CW: Infidelity; CW: Off-Page Emotional and Physical Abuse, Suicide Attempts
About House of Cards
Calum Hardy’s life has unravelled. Reeling from the betrayal of a man he once loved, he boards a train heading south, with no real idea where he’s going except a world away from London.
Brix Lusmoore can hardly believe his eyes when he spots one of his oldest friends outside Truro station. He hasn’t seen Calum since he fled the capital himself four years ago, harbouring a life-changing secret. But despite the years of silence, their old bond remains, warm and true—and layered with simmering heat they’ve never forgotten.
Calum takes refuge with Brix and a job at his Porthkennack tattoo shop. Bit by bit, he rebuilds his life, but both men carry the ghosts of the past, and it will take more than a rekindled friendship and the magic of the Cornish coast to chase them away.
Favorite main character:
Trio: I love Calum. The opening scene broke my heart and I never stopped feeling for him. He is such a simple, loving guy. As Brix says of him, “‘Not everyone’s like you, Cal. You accept everyone for who they are, what they are, and all they’ve done.’” Calum is the only person in the story who can’t see how amazing he is.
Annie: I’m endeared to Brix’s compassion. He helps Lee overcome her fear of riding the bus by going with her until her fear diminishes. Then he drives behind the bus in case she needs to get off. We all need a friend like Brix.
Favorite secondary character:
Trio: I like Kim for his straightforward, steadfast nature. He is there to support his friends and takes things as they come…he reminds me of a few important people in my life. He might not make a lot of noise, but he still makes an impact.
Annie: For me it would be, Lee, who becomes Calum’s close friend. She’s a small woman who holds her own, fully capable of downing a much larger man.
Favorite endearment: Annie: These are men’s men. They’re not gonna baby each other. Instead their hens are shown affection. “Chook,” for chicken.
Favorite scene:
Trio: Likening the men to the hens who need rescuing, wonderful, Annie. For me, I love the whole scene when Calum returns to London. He’s basically looking to recover his vintage tattoo gun but finds all kinds of affirmation that his move to Cornwall, and his relationship with Brix, is the right path for him now. Annie: At one point, Calum and Brix haul boxes up a cliff to a cave in the rain. They don’t feel sorry for themselves. They’ve come to expect the unfairness of life.
Favorite quote:
Trio: One that hit me pretty hard is when Calum asks Brix how he feels about his ex, Jordan. Brix answers, “‘A part of me will always love him, because the damage he did to me made me who I am.’” Wow, that’s looking at your glass as half-full! It is true though, even the worst things that happen to us in our lives do make us who we are, and Brix is at the best place he’s been in his life, probably ever. Annie: “Brix had always possessed a quiet wisdom that came from a life that had seen too much.”
Best flashback or revisit of a scene from another perspective:
Trio: I loved these guys looking through the photo albums of their time together when they were younger. Calum, seeing himself smiling and happy, and not being able to remember himself feeling like that - and recognizing that what others see isn’t necessarily how we see ourselves. Annie: Oh, when Calum realizes he’d misread Brix years earlier in London.
Best introduction of spin-off character(s):
Trio: I could see Lena, Kim and Lee all getting their own stories. Annie: Oh, yes, Trio! I’m praying for a spin-off of all the secondary characters.
This book made me:
Trio: Really think about the hand life deals you, how we surround ourselves with people who support us (or tear us down), and how we handle the crises in our lives. Life’s a journey and the road is full of twists, turns and hills. Annie: Feel at home, in the gradual, building love Calum develops for Porthkennack, his friends, and his new, emerging identity, and Brix, the man he always wanted.
What type of reader would you recommend this book to?
Trio: This is a nice, emotional love story and there are enough creative and quirky secondary characters to keep it fun. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this book.
For purchase links, excerpt, meet the author, and more...visit our review recommendation links above.
