Monday, October 6, 2014

Review of Unbeloved by Madeline Sheehan

Synopsis: Dorothy Kelley is a born romantic, searching for her prince. Instead she finds herself pregnant at fifteen, and in a loveless marriage by the tender age of eighteen. 

Then hope comes riding into her life on a motorcycle and within weeks, Jason “Jase” Brady, a member of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club, sweeps Dorothy off her feet.

But nothing is ever simple for Dorothy. Jase is married with children. And as Dorothy patiently waits for Jase to give her the happily-ever-after she’s been dreaming about, James “Hawk” Young, a member of the Hell’s Horsemen with secrets of his own, sees an opening into Dorothy’s life and takes it.

Carrying on two secret affairs is no easy feat. As Dorothy tries to dig herself out of the mess she’s created, covering one mistake with another, tragedy strikes, nearly costing Dorothy her life and that of her unborn son.

What follows is a long and painful journey of self-discovery and forgiveness, as Dorothy comes to realize that home was exactly where she’d left it, and the love she’d forever craved had always been within her reach.

This is the story of Dorothy, Jase, and Hawk.

We are all born pure; it is our journey that burdens us and leads us astray. Our mistakes that beat us down and cover us in guilt and shame, burying us a little more with each passing hardship. It is up to us to dig ourselves out, to come to terms with our faults, to embrace not only our imperfections but those of the ones we love, and to once again find the path we strayed from. 


Warning: This is not a conventional or predictable love story. It involves one woman and two men bound by a love so destructive it spans two decades, pitting brother against brother, and shattering the lives of those touched by it.

4.5 Stars!

Review: I think the word that best describes this book, for me, is bittersweet. Bittersweet because we have already seen glimpses into the story of Dorothy, Jase and Hawk, and bittersweet because I feel like this series is that much closer to being finished. That last part just makes me sad because, every few months, I find myself looking forward to the next story, the next glimpse, into the Hell's Horsemen. This particular story was not even my favorite in all of these stories, but I still loved it. I still loved seeing what other people are up to, how other people have aged, how Cox and Kami are still alive, somehow, and haven't killed each other, etc. And, yet...none of them are getting younger, and they are all perfect examples of how this author does not write fairytales. There are real life consequences for the decisions that are made. 

This part of the story takes place after Chrissy, Jase's wife, shot Dorothy. Dorothy has been hiding out, from Jase and Hawk, from the Hell's Horsemen, and really, from life, for the last seven years. She comes back, however, when Hawk needs her. This is where you finally find out who she loves - not who she wants to love, but who she actually loves. We also find out that there is more to the story of Hawk, and now, there is more to the story of Jase. Jase's story absolutely breaks your heart. He truly has lost it all, including his daughters, and he does not know if he has anything left to fight for. I have to say that his story with his daughter, Maribelle, absolutely breaks your heart, and I really hope that we find out more about them in the future. He finally sees that her birth is what made him start running, years ago, and it may be her giving him another chance that makes him stop running and fight for his family. 

And finally, Hawk. Hawk has been running from something for years, and he is finally ready to stop running. He feels that Dorothy and his son are worth fighting for, and he has to make some really major decisions to do this. It was absolutely gut-wrenching to see what happens to Hawk. It feels so unfair, which, again, goes back to this author not writing fairy tales. And then we have ZZ. I have no words for ZZ right now. I'm not sure how on earth there will be a book about him without him dying a horrible death, which makes it so difficult and compelling to read it! And Preacher...I feel like I am going to just sob through all of his book, which comes next. I can't wait, though. 

Jessica

No comments:

Post a Comment