Audio Review: Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh, Performed by Dan Calley

23 June of 2020 by ButtonsMom2003

Story: 5

Performance: 5

5.0Overall score

A Heartbreaking Beautiful Story

Rented Heart By Garrett Leigh, Performed by Dan Calley

Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM

Tropes: Rent boy, hurt/comfort

Released: Audio: June 4, 2020; eBook: March 22, 2018 (2nd ed.)

Publisher: Fox Love Press

Series: Rented Heart, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs, 42 mins / 222 pages

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Synopsis

LAMBDA Finalist 2017

Ex-surfer-turned-businessman Liam Mallaney moved back to Holkham, Norfolk, to mourn the loss of his husband. Grief and loneliness keep him a solitary figure, and he likes it that way. There’s no room in his broken heart for anything else.

Rentboy Zac Payne left London and most of his demons behind, but he still only knows one way to make a living. When he spots Liam in a club one night, it seems he’s found his mark. But Liam proves nicer — and their connection far deeper — than he’d bargained for.

Their arrangement quickly becomes too complicated for Zac, who has other things on his mind: namely his BFF and wayward flatmate, Jamie. Zac owes Jamie the world, and even as Jamie’s drug addiction destroys all they have, Zac won’t leave him behind.

Besides, Liam knows nothing of Zac’s home life, too caught up in his own head to think much beyond the crazy heat he and Zac share. But when trouble comes to Zac’s door, putting his life in danger, Liam must set his grief and anger aside to pick up the pieces of Zac’s shattered heart and his own.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

A Heartbreaking Beautiful Story

I’m a relative newcomer to Garrett Leigh’s books and I hadn’t read Rented Heart when it was originally released back in 2016. I was lucky enough to be given a copy of this audiobook and I’m so happy I listened to it.

I’ve read a fair number of MM books with a rent-boy theme and I really enjoy this romance trope. Zac Payne is a rent-boy who has left addiction and demons behind – for the most part. Selling himself is the only thing he knows and he has to earn money to survive. He’s managed to compartmentalize that aspect of his life so that he doesn’t feel anything – until he meets Liam Mallaney.

Liam is still grieving the loss of his husband but when he sees Zac outside a club something draws him to him. He still wants Zac even after he finds out that he sells his body. They begin spending time together and Liam is in danger of falling for Zac.

Oh boy, this book is full of all kinds of feels and Dan Calley’s voices for the characters were nice and smooth and easy to listen to. It’s been a while since an audiobook has moved me to tears but this one did.

Zac and Liam’s relationship is moving along at a nice pace (with lots of hot sexy time) but then Zac’s friend Jamie causes things to get really messed up. I wanted to shake Liam and tell him to let Zac explain. Things really come to a head when Zac is seriously hurt, and this is the point in the book that made my tears fall.

Because this is a romance, I knew there would be an HEA for Zac and Liam but there was some really rough terrain to cover before that happened. I wouldn’t say that this is the most angst filled book I’ve ever read or listened to but it certainly has its fair share and I loved it! Now I really want to listen to Jamie’s story – Soul to Keep.

Story: ♥♥♥♥

Narration: ♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Scorcher

Rented Heart Series

♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon UK ♥

About Author

Garrett Leigh

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Author Links