UNEXPECTED LOVE STORYby NATASHA MADISON
When one man’s death exposes a complex web of lies, three couples discover the true meaning of love, loss and redemption.
Crystal
I was the strong one, they said, until two words brought me to my knees.
It was a secret I didn't share with anyone. A secret that made me promise I’d never fall in love.
I no longer wanted that white picket fence of every woman’s dreams.
Until the unthinkable happened.
Gabe
I thought I had it all with the best medical practice in the state and the woman of my dreams.
I wore a smile on my face every single day.
I couldn't wait to watch her walk down the aisle and start our forever, except she never did.
My runaway bride made me realize love isn't worth it.
What happens when your dreams unexpectedly come true?
This is the story of unexpected love.
REVIEW: 4.5 STARS
"With Crystal, I know I won't let her live without me."
SO, after meeting Crystal and Gabe in Perfect Love Story, I couldn't even begin to imagine what the source of all their volatility was. You can read my review for Perfect Love Story HERE. There was so much contention between them that my curiosity was that much more piqued going into this one, and I wanted to know the why of all of it! However, having read this one now, looking back, all I can say now is HA! HA! HA! Madison did such a good job making me smile throughout this entire story. And yet again, I am completely in love with another set of characters, both individually and part of a series. I liked how she incorporated them all in each story, but also gave them their own voices. I really liked this one.
I think it's important to note that this one was written as a standalone, but if you read it, you will know the entire first story, so I would recommend reading them in order if you don't want to ruin the first book. I know I am that type of crazy reader that has to read in order, but if you do read this one, just know you will have the entire backstory of book one because Crystal and Gabe are an integral part of Hailey and Jenson's story. Having said that, I loved the back and forth we had in the very beginning of this book - the proverbial trip down memory lane to catch us up on all things Crystal and Gabe. Obviously we saw book one in Hailey's POV, but being able to relive it from Crystal's POV gave me a little more of an in-depth look at all the emotions swirling around on that fateful day. I loved seeing that aspect. I loved feeling the pain from another perspective. And I loved how Crystal is the kind of friend we all desperately need in our lives. I really liked this story so much!
"I can't breathe without her."
I know sometimes you find a book or a storyline by an author that just takes you by surprise and it's so out of your norm that you have to tell everyone. This series, so far, is gonna be that one for me. I haven't read Natasha Madison until now, but I can honestly say that I am truly enjoying this series and all the characters. Yes, I know the tagline originally sucked me in, but this normally wouldn't be a writing style I would shout about. It's very different than what I would normally read. I don't want to undermine her ability to tell a story, because clearly she can and it's why I keep coming back, but her storytelling is a basic layout of exactly how everything happened - a no frills, fast paced storytelling that I can appreciate. But, it made for a very entertaining read. It was just that good for me. I connected. It resonated. It worked. I really liked this one!!
Once again; SO FREAKING EASY to read! I was genuinely giddy and excited while reading this one. Natasha's voice is fresh, her story reads complete and fun, and I'm addicted to the energy her writing evokes. It was just one of those books that I could fall into and wonder where the time went; completely caught up in it. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times, and I may have even shed a tear with the jaunt down memory lane, but overall, this is my favorite book in the series so far. Interestingly enough, I feel the setup for the third book was a notion planted in the very beginning of this one, so by the time I got to the end, I seriously high-fived myself for knowing where it was going! HAHAHA! I am excited for Broken Love Story now!!! And if you haven't figured it out by now, I am admitting that I really liked this one. Like....really.
"Tonight you're coming home with me, and we are going to fuck each other out of our systems."
~BEE
"With Crystal, I know I won't let her live without me."
SO, after meeting Crystal and Gabe in Perfect Love Story, I couldn't even begin to imagine what the source of all their volatility was. You can read my review for Perfect Love Story HERE. There was so much contention between them that my curiosity was that much more piqued going into this one, and I wanted to know the why of all of it! However, having read this one now, looking back, all I can say now is HA! HA! HA! Madison did such a good job making me smile throughout this entire story. And yet again, I am completely in love with another set of characters, both individually and part of a series. I liked how she incorporated them all in each story, but also gave them their own voices. I really liked this one.
I think it's important to note that this one was written as a standalone, but if you read it, you will know the entire first story, so I would recommend reading them in order if you don't want to ruin the first book. I know I am that type of crazy reader that has to read in order, but if you do read this one, just know you will have the entire backstory of book one because Crystal and Gabe are an integral part of Hailey and Jenson's story. Having said that, I loved the back and forth we had in the very beginning of this book - the proverbial trip down memory lane to catch us up on all things Crystal and Gabe. Obviously we saw book one in Hailey's POV, but being able to relive it from Crystal's POV gave me a little more of an in-depth look at all the emotions swirling around on that fateful day. I loved seeing that aspect. I loved feeling the pain from another perspective. And I loved how Crystal is the kind of friend we all desperately need in our lives. I really liked this story so much!
"I can't breathe without her."
I know sometimes you find a book or a storyline by an author that just takes you by surprise and it's so out of your norm that you have to tell everyone. This series, so far, is gonna be that one for me. I haven't read Natasha Madison until now, but I can honestly say that I am truly enjoying this series and all the characters. Yes, I know the tagline originally sucked me in, but this normally wouldn't be a writing style I would shout about. It's very different than what I would normally read. I don't want to undermine her ability to tell a story, because clearly she can and it's why I keep coming back, but her storytelling is a basic layout of exactly how everything happened - a no frills, fast paced storytelling that I can appreciate. But, it made for a very entertaining read. It was just that good for me. I connected. It resonated. It worked. I really liked this one!!
Once again; SO FREAKING EASY to read! I was genuinely giddy and excited while reading this one. Natasha's voice is fresh, her story reads complete and fun, and I'm addicted to the energy her writing evokes. It was just one of those books that I could fall into and wonder where the time went; completely caught up in it. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times, and I may have even shed a tear with the jaunt down memory lane, but overall, this is my favorite book in the series so far. Interestingly enough, I feel the setup for the third book was a notion planted in the very beginning of this one, so by the time I got to the end, I seriously high-fived myself for knowing where it was going! HAHAHA! I am excited for Broken Love Story now!!! And if you haven't figured it out by now, I am admitting that I really liked this one. Like....really.
"Tonight you're coming home with me, and we are going to fuck each other out of our systems."
~BEE
PURCHASE LINKS:
UNEXPECTED LOVE STORY #2
OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:
BROKEN LOVE STORY #3
~MEET NATASHA MADISON~
When her nose isn't buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she's in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips.
It's a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn't listen to her...
ARC REVIEW
COPY GIFTED ON BLOG
AFFILIATE LINKS USED
Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Zilpha!!!
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