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.
Natasha Madison has become a one click author for me. When I read her books I know I'm going to go on one heck of a journey. Unexepected Love Story is the second in the Love Story series but can be read as a standalone.
I have to admit that enemies to lovers isn't my favorite trope but it works in this book. I do love a good office romance and that plays a part in this book as well-and it worked perfectly. Crystal and Gabe have this chemistry between them that snaps and sizzles. I couldn't help but chuckle over the way the two of them behaved around one another sometimes. They melted the sheets in bed for sure and like I said, watching them outside of the bedroom had me shaking my head and laughing.
I loved Gabe. I truly did. I thought he was sexy, smart, strong and had such a kind heart. I loved seeing his character realize what love truly was. He was a great book boyfriend.
Crystal was a bit tougher for me. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but I felt like I just wanted a tiny bit more from her. I liked her, but I didn't fully connect all the time.
I thought the pacing of this book was spot on. The writing was sharp and witty. There were some very touching moments in here (read the book, I won't spoil them) that made me tear up a bit. I loved how these two people fit together, and how they fit into this Love Story world. I can't wait for the next story in this series. I recommend this book.
Natasha Madison writes stories that are interconnected, and by the second one in the series, you know you are going to be reading a story that is interconnected, and that you will have seen some of in a previous book.
This usually works for me, but in this title, I did not love it as much. Usually, I feel like the characters have a story to tell, and that the backstory is one that is filled out in the next books. In this one though, I didn't really feel that Crystal had a lot of the backstory. She was involved, she was a part of it...but she was not an integral part of that story, other than as someone who offered support. So, for this one, it felt a little like the backstory was too in depth and took away from the events of Gabe and Crystal's story in this book.
That said, I enjoyed this title. I liked their chemistry, I liked that they had a history, and an attraction, that was before the discovery that he was her boss. I liked that she was a competent nurse in her own right, and that she was respected for the things she was able to contribute and not ignored because she was "just a nurse".
I enjoyed the view of the characters of the previous story, but from a distance. I also liked the way the relationship with Crystal and Gabe developed...the attraction, the discovery that they were coworkers, the respect...albeit grudgingly, and the attraction that they were not able to fight...although they definitely tried.
I enjoyed this story, and I am looking forward to the next in the series.
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...
HOSTED BY:
“In Iraq, I promised you a bed of rose petals.” He grabbed my hand under the table, tightening his grip as if he were falling from a precipice and our connection was the only thing saving him from certain death. “They were beautiful.” “You smell like apples. Roses were wrong.” There was nothing soft about his tone, but his quiet words were for me alone. “I want everything to be right for you.” “Caden, look at me.” I caught his gaze and held it. He was confident. Arrogant. Sure he had a place in the world. And under that was the man who needed me to be that place. “If I could…” He smiled and shook his head at a silly thought he wanted to dismiss but couldn’t—a contradiction in keeping with the whole man I married. “If I could write my love in the sky, it wouldn’t be big enough. I’d run out of room. I’d fall out of the air trying to say it all.” He was saying it all. Every day. And he was falling out of the sky to do it.
CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets.
Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.
She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.
If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.
