Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: ARC
Goodreads
Ryan Axston may have been my brother’s best friend, but he is so much more than that to me…
He was my first everything. Kiss. Sexual encounter. Love. Ax had my whole heart, but he had no freaking clue.He always wanted to be a Marine. It was in his blood. The day his brother was shipped home in a body bag, Ax signed up and left town to do his duty to his country.
I forced myself to move on. I really thought he was gone forever.When he showed back up wearing the Unacceptables’ skull and bones on his back ten years later, I thought I'd be able to fight all the old feelings I had for Ax. I was older, wiser, and unofficial godmother to my best friend's adorable little girl, Annie.
But all he had to do was crook his finger and it was as if I was 17 all over again. I wasn't willing to sit back and let him tear us apart again. This time I was going to fight for what I wanted. But not even my love could stop a bullet. One of us was going to have to make a life-altering choice. Would it be me, or him?
Undeniable is my first Kristen Hope Mazzola book! I snagged it because its part of the Susan Stoker kindle world, and if you have followed the blog at all, you know how much love I have for Susan Stoker.
First, this is part of Mazzola’s Unacceptable MC series. I haven’t read any of the previous books and it won’t make the story impossible to read, but I will admit I was a bit perplexed at times. You have no idea really what this MC is all about. Within the first few chapters Ryan, the hero, is slicing a guy’s throat open. Why? Because some club killed a guy from his club. So, the club seems very violent and while there is a reason, its kind of glossed over. The love story is a second chance romance. Ryan and Cass only had a night together before he left for the marine corps. And then he broke her heart. He’s back 10 years later, part of the Unacceptable MC, and runs into Cass. Cass is engaged to some guy named Kevin. Then there is more killing and then its over.
I will say I think Undeniable falls victim to the common issues of novellas. I think Mazzola’s writing is solid and I would probably pick up books of hers in the future. However, the characters are so under developed I felt no connection. The plot seemed so rushed I had a hard time sticking with it. I tend to feel this way about many novellas though. In the end, I think the story had good bones, but just needed more pages. Seriously-what does Cass do for a job? How did she break things off with Kevin? What the hell kind of stuff is this MC into? What exactly happened 10 years ago to end Ryan and Cass’s relationship (yes, he went into the Marines, but that wasn’t the only thing…or maybe it was)? So, I guess I wanted more. Sometimes novellas work and they are a solid story even in their brevity; sometimes, I just think that too much is glossed over and I never quite connect.
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: second chance, ex military, MC club, siblings BFF
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone-ish….I’m not really sure how to fully classify this. Perhaps I would have felt different had I read the previous books?
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
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Books by Lani Lynn Vale, …then you will probably like Undeniable!
Undeniable
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