Forgiving him is not an option, but getting over him is impossible. Second chances are Nio Reyes’ specialty. He lifted himself from humble beginnings to wealth and helped his brother’s battered Navy SEAL team recover after a mission went south. When he returns to his Laguna Beach hometown for a friend’s wedding, Nio will need all of his redemption skills to win back the woman he was forced to … was forced to leave ten years ago without explanation.
Becca Howard has quit believing in happily-ever-after’s. Scandal has ruined her once well-off family, and betrayal has ended her engagement. She’s done with men, or so she thinks. When Nio strides out of the surf looking like some Greek god and announces he wants her back, the urge to run is as strong as the urge to stay. And the wedding they’re both attending is about to get complicated.
Secrets and family lies still stand in their way. Can one long overdue weekend together in Laguna Beach change Becca’s heart?
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This second chance read had me from hello. I had read all about Trey, Nio Reyes’s brother in past books and know all about the Band of Brothers so I have been all ready to find out about Nio’s history and what made him tick. And oh does our author, Barbara Ankrum give us a really who done it style book by way of giving us the readers the answers. I have to say this is my my favorite book from this author so far. It had me searching for answers and while I thought I knew where things were going, I was not quite right in the direction at all. Bravo to keeping me guessing. What a great second chance romance with a touch of mystery. And oh yes we get a mention or two about my favorite town Marietta too. So extra good!
Enjoyed it
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Second chances
Part of a series: Band of Brothers
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue
This is the third book I have read in this series and I look forward to reading the other “brothers'” stories.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.
It was a good read and it flowed nicely.
Loved Nio and Becca’s second chance romance!
Shows main character’s love for his father and brother. He was blackmailed to leave his true love. He does get her back though.
Nio is a good man. He has pulled himself out of poverty and made a name for himself in the tech business world. He is all about family and taking care of his brother, father and others he cares about.
Nio Reyes left the woman he loved behind without a goodbye or an explanation ten years earlier. He had a good reason, but one he could not explain to her at the time. He is determined to win her back and help her understand why he left and that he never stopped loving her but is it possible, after so much time, for her to understand his reasons?
Becca Howard’s family has been rocked by the scandal and suicide of her father, the honorable Judge Howard. She has given up on love and men and trust. Her life has been in a downward spiral ever since the only man she really loved, Nio Reyes, left her ten years ago with no goodbye. Her fiance’ confessed to cheating on her and has now broken their engagement and she has to spend the weekend at a mutual friend’s wedding as if nothing has changed between them, even though nothing is the same. Not only does this weekend look like it can’t get any worse, she comes face to face with her former love, Nio Reyes, after ten long years. Can her heart take any more heartbreak? Is forgiveness even an option after he destroyed her heart? Can that kind of hurt ever be mended?
There is a fairly descriptive sex scene in this book and a smattering of some foul language. The story is well written and the characters are easy to identify with, and in the case of one, actually loathe.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my review.
Unsung Hero by Barbara Ankrum
Band of Brothers #1
This second chance at love romance tells the story of Antonio “Nio” Reyes and Becca Howard. It is also a rags to riches feel good story with one toppling from the heights and the other working his way up to the wealthy lifestyle he aspired to. The story was perhaps predictable but definitely left me feeling good about the two managing to finally achieve their HEA together, NOTE: I had the feeling more than once that there might be a prequel to this book as the “brothers” that Nio helped out (Navy SEALs in his brother’s SEAL team) are all mentioned and there is a back story for them that is not detailed OR there is another series this spins off from OR…something.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3-4 Stars
Adored this story! Nio and Becca are wonderful characters with a rocky past. They are great together though and you can’t help but cheer for them. Learning to trust each other again won’t come easy but with hard work and determination Nio convinces Becca to give him another chance. Their story is a heartwarming tale of forgiveness, understanding and hope for the future. It’s beautifully written and I think everyone will love these characters as much as I do. Definitely a book I recommend.
Becca Howard and Nio Reyes had a relationship ten years ago. But then Nio left Laguna without telling Becca why he was leaving or where he was going. So, it was a surprise to Becca when she ran into Nio one morning while out taking pictures of the waves and surfers.
Nio was back in town for the wedding of some friends. He was also back to fix up a house for his father. But, the main reason Nio was back was Becca. He found out about her recent breakup with her fiancé. And, because Becca’s disapproving father was no longer in the picture, Nio thought he might have a chance with Becca again. Nio would do anything to prove his love to Becca.
I admit, when I first started reading this book, I got a little lost with all of the characters. I didn’t really understand what they had to do with this story. But as I read more, it all fell in place and I really learned to like all of them. I really liked Nio and Becca and enjoyed learning their story. Their backgrounds were well defined and it created true to life characters that I couldn’t help but get caught up in their lives. The role reversal of a rich girl and a poor boy, to a poor girl and a rich guy, was an interesting twist. This book is the beginning of a new series and it started it off on a good note. I look forward to reading the books that will follow this one.
Becca is less than thrilled to see the man who broke her heart 10 years ago when he disappeared without a word. She doesn’t want to deal with him, but she does want answers. Will the explanation Nio gives her heal her still broken heart or break it even further?
I struggled with how to rate Unsung Hero. It’s not horrible or horribly written. It’s not even bad. It’s just…a bit bland and predictable. I didn’t feel the connection between the two characters and as a reader I didn’t feel connected to Nio or Becca either. It’s all just a little too wrapped up. Also, the heat level is fairly low, which isn’t the problem per se, but it doesn’t help matters. But I guess the main reason this story didn’t work for me is because it’s too short to give the characters or the relationship any significant growth. What little I did get to know Nio and Becca, I thought they were decent characters, especially Nio, but because it was so short, I didn’t get the chance to know them well enough to become invested in them or their story.
A page Turner for sure. This book was so good that I ready to buy more books to follow all the characters that Ankrum developed in this book
great book
Unsung Hero starts the Band of Brothers series off with a second chance romance that is entertaining and interesting. The characters are engaging and their history is deep. There are secrets that have been kept which need to come to light. There are betrayals that need to be exposed. It is a rags to riches and riches to rags story. The story was predictable with no big surprises. It’s a solid 3-star read.