Only Love by Garrett Leigh | Tams Audiobook Review & #giveaway @Dreamspinners

• Written by: Garrett Leigh
• Narrated by: Michael Stellman
• Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins 
• Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:04-15-15
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves 32-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O'Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

©2014 Garrett Leigh (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press

Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon Audio | Audible | iTunes

"Who am I, if not a soldier?"

Overall

Performance

Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would. Leigh is an amazing writer that has this uncanny ability to write damaged and broken characters, sometimes the dregs of society, and give them their own kind of happy ever after. In addition to that Stellman is a truly talented narrator that did an amazing job bringing these two broken men to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'd have to say Jed. I thought the way he was written and portrayed was very convincing.

Which character – as performed by Michael Stellman – was your favorite?

Again, Jed.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several actually. I think my favorite moments were the times when Jed and Max helped each other through something painful. The way, at different times, each of them were a shoulder for the other when nothing or no one else could help.

Any additional comments?

As I stated above, Leigh has this knack for writing characters that are flawed, broken, imperfect and sometimes even seemingly a lost cause. She then tears them down so they can build themselves back up. With Jed and Max, the only way either of them can become any semblance of a person that is able to function on a daily basis is with each other.

Stellman is one of my favorite narrators. He has this youthful, vibrant tone and in this book he actually took on a tone I'd not heard from him yet with Max. The accent is broken and hard to place, but it fits the character perfectly, which you'll come to realize as the story progresses. I especially liked the attention to detail Stellman gave each characters emotions, and it came through clearly with the tones and nuances he used for them. For instance, I could hear the frustration in Max's voice when it came to his short term memory and seizures. I could hear the anger in Jed's voice when it came to his father or his brother and issues from the past.

So, this was a hard story to listen to at times, I admit I had to take a break a couple of times and come back to it. But overall it was a really great listen. There is pain and anguish, over personal and familial issues for both men. They have to come to terms with their pasts before they can move forward though, and it's not an easy road to walk.

If you are a fan of the Author or the Narrator then this is a no brainer. Anyone that loves a very hard fought romance, a different kind of happy ever after... because these aren't your normal characters, a fluffy happy ending that was all sunshine and rainbows wouldn't have fit... I'd recommend the listen regardless.

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press. 

Garrett's debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits is 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 photography company M O O N Stock Photography.

• Cover Art Website: https://www.blackjazzdesign.com

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