Unforgotten

A heartfelt and moving hurt/comfort story, I enjoyed Garrett Leigh's Unforgotten. This is part two of Leigh's Forgiven series. Somewhere along the way I got the impression Unforgotten could be read as a standalone. I does work as a standalone, but I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd read Forgiven first. The first novel in the series, Forgiven, is about Luke and Mia. And while I don't read much M/F romance these days, I'm seriously tempted. There's quite a bit of information about these two characters and their relationship in Unforgotten, plus a number of great scenes involving them. The dynamic between them is intriguing, and like I say - dang, I'm tempted. This novel is about Luke's brother Billy, and Mia's brother Gus. These guys each have their issues. Gus is avoiding commitment and intimacy with his Grindr addiction, but he clearly wants to belong to someone. Memories of a teenage drunken kiss with Billy keep him from being interested in anybody else. Billy's got some huge issues surrounding his brother Luke, and he rocking the whole bad boy story. He's not doing a good job of caring for himself. A serious shoulder injury, a brush with the law, a bit of drug use - not to mention he's jobless and homeless. Clearly crying out for help, and carrying a torch for his childhood crush... Gus. I have a feeling there's a ton of info about both Gus and Billy in Forgiven, so we're missing details which would have helped me enjoy this story more. Plus the scenes in Unforgotten with Luke and Mia would be more significant if I knew them better. Of course this is my own fault and has nothing to do with Garrett Leigh's marvelous writing.