Review: Best Beachwood Bay book yet!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 16, 2014
Only Melody Grace could cause me to love a character that I had previously vowed to hate forever. I'm a very character-driven reader. I need to love the characters in order to love the story. I must admit - I had a lot of hesitation before starting Unconditional. Carina seemed to be a vile human being in Unbroken. It was Garrett that caused me to initially want to read this book. He intrigued me and captivated me in Unafraid. I couldn't wait to find out what his story was.Garrett has vowed to never get involved with a woman again after losing his heart and soul once. That was before Carina breaks into the house he's staying in. Although she's mean and abrasive, there's something about her that intrigues him. Carina is running away from the horrible men in her life. It doesn't take her long to realize that Garrett isn't one of them. Can he get over his past in order to face a potential future with someone who needs him as much as he needs her?Right away, Melody Grace starts to paint a more human face on Carina. She is Juliet's awful sister, but we very quickly see that there are reasons for her behavior. Carina runs to Beachwood Bay to escape her abusive fiance, and literally falls into Garrett's path. Garrett owns the bar that he and Emerson had initially owned together, and now he's housesitting while Emerson and Juliet are trying to make a life in the city nearby.Carina really has had a rough go of it. She's learned to put on a brave face and power through all the tough stuff. But, she's reached her breaking point and although it's hard at first, she is ready for something new and different for her life. This in and of itself endeared me to Carina more than I thought possible. It takes a lot of stuff for someone to pull up stakes and give up a life that has become known and comfortable for a life that is unknown. She heads to Beachwood Bay for some clarity and a break from her sad life. Instead, she becomes more confused.She runs into Garrett right away, and he gives her a reason to stay. After a rough start, she ends up helping him with a problem at his bar. And, he helps her clear out the riff raff from her life. He ends up being the only person Carina has truly opened up to about her insecurities and mistakes. He helps her try to make amends. And, an unforeseen consequence is that she helps him come to grips with what happened in his past.The thing is, Garrett wasn't ready for that, at all. When he runs from Carina, the real question now is whether she has found enough guts to go after him.Unconditional was such an emotionally charged book - I loved that about it! The relationship between Garrett and Carina was slow to develop. They really didn't like each other very much in the beginning. Garrett is such an inherently good guy, though, that once he finds out Carina's in trouble, he does what he can to help her. It's almost like he can't help himself. I loved that guy so much.And, Carina makes more than leaps and bounds. By the end of Unconditional, I loved her as much as Juliet. She had a lot of drama to wade though. She had to end things with her fiance, sever ties with her awful father, and try to make amends with her sister. There were plenty of heartbreaking moments and plenty of nailbiting moments as well. It's told in dual POV, so we get the benefit of both Garrett's and Carina's thoughts as they work through all their crap.This entire series is so emotional and exciting and utterly romantic. I loved every minute of the time I spent with Garrett and Carina. And, I'm very much looking forward to spending more time in Beachwood Bay.