Length: 355 pages
Cover Design: Book Cover By Design
Blurb
Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.
But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.
Review
I read this story in 2014 and despite the fact that I've read hundreds of books since, this story still stands out in my mind. The following review, which I wrote at the time, explains why that is the case.
This review is going to be different from the ones I usually write. While I will discuss my thoughts on the story, this post will touch on more than ‘just’ the book. Jed’s medical nightmare in ‘Only Love’ resonated with me on many levels. Writing about this story without also touching on personal memories has turned out to be impossible.
There was so much I could identify with in this book. Gastroparesis may not be the name of my particular problem but I I’m all too intimately acquainted with gastro-intestinal problems and all the consequences they can have for your (love)life. Similarly, I may have never been on the receiving end of a bullet, I do know what it is like to have a leg that just won’t do what it’s supposed to be doing. Oh, and don’t forget to check off that ugly scar nor the constant lack of appetite.
“Jed wasn’t hungry, but then he never was.”
The frustration Jed experiences was a constant presence in my life for years and still makes regular reappearances. Swinging between gratitude because people look out for you and anger because they feel they have to; been there and done that too.
I’m sure there are emotional triggers in this book for every reader. Mine were probably a bit different from most; I was closest to Jed when the endoscopy was mentioned and literally shuddered in distress at the mention of morphine.
The funny thing is that the hardest part of this story wasn’t Jed’s illness but Max’s helplessness while Jed was on death’s doorstep. It once again brought home to me what it must have been like for my husband when the doctors were ready to write me off.
This book all but killed my while I was reading it. Max and Jed are wonderful characters to read about; well developed, fully rounded and completely realistic, I found myself in their thrall from the moment they were introduced. Their slow progression from roommates, to friends to so much more was smooth, realistic and beautiful. The secondary characters in ‘Only Love’ made it easier for me to understand Max and Jed and added warmth and realism to their story.
While I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t read the book, I have to say that I’m grateful that while the author gave us an optimistic ending, she kept it real. Thankfully there are no miracle cures on these pages; ‘just’ two strong yet vulnerable men finding each other and the strength to build a future together.
“How do you do that?
Do what?
Say nothing at all for months on end, then kill me dead in three sentences.”
I can’t thank Garrett Leigh enough for the way in which she managed to combine harsh realism with thoughtful sensitivity. She took two men who might well have been broken by their medical circumstances and showed that the limitations health issues can throw in your path don’t mean you have to stop living, never mind loving. In fact, I don’t think I have the words to express how much reading this book has meant to me.
To avoid any confusion I should add the following. I would have loved this book if I had never been ill in my life. I would challenge any reader to pick up this book and not feel ALL the emotions. If you find yourself in need of a well written, thought provoking, heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting love story, you can’t go wrong with ‘Only Love’. The book will take your breath away.
“For him, Max was the early morning sun, a cool springtime breeze, and a blanket of fresh white snow. His warm eyes were a guiding light in the dark, and the love they held was the only thing Jed would ever need.”
Author Bio
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 photographer Dan Burgess.
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