***5 STARS for this sizzling summer beach read!!!!!***
“This is what I was scared about, all those years I kept my heart so protected – kept the world at arm’s length with my sharp barbs and carefree comebacks. Because now I’ve opened myself up to him, and I know what it feels like to truly connect to another soul, I’m even more terrified that something might happen to tear it all away.”
I absolutely adored Unbroken, but I LOVE Unafraid!!! This book will take you on one heck of a rollercoaster; I could not put it down. I love how interconnected this book is with the first one, and I enjoyed the little updates on Emerson, Juliet, Garrett, and Lacey. A fabulous second installment to the Beachwood Bay series!!!
“I’m not that girl, you see: the one who gets dates and flowers and sweet whispered goodnights. I’m the one they screw up against the back wall of a club in a neon-lit alley; who they text at 2:00 a.m. when they’re bored and need something to pass the time.”
Brit is the second child of a messed up mother and a runaway dad; as a result, the beachy town expects her to be nothing short of a failure. She is extremely insecure, emotionally and financially, and the fact that her past relationships have always left her dry and hanging perpetuate her belief that happily-ever-afters simply don’t exist. That is, until she meets golden boy Hunter.
“The first time I laid eyes on Brittany Ray, I knew this girl was wilder than any stallion I’d ever seen. She was headstrong, wounded, passionate, and free. And I had to have her.”
All his life, Hunter has been trapped. Trapped in his perfect life and the hopes of his parents. Maybe it was because Hunter could relate to Brittany, both so locked and stuck in their past, that leads him to see her, see her insecurities and hurt feelings. The connection between the two is instantaneous, and though they part ways after a casual hookup, both know that deeper emotions were involved.
“Men don’t touch me like this. They grope, and slam, and grab at me, like my body is something rough and durable. I always felt a flash of victory at their man-handling, that I’d inspired a lust so strong it couldn’t be contained.”
“I know now I was wrong. Force isn’t the measure of desire. Hunter touches me like I’m delicate china, like I could break at any second, but there’s nothing delicate about the look in his eyes: blazing fire, stark with need.”
After three long years, Hunter breaks free from the constraints of his family and plans to restore his grandfather’s horse ranch in Beachwood Bay, and filled with the need, the desire to be with Brit. At first glance, Brit is skeptical and tries to push him away, but Hunter stays true to his word and is always there for her.
“It’s simple. You believe that people let you down, that they leave you, and break you, and lie. I won’t. I’m going to be there for you, Brit. No matter what, I’m going to keep showing up, and proving you wrong, until you accept it. I’m not like the rest.”
“If I make you a promise, I’m going to deliver.”
Well, the world certainly needs more Hunters!!!! There was this one scene that I disapproved of Hunter’s decisions, and even before I read that part, I knew he was going to mess up, but you know what? He realized his mistake after and didn’t let it stop him from earning back Brit’s trust and love. He didn’t care about his ego or pride or image; he just needed Brit back.
“He’s choosing me. The girl who was laughed at, and scorned, the girl who never came first. The girl they thought was nothing. Hunter never listened, or cared what the rumors said. He saw me, the real me, right from the start, and tonight, he’s laying claim to me, in front of everyone.”
Rest assured, cheat-freaks, there is no cheating involved. It is the second book in the series, but can be read as a standalone. A most heartwarming summer story that is a must-read!!
Side note: Unwrapped, book 2.5 in the series, will be released on December 3, and features Lacey andddddddd…..DANIEL!!!!!! What a pairing!!
Another side note: Crossing fingers for Garrett’s book, or Alicia’s!!