Blog Tour + Excerpt + Review: "Forgiven" by Garrett Leigh

Thank you to Carina Press for inviting me to participate in the blog tour promoting the release of "Forgiven" by Garrett Leigh, book #1 of the Forgiven series.

 

"Forgiven" follows florist Mia Amour as she unwillingly returns to her hometown in England after living in Paris for a number of years. Left with no other options after her cheating ex destroys her business and cleans out their bank accounts, Mia moves in with her younger brother, Gus, and soon discovers that the man who broke her heart as a teenager, Luke Daley, is also back in town. As much as Mia tries to avoid Luke, it proves to be impossible when it turns out that her brother not only works for him, but is also his best friend. The chemistry between Mia and Luke burns as hot as ever, but how can Mia get past the pain Luke caused when he left her without even a goodbye?
 

I had mixed feelings about this story. On one hand, it was well-written and I liked that it was set in small-town England, featuring working class characters. It was certainly a nice change of pace from the many contemporaries I come across that focus on billionaires living in New York City! I also really liked Mia's brother, Gus (probably more than I liked either Mia or Luke, to be honest). Gus had some of the best lines in the book and added much-needed lightness and humor to what was in general a very angsty story. 

 

On the other hand, I wasn't sold on Mia and Luke's rekindled relationship. It seemed very unhealthy to me, and I got the impression that it was the same way when they were together as teenagers. They seemed to be trapped in an endless cycle where Mia would be cold to Luke and he would be desperate for her attention, then things would reverse with Luke being cold to Mia while she begged for his attention. They were also terrible at communicating with each other; when they finally did talk about what happened between them in the past, it didn't seem as if anything was resolved, but somehow magically they were "in love" and back together again anyway. 

 

Further, I was confused about several aspects of Mia and Gus's background. For example, they never mentioned their father. Was he ever in the picture? Also, how is it that they both spoke French? Was one (or both) of their parents from France? I know that Mia lived in Paris for a long time, but what about Gus? 

Overall, while I didn't hate "Forgiven," it's tough for me to recommend it. Fans of angsty contemporary romance looking for a quick read may enjoy it, but otherwise I'd probably give it a pass. However, I do plan to check out the next book in the series, featuring Mia's brother Gus and Luke's brother Billy. 

 

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

About "Forgiven"

High school sweethearts Mia and Luke get a second chance at love in this brand-new contemporary romance from award-winning author Garrett Leigh.

When Mia Amour returns to England to open a florist shop, all she wants to do is put her lousy ex behind her and never look back. But getting a fresh start is easier said than done when her first love, the boy who once broke her teenage heart, strolls back into her life. He’s every bit as sexy as she remembers, and the urge to melt back into his arms almost makes her forget how devastated she was when he took off without a word. Almost.

Left with no choice, Luke Daley did what he had to do, leaving town to earn enough money to save his broken family, though it just about broke him, too. But now he’s back, running his uncle’s business and trying desperately to forget about Mia, the girl he left behind all those years ago. When he runs into her in town, the shock of seeing her again brings an intense rush of emotions: love, guilt…and an overwhelming urge to find out if it’s still as amazing between them as it used to be.

It doesn’t take either of them long to give in to desire and discover the fiery passion they once shared burns hotter than ever. With each new touch, each moment of forgiveness, old hurts heal and the future they’d hoped for ten years ago becomes possible again. But their fragile connection is tested by a threat neither of them saw coming—a threat that could end their second chance before it even gets started.

 

Read an Excerpt from "Forgiven"

Mia Amour. Her name had haunted me so much my bunkmate had once found me sleep-scrawling it on our cabin wall. He thought it had meant something—that I was writing a message from another dimension in a language he didn’t understand—but the reality had been far more simple: even on the other side of the world, I couldn’t get her out of my head.

Somehow, though, over time, I’d forgotten what her eyes did to me. How they could root me to the spot with a single glance and empty my mind of anything but her. Mia. I counted my heartbeats as they thundered in my ears. One, two, three, four. And then she tore her stormy blue gaze away from mine and walked out of the chip shop.

I reached for the empty space she left behind, and my faculties slowly returned to me as her footsteps echoed in my shell-shocked brain. As drawn to her as I’d always been, I drifted after her, but when I got outside, she was gone.

A thousand emotions warred in my gut, but the age-old frustration was so familiar I felt sick. Fucking Mia Amour. Deep down, I’d always hated her as much as I’d loved her, because there was no one else on earth who could make my heart pound like she did, my palms sweat, and my fingers tremble.

Cursing, I hauled myself back into the van. Gus followed a moment later, an open bag of chips in each hand. “Where’d you get to? It was your turn to buy tea.”

I tossed him a crumpled-up fiver. “Why didn’t you tell me your sister was in town?”

“Oh fuck.” Gus held out a bag of chips, then set it on the dashboard when I made no move to claim it. “Are we really doing this?”

I gave him a flat look.

He sighed. “Fuck’s sake. Why would I tell you? You two aren’t exactly friends, and you haven’t been a couple since I was fourteen and nicking Mayfair Lights from her school bag.”

Shit, had it been that long? Why was it that just a glimpse of her face could set me back a decade? The weight in my chest increased and I started the van, gunning the rickety diesel engine with a roar. “Either way, a fucking heads-up would’ve been nice.”

“But why, though?” Gus pointed a chip at me. “You want her number so you can catch up on old times?”

I wondered if he’d actually give it to me. Then pictured myself calling Mia and her reaction to hearing my voice for the first time in ten long years.

A legit shudder passed through me. I was done torturing myself for putting my family first, for giving up my entire life to keep a roof over my mum’s head, but that didn’t make the obvious anger in Mia’s eyes easier to bear. Her temper had fascinated seventeen-year-old me—sometimes I’d wound her up on purpose, just to revel in her flushed skin and sharp tongue—but I didn’t have the stones to take it now. My Mia angst tolerance was at an all-time complacent low.

“Luke?”

I spared Gus another glare. “What?”

“Can I eat your chips?”