A woman with a plan—and the man who shakes it all up. Veronica Andersen might not need a man in her life, but in the bedroom . . . well, that’s a different story. With her eye on making partner at her father’s law firm, she doesn’t have time to think about much beyond a fling. So when she can’t get her mind off the hot young thing who walks her dog, Veronica knows exactly what to do. Brian … to do.
Brian Walsh isn’t just a dog walker. He’s a former hockey pro who’s rebuilding his life after a career-ending injury on the ice. He’s taking his time and enjoying his current freedom—and the four-legged companionship. If only he could stop fantasizing about the best two legs he’s ever seen. . . .
Brian and Veronica can’t help coming together. Again. And again. Suddenly, Veronica finds herself throwing all her best-laid plans out the window. Could she possibly have fallen in love with a man who’s wrong in every way—except the only one that matters?
Lavinia Kent’s seductive Forbidden Cove novels can be enjoyed together or separately:
UNSUITABLE • UNMANAGEABLE
And don’t miss her Bound and Determined series:
MASTERING THE MARQUESS | BOUND BY BLISS | REVEALING RUBY | SARAH’S SURRENDER | RAVISHING RUBY | ANGEL IN SCARLET | A VERY RUBY CHRISTMAS | TANGLED IN SIN
This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
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The good storyline and well detailed characters grabbed my attention from the very beginning and wouldn’t let me go until the turn of the very last page!
This is the first book that I have read from this author. It left me puzzled.
I really like Brian Walsh. He is a former NHL goalie was has to reinvent himself after he blows out his knee. He spend many childhood summers with his Aunt Mols in Forbidden Cove and has come to help her with her dog walking business, which is PT for his knee and to figure out his future. Since he always liked science even before he got into hockey and did get his BS, he is thinking of going to Med School.
Veronica, I found hard to warm up to. She definitely has Daddy issues, and knows it. Her father seduced her mother, when he was in college and she still in high school. Ok, he didn’t know that at the time. He married her after she became pregnant, but divorced her after Veronica was born and started a second family. He is a jerk, but Veronica did have her sweet mother’s love for many years, so did not have to be such a bitch. She adopted her half brother’s dog Baxter, after her brother died in an auto accident, but is a workaholic, so uses Mrs. Clouster’s services. She has issues with not only her father, but also her half sister, who is even ruder than she is.
Veronica doesn’t recognize Brian and he finds that refreshing, so lets her believe that he is an unambitious, but gorgeous man. She is a snob, but there is strong chemistry between them. When her sister becomes engaged to her ex, she feels threatened about their father’s law firm and who he will leave it to when he retires. She finds Brian easy to talk to and have sex with. Neither is looking for a relationship, but they do become friends. His mother is a therapist and he forces Veronica to talk things out with him.
There is a lot of dialogue between them, but at times it becomes annoying. There is also lots of holes in the story. What was her relationship with her brother and why was it so much closer than with her sister? Why is her sister so nasty to her, when she is the oldest, but received so little attention from her father? And then the climax leaves everything in the air, with no resolutions.
I read an ARC from NetGalley. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
Unmanageable is the second book in the Forbidden Cove series but can be read as a standalone. It is a bit similar to the first book, at least in terms of the romance or lack thereof. Veronica and Brian do seem to do a lot of talking, and there is certainly chemistry, but chemistry and sexual attraction don’t necessarily equal love and romance. These two just didn’t seem very compatible to me. Veronica is a hard character to like, and I’m not really sure that I ever really got there with her. She comes across as self-centered, selfish, and judgmental, and just when I would start to think there was more to her, she’d do or say something else that just frustrated me to no end. She had reason for some issues, but instead of making her more relatable, she acted like the whole world revolved around her. On the flip side, Brian is just a genuinely likable guy. He’s warm and friendly, and an all-around good guy. He does have a secret, but the big reveal of that secret was a bit blown out of proportion in my opinion. It really had nothing to do with Veronica or the relationship, and it felt like her response was just angst for the sake of angst. In the end, this one was just okay for me. I really wanted more depth in the relationship, and maybe a more likable main character.
This was a refreshing book to read. I loved reading a book where the main characters were willing to talk out their differences/squabbles instead of leaving each other angry. I also liked that Veronica called the shots in their relationship. She let Brian know what she wanted.
Now, saying that, I did think that Brian and Veronica talked too much. There were points in the book where they seemed to go on and on. Which drove me crazy go nuts. I was mentally yelling “Just get to the heart of the issue!!
This is my first book by this author and I will have to admit that I didn’t finish it. Even though I liked Brian, I found Veronica to be a snob (even though she tries not to be) and I felt she kept blowing hot and cold with Brian. One thing I did empathize with Veronica is her relationship with her father. I also couldn’t wade through the multiple “does (s)he like me, does (s)he not” thoughts. This was not for me – even with the dog.
I received a copy from Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.
Veronica Anderson has lived her life trying to please her father. who is stuck in the dark ages. She also has no filter, especially around a certain dog walker. Brian Walsh. Now Brian is not just a dog walker, he is an ex-hockey player. He has landed at his aunt’s house to get away from it all and figure out what is next in his life. From the moment they meet, it is instant combustion. Veronica is used to being in control, about saying one and done. Only this time those pesky feelings are sneaking in. Seeing them navigate this not “dating” thing, is unusual. In the end, Brian gets Veronica like no one else has.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Ruthie –
3.5 stars rounded up for Baxter!
This is the second book in the series, and I would recommend book one to you, although it is not essential to have read it to enjoy this one.
I rather like that this series is unconventional in its romantic choices. The last book was about an older woman having a relationship with her stepdaughter’s ex. In fact, there was nothing really seedy or sordid about it, but the idea is one which we are conditioned to have preconceptions about. Here Veronica is also older than Brian, but the issue here is one of snobbery about his seeming lack of a proper job. For a lawyer, she is hopeless at keeping her thoughts to herself and she is extremely offensive at times, possibly not even realising that she is doing it. It is not an attractive trait, and one that the reader is forced to confront. I imagine that some people will judge her poorly, and yet be guilty of similar, as we are often swift to form opinions of others… even if reluctant to admit it. So I felt that Kent was making a clever point (as she has done in many books before), although there will some who do not appreciate it.
As we get to see how Veronica has lived her life and how her family have shaped her thinking, it is easy to see why she has become so conditioned by it. I forgave her a great deal when we see what a misogynistic culture she works within, and how lonely she is – with the exception of her dead brother’s Basset hound, Baxter. So, she really isn’t very skilled in the art of relationships, and certainly struggles to recognise love, or even some levels of human decency. Brian is fascinated by her I think, as she is the opposite of the puck bunnies who have been following him around, and his anonymity is a pleasurable change. Of course, it is that which causes much of the trouble between them, and it was interesting to see how Kent could possibly pull that around. Her solution is the absolute best, and I was very happy by the end of the book that everyone got their just desserts.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
This was the first book that I have read from this author and it was an ok read for me. I liked the premise of the story but once I got started it was hard to really get into it. Loved Brian but Veronica was not someone I liked. She didn’t redeem herself to me and it made it really hard to like the book. I did finish it but to be honest it was hard. Others may like this book just fine but I just didn’t and I have a hard time recommending this.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Baxter, the dog, brings Brian into Veronica’s life. The fantasies start almost immediately. There relationship takes a steamy path even though neither is looking for a relationship. Veronica is struggling with work and family, while Brian is trying to start a new life. There are lots of deep conversations between the characters and a lot of soul searching.