Misfits by Garrett Leigh

Misfits by Garrett Leigh is a beautifully written story about an unconventional relationship.  I received one copy of this book at no charge through Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.  This post contains affiliate links.

Misfits by Garrett Leigh

Purchase Links:  Amazon / Riptide Publishing 

Title:    Misfits
Series:      N/A
Author:  Garrett Leigh
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (March 15, 2015)
ASIN:      B00UR1XRJ8
Format/Length:    3013 KB/246 pages
Genre:      M/M/M, menage, Contemporary
Heat Rating:  3  
Star Rating: 4 1/2

Author Info:

You can learn more about the author by checking out her website or following her on Facebook or Twitter.

Blurb:

Restaurant owner Tom Fearnes has loved his partner Cass for as long as he can remember, but their work often keeps them apart. When he meets a striking young man named Jake on the vibrant streets of Camden Town, their heady first encounter takes an unexpected turn.

Jake Thompson can hardly believe his luck when he wakes up in Tom’s bed. Tom is gorgeous, kind, and . . . taken. Tom’s explanation of his open relationship leaves Jake cold, but Tom is too tempting, and when hard times force Jake to accept Tom’s helping hand, he finds himself between two men who’ve lost their way.

Cass Pearson is a troubled soul. He loves Tom with all he has, but some days it feels like he hasn’t much to give. Jake seems like the perfect solution. Cass risks everything to push Jake and Tom together, but Jake resists, wary, until the darkness of Cass’s past comes to call. Then Jake finds himself the last man standing, and it’s time to dig deep and shine a light for the men he’s grown to love.

My Review:

Tom and Cass have been together for 9 years.  They have a solid relationship built on love and trust but leave it open to the occasional fling with someone else should either of them want that.  They both indulge occasionally but it is always a quick sexual release and nothing more meaningful than that.  Until Jake comes along, that is.  From the very beginning there is something about Jake that completes the relationship between Tom and Cass.  A relationship that they didn’t even realize was missing something.

Jake is an amazingly unique character. He is brutally honest but I sense a tender sensitivity to him that he hides behind a tough mask.  His Tourette’s Syndrome makes some situations tricky but he is fully open about how it effects him and I found it interesting to read about a character struggling with this problem. He is wary of getting in the way of Tom and Cass’s relationship and is stubborn as all hell but his character just brought out an innate need in me to protect and care for him.  A need both Tom and Cass feel as well.

Cass was a bit of an enigma for most of the book.  You know he is struggling with some emotional issues but you don’t get much insight into this til the end of the book.  He always seems to have one foot out the door and I fully expected him to run.  When he finally does, it takes both Tom and Jake to help him make sense of his inner turmoil.

Tom was a nice balance of controlling yet tender.  He really seemed to NEED to take care of Jake…just the way he took care of Cass when they first got together. He’s a fixer of both things and people. He is the person most determined that the three of them find a way to cement all three of them together.

You get to read portions of this book in the voice of all three characters, although most of it is from Tom and Jake’s point of view.  I enjoyed getting inside all three of these guys heads.  Watching them create a unique new restaurant from the ground up was interesting as well and the concepts they came up with sound intriguing.

Misfits is the first M/M/M book I have read where the ‘third’  was closer to one character at the beginning than the other.  Tom’s hookup with Jake at the beginning of the story is hot and sexy but immediately deeper than just casual sex.  And then they fall hard and fast for each other.  Jake’s relationship with Cass is more of a slow and gentle warmup.  Friends turned lovers at the very end.  It was an interesting dynamic that I don’t often see.

Misfits is a story of amazing emotional depth between characters who are unique and well developed.  I honestly loved this book and will be looking for more from this author soon!