Reviewed by Mal
TITLE: Just This Once
SERIES: Men of Port Luck #1
AUTHOR: Garrett Leigh
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 379 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 2, 2025
BLURB:
Love hurts. Love heals. Love stays.
The Men of Porth Luck series is a steamy, gritty, and emotional MM small-town romance collection chock full of angst, deep connections, and healing soulmate love.
Just This Once – Men Of Porth Luck, #1
A broken soldier. A guarded nurse. A love that shouldn’t happen—and yet…
“Of course it f**king does.”
Mal’s just passing through. Skylar’s the small-town nurse who fixes everyone but himself. Mal swears he won’t fall, but Sky’s smile hides shadows he can’t ignore.
Those pewter-grey eyes.
That sun-kissed hair.
That ink.
We’re a mistake waiting to happen.
Inevitable. Excruciating.
So where’s the harm in Just This Once?
Expect:
Steamy MM romance
Hurt/comfort & gritty angst
Small town, big hearts, found family
REVIEW:
Mal and Skylar broke my heart. Gosh the way Garrett Leigh writes is stupendous – heavy, poignant, words dragging you into the emotional worlds these characters are desperately trying to survive.
Mal is back in his small town of Porth Luck (which we are familiar with from the RK series) after a devastating loss, his life forever altered and coming home is never easy – there is unfinished business and the past to content with, his brother Jack and his best friend Sol his younger brother Sev and also Skylar. He meets a stranger a kindred spirit and instant attract ruin but something significant stops them.
Skylar has secrets, a land mine he has been trying to hold off exploding for most of his life. His history is horrific and no one knows other than Cam and it’s effected Skylar in profound ways.
Mal and Skylar are forbidden for many reasons, Mal may not stick around, they are both hiding a lot, Jack… but drawn together they are like magnets – just one more time becoming an inexorably deep connection they cannot deny.
Then there is the criminal underbelly which has risen in the RK’s absence – sifting the power balance and there are genuine threats to life for Sol, for Mal for everyone they love. But hey are not without recourse and the way the author plays this out was fantastic
This is a layered story, with deep profound emotional connections playing out not just between the MCs – it what makes it such a rich and beautiful story to read. There are sensitive themes of mental health with significant ramifications covered here so please look into those – the author has provided detailed content warnings.
I’m excited for this new series, Garrett Leigh is a favourite author of mine and I’m glad we get to still go back to Porth Luck, still stay in touch with the Rebel Kings and I love all the new characters we met. Can’t wait for Jack and Sol’s story.
RATING: 
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