Everything I Left Unsaid A Novel
Reviews
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨
First Impressions
Everything I Left Unsaid is the first book in the "Everything I Left Unsaid" series and this is the first of two books which involved our couple and this is also my first book from this author and I absolutely adored the writing style. For fans of edgier contemporary or dark romance, I can't recommend this one enough. I was so hooked into this story and the narration was so brilliant, I just didn't want to put it down. The romance that develops was so UNIQUE and I loved the development that grows between our couple here.
First Line
Escape smelled like a thick layer of Febreeze over stale cigarette smoke.
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Dylan
Works in the background
Ex Racer and Gambler
Alphamellow + Bad Boy
The Heroine: Annie
On the run from her abusive husband
Reserved and Shy
Summary
Annie realizing that her husband wouldn't be keeping her alive for much longer, abandons her life and goes on the run. She knows that he needs her to sell her farm, but she refuses to sell it. Annie goes on the run and settles into one of the smallest communities she could find and starts living in a trailer park, working as a landscaper in North Carolina. When she finds a phone and starts talking to a stranger, they start exchanging texts and phone calls that with each call starts to really build the tension and connection between them. Both Dylan and Annie have secrets and its obvious that there is more happening in Annie's trailer park than meets the eye but their fates are intertwined if they only trust in the love that is growing between them.
What I Loved
This book just left me breathless and anticipating all the delicious tension that grows between Annie and Dylan. Both characters have so many secrets and seeing them slowly dig into each other was so intriguing. I really adored the moments between this couple and seeing them find their way that was so different than I expected it to happen. Dylan was such a bad boy secretive hero and I just wanted to peel his heart like an onion and the author really reveals him so slowly that I have to admire her writing talent within this story and if her other books are ANYTHING like this one, I have to say that I will be paying close attention to her backlist.
Then we have Annie. Annie isn't quite your typical heroine on the run from an abusive husband. She keeps her secrets close, and she isn't perfect. But I really admired her strengths that we see come into this book. We can see how the abuse have treated her and damaged her strong spirit. We see slowly her rediscovering her life and realizing her own power and what she is capable of. I love how explorative she becomes and how creative Dylan becomes with her and her "bucket list". The plot was so intricately laid out within this story and leaves you with such a ending that will have you jumping right into the second one!
What I Struggled With
There wasn't anything I truly struggled with, no a fan of the cliffhanger but since I was able to jump easily into the second book, I can't complain that much when the romance was so well developed.
Narration
The narration was incredible. There was so much deep emotion but also their tones really built up the chemistry just right between the couple that you could feel the actual tension building.
Overall View
I found this gem to be an incredible find, a TBR read that I am glad I picked up. Its a story of self discovering, slow burn that is a mix of salty and sweet and a romance to curl your toes and leave you with high expectation....
Favorite Quote(s)
"No one missed me. Or worried. Or wondered. I'd vanished and the world just kept spinning."
"Carefully, as if he were a live bomb, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I was struck with the very real fear that nothing was going to be enough with him. Not ever."
He'd learned the hard way to keep his wants and desires on a short list. Wanting too much, either one thing or a million, only meant he wouldn't get it. He was clumsy with fragile things- always trying to hold onto them so hard they broke.
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Erotic Romance
Character Types: Bad Boy, Alphamellow, Shy Heroine
Themes: Small Town, Danger Elements, Slow Burn, Hot Smexy Times, Voyeurism
Tropes: Friends to Lovers
Book Perspective
Duo POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A Mix
If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Jay Crownover
Katy Evans
Beth Kery
Song This Book Inspires
Snooze SZA-SOS
Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes I do recommend reading this series in order. The characters are all interconnected.
Steam/Spice Explanations
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Narrators:
Joe Arden
Maxine Mitchell
Oh my goodness. I read some of this during my lunch break at work and while I'm rarely embarrassed, I was definitely blushing for this book. Be forewarned, there is an epic cliffhanger and I'm just glad I have the next book sitting firmly on my nightstand at home. Annie coming in to her sexuality after being emotionally and physically abused her whole life was utterly engrossing to read about, and I really enjoyed the phone calls between her and Dylan being the method through which she felt safe to do so. And holy wow hotness. And the voyeuristic scene in the strip club. Phew. Cannot wait to read more! CW for domestic abuse, on page and discussed, violence, cheating (a technicality for me, but thought I'd note).
Also posted at Booklovers For Life What a fantastic, compelling read! I was up until 3 am trying to finish this book – I really couldn’t put it down. I was first intrigued by this book because of the blurb and the lovely cover, and I’m so glad that I wasn’t let down. Everything I Left Unsaid is a suspenseful, sexy, mysterious read that I highly enjoyed. It’s the first book in a duet, and yes, it does end in a cliffhanger! Luckily, the second book releases a month after the first. Annie has just moved into the Flowered Manor Trailer Park, on the run from her abusive husband. The trailer park is in the middle of nowhere, so for the most part, she’s safe. She plans to keep her head down and keep to herself for as long as she can, doing some manual labor to make some money, until a mysterious man named Dylan calls a cellphone left in her trailer. Her life changes even more thanks to this stranger, who she feels an undeniable connection with. From the moment they start talking to each other on the phone, they’re fascinated with each other. Some flirting begins, and then things turn raw and sensual… “Let me … let me tell you what to do.” “Are you … going to laugh at me?” “Laugh? I’m the fucking luckiest man on the planet tonight. The only thing I’m going to do is help you come.” I myself was fascinated with Annie and Dylan. Annie is a wonderfully complex character, so tough yet innocent at the same time. She had a difficult life growing up, a life which turned dark and dangerous once her abusive husband entered the picture. She’s free now, but realizing that she’s missed out on a lot in life. With Dylan’s help, Annie breaks out of her shell, growing into herself, discovering the person she’s meant to be. And all the while, she wants Dylan desperately, their daily phone communication solidifying their relationship into something wonderful and treasured. In the end it wasn’t a decision. Dylan was an instinct. An urge, like a tide in my blood. Dylan is no less complex or intriguing than Annie. He’s a mysterious man – even though we get his POV (in the 3rd person), we still don’t know very much about him. I loved the way the author kept me on my toes about Dylan. He’s got both a good and bad side of him (he even refers to himself as a beast), and it was fascinating to see his secrets unravel. What we do know for sure is how much Annie consumes him – nothing in his life is the same after talking to her for the first time. Truthfully, he would break every rule he had, every promise he’d ever made, and go to all the trouble in the world for this girl and she had no idea. None. M. O’Keefe has written a wonderfully fascinating, entertaining book that I couldn’t put down. The writing in this is absolutely fantastic – it’s the kind of writing that keeps me reading, even when the story slows down. The characters are compelling, unique, and very likable. I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading Everything I Left Unsaid, and am very much looking forward to reading the sequel! Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version. Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review. Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1cPpRFi Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1HiVZJy Liked this review? Subscribe to Booklovers For Life for more!
