A standalone teacher/student romance in the What He Doesn’t Know series. I never learn my lesson.And I always want what I can’t have.When Sarah Henderson walks into my life, I tell myself she’s off limits. She’s my student, sixteen years younger than me, and my boss’s niece. It doesn’t matter that I see the same pain reflected in her eyes that I have in my own, or that the dead organ better … or that the dead organ better known as my heart kicks to life when she’s around.
I’ve been here before, and I know how this ends.
It’s been two years since I fell for the last woman I knew I couldn’t have, the one with the ring on her finger that I chose to ignore.
Two years of trying to overcome that heartache when Sarah slides into my life.
Another woman I can’t have. Another woman I can’t stop myself from wanting.
I never learn my lesson, but with a constant reminder of how that last forbidden love burned, I think I’ve finally learned this one.
This time, I won’t chase what’s off limits.
This time, I’m staying away.
And I’ll keep telling myself that until I believe it.
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Hot new release from Kandi Steiner — live in Kindle Unlimited! An angsty, emotional, student/teacher romance.
What He Never Knew was one of my most anticipated books for 2019 and now it is one of my all-time favorite reads. It is a 5-star story that is raw, intense, thought-provoking, and beautiful. Every emotion that could be drawn from a reader was drawn from me.
I sobbed clutching my knees to my chest while I lived through the pain that both Reese and Sarah endured. I smiled and laughed as they grew close confiding their worst truths in each other and learned to trust each other with their heart and soul. I cheered them on as they fought for each other and I sobbed again, many times, as they worked their way through obstacles and all their struggles.
Reese has always held a special place in my heart. I loved him in books one and two and from the very beginning of this book, I felt his heart breaking, I felt his pain, and I crumbled right alongside him. I was only able to do this because of the way Kandi puts pen to paper. She has an ability like no other to captivate the reader, draw them into a world where life is not all rosey and the thorns are sharp. She brings reality to her stories, she brings emotion to the words, which brings out the emotions of the reader.
I became invested in the lives of Reese and Sarah; I wished them happiness above all else. I didn’t see their love as taboo because I saw them as people who found a soulmate, I saw how the music they loved, talked to each other and touched them deep inside.
Kandi’s words of wisdom throughout her books are phenomenal. The strong role models she has had in her life are obvious by the insight and advice she imparts. Her books always give off such a personal feel to them, like she has lived and breathed the journey she takes her characters on. No other author touches me like Kandi. No other author draws me into a story like Kandi. I like angst and Kandi does angst right. I am in awe once again at her magnificence.
Lastly, this epilogue was absolute perfection. Every loose end, every future possibility was touched on. Kandi delivered a happy ever after like none other. Reese has found his one and I couldn’t be happier for him.
While this book can definitely be read as a standalone, there is a duet out there where you get to experience all that Reese Walker is. Your enjoyment of this book will be greatly enhanced by reading the duet first. Trust me.
New student/teacher from Kandi Steiner! It’s a teacher/student, age gap romance set in Pittsburgh. She’s his boss’s NEICE, to add to the drama!
Oooooh, so much angst. So much goodness! Kandi killed it on this story!
I liked this book. There was agony, pain, sorrow….and then there was joy, happiness and love. The heroine was so strong in her painful journey and filled with such a longing to express herself through music. The hero of the story is at rock bottom and has no where to go but up. When the two of them are together in the tangled mess of this life, the music they create is daunting, powerful and heartfelt. I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, but this one knocks it out of the park!
I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I’m gonna lie I didn’t like Reese all that much when he was pining over Charlie and how went about that relationship.
The man is still all messed up in the head with the way things ended between them and he was suffering by being surrounded by her everywhere. Charlie’s character just makes me despise her more in this book because of how she is still treating Reese. But that’s not the first of the story.
I liked how Sarah and Reese connected through their pain and love of music. That part of the story the author did right. It was nice to see Sarah loosen up a bit after suffering through her trauma. My only issue is that I did not feel this connection wholeheartedly. At times I saw it, but at others nothing. I think they had a great working relationship and they opened up to one another, exposing the painful parts of themselves. It was very beautiful.
I also didnt care for how Sarah was portrayed as a black woman and the nonchalant way she and her mother and father experienced racism. I’m going to break it down into vivid detail, it’s just something I peeped out. I think this could have touched on a little better instead of being a shoutout to the strife her parents went through to be together.
All in all I did like Reese in the end. Sarah was a great character who I truly felt for. A solid read by this author.
I was so emotionally confused after reading the second book that I hesitated to begin WHNK. Oh, how grateful I am that I did! Kandi saved the best story for last in this series. Sarah’s heartbreaking story of the loss of trust and more, and how she came to face her demons was so emotionally compelling. And Reese, oh Reese! THIS. This is the journey you needed! The connection of not just emotion, but story… so perfectly written and completed. I needed this end to the series, it truly made my heart happy. I’m still left feeling very frustrated with Charlie overall. How she was with Reese was so unfair to him. And I’m glad he was finally able to tell her so.
Once again I’m floored by the characters Kandi has created.
If you’ve read the previous two books you know this story was one that would pull on your heart strings – but oh man the emotions Reese was feeling literally made my heart ache for him.
Sarah! OMG, her story really hits home. I kept wanting to reach out and hug her. I wanted to tell her to let Reese in – but I fully understood why she felt the way she did – rape sticks with you long after the action.
Side note: I LOVED the author note Kandi wrote at the end – if you haven’t read it please do.
I am going to keep this review short and sweet… I had never read a book by Kandi Steiner prior to the What He Doesn’t Know series. For some reason, I am completely into a storyline where the main character needs to pick between two people. I was look so hard for that kind of storyline and I ran into Kandi Steiner’s books so I thought I would take a chance. I am so glad that I did. The first two books completely satisfied my need for that genre. So naturally when What He Never Knew came out, I needed that book in my life.
I am going to be honest, this book was not as good (for me) as the first two books. I feel like I had an expectation that wasn’t met. Totally not the authors fault because it was well written. My opinion is all on me and mindset going into this book.
Of course, that does not mean that will never read another Kandi Steiner book again. In fact, I read a few of her other books and LOVED them.
Just because this book fell flat for me, that does not mean that someone else won’t read it. But I do think that you need to read all three books at the same time. Your heart will be broken and put back together again! What He Never Knew needed to be written to finish off the series. Everyone gets their HEA. This entire series takes you on such and emotional ride! I had book hangover for days!!
Try this series!! You may love it!
~ Review by Heidi Pharo
This book was… I feel bad saying brilliant because of the hurt, the pain and the horrible life experiences that these two went though. But the pain they both experienced is what drew them together and their story is one that I would read again. It was brilliant.
Also side note. The ebook has links to the songs played throughout the book. I really loved that I could listen along with what was happening in the book.
Swooon!!!!!!!!
I devoured this series!!!
Loved Sarah and Reese together. It was angsty and I loved the playlist option, it brought the story to life more for me!
A wonderfully emotional story on so many levels, I loved how talent, true talent, is both Sarah Henderson’s driving force and her life-jacket, and THE Reese Walker’s, pianist extraordinaire, secrt weapon to heal Sarah’s wounds and win her heart. Steinerìs portrait of two broken souls finding solace in music and in one another is heart-melting to say the least. Brownie points for Rojo-dog, a pretty lucky she-pit bull.
Hot new release from Kandi Steiner — live in Kindle Unlimited! Teacher/Student Romance, Age Gap Romance, Angsty, Musical, Emotional.
I received a copy for review purposes.
What I never knew was so much more than a teacher/student romance. This story is filled with pain, emotion, healing, and romance. I loved the story of struggle and determination from characters that are deep and strong.
This book is a standalone story and it gives readers Reese’s story which by the way I was excited to read. It was a good story but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did the first two. This story felt more depressing and I wished it was a little lighter. I liked the moments Reese and Sarah spent together but when they declared their love for each other, it didn’t seem real to me. It was too fast, too soon and seemed rushed. Yes, there was a connection but something was just missing from this story for me. The ending was sweet and deserving for both of the characters but I wished there was a little more, like an extra or extended epilogue with them and the baby.
What He Never Knew (What He Doesn’t Know Series Book 3) by Kandi Steiner is a contemporary, new adult, forbidden, age gap romance told in dual POV. It can be read as a standalone, but I’d recommend reading the duet (What He Doesn’t Know and What He Always Knew) first because what Reese experiences in the duet lays the foundation for his character in What He Never Knew.
The What He Doesn’t Know duet is one of my all-time favorite reads, so I was excited when I learned that the author was working on an additional book that would tell Reese’s story. Although I enjoyed What He Never Knew, for me, it didn’t quite live up to the books that preceded it. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe it’s because I grew to hate Reese in What He Always Knew which made falling in love with him in this book a little bit challenging. That being said, I did grow to like him quite a lot in this story and was glad to see him find his happy ending.
I really enjoyed Sarah as a character. She was mature, insightful, and strong. Both Reese and Sarah are damaged by the overwhelming pain of past experiences and they recognize this in each other. Despite a 16-year age difference, the fact that Reese is her piano teacher, and that his boss is Sarah’s uncle, they form a deep emotional connection over music and past traumas. Perfectly matched, they understand and relate to each other in a way that brings them both growth and healing.
As always, Kandi Steiner’s writing is an impeccable blend of poetic prose and raw emotion. I enjoyed this story, but the duet made a lifelong fan out of me. I can’t wait to read what she releases next.
I was so glad to see that this author wrote this third book. I had read the first two books and loved them, however, they didn’t end how I had hoped. So this book was the resolution I wanted to see!
Sarah comes to Reese for lessons after a terrible event forced her to flee from the school she was attending. And both are broken in different ways.
And Charlie, who I really liked in the first two books, really irritated me in this story!
There were so many layers to him, so many sad, broken, busted-up pieces that made the man who sat down at that piano every night and left the residents of Pittsburgh speechless with his musical ability. I’d only gotten a glimpse, but it was enough to make me crave more.
This is a story of healing and I loved it!
That’s when it hit me, all of it — the pain, the hiding, the sense of worthlessness, the fight to be more, the failure, the hope, the love, the gut-wrenching heartbreak. And I knew I couldn’t take another step forward until I faced my past, until I looked every ghost in the eye.
I highly recommend Kandi Steiner’s stories and I loved this series!
This was one special story from Kandi Steiner. Sarah and Reese are both broken souls. I love watching two broken people come together as much as I love a second chance romance, maybe because when you’re broken and love finds you it is a second chance. This pair couldn’t have seemed more different, but where they were different they also fit. This was a story of healing, of finding yourself thru the broken pieces. It also was a story of not giving up, of fighting for your own sense of justice. It was just beautiful.
Always knew I would love Reeses story. My heart didn’t feel complete before but it has now been mended.
Sarah was just the perfect character for him. A young woman who has been through such a traumatic experience was slowly put back together by the love and support of Reese. We see him dealing with his own demons of his past, his struggles in daily life on the road to find happiness.
I love how the author was sensitive to Sarah’s journey. Too many authors brush over the deep psychological trauma of rape insofar as they meet a guy, maybe suffer a flashback but then everything is ok. This was a slow recovery for Sarah , as it should be. My heart broke for her as she struggled to take back the control of her life. So heart moving and just the perfect epilogue to satisfy my heart that everyone is happy out there living their lives.
This is my first Kandi book. I know it’s book 3 in a series, but I was able to read it as a stand alone just fine. I really felt the brokenness of both Reese and Sarah. They both have lost loved ones, and his sadness and self doubt comes from feeling like he’s not enough, and not worth choosing, while a good portion of her broken parts remain from a tragic event. While this has an element of taboo, older man, younger woman, teacher vibe, that took a backseat to how they healed one another and brought out the best in each other. Kind of emotional and angsty- not sobbing in a ball on the floor but still full of feels.