Layla Robinson is not crazy. She is suffering from unrequited love. But it’s time to move on. No more stalking, no more obsessive calling. What she needs is a distraction. The blue-eyed guy she keeps seeing around campus could be a great one–only he is the new poetry professor–the married poetry professor. Thomas Abrams is a stereotypical artist–rude, arrogant, and broody–but his glares and … broody–but his glares and taunts don’t scare Layla. She might be bad at poetry, but she is good at reading between the lines. Beneath his prickly façade, Thomas is lonely, and Layla wants to know why. Obsessively.
Sometimes you do get what you want. Sometimes you end up in the storage room of a bar with your professor and you kiss him. Sometimes he kisses you back like the world is ending and he will never get to kiss you again. He kisses you until you forget the years of unrequited love; you forget all the rules, and you dare to reach for something that is not yours.
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I loved this book and the concept of it and it was super hot and sexy but (and I keep changing my mind on this point); whether I could feel the passion between Layla and Thomas. I love books that contain cheating and I think I was waiting for the explosion that kicks off when the existing partner discovers what their spouse has been up to. Because of the unrequited love on Thomas’ part this didn’t happen in the way I expected it too. For that reason I feel cheated a little. For about half of the book, the story didn’t really go anywhere apart from the heroine being a crazy stalker fixating on a forbidden romance with her college professor and said professor being somewhat reckless with the where and when. This author has a way with words that keep the pages turning and I think it was her style and beautiful way with words that saved this book.
I loved both of these characters, both in situations whereby their love isn’t reciprocated by their partners. Also, both situations are very realistic. Layla brought out the best in Thomas and accepted him for what he was and encouraged his creativity. The book is very much a slow burn and very erotic with sexual tension brewing. I loved Thomas’ dry sense of humour, I could feel the proud reserved man he was; how he wasn’t completely happy with life’s choices but he did them to make his wife happy. Both characters were torn and tortured striving to be the best version of themselves. This book really does take you on a tumultuous journey of emotions. This book covers sensitive topics besides cheating but it was dealt with respectively… It is a tragic tale which broke my heart at times.
I would have liked an epilogue… maybe seeing a little bit in to the future with these characters after they have overcome their heartache and got their HEA; that’s just personal preference. It doesn’t need it, the story is complete. If you like a book that toys with your emotions and pulls at your heart then one click this.
Whoa. This book was certainty, interesting. Holy crow we’ve got a stage 5 stalker on our hands! Not gonna lie, it was kinda creepy. I guess I’m just going to leave it at it kept my interest all afternoon, because I couldn’t believe what was going down. I don’t care about fake people cheating, that’s not a hard limit for me. I love the cover. Thomas and Layla are a hot mess together and some of the dirty talk was weird. No really, it was. I’m totally down with reading another book by this author. Her writing hooked me.
I loved it, this book has what some would consider triggers since it is somewhat taboo (student/teacher)
The cover was one of the first things to captivate my attention, but truly the story is one to be read. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s yet to read it.
I just loved Layla and Thomas a broken love keeping them from what was in front off them all along.
This book took a while for me to get into. The beginning was a bit slow. It was worth it though. There was seriously so much going on with each of the main characters that if it had been any quicker paced the reader would have gotten lost. (or at least THIS reader would have)
Layla is a very complicated young lady. She fell in love with her stepbrother. Did everything she could think of to get his love in return. She even got him drunk and high and seduced him. But it didn’t work, and he left her in a strange bed in the middle of the night.
Thomas is a professor at the college Layla goes to. She was not in his class at first. She spotted him in the crowd and had to follow him…. right into the class room he would be teaching in. She eventually registered for his poetry class. Thomas is married with a young baby. Layla spots his despair almost immediately. He is in love with his wife, but she does not feel the same. Layla decides that she is supposed to save him. She plans to be what she thinks he needs until his wife comes to her senses. She seems to think that she will be able to have this affair with him while not getting too attached to him, and not regretting all the things they are doing. She failed on all sides!
I was very pleased with how the whole thing worked out. There were some twists that I did not see coming at all, like totally had my jaw dropping. Actually there were quite a few. I thought it was a great story of a totally dysfunctional beginning to an epic romance. Hot sex scenes included! I think it very much lived up the hype that it was getting.
I’m not even sure how to begin this review so I’ll just say…..IT WAS AMAZING! The depth and heart Saffron brings to Layla and Thomas is incredible. She doesn’t give us your typical love story. You need to work through the demons, emotions and tension with the characters. You will feel the angst and despair of unrequited love from both Layla and Thomas. You know the connection between the two of them is forbidden, but you want them to find happiness and love in their lives.
This is a really intense read that will pull at your heartstrings and give you the feels like no other. It is a taboo student/teacher love story, bringing other characters into the mix makes it all the more intense. At times, it’s hard to decide which direction you want the story to go, but all you need to do is trust Saffron will give us what we want, what she knows we need…and she did just that!
I loved both Layla and Thomas. Layla broke my heart at times, all I wanted to do was hold her and give her the courage she needed. On the other hand, there were times I wanted to slap her silly for some of her antics. Regardless, these are qualities you loved more and more about her as time went on. You understood her sadness, her need to be loved. Thomas was a broken man, difficult to get close to. Even so, you knew deep down this was not the way he wanted to live his life.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic read!
OMFG! There are so many things that I want to say about this beautiful story, but of course it seems that my stupid brain just doesn’t want to cooperate with me right now…so please bare with me while I try to express all the thoughts and emotions I had about this book!
Ever since reading Misbehaved by Charleigh Rose a few months ago I’ve been on the search for another captivating Student/Teacher romance that was going to make my FEEL the way I felt while reading that one. Let me just say that The Unrequited by Saffron A. Kent certainly did that and so much more. All I can think about is that fact that this story completely blew my mind…in the best way possible. I FREAKING loved and adored every single moment of this phenomenal read! This is without a doubt one of those stories that you want to put down until you’ve devoured the entire thing. Unfortunately that didn’t happen with me since my roommate decided I needed to get out of the house for a few hours, but lets just say that the second I got home I was back on my kindle finishing this one.
Saffron A. Kent has managed to create something so outside the box in a trope that is so popular. I can honestly say that this book is 100% original and has so many different layers surrounding it. Everything about this story was so unique that you never knew what to expect, which was hands down probably one of the best parts of the reading experience.
Layla and Thomas’ story was PERFECT. In my heart I know that doesn’t really sum up what I want to say, but at the same time I think it’s enough because this is one of those stories that need to be experienced first hand. Trust me readers need to go in blind. DON’T read SPOILERS! This story will take you on the ride of your life!
“Depth is misleading from the surface.”
Bear this in mind if you think that The Unrequited is yet another forbidden teacher/student romance, because it is so much more.
It is an exquisite dance of undeniable passion, irresistible lust, unrequited love and heartbreak, a slow burning emotional journey of two flawed, wounded characters.
A unique piece of art, an extraordinary reading experience that will leave you breathless and aching, and yet inhaling all the raw pain, the inner struggle and torment. Prose so vivid and evocative, gripping your heart with a myriad of emotions, shattering your heart into million pieces and somehow putting it back together again.
“Explosive. It takes everything from you, sometimes more than you can afford. It’s a beast, and it’s always starving.” An absolute delight to read!
A story of of Forbidden Love at its very worst… and best. Cheating is never right, and it isn’t condoned as Okay. In this story, it is honest, and desperate and crushing and consuming.
Layla and Thomas are both so broken, and flawed I hurt desperately for them. They each have such deep scars. The circumstance of their meeting and relationship is the worst, possible timing. Layla needs help. Thomas is weighted in guilt and dying trying to be someone he isn’t for someone else entirely too broken to see what he’s doing.
Sounds terrible, right? And yet it is the most compelling story of kindred souls. It’s so raw, and honest you LIVE the story with them. I hurt, I cried, I laughed, I smiled, and ultimately I was so filled with hope. Saffron’s writing is pure art. Dialogue- both internal and between characters flows and perfectly expresses their deepest fears, flaws and love.
Dark, erotic and perfectly imperfect
This book was one that popped up quite a bit on my social media last year and it sounded like something I would enjoy – a dark, heavy and erotic romance that might challenge me…bring it on. This is my first book my Saffron A Kent but it won’t be my last – her writing is captivating, her ability to make me love a story when I’m still not sure if I even liked the main characters for most of the book is outstanding and a credit to her obvious talent as a writer. And The Unrequited is a book that isn’t easy to read – but just as Layla and Thomas become addicted to each other, I became addicted to them and their story.
“My eyes are on the verge of falling shut when I hear him whisper, almost distractedly, “You bring them back…my words.”
This book will challenge a lot of people. It contains themes and scenes that will make some readers uncomfortable and Saffron warns readers of that at the start of the book (something I don’t think she needs to do but that’s a discussion for another forum). Me, I have no problem with it. I’m an adult and I’m reading fiction, so as long as the plot line hooks me and the writing is top-notch, I have no problem with confronting themes.
Thomas and Layla find each other in unexpected and (to be honest) inappropriate circumstances. She’s a college student, sent away for falling in unrequited love which ended in her doing something pretty shocking. And he’s a married father of one and a college professor. But they share a connection – a meeting of souls and an understanding that goes beyond the situation they find themselves in. And reading their story – while at times uncomfortable – was a really fascinating journey. I spent a fair portion of the book wondering why these two would keep going back to one another – especially Thomas, as Layla’s immaturity and naivety was grating at times. However somewhere along the way I started to feel for Layla, I started to understand her and the book as a whole got easier to read, easier to appreciate and easier to not to put down.
Saffron is one hell of a writer. The sex scenes are erotic and sensual, but it’s her talent in writing about something taboo and forbidden that I really liked. I’m looking forward to reading her previous release and her upcoming book – I want to see if I can be just as challenged, just as captivated and fall in love with the characters (eventually) just as much.
nicandbooks
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REVIEW: OFF THE CHARTS – woah!!!
“I let him vandalize my body, my heart, my dreams.”
This book was nothing I expected and everything I needed in a new-to-me author….it blew me away! I’ve been told I’m “a bit fussy” with my choices in books and what I will recommend, and that made me laugh, but I’m glad someone saw that I am passionate about my recommendations and reviews. My goal this year was to try a new author each month, at least one. I shake my head…..I just shake it. Because, WOW. When a book moves you from the very first page, when it sucks you in and holds your soul hostage for the entirety of the book, you know you found a good one. Saffron Kent is on my must read list after this one. I am on a mission to now read every one of her books, and follow her closely…I’ll be a cheerleader if this is the quality of book she puts out — on her SECOND book, no less. She has some talent that should not go undiscovered.
This book moved me beyond understanding because the writing was just so poetic. It was alive, as if it were a living, breathing soul reaching out to caress my heart. The push and pull. The give and take. It was addictive…I was seeking out this pulse I felt in Saffron’s voice, in her descriptions, and I craved more and more as I continued to read. I wanted to pursue this heavy ache and longing deep down where her words touched me and her story moved me. The passion and devotion in her words….the desperation just leaches out of them. I wish I could adequately express how much this book affected me. There was so much torture in Layla’s mind, her only balm being the frenzied feelings she felt with Thomas. Unsettling? Possibly. Unhealthy? Maybe….but the entire book gripped me and consumed me. I couldn’t put it down. The writing of these two broken and flawed characters was nothing short of brilliant. We go through the motions with them, as they happen, and it’s such a wild experience!! Gosh!! It was SO freaking good.
I wanted to feel everything. Those are my favorite kinds of reads because they affect me and they make me think and feel; puts myself in the characters’ shoes. And I know I keep saying this, but Saffron’s words were seriously so poetic; they flowed uninhibited and with such grace. She has such a vibrant sound in her words, one that I haven’t heard before. Some may not enjoy it, and it will be different for others, but the cadence and structure of her story completed me. Convicted me. Pulled me in. With volatility behind Saffron’s truths, the feelings were overtly powerful in delivering the emotion needed to make you understand what Layla was feeling, or what Thomas was hiding. And to say that this book was HOT, that would be a very basic description. It is incontestably and sinfully delicious in every single way. They had such a perversely twisted sexuality between them and it was insanely hot. Naughty naughty Professor Abrams!!
“He is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, big and brooding, his face a mosaic of lust and need.”
I can’t even accurately describe to you how moved I was by this book. I felt it. I breathed it. I feel like I lived it with Layla. Every step. Every breath. Every touch. It was a soul crushing read. Gah!!! I loved it!! I just hope it translates in my review. I’ll be honest with you, though; it’s not an easy read….it’s an agonizing and tortuous read. The pain is tangible. The depth and force of Thomas and Layla’s attraction is exhausting, but the harsh reality behind their undeniable attraction, the force they are fighting to stay apart, THAT was so very interesting to read and experience. Layla held such a warped image of herself. She lives and breathes a heavy guilt for no real reason (besides the painfully obvious part) and she has this unflattering view of her deservedness, but it had merit and it kept me intrigued until the very end. I clung to every single word with bated breath, waiting to find out more and I couldn’t keep myself from gasping every time something would change, or be revealed, or happened. I seriously have mental and emotional whiplash!
“It’s so ironic that the very unrequitedness that destroyed me is going to keep the pain at bay.”
A star rating would indicate that I can put a limit on the love I have for this book and that is simply not true. It’s impossible. This is a shelf-altering book…..I need it to sit on the shelf next to my other amazing reads. And there are only a few…..only a few. I’m terribly sorry if I babbled incoherently during this review, but there was just so much to say, and I probably didn’t even say enough.
“The absolute need to possess someone, to be the air they breathe and the universe they live in — I feel both powerful and powerless at once.”
~BEE
If there was ever a score where a book wholeheartedly consumes you and leaves you at its mercy, The Unrequited would be right there, where the five stars are obliterated because they are by far surpassed. You endure all its pain and heartbreak and can’t put these beautiful words down to look away for even a moment. Saffron brought on the feels on steroids with Layla and Thomas’ story and I simply couldn’t get enough. Your heart will get crushed and pumbled to ashes, not to mention you’ll love every second of it, and come out new at the end of it. That’s what this book will turn you to, a motha effin phoenix, that’s what comes to mind when reading The Unrequited.