Lovin' los libros

Unspoken (Woodlands #2)
   by: Jen Frederick

Publication Date: Sept. 12, 2013
Publisher: Pear Tree LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 260 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars



My Review:

Another book boyfriend to add to my list? Say it ain't so! Bo caught my eye in Jen's first book Undeclared, but he definitely captured my heart in Unspoken. I am so glad Jen gave him his own book! I loved getting to know him, the real him, by learning about his past and why he is so dependent on fighting and womanizing. Our female lead, AM (AnnMarie) also won me over fairly quickly. I had some trouble connecting with Grace (the female MC) at first in Undeclared, but I liked AM from the beginning. I hated what she went through in this book- no one should be verbally terrorized or shamed like she was. What I hated even more was that she let it dictate her life. She wasn't able to enjoy the college scene because of the constant rumors floating around and the chance she would run into some of the guys who started this whole mess. She kept away, her head down, and only came to campus for class. I feel Jen did a really great job developing her characters and I like that while these two were attracted to one another, their relationship developed naturally. There was no dreaded insta-love here!

We also get a cast of great side characters. Noah and Grace are back, as well as Noah and Bo's roommates, Finn and Mal. (The third book in the series is actually Finn's and we do get a bit of an idea of what he is going to be dealing with.) I also really liked AM's best friend and roomie Ellie. She was such a great, loyal friend to AM. She reminds me of my own best friend, always willing to step in if someone tried to start something with me. I love strong girl best friends because I feel NA is really lacking them these days. Ellie is loyal to the point where she would sacrifice her own happiness with a guy to stand by her friend. I respect the hell out of that girl.

As I stated earlier, AM is really having a rough time at school due mainly to rumors that have been spread around about her. She made one decision that fueled the fire for a reputation she didn't deserve. And what's worse is that even fellow girls didn't bother to rally around her. They let her be the pariah and shame on them for letting her be those guys' scapegoat. She lets them walk all over her and treat her like shit and she doesn't do anything but keep her head down and let them attack her with their words.

AM is also dealing with a bit of a family situation. Her mother is the other woman in a relationship with her 'father' and she is afraid that things will fall apart and her mother will be left with nothing. Which explains why AM is so reluctant to trust and fall in love. However, Bo saunters in with his charm and even though she's always found herself attracted to him, there's no way she could ever go there with him. He has a reputation for being a ladies man and she's sworn off boys from Central College.

Bo isn't looking for a relationship. He stumbles across AM in class and finds himself pairing up with her for lab. He does some digging and finds out about her reputation and after hearing about the incident involving her in the commons area with the lax players, he is even more determined to get close to her. Bo comes with some baggage though. He grew up not having the best home life and is therefore afraid of turning into his father. He has only done hook ups and one night stands and he is torn about what he wants with AM. He knows she's not that kind of girl and he needs to be sure of what he wants before he jumps into something with her.

When Bo does finally realize he wants to be with her and he breaks down her walls, holy chemistry! These two have some seriously hot scenes together. However, while Bo may have realized he wants to be with her, his past demons have not gone away. His father was the kind of man to raise his fists in anger at his wife and Bo knows he has a lot of anger built up. Fighting has become his primary outlet and after getting angry over the fact that AM doesn't stand up for herself, he pulls away from her, afraid he will follow in his father's footsteps.

Watching both AM and Bo confront their fears was one of my favorite things about this book. They empower one another and make each other stronger and I loved that. They are different in so many ways, but they really work together. When the other person builds you up, believes in you, strengthens you as an individual, chases the demons away, and loves you unconditionally- you know you've found your match. And AM found her match in Bo and vice versa.

Most swoonworthy quote:

"Now whenever you feel alone, know that I've got your back. No matter who's against you, know that a thousand others wait to avenge you."
"But I'm not a Marine," I whispered back, my voice catching on the tears threatening to spill out.
"You're a fighter, Sunshine. Plus you belong to this Marine."


About the Author:

Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and on rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com.


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