Title: Rented Heart (Rented Heart #1)
Author: Garrett Leigh
Release Date: September 10, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★ / 5 Stars
Genres: Contemorary Romance
Ex-surfer-turned-businessman Liam Mallaney moved back to Holkham, Norfolk, to mourn the loss of his husband. Grief and loneliness keep him a solitary figure, and he likes it that way. There’s no room in his broken heart for anything else.
Rentboy Zac Payne left London and most of his demons behind, but he still only knows one way to make a living. When he spots Liam in a club one night, it seems he’s found his mark. But Liam proves nicer—and their connection far deeper—than he’d bargained for.
Their arrangement quickly becomes too complicated for Zac, who has other things on his mind: namely his BFF and wayward flatmate, Jamie. Zac owes Jamie the world, and even as Jamie’s drug addiction destroys all they have, Zac won’t leave him behind.
Besides, Liam knows nothing of Zac’s home life, too caught up in his own head to think much beyond the crazy heat he and Zac share. But when trouble comes to Zac’s door, putting his life in danger, Liam must set his grief and anger aside to pick up the pieces of Zac’s shattered heart and his own.
This was such a surprise favorite in December. I wanted something that’ll surely make me feeeeeel and I could rely on Garrett Leigh since her other book (Strays) made me feel so so so so many good emotions.
This one features a pansexual sex-worker* Zac who picks up gay widower Liam. There’s age-gap, there’s potential for fluff, and potential for a fiasco. It kind of gives you a lot of feelings.
I personally enjoyed this because I checked my friend Leah’s warnings and they were excellent in preparing me for what this book had to offer. Initially, I was discomforted by the fact that the word “prostitute” is used soooo much in the book. I know this word is popular when referring to sex-workers but I wiiiiished it’d been used less. However, the plot does make it a point in which Liam stops thinking of Zac as a sex-worker but as someone whose company he genuinely enjoys and wants.
There’s the initial very intense first meeting and then there’s the “I can’t get you out of my mind” period. I quite liked that the pacing of the book allowed Liam and Zac to get to know each other and not for one minute worry about what their relationship meant. Liam especially was fairly heartbroken over his husband’s passing but he does think of Zac in very fond times except when he totally misunderstands him at a later point in the book, which gets resolved NICELY.
Zac on the other hand is such a precious man he deserves all the love. He’s mentioned to have battled addiction ON HIS OWN. However, despite relying on sex-work, Zac does mention not enjoying any of his sexual encounters. There’s a comment I didn’t enjoy in which he mocks a man for his dick size which sounded transphobic to me. What’s also amazing about Zac is how much he cares for his friend/roommate Jaimie. Jaimie is an addict who also is a sex-worker but Jaimie is so careless he made EVEN ME worry about him.
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