True love never fades… Amelia Hamilton has made a great life for herself over the past decade, and she doesn’t need any reminders of her past—especially not her ex-husband Jack. But her father’s sudden death turns her world upside down. A clause in his will stipulates she spend four weeks at Briarleigh Lodge & Resort, and she finds herself in the snowy hills of Montana to fulfill his last … hills of Montana to fulfill his last request.
But revenge runs deep in the shadows of Briarleigh, and someone wants Amelia gone—for good. Jack Prescott is stunned when his ex-wife stumbles upon his doorstep, and he can’t help but wonder… Has fate handed him a second chance to resolve this unrequited love?
Torn between past and present, neither could have predicted what the future would bring…
*Unrequited Love is book one of the Frozen in Time Trilogy. Books one and two contain cliffhangers and should be read in order for maximum reading pleasure.
Book One – Unrequited Love
Book Two – Undeniable Love
Book Three – Unbreakable Love
more
Loved it.
Unrequited Love by Morgan James is a second chance romance between a successful nature photographer named Amelia and her ex-husband, a sexy former military man named Jack. Amelia’s estranged father dies unexpectedly and leaves behind a surprisingly large amount of ownership of his company’s assets to her. As a stipulation of her father’s will, Amelia must spend a consecutive month at the Briarleigh Lodge, a soon to be opened ski resort. Little does Amelia know, Jack was her father’s silent partner and has controlling interest in this same company. Even Jack is unaware of her new ownership or her arrival at Briarleigh. It seems disaster has settled like a black cloud over Briarleigh – making Jack doubt if they’ll ever open their doors. Someone does not want Briarleigh to open at any & all costs. When Amelia arrives, things kick into overdrive – forcing the darkness to strike out against Amelia in an attempt on her life. Will Amelia & Jack forgive each other in time? Or will Briarleigh fall into the hands of a devil in disguise as their relationship crumbles yet again?
When I started reading this book, I did not know it would end as a cliffhanger. Once I got through 80% of the book, I quickly realized the author either had a lot of explaining to do (said in my best Southern Momma voice ) or we were surely headed for a cliffhanger. That being said, I think the author chose a great spot to stop because some questions are answered and new situations are brought to light.
Special thanks to the author for this advanced copy of this book which I have voluntarily and honestly reviewed.
The book:
•129 pages • Contemporary • Cliffhanger • First In A Series • First-Person Narrative • Her POV • His POV • Bad Guy’s POV
BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS
Plot: 5/5 Great plot with several exciting twists!
Main Characters (hero/heroine): 5/5 Jack & Amelia
He is: -Sexy -Former Military -Fit -Secretly still loves her
She is: -Smart -Cute -Still in love with him -Outdoorsy -Nature photographer
The Feels: 5/5 So many feelings!
Pace: 4/5 Well paced
Addictiveness: 4/5
Steam/Hotness/Chemistry: 2/5 Clean romance, lacked physical intimacy between the two main characters during the present but referenced several times to their passionate love in the past.
Theme or Tone: 4/5
Flow (Writing Style): 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Originality: 5/5
Ending: 5/5 – Great but cliffhanger! It’s a good setup for the next book though.
Book Cover: Cute couple
Trope: Second Chance Romance, Enemies(ish) to Lovers
Romance Sub genre: New Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance
Source: Kindle eBook
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but if you don’t like cliffhangers – I’d wait until all three books are out and binge read them!
Overall Grade:
I love to read new authors. As my profile has grown, authors have reached out to me to consider reading their upcoming releases for an honest review. Morgan James is one such author. The first book I read from her is The Devil You Know. Honestly, I don’t read a lot of romantic suspense, but her book, along with a few others, has shown me that I actually love the sub-genre quite a bit. Now, she has a new romantic suspense, Unrequited Love. It’s part of a trilogy, I believe, and this first book has definitely grabbed my attention.
The story follows Amelia and Jack. As a travel photographer, Amelia has seen many beautiful places and photographed them. However, she realizes that her life isn’t complete. She walked away from a marriage eight years ago to the love of her life when she felt betrayed by a decision he made, and she has struggled to move on relationally since then. She is also estranged from her father because he sided with her husband. The story begins when she finds out her father has died. Feeling as though she missed an opportunity to reconcile with him, Amelia agrees to attend the reading of his will. Her father sets a stipulation in his will that she must live for a time at his forthcoming mountain resort, Briarleigh, in order to inherit her trust. What she doesn’t know is that Jack, her ex-husband, plays a huge part in the building of Briarleigh.
While there, Amelia receives threats from an unknown source. Not wanting to be deterred, she pushes forward until her life becomes endangered. In this first book, Jack and Amelia don’t meet until the end, and it sets off a cliffhanger that will keep you enthralled. Will Jack and Amelia reconcile and realize their undying love for each other, or will they let each other go again? Even more, who is the person endangering Amelia? Will Jack be able to protect her from the threat?
For the most part, Unrequited Love is a background novel for this trilogy. It is here that Monica James sets the story for the rest of the trilogy. She unveils the character of Amelia. In this book, James crafts a heroine who feels a bit stalled in life. She can’t seem to move forward romantically because her heart belongs to her ex, Jack. We see her struggle with her father’s death and the ramifications for not reconciling with him. This guilt drives her decisions, and we see her turmoil at realizing her father is gone. By the end of this book, we have a good idea of her as a character and her journey ahead.
James doesn’t spend as much time developing Jack. We understand his love for Amelia, his relationship to her father, and his struggle with the future. One of the issues I had with Jack was his inability to remedy the issue with Amelia. He tells us multiple times that she’s the “love of his life.” Yet, he never pursues her. James doesn’t reveal why he never chased Amelia. Instead, he seems fine with the status quo, living without Amelia, and that confused me as a reader. His life’s decisions are clearly influenced by his love for her, yet he keeps his distance.
When the book ends, you will find yourself at the edge of your seat because James leaves us with a doozy of a cliffhanger. It comes a bit from out of nowhere, but it will be interesting to read how she remedies the situation she’s created. Additionally, as she did with The Devil You Know, she has a tertiary character, the Watcher, who represents the threat to Amelia. She gives the Watcher chapters, so we understand his or her motivation for wanting to destroy Amelia. This seems to be Morgan James’s signature calling card, after reading this book and The Devil You Know. It’s an interesting stylistic choice and ensures we understand the motivation of the killer. Yet, I hope this isn’t something she does in every book, even if it’s an element of her style.
If you love romantic suspense, then you will enjoy Unrequited Love. I know I am waiting patiently (almost) for the second book as I want more Amelia and Jack. While the chemistry is there, this book doesn’t give it time to build. I imagine it’s going to be a scorching page-turner once it hits.
Unrequited Love is slow burn second chance romance perfection! The story is filled with heartache, suspense, thrills and the hope for redemption. The story didn’t progress at all how I thought it would, but in a good way. I was only prepared for a second chance romance between main characters Amelia and Jake. However, there are heart stopping thrills and suspense as well. I completely loved the story all around. At first I didn’t think I would like Jake at all, however the alternating POVs between him and Amelia helped me go from disdain to curiosity. I don’t completely forgive him for how his part in their past relationship, yet I’m hopeful that he can redeem himself through actions in the subsequent books. This book does end in a cliffhanger, so be mindful of that if you need the HEA at the end of each book. I anticipate book 2 will be a wonderful read and will definitely be looking to read it as soon as it is released.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Towards the end I think I forgot to breathe! Unrequited love has loss, pain, torment, and an unidentified villain. Amalia spends years not talking to her father only to find out a week later that he passed away. His Will states that she must spend four weeks at Briarleigh lodge in order to get the share holdings of the company. She feels guilty at having held a grudge for so many years and not getting to say bye. Jake, her exhusband, is her fathers partner, unbeknownst to her. All is not as it seems at Briarleigh and someone is trying to kill her.
This book ends in the ultimate cliffhanger that surpasses any I’ve read. I was not prepared to become so invested that I devoured this in one night. 5 stars!
I recieved an ARC in exchange for a honest review.