CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONEThe girl who everyone forgot…
The boy who wished to be forgotten…
Grayson Mable wanted to disappear. After suffering years of torment at the hands of bullies and the tragic loss of his best friend, he cut himself off from the world. Almost a decade later, the victim has become the protector. But instead of seeing a hero, he sees a broken man, haunted by his past.
Tell me something that hurts…
Both believe they’re destined for loneliness, until their paths cross and everything changes. The pair become fast friends, trading their darkest secrets and revealing their deepest regrets. As time goes on and their feelings grow, the pieces of their broken hearts come together, fitting perfectly to make them whole. But mended hearts are fragile… Will Ellie and Grayson crumble under the weight of their pain? Or can they stand strong and embrace what fate has planned?
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So far I have loved all the books in this series. Unveiling Unveiling The Sky was up until now my favorite, now it it is tied with Unveiling Fate. As with Alara I see so much of myself in Ellie, that self esteem issues, the feeling of being invisible, that nobody really truly sees me. That ever present fear as a mother that I can’t or won’t be a good mother, that somehow I will screw up or worse, that they’ll be “just like me.”
I loved the strength, the determination and her innocence. Ellie wants what we all want, to be accepted and loved for who we are not what others want us to be.
Grayson, I can’t say enough about him. When it comes right down to it, he is the perfect book boyfriend. Sweet, honest, caring, loving, and shy. Only opening up to those he loves. His past is tragic from bullying to a lost friend. Ellie and Andy bring him out of the darkness and into the light. They are perfect for one another. The ying and yang, the moon and the stars, like puzzle pieces. Always meant to be together. He brings out the best in her and she in him. Most of all he loves her little boy as if he were his own.
The only thing, or should I say was who I didn’t like was her parents. Her mother??? Oooh! That woman had me spitting nails! Never have I been so disgusted by someone, never have I wanted to reach through my kindle and throttle someone. I kept saying she was lucky she was a fictional character, or I’d be hunting her down. Her disregard for her own child, a daughter no less and her grandson. That woman doesn’t deserve her children or grandchild.
This is definitely one book you have to read as well as the rest of the series. So glad I finally dove in. I can’t wait to read the rest.
I have read every standalone book in this series and Unveiling Fate has to be my favorite story thus far. I absolutely loved Ellie and Grayson’s story. This story is one of addiction, unplanned pregnancy, hurt, loss, friendships, love and strength. I hated Ellie’s parents but loved Grayson’s parents, and family. However, Ellie has the best brother and his love for her is undeniable. This truly is a great romance story that is worth reading. It has a HEA that all readers will enjoy. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series to get Sam and Derek’s story.
“Tell me something that hurts . . . “
“It began like any addiction, to fill a void.”
I’ve never read a book from Jeannine Allison before. I went in knowing it was going to be an emotional ride, but didn’t expect the amount of POWER Jeannine was able to pack into her words—her story.
This book resonated with me. So, so deeply.
There are very few authors that can do this to me. Have me connect in such a special and deep way with their story that it makes me feel like I’m living through it with the characters. I AM THE CHARACTERS.
Having gone through some of what Ellie and Grayson experienced made this book mean so much more to me. And, not just because a lot of the experiences were the same as mine, but because Jeannine was able to write them in such a way that I kept telling myself, “how is she capturing this pain, this inner turmoil, this hate, this BATTLE so perfectly?” I wanted to extend my arms inside my tablet and give Ellie a hug. Tell her that I could see her, she’s not alone. I wanted to hug Grayson, too. Tell him that it’s better to be seen than ignored. IT GETS BETTER.
A good author will write a story so great that they will make the reader sympathize deeply.
An amazing author will write a story so great that they will make readers EMPATHIZE immensely with their characters. You WILL be in Ellie and Grayson’s shoes, you will feel that pain as if it were your own. You will struggle with Grayson’s demons just as equally as he does.
What I loved most about this book was how Jeannine shows you that even though having a support system that loves unconditionally is important, YOU are the only one that can make you get better. Without that belief in yourself, the battle will only ever be half way won. And then vice-versa. Wanting to change, to get better, but not having the right emotional support is equally the same.
This book made me cry so much. I had many, many sad tears, but then lots of wonderfully happy tears.
The climb both of these characters endured and the result was heartbreaking… but it was ultimately beautiful.
Perfection! I can’t wait to read all of Jeannine Allison’s other books from the Unveiling Series.
“You cannot save people. You can only love them.”—Anaïs Nin
The teenage years are tough. Wanting to belong and fit in is the foremost thought on most teenage minds. Those thoughts and feelings shape you and follow you into adulthood. With the opening pages of Unveiling Fate, Jeannine Allison drops you right into those feelings and emotions and my heart ached for both Ellie and Grayson. She’s struggling to believe she’s worthy. His existence and life is structured and lonely. Their story absorbed me from the beginning. Both suffering and fighting for a better life, trying to get past the negativity and hurtful words they’ve grown up with. Getting their history was sometimes painful but Ellie and Grayson exuded a quiet strength neither of them knew they had until they had each other. Their growth as individuals, and as a couple, was beautiful. The slow burn of their relationship was perfect. Their story evoked all the emotions. Sensitive topics were handled with care, yet honest and real. It’s a gorgeous story of love, fate, forgiveness, acceptance and redemption. I highly recommend it and the entire Unveiling Series.
She sucks! She sucks big time! And I told her so…..
This book, oh this book! This story was everything I didn’t even know I wanted. I love this series, and I really didn’t mind whether I read more about Ellie and Grayson or not. They weren’t super on my radar – but oh my gosh! I’m marrying Grayson tonight! But sssshhh…. don’t tell my husband….
This story completely broke my heart. Like my review of the first book in the series, this story was going to go 1 of 2 ways for me. I knew this book was going to tap into my own depression and feelings of self worthlessness; so I was either going to cope…. or break! I am bloody pleased to say I coped. I cried. I laughed. I loved. I felt. Exactly the way I think Jeannine would of wanted it.
I messaged Jeannine from the moment I read the dedication, telling her I was in trouble. The books you remember, are the books that hook you on the first page. The books that stay with your soul, are the books that connect your world to theirs.
Reading this story had a really strange feeling on me. I kind of felt like I was reading back through an old diary, of sorts. I felt like I’ve known Ellie and Grayson; and their story. I felt like I have watched their story and now I just get to read the written words of it. Their vulnerability sat on my heart, because I’ve known it. Their brokenness sat on my heart; because I’ve felt it.
I have lived and felt through parts of Ellie. I know that pain. It was bloody tough reading it at times. My heart hurt, reading feelings I know all too well. But to then read Grayson and to read and feel his love to build this person up, reminded me why people like us keep going. Those of us that are really lucky, have our own Grayson who helps to restore us.
There is just so much I can say about this book, but I really just don’t know that I can do it justice. This is by far my most favourite book in the series. I’ll be making teasers for days, with all of the amazing quotes in the writing! Jeannine is brilliant and sucks in equal measure….and I wouldn’t want a favourite author any other way!
All a girl ever wants is for someone to see her…. Jeannine – I see you.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book, for Reading Tigress*
Grayson and Ellie will break your heart with their stories, and yet they learn how to love with the help of each other. Over coming the damage left by the people who were suppose to love you, or the best friend that left you behind is not easy but in each other Grayson and Ellie find their way. “Even when things are perfect, I want you.” No girl could ever refuse to believe such words. You must read this series it will change how you view the world.
Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Emotional.
These are just are just a few of the words that come to mind after reading Unveiling Fate. When we first meet Grayson and Ellie, they couldn’t seem more opposite. But, there was something deep down inside of them that each could relate to. They both had been so isolated from their peers growing up, yet they took completely different paths that ultimately brought them together. Ellie became an alcoholic, did what it took to numb the pain. Grayson withdrew from his family, and from what I could tell had some extreme OCD tendencies. They both internalized their struggles, until they couldn’t hide from it anymore. I absolutely loved the moments they shared together, when they asked the question, “Tell me something that hurts?” It forced them to be honest not only with themselves but with each other.
Grayson and Ellie……two broken souls who made the other person complete. I can’t say enough about these two and how much I absolutely adore them. There is just something about these characters that have grabbed on to a piece of my heart and I know I won’t ever forget them.
UNVEILING FATE is my first book to read by Jeannine Allison. All though it is part of the Unveiling Series it can be read as a standalone book. This is very much a book of feelings, and for anyone who has ever felt invisible, alone or unwanted. The girl who everyone forgot. The boy who wished to be forgotten.
Ellie Harrington just wanted to be seen. She was sure no one ever saw her. If they ever did for a brief moment, then they wouldn’t remember her. Her parents had neglected her and she had not one friend that wasn’t a user. Her brother Damian was the one person who never let her down. Ellie started at the young age of fourteen to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Then at the age of twenty, when hitting rock bottom, she finds herself pregnant, and a reason to change her life forever.
Grayson Mable is a sad and broken man. He is alone and wishes to be left alone to wallow in his grief and sorrow. One day Damien Harrington approaches him, and says that Grayson’s brother Steve had told him he might be able to help. He was desperate to help his younger sister Ellie. She was pregnant and a newly recovering alcoholic. Grayson didn’t realize that this moment would change both Ellie’s life as well as his own.
The gravity of the situation that Ellie found herself in was overwhelming. How was she to provide for a baby when she was a high school dropout and a recovering alcoholic. Joy, her sponsor, told her, “All you can do is take it one day at a time.” When Grayson met Ellie for the first time, at her brother’s apartment door, he just knew his life would never be the same.
This book is full of feelings. A slow-burn romance. Life had broken her; just as it had broken him. Somehow, together they might be able to put their pieces as one whole. This is a very emotional story, and quite a journey to the end.
Unveiling Fate is a beautiful tale of two broken souls, working to fit their broken pieces together. This story was honest, heartbreaking and beautiful. I loved the slow burn between Ellie and Grayson and the development of their friendship and subsequent relationship. Both have serious trust issues, so watching them become the best of friends over time was so rewarding.
The dual POV is so impactful in this love story. We hear important details of what brought them to this point in their lives, details that were hard to process at times. Their insecurities were painful, but honest and real. They both come with a lot of baggage, but as they get to know one another it’s clear that they bring a certain peace and understanding they’re both searching for.
Ellie comes from a prominent family, but the cold environment in which she grew up in was difficult to read about. The neglect she suffered over the years caused her to make some choices she was too young to understand the full consequences of. My heart went out to her and it was easy to see why she was so fragile and unsure of herself. I loved seeing her grown into the young woman she was meant to be.
Grayson is not your typical hero and I absolutely loved that about him. He was so honest and truthful, he didn’t say anything he didn’t mean. There was no fluff or attitude about him and that was so refreshing to read. Alpha men are great and Grayson didn’t fit that mold 100%, but he was so protective and loyal. I found him to be an extremely attractive book boyfriend, one that I would be on board with getting to know very well
This was a unique love story, one that would I would highly recommend. It’s not all hearts and flowers, but sweet and swoonworthy where it counts. It’s not a billionaire chasing the elusive, unattainable heroine love story. It’s an honest tale of second chances, redemption and two lost souls coming together to find happiness in their broken world.
*Book 4 of the Unveiling series. Although a stand-alone, be sure to start with Unveiling The Sky to avoid spoilers.
Jeannine has a beautiful way of taking the hardest situations & subjects and writing them so that I not only “get it” but I truly connect with the characters. As a mom and educator, I wanted to wrap my arms around Ellie. I wanted to tell her and show her she mattered. And Grayson, too. A hero of a special sort. Only he doesn’t know it yet.
“…to me I think a hero is someone who loves you and refuses to stop. Even when you make it difficult.”
I don’t know how to review this book in a way that does it justice. Disappearing into Ellie and Grayson’s story was all-consuming, painful at times, addictive, and beautiful.
Ellie is a recovering alcoholic single mother with an abusive childhood under her belt. Not your typical heroine, huh? And Grayson is an average-looking, kind of awkward, OCD cop who wants to save the world but intentionally remains detached following a devastating piece of his history that kind of explains everything.
Ellie is treated like a piece of glass that’s ready to break at any moment by those who love her, and Grayson is just lonely, intentionally keeping everything and everyone at an arm’s length. They have interestingly identical yet opposite experiences and end up bringing the best out in each other. By telling each other “something that hurts” with raw and heartbreaking honesty and genuinely enjoying spending time with each other, they end up being the first individual to see what the other is truly like and capable of. And they both blossom and flourish under the other’s confidence boosting and attention.
The inner dialogues of these two characters (the book is in alternating POV style) are effective and really make you live and disappear into their experiences. Their insecurities were painful but honest, including some backsliding that is frustrating but necessary and natural.
These two and their story, told under Allison’s gentle care, were sweet but not in an annoying syrupy or artificial way. Several taboo and painful topics are included in the main characters’ histories, and as I have come to expect (and thoroughly appreciate) from this author, she brings them into the light to examine with care and respect.
Watching the hero allow people into his life and learn some tough, overdue lessons from his past while seeing the heroine slowly grow stronger and more confident was heartwarming and satisfying. My heart broke for their experiences but warmed at their transformations. Yet another lovely book from Allison that helped to grow my heart grow several sizes.
4.5 star standalone (though I really think that it’s beneficial to read the others first to know and fully appreciate the secondary characters, especially “Unveiling Chaos”).
Some of my favorite lines (a sampling of the dozen that I highlighted):
“I was a chess piece. And I could live with that. We all were in a way. But I was done being a pawn; I was going to be a queen.”
“Maybe the world just is, and life’s hard no matter what. I’ve always thought fate was about finding the people who make suffering through it a little easier. Breaking is kind of inevitable, but I think we break the way we’re meant to, and fate is about finding the person our broken pieces fit with.”
“Maybe the right people were the ones who were simply there. Day after day, struggle after struggle, helping me stand and fight again.”
“The reality was that a thousand truths could hide behind a single fact, and yet people often only cared about the surface.”
Ellie and Greyson! A sweet story of how their love for each other saved themselves from a lonely life. They both needed saving and along with Andy their love for each other made for a wonderful read.
4.8 stars
I have fallen in love with this author. She takes issues that are painful (and often not talked about) and brings attention to them in the most beautiful of ways. She does it with beauty, and respect. She doesn’t glorify it or make it seem dirty but instead puts it into a perspective that makes it easier to understand.
Ellie. I cannot say how many times I wanted to hug her. To tell her that she was loved. Grayson. I wanted him to know that I saw him. Together, they were perfect. The one who wanted to be forgotten and the one who was.
If you haven’t read this series of interconnected standalones then do so ASAP. I still am hoping that Derek gets his story. I haven’t given up hope yet.
“You can’t spend your life giving everything away in hopes that someday a person will give it back.”
Man if that isn’t the truest statement! This was the first time I heard of Jeannine Allison. I was not at all sure that I was getting into. But the cover was beautiful (yes I will partially judge a book by its cover), and other readers (that I often share opinions of books with) were raving about her writing. So here I am…. I have only read this one at this point, but I am going to get around to reading the others! This book was fantastic!
Ellie was just a regular girl who wanted to have friends, and her parents to love her. She didn’t get those. But she had just about the best brother a girl could have. He got her out of the terrible situation that she was living in with the constant emotional abuse from their parents. Grayson was a cop who Damien sought help from in dealing with Ellie’s drinking problem. Grayson feels like he just fails the people that he cares about. But then he finds that he is drawn to Ellie and he can’t seem to pull himself away.
These two are quit the pair with a whole lot of baggage on both sides! The beauty of it is that they work well on helping each other with their issues. Their relationship is a very slow build up. This is not a love at first sight, big drama, then they live happily ever after , all with in the span of 2 months kind of story. (and honestly the build up to their sexual relationship is super hot!!!)
I was drawn in very early and I just loved these characters! I am so glad that I got the recommendation for this author. She writes a very good, emotional, sweet sensual story and I can not wait to read more from her!
The Unveiling gang are my people. After reading three books I couldn’t be more invested in their stories and after being introduced to Ellie and Grayson in Unveiling Chaos I was beyond ready to know theirs. Already in Unveiling Chaos Ellie was struggling with her current situation but thankfully she had the support of her brother Damien, his girlfriend Naomi and common friend Grayson.
Unveiling Fate can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading from book 1 Unveiling The Sky just to experience the connection with characters and being introduced to everyone in each book.
First things first. I love Grayson Maple! He wooed me properly and also made my heart break. Ellie showed everyone how strong and determined she really was. She couldn’t have done it without Grayson. He showed her how important she was, to him, to herself and that she could achieve her goals. Ellie on the other hand made Grayson accept his past, face his fears and reevaluate his life now that Ellie was a huge part of that.
Unveiling Fate revolve around topics which are pretty common today. Bullying, loneliness and not being validated or acknowledged by the people you love. It’s a huge part of why Ellie and Grayson grew up the way they did and made certain choices.
Unveiling Fate is emotional and all about Ellie and Grayson which I loved. I loved how brave they both were. Together and individually. Especially Ellie found her voice and self confidence. Grayson had experienced a loss when he was a kid and carried it with him still. Despite that he was still a loyal and strong support for Ellie and her son Andy. He was her rock. Her and Andy’s.
When they were together intimately it was a first for them both. In different ways. Allison captures it beautifully that I could easily feel the love and the passion between them.
It was pure and honest. Their course towards a relationship was in a steady pace that benefited the characters and their growth.
These two lonely souls came together, brought light in their darkness so the other could shine and ultimately saved one another.
I was so happy that a couple of other characters from the Unveiling universe besides Damien and Naomi made an appearance. They are each other’s family and tribe. That little seed or teaser that Allison planted regarding the next book only made me wish I could continue reading and stay in this fabulous universe.
This is the fourth book in the Unveiling series and it’s still going strong. Jeannine Allison has created a wonderful series with relatable characters whose stories have heart and are meaningful. I’m so happy there’s another book cause I’m not done with this gang. Not by a long shot.
Another beautiful story and fantastic continuation of The Unveiling Series! I adored Ellie and Grayson’s story. As with her other books, my heart shattered, but was put back together in the best possible way. She brought to light the true struggle of addiction, which has in turn helped me to better understand what recovering addicts go through. It had a great balance of humor, seriousness, sadness, and steam. I can’t recommend this book enough! If you haven’t read any of this series yet, do so now!
This book captured my heart so completely. It was emotional, intense, and unpredictable. I loved the romance . Also, how two people broken can come together and completely heal each after feeling they are not worth any happiness. 5 plus stars Jeannine!
This is a delicious slow burn romance that centres on honest, flawed characters that I quickly fell in love with. They are both a little bit broken, but still perfect.
” … fate is about finding the person our broken pieces fit with”
The book flowed beautifully and the dual POVs allowed me to really get to know both characters equally and reminded me how much I enjoy getting the guy’s thoughts.
They both come with a lot of baggage – but who doesn’t, and they definitely bring out the best in each other.
“The girl who everyone forgot,
The boy who wished to be forgotten.”
Grayson the Hero is not your average alpha assehole and I was more than okay with that. Don’t get me wrong, he’s definitely all man but he had some surprises in store that I haven’t seen often and I loved it.
Ellie the heroine was not your usual perfect romance female lead – there was a lot more to her and her history and I loved her because of her flaws. She was real.
Difficult subjects are handled really well in this story and I felt like there was more than enough sweet to balance out the heavy. Add in great supporting characters plus some seriously HOT scenes and you’ve got the perfect kind of romance. By the time I finished I had a big stupid smile on my face and content that I had read a really well written story.
Definitely recommend and I will be seeking more books from this author.