Review: This Author Rocks My Socks!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2013
REVIEWED FOR: Sinfully Sexy Book ReviewsI am a huge fan of author Elizabeth Finn's contemporary erotic romance novels, and Unforgiven is the latest in a string of sure-fire hits with me!  This story was steeped in angst and emotion, which I absolutely love.  I was so thoroughly engrossed by this book and these characters.  I experienced the depth of anguish, the intricate history behind the love and lust, and, most especially, the cold, hard knot of hate, almost as if I was a part of it!It's difficult to discuss because I so don't want to ruin any of the details for future readers, but the pain, the anguish, the grief, and, yes, the hatred were entirely authentic.  So, too, was the incendiary chemistry and attraction between Bailey and Darren.  Their long history included friendship, shared sentiment towards Darren's sister, and an ardent love and attraction as young adults.  That fire only built into an inferno over time.Unforgiven was not always an easy story to read.  Specifically, Darren Cory was one very angry, grief-stricken, emotionally-shredded man.  He truly wasn't living.  Once Bailey returned to town, it seemed the only part of him which came alive was the hatred.  Well, that and, actually, about a thousand other complex emotions tangled up together.  I felt like she was the catalyst for his emotional reawakening, ugly as it was much of the time.  The confusion and frustration grew in Darren over the course of the story, not at all helped by the conflicting emotions of love and hate, disgust and lust.On the other side of that sat Bailey.  Repentant, guilty and guilt-ridden, desperate to begin again, and madly in love with Darren, Bailey took every figurative hit and kept standing for as long as she could.  Bailey was wonderfully fleshed-out and three dimensional.  She could have easily been characterized by her past, and yet, to me, she wasn't.  Like everything else about Unforgiven, Bailey was complex.  She surprisingly inspired so much sympathy in me, and my protective instincts kicked in multiples times, making me want to step right through the pages of the book and hold her tight.One of the true gifts of an Elizabeth Finn novel is the edginess.  Her books have grit.  They aren't the standard cookie-cutter, formulaic romance.  Unforgiven most assuredly rode that edge.  This author isn't afraid to take some chances, to go where many wouldn't.  That's not to say that her books would be labeled as dark or taboo...though, there are varying levels of darkness in the world.  Elizabeth Finn somehow combines the best aspects of traditional contemporary and erotic romance with just the right amount of, "Oooh, she's going there", and, for me, makes a reading experience which captures my mind, my heart, and my imagination.Anymore, I'm so particular about the erotic romance which I read.  There has to be a story--a really good story--and it has to be well-written.  I almost don't like referring to Elizabeth Finn's books as erotic romance because I think that label doesn't do them justice.  They're so much more than simply erotic.  They're the full package.  The characters have panty-melting chemistry, so tangible you can almost reach out and touch it, and it's always allowed to build.  Somehow, continuing even after the deed's been done.  The sex scenes fit and flow so well within the context of the story.  They add to the story.  The don't become the story.  And, when all of that occurs, the eroticism is exponentially hotter!!Elizabeth Finn is an author with a gift for writing stories which get under my skin and leave me thinking about them after I've finished.  She pokes and prods at my every emotion, and, even when she leaves me feeling a little bit unsettled, I wouldn't have it any other way!  That was my exact experience with Unforgiven.4.5 Stars