Kiss Me Again

By: Garrett Leigh

Narrated by: Dan Calley

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 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 color 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.

Praise for the book:

"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, author of In the Middle of Somewhere)

©2019 Garrett Leigh (P)2020 Garrett Leigh

So hot

This was such a great story. Smoking connection between the men. Strong plot and characters. Garrett Leigh does it again. Awesome narrator.

Wonderful story, good narration.

I read and reviewed the ebook of Kiss Me Again back in June 2019. Now I've had the chance to listen to this wonderful story performed by Dan Calley and I loved it all over again. This is the third book I've listened to performed by Dan Calley and I'm getting used to his voice now. His tone is very pleasing; it has just taken me a few books to fully get used to his accent.

Below is what I wrote when I reviewed the ebook:
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.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

Fate

Better than the original "Odd Couple". They were so opposite and they fit together perfectly and brought out the best in each other. I liked that happen stance put these two together and then reunited them. Fate. I loved that Aidan didn't run from Ludo's mental issues, but tried to support him, and Ludo was good for Aidan too. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did an excellent job.

Hello Darkness my old friend

3.5 to 4 Blue Roses
4 Blue Flames

Narrator Dan Calley masterfully delivered a dark and depressing mm romance. So-so fucking dark! He has the perfect natural narration style or demeanor for shit like this. His unique ability to create a cumbersome milieu inside the listening experience astounds me. I want to mention his word pronunciation and breathing has slowed to a point to where I do understand him easier. (So Kudo’s for growing and getting better with each book.)

Now, for the plot itself. I’m starting with this so I can get it out of my system. This book is about a person struggling with severe anxiety disorder coupled that with bipolar disorder. (Lithium does not get adjusted according to the mood of a patient. Lithium blood levels are drawn to reach a therapeutic level and the meds get adjusted according to those levels. A higher level of Lithium, other than the therapeutic level will damage kidney functions. It does not happen in one day, it happens in 6 to 8 weeks, so Lithium does not get to be increased and decreased according to the mood level.) OK, it’s out of my system.

The love story itself is beautiful and truly inspiring, I can see that this would make a beautiful movie. The plot is gripping and it constantly felt like something bad is going to happen. Thanks to Dan Calley!

I do recommend this audiobook, there is a promise of a little ray of hope waiting for the two lovers. If you like butterflies and unicorns pass. It is deep and very emotional, and I found it very meaningful.

Happy Listening

Beautiful couple under difficult circumstances

I enjoyed this audio. Aiden and Ludo meet in hospital and come to recognize and love the uniqueness of one another. They complement one another beautifully. It takes awhile for them to find their equilibrium recognizing that the other gives more than they could imagine. Dan Calley is a gifted narrator. There were times I had difficulty distinguishing characters. His accent is strong so I needed to pay attention. Not a problem however.

Love This Story

Aidan and Ludo... man what a story! I absolutely love how much care and research is obviously put into these stories by Garrett Leigh! Ludo has bipolar disorder along with other mental illness issues that make him think he’s crazy. Aidan meets Ludo in the hospital and something about Ludo draws him in even though he’s a loner introvert who doesn’t think he’s worthy of love or important enough for anyone to care. The story of their friendship turned romance is sweet and not too angsty for a Garrett Leigh book and the fact that Aidan is actually one of the sweetest most caring men in the world when it comes to Ludo ends up being a pleasant surprise! The love story takes precedence over the mental health issues without skimming over the issues and I love the balance! Such a great story!

Dan Calley’s narration takes this story to another level and I absolutely loved revisiting this story with his voice in my ears. Does it get any better than Dan’s voice? I’m not thinking so…

Incredible book and narration combo!

Another one of my favs on audio...

I think 'Kiss Me Again' has become one of my favorite Garrett Leigh stories. I loved the hell out of this story the first time I read it and now listening to it on audio...well, I think I came to love it even more. I would have added more stars to my rating, if that were possible but sadly it is not.

Dan Calley was the narrator for this audio book and he's a new to me narrator that I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from. For me the voices he created to fill out the image of these characters was very much in sync with what I'd created in my mind when I originally read this story so listening to the audio book was even more enjoyable for me.

At this point I'm going to borrow a couple of paragraphs from my original review of this story because honestly I could write and write and write and not express why I enjoyed this book as much as I did better than I did in my original review (I know this because I just tried and failed) so, if it ain't broke, why try to fix it...

I love stories with characters that aren't perfect...they have weaknesses, flaws, medical conditions... whatever...they're real. They're not outrageously attractive and dynamic with amazingly successful careers or simply loaded with money, etc. etc. in a word they're not perfect, they're just ordinary, everyday people...because that's the kind of characters that I can relate to the best...mostly because..."Hello, ordinary, everyday person right here."

In 'Kiss Me Again' we meet Tree Surgeon Aidan Drummond. Aidan's a loner he doesn't want his life complicated by things and people...until an accident lands him in the hospital in a bed directly across from the bed occupied by Ludo Giordano, the most beautiful young man that Aidan's ever seen. Ludo's in the hospital following surgery and to get his meds regulated. Ludo's Bipolar and that means he's not going to get better, his condition isn't going away at the best of times things will be managed.

I had more than a little appreciation for Aidan's struggles and determination to understand what being bipolar meant for Ludo and how it could impact his life...as someone who spent 15+ years working in community healthcare I found this to be dealt with in both an effective and compassionate manner.

From the first time they lay eyes on each other Aidan and Ludo connect. The connection that they share isn't a 'love-at-first-sight' connection. This is about two people who get each other they understand how the other's brain works, what makes them tick, what soothes them, what irritates them...they just get each other it's a bit of an inexplicable thing that just happens. It's like meeting someone for the first time but feeling like you've known them for years. That's how things start for Aidan and Ludo and during their hospital stay the bond that they felt when the first saw each other begins to strengthen.

'Kiss Me Again' is a story about a friendship that found it's way to love. What captured my heart the most about these two men was how they fit, how each of them wanted to care for the other not by changing them but by being able to give them strength when they were weak, by quietly filling their moments of need with strength.

From start to finish I was enchanted with the quiet and simplistic beauty that was Ludo and Aidan's relationship. 'Kiss Me Again' is about the magic of love in an ordinary world between ordinary people to create something extraordinary in their lives.

A Beautiful Story

A beautiful story of love, acceptance, and mental illness. Aidan and Ludo are so sweet together and narrator Dan Calley does an amazing job. This is definitely a story to be enjoyed again and again.

Good Story, Great Narration

I liked the story and it was refreshing to see accurate representation of a person struggling with bipolar disorder. I liked both Aidan and Ludo and enjoyed following their love story develop. This book had few hard to listen parts, but that's the life of people who are dealing with bipolar disorder and those who love them. Narrator did a great job, he is new for me and I will keep looking out for the books he narrated. Narrator's sexy voice made this good book into a great listening experience.