Review: FIVE EMOTIONAL STARS-  MADELINE SHEEHAN ALWAYS LEAVES ME WANTING MORE!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2014
"I wasn’t always broken; we are all born pure. It is our journey that burdens us and leads us astray . Our mistakes that beat us down and cover us in guilt and shame, burying us a little more with each successive hardship. It is up to us to dig ourselves out, to come to terms with our faults, to embrace not only our imperfections but those of the ones we love, and to once again find the path we strayed from."Unbeloved is the story I’ve been waiting what seems like a lifetime for, the story of Dorothy, Jase, and Hawk. This is the book I had been anticipating above all others and finally I got it! Told from alternating points of view of all three main characters and a series of flashbacks and fast-forwards, the story could have been disjointed, but it was anything but. The pacing was flawless and smooth and the author had me from the very start and never let go."This isn’t just my story, the story of a broken woman who lost her way. It’s also the story of my children, the men I loved, and the friends who were more family to me than my own. This is the story of us all, all our fates intertwined. And for that reason alone, pain and death be damned, I wouldn’t change a thing."Readers expecting a dark and gritty MC/BIKER story filled with sex and mayhem may be disappointed. Unbeloved certainly wasn't what I expected, but it wasn't a disappointment either. It was definitely a different book than others in the Undeniable series. It was a surprisingly emotional read, filled with heartbreak, reflection, and misery at times. Unbeloved was as much a story about growing up, accepting responsibilities for past mistakes, and for each of the main characters, the road to redemption. It was the first book in the series that had me crying (more than once), slow quiet tears, as I hurt right along with the characters as they tried to accept the bitter taste of regret and wasted opportunities, of pain caused to those that should have been cared and protected but that were neglected and passed over...It would have been easy to pick apart these characters actions and behaviors. They all were certainly flawed. But Sheehan did a wonderful job of giving a glimpse into each characters motives, their intentions, even when motivated by nothing but selfishness and ego. Perhaps I had an easier time accepting each character and the many mistakes they made along the way because of the suffering and heartache each journeyed through."I wanted to live the fairy tale, to become someone’s everything and anything, to be his princess. I wanted my happily-ever-after. There was only one problem. Instead of finding my prince, I found a whole mess of trouble."There were some lighter parts, not everything was so heavy. I loved the interactions between Preacher and Deuce. Deuce seemed like he really had grown into his own, more mellow, more of a mentor and caretaker of the members of the club. Cox and Kami were as crazy and wild as ever. The author did a good job of catching up with all the characters we love but not taking up too much story line with them. Eva’s friendship and encouragement of Dorothy had me laughing.Unbeloved was low on grit but high on real. Parts of the story were still wild and crazy but the bulk of the the story was about human nature and learning to move on than the normal club drama I was expecting. It was also lower on steam than the other books in the series. I love my steam as much as the next romance reader, maybe even more =) But even though Unbeloved wasn’t sex heavy, I absolutely, positively didn’t miss a thing. The connection between these characters, this club, came across loud and clear and nothing was lacking.Overall, I’m not sure Unbeloved was my favorite of the series but it was a solid read, through and through. The depth of emotion, the development of characters...all of it worked for me. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I loved it all the same. A solid FIVE STARS for the always consistent and amazing Madeline Sheehan!A quick note, when I finished Unattainable, I couldn’t stop thinking about Dirty. When I finished Unbeloved, it was all about ZZ. Madeline Sheehan always leaevs me wanting more. ZZ's been lurking in my mind for months now and Unbeloved did nothing but bring him to the forefront. The ending of Unbeloved was maddening and I have no idea how I'm going to make it to the release of Undying. I have no idea how this story line is going but I'm so glad I'll be there for the ride!