ARC Review: Unstoppable by Shannon Richard

Title: Unstoppable (A Country Roads Novel, #3)

Author:  Shannon Richard

Publisher/Publication Date: Forever Mass Market, July 29, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format/Source: Paperback, Publisher

About Unstoppable

Some things you don't dare let go . . . 

Melanie O'Bryan knows life is too short to be afraid of taking chances. And former Air Force sergeant Bennett Hart is certainly worth taking a chance on. He's agreed to help her students with a school project, but she's hoping the handsome handyman will offer her a whole lot more. Yet despite his heated glances and teasing touches, Mel senses there's something holding him back . . . 

Bennett Hart is grateful to be alive and back home in Mirabelle, Florida. Peaceful and uncomplicated-that's all he's looking for. Until a spunky, sexy-as-hell teacher turns his life upside down. After one smoldering kiss, Bennett feels like he's falling without a parachute. But with memories of his past threatening to resurface, he'll have to decide whether to keep playing it safe, or take the biggest risk of all. 

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Click on the link to read an excerpt of Unstoppable.

MY THOUGHTS

Overall, Unstoppable by Shannon Richard has a good storyline, but there were times when the pacing was slow.

The prologue was well-written and it started out with a bang with intense, dramatic moments. And shortly after the start of the first chapter, the dialogue between Mel and Bennett became monotonous at times.  The dialogue eventually got more interesting as the conflicts intensified, and as the reader became privy to Bennett’s inner struggles as a result of his past. Although Mel, Bennett, and their friends had the tendency to drink too much, the presence of the supporting characters resulted in more fluid, engaging, and realistic scenes.

The conflicts causing tension between them were reasonable. They both had experienced traumatic events in the past and going forward they had differing ways of dealing with life.  Bennett lived cautiously and had commitment issues; whereas Mel was the type that lived life to its fullest. As a result of Bennett’s cautious behavior, there was a great deal of tension between them that resulted in realistic conflicts, which they had difficulty resolving.

There was too much emphasis on Mel’s Hair. Her hair was discussed several times throughout the story-from the fact that he loved her curly hair to it being a disaster to it simply being windblown to it being liked by Cindy’s two year old daughter June. There were moments when the discussion of her hair was appropriate; however, the frequent references to Mel’s hair were excessive.  

I liked how Mel and Bennett's relationship evolved over time. I prefer romance novels in which there is a strong emotional connection between the hero and heroine that supersedes the physical connection. In Unstoppable, the emotional connection wasn't apparent in the beginning. Bennett seemed infatuated with Mel’s looks—including her hair. Mel seemed convinced that spicing things up was the cure-all to their problems. Their frequent sexual encounters depicted two people in a lustful relationship. And it was a pleasant surprise when they started having more meaningful encounters that depicted a stronger emotional connection.

Unstoppable, book #3 of the Country Roads series is the first book that I've read by Shannon Richard. The story was good with a great beginning and end. Although, I had issues with some of the pacing found in this book and the sex scenes were a little too frequent, the quality of the writing improved as the story progressed. As such, I would consider reading the previous books in the Country Roads series and future work by this author.

Rating 3/5

I received an ARC of Unstoppable from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.