Virtual Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ House of Cards (A Porthekennack Story) by Garrett Leigh

About House of Cards

Calum Hardy’s life has unravelled. Reeling from the betrayal of a man he once loved, he boards a train heading south, with no real idea where he’s going except a world away from London.

Brix Lusmoore can hardly believe his eyes when he spots one of his oldest friends outside Truro station. He hasn’t seen Calum since he fled the capital himself four years ago, harbouring a life-changing secret. But despite the years of silence, their old bond remains, warm and true—and layered with simmering heat they’ve never forgotten.

Calum takes refuge with Brix and a job at his Porthkennack tattoo shop. Bit by bit, he rebuilds his life, but both men carry the ghosts of the past, and it will take more than a rekindled friendship and the magic of the Cornish coast to chase them away.

Available now from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/house-of-cards

About Porthkennack

Welcome to Porthkennack, a charming Cornish seaside town with a long and sometimes sinister history. Legend says King Arthur's Black Knight built the fort on the headland here, and it’s a certainty that the town was founded on the proceeds of smuggling, piracy on the high seas, and the deliberate wrecking of cargo ships on the rocky shore. Nowadays it draws in the tourists with sunshine and surfing, but locals know that the ghosts of its Gothic past are never far below the surface.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by five award-winning, best-selling British LGBTQ romance authors: Alex Beecroft, Joanna Chambers, Charlie Cochrane, Garrett Leigh, and JL Merrow. Follow Porthkennack and its inhabitants through the centuries and through the full rainbow spectrum with historical and contemporary stand-alone titles.

Check out Porthkennack! http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/universe/porthkennack

Reviewed by:

This is part of a "series" but can be read as a stand-alone. 

Once again, Garrett has broken my heart and fixed it all in one go. 

Garrett gives great "broken boy". . She's handled many afflictions, mentally and physically, and has done them so, so well. The research behind them all is just incredible. This is probably one of my favorite comfort/healing books yet (aside from Misfits and Roads) 

First your heart breaks for Calum. Emotionally beat down and "stuck" with the one guy who's supposed to love him. He ends up drunk, on a train, and with no money or place to go. Luckily for him, he ends up somewhere where his long lost friend, Brix, lives. 

Brix is out on a mission to "save some chooks" when he comes across a familiar figure. Seems Brix doesn't just like to save chickens, he also likes to save people. He ends up stopping and bringing Calum home. Calum isn't the only one he's collected though. Seems like he has a whole tattoo shop full of misfits. I think Brix believes that if he can't fix himself, he might as well try for other people. It's his "stamp of goodness" on the world. 

I think my favorite part of this story is Bongo and the whole saving of the chickens. Calum grows a bond with Bongo the chicken and it all seems very crucial to this story. 

The chickens are a metaphor for Brix. 

Just because the chickens are "damaged goods", doesn't mean they're not worth saving and given a new life. Brix's life isn't over, just because of this new way he has to live, and Calum helps to show him that. Just like he has a cuddler chicken, he now has a cuddler Brix. I think the old farmer in the end is also a metaphor for Brix affliction. Calum punches his way through it :)

Another thing I love was the folklore of the sea in this town and how there's healing and magic in it. Not in a paranormal way, but in a faith kind of way. The people a gruff, but endearing and I loved being an emmet in their world ;)

This was an incredible and wonderful story, I give it 4.5 chooks :D

About Garrett Leigh

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 was 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 site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Social media:

Website: http://garrettleigh.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks

Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of House of Cards, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 22, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!