House of Cards (Porthkennack, #4)by Garrett Leigh
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC (received via NetGalley)
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance
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.
House of Cards was a brilliant story because it had it all: beautiful and atmospheric scenery of Cornish seaside, great and fleshed out characters and real emotions. Even when there was problems, pasts and obstacles to go over, there wasn't any melodramatic reactions. Leigh's writing style is a little bit melancholy which transferred to the story beautifully, and made it seem so real with plenty of emotions. Overall, everything from the fictional seaside town to the characters and plot twists seemed to real that I couldn't help but love it.
The characters were great, and maybe the best part of the story. Calum's going through a rough patch in his life after a bad breakup with his manipulative ex, and he's lost what to do with his life. He ends up at Truro and meets Brix who was his friends years ago when both of them lived in London. Brix, who just disappeared one day and moved from London back to his hometown, Porthkennack. Brix offers Calum a place to stay and it all starts from there. Calum and Brix were the characters I fell for because of how strong and sweet they were even after the life had kicked them multiple times. There's also Brix's eccentric (and somewhat criminal) family, who were great and funny, and of course the tattoo shop gang. The romance was slow burn but Calum and Brix had almost unbelievable chemistry - which wasn't all about steamy stuff either, because their chemistry made them work well together in every way possible. It was just so brilliant and sweet.
House of Cards is the best story of Porthkennack series this far. Especially after the disappointment of Broke Deep, this was a very pleasant surprise and I fell in love with the story, Calum and Brix, and restored my faith in this series. I highly recommend this one - either as a standalone or as part of the series as either way it's a brilliant story.
The characters were great, and maybe the best part of the story. Calum's going through a rough patch in his life after a bad breakup with his manipulative ex, and he's lost what to do with his life. He ends up at Truro and meets Brix who was his friends years ago when both of them lived in London. Brix, who just disappeared one day and moved from London back to his hometown, Porthkennack. Brix offers Calum a place to stay and it all starts from there. Calum and Brix were the characters I fell for because of how strong and sweet they were even after the life had kicked them multiple times. There's also Brix's eccentric (and somewhat criminal) family, who were great and funny, and of course the tattoo shop gang. The romance was slow burn but Calum and Brix had almost unbelievable chemistry - which wasn't all about steamy stuff either, because their chemistry made them work well together in every way possible. It was just so brilliant and sweet.
House of Cards is the best story of Porthkennack series this far. Especially after the disappointment of Broke Deep, this was a very pleasant surprise and I fell in love with the story, Calum and Brix, and restored my faith in this series. I highly recommend this one - either as a standalone or as part of the series as either way it's a brilliant story.
5 of 5 stars
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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review House of Cards!
(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)
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