Reviewed by Tammy
TITLE: Rented Heart 
AUTHOR: Garrett Leigh
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 222 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2016
BLURB:
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.
REVIEW:
Zac Payne is a rentboy from London who almost died 6 months ago when he overdosed. Overdosing was Zac’s impetus to move to King’s Lynn, Norfolk so he wouldn’t be tempted to start using again. Zac’s BFF Jamie came with him but as he can’t survive without drugs Jamie has decided to ply his trade in Norwich and leave King’s Lynn to Zac. Zac is practically living on air; he barely makes enough money to pay his rent but no matter how many times he has to go hungry Zac always pays his rent.
The night Liam Mallaney allowed himself to be picked up by Zac was the one night he allowed himself to be dragged out to a club by a mate only to find himself left to his own devices. Every time Liam had gone outside for a cigarette he noticed the young man ‘loitering’ on the other side of the street watching who came and went from the club. When he approached him Liam couldn’t help but be surprised by the jolt of attraction and arousal he felt, he hasn’t felt much of anything since his husband died 18 months earlier. He was shocked to learn that Zac was a prostitute but he realised this could work out perfectly in his favor. He can have no strings sex and not have to worry about any feelings being involved. The only thing was after their first night together neither Liam nor Zac could get the other off their minds. Zac kept waiting for Liam to call, he did give him one his business cards! Liam was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he had sex with a prostitute and that he feels guilty and ashamed.
It’s almost a fortnight before Liam calls Zac to spend the night in London with him. This is alright with Zac except for the fact that he’ll have to go through Kings Cross to get there and Kings Cross is where he almost died so understandably he isn’t keen to return there. Everything goes fine though and as Liam is starting to loosen up he arranges more “dates” with Zac. Liam is fast becoming as obsessed with Zac as Zac is with him, that is until Lim finds a syringe in Zac’s pocket and no matter how much it hurt Liam refuses to listen to anything he has to say and kicks Zac out of his house. Needless to say Zac is totally devastated but in a strange way he understands exactly why Liam jumped to the conclusions he did and he doesn’t blame him at all.
Zac goes from day-to-day, client-to-client trying to get over Lim but nothing is working not to mention the fact that he hasn’t seen Jamie for months. When Jamie does come back to the flat he Zac takes care of him as usual and after they fall asleep Zac is woken by someone entering his flat. For his troubles Zac not only gets the crap beaten out of him, he gets his arm sliced open and almost dies before he gets to a hospital.
I’m not going to go any further because I’ll give away some major spoilers and I highly recommend you get your own copy! This is my first Garrett Leigh book I’ve read but you can bet your bottom dollar it won’t be my last!!
RATING: 
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