A friends-to-lovers second-chance romance from USA Today bestseller Siobhan Davis. Standalone with HEA and no cliffhanger. Keanu Selena played me. Confirming I wasted years loving someone who didn’t love me back.It should be easy to move on, but since she dumped me, I can’t shake her from my thoughts, no matter how hard I try.Dates and random hookups don’t help, because no one measures up to the … random hookups don’t help, because no one measures up to the girl I still love with my whole heart.
When she appears at my door, begging me for help, I can’t turn her away. My protective instincts kick in, and I grasp this second chance with both hands.
This time, I’m determined to open her eyes.
To help her realize she made a mistake throwing what we had away.
To prove our love is the real deal.
Selena
Keanu has it all wrong.
I let him go because I love him too much to continue holding him back.
And I’ve paid for it every day since.
I didn’t think it was possible to miss someone this much, but my entire being aches for him in a way that isn’t healthy.
It’s why I continue to keep my distance even though it’s killing me inside.
No one understands me the way he does, so, when my ugly past returns, threatening to undo years of progress, he’s the first person I run to.
If anyone can keep me safe, it’s the love of my life.
Maybe, this time, I’m strong enough to be the woman he deserves.
If my past doesn’t take me from him first.
Releasing Keanu is a STANDALONE new adult romance in the Kennedy Boys world. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA. Please read the trigger warning at the start of the book.
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Oh my gosh, this was a beautiful, emotional story!! I just loved Keanu and Selena!! Definitely my favorite Kennedy’s boy story!
I fell in love with the Kennedy Boys from the first book and each book has been as good as the one before and the one after. This is, and always will be, my favourite series by Siobhan Davis. I patiently waited for Keanu’s book and boy I wasn’t disappointed! I didn’t rush to read it though because I wanted to savour the story knowing this series is coming to an end with only Keaton and Kent left. After book 10, it will feel like I’m saying goodbye to friends who have been part of my life since I picked up Finding Kyler in 2017.
Releasing Keanu broke my heart and then put it back together. This 5 star read definitely wasn’t always easy to read and really took me on an emotional roller-coaster ride. As with all the Kennedy boys, Keanu was the guy Selena could rely on as she dealt with the damage caused by her past. However, sometimes the past doesn’t remain where it should and there’s more hurdles to overcome before this couple hopefully get their much deserved happily ever after.
This is a powerful story about strength, survival and a second chance at love. Whilst it can be read as a standalone, I would recommend you start from the beginning of the series and allow yourself to become lost in the world of Kennedy Boys!
*I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book
Eight books, eight books and Siobhan Davis finally brings us to Keanu and Selena. I have to say I have been waiting for this book seeing how mysterious Siobhan Davis has made Keanu be in the last previous books. One thing about Siobhan Davis and her books is there is always a great story behind the story and reading about Selena’s was just wow. Never did I imagine Selena going through what she has gone through and boy seeing how strong she is just blows me away. Seeing everybody come together in this book was beautiful how far they have come through at this point. All in all we still have 2 more Kennedy boys wondering how this talented author will do them. Keanu and Selena are more than just perfect they balance each other out and seeing all the Kennedys once again come together feels like coming home with this series.
“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”
Keanu’s book is what I have been waiting so long for and glad I finally got to read it! I’m a sucker for second chance romances and this hit it out of the park! It was the page turner I needed while I was out sick from work. Being in the Kennedy world is like no other and should be on everyone’s must read list! Selena and her trauma make her relatable and perfect for Keanu!
I have voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
@ddeegott Siobhan Davis – The Kennedy Boys Bk 8 –Releasing Keanu– Reviewed 1/20/20 – 1/18-19/20
When the woman you love is hurting, what would you be willing to do to help her?
Keanu Kennedy is a sensitive man that had fallen in love with a damaged young woman. Working together in the modeling world threw them together all the time. When out of the blue she calls off the relationship, Keanu is devastated. He tried to forget and get on with his life, it didn’t work. Selena was the only woman for him. Selena had a secret and only Keanu knew what had happened to her in her past. She is fighting to control her terror and a form of PTSD, now after two years, she is getting a tenuous hold on it. Working with her mom and a therapist she finally was seeing some results. While she was at an audition, her past caught up with her! Terror took hold of her, sending her into a panic situation. The only one that was ever able to help her, was Keanu. Fighting her terror, unable to cope, not knowing anything around her, she fought to reach Keanu. When he found her, she was a mess, not even knowing what was happening. He took her inside and started the process of bringing her back… Thus starts the battle to win her back again and help her with the terror that has captured her…..
What did I like? The one thing that I wanted when I was a young girl, was a man that could understand the feelings that I had. I thought I had found him, but that was not to be. Later I did find that man, and he took care of me for over 40 years before he passed away. I can fully understand Selena’s need to be with someone that can understand what she was going through. Of course, but first, she has to realize that her love is real and that Keanu is that man.
What will you like? Again, Siobhan has brought us a beautiful love story that has an understory that will bring you to your knees. This storyline is one that needs to be told and understood from the point of the woman that underwent the horrors. I cried a ton of tears, as will you! Exciting, romantic, touching and certainly a great read. The storyline will awake a wave of anger in your heart that will make you furious. With the need to help, I hope you will keep your eyes open and be aware of everything around you, keep yourself safe. But more than that keep your CHILDREN safe by teaching them to never trust any man or woman that approaches them that they don’t know. Keep in mind that this is not just about girls, this can happen to boys also. There are many types of deviants out there that can harm your babies. More than that, remember that safety is in numbers, and that should be more than just two. Siobhan has included information at the end of her book to contact the proper authorities for help if the worse does happen. It is even more important that everyone understands that you are not alone, there is help out there for you too! Excellent read with a great story that we all need to hear, told from the painful heart of a man in love with a woman hurt by deviants!!!
• File Size: 2358 KB
• Print Length: 267 Pages
• Release Date: December 30, 2019
• Genre: Women’s Sagas, Coming of Age Fiction
It has taken me a moment to gather my thoughts and feelings over Releasing Keanu. Primarily due to the nature of Selena’s treatment as a kid. As a mother with two small children I felt like my heart was being ripped out as we dove deeper into her past and why she originally left Keanu. My outrage and at times grief made it hard to read — yet I didn’t want to put it down. Which is why I took my time thinking about how to write this review. At the end of the day, there is nothing I can say, except that I bow down to the wordsmith that is Siobhan Davis. She really knows how to tell a story and capture the emotions and intensity behind it. With that being said, a word of caution about this book is definitely needed, if you are very sensitive to child abuse or sexual abuse, this might not be the book for you, but I will tell you that Selena gets her happy ending that she more than deserves and Sioban handles her story with care and makes sure the reader knows how to get into contact with the right people if you know someone or are going through something similar. That aside, I really did enjoy this book and look forward to many many more books from Siobhan in the future.
From the very first page, this book is a heartbreaker. Selena has lived through something that no one much less a child should live through. The pain and hurt are still present in her and Keanu is the only man she can trust to keep her safe. But after almost two years will he want anything to do with her? She ended things with him because she thought her past would bring him and their relationship down. And she didn’t want to cause him any pain.
Keanu hasn’t stopped loving Selena, he still thinks about her. When he comes home one day and finds her on his doorstep in what appears to be a bad panic attack, he has to help her and to keep her safe. And after he finds out what set her off, he will do anything to keep her safe and make her his again.
This story is one of those that will leave you heartbroken and feeling the pain of the characters and hoping that in the end their happily ever after will be there.
I have only read three of the Kennedy boys and loved them all but Keanu is my favorite. If you only read Releasing Keanu, then you will be a better person for it.
**I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book.**
I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book. Have you ever read a book so good that your thoughts and emotions are left all over the place?!? Omg, where do I begin. Ugh my heart, my poor poor heart broke for Keanu and Selena (especially Selena). Selena has been through so much but she still fought to put her life back in check and that was beyond inspiring; you can’t help but root for her. She did what she thought was best concerning her relationship with Keanu because she finally wanted to be free of her past in order to experience true happiness. Not trying to reveal anything or insert spoilers but I loved every minute of this book so much that i didn’t want it to end. READ IT!!
This was such a well written book especially when it came to mental health. I love how Keanu took the time and made the effort to help Selena. The Kennedy boys steppednip for family like usual. The only thing i would have liked a little more current action it seems like there could have been a chapter in there yelling what was happening now rather then the following chapter looking back. Over all i would say a success and can’t wait for more? I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book.
****Mild Spoilers****
This is not a pretty love story, but it is a love story, nonetheless. As a young girl, Selena Douglas simply disappeared off the street. She was kidnapped by sex-traffickers who not only committed all types of atrocities against her body, but sold her to the highest bidder. It was by sheer luck that she escaped the man who bought her and he is out for revenge. Keanu Kennedy always knew there was something different about his girlfriend in the way that she jumped at sudden noises and cowered at his touch. He had no way of knowing the extent to which she had suffered, but he was committed to loving her through it all. Selena broke his heart when she walked away from him, fully believing that she was doing him the favor of giving him a chance to experience a normal life. In her heart, she thinks she’ll never be able to give him the love he deserves because she’s damaged. When Selena comes face to face with the horrors of her past, the only safe place she can go is to Keanu. For the first time, he has hope. It is hard to hear what Selena suffered, but it’s an essential and powerful message and Ms. Davis delivers it expertly. The entire Kennedy family pulled her into their arms, giving her comfort and showing her that she was one of them. This book graced us with the most touching happily ever after!
I loved this book! We didn’t really get to know the Kennedy triplets in the first 7 books of the series but that all changes with Releasing Keanu. This book is all about Keanu and Selena, the woman who still holds his heart even after she broke it two years earlier, leaving him devastated and unable to move on. However, when Selena comes face to face with a ghost from her past, she instinctively runs to Keanu, who doesn’t hesitate to shower her with his love, his strength, and his protection.
Keanu is just as supportive and wonderful as his older brothers have shown themselves to be in the previous books, and nothing will stop him from protecting the woman he loves; and despite the traumatic events of her past, Selena displays incredible strength, refusing to become a victim again. This story is gut-wrenching and emotional and overflowing with love, and has all the Kennedy intensity and drama we have come to know and love. Family is a priority for the Kennedys – they would die for each other – and Siobhan Davis brings them vividly to life. This amazing series is a must read!
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reader copy of this book.
I’m a bit behind on the Kennedy Boys, but love this author so I dove right in. This story is not light on feels and pulls no punches when it comes to a dark past for the heroine. Heed the trigger warnings!
Keanu and Selena are a perfect match, and watching them fall back in love after being apart – especially with the difficult circumstances and danger around them – is lovely and sweet. He’s just everything and she’s as real as they get.
If you need a sweet romance where the characters have to grow apart to grow back together, this is a great choice!
Siobhan Davis has outdone herself. While bringing another Kennedy boy’s story to life, she has scraped out a raw story of one young woman’s living hell, and its aftermath affecting all who know, love or can relate to her.
This time out, we are still given the passion, but it is far surpassed by the emotional tsunami that fills each page as this gut-churning tale unfolds and a soul-deep healing process begins for its characters. Think of your worst nightmare, imagine it happening to a young woman you love and multiply it. Now visualize a tortured healing process, and the tentative light that shines at the end of a dark and terrifying tunel.
Siobhan Davis has put it all into words with the grace of a master wordsmith, leaving no person who reads this untouched. RELEASING KEANU is powerful and gritty, yet, it is still a love story that is like a new beginning.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Siobhan Davis! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Selena has gone through so much in her young life. It’s a wonder she’s still standing, standing tall no less. And as much as Keanu is the love of her life, and always brings her peace, she needs to let him go for now, so she can heal further, turn herself into who she is meant to be. If they’re meant to be together, they’ll reunite someday. Unfortunately for her, that day comes sooner than expected when her dark past resurfaces right before her eyes.
Keanu has no plans on letting Selena go now that she’s come back to him. Even if she’s only back because she needs him and the safety and security he represents, he knows he’s not letting go this time. Can he protect her from her past, and allow her to heal at the same time?
Releasing Keanu is a heartbreaking story. But it’s most definitely my favorite of this series. I loved Selena and her strength and determined positive attitude even in the face of the evil from her past. And I adored Keanu for his gentle nature and infinite love for Selena. This is a story and a couple that I’ll not soon forget!
Final Score – 4.5 Stars!
This book touched my heart and at times was a trigger for some unpleasant memories – but I pushed through to the end. And was I ever glad I did. This book needed to be read. This book is about hope, survival, recovery, and love.
I don’t want to give too much away – as I am also a survivor, much as Selena is – but if you are as well, know that this book is written with sensitivity, compassion, knowledge, and understanding of what we have gone through … and still struggle to.
Ms. Davis has written a story that I can not only identify with, but has helped me to process some of phobias/fears. Thank you for that.
You know how some cars can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just seconds? This book felt like that. It starts full throttle and stays that way for the first chapters and forms a knot in your throat that stays that way for a long time.
Selena Douglas was kidnapped when she was just ten years old. After three years of captivity, she managed to escape and since then has been on a tortuous road to recovery. When she got back home, she found out she was now also an orphan and a Superior Court Justice, who helped with her legal problems, also adopted her. At the moment, Selena is starting her sophomore year in University, and living a life as complete as she has been able to accomplish, with the help of her adoptive mother and a fantastic therapist who has walked with her the road to recovery.
Selena pairs studying with modeling; she started modeling years ago with Kennedy Apparels, working for Alex Kennedy, Keanu’s mother. That’s where Keanu and Selena met and got together. However, for the past two years they have been broken up, because Selena needs to work on her independence and self-reliance.
“Because Keanu is the most selfless, forgiving, caring, loving person I have ever known. I could live for infinity and never be worthy of him. Which makes what I had to do all the more heinous.”
When a monster from her past appears in her university, she goes into panic and rushes to Keanu. She hasn’t seen him in two years, but he’s the only one who makes her feel safe. After their breakup two years ago, Keanu had gone on a crazy booze and hookup blaze, but he’s now living a more tame life, pining after Selena, wondering if he should pursue an reconciliation. So when Selena suddenly appeared at his building, in the throes of a panic attack, he was ready to help. This scene made me cry, it was so sad and poignant and tragic. It describes the level of damage done to this poor girl’s psyche that she would end up rocking her body and murmuring “I need Keanu, I need Keanu” endlessly.
After this, we are treated to the love story of a man determined to help the love of his life, pursue her enemies and bring them into justice. We see a Keanu very committed, caring and knowledgeable about handling Selena without spooking her. We get to learn about Selena’s back history and are witness to her strength and courage as she comes back from the black hole she was in, and to her determination to keep on improving until she can live a normal live, with her guy and with a full sexual relation. She impresses with her internal courage.
Selena”s mother to Keanu: “Her inner strength shines the brightest when she’s with you.”
There are a lot of messages and information regarding sex trafficking, the damage done to young girls, the hopelessness of the captive girls, some references to the #metoo movement. If the author wants to create conscience about this scourge in our society, she couldn’t have been more clear. Some parts are crude (the criminal part), and some parts are cheesy (Keanu and Selena cooing at each other). As Keanu and Selena revive their love story and cross many milestones in Selena’s recovery, we are treated to yummy sex scenes, very cheesy declarations of love, and a man determined to do right by his girl, even when she feels ready and raring to go.
The solution of the criminal part was a little underwhelming, lacking the dramatic turn of events I’ve come to expect from this author. There are no surprise plot twists either. There’s lots of family time with the Kennedy clan that now includes little kids. I loved the romantic feel, the devotion of this couple and the delicate treatment of Selena’s psychological state. The book was a page-turner, super entertaining and I got a heck of a time seeing a renovated Kent, not the little a-hole of previous books. Keaton abandoned his triplets and left to study at another college, so now I’m anxious to learn why. Can’t wait to read Kent and Keaton’s books!
Releasing Keanu was an amazing 5+ star read. This is book 8 in The Kennedy Boys series.
Keanu has been trying to move forward after Selena broke up with him. He has tried to party her out of his mind with alcohol and women but it just made him more miserable. He’s been taking modeling jobs that would keep him from running into her.
Things take a twist when he finds Selena curled up in a ball on his front steps, a complete mess.
Something has happened that has caused her to have a severe panic attack and the only one that can help her is Keanu. Keanu is so great with Selena, he’s so loving and understands everything about her past and knows just how to handle her. Selena had a traumatizing experience when she was younger and was sold into sex slavery, then she escaped. But, the past has come back to haunt her.
Will Keanu be able to keep her safe? Will they get a HEA?
I loved this story so much. These two are so meant for each other and loved each other so much. All of the secondary characters added a great element to the story. This is a great second chance romance that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. I highly suggest you 1-click and get started today.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
Keanu has loved Selena for what seems like forever. So when she broke up with him, he felt betrayed. Selena breaks up with the love of her life to try and get better emotionally and physically, she is a top model, a college student and a young woman who has endured hell and has a dark past. When her past collides with her present, she falls apart and runs to Keanu who is there for her solid as a rock.
Siobhan has written another spellbinder, just another amazing, emotional story on love, compassion and healing. I just loved everything about Keanu and Selina and their emotional reconnection.
Written in dual POV, this story flows so incredibly well. Nothing but five stars for this book, highly recommend reading this book, which you can read as a standalone. Truly, an amazing love story by one of my favorite authors Siobhan Davis
I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book
Throughout The Kennedy Boys series, I have been curious about Keanu and Selena. The teasing details we have received left me with the belief their story would be a powerful read, one that would rip me apart and put me back together again. I expected the kind of book that would break me in the best of way, but the truth is this wasn’t quite all I had expected.
That is not to say I did not enjoy this addition to The Kennedy Boys series, it simply was not my favourite. The reason for this, however, is an easy one. The topic touched upon in this book is one I’m extremely picky about. In fact, I mostly stay away from books that deal with this topic. A lot of research needs to be done to make it right, and from the work I do, I find myself picking things apart instead of enjoying it. That is not to say it was badly done, it simply did not hit me as hard as it should have. Due to the work I do, it takes a lot for the horrors of the world to result in an emotional response from me. That is not to say I’m immune, I’ve simply learned to keep my emotions buried deep. The last thing someone wants when they are getting counselling after a traumatic experience is to see the person they are sharing their horrors with getting emotional. However, in the case of the horror handled in this book, this is one situation where I find it difficult to keep my emotions locked out. This is the one time where I have to work to keep my face straight and my comments locked down, as it’s the one thing that I have trouble pretending I’m immune to the details of.
It is due to the above that I expected this book to hit me hard. I have trouble remaining neutral when I’m hearing it at work, therefore I expected the emotions to come out when I was reading about it. Sure, there were a few moments that were emotional, but for the most part I did not feel the crippling anxiety I feel when listening to it at work. It’s why I’m so picky about these books. As I’ve heard real life stories, it takes a lot for the fictional ones to have the same emotional impact on me. I’m sure many will be hit hard by it – it is a real issue, it’s one that needs to be dealt with, and more people need to be made aware of what is going on – but due to my real-world knowledge, I need more.
This is just me being picky, though. It’s another addition to The Kennedy Boys series that will have fans powering through the book. Although I am not labelling this one my favourite, I remain in need of the rest of the series.
‘Releasing Keanu’ is the eight book in the Kennedy Boys series. It can be read as a stand-alone, or a nice addition to an already amazing series.
Siobhan Davis writes difficult topics really well, and Releasing Keanu, is no exception. The book is about Selena, a survivor of sex trafficking, who suffers from PTSD, anxiety and is unable to shake the devastating effect of her past. She is young, a model and you learn that she set her ex-boyfriend Keanu free from their relationship to work on overcoming her issues, and for him to have a ‘normal’ relationship.
What Selena does not factor, is that Keanu cannot see beyond her. He’s tried, and all his mind and heart allows him to do, is think about the beautifully broken girl who has always had the ability to tie him up in knots. So when Serena suffers a horrific panic attack and ends up on his doorstep, he can’t help but think his prayers have been answered in some twisted way, and he vows to comfort and protect her. He will go to the ends of the earth for her if he has to, and he’s determine that he will keep her safe no matter what.
The story is well thought out, with lots of twist and turns. You feel Serena’s pain, and this book certainly highlighted the devastation sexual abuse can cause not only to the victim, but those who are their loved ones. The way in which Keanu adores Serena is heartbreaking but also absolutely defines what love it, and I was completely taken with these two as a couple.
This is a romance that is suited for those who like suspense reads, and aren’t afraid to read of topics that could be upsetting. It’s well-written and has a whole host of loveable characters. It is inspirational and a book I read all in one sitting.