From USA Today bestseller Crystal Kaswell comes a love triangle that will break your heart then put it back together.From the outside, Alyssa has the perfect life. Beautiful apartment. Handsome high school sweetheart. Impending wedding.Only her fiance doesn’t love her anymore. He disappears into work, leaving her alone with her emptiness.Until Luke. The brooding lawyer needs a beautiful … lawyer needs a beautiful distraction. Soft lips against his chest, hard nails against his back, Alyssa groaning his name.
He doesn’t care that she belongs to someone else. He’s going to claim her anyway.
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I loved the way our heroine, Alyssa, is fighting her way back from an addiction due to stress from her job. And I loved Luke, who swoops in literally within minutes of the story’s opening to charm her and who has a wonderfully complex past plus enough hotness to keep me daydreaming for weeks. The love triangle storyline was fun and engaging. The only thing that wasn’t perfect was the jerk fiance…it was hard to believe someone could be so selfish and blind to his love’s needs and so lacking in so many ways as a partner. I wish there had been a little more thought put into him to make the story more realistic. But maybe that’s coming along with the next book as this is a 3 part series. One last thing…those steamy, passionate sex scenes with Alyssa and Luke….wow…the first time they’re together is truly perfect.
Come Undone: A Love Triangle by Crystal Kaswell – Didn’t realize there was going to be cheating not just Twilighty tension. Not my thing, but Happy Reading!
Come Undone was a romance that involves a love triangle and cheating (sort of) and a HEA in the end. The story is about Alyssa and her relationship with Ryan and Luke. Despite the love triangle, the story dealt with Allyssa’s life-threatening eating disorder and being in a co-dependent relationship that took her a while to realize wasn’t real love. She found herself engaged to a man who did not demonstrate love or passion. She found passion with Luke, a colleague of her finance’. Crystal Kaswell was able to weave a story around the sensitive topic of an eating disorder and co-dependency that go with unhealthy relationships that delves into the emotions that are raw and real. Crystal Kaswell is a master storyteller that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics.
Luke and Alyssa – Alyssa is recovering from bulimia and she owes everything to her fiancé for saving her life and helping her through her rehab. The night that he proposes their night is interrupted by his law partner that he is needed at the office to smooth things over for an important divorce settlement. Alyssa is upset that he thinks so little of this special time that he goes without a second thought. When she insists on going with him so that they can continue their celebration afterward he finally agrees, but instead of her relaxing comfortably in this office he makes her wait in the waiting room. When she is introduced to his business partner she is in shock. He is the total opposite of her fiancé. Tall and covered in tattoos. Oh, and SMOKING HOT! When they shake hands the shock of electricity is nothing she has ever felt before. She keeps repeating to herself “I am engaged…I am engaged…”
Alyssa agreed to take a year’s sabbatical from her acting career to get control of her bulimia and be healthy again. Will she be able to resist Luke or will she let her gratefulness to Ryan for saving her life regardless of his condescending and controlling ways to keep her away from Luke and acting. Does she love him or is he just holding her back?
This is book 1 of a 3-book series. Even though this is the continued story of Luke and Alyssa it does not have a cliffhanger and can be read as a standalone novel. This is an emotional book covering both Alyssa’s confusion about her feelings and how she feels that she won’t survive without Ryan’s continued support for her bulimia. This book is from Alyssa’s point of view, but you can feel the frustration and rage from both Luke and Ryan. I hated for this book to end and look forward to reading the rest of their story. I highly, highly recommend this book!
This story is filled with drama, passion, and romance. Alyssa struggle with eating disorder and as depended on Ryan for so long because she sees him as a loyal friend and lover but is he? I think is is a manipulates her to suit his own purpose, he doesn’t really care about what she truly wants.
Alyssa meets Luke. She sees the difference in how he treats her and it made her realise that Ryan had too much hold on her life. Luke has his own stuggles that he needs to work out before he can truly commit to Alyssa but they are great together and could be exactly what each other needs. I will read the other 2 books in the trilogy to see how they navigate through all their obstacles.
Generally you want to root for the guy who’s been there through it all, but this time you can’t help but want to see Luke and Alyssa together. Can’t help but love the damaged, super sexy attorney who makes you sizzle just reading the interactions between them. Another breathless read!
I loved this story by Crystal Kaswell! Alyssa and Luke definitely belong together. Ryan was a jerk and didn’t treat Alyssa well. I don’t believe either of them were happy together and Ryan was too controlling and tried to make Alyssa feel like he is the only reason she was alive! Then Luke comes along and changes everything for Alyssa and makes her feel again! This story is full of emotion. Crystal did phenomenal with this one. It’s a bit different from her other stories but if your a fan of her work you will love this one!
This is the second book in the series and is a love triangle featuring Alyssa and law partners Ryan and Luke. She’s torn between the two, Ryan more out of an obligation since he’s been her friend since childhood and she credits him with saving her life from bulimia. But the spark is with Luke. Some turmoil and friction between Ryan and Luke as you can imagine. Luke was still carrying baggage from his ex’s affair with his father and her attempted suicide. The characters were likable, especially Luke who was attentive, patient and kind. Alyssa was insecure, indecisive and whiny at times.
Art imitating life or life imitating art?
—>>> In this first installment, we see and feel the inner turmoil of Alyssa, who has an eating disorder and her life quite well controlled by her boyfriend, Ryan, who works in a two-man law firm specializing in divorces. As an actress on recent hiatus, Alyssa receives a casting call from her agent, but working again puts their relationship at odds and really makes Alyssa push for it as something she wants. However, it is clear Ryan has plans to keep her longer than their near-decade together, and in fact, has just proposed marriage. She is swept along with steadily mounting emotional reservations, and that very same night, she meets his partner, Luke, who makes her sit up and take notice. She takes strides to put her needs and desires first, including taking a break from Ryan and his controlling ways to explore and experience a man like Luke who makes his interests in her more than obvious. The struggle to balance all the new changes in her life at once throw her in a spin, and it is up to Alyssa, really. to dig deep within to discover what she really wants for herself. I look forward to seeing how Alyssa fares in the next book of this series, as Ryan’s intentions, demands, and attempts to keep her to himself seem to have only negative consequences on Alyssa’s psyche, his savior role when they had first met morphing into a detached relationship over the last few years.
I love Kaswell’s ink series, so I was very excited to read this book. For me, it was really hard to like the characters. I guess I liked the characters, but I just didn’t know whether I should cheer them on or yell at them. The heroine of the story, Alyssa, gave me mixed emotions. While she was in a mediocre relationship, she seemed happy and felt obligated to be there. Later on, I do believe she had just reasons to want to get away from her fiance’, but she seemed so hesitant for so long. Alex, the fiance’, came off as a sweet, caring guy, but a workaholic. People commented that he was an asshole, but I didn’t see that right away. Luke, Alex’s co-worker, gave me the vibe that he enjoyed trying to break up Alyssa and Alex. That he was doing it in spite of Alex versus having true, caring feelings for Alyssa. By the end of the book, I saw the true light of the characters, but up until then, I was left confused and weary on whom to support. While Alyssa has reasons to doubt herself, there were times that the answer was in front of her face, but she willingly talked herself out of that healthier choice. I am intrigued and want to read the other two books in the series to see how this pans out. Alyssa’s friend, Laurie, was just awesome. A vibrant, fun character amidst the dark, dreary main characters.
On paper, Alyssa has everything. C-list celebrity, her fiancé who is also her best friend and the type of life that people can only dream of. So why does she feel so empty? Could it be something to do with the fact that after Ryan proposed, he went back to work? Ryan was all about appearances and Alyssa looked good on his arm. Enter Luke Lawrence. Ryan’s law firm partner and all around sexy, tattooed god. As Alyssa fights back to health after battling an eating disorder, Ryan becomes more and more suffocating and Luke is there showing her what her body is really there for. Unfortunately, Alyssa thinks she owes Ryan her life as he stood by her when she went to rehab and has worked out a strict regime of what to eat and not eat. As Alyssa comes to terms with how Ryan sees her and how Luke makes her feel, she must decide what she wants from life. Rollercoaster ride which continues in book 2, Come Apart.
This was a well written forbidden love triangle romance and I am so excited to see where Crystal Kaswell takes us with these two . It’s very different from what I’m used to from her but at the same time has some of the same elements that we expect in a Crystal Kaswell romance story . I loved Alyssa , I loved the fact that she had been portrayed as a perfect actress but deep down she dealt with some very serious mental and physical health issues and she was learning how to cope on her own and not be so codependent on her boyfriend. And Luke what can I say about him he is absolutely the sweetest and most beautifully broken soul I think Crystal has created to date he has such a big heart and in this instance I don’t fault him for coming between Alyssa and Ryan . I think Alyssa needed to see there is a better way of life and she needs to build confidence in herself again and needed to see what a toxic relationship she was in with Ryan that he really didn’t have her best interest at heart . Can’t wait to see where else Crystal Kaswell takes us with these two .
***I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book ***
This isn’t really a genre I normally read , love triangles aren’t really my thing but I thought I’d try it as I really liked all of the other series I’ve read by this author. The story draws you In and I found the characters of Luke and Alyssa relatable . Alyssa is an actress who is a recovering bulimic. Luke is a lawyer that has just joined Ryan firm as a partner. Ryan character isn’t at all likeable and undermines Alyssa self worth and uses her illness against her as a means of control. The chemistry between Luke and Alyssa is palpable, initially Luke is just trying to get under Ryan’s skin by flirting with Alyssa but they developed stronger feelings for each other and now Alyssa has to decide which man , If any is the right one for her . I liked this book much more than I was expecting to.
I recievedt his copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
This story is wonderful in its complexity. Alyssa is an eating disordered actor who is surviving, not living. Her fiancé Ryan is preoccupied, and so used to caring for her, he forgets to hear her. Enter Luke. Luke sees, hears, and desires Alyssa. Emotions are messy, and nothing is simple in this love triangle. I was swept away in this story, watching Alyssa try to be herself, make decisions for her, while pulling further from one man and closer to another. There’s triggers here for eating problems. HFN and Come Apart, which I am reading next, features these characters too.
I received a copy of this book. My honest review is voluntarily provided.
What an interesting book. This is different than I expected, but I really enjoyed it. The emotional and turmoil is very well done. This will be one you either really like or not so much. For me it was great, the many layers of each character is great. Can’t wait to see where this goes next.
First book I’ve read about a love triangle. I was rooting for the good and hating on the bad guy. I felt the heroine’s confusion but also wanted to talk some sense into her. The heroine, Alyssa has an eating disorder and it plays a significant part in her life. It may be very triggering for someone with an eating disorder.
The end of the book had tears running down m face for several chapters. I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. I can’t say much more but it was very emotional. This is the first book in a series and I’m definitely reading the rest!! Good book.
A beautiful story encapsulating a difficult issue. I love Alyssa’s rebellion even through her vulnerability of dealing with such a personal issue. Crystal manages to calm my frustration with Alyssa’s indecision, by letting me get inside Alyssa’s head and understand her insecurities and struggles, with so much compassion…..I feel all of her emotions. Luke is so understanding and patient, until he’s not….. I love their hot chemistry!
Crystal says this isn’t like her other books but to me it is everything I expect from a book she writes. There’s angst, passion, conflicting desires…it is exactly what I am looking for in a book with her name on it. I will reinforce the trigger warnings of this book. The heroine has an eating disorder and that plays a large part of her thought processes. She also is not happy with the man she sees as her rescuer. Ryan is not the hero. Alyssa finds herself engaged but not enthused about it at the beginning of the book. And then she meets Luke, Ryan’s law partner. Little did she expect he would start a fire inside her. She is trying to find herself again. She is struggling to not let her disorder destroy her future or her life. She has known Ryan since high school. He has saved her repeatedly. But they, not just her, aren’t happy. Luke has his own issues. It is a heart-wrenching journey to a happier place. I love the angst. I love the passion. I simply loved it! I received a review copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I have to be honest, this book wasn’t easy for me. I’ve never been a fan of love triangles, especially when it comes to cheating. Though I do appreciate the fact that Alyssa did admit that nothing happened between her and Luke until Ryan and her took a break. I DID NOT like Ryan. He was controlling and manipulative. All he seemed to want was a beautiful woman on his arms who would do and say what he wanted so he could get more clients. He never really seemed to care about what Alyssa wanted or felt. He never even listened to her! I liked Luke. He wanted Alyssa to be happy and to enjoy life. I felt so bad for him and how she kept stringing him along, especially after hearing his story. I had mixed feelings about Alyssa. I wanted her to be stronger, to have a backbone. While I truly enjoy this authors wrote it wasn’t my favorite. I love her brooding bad boys and these two just didn’t do it for me. They worked together while hating each other. They just seemed to use each other, and while I’m sure there are plenty of companies out there like that, I didn’t really care to read about it. This won’t stop me from reading more by this author though.
Come Undone is not the typical trope that Crystal Kaswell writes, but that does not detract from the romance in the story. This book focuses on the tension of leaving a romance that isn’t healthy for a romance that can change the heroine’s world.