Hard, emotional journey for Dante and Sid

Garrett Leigh has written another emotional journey for two strong but broken men.
Dante has been released on parole from prison into a work placement on an estate, working in the gardens with Sid. Sid needs a little extra help recently and going forward due to an illness that can be debilitating on his bad days.
Two very different pasts and presents but they are brought together and work in an unexpected way. They seem to balance out each other. Dante is filled with self loathing over his past and how it affected others, especially his brother, and cannot see how anyone can like him let alone anything more. Sid hates his body and how it's failing him but he does try to find the brighter moments in his days which, recently, have been filled by Dante. They're both not the most talkative of people but what they say and do means something to them both and there is just as much worth in the silences as the conversations. It's a slow, smouldering burn as they build a friendship with some added extras, though both are of the opinion that they don't deserve it or are not enough for a partner in the future. Of course, they're more than happy to set the other straight about each other!
This is a strong hurt/comfort, ex con, disability, slow burn romance that is packed with a roller-coaster of emotion with often moments that hurt your heart with how the MC's are affected or feeling about themselves. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and everything went at a pace that was comfortable for both men. There's some good side characters and it was good to have a cameo from Paulo and Luis.
Dan Calley's narration took me a moment to get used to. I like the different voices that he portrays for every character though it was a while before I heard the London in Dante's. The emotional impact carried across well and, overall, he is very good at storytelling.

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A New Life.

MM, Friends to lovers, Forced Proximity, Hurt/comfort, Second chance Romance. The third book in the Darkest Skies series, it is a stand-alone listen/read although some characters from the previous books are mentioned or appear within this story briefly. A mainly sweet and angsty story, we hear about Dante's past which includes some details about his criminal past and his childhood. I loved the gritty, raw emotions and thoroughly enjoyed this story. A well written story with a well deserved HEA, narrated extremely well by Dan Calley

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1 person found this helpful

Top notch hurt comfort

A lovely romance of forming connections after a life time without. About unconditional love and finding your true self.
The author definitely saved the best until last.

* hurt/comfort
* physical disability
* PTSD
* character redemption

And the narration was excellent. I felt every word. Crying while wandering the aisles of the supermarket is not recommended but this audio is highly recommended.

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Leigh/Calley combo is sooooo good!

Independent reviewer for gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted the audio version of this book.

This is book 3 in the Darkest Skies series. I have NOT read/listened to books one, Redemption or two, Deliverance. I don't feel like I missed out on anything by not doing. Well, that's not really true. Because now I feel I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED to, you know? I feel that I need to listen to those two books and come back and listen to this again, to get the full experience of these men and the lives they lead.

Dante is released from prison to a rehabilitation scheme that lands him working for Sid, head gardener at a stately home. Life is difficult for both men, for very different reasons. Neither thinks they deserve love, but falling for each other happens slowly, and then Dante's old life comes a-calling.

I'm gonna struggle here, to separate the narration from the book, cos the combination of Leigh and Calley is far too good to split!

I mean, I loved this book and I loved the narration and I can't really word it right to make sense!

Dante's problems are fairly obvious, being released from prison comes with all sorts issues: PTSD the main one for Dante. But Sid's? They don't become clear til all is explained to Dante by Sid. I didn't put it all together til then.

Calley gets over all of Sid's pain, all of Dante's too but mostly it's Sid who's pain is front and centre and I cried a bit for Sid, especially when he finally lets Dante help him, when he lets Dante in.

Dante has infinite patience with Sid, even when Sid has none with himself and I loved that it's such a smooth process of Dante helping Sid, in how it happens. It's so smooth they don't even see it happening.

Some darker themes: street/gang/prison violence, drug use (but not abuse) child neglect. Well dealt with though, all of them.

I wanna rant and rave and go on and on about how much I loved this book but that doesn't make for a good review.

So I'll leave you with this: the Leigh/Calley combination is awesome and this book showcases that beautifully!

5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration

*same worded review will appear elsewhere

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Changes

I loved this story, as I have loved the others, however, what was really upsetting, was the audio performance. Dan is usually so good, but this time, I'm sorry, Dan, it wasn't your best work. Too many gaps of dead air, conversation missing and other bits recorded over what should have been there. Also the change from saying Chapter and the number to just the number. I normally relish every book Dan reads. And while the content that was there was really good, the mistakes dented that. So that's why I've scored the performance as a 3*.

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Gardening, MS, Second chances.

Dante Pope was released early after four years in prison from a seven-year sentence, but he was allotted a job as part of his release at a stately home, helping out the head gardener Sid.

Sid didn't need any help, and he was coping well independently, even with his condition.

Well written story with the MC having MS, the second MC having PTSD, lots of trauma, past & present, the side effects of chronic illness is handled well.

The story is well written, well narrated, clean and clear.
Dan Calley is one of my favourite narrators, and it's always a pleasure to listen to. I did speed up this narration which is usual for me.


Salvation
A Darkest Skies Novel
By: Garrett Leigh
Narrated by: Dan Calley
Series: Darkest Skies Series, Book 3
Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

❤❤❤❤ Overall
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration
📚📚📚📚 Story
Read at 1.35 speed on Audible

I received this audiobook for free from GRR at my request. My review is my opinion and an honest review - neither the author nor GRR influenced my opinion.

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Change

I really appreciate the unique complexities of Garrett's characters. I was drawn in from blurb and taken on a challenging journey of change, healing and personal growth. I loved Dante and Sid. They complement each other, make each other better and take care of each other. Their connection is right there from the start and was wonderfully written and flowed seemlessly into love! Such a great story and now I need to read about all the others in this world and hopefully see a cameo of Sid and Dante again!!

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Garrett Leigh at her best

I love me a redemption story. I love me a love story. I love me an angsty story. This book gave me all three.

Who couldn’t love Dante? A bad boy trying to go straight. A former gang boss who is taking the opportunity provided him to make a new life for himself. I also longed for him to reunite with his brother, but considering what he’d put the man through, I understood his brother’s hesitation.

And who couldn’t love Sid? Cantankerous. Grouchy. Wants to be with his plants and to be left alone except his illness makes him reliant on others. Then a gorgeous new employee comes along who sees right through him. Sees beyond the illness. Sees what they could be together, if they only gave each other a chance.

This book gave me all the feelz, and I loved it. I loved the sunshine and shadows. I loved the contrast between the men. I loved that they found comfort in each other’s arms. And the ending was damn near perfect.

And, of course, while I’m raving about everything I loved, I have to mention Dan Calley. He did a fantastic job with this one and I’m so glad I listened. Highly recommend.

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Fantastic Story & Narration🎧 Gripping & Heartfelt!

I loved everything about this book, from Garrett Leigh’s wonderful writing style to the characters and storylines he created to Dan Calley’s fabulous narration. This heartfelt story drew me in immediately, grabbing my attention and captivating it the entire book. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, they were easy to like and care about too. This is my first book of the “Darkest Skies” series, a series of standalone books set in the same world, characters from earlier books made appearances in this book but there were enough details to know who those characters were and what they were all about, as well as the world they came from, which is Dante Pope’s life before his incarceration. This book starts with Dante Pope release from prison, out early for good behavior, his release comes with the stipulation that he will live and work for the next three years on grounds of Wilburn Manor assisting the head gardener Sid Harrison. Dante and Sid hit it off from the moment they met, nor in an instant love type of way but more of an understanding kind of way, sure there was chemistry between them but that is dealt with later on in the story, first Dante needed to acclimate to his new life outside the prison walls. Sid has his own demons to deal with, his main demon being Multiple Sclerosis and what that and the meds to treat it is doing to his body. It was great to Dante come into his own, get over his insecurities, it was also great to see him open up to Sid and Sid do the same with Dante, talk about what he is going thru physically and mentally. I liked that the story focused on who Dante is now and who he is becoming and not what he was. His past does come back to haunt him but he handles it in a surprisingly good way and does not let him suck him back in. This is a beautifully plotted story about learning to live again, having a second chance at life and love. There is plenty of drama, heartfelt and emotional moments and slow burn, friends to lovers romance. Garrett Leigh, thank you for this amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, Garrett Leigh cast the perfect narrator to bring her story and characters to life. Dan Calley is a talented narrator and a versatile voice artist. He had a complete understanding of the characters he portrayed, giving each a voice that fit that character’s persona to a tee, sounding believable in the roles he played and just as I pictured the characters to sound. You could hear how much heart he put into his work as he captured the character’s and projected them into his performance. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another fantastic listen.

Thank you GRR

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Stunning!

Story: There is certain magic to Garrett Leigh's writing in general and this book in particular. The narration style, so close to the emotions of the charactes, pulled me in from page one and the emotional investment in the story grew with every page.
The book is painfully visceral, hold no punches and does not sugarcoat the struggles the MCs go through on the road to their own version of happiness. It's very genuine, contemporary and realistic to the core. And it's a pure pleasure to read!
Narration: Loved the voice! I really appreciate a narration which follows the emotions from the pages without feeling like too much. Great performance

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