Tree surgeon Aidan Drummond is content with his own company. He works alone, and lives alone, and it doesn’t occur to him to want anything else until a life-changing accident lands him in hospital. Then a glimpse of the beautiful boy in the opposite bed changes everything.Ludo Giordano is trapped on the ward with a bunch of old men. His mind plays tricks on him, keeping him awake. Then late one … late one night, a new face brings a welcome distraction. Their unlikely friendship is addictive. And, like most things in Ludo’s life, temporary.
Back in the real world, Aidan’s monochrome existence is no longer enough. He craves the colour Ludo brought him, and when a chance meeting brings them back together, before long, they’re inseparable again.
But bliss comes with complications. Aidan is on the road to recovery, but Ludo has been unwell his entire life, and that’s not going to change. Aidan can kiss him as much as he likes, but if he can’t help Ludo when he needs him most, they don’t stand a chance.
“Kiss Me Again is a deliciously tender and prickly romance about the intimacy that comes with acceptance. Ludo and Aidan accept and love each other for exactly who they are—complications, injuries, mental health issues, moods—and I loved them for it.” — Roan Parish
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Garrett is an auto-buy for me. Angsty, sad, and ultimately hopeful, a beautiful romance 🙂
Garrett Leigh does it again. Her romances feel so real, like this couple really does live down the road from you, like she has a window into the life of real, complicated people and it’s simply her job to document their relationship. Garrett claims she doesn’t write fluff but I thought this hurt/comfort story was sweet, and the relationship charming. Yes, Aidan’s a gruff solitary character with a choice turn of phrase but his acceptance of Ludo and the development of their relationship was a joy to behold. That’s not to say there was no angst, I don’t feel I’ve read a Garrett Leigh book if she doesn’t move me to tears at least once.
Highly recommended.
Kiss Me Again is a beautiful and emotional book that deals with some heavy issues. Aidan is an arborist who ends up in the hospital when a freak accident sends him hurdling thirty feet from the top of a tree to the hard concrete below. Stuck in a hospital, miserable, and feeling like he’s lost control of his life, Aidan meets alluring Ludo, another man stuck in the hospital with him. Aidan and Ludo have instant chemistry, although they don’t realize that’s what it is at first. All they know is that they are drawn to each other. Ludo is battling his own demons. He’s bipolar and alone except for his dog Bella. Until Aidan comes into his life. Both men have to figure out how to adjust to being in a relationship with each other, but the sacrifices and compromises are worth it.
There are so many wonderful things about this book. First, Garret Leigh is an incredible writer who builds and develops his characters with care and makes them feel genuine and real. The plot pacing and transitions were superb and the entire writing style was smooth and a joy to read. Second, he tackled mental illness with respect and understanding. Ludo didn’t suddenly become better because he fell in love with Aidan. Aidan wasn’t a band-aid that “fixed” Ludo. Instead, Aidan and Ludo became a team with both of them learning how to work with each other and support each other through their highs and lows. And lastly, the romance was gorgeous and their relationship just kept growing in these sweet and tender layers. It was quite lovely.
Dan Calley narrated the audiobook and he was a perfect fit for these British characters. Dan has a wonderful deep and resonating voice that really embodied the characters. I had no issues telling the difference between Aidan and Ludo and all the other characters. It was a real pleasure to listen to this audio performance and sink into the story. The audiobook production was well done and there were no glitches or errors.
I highly recommend this book.
Where to begin with this beauty? Kiss Me Again by Garrett Leigh took hold of me from the first page; I ended up reading it in one sitting. I requested it on the cover alone, and once the blurb was posted, I was ever so glad that I did.
Kiss Me Again’s two main characters deal with some weighty issues; both different, but both that some readers can relate to. There’s such beauty to the writing, this quiet, melancholy that’s GL’s signature style.
Some highlights:
-Opposites attract. Aidan is quiet and irritable, while Ludo is kind and loopy, but each finds precisely what each needs in each other.
-Their meeting. Never read anything like it, and I loved it. It was different and sweet.
-Dual POVs
-Chemistry
-Slow burn
-Full of feels/Angst
-Hurt/Comfort/Healing
-Friends to lovers. The relationship development was exquisitely written.
-I appreciate that all of GL’s characters come from different walks of life. I’m so tired of the same ol’ privileged characters.
-The ending was all kinds of romantic.
Kiss Me Again is a beautiful, compelling story of hope. I loved everything about it and can’t recommend it enough.
5+ Stars. One of my favorite books of 2019.
Absolutely lovely, what a story! So much emotion.
Both of these guys have heartfelt stories to tell, and watching them build their relationship over the course of the novel is a real experience.
Audio by Dan Calley who does a great job capturing all of the emotion. I love the variety of accents Mr. Calley uses, it really adds to the experience of this audiobook. Nice performance!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Aiden fell from the tree he was working on, and ended up in hospital. The only person who seemed to be ale to get through to Aiden was Ludo. Ludo is fighting his own demons again, and Aiden seems to make him all . . well . . he doesn;t know the word but Aiden makes him feel good. And GOOD is not a thing Ludo has had for some time. When Aiden is released and Ludo not, things for oth of them spiral downhill. A chance meeting puts bth men back on track, but can they really be HAPPY? Either of them?
I found this a difficult read. But a very good one!
Ludo is bi-polar, and tries to keep up with his meds, but they keep changing his doses, and the type of meds he is taking, and he knows when he is going down, he can feel it. He can equally feel his highs. And these are the bits I struggled with the most. I have someone close to me who is bi-polar, and they are never able to voice how things make them feel. Getting into Ludo’s head, difficult as it was, gave me a bit more insight into my friend’s head. Scared me a bit, to be honest, but I really did not fully get what my friend was trying to tell me before. I do a bit better now. So hopefully I can be a better friend.
Aiden is GRUMPY! Oh he made me laugh, he really is a grumpy git, and he knows it! Ludo though, Ludo makes him want to NOT be and he tries, he really does. It just takes him time, since he’s been so grumpy for so long.
The relationship between Ludo and Aiden moves at an even pace, steady and solid along the book. Its not overly sexy, but their is heat and steam aplenty. But its not about the sex between these two, it’s about learning to love another, and what that menas for them.
Both Ludo and Aiden have their say. While both men are difficult to read, I did love them to pieces. I wanted to wrap them both up and be mum to them, I really did!
I loved the way Ms Leigh tells her tales. It takes time for Ludo’s full medical history to come clear, and you get hints and snippets to put together your own version, not always correctly, mind!
I’ve not read anything else by Ms Leigh before, and this is what love most about reviewing for the blog. NEW to me authors pop up all the time. These authors have published many books, but not crossed my path before. So I’d love to read more by this author.
A thoroughly difficult but very enjoyable
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
4.25 stars
Heat Level: 3
Tender and heartwarmingly beautiful
I love Garrett’s writing and this is no exception. A beautiful story of two people finding each other and loving each other against the odds. I thought Garrett’s approach to a character such as Ludo and his Bipolar condition very well done and felt the respect and care Garrett put into creating Ludo and dealing with his condition. Ludo condition is extreme and can be confronting at times. I felt he paralleled myself in many ways and I loved him for it.
Adian and Ludo are great for each other and manage to balance each other out and bring out the love, joy, hope, and happiness they both sorely need and definitely deserve. Their journey is a hard one but the connection they have is worth fighting for. Great writing by Garrett, I loved it!
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Another amazing story from Garrett Leigh. This is a mm contemporary story set in the UK. Main characters are Ludo and Aidan. This book covers mental health issues and how everybody can find love.
Miss Leigh knows precisely how to hit me in the heart. Kiss Me Again is classic hurt-comfort romance, a trope this author excels at delivering. Pairing two troubled men who meet and connect while recovering on a hospital ward, this romance showcases the beauty in being broken but still being seen as worthy.
I loved both of the main characters. Though the book matches a gruff, standoffish hero paired with a man who needs support and comfort, this isn’t a story I’ve seen time and time again and I have no doubt Ludo and Aidan will stick in my head for a long time. The author does a stellar job at flushing out their personalities and shining a light on their feelings and experiences, garnering empathy for the struggles they face down while highlighting their strengths. But I especially loved how these two came together. Due to the medical issues plaguing Ludo and Aidan, the romance in Kiss Me Again is more of a slow burn. However, their connection forms early on and the simmering emotional and physical chemistry builds as the book progresses, at times leaping from the pages lest it be dismissed. Not only were these two good as a couple, but they were good for one another’s personal growth and I loved that the author captured those moments. Ludo and Aidan’s was definitely a romance that transcended lust and physicality, showing the power of a supportive love. I’d easily recommend Kiss Me Again to any fans of the hurt/comfort trope.
*Reviewed eARC for Alpha Book Club*
I just finished this book in one sweet and intense session. Garrett Leigh gets 5 solid stars for how she tells this story where Ludo, one of the main characters, is dealing with having bipolar disorder. As someone working in health care myself I find it described accurate and with respect.
I also love the way Ludo and Aiden are both dealing with the issues that this illness causes like it’s nothing to be ashamed of and that it clearly shows Ludo being so much more than the illness he has to live with – he is not bipolar but has bipolar.
This is a very well written novel that shows us that mental illness does not have to stop someone having quality of life and that it is absolutely not something to be afraid of.
Edited to add my comments on the audiobook (3/17/20)
Audiobook review:
Story: 5
Performance: 4
Wonderful story, good narration.
It deals with hard topics but it’s a wonderful story.
Kiss Me Again deals with the difficult topic of mental illness and Garrett Leigh handles it beautifully and compassionately. She didn’t put any trigger warnings in the book’s blurb. As much as I hate them sometimes, I think it might be wise to mention that the story has recollections of things that one of the MC’s has done in the past. Things like cutting and suicidal thoughts. The other MC has a drinking problem at the beginning of the story.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I must try to convey how much I loved Kiss Me Again. It’s kind of funny to me… One of the ways I measure how much I like a book is by how much it makes me cry. Surprisingly to me, I didn’t shed a tear while reading this story but I still loved it.
While this deals with very serious topics there are still some lighter moments and the story is far from being what I would consider really dark. Both Aidan and Ludo are broken in some ways but somehow, they manage to forge a friendship that turns into something much more. Ludo brings light into Aidan’s dark world and Aidan helps to calm and provide stability for Ludo.
This is what I consider a slow burn story; you won’t find pages and pages of hot sex. What you will find is two men who learn to care for each other and put their needs behind those of their partner.
I applaud the author for writing a story about such a difficult subject that most people don’t want to talk about or even acknowledge exists. I have seen depression and mental illness up close and personal and Garrett Leigh has written a touching love story that also felt very realistic to me.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
This was simply wonderful.I loved Ludo and Aiden. They are so perfect for each other. This is a dual POV and I loved every second of this book.
I love Ludo’s POV. His mind is so different and colorful. This book is so real and captivating. I don’t think I’ve read a book with bipolar character but I really loved this one.
All of Aiden and Ludo’s interactions are just so beautiful and adorable. It filled me with longing and hope. I loved the secondary characters too.
*ARC provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest and unbiased review