Undone
by Katey Wolfe (Kelley Armstrong)
Blurb:
Microbiology student Jess Devereaux is a girl with a plan — shake loose from her stalker ex, gain independence from her over-controlling family and, most important for her immediate happiness, seduce her sexy shooting instructor into the wild, no-strings-attached fling she’s been dreaming of.Gun-club owner Declan Cavanagh is a guy with a plan — do whatever it takes to gain custody of his young half-brother from his violent stepfather, even if it means making cash fast in the bloody cage matches he thought he’d left behind. And he’s been doing some dreaming of his own about sweet, smart, sultry Jess.
When Jess finds herself in danger, Declan decides what she really needs is a bodyguard. Jess is determined to put aside her seduction plan and treat him like the professional he is. Which is not what Declan wants at all.
My Review:
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors and when I heard she had written a New Adult novel, that was reworked as standalone for which she was looking for reviewers I jumped at the chance to review it. So yes I wanted to read this mostly because Kelley Armstrong wrote it, but I also was intrigued by the premise and was curious how she would write this genre. I have to say it is different for her usual books, there’s more focus on the romance and the sex and more details to the sex. On the other hand it’s also a typical Armstrong book in certain ways and there are scenes or parts where you really see her writing style shining through. So it’s more a familiar author writing something slightly different, which was fun. And I hope she might consider writing more books like this.
Okay back to the book. Undone is a New Adult Romance book with a bit of suspense added in. Jess is getting stalked by her ex boyfriend and she has a sexy gun lesson teacher she’s crushing on. Declan is the gun teacher Jess is crushing on. He is trying to get custody of his younger bother and he has had a bit of a difficult past. The story was nicely focused on the romance on one side and the suspense element on the other side. I really enjoyed this book and got easily sucked into the book due to the familiar writing style. The book had a nice pace and once I was reading I just wanted to keep reading and easily read a chapter or two more than I planned.
I also was curious how the whole situation with jess her ex would get resolved and then something else happens as well which added some extra trouble for Jess. There’s also a scene that made me very frustrated and afraid for Jess with how things went and the direction they went in and I wasn’t sure how they would get out of this. I did like how the situation with the ex stalker got solved at the end of the book, it’s the type of scene where you don’t get the inner thoughts of the characters so you’re surprised with what happened. I did think the ending was slightly rushed and a few plot lines where left open, there’s hinted at what will happen next, but I would’ve liked a chapter or two more where we actually see things through.
Jess and Declan are both great characters, even with the shorter length of the book I felt like I got a feel for them. We get a feel for their personality, their troubles and their past. It was quite nicely done. I liked how jess had this interesting combination of personality, she was smart and studied up on everything, but she also has confidence, can take care of herself and goes after what she wants (Declan in this case). I also appreciated how Jess did her best to handle the situation with her ex in a mostly smart way, although she does make some errors in judgment, but she realizes that herself as well. Declan has had a tough childhood and he wants to get custody of his younger brother which makes him go back to cage fighting to get a lot of money fast. He doesn’t believe smart Jess would be interested in someone like him. We get chapters from both Jess and Declan their point of view, which I liked and worked well for this book so we get to know both characters well and see their point of view.
These two have some great chemistry and banter. When the book starts they already know each other and we don’t get to see that first part of their relationship develop, but it did work out nicely and we see how they go from friends/ acquaintances to slowly more. I liked how the romance was handled. They both had a playful side and had some nice banter going on, but they also had some insecurities and issues to talk through. There was no drama for the sake of drama and they actually talked things through which I liked. There are some sex scenes, but I thought they were well written and fit the tone of the book. I also liked how these two paid attention to each other and what they liked.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book! It’s a bit different from Kelley Armstrong her normal books, mostly there is more focus on the romance and some more detailed sex. It is still a typical Kelley Armstrong novel in other parts, so fans of this author and the New Adult Romance genre will probably enjoy this one. There is focus on the romance and there’s a bit of a suspense plot line as well with Jess her stalker ex. It’s a nice mix of some difficult topics and romance. I enjoyed reading this book and seeing things develop. I did think the ending was slightly rushed and a few plot liens could’ve been wrapped up a bit better. I like the two main characters and I felt like we got a good feel for their personalities, past and troubles. They also have some good chemistry together and fun banter. I liked these two together. All in all this was a great read and I got easily sucked into the story!
Links:
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Kobo
I do like it when an author I like writes in different genres that I read. Love the cover on this one.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Happy Raturday!
I always find it interesting when authors write other genres and see how they handle that.
I love KA, but NA I can’t do. I’m happy you enjoyed this, it does sound very romance-centric. I’m sure a lot of people will love this too 🙂
Braine Talk Supe recently posted…Gush & Gripe: Mercy, Mercy Me
It was pretty romance centered, but I liked that. And there’s also a suspense plot line going on.
Jess sounds like a character I would like. I love when characters have confidence and go after what they want, especially females because female characters often get written with low self esteem for some reason. And it sounds like a unique premise with the stalker ex and everything.
And that’s great that the characters communicated and paid attention to each other in and out of the bedroom.
I’m glad you enjoyed the book! Seems like it worked well that the author tried something new.
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: The Vampires’ Last Lover (Lifeblood Legacy Book 1) by Aiden James & Patrick Burdine
Jess was a very likeable character and I like how she had confidence and went after what she wanted. The stalker ex added a bit of tension and suspense to plot which was a nice touch.
You know how much I like it when characters communicate, so I was happy that was the case here. And I definitely think it turned out well that the author tried something new, at least for me. But then again I will read anything that Kelley Armstrong writes 😉
I’ve not read her as Katey Wolfe yet so I’m intrigued by this one. It sounds like it would be something that I would enjoy. How is the NA aspect handled? Does it have a more Adult tone? I struggle with NA occasionally because it often comes off as juvenile.
Angela @Simply Angela recently posted…Audiobook Review: A Wild Ghost Chase by E.J. Copperman
I think this is her only book as Katey Wolfe so far. It is NA, but more in the sense that the sex scene scare more graphic than usual and even then it wasn’t overdone and there was a good romance and story around it too. I thought the characters were pretty mature and you could say it had a more adult tone, but the characters their age is NA.
I do love Kelley Armstrong. I’ve gotten so far behind on all of her books. I really need to get caught back up. Glad to see you liked this one. I’ll have to see if it is available on audio or if my library got it. Great review.
Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons recently posted…The Shadow Queen Audiobook by C.J. Redwine (REVIEW)
I am a bit behind on her books as well. I still haven’t read her latest YA series and all three books are released already. And am two books behind on the otherworld anthologies. At least with Cainsville I am caught up at the moment. I hope you can find an audio version of this book 🙂
I like what you said about it feeling familiar because it’s Kelley Armstrong but also new. I like it when an author branches out but I can understand why she’s using a pen name. We tend to have high expectations from our favorite authors. 😉 I’m so happy you enjoyed Undone, Lola. It does sound rather exciting with all the suspense, but also like a well-done romance. I’ll have to check it out. 😀
Bookworm Brandee recently posted…#ShelfLove Discussion ~ Why Do I Read What I Read?
Yes I can understand why she used a pen name for this one as it was different from her normal books. But it was still familiar as well, which was nice. I usually like it when authors branch out into different genres.
And yes I definitely have higher expectations for my favorite authors, so I am always a bit afraid as well the book won’t live up to my expectations. So I am glad I enjoyed this one, it had a good solid romance and an exciting suspense plot line as well.
I can’t remember i I’ve read one of her books or not, but that’s cool she dipped her toe into a different genre. Sounds like it went well! I love that the heroine is a scientist.
Christy LoveOfBooks recently posted…The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
She actually already writes in some different genre,s but mostly thriller/ mystery and urban fantasy. I always like the romance side plots in her other books, so it was fun to read a book with the focus more on the romance.
Oh I had no idea she wrote under a pen name. I love that she is exploring another genre!
kimbacaffeinate recently posted…Rise: The Complete Newsflesh Collection by Mira Grant
I think it was originally released years ago and she kept it a secret until now when the republished it. Not sure if it’s a one story only or if she will write more in this genre, but I enjoyed it 🙂
Lola recently posted…Lola’s Kitchen: Puff Pastry Snacks Recipe
I might give this a try. I used to love Armstrong but here latest haven’t grabbed me like they used to. Maybe mixing it up a bit will lure me back.
Karen @For What It’s Worth
Karen recently posted…Stars so sweet by Tara dairman blog tour: Review & series giveaway!
Oh I am sorry to hear you haven’t enjoyed her latest as much as they used to :(. I haven’t read her latest YA series yet, but I do love her Cainsville series. I hope this one works for you if you decide to pick it up, it is a bit different from her other series, so maybe that helps.
This certainly is a departure for KA, but I am curious about it because she hands down one of my favourite authors. And I never would have know about this had you not mentioned it!
Verushka recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday: The Outside Lands
It’s different from her normal work, but I did really enjoy it. She’s one of my favorite authors as well and I am glad I got to read this one 🙂