CircleRating: 5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Pete and Ash have been together for six years and their love and commitment are solid. They have gone through so many struggles, but rise up each time. This time however, Pete is struggling. Life has hit him particularly hard recently and he spends most of his time working. Ash is there for Pete, but Pete won’t talk about anything with Ash, especially the secret he’s keeping.

Ash will never give up on Pete, but he misses their time together and their relationship is showing signs of strain. A new friend and a road trip could be exactly what the men need to find their way back to each other fully once more.

challenge month 2017 copyThis cover stopped me in my tracks. Sure, it’s a great looking photo, and the author of the book, Garrett Leigh, always does an exceptional job with cover design, but it was something else that stopped me. It was the three words on the cover, a Roads Story, because say what now, Ash and Pete are back? That is exactly what it means. Ash and Pete are indeed back, and so this cover for several reasons worked perfectly for Judge a Book by its Cover Week. And, I’ll give you a hint upfront, it’s not just a good cover, it also a damn good book.

This series has always been character driven and this book stays on course. It also has had a harsher, more somber edge to it and that also stays on course, although there are a few more moments of lightness here.

This book shows the guys together for six years now. Ash has come so far and it was amazing to see where he is. He still has his demons to wrestle with, but he’s successful in ways he never imagined. Pete, on the other hand, is struggling and it’s not in his nature to reach out. He was always the strong one and he doesn’t want Ash to see the darkest parts of him.

The book opens with the guys working through custody arrangements for Liam, Pete’s nephew, but that in no way takes over. Family is an important aspect throughout the book, but it’s Pete and Ash that remain the heart of the story. I’m not going to go into any specifics at all about what these guys are dealing with and it’s best to ride along with them as they take a much needed road trip where they meet up with Jeb and Max from Leigh’s other book, Only Love. Do not be concerned if you haven’t read that book as Leigh ties them in effortlessly.

Leigh is not specifically known for explicit scenes, but Pete and Ash have always been special and she captures them with a real rawness that shows their vulnerability as they take each other apart while they build each other back up and their chemistry and need for each other is still insane. The nickname they have for each other still remains and no one else can get away with affectionately calling each other “fucker” quite like these guys can, and it remains an entertaining highlight. I also started thinking about the structure of this book and where Leigh had to go to pull this one together and to get back into their mindset and I will offer a bravo for a finely crafted story.

The epilogue was about as close to perfection as I’ve seen in a book. Pete and Ash don’t just simply find their way, they grab hold of each and every drop of good in their life and you may just get choked up at the happy. The title is also perfect and this was an amazing way to complete their journey. These books need to be read in order and while there are certain part of the series that may be more difficult to move through, the final scenes make it entirely worthwhile.

This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for Judge a Book By Its Cover Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win a prize pack from Interlude Press that includes a signed, print copy of Not Your Villian by C.B. Lee, plus e-book copies of some of their award-winning books. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a loaded Kindle fire filled with DSP books!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on Judge a Book By Its Cover Week here, including a list of all the books in this week’s prize. 

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