What do you think?
Rate this book
Walkers Ford #1
Unforgiven
For as long as he could remember, he wanted her…
Raised by a single mother, Adam Collins resolved to take no chances with a girl’s future—or his own. That’s why, as hard as it was, he resisted everything he felt for Marissa Brooks. Then one night a reckless challenge left a fellow student dead and changed both their lives forever. As penance, Adam took the boy’s place in the Marines, where he could disappear into discipline and duty, and left Marissa behind to struggle with her dreams.
Twelve years later, Adam is back in Walkers Ford to serve as the best man in his friend’s wedding. The years haven’t diminished the electric connection he has with Marissa. But Adam’s mistake continues to haunt him, and Marissa is stumbling under the weight of her family’s legacy. Together they wrestle with demons and dreams, but if there’s any hope for a future together Adam has to not only find a way to forgive himself, but also ask others for forgiveness—especially from the woman whose heart he broke.
Raised by a single mother, Adam Collins resolved to take no chances with a girl’s future—or his own. That’s why, as hard as it was, he resisted everything he felt for Marissa Brooks. Then one night a reckless challenge left a fellow student dead and changed both their lives forever. As penance, Adam took the boy’s place in the Marines, where he could disappear into discipline and duty, and left Marissa behind to struggle with her dreams.
Twelve years later, Adam is back in Walkers Ford to serve as the best man in his friend’s wedding. The years haven’t diminished the electric connection he has with Marissa. But Adam’s mistake continues to haunt him, and Marissa is stumbling under the weight of her family’s legacy. Together they wrestle with demons and dreams, but if there’s any hope for a future together Adam has to not only find a way to forgive himself, but also ask others for forgiveness—especially from the woman whose heart he broke.
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 4, 2013
10 people are currently reading
909 people want to read
About the author
Anne Calhoun
53 books656 followersAfter doing time at Fortune 500 companies on both coasts, I found myself living in the suburbs of a small Midwestern city. The glamour of various cube farm jobs had worn off, so I gave up making a decent living to take Joseph Campbell’s advice and follow my bliss: writing romance.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
June 10, 2013
4.5 stars.****Review completed June 10, 2013
When you get everything aligned, when love welcomes the longing, accepts it, learns to live with it, you make love.
For the last twelve years Adam Collins has served his country in the Marine Corps. After a tragic incident, a very young Adam decided to join the Marines to seek discipline, honor and a purpose--maybe even to punish himself. Now Adam comes home from active duty service to start building a new life, but also to attend the wedding of his best friend with his ex-girlfriend. He is Keith's best man after all. However, his ultimate goal is to start graduate school in South Dakota State's architecture program in a few months. Keith and Delaney will hold their wedding reception in Marissa Brooks's house. Due to necessary renovations as well as wedding preparations it's unavoidable that Adam and Marissa will see each other again. There is some serious history between these two.
Many of us love Anne's erotic stories. Unforgiven is her first foray into contemporary romance and I must say it's been a successful debut. Truth be told, I'm very relieved coz the first 20 % of Unforgiven have been very slow and did not wow me. Besides, the first sex scene (the quickie in the pantry) which took place very early into the plot didn't do anything for me at all. So, I guess you can understand that I was not sure how it would pan out and I was honestly a tiny bit worried I wouldn't enjoy it. Having said that my virtual headache vanished into thin air when I had the pleasure to read the beautiful and very enticing love scene at 28 %. Yowza! From there on everything picked up for me and the story got better and better. Unforgiven turned out to be a great and absolutely worthwhile read and I ended up loving it. The sex was absolutely vanilla for a very good reason. It's contemp romance not erotica. Yet I loved those scenes nonetheless because Anne captured my attention through plenty of emotion and sensuality. That's the power and beauty of words.
At its core Unforgiven conveys a thoughtful and important message. Set yourself free from your self-imposed fetters and self-punishment. We live and make mistakes and we learn. There comes a day when you have made enough atonement for past mistakes; ask for forgiveness and it will be granted. And first and foremost don't stop dreaming. Never. Ever. Like love dreams come in different forms and shapes at the most unexpected places. Find and live your dream because life is too short to dwell on past mistakes that you cannot change anymore. Make your life worthwhile, live it to its fullest, let yourself be loved and love right back.
To err is human. To forgive is divine. Neither is Marine Corps policy. The bumper sticker on his car said it all. No mistakes. No forgiveness. It's a Marine thing, he'd said casually to Marissa. But life didn't reduce to a bumper sticker, and maybe that was the answer to who he was when he wasn't this Marine. Not inhumanly perfect, or unable to forgive. Just Adam. Just like everyone else.
Just keep on dreaming…and act on it.
Sex in the shower...
I LOVED…
How clever, insightful and creative is that?
I loved the small town setting in South Dakota and the steady downpour set the pace and atmosphere of the story. In a way the constant rain and chilliness were perfect and emphasized the melancholic aspect of Unforgiven. After all, seeking redemption and absolution is never a happy task. Friendly heads-up, Unforgiven is not a fluffy and light romance. There's a wistfulness which is always hovering over the book, however, it did suit the plot perfectly and it was well-executed. The more I read the more I got into the swing of things and I recognized Anne's script. It's her distinct and poignant 'voice' that I became fond of over the last few years. Also, she sure knows how to write arousing sex/love scenes that will make my girlie bits tingle (I'm not talking about the sober and boring quickie in the pantry). Most of the love scenes of Unforgiven are incredibly intimate and I could feel their hunger and longing for each other. Plus, the heroine, Marissa, was quite a revelation. It doesn't happen too often that I have the privilege of meeting a strong heroine with an interesting and very creative vocation. Let's face it, it's very common that renovations and carpenting are tasks that men take care of, yet I really enjoyed to see Marissa at work. She truly did a great and inspiring job, and behind the tough craftswoman we see an enticing and sexually experienced female.
Adam's powerful speech at 79 % was A-mazing. All I can say is that's true class and it takes a very honorable man to do that. Kudos to Adam and of course to Anne! And I totally get it why he acted the way he did. He couldn't have changed a single thing anyway and he stayed true to himself.
Minor quibble
Aside from the not overwhelming beginning I wanted an epilogue because it would have been nice to see these two a few years down the road.
Looking at the whole picture then it's obvious that Unforgiven is a wonderful flavor of good plot, beautiful love scenes, interesting characters all wrapped up in a strong and thoughtful message.
Next up is Lucas and Alana's story and Anne told me there will be more of Adam and Marissa AND Nate in Jaded. I'm hopeful that Anne will tell Nate's story, too. I can't put my finger on it but there is something about Nate that appealed to me. A lot. The man is a piece of work, I'm sure.
Recommended read.
When you get everything aligned, when love welcomes the longing, accepts it, learns to live with it, you make love.
For the last twelve years Adam Collins has served his country in the Marine Corps. After a tragic incident, a very young Adam decided to join the Marines to seek discipline, honor and a purpose--maybe even to punish himself. Now Adam comes home from active duty service to start building a new life, but also to attend the wedding of his best friend with his ex-girlfriend. He is Keith's best man after all. However, his ultimate goal is to start graduate school in South Dakota State's architecture program in a few months. Keith and Delaney will hold their wedding reception in Marissa Brooks's house. Due to necessary renovations as well as wedding preparations it's unavoidable that Adam and Marissa will see each other again. There is some serious history between these two.
Many of us love Anne's erotic stories. Unforgiven is her first foray into contemporary romance and I must say it's been a successful debut. Truth be told, I'm very relieved coz the first 20 % of Unforgiven have been very slow and did not wow me. Besides, the first sex scene (the quickie in the pantry) which took place very early into the plot didn't do anything for me at all. So, I guess you can understand that I was not sure how it would pan out and I was honestly a tiny bit worried I wouldn't enjoy it. Having said that my virtual headache vanished into thin air when I had the pleasure to read the beautiful and very enticing love scene at 28 %. Yowza! From there on everything picked up for me and the story got better and better. Unforgiven turned out to be a great and absolutely worthwhile read and I ended up loving it. The sex was absolutely vanilla for a very good reason. It's contemp romance not erotica. Yet I loved those scenes nonetheless because Anne captured my attention through plenty of emotion and sensuality. That's the power and beauty of words.
He settled over her, his cheek to hers, and she reflected on a new facet of touch. Rough-stubbled jaw against soft skin. Breath huffing against her ear as he maintained his pace. The heavy weight of his body pressing her into the mattress. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and clung to him as he moved, pulses of sensation washing from deep inside her out to the edges of her skin. The normally solid boundary between her and the world that disappeared when she took wavered again, then vanished as release flung her into blackness.
It was like no time had passed at all. Different season, different decade, two seemingly different people, but it was the same. The heat, the passion, the need, the sense of total rightness; and this time he held nothing back.
"That's my secret, Ris. I focus on whatever I'm doing. I block out everything else. Now I'm focused on how tight you are, how you're slick and hot, and I'm paying attention." He stroked in once, twice, and pleasure began to simmer. "That's good," he said.
"You're cold," she exclaimed, then brushed her thumb over his lips. Even those were cool to the touch.
"I don't feel cold." His voice was distant, remote, as if the forty-degree temps and fog had chilled his voice, too.
She let her hand slip down his jaw to rest on his chest. He looked down at her, physically present, emotionally in the cold emptiness of space. "Says the Marine. I know cold. You're cold."
At its core Unforgiven conveys a thoughtful and important message. Set yourself free from your self-imposed fetters and self-punishment. We live and make mistakes and we learn. There comes a day when you have made enough atonement for past mistakes; ask for forgiveness and it will be granted. And first and foremost don't stop dreaming. Never. Ever. Like love dreams come in different forms and shapes at the most unexpected places. Find and live your dream because life is too short to dwell on past mistakes that you cannot change anymore. Make your life worthwhile, live it to its fullest, let yourself be loved and love right back.
"It's the sun," she said through the lump in her throat.
"It's always there, Ris," he said gently. "Sometimes you just have to go searching for it."
To err is human. To forgive is divine. Neither is Marine Corps policy. The bumper sticker on his car said it all. No mistakes. No forgiveness. It's a Marine thing, he'd said casually to Marissa. But life didn't reduce to a bumper sticker, and maybe that was the answer to who he was when he wasn't this Marine. Not inhumanly perfect, or unable to forgive. Just Adam. Just like everyone else.
Just keep on dreaming…and act on it.
Sex in the shower...
"Slow," he said. "Really slow. Like it has to last forever."
I LOVED…
How clever, insightful and creative is that?
I loved the small town setting in South Dakota and the steady downpour set the pace and atmosphere of the story. In a way the constant rain and chilliness were perfect and emphasized the melancholic aspect of Unforgiven. After all, seeking redemption and absolution is never a happy task. Friendly heads-up, Unforgiven is not a fluffy and light romance. There's a wistfulness which is always hovering over the book, however, it did suit the plot perfectly and it was well-executed. The more I read the more I got into the swing of things and I recognized Anne's script. It's her distinct and poignant 'voice' that I became fond of over the last few years. Also, she sure knows how to write arousing sex/love scenes that will make my girlie bits tingle (I'm not talking about the sober and boring quickie in the pantry). Most of the love scenes of Unforgiven are incredibly intimate and I could feel their hunger and longing for each other. Plus, the heroine, Marissa, was quite a revelation. It doesn't happen too often that I have the privilege of meeting a strong heroine with an interesting and very creative vocation. Let's face it, it's very common that renovations and carpenting are tasks that men take care of, yet I really enjoyed to see Marissa at work. She truly did a great and inspiring job, and behind the tough craftswoman we see an enticing and sexually experienced female.
Adam's powerful speech at 79 % was A-mazing. All I can say is that's true class and it takes a very honorable man to do that. Kudos to Adam and of course to Anne! And I totally get it why he acted the way he did. He couldn't have changed a single thing anyway and he stayed true to himself.
Minor quibble
Aside from the not overwhelming beginning I wanted an epilogue because it would have been nice to see these two a few years down the road.
Looking at the whole picture then it's obvious that Unforgiven is a wonderful flavor of good plot, beautiful love scenes, interesting characters all wrapped up in a strong and thoughtful message.
Next up is Lucas and Alana's story and Anne told me there will be more of Adam and Marissa AND Nate in Jaded. I'm hopeful that Anne will tell Nate's story, too. I can't put my finger on it but there is something about Nate that appealed to me. A lot. The man is a piece of work, I'm sure.
Recommended read.
"I'm asking. Please. Give me something more than a facade, more than a dream. Give me something real. Give me you."
June 15, 2013
Adam Collins returns home after twelve years in the Marines and several tours of duty. He left after an accident left a fellow student dead and he felt guilty about the accident. He left because he felt he had nothing to offer his young love, Marissa. Marissa has never left the town. She bought back her family home, Brookhaven, and is trying to restore it. Adam came back over the years and started a relationship with the town’s rich girl, Delaney. They got engaged but he broke the engagement at a later stage. Delaney is now engaged to be married to Adam’s best friend, Keith and he is back to be Best Man at the Wedding.
Marissa has dreams but is afraid to take the leap of faith and live the dream. Adam has dreams but he thinks his dream is to return home to Walkers Ford, South Dakota, go to University and live his life out there with small-town living.
It was an interesting tale of Adam and Marissa who were attracted to each other. Ms Calhoun’s other books, well the ones that I have read, have been shorter and more erotic. This was a full length, contemporary romance. It worked for me. I would have loved an Epilogue to see where they were in five years time or thereabouts.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write on the tablet of your heart.
June 21, 2013
There are no words for what we were. Love isn't big enough. Lust isn't deep enough. Lost covers it. We were lost in each other.
To err is human. To forgive divine. Neither is Marine Corps policy. But life didn't deduce to a bumper sticker, and maybe that was the answer to who he was when he wasn't this Marine. Not inhumanly perfect, or unable to forgive. Just Adam. Just like everyone else.
Her father taught her to dream. Life taught her dreams don't always come true. Her first time with Adam fell more into the realm of fantasy fulfilled.
Twelve years ago a tragedy changed the lives of Adam and Marissa. Struggling with guilt from the resulting death of his friend, Adam joins the Marines in his place.
Now Adam is back in his home town of Walkers Ford and looking to start to re-build his life, after being this Marine being all he'd known for 12 years. He's back to start graduate school and to attend the wedding of his ex-fiance to his best friend.
Adam is struggling with having to face his past mistakes and regrets, one of them being the young love he left behind, Marissa.
As soon as he sees Marissa, all his past feelings for her come back with the force of a hurricane, and the passion between them burns hotter than ever.
Even though Marissa loved Adam with all the passion of the 17 year old that she was, the 30 year old woman doesn't give her heart as freely as she might her body.
I loved Marissa's character. She wasn't ashamed of her past, and she owned her sexuality. I loved the flip scenario of Adam only having had 2 lovers, while Marissa was the more experienced one.
Marissa doesn't fight her physical attraction to Adam, but she does guard her heart. She doesn't believe that Adam is here to stay this time.
She chose bed partners without much regard for rules or convention, but something dark and dangerous occasional breathed under Adam's steel-hard exterior. He had the power to annihilate her. He'd done it before.
I really loved Adam's quiet intensity. He isn't the typical domineering, possessive, man whoring hero.
"Why aren't you defensive about this? Most guys would be?"
"About having reached the advanced age of thirty and slept with two women, instead of two dozen, or two hundred?" When she nodded, he added, "'Quantity equals quality' is just another way of saying size matter, and I'm not most men."
The young Adam was a rebel, the now Adam has grown into a different man.
"Then was one running battle between testosterone and willpower. He was the life of the party, the strategist behind every prank, skating through school on charm and just enough to get by"
"Girls?"
"What's the old Marine Corps slogan? Many were called. Few were chosen."
The passion between Adam and Marissa was scorching. Anne Calhoun has this incredible talent for writing passionate, yet at the same time extremely emotional love scenes, where not a detail goes unnoticed by the reader.
"Just so you know...if you change your mind ask anytime." He bent forward and kissed her, soft, hot temptation personified, before he stepped back. "I won't say no."
An image flashed bright on the movie screen of her mind: Adam, in her bed, saying yes to everything she asked. She'd been shocked by electric currents before, and that's exactly what happened now, the charged air between them zapping the breath from her lungs. Leaving the bedroom lights off, he covered the distance to the back door in four steps, then walked out into the rain.
The way the love developed between the two characters was an incredibly beautiful journey, and I loved every single moment of it.
"I can handle a lot, Adam. Giving up a dream I had no hope of realizing isn't much at all in the big scheme of things."
"Don't you see?" he asked gently. "I don't want you to give up anything for me. I want to give you everything I have, everything I am, everything you've ever wanted.
If you've never read a book by the amazing Miss Calhoun before, you are missing out. She is an incredibly talented author that is able to weave together words, details, feelings, and passion to paint a beautiful picture in the mind of the reader. Having read her erotic romance in the past, her foray into Contemporary Romance was definitely not a disappointment.
I loved this book, I loved the characters. The story was focused on Adam and Marissa, with no additional subplots, which I really enjoyed.
So why only 4 stars? While I really enjoyed this book, I tend to rate by how easily I am able to put the book down. I loved the story and I really loved the characters, but I also had no problems putting it down and coming back to it later.
If you are a fan of beautiful and incredibly steamy contemporary romance with endearing characters, I would highly recommend this book.
June 9, 2013
4.5 Stars! Anne Calhoun releasing a full length novel will make me drop whatever I'm doing in order to read her work. Unforgiven is no exception. I wanted to savor it. Enjoy the book. But I devoured it like it was a Godiva Chocolate and the store was having a buy one, get two free sale!
I love the way Calhoun writes characters. They are so well drawn and yet open enough, that it leaves room for you to interpret them however you wish. The book starts out with a bang and leaves the characters to sort out what they are really feeling. Kind of like ripping off the emotional bandaid at Mach One.
Marissa's family home, Brookhaven sets the stage for a newly civilian Adam to arrive on the scene. He's come back to South Dakota, after 12 years in the Marines. Oddly enough, he's there to be the best man at his ex-fiancé's and best friend's wedding. When he arrives, he doesn't expect to see Marissa. His high school sweetheart and the woman she's become. The fire between them burns bright, possibly brighter than before. Flashbacks are written about their time in HS and it doesn't feel the slightest bit inappropriate. It's incredibly sexy and coming of age.
What I loved-
-Adam became a Marine because he felt he owed it to his deceased friend, Josh. He wanted to honor his memory and take the slot that Josh would have if certain events hadn't happened. Very honorable.
-That Marissa works construction by day and has renovated Brookhaven herself. She sees it as her legacy and yet confines herself to the cramped servants' quarters under the guise of being frugal with her heating bills, but I think there may be more to Marissa putting herself into such close quarters.
-The chemistry with Adam and Marissa, it was undeniable. Neither could resist the other. Marissa has always been Adam's stars, navigating him eventually home. Adam has always been Marissa's sun. She wants to get close enough to feel the heat, but she's afraid if she gets too close she'll get burned.
-The romance. Who said a Marine couldn't be romantic? Adam pulls out all the stops to woo his "tough girl." He even gives her a massage, in earnest. Not as a means to lead into sex, but in a way to relieve her sore muscles. He wants her to feel good. But more than that, he wants her dreams to come true.
-Their sex. It's so intimate. Hot and intensely sensual, as only AC can do. The way she describes them being in the moment. Sweat trickling down his spine, dust motes in the air of the barn. It's gorgeous! I love how their lovemaking progressed throughout the book. It was the first place you'd see walls come down and both were very adept at building walls. Luckily, they both were experts at demolition. :)
-Brookhaven, the big house, is a character all it's own.
-Marissa wears a formal outfit that she's worn before! *gasp*. That's so real life. I ♥ it!
-The scarf.
-Such a polished, beautifully written book. I loved it!
This is a definite recommended read! I can't wait for Jaded, which features Alana and Lucas!
If you love Anne Calhoun, we have a fan group where everyone is welcome! Come join us!
Have a question for Anne? Here you go!
Anne's answers questions about Unforgiven
Merged review:
4.5 Stars! Anne Calhoun releasing a full length novel will make me drop whatever I'm doing in order to read her work. Unforgiven is no exception. I wanted to savor it. Enjoy the book. But I devoured it like it was a Godiva Chocolate and the store was having a buy one, get two free sale!
I love the way Calhoun writes characters. They are so well drawn and yet open enough, that it leaves room for you to interpret them however you wish. The book starts out with a bang and leaves the characters to sort out what they are really feeling. Kind of like ripping off the emotional bandaid at Mach One.
Marissa's family home, Brookhaven sets the stage for a newly civilian Adam to arrive on the scene. He's come back to South Dakota, after 12 years in the Marines. Oddly enough, he's there to be the best man at his ex-fiancé's and best friend's wedding. When he arrives, he doesn't expect to see Marissa. His high school sweetheart and the woman she's become. The fire between them burns bright, possibly brighter than before. Flashbacks are written about their time in HS and it doesn't feel the slightest bit inappropriate. It's incredibly sexy and coming of age.
What I loved-
-Adam became a Marine because he felt he owed it to his deceased friend, Josh. He wanted to honor his memory and take the slot that Josh would have if certain events hadn't happened. Very honorable.
-That Marissa works construction by day and has renovated Brookhaven herself. She sees it as her legacy and yet confines herself to the cramped servants' quarters under the guise of being frugal with her heating bills, but I think there may be more to Marissa putting herself into such close quarters.
-The chemistry with Adam and Marissa, it was undeniable. Neither could resist the other. Marissa has always been Adam's stars, navigating him eventually home. Adam has always been Marissa's sun. She wants to get close enough to feel the heat, but she's afraid if she gets too close she'll get burned.
-The romance. Who said a Marine couldn't be romantic? Adam pulls out all the stops to woo his "tough girl." He even gives her a massage, in earnest. Not as a means to lead into sex, but in a way to relieve her sore muscles. He wants her to feel good. But more than that, he wants her dreams to come true.
-Their sex. It's so intimate. Hot and intensely sensual, as only AC can do. The way she describes them being in the moment. Sweat trickling down his spine, dust motes in the air of the barn. It's gorgeous! I love how their lovemaking progressed throughout the book. It was the first place you'd see walls come down and both were very adept at building walls. Luckily, the both were experts at demolition. :)
-Brookhaven, the big house, is a character all it's own.
-Marissa wears a formal outfit that she's worn before! *gasp*. That's so real life. I ♥ it!
-The scarf.
-Such a polished, beautifully written book. I loved it!
This is a definite recommended read! I can't wait for Jaded, which features Alana and Lucas!
If you love Anne Calhoun, we have a fan group where everyone is welcome! Come join us!
Have a question for Anne? Here you go!
Anne's answers questions about Unforgiven
I love the way Calhoun writes characters. They are so well drawn and yet open enough, that it leaves room for you to interpret them however you wish. The book starts out with a bang and leaves the characters to sort out what they are really feeling. Kind of like ripping off the emotional bandaid at Mach One.
Marissa's family home, Brookhaven sets the stage for a newly civilian Adam to arrive on the scene. He's come back to South Dakota, after 12 years in the Marines. Oddly enough, he's there to be the best man at his ex-fiancé's and best friend's wedding. When he arrives, he doesn't expect to see Marissa. His high school sweetheart and the woman she's become. The fire between them burns bright, possibly brighter than before. Flashbacks are written about their time in HS and it doesn't feel the slightest bit inappropriate. It's incredibly sexy and coming of age.
What I loved-
-Adam became a Marine because he felt he owed it to his deceased friend, Josh. He wanted to honor his memory and take the slot that Josh would have if certain events hadn't happened. Very honorable.
-That Marissa works construction by day and has renovated Brookhaven herself. She sees it as her legacy and yet confines herself to the cramped servants' quarters under the guise of being frugal with her heating bills, but I think there may be more to Marissa putting herself into such close quarters.
-The chemistry with Adam and Marissa, it was undeniable. Neither could resist the other. Marissa has always been Adam's stars, navigating him eventually home. Adam has always been Marissa's sun. She wants to get close enough to feel the heat, but she's afraid if she gets too close she'll get burned.
-The romance. Who said a Marine couldn't be romantic? Adam pulls out all the stops to woo his "tough girl." He even gives her a massage, in earnest. Not as a means to lead into sex, but in a way to relieve her sore muscles. He wants her to feel good. But more than that, he wants her dreams to come true.
-Their sex. It's so intimate. Hot and intensely sensual, as only AC can do. The way she describes them being in the moment. Sweat trickling down his spine, dust motes in the air of the barn. It's gorgeous! I love how their lovemaking progressed throughout the book. It was the first place you'd see walls come down and both were very adept at building walls. Luckily, they both were experts at demolition. :)
-Brookhaven, the big house, is a character all it's own.
-Marissa wears a formal outfit that she's worn before! *gasp*. That's so real life. I ♥ it!
-The scarf.
-Such a polished, beautifully written book. I loved it!
This is a definite recommended read! I can't wait for Jaded, which features Alana and Lucas!
If you love Anne Calhoun, we have a fan group where everyone is welcome! Come join us!
Have a question for Anne? Here you go!
Anne's answers questions about Unforgiven
Merged review:
4.5 Stars! Anne Calhoun releasing a full length novel will make me drop whatever I'm doing in order to read her work. Unforgiven is no exception. I wanted to savor it. Enjoy the book. But I devoured it like it was a Godiva Chocolate and the store was having a buy one, get two free sale!
I love the way Calhoun writes characters. They are so well drawn and yet open enough, that it leaves room for you to interpret them however you wish. The book starts out with a bang and leaves the characters to sort out what they are really feeling. Kind of like ripping off the emotional bandaid at Mach One.
Marissa's family home, Brookhaven sets the stage for a newly civilian Adam to arrive on the scene. He's come back to South Dakota, after 12 years in the Marines. Oddly enough, he's there to be the best man at his ex-fiancé's and best friend's wedding. When he arrives, he doesn't expect to see Marissa. His high school sweetheart and the woman she's become. The fire between them burns bright, possibly brighter than before. Flashbacks are written about their time in HS and it doesn't feel the slightest bit inappropriate. It's incredibly sexy and coming of age.
What I loved-
-Adam became a Marine because he felt he owed it to his deceased friend, Josh. He wanted to honor his memory and take the slot that Josh would have if certain events hadn't happened. Very honorable.
-That Marissa works construction by day and has renovated Brookhaven herself. She sees it as her legacy and yet confines herself to the cramped servants' quarters under the guise of being frugal with her heating bills, but I think there may be more to Marissa putting herself into such close quarters.
-The chemistry with Adam and Marissa, it was undeniable. Neither could resist the other. Marissa has always been Adam's stars, navigating him eventually home. Adam has always been Marissa's sun. She wants to get close enough to feel the heat, but she's afraid if she gets too close she'll get burned.
-The romance. Who said a Marine couldn't be romantic? Adam pulls out all the stops to woo his "tough girl." He even gives her a massage, in earnest. Not as a means to lead into sex, but in a way to relieve her sore muscles. He wants her to feel good. But more than that, he wants her dreams to come true.
-Their sex. It's so intimate. Hot and intensely sensual, as only AC can do. The way she describes them being in the moment. Sweat trickling down his spine, dust motes in the air of the barn. It's gorgeous! I love how their lovemaking progressed throughout the book. It was the first place you'd see walls come down and both were very adept at building walls. Luckily, the both were experts at demolition. :)
-Brookhaven, the big house, is a character all it's own.
-Marissa wears a formal outfit that she's worn before! *gasp*. That's so real life. I ♥ it!
-The scarf.
-Such a polished, beautifully written book. I loved it!
This is a definite recommended read! I can't wait for Jaded, which features Alana and Lucas!
If you love Anne Calhoun, we have a fan group where everyone is welcome! Come join us!
Have a question for Anne? Here you go!
Anne's answers questions about Unforgiven
July 24, 2013
Anne Calhoun has produced a winner with Unforgiven! This second chance at romance offers a little twist to the plot that I enjoyed. It’s an intense love story that involves past mistakes and the healing power of love and forgiveness!
Both protagonist (Adam and Marissa) are intriguing characters making this an engaging read. It’s wickedly hot, very emotional and I’m hoping Ms. Calhoun will offer more stories like this in the future!
Both protagonist (Adam and Marissa) are intriguing characters making this an engaging read. It’s wickedly hot, very emotional and I’m hoping Ms. Calhoun will offer more stories like this in the future!
July 16, 2013
4,5 Stars - Sensual and melancholy in a well-written novel about second chances, a fireplace mantle and to dare to believe that someone is going to stay.
First of all. This is the second novel I read by this author. I hope you haven't missed her maybe little more erotic romance, Liberating Lacey. If you haven't read it, then you have missed something very good (my review). With that good experience I start, with high expectations to read this newly published novel by the same author.
It's raining, old wrongs are unresolved, life is not quite like the old dreams, needs and attraction has been pushed away and two souls need the other's touch and perhaps heart. Now there is an opportunity for change and daring to take a second chance.
Adam Collins has been gone for 12 years, when he comes back to the small town, Walker's Ford in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota, he meets again his teenage dream and sweetheart, the tough Marissa (Ris) Brooks. They are like two bees on a juice glass, and after half an hour, they are helpless, but not loving and tender, close together. The attraction and desire precedes feelings, or are they nevertheless remain?
Adam and Marissa are two very sympathetic and "human" characters. They have both good and inferior sides, behaviors and characteristics - they feel real. I love the fact that the roles were reversed in part, he kept on his body for true love, she followed the desires of her body. (Refreshing to read that men can wait for the right one and that women can help themselves to what they need.). They move, touch and creates a special atmosphere in, perhaps a little harsh - but a realistically described, story about theirs never forgotten desires and needs for each other.
# She bought the previously lost large family estate, Brookhaven which has been in her family for generations. The life task to restore the house to its former glory has become an obsession and Marissa is stuck in her old promise to her now gone father.
# He, Adam, did as young a big mistake a happy and thirsty night with his friends. A mistake he can never repair.
... What's done is done, what has happened has happened and both now need to find a way to dissolve the old, evil and aching, knots in their souls - open their hearts again and then move on in life. A lost "mantel" can maybe be a solution, or?
As a friend*) expressed it; “Anne (Calhoun) writes fabulous and sensual sex/love scenes”, and she really do. This story is for the most part very quietly told. The steps towards a possible (and in a romance expected) resolution with eternal love and a grand HEA, is small and go slowly and carefully forward. There are many unspoken words and emotions BUT there is always steaming hot and so beautifully sensual.
This is a novel with a heartbreaking and very strong story - a story to really feel for. It's two people to care for and a slowly evolving change in their life to witness. Very good - I'm happy and satisfied. My expectations are fulfilled...
I Like - tender and sensually in the melancholy constant rain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
*) Baba, I stole some well-expressed words from you in an encouraging comment to me when I read the book. Thank you for them! [Do you want to read Baba's great review - which I read and later it was an inspiration to me when I picked this novel to read now - follow this link: Baba's review - "Unforgiven" by Anne Calhoun
First of all. This is the second novel I read by this author. I hope you haven't missed her maybe little more erotic romance, Liberating Lacey. If you haven't read it, then you have missed something very good (my review). With that good experience I start, with high expectations to read this newly published novel by the same author.
“This is about you and me, Ris,” he said. “It's always been about you and me.”
It's raining, old wrongs are unresolved, life is not quite like the old dreams, needs and attraction has been pushed away and two souls need the other's touch and perhaps heart. Now there is an opportunity for change and daring to take a second chance.
Adam Collins has been gone for 12 years, when he comes back to the small town, Walker's Ford in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota, he meets again his teenage dream and sweetheart, the tough Marissa (Ris) Brooks. They are like two bees on a juice glass, and after half an hour, they are helpless, but not loving and tender, close together. The attraction and desire precedes feelings, or are they nevertheless remain?
‘When you get everything aligned, when love welcomes the longing, accepts it, learns to live with it, you make love.’
Adam and Marissa are two very sympathetic and "human" characters. They have both good and inferior sides, behaviors and characteristics - they feel real. I love the fact that the roles were reversed in part, he kept on his body for true love, she followed the desires of her body. (Refreshing to read that men can wait for the right one and that women can help themselves to what they need.). They move, touch and creates a special atmosphere in, perhaps a little harsh - but a realistically described, story about theirs never forgotten desires and needs for each other.
# She bought the previously lost large family estate, Brookhaven which has been in her family for generations. The life task to restore the house to its former glory has become an obsession and Marissa is stuck in her old promise to her now gone father.
# He, Adam, did as young a big mistake a happy and thirsty night with his friends. A mistake he can never repair.
... What's done is done, what has happened has happened and both now need to find a way to dissolve the old, evil and aching, knots in their souls - open their hearts again and then move on in life. A lost "mantel" can maybe be a solution, or?
‘One hard, demanding kiss and she opened to him. a little whimper escaped her before she lifted one hand to his nape and the other to his ruthlessly shawed jaw.’
As a friend*) expressed it; “Anne (Calhoun) writes fabulous and sensual sex/love scenes”, and she really do. This story is for the most part very quietly told. The steps towards a possible (and in a romance expected) resolution with eternal love and a grand HEA, is small and go slowly and carefully forward. There are many unspoken words and emotions BUT there is always steaming hot and so beautifully sensual.
This is a novel with a heartbreaking and very strong story - a story to really feel for. It's two people to care for and a slowly evolving change in their life to witness. Very good - I'm happy and satisfied. My expectations are fulfilled...
I Like - tender and sensually in the melancholy constant rain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
*) Baba, I stole some well-expressed words from you in an encouraging comment to me when I read the book. Thank you for them! [Do you want to read Baba's great review - which I read and later it was an inspiration to me when I picked this novel to read now - follow this link: Baba's review - "Unforgiven" by Anne Calhoun
June 10, 2013
As a teenager, Adam Collins had a penchant for being reckless and loved to race. He also fell hard for a girl named Marissa Brooks. Their relationship was never defined, but it was passionate and wildly intense. Yet they never went any further than their exploration of each other due to Adam being scared of unexpected pregnancy. He substituted his sexual frustration with drinking and reckless acts. Adam took it too far while drinking one night. He challenged his friend to a bike race who ended up crashing his bike and dying on impact. Adam is desperate to atone for his mistake, so he signs up for the Marines in place of the boy who lost his life, and leaves Marissa behind. He then starts dating Delaney, a town girl who was the complete opposite of Marissa. They got engaged but, because of complicated reasons, broke up. Eventually, Delaney starts dating Keith, Adam’s best friend, and now she’s marrying him.
Adam has come back to Walkers Ford to live after being in the Marines for twelve years. He plans to attend graduate school for architecture and to stay for good this time. He’s also back to serve as Keith’s best man. While Adam doesn’t have any feelings towards Delaney, it’s still awkward to be in their wedding. Their wedding is being held at Brookhaven, Marissa’s family home, where she’s put blood, sweat, and tears into renovating it. She loves this home and has had a difficult time letting it go… but dreams of sailing around the world someday.
When Adam and Marissa meet again, neither of them expected to pick up where they left off, but after twenty minutes in each other’s company, they crash together with all the pent up desire and passion they’ve always felt for one another. Even though the chemistry between them sizzles, they have both changed. Adam is not the same boy from years ago and Marissa is not the same girl. Marissa doesn’t want to get back involved with Adam for fear that even though he says he’s staying, he will leave again. She doesn’t want her heart broken again. But, with Adam’s persistence, she keeps finding herself in his arms. They form a passionate love affair, but what they have goes much deeper than just sex.
Adam, our tortured hero, has never forgiven himself for his friend’s death. The Marines gave him the discipline and duty he desperately needed to help bury his guilt and emotions - which is why Delaney was a safe bet at the time. Marissa made him feel everything while he didn’t feel anything with Delaney. He’s brave enough to fight for his country, but facing his past scares him. Adam came home to make amends with his past, but wasn’t expecting to open new doors to a more hopeful future with Marissa.
“You were like you always were, unavoidable. Undeniable. The siren call I couldn’t resist.”
Marissa is tough. She’s resilient to the harsh rumors the town whispers about her. She’s very independent and a stubborn hard worker. She’s always lived in Walker’s Ford, but you can tell she feels restless. She wants to sail around the world, but her loyalty to Brook Haven keeps her there. Brook Haven is imbedded in her soul. It may mean a lot to Marissa, but it’s also like a safety blanket that she needs to wean herself off of. Adam encourages her to follow her dream to sail. He shows her that she can explore her dreams if she just takes a chance. Whether she decides to let go of her family home and spread her wings is the question.
“For Adam she would give everything. He coaxed longing to life like flame in a campfire, kept it simmering until the edges of her skin dissolved into the space around her.”
One of the most interesting elements about this story that really stood out for me is how the author wrote a heroine who is more experienced than the hero when it comes to sex. Even as adults, Marissa’s had more sexual partners than Adam. I like how the author wrote the hero and heroine this way. You don’t usually get a hero who isn’t just as or more experienced than the heroine too often in a romance. But Adam’s inexperience doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Oh, no. The man has skilled fingers and a hot mouth. The heat and steam between them is fierce. Combustible.
When I first started this story, I really didn’t like it. I had a difficult time with the pace and the mood this story put me in. This story has a melancholy feel to it and it remains that way throughout most of the story. But, even with my issues, I began to notice how elegant and smooth Anne Calhoun’s writing is. She has a way with emotional words that flow seamlessly. And the more I read, the more I started to see the story more clearly. This story is thought-provoking, smart, rich in description, quiet, intense, and all the characters are well-developed and complex.
The title Unforgiven makes a lot of sense once you get to the root of the storyline. Unforgiven is a story about second chances, forgiveness, and acceptance. It’s about moving on and being happy rather than living in the past. Adam and Marissa are two emotionally broken people who have lost their way in life. They both struggle internally for different reasons. Because they are so closed off, this flaw keeps them from admitting to each other how they truly feel. It took them a while to come to their senses, but eventually their emotional journey brings them together. I’m looking forward to reading to the next book in this series, Jaded.
Rating: B
Heat: Hot
-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review
Find us on Twitter and Facebook too!
June 5, 2013
Adam leaves the marines and heads back to his home town of Walkers Ford, South Dakota to figure out what is next in his life. First up is being the best man in his good friend’s wedding. And while this may seem like a fun, and joyous occasion, it is actually quite complicated.
Growing up Adam fell in love with a girl named Marissa. Adam was always high speed, high powered everything. Reckless, some would say. But the one area he was not reckless in was his relationship with Marissa. They had intense feelings and that passionate exploration you have when you are young, but he was always scared to go all the way with her. Instead, he would get all worked up with her, then leave her and speed away on his motorcycle, The last time he did this, his best friend ended up dying on the side of the road. That night he left and became a Marine, changing his life drastically. It was during this time that he started dating and became engaged to Delaney, who was safe and the opposite of Marissa. But eventually Adam realizes he can’t marry her and breaks it off. She soon becomes engaged to Adam’s friend Keith, which brings him home in the present day for their wedding.
The wedding is to be held at this huge estate manor called Brookhaven. Marissa has spent years fixing up what was once a dilapidated estate. This wedding will be its big debut. She has put blood and sweat into this renovation, as Brookhaven is in her blood. What no one knows is that while Brookhaven drives her, her true passion is sailing. She has never left South Dakota, but has read book after book and dreams of one day being on the water. When Adam shows up at Brookhaven unannounced, (a few days before the wedding) Marissa is shocked to see him. One look at each other and their passion from twelve years ago is right back.
I initially wanted to say this book is dark, but I’m not sure that is the right word. Maybe somber is better. I’m not saying it’s a sad book, but it is a heavy one with complex characters. (It also rains pretty much the entire book, which makes me think somber). It’s lovers reunited, with a lot of junk piling up since they last saw each other. While Adam is truly over Delaney, it’s still uncomfortable being the best man at her wedding. Things from Delaney’s past start to rear their ugly head, adding to Adam’s discomfort. Adam has an extreme amount of guilt over his friend’s death all those years ago. He blames himself, and he can’t forgive himself.
The main focus of this story though is Adam and Marissa’s journey back to one another. And it all starts in the pantry.
“You think we can just pick up exactly where we left off,” she said, still husky but now unsteady.
“Pick up and keep going,” he said bluntly. Not very romantic, but this wasn’t about romance. This was just old embers, coaxed back to life by a fifteen month deployment, fueled by alcohol. Nothing more.
Oh but there is much more. One of the things Anne Calhoun excels at is writing emotionally, tension-filled sex scenes. They are seriously so damn sexy. In another book, these two hooking up ten minutes after they see each other might seem silly or rash – but in this case, so much is explored and learned from their encounter. Each scene adds more to their relationship and is better than the last.
I love the way she writes Marissa. She cares so much for Brookhaven, but you just know she isn’t settled in life. She is very independent and proud of her work, but there is this sadness that hangs over her. As she worked on the house, she has had boyfriends, many who seemed to help her in certain areas of the house along the way. The town has taken to calling her slutty, something Adam puts a stop to as soon as he gets to town. Marissa has had many sexual partners and could care less about it. Adam has had two. I love that the author gives Marissa this background. How many times in romance books is the hero the one with all the sexual experience? It’s a nice change.
Adam comes back into her life, and this time opens her eyes and lets her explore new things. And she gives him the strength to accept the accident that took his friend so many years ago. I think Anne Calhoun has one of the best erotic voices out there right now. I highly recommend this one.
Rating: B+
Growing up Adam fell in love with a girl named Marissa. Adam was always high speed, high powered everything. Reckless, some would say. But the one area he was not reckless in was his relationship with Marissa. They had intense feelings and that passionate exploration you have when you are young, but he was always scared to go all the way with her. Instead, he would get all worked up with her, then leave her and speed away on his motorcycle, The last time he did this, his best friend ended up dying on the side of the road. That night he left and became a Marine, changing his life drastically. It was during this time that he started dating and became engaged to Delaney, who was safe and the opposite of Marissa. But eventually Adam realizes he can’t marry her and breaks it off. She soon becomes engaged to Adam’s friend Keith, which brings him home in the present day for their wedding.
The wedding is to be held at this huge estate manor called Brookhaven. Marissa has spent years fixing up what was once a dilapidated estate. This wedding will be its big debut. She has put blood and sweat into this renovation, as Brookhaven is in her blood. What no one knows is that while Brookhaven drives her, her true passion is sailing. She has never left South Dakota, but has read book after book and dreams of one day being on the water. When Adam shows up at Brookhaven unannounced, (a few days before the wedding) Marissa is shocked to see him. One look at each other and their passion from twelve years ago is right back.
I initially wanted to say this book is dark, but I’m not sure that is the right word. Maybe somber is better. I’m not saying it’s a sad book, but it is a heavy one with complex characters. (It also rains pretty much the entire book, which makes me think somber). It’s lovers reunited, with a lot of junk piling up since they last saw each other. While Adam is truly over Delaney, it’s still uncomfortable being the best man at her wedding. Things from Delaney’s past start to rear their ugly head, adding to Adam’s discomfort. Adam has an extreme amount of guilt over his friend’s death all those years ago. He blames himself, and he can’t forgive himself.
The main focus of this story though is Adam and Marissa’s journey back to one another. And it all starts in the pantry.
“You think we can just pick up exactly where we left off,” she said, still husky but now unsteady.
“Pick up and keep going,” he said bluntly. Not very romantic, but this wasn’t about romance. This was just old embers, coaxed back to life by a fifteen month deployment, fueled by alcohol. Nothing more.
Oh but there is much more. One of the things Anne Calhoun excels at is writing emotionally, tension-filled sex scenes. They are seriously so damn sexy. In another book, these two hooking up ten minutes after they see each other might seem silly or rash – but in this case, so much is explored and learned from their encounter. Each scene adds more to their relationship and is better than the last.
I love the way she writes Marissa. She cares so much for Brookhaven, but you just know she isn’t settled in life. She is very independent and proud of her work, but there is this sadness that hangs over her. As she worked on the house, she has had boyfriends, many who seemed to help her in certain areas of the house along the way. The town has taken to calling her slutty, something Adam puts a stop to as soon as he gets to town. Marissa has had many sexual partners and could care less about it. Adam has had two. I love that the author gives Marissa this background. How many times in romance books is the hero the one with all the sexual experience? It’s a nice change.
Adam comes back into her life, and this time opens her eyes and lets her explore new things. And she gives him the strength to accept the accident that took his friend so many years ago. I think Anne Calhoun has one of the best erotic voices out there right now. I highly recommend this one.
Rating: B+
July 24, 2013
Excellent read, one that I savored slowly, didn’t want it to end. The writing was superb, the love story very emotional and sensual, great scenes, great writing as usual from this author.
HERO is a Warrior, strong-willed, intense, who used to be a wild, reckless teenager until he joined the Marines and now after ten years he’s back home to resume his civilian life. He thought the stormy emotions his former girlfriend aroused in him had vanished, until he sees her again.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE: contemporary/drama
LENGTH: 337 pages
HERO is a Warrior, strong-willed, intense, who used to be a wild, reckless teenager until he joined the Marines and now after ten years he’s back home to resume his civilian life. He thought the stormy emotions his former girlfriend aroused in him had vanished, until he sees her again.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE: contemporary/drama
LENGTH: 337 pages
August 20, 2013
FABTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved this one, putting it straight at the top of my favourite list :-)
Loved this one, putting it straight at the top of my favourite list :-)
March 15, 2015
Twelve years as a Marine are behind Adam Collins when he returns to Dakota. A girl he used to date is about to get married and he has agreed to act as best man. He's planning to take an architecture course, despite the downturn in the economy which is not really referred to, but first has to rejoin civilian life. The first group of townsfolks he meets contains two past relationships. Delaney is the engaged former girlfriend, while Marissa has taken on an old mansion to restore - I didn't really understand how she got it in return for unpaid tax or something. Adam has a lot of memories - while his various teenage stupid acts remain UNFORGIVEN. Marissa still finds him attractive, but I could not like how she has a quick fling in a cupboard with this man she hasn't seen in a dozen years, during a gathering of folks, and then turns her back on him. I thought she had no self-respect. Marissa married an adrenalin junkie, who drank and drove, and died young; we're not told why she married so young. She's been self-sufficient ever since and had passing boyfriends.
"It's easier to keep someone out than get them out once they're in," Marissa tells Adam. So... why did she have sex? He hurt her years ago and she has no wish to hook up with him, believing he's going to leave again. Adam has to accept that but hopes she'll change her mind. The town has a Carnegie library which needs some repair work, and other buildings provide the two with ample discussion points when Adam asks Marissa to keep him company over a Thai dinner. Bamboo flooring as a renewable hardwood resource. They might as well have admitted they were dating as they rush straight home and...
Marissa needs an Art Deco wooden mantel to replace one that Adam had destroyed years previously in order to restore her house. The damage is a constant reminder of how reckless the young man used to be. She's also agreed to let her historic house be the setting for Delaney's wedding and Adam has agreed to be best man; this must be a tiny community.
Marissa wants to go sailing, so with that and pulling nails out of timbers, there's a lot of activity. There's also a lot of adult action but not much love. Adam places great stress on not having fooled around while a soldier, unlike most young men, while Marissa, strangely, holds it against him that he wouldn't go all the way with her while she was seventeen. The pair keep going over this same ground instead of agreeing that they are adults now and moving on. I found all this unlikely. People coming from small towns and going back to them seem doomed to find the same old relationships in this book, and only a new maturity can save them from the same old disasters. Personally I thought the young people would have been better moving to a city and marrying people who weren't likely to be their cousins.
"It's easier to keep someone out than get them out once they're in," Marissa tells Adam. So... why did she have sex? He hurt her years ago and she has no wish to hook up with him, believing he's going to leave again. Adam has to accept that but hopes she'll change her mind. The town has a Carnegie library which needs some repair work, and other buildings provide the two with ample discussion points when Adam asks Marissa to keep him company over a Thai dinner. Bamboo flooring as a renewable hardwood resource. They might as well have admitted they were dating as they rush straight home and...
Marissa needs an Art Deco wooden mantel to replace one that Adam had destroyed years previously in order to restore her house. The damage is a constant reminder of how reckless the young man used to be. She's also agreed to let her historic house be the setting for Delaney's wedding and Adam has agreed to be best man; this must be a tiny community.
Marissa wants to go sailing, so with that and pulling nails out of timbers, there's a lot of activity. There's also a lot of adult action but not much love. Adam places great stress on not having fooled around while a soldier, unlike most young men, while Marissa, strangely, holds it against him that he wouldn't go all the way with her while she was seventeen. The pair keep going over this same ground instead of agreeing that they are adults now and moving on. I found all this unlikely. People coming from small towns and going back to them seem doomed to find the same old relationships in this book, and only a new maturity can save them from the same old disasters. Personally I thought the young people would have been better moving to a city and marrying people who weren't likely to be their cousins.
December 12, 2013
Honestly kinda bored with this one. Especially when the first moment between Adam and Marissa uniting in 12 years was more or less a cheap quickie. Then I hit the 50% mark. That’s when I got the ahhh…that’s what my reader buds have been talking about.
This story takes its time in the telling as Adam/Marissa’s relationship slowly develops and they work at finding forgiveness and a way towards their dreams/desires from an equally troubled past. The author does a great job of making the reader feel the characters emotions. I felt Marissa’s thrill at taking her first plane/boat ride and her excitement at being in Chicago. Who wouldn’t fall in love with Adam wanting to give Ris her dreams? As for the side characters, there was a surprising and satisfyingly fine moment or two between Adam, his best friend and ex-fiancé. And was it just me or did there seem to be a little potential of something that could be simmering between the police chief and the librarian? If you’re in the mood for a small town romantic drama about 2nd chances, this one will work.
This story takes its time in the telling as Adam/Marissa’s relationship slowly develops and they work at finding forgiveness and a way towards their dreams/desires from an equally troubled past. The author does a great job of making the reader feel the characters emotions. I felt Marissa’s thrill at taking her first plane/boat ride and her excitement at being in Chicago. Who wouldn’t fall in love with Adam wanting to give Ris her dreams? As for the side characters, there was a surprising and satisfyingly fine moment or two between Adam, his best friend and ex-fiancé. And was it just me or did there seem to be a little potential of something that could be simmering between the police chief and the librarian? If you’re in the mood for a small town romantic drama about 2nd chances, this one will work.
September 3, 2013
Very good!
I must say that I enjoyed more Marissa. She wasn't afraid to acknowledge her feeling like Adam.
I understand and honor Adam's choice to take place of his friend, but he exaggerated! To me it seemed that he wanted to exchange his life for those of his friend and, in my opinion, that's a very wrong thing.
But in the book that was well explained and I didn't let this my opnion infuence me or make the book less enjoyable! :D
I must say that I enjoyed more Marissa. She wasn't afraid to acknowledge her feeling like Adam.
I understand and honor Adam's choice to take place of his friend, but he exaggerated! To me it seemed that he wanted to exchange his life for those of his friend and, in my opinion, that's a very wrong thing.
But in the book that was well explained and I didn't let this my opnion infuence me or make the book less enjoyable! :D
February 27, 2025
What the synopsis doesn’t mention is the hugely messy additional obstacles of his having broken up with her, his dating and getting engaged to someone else, his fiance ending up with his best friend, and how some of the fallout from that is addressed, but not how it effected her emotionally.
There was good stuff here, but so messy, and I don’t think she got enough apologies or acknowledgment of her feelings, from him or anybody else.
There was good stuff here, but so messy, and I don’t think she got enough apologies or acknowledgment of her feelings, from him or anybody else.
November 5, 2021
3,5 mi è piaciuto un po’ meno degli altri della stessa autrice… migliora da tre quarti in poi
August 17, 2013
I loved this book. AC does it again with an amazingly unique take on the second-chance romance story. It focuses on two very strong, but vulnerable people and tells their rather detoured path to a happy ending.
Marissa, is a construction-designer, who lives under the small town microscope and often suffers stigma because of the harsh judgemental nature of town gossip. (I loath gossip!) she is judged as being "fast" when in fact she is rather fastidious, though unafraid to act on her need for passion. Intriguing. The author gradually opens up the lens on what lies beneath this unique woman. We come to realize and appreciate that she is courageous, strong and resilient. Not only did she loose the love-of-of-her-life, it was in an excruciatingly painful and abrupt way. He left to go to war.
As a result, I wasn't very inclined to warm up to our hero. Especially with some of his subsequent actions. ARGH- I wanted to ask Adam, "what we're you thinking? Never fear! AC let's you discover why, and even more amazingly, empathize.
WARNING: this is more than a two tissue read. I sobbed. Not just cried, sobbed for what these characters had survived and the forgiveness they found for themselves and with each other. I am struck by how eloquent this author is, that we arrive at a wonderful place - witness to the grace of forgiveness, without one bit of sermonizing.
If your looking for a wonderfully written, character driven story, I highly recommend Unforgiven. If this type of story isn't for you, pick up one of Anne's other books...you will not regret it.
Marissa, is a construction-designer, who lives under the small town microscope and often suffers stigma because of the harsh judgemental nature of town gossip. (I loath gossip!) she is judged as being "fast" when in fact she is rather fastidious, though unafraid to act on her need for passion. Intriguing. The author gradually opens up the lens on what lies beneath this unique woman. We come to realize and appreciate that she is courageous, strong and resilient. Not only did she loose the love-of-of-her-life, it was in an excruciatingly painful and abrupt way. He left to go to war.
As a result, I wasn't very inclined to warm up to our hero. Especially with some of his subsequent actions. ARGH- I wanted to ask Adam, "what we're you thinking? Never fear! AC let's you discover why, and even more amazingly, empathize.
WARNING: this is more than a two tissue read. I sobbed. Not just cried, sobbed for what these characters had survived and the forgiveness they found for themselves and with each other. I am struck by how eloquent this author is, that we arrive at a wonderful place - witness to the grace of forgiveness, without one bit of sermonizing.
If your looking for a wonderfully written, character driven story, I highly recommend Unforgiven. If this type of story isn't for you, pick up one of Anne's other books...you will not regret it.
June 4, 2017
I found the story a bit inconsisent. the bad characters were lame and stupid and the hero and heroine were... I don't know, they didn't feel like very real to me ;) The whole book has a sort of dark shadow, a strong sense of duty, all the people in this book are doing things and living their life for some wrong reason. Not my cup of tea :(
June 7, 2013
"They'd been caged like animals then, trapped like animals behind bars they couldn't see, only feel"
Turning the pages of this book was like peeling layers off an onion or maybe a rose.... I'm not a huge fan of onions and besides this book, in not one single way, smells like an onion.
In a nutshell, Adam comes home from deployment to be the best man in his best friend and former fiance's wedding. He comes home to his childhood love Marissa who has lived the past 12 yrs trying to rebuild her family's homestead. He comes home to repair his mistakes...big tragic mistakes. And to face the enormity of what remains between he and Marissa.
I knew this book would be intense and somewhat...sad? Dark? Melancholy? But there were these wonderful moments of clarity that Ms. Calhoun wove throughout the book. And we (and Adam and Marissa) got more and more of those well earned moments too! I felt like there were lightbulbs going off over my head throughout this whole book. Ms. Calhoun builds this story up and then she gracefully pulls the intense, heavy and dark layers off of the whole shebang.
This is a story of love and forgiveness. Forgiveness of others and forgiveness of yourself. It was about Marissa and her love and devotion to her family and its deep history. Her devotion to a home and to a family that was no longer living. I loved Adam and Marissa and frankly there was no doubt, from the moment that Adam walked into the Brooks home, that these two were totally destined to be together. They both had work to do within and outside of themselves in order for them to move on with each other.
As always- Ms. Calhoun knows how to write one hell of a sexytimes scene and God love her for it. I know I do!
And we get Alana's story next! Hot Chief of Police Lucas! Maybe we can get a story for Nate??
There were moments when Ms. Calhoun took my breath away...and made me cry.
"A train of thought chugged through his mind as he drove back into town. Her father taught her to dream. He taught her to need, then left. Consequently, he'd taught her to endure. Neither one, of them taught her anything about fulfillment, or dependability. If she knew anything about that, it was thanks to Chris. Now Adam was back, and according to Keith, taking his place at the end of a line of men teaching Marissa something she needed to know.
He didn't want to teach her anything. He wanted to give her everything"
*Stands and claps*
And that my friends... is how it is done.
Turning the pages of this book was like peeling layers off an onion or maybe a rose.... I'm not a huge fan of onions and besides this book, in not one single way, smells like an onion.
In a nutshell, Adam comes home from deployment to be the best man in his best friend and former fiance's wedding. He comes home to his childhood love Marissa who has lived the past 12 yrs trying to rebuild her family's homestead. He comes home to repair his mistakes...big tragic mistakes. And to face the enormity of what remains between he and Marissa.
I knew this book would be intense and somewhat...sad? Dark? Melancholy? But there were these wonderful moments of clarity that Ms. Calhoun wove throughout the book. And we (and Adam and Marissa) got more and more of those well earned moments too! I felt like there were lightbulbs going off over my head throughout this whole book. Ms. Calhoun builds this story up and then she gracefully pulls the intense, heavy and dark layers off of the whole shebang.
This is a story of love and forgiveness. Forgiveness of others and forgiveness of yourself. It was about Marissa and her love and devotion to her family and its deep history. Her devotion to a home and to a family that was no longer living. I loved Adam and Marissa and frankly there was no doubt, from the moment that Adam walked into the Brooks home, that these two were totally destined to be together. They both had work to do within and outside of themselves in order for them to move on with each other.
As always- Ms. Calhoun knows how to write one hell of a sexytimes scene and God love her for it. I know I do!
And we get Alana's story next! Hot Chief of Police Lucas! Maybe we can get a story for Nate??
There were moments when Ms. Calhoun took my breath away...and made me cry.
"A train of thought chugged through his mind as he drove back into town. Her father taught her to dream. He taught her to need, then left. Consequently, he'd taught her to endure. Neither one, of them taught her anything about fulfillment, or dependability. If she knew anything about that, it was thanks to Chris. Now Adam was back, and according to Keith, taking his place at the end of a line of men teaching Marissa something she needed to know.
He didn't want to teach her anything. He wanted to give her everything"
*Stands and claps*
And that my friends... is how it is done.
June 3, 2013
Anne Calhoun is one of those rare authors whose work is unforgiveable intense and erotic without really trying so hard. When I saw that Calhoun was coming out with a new book, I knew I had to read UNFORGIVEN. She is one of my autobuy authors and with this book, she reminds me of why I love her work best.
Adam Collins has just returned from active service with the Marines. His last lady love is now engaged to be married to his best friend and while it should cause some sourness between them, Adam seems very mature about it all. That’s because he has a little vixen up his sleeve and within twenty minutes of returning home, Adam is in Marissa Brooks.
Marissa is a very interesting character. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid of expressing her wants sexually. It’s part of the reason why Adam is so drawn to her. She isn’t defensive or secretive, but open and refreshing. As we learn more and more about these characters, Calhoun gives them a backstory that is charming and sexy without really trying. Her words are quiet, but intense and it makes for a rocksteady romance that scorches the pages.
If you’ve read Calhoun before, you know that she writes fantastic sex scenes. Emotions are poured into every scene so not only do you get a hotter than hell sex scene, but you get character growth as well. I was very impressed by the way she was able to integrate large amounts of emotion into each scene so that it didn’t feel too similar with the one before it while maintaining a high level of heat.
Adam and Marissa are a match made in heaven. Their romance blooms at a believable and sure pace, leaving no question that at the end, they have reached their happily ever after.
Calhoun proves once again just how talented a writer she is with UNFORGIVEN. Intense emotions, broken souls and a white hot romance is what you will find in this book. I’d make sure I checked this one out for sure, a definite recommend!
*ARC provided by publisher
June 26, 2013
I feel like I should have liked this one better than I did. I was so so with the story and the characters. I was intrigued by what happened in the past and that is what kept me reading. I wanted to know what happened to Marissa and Adam in the past, why Adam broke off things with Delaney, and the facts about the accident.
I felt bad for Adam and Marissa, the way that the small minds in town treated them. Because of this I was glad that they had each other to rely on, both in the past and the present. It was interesting how Adam and Marissa slowly let each other in. So many of their interactions were sweet and unexpected, especially the boat trip.
It seemed like the house was looking large over everyone, it was almost it's own character. I get why Marissa was so tied to the house and why getting it done freaked her out. I was glad that Adam was there for her. I absolutely loved that with the wedding Marissa was able to flip the figurative bird to the whole town. Even better was the offer that came, it was just what Marissa needed for a new direction in her life.
Once Marissa faced down her ghosts I was happy that Adam was ready to face his. I thought what he did was brave, to face someone you expected to hate you. I thought that the response was right, understanding, forgiving, but still not letting Adam off.
I found the whole wedding/best man thing to be weird. I knew that there something off, but didn't see what coming. I loved how Adam confronted things, especially the toast! What great way to call out those that did wrong while looking like the good guy. I do wish that Adam would have spilled what he knew when forgiveness was asked of him, I thought that person should have known first hand what type of person they married.
I did like the ending for the book. It was a great way to bring the past to the present, yet giving a bright future for Adam and Marissa.
I felt bad for Adam and Marissa, the way that the small minds in town treated them. Because of this I was glad that they had each other to rely on, both in the past and the present. It was interesting how Adam and Marissa slowly let each other in. So many of their interactions were sweet and unexpected, especially the boat trip.
It seemed like the house was looking large over everyone, it was almost it's own character. I get why Marissa was so tied to the house and why getting it done freaked her out. I was glad that Adam was there for her. I absolutely loved that with the wedding Marissa was able to flip the figurative bird to the whole town. Even better was the offer that came, it was just what Marissa needed for a new direction in her life.
Once Marissa faced down her ghosts I was happy that Adam was ready to face his. I thought what he did was brave, to face someone you expected to hate you. I thought that the response was right, understanding, forgiving, but still not letting Adam off.
I found the whole wedding/best man thing to be weird. I knew that there something off, but didn't see what coming. I loved how Adam confronted things, especially the toast! What great way to call out those that did wrong while looking like the good guy. I do wish that Adam would have spilled what he knew when forgiveness was asked of him, I thought that person should have known first hand what type of person they married.
I did like the ending for the book. It was a great way to bring the past to the present, yet giving a bright future for Adam and Marissa.
June 3, 2015
Realistic. that's all i can say.
but it dragged on for too long. From the start to the end, the same problems were on. Adam was avoiding his past and problems, Ris was hanging on to tradition like crazy
Delaney Delaney, it was always her. In some point the author did try to tell us how much Ris meant to Adam but I couldn't feel it all, i couldn't feel like she was the most important girl and everyone paled in comparison.
Okay Delaney cheated on him when he deployed with his best friend. But stop hanging onto it if she didn't mean much to you.
I felt bad for Marissa, she loved him all this time but he still couldn't come clear with her. Yes, he did stuff for her, but was it guilt? The author described the emotions very well, too well that it feels like marissa was a second choice because Delaney cheated on him and couldnt wait for him.
I hated that.
This guy should just make up his mind. deal with his crap.
I read fiction because i wanted to escape from reality for a bit, but this book has more problems than my life. I feel tired reading it, it's like being dragged into someone else's mess and feel the emotional burden and FRUSTRATION that goes with him.
I think the major thing that i couldn't feel completely how much adam loves ris was because the author spent quite a large portion describing his feelings, unresolved ones for delaney. the author tried, but i guess it doesn't really work for me.
wouldn't recommend this book.
But I would commend the author for doing a good job at describing the emotions of the characters, helping the reader understand the feelings (which were like a whole hell of mixed ones -.- )
I got quite confused at the start with the names and stuff, but it was alright once you read on.
but it dragged on for too long. From the start to the end, the same problems were on. Adam was avoiding his past and problems, Ris was hanging on to tradition like crazy
Delaney Delaney, it was always her. In some point the author did try to tell us how much Ris meant to Adam but I couldn't feel it all, i couldn't feel like she was the most important girl and everyone paled in comparison.
Okay Delaney cheated on him when he deployed with his best friend. But stop hanging onto it if she didn't mean much to you.
I felt bad for Marissa, she loved him all this time but he still couldn't come clear with her. Yes, he did stuff for her, but was it guilt? The author described the emotions very well, too well that it feels like marissa was a second choice because Delaney cheated on him and couldnt wait for him.
I hated that.
This guy should just make up his mind. deal with his crap.
I read fiction because i wanted to escape from reality for a bit, but this book has more problems than my life. I feel tired reading it, it's like being dragged into someone else's mess and feel the emotional burden and FRUSTRATION that goes with him.
I think the major thing that i couldn't feel completely how much adam loves ris was because the author spent quite a large portion describing his feelings, unresolved ones for delaney. the author tried, but i guess it doesn't really work for me.
wouldn't recommend this book.
But I would commend the author for doing a good job at describing the emotions of the characters, helping the reader understand the feelings (which were like a whole hell of mixed ones -.- )
I got quite confused at the start with the names and stuff, but it was alright once you read on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2013
4 1/2 stars. I found this quite an emotional read, as well as having hot and sexy going on. But Adam seemed to place this sense of sombreness over the book.
“He went still, then looked up at her. “I didn’t know how to love anyone then.”
Not even himself, she’d bet. “You learn by doing”
Love and hearts lost and a journey of finding and forgiveness.
You'll never know if you're forgiven unless you ask for forgiveness. This was Adam and Marissa's journey. I thoroughly enjoyed it too!
“He went still, then looked up at her. “I didn’t know how to love anyone then.”
Not even himself, she’d bet. “You learn by doing”
Love and hearts lost and a journey of finding and forgiveness.
You'll never know if you're forgiven unless you ask for forgiveness. This was Adam and Marissa's journey. I thoroughly enjoyed it too!
November 19, 2014
This was an amazing story of forgiveness and finding your dreams. Cade and Marissa have a complicated, tragic, and passionate past. The directions that their lives took, the strength of will they both possessed, and their journey back to their true selves and each other is so well done. This is the kind of book that stays in your head after you've finished. An excellent read!
March 17, 2020
This is no as bad as the cover makes it look (bra apart, I really do like the bra the woman wears on the cover).
The story is interesting enough. The characters a little too flat. I skipped most of the steamy stuff because there’s only limited ways to describe sex without getting repetitive.
Typical “feminist” characters: the man is not in touch with his feelings, the woman is a super strong female who is in love with the same man all her life but meanwhile is not scared to explore her sexuality.
Good enough light reading for those days/nights when you want your mind to just wander.
The story is interesting enough. The characters a little too flat. I skipped most of the steamy stuff because there’s only limited ways to describe sex without getting repetitive.
Typical “feminist” characters: the man is not in touch with his feelings, the woman is a super strong female who is in love with the same man all her life but meanwhile is not scared to explore her sexuality.
Good enough light reading for those days/nights when you want your mind to just wander.
June 7, 2013
Review originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2013/06/03/...
MinnChica: I have really enjoyed Calhoun’s writing in the past, so when I found her new contemporary romance book, I knew I needed to get it right away. While I still love her writing style and ability to write some super sexy bedroom antics, there was something about this book that just didn’t work for me. I’m not sure if it was the “reputation” that Marissa had for reasons that never really made sense to me, or Adam’s unrelenting commitment to fixing everything, I just didn’t connect with the book like I have with previous stories by Calhoun.
Lou: I’ve been a fan of Calhoun’s short stories and I was looking forward to Unforgiven but like MinnChica, I also didn’t connect with the book. I felt detached to Marrisa and Adam and whilst the sex scenes were intense and hot, I lost interest in them outside of the bedroom. I also didn’t understand the ‘reputation’ that Marissa had. She liked sex and had relationships with her partners. I don’t understand why her enjoying sex became an issue in the book. As soon as her and Adam meet again after twelve years apart, they have sex after a short reintroduction. Considering that Adam broke Marissa’s heart I felt that their coming together was quick and not very romantic. I don’t know but I felt detached from everything and I’m not sure if it was the style of writing.
MinnChica: Like Lou, once I put this book down, I couldn’t really put my finger on why it didn’t work for me. Probably my biggest problem with the book was the weird issues surrounding this “reputation” that Marissa had. Like Lou said, Marissa had relationships with people she liked and respected, and the fact that those relationships created some kind of negative stigma for her was so random and unnecessary. The relationship between Adam and Marissa was good in the bedroom. Calhoun has always done a wonderful job of writing incredible erotic romances, so I was glad to see that aspect still rocked. However, the actual romance between Adam and Marissa just didn’t do it for me. I never really felt invested in either Adam or Marissa as individuals, so when it came time to their relationship, I just didn’t really seem to care one way or the other how things went between them.
Lou: I didn’t understand the negativity surrounding Marissa and her enjoyment of sex. Was it a counterpart to the hero not having as many sexual partners as the heroine? I also had issues with the writing. It was so wordy in places and there’s a whole lot of dialogue covering the story. There also wasn’t a lot of personality between Adam and Marissa and I found myself a little bored with their interactions outside of the bedroom. It’s really weird trying to explain properly why I didn’t get this romance or book. I just could not get engaged with the characters. I never really felt that I knew them as adults. It seemed like they were so hung up on their childhoods that it haunted their every move.
MinnChica: I totally agree with Lou that it seemed as if not only Adam and Marissa, but all the characters lived in the past. It was odd, and gave the book an off feeling. I just didn’t like it. I also had some major problems with Adam’s best friend Keith and his ex-fiance Delaney. I didn’t like either of them as individuals, nor did their relationship add anything to the story for me, other than manufactured drama.
All in all I was disappointed in this book. I wanted to love it because Calhoun has been a favorite of mine. I didn’t really connect with Adam or Marissa, and I never really felt invested in their relationship. I wanted to connect with them, and I just never really even cared about liking them as either individuals or a couple. The secondary characters didn’t work for me either, and I was bummed that the book overall was a little bit of a let down.
I give Unforgiven a C-
Lou: I just wanted to see more conflict driven from their lives as adults and not from their childhood because it overwhelmed everything. I think Adam was way too forgiving towards Delaney and Keith. They needed their asses booted so badly. All in all I didn’t love Unforgiven but I did love the except of Jaded, the next book in the series featuring Alana and the sexy Chief of Police.
I give Unforgiven a C-.
MinnChica: I have really enjoyed Calhoun’s writing in the past, so when I found her new contemporary romance book, I knew I needed to get it right away. While I still love her writing style and ability to write some super sexy bedroom antics, there was something about this book that just didn’t work for me. I’m not sure if it was the “reputation” that Marissa had for reasons that never really made sense to me, or Adam’s unrelenting commitment to fixing everything, I just didn’t connect with the book like I have with previous stories by Calhoun.
Lou: I’ve been a fan of Calhoun’s short stories and I was looking forward to Unforgiven but like MinnChica, I also didn’t connect with the book. I felt detached to Marrisa and Adam and whilst the sex scenes were intense and hot, I lost interest in them outside of the bedroom. I also didn’t understand the ‘reputation’ that Marissa had. She liked sex and had relationships with her partners. I don’t understand why her enjoying sex became an issue in the book. As soon as her and Adam meet again after twelve years apart, they have sex after a short reintroduction. Considering that Adam broke Marissa’s heart I felt that their coming together was quick and not very romantic. I don’t know but I felt detached from everything and I’m not sure if it was the style of writing.
MinnChica: Like Lou, once I put this book down, I couldn’t really put my finger on why it didn’t work for me. Probably my biggest problem with the book was the weird issues surrounding this “reputation” that Marissa had. Like Lou said, Marissa had relationships with people she liked and respected, and the fact that those relationships created some kind of negative stigma for her was so random and unnecessary. The relationship between Adam and Marissa was good in the bedroom. Calhoun has always done a wonderful job of writing incredible erotic romances, so I was glad to see that aspect still rocked. However, the actual romance between Adam and Marissa just didn’t do it for me. I never really felt invested in either Adam or Marissa as individuals, so when it came time to their relationship, I just didn’t really seem to care one way or the other how things went between them.
Lou: I didn’t understand the negativity surrounding Marissa and her enjoyment of sex. Was it a counterpart to the hero not having as many sexual partners as the heroine? I also had issues with the writing. It was so wordy in places and there’s a whole lot of dialogue covering the story. There also wasn’t a lot of personality between Adam and Marissa and I found myself a little bored with their interactions outside of the bedroom. It’s really weird trying to explain properly why I didn’t get this romance or book. I just could not get engaged with the characters. I never really felt that I knew them as adults. It seemed like they were so hung up on their childhoods that it haunted their every move.
MinnChica: I totally agree with Lou that it seemed as if not only Adam and Marissa, but all the characters lived in the past. It was odd, and gave the book an off feeling. I just didn’t like it. I also had some major problems with Adam’s best friend Keith and his ex-fiance Delaney. I didn’t like either of them as individuals, nor did their relationship add anything to the story for me, other than manufactured drama.
All in all I was disappointed in this book. I wanted to love it because Calhoun has been a favorite of mine. I didn’t really connect with Adam or Marissa, and I never really felt invested in their relationship. I wanted to connect with them, and I just never really even cared about liking them as either individuals or a couple. The secondary characters didn’t work for me either, and I was bummed that the book overall was a little bit of a let down.
I give Unforgiven a C-
Lou: I just wanted to see more conflict driven from their lives as adults and not from their childhood because it overwhelmed everything. I think Adam was way too forgiving towards Delaney and Keith. They needed their asses booted so badly. All in all I didn’t love Unforgiven but I did love the except of Jaded, the next book in the series featuring Alana and the sexy Chief of Police.
I give Unforgiven a C-.
June 3, 2013
Unforgiven by Anne Calhoun
Grade: B+
“That’s why he looks at you like you’re the one who got away.”
“Sleeping with a woman only makes her more complex, not less”
Twelve years ago Adam Collins life fell apart after challenging a classmate to a bike race and the boy dying. To make amends Adam took the boys place in the marines where he learned to mask his emotions and guilt. Adam is back in his hometown to be the best man in his best friend’s wedding, who just so happens to be marrying Adam’s ex-finance. Adam can handle the wedding but he can’t get a grip on his feelings for his old high school girl friend Marissa Brooks. Marissa is the girl he left behind when joining the marines and he soon learn that sometimes you have to face your past to move forward.
Marissa Brooks has spent her whole life dreaming of restoring her family’s house to its old glory. The dream was instilled in her by her father after the house was taken from them by the bank and she has poured her heart and soul into making the family dream come true. Marisa is almost finished with the house when Adam Collins strolls back into town and even though Marissa knows she can’t let herself lose her heart to him again she can’t seem to stay away from him. With Adam, Marissa finally starts to live her life and let go of the dreams that have kept her trapped for so long.
I hated this book at first and struggled over and over again whether I should finish it or just DNF it like I wanted to. Unforgiven is very dark and stays that way for the majority of the story. Adam and Marissa have both been through so much and are very closed off and broken people. Adam struggles daily with the death of his classmate while Marissa struggles under her family’s dream and being left alone either through death or distance by every man she’s loved and counted on.
This is a heart wrenching story that doesn’t took me on all kinds of emotional ups and downs and I wasn’t even sure what was going to happen 99% of the time. I loved that this story didn’t play it safe, the reader never knows what’s going to happen or if either Adam and/or Marissa can get over their emotional baggage. About halfway through I realized that I had to finish this book, I had to know what happened to these two and that’s when I realized how amazing it is.
I like my contemporary romance books where I know there is a happily ever after at the end but Unforgiven kept me on my toes and took me on an emotional journey that I didn’t want to go on but loved a the end. It’s been a long time since a book shocked me and I really can’t express how glad i am that i stayed with this book. even though its very dark it is well worth it. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and i am now an Anne Calhoun fan for life.
Grade: B+
“That’s why he looks at you like you’re the one who got away.”
“Sleeping with a woman only makes her more complex, not less”
Twelve years ago Adam Collins life fell apart after challenging a classmate to a bike race and the boy dying. To make amends Adam took the boys place in the marines where he learned to mask his emotions and guilt. Adam is back in his hometown to be the best man in his best friend’s wedding, who just so happens to be marrying Adam’s ex-finance. Adam can handle the wedding but he can’t get a grip on his feelings for his old high school girl friend Marissa Brooks. Marissa is the girl he left behind when joining the marines and he soon learn that sometimes you have to face your past to move forward.
Marissa Brooks has spent her whole life dreaming of restoring her family’s house to its old glory. The dream was instilled in her by her father after the house was taken from them by the bank and she has poured her heart and soul into making the family dream come true. Marisa is almost finished with the house when Adam Collins strolls back into town and even though Marissa knows she can’t let herself lose her heart to him again she can’t seem to stay away from him. With Adam, Marissa finally starts to live her life and let go of the dreams that have kept her trapped for so long.
I hated this book at first and struggled over and over again whether I should finish it or just DNF it like I wanted to. Unforgiven is very dark and stays that way for the majority of the story. Adam and Marissa have both been through so much and are very closed off and broken people. Adam struggles daily with the death of his classmate while Marissa struggles under her family’s dream and being left alone either through death or distance by every man she’s loved and counted on.
This is a heart wrenching story that doesn’t took me on all kinds of emotional ups and downs and I wasn’t even sure what was going to happen 99% of the time. I loved that this story didn’t play it safe, the reader never knows what’s going to happen or if either Adam and/or Marissa can get over their emotional baggage. About halfway through I realized that I had to finish this book, I had to know what happened to these two and that’s when I realized how amazing it is.
I like my contemporary romance books where I know there is a happily ever after at the end but Unforgiven kept me on my toes and took me on an emotional journey that I didn’t want to go on but loved a the end. It’s been a long time since a book shocked me and I really can’t express how glad i am that i stayed with this book. even though its very dark it is well worth it. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and i am now an Anne Calhoun fan for life.
August 17, 2013
I love it!!!! Touching and just wonderful!!! I don't know where to start.... Ok, the synopsis first:
Raised by a single mother, Adam Collins resolved to take no chances with a girl’s future—or his own. That’s why, as hard as it was, he resisted everything he felt for Marissa Brooks. Then one night a reckless challenge left a fellow student dead and changed both their lives forever. As penance, Adam took the boy’s place in the Marines, where he could disappear into discipline and duty, and left Marissa behind to struggle with her dreams.
Twelve years later, Adam is back in Walkers Ford to serve as the best man in his friend’s wedding. The years haven’t diminished the electric connection he has with Marissa. But Adam’s mistake continues to haunt him, and Marissa is stumbling under the weight of her family’s legacy. Together they wrestle with demons and dreams, but if there’s any hope for a future together Adam has to not only find a way to forgive himself, but also ask others for forgiveness—especially from the woman whose heart he broke.
Ok, so the first half was a bit dragging, all the emotional baggage was thrown, which is seriously heavy for both of them, especially for Marissa, she has now officially become one of my most favorite heroin because of her amazing strength, to be alone with family, ostracized by half the community and almost penniless. WOW!! She is just incredibly strong. You can't fault her for her insecurity.
Adam, meanwhile is an enigma, until the very end. Until, he confronted his shady ex best friend about his end game. While Marissa clammed up, Adam, matured and took responsibility, it may have been for the wrong reasons, but he still did it.
I love the story and the rich characters. The message it sent to the readers. About finding oneself and most importantly forgiveness. Forgiving others, and forgiving oneself.
Raised by a single mother, Adam Collins resolved to take no chances with a girl’s future—or his own. That’s why, as hard as it was, he resisted everything he felt for Marissa Brooks. Then one night a reckless challenge left a fellow student dead and changed both their lives forever. As penance, Adam took the boy’s place in the Marines, where he could disappear into discipline and duty, and left Marissa behind to struggle with her dreams.
Twelve years later, Adam is back in Walkers Ford to serve as the best man in his friend’s wedding. The years haven’t diminished the electric connection he has with Marissa. But Adam’s mistake continues to haunt him, and Marissa is stumbling under the weight of her family’s legacy. Together they wrestle with demons and dreams, but if there’s any hope for a future together Adam has to not only find a way to forgive himself, but also ask others for forgiveness—especially from the woman whose heart he broke.
Ok, so the first half was a bit dragging, all the emotional baggage was thrown, which is seriously heavy for both of them, especially for Marissa, she has now officially become one of my most favorite heroin because of her amazing strength, to be alone with family, ostracized by half the community and almost penniless. WOW!! She is just incredibly strong. You can't fault her for her insecurity.
Adam, meanwhile is an enigma, until the very end. Until, he confronted his shady ex best friend about his end game. While Marissa clammed up, Adam, matured and took responsibility, it may have been for the wrong reasons, but he still did it.
I love the story and the rich characters. The message it sent to the readers. About finding oneself and most importantly forgiveness. Forgiving others, and forgiving oneself.
June 11, 2015
3.75 stars
Calhoun hasn't necessarily been a miss with me, nor has she been a big hit. I fully read Liberating Lacey and I tried & postponed reading Breath on Embers. Those two were ...hmmm... okay. BUT this one, that featured a scenario interest to me {teenaged lovers turned adults who are confronted with trials and epiphanies} was a story that while loping along with characters trying to figure things out, came out very evenly with a plausibility in resolutions and character decisions.
Furthermore, the attraction between the main couple struck hot in a lot of the right places.
I mulled this one over and decided that while I would probably not re-read this story, I am satisfied enough to read the next in the series.
I round this one out to 4 stars due to the fact that I remember most of it after a month and I really liked the characterization if not the overall connectivity of things.
This is the first time that I recall waiting over a month and a half to rate a book that left me unsure at the end.
Calhoun hasn't necessarily been a miss with me, nor has she been a big hit. I fully read Liberating Lacey and I tried & postponed reading Breath on Embers. Those two were ...hmmm... okay. BUT this one, that featured a scenario interest to me {teenaged lovers turned adults who are confronted with trials and epiphanies} was a story that while loping along with characters trying to figure things out, came out very evenly with a plausibility in resolutions and character decisions.
Furthermore, the attraction between the main couple struck hot in a lot of the right places.
I mulled this one over and decided that while I would probably not re-read this story, I am satisfied enough to read the next in the series.
I round this one out to 4 stars due to the fact that I remember most of it after a month and I really liked the characterization if not the overall connectivity of things.
February 26, 2016
3.5 stars. This book is a slow burn for me, not for the sexual encounters which start early, but for how slowly the book evolves. I was unsure whether I even liked Adam until the second half of the book. However, when I did decide, I was all in. On the other hand, I really liked Marissa immediately. She lives without apology and is a self-made woman. I love her spirit and determination. Like always, Ann Calhoun has a wonderful writing style with an unerring ability to touch the reader's emotions.
September 2, 2014
Anne Calhoun is usually LOVE or MEH for me. This fell more towards the MEH category. It had its hot moments, and the setting was interesting and different, but I kind of wanted to shake the main characters. Stop making life so hard for yourself. It seemed like the author might have been trying to squeeze too much drama and angst out of a situation that really wasn't that bad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews