Between Ghosts

Publisher's Summary

In 2003, journalist Connor Regan marched through London to add his voice to a million others, decrying the imminent invasion of Iraq. Eight months later, his brother, James, was killed in action in Mosul.

Three years on, Connor finds himself bound for Iraq to embed with an elite SAS team. He sets his boots on the ground looking for closure and solace - anything to ease the pain of his brother's death. Instead he finds Sergeant Nathan Thompson.

Nat Thompson is a veteran commander, hardened by years of combat and haunted by the loss of his best friend. Being lumbered with a civilian is a hassle Nat doesn't need, and he vows to do nothing more than keep the hapless hack from harm's way.

But Connor proves far from hapless, and too compelling to ignore for long. He walks straight through the steel wall Nat's built around his heart, and when their mission puts him in mortal danger, Nat must lay old ghosts to rest and fight to the death for the only man he's ever truly loved.

©2016 Garrett Leigh (P)2016 Riptide Publishing

Bloody Brilliant

one of the best audios of this year, any year.,this is tied for number one

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Gripping story, awesome narration

Garrett Leigh is a gifted writer who knows how to reach into your chest and drag your heart out. Even her “light” stuff has some width and breadth to it.

One impression I am left with, outside the romance, is the strong feelings about war and the military and the perspective from another standpoint. Beyond just being about Connor, Pogo or Nat’s experiences overseas, it’s also a bit of a commentary on the whole “Middle East” as a political issue. Not to say it’s preachy, it’s more subtle than that, but it doesn’t shy away from making it clear just how brutal and often senseless “war” can be.

The other impression that sticks with me is how very “British” this is. Especially since I was listening to this (with an amazing narrator!) I really felt immersed through the language and the slang. (I have to admit that sometimes I wasn’t exactly sure what the slang was referring to, but I got the general gist.)

I didn’t love the connection between Nat and Connor – I think I’d have needed to see them more as a couple in a non-life-or-death situation for me to really feel that they have what it takes. I also thought, despite the super dramatic ending, their reunion was a bit blasé for me. I really wanted them to feel it when back in each other’s arms and instead it was a bit flat.

I think that fans of war romances, and the author, and for fans who love their angst – this is a great story for you!

4 of 5 stars

Audio

I had avoided the book originally because I’m not a fan of war romances. I just don’t have a heart for the pain and suffering and so I tend to veer more toward the light and fluffy. But… I LOVE this narrator. He’s absolutely amazing! He is so good at making the listener feel like part of the story. His accents are just so authentic and varied and do a lot to make the language (slang etcetera) ring true. This is SUCH a British story and having Craig Beck narrate it really gave each of the MCs and the secondary characters a solid presence. As a way to enjoy this story I think the audiobook is a MUST. Highly Recommended.

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.5 of 5 stars

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Gripping, memorable story

Every time I pick up a book by Miss Leigh, I know I’m in for a story that will touch my soul. Reading the blurb for Between Ghosts reaffirmed this would be an intense hurt/comfort romance, and honestly I stalled listening to the audiobook because it hit a little close to home. However, once I started, it was impossible to stop listening until I knew how it would all play out.

Between Ghosts had an interesting approach to a military romance. Not only did it take place during war and with the deployed troops, but it also featured a civilian imbedded within the unit giving Miss Leigh the perfect opportunity to present two views of the action overseas without feeling like a political commentary. I liked that the hardships Connor and Nathan faced weren’t glamorized or glossed over. Though that meant the story was hard and often brought an ache to my heart or had my stomach bottoming out, it was memorable and honest.

I liked Connor and Nathan as individuals and as a couple, but with all the action blazing around them, there was a lot of story to tell and the romance was a little sporadic and felt slightly less important than the men’s personal journeys. The ending was intense, nerve-wracking, and ultimately well-done, but again the development between them felt lacking. I wish the resolution between Connor and Nathan wasn’t quite as rushed, because this could have easily been a 5 star read for me. I had become invested in both men, and I wanted that in depth conclusion. That said, I’ll undoubtedly listen to Between Ghosts again and would definitely recommend it to fans of military stories or hurt/comfort romances.

The narrator for Between Ghosts is one whom I’m familiar with thanks to other audiobooks by this author. Mr. Beck’s smooth, unhurried rhythm was a perfect fit for the intense story, allowing me to catch all the details even in the frantic battle scenes. Of course I loved his accent and appreciated the proper pronunciation of English words and turns of phrase, but it was his measured delivery that was most notable. He added just enough emotion to convey the mood in the scene, but the performance never felt overacted or took away from Miss Leigh’s narrative. If you’re a fan of audiobooks, I highly recommend trying this version of Between Ghosts because the narrator pairs perfectly with the story.


*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*

Action With a Whole Lot of Heart

Any additional comments?

I hadn’t quite got around to reading this book when it came out (I am, much to my shame, terrible at reading many of Garrett Leigh‘s books in a timely manner, despite the fact that I generally love them after I do) so for once I was able to start this audio book with no knowledge or expectations of what was to come. It was a bit of a novel (hehe) experience, since I tend to gravitate towards audio books where I know that I’m going love them since they typically take a lot of time for me to get through. But my current job (and commute) leaves me with a lot of time for audio books, so I thought I’d give this one a shot when I saw it come up for review.

For the story part of the audio book, I was really in love. I like how the two characters were written, how I could just feel Nat’s apathy (to anything that wasn’t his fellow soldiers) and Connor’s sense of loss from nearly the first page. The whole military aspect also was incredibly well written. I don’t have first hand experience with combat, but I could so easily buy this portrayal of it. It was gritty and not at all the glamorized version that we are sold in some books and movies. When we were in Iraq, I totally felt like I was there. I love when authors can bring foreign locals to life like that. I also think Garrett Leigh did an awesome job of capturing the day to day life of military folk. I have no clue as to the accuracy, but the way the various characters and their reactions to both the action and the boredom, rung true for me.

For the most part the audio of this was very good as well. Craig Beck did a great job of creating a definite distinction between all of the characters. He also has a great accent, and it was a pleasure to listen to him read this book to me. I will say though that the characters did sound a bit older than I presumed them to be. It was a little weird at first, when getting to know Connor and Nat–who are presumably not much older than 30–sounding like a distinguish older man. After a while it kinda filtered out, but at first I will admit that it threw me.

The climax of this book was also a bit confusing at times…but too be honest I’m not sure that isn’t down to my inattention since I was listening to it while working on the computer and I just might not have had the needed focus for those scenes. It still was gripping, though, so I am not too put out.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and the audio narration.

Just hang on until after chapter one.

Chapter one is pretty bad. Seems like maybe writers block got the best of him. After chapter one it is a wonderful, although fanciful, love story.

Enjoyable military romance

I enjoyed Craig Beck's narration of Garrett Leigh's 'Between Ghosts' - the characters' personalities came through well (although the Welsh accent was a bit dodgy but not enough to fully pull me out of the story) and he paced it well.
The story was engaging, following Connor as he tried to come to terms with his brother's death in the army years before by following military personnel as they fought in the Middle East and recording what they did and endured in an effort to make sense of it all. The growth of his relationship with Nat was well drawn and the tension it caused in relation to the missions was well narrated by Beck. The whole thing came to a very satisfying conclusion and I'll be trying other books written by Leigh, as well as checking out what other books Beck has narrated.
I will be listening to this again.

Great read

I really enjoyed this book. I am not quite sure how the two guys would have found it possible to find somewhere to have sex in the camp but I know his mates would have acted this way when they found out the guys secret. Well written good story and well read. I will now check out another book by this author.

Great book

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed this. Narration was excellent with a good pace and keeping the suspense going for the action scenes. Certainly worth a credit!

Great military romance

If you could sum up Between Ghosts in three words, what would they be?

Realistic, emotional, gritty

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Connor - he seemed simultaneously endearingly young as well as hardened. There were multiple aspects to his character which kept the story engaging and moving along.

Have you listened to any of Craig Beck’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes - I also listened to Misfits by Garrett Leigh that is narrated by Craig Beck. I think in future, I won't listen to them close together as Connor and Nat had the same sound as Jake and a mix of Tom/Cass. Nothing wrong with that as the style of voices fit the characters (although I had pictured Connor as a little more 'highbrow') but it took me a while to get my head round Connor as opposed to Jake.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I loved it - it's gritty as it's what I imagine a realistic military book to be, but at the same time it managed to maintain a tenderness in the relationship between Connor and Nat.