Review: Salvation (Darkest Skies #3) by Garrett Leigh

Reformed gang boss Dante Pope is out after a four-year stretch in prison. But freedom has found him faster than he’s ready for. His only brother hates him, and with nothing but PTSD and a newfound fascination with plants for company, the outside world is a terrifying place.

A prisoner rehabilitation scheme lands him at a stately home that might as well be the moon. Working for gorgeous gardener Sid is a welcome distraction—his shoulders are broad, his rugged jaw unshaven, and his long, tanned legs?

Wow.

But Sid has problems of his own. A life-changing disease has left him limited in ways he can’t bear and accepting help, even from a stranger, makes him want to curl up and die.

If Dante would let him.

Newsflash: he won’t, and he’s not a stranger for long. With his dark smile and sinister ink, Dante Pope is the most beautiful man Sid has ever seen. Life is hard, but falling for each other is easy.

Sunshine and shadows.

Old ghosts can haunt Dante all they like. Loving Sid is the only salvation he’ll ever need.

Dante is released from prison to a country garden. He’s determined to make the most of this second chance, and leave his old life in the past for good.

Sid looks after his gardens and manages his chronic illness. He doesn’t need complications, which is what Dante is.

The two men come from very different backgrounds, but the attraction is there from the start. Despite their differences, they’re actually very similar men.

Both are cranky, a bit antisocial, and prefer each other’s quiet company. Some common ground to build a relationship on!

I really enjoyed reading how working in the gardens side by side brought the two together. It led to homemade dinners, shared smokes (literally), and eventually stolen kisses.

Is there anything hotter than a man who just wants to feed you? Sid’s a total catch! His quiet determination in continuing with his daily life as much as he could made him even more admirable.

For his part, Dante has had a massive character improvement. Even better is that he was well aware of it, and actively identified and changed behaviours that were his old self. The self-awareness is what made him likeable, after the previous events.

I will say though - I found Sid’s repeated insistence that Dante was completely blame-free and a good man irritating. Yes, Dante is a good man now, but that doesn’t erase the past. Sid could have supported Dante without constantly throwing on the rose-coloured glasses.

I also found that the book dragged quite a bit in the middle. It could have been tightened up.

But that aside, Sid and Dante are incredibly sweet together in their little English countryside bubble. Not to mention hot!

They have a major stumbling block thrown at them, but they get through it for the better on the other end.

Overall, though this isn’t my favourite book in the series, it was still an enjoyable read. Would recommend it if you've read the two preceding books!

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.