Misfits by Garrett Leigh virtual tour | Review, Excerpt & Giveaway {Riptide}

Restaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.

Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.

Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.

Buy links: Riptide | Amazon

~ 4.5/5 stars for Misfits by Garrett Leigh ~

Tom Fearnes seems to have it all, a successful business and a loving partner. But lately he and Cass have begun drifting apart slightly. They are still very much in love and committed to each other, but there is a rift, something missing. When Tom stops for lunch while checking out a property in Camden Town, his rather colorful waiter just might turn out to be that something that is missing from his and Cass's life.

Jake Thompson lives his life in the shadow of a condition he has absolutely no control over. His Tourettes make daily life difficult, not to mention work or love, but Tom sees past his disability. Much like Cass, Tom is drawn to the wounded beauty that envelopes Jake. The two click instantly, but when Jake wakes up in the bed he fell asleep in while wrapped up in Tom's arms, yet it's not Tom staring down at him, he freaks out and runs. Cass recognizes a kindred, troubled soul in Jake and he can't deny what Tom can bring to Jake's life, so he pushes for them to be together.

Jake is not having it in the beginning, open relationship or not, but neither man will leave him be. Tom and Cass insinuate themselves into Jakes life, giving him a job and a place to stay when he gets evicted. More importantly, they give him purpose, trust, a foundation and love. Their tenuous relationship is threatened when Cass gets some troubling news though. This time when Cass pushes, he is pushing the two men in his life away, but Jake just got comfortable and refuses to let go of these two men he has come to love without a fight.

I am a sucker for a good menage story, and this was a fantastic menage story! There was a constant push and pull, give and take among the three main characters. Each man brought something different to the table. Tom is the strength, the backbone of the group, but the big, brooding business man is far from perfect. Cass is colorful, eccentric and hard headed. I loved how he recognized in Jake something familiar, an kindred spirit, and also recognized how important Jake was to Tom, could be to him without being jealous. Jake is vibrant, talented and young. He is the glue that will mend the miniscule tear in Tom and Cass's relationship.

I was so engrossed in this story that I literally lost sleep. What an amazing concept to introduce a lover into an open relationship, effectively closing it and making it a successful threesome. It's an emotional story full of passion, anguish, mental illness, joy and love. The issues that each guy deals with are real life issues, I felt while reading that the Author put a lot of attention and thought into Cass's stability and Jake's Tourettes, it was that dedication to this story that gave it depth and just made it that much better. Definitely a must read, especially if you are a fan of different kinds of that happy ever after. 

Excerpt from Misfits... 

It was 9 a.m. when Tom’s phone rang the following morning. He fumbled for it among the stacks of paperwork on his desk, prepared to do battle with yet another cowboy supplier, but then he saw the photo ID of the caller and his heart skipped a warm, pleasurable beat.

Cass.

Tom smiled and pressed the speakerphone button. Cass was the executive chef at their flagship restaurant, his business partner, lover, and soul mate of the last nine years. “Morning, gorgeous.”

“Morning.”

“You okay?”

Cass hummed in reply, throaty and deep, like he’d just woken up. “You left something pretty in bed.”

Tom’s grin widened as he checked the time. Cass had spent the night at the flat above Pippa’s, their restaurant in Shepherd’s Bush, and he wasn’t much of a morning person when he didn’t have to be. What was he doing in Hampstead so early? “Very funny. How do you know that? I thought you were going straight to the house after the stock take this morning.”

“Couldn’t sleep. I did the stocks last night instead. More productive than counting sheep, eh?”

“You’re preaching to the choir.” Tom leaned back in his chair and stretched the kinks out of his spine. His own inability to sleep past dawn was what had driven him to leave Jake alone in bed in the first place.

Tom got up from his desk and walked to the window. He felt lighter, like he always did when he told Cass he’d been with another bloke. Their relationship was a mystery to many, but it worked for them. They shared a life, and from time to time fucked other people. Didn’t change the fact that they loved each other to death.

“So, who is the pretty thing you left in bed for me?”

Tom let Cass’s teasing question hang. Pretty was just the half of it. He’d watched Jake sleep for hours, traced his tattoos, counted his tics, and admired his fragile beauty. Cass was the only man who’d ever captivated him so completely . . . and so fast.

“Earth to Tom?” Cass chuckled, and even through the phone, Tom felt his presence like a second skin. He had the dirtiest laugh on the planet. “Sounds like he’s something special. Shame he didn’t hang around for me to see it for myself.”

“He left?”

“Yep. Think I scared the shit out of him. I offered him a cuppa, but he scarpered like a bat out of hell.”

Tom winced. He’d never have left Jake if he’d known Cass was going there. Jake wasn’t the first bloke one of them had brought home who’d assumed the other would be out for his blood. “I didn’t tell him about you last night. I was going to head back soon, buy him brunch, and do it then.”

“Wasn’t a one-night thing, then.”

It wasn’t a question, but Tom considered it anyway. Did he want to see Jake again? Naked or otherwise? Yeah . . . yeah, he did. “Did you get a chance to talk to him?”

“Not really, but I gave him the note you left. He took it with him, if it’s any consolation.”

It wasn’t, and Tom had a feeling Cass knew it. “Anyway, aside from insomnia, what are you doing at base camp? Everything okay?”

Base camp was their nickname for the Hampstead flat, but in reality, Cass rarely made the long Tube ride across the city when he stayed late at Pippa’s. He worked hard enough without adding a hellish commute to his day, a reality Tom often found tough to swallow when he was missing Cass as much as he had been recently. Cass sighed, like he’d heard Tom’s lonely thoughts. “I thought we could drive home together for Manday Monday. I forgot you had to work today.”

“Sorry, babe.”

“Any idea what time you’ll be back?”

Tom felt a twinge of guilt twist his gut. Monday was the only consistent day of the week Cass didn’t work, and Tom did his best to keep the day free so they could spend quality time together at their real home, a ramshackle house away from the city. But life didn’t always work out that way, and today he’d be lucky if he made it home in time for supper. “Don’t wait up.”

Cass sighed again, but it was pissed off rather than rueful this time. “Okay, but don’t forget I took tomorrow off as holiday. We should do something.”

He hung up before Tom could admit he had forgotten Cass had a few outstanding lieu days to use up before Christmas.

Tom wandered back to his desk and tossed his phone on an open folder. He had back-to-back meetings scheduled for most of the following day too, one of the cons of running six businesses that had nothing in common. He rubbed his neck and sighed. Life would be far easier without principles.

Easy. Tom thought of Cass, and, not for the first time that morning, thought of Jake too. Yeah, life could be easy, but who wanted that?

Garrett Leigh is a British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Black Jazz Press. Her protagonists will always always be tortured, crippled, broken, and deeply flawed. Throw in a tale of enduring true love, some stubbly facial hair, and a bunch of tattoos, and you’ve got yourself a Garrett special.

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. That, and dreaming up new ways to torture her characters. Garrett believes in happy endings; she just likes to make her boys work for it.

Garrett also works as a freelance cover artist for various publishing houses and independent authors under the pseudonym G.D. Leigh. For cover art info, please visit blackjazzpress.com.

Social media:

Website: http://garrettleigh.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks

Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com

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