Unstable

Hooked #4

by Charity Parkerson

“A bottle of liquor a day keeps the demons at bay.”

After a childhood so horrific a book was published about it, Jimmy understandably didn’t become the most well-adjusted adult. He’s made it his business to blend into the background while drinking himself into an early grave. That is, until he pulls a homeless teen from the dumpster.

Living on the streets hasn’t been easy for Eli. Anything is better than the life he left behind. Strangers haven’t always had the best of intentions when they claim they want to help. Jimmy is different. That doesn’t mean Eli won’t rob him blind and disappear into the night.

When Eli returns, older and prepared to repay his debt, he never expects to give up more than his savings to the sexy bar owner. Sometimes, it takes two people who’ve seen hell to create heaven. Unfortunately, they’ll have to face their demons if they hope to make it work between them.

Genres: M M Romance, Abuse, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Novels, LGBT

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2016

About the author

Charity Parkerson is an award winning and multi-published author with several companies. Born with no filter from her brain to her mouth, she decided to take this odd quirk and insert it in her characters.

*Eight-time winner of Readers' Favorite Awards
*2014 Golden Ankh nominee
*2013 Readers' Favorite Award Winner
*2013 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner
*2012 ARRA Finalist for Favorite Paranormal Romance
*Five-time winner of The Mistress of the Darkpath

**Connect with her online:
Website: charityparkerson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/authorCharityParkerson
facebook.com/TheMenofSin
Twitter: twitter.com/CharityParkerso

Reviews

[Fani · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why are you being nice to me?”

The story of how Jimmy and Eli met and fell in love was so beautiful to read, I really loved the way they met when Eli was living alone in the streets and Jimmy helped him after seeing the bad state he was in. Of course their reconnection was very emotional too, as Eli returned years after that event to repay Jimmy for his kindness, it was so heartwarming seeing two broken people forming a special connection. Little by little they healed each other even though they didn’t plan on doing it, content to simply stay at each other’s side despite the fact that they might remain broken forever.

“I’ve had less than nothing for years. As I said earlier, I am not afraid.”

I have to confess that there were a few traits of their personalities that didn’t sit well with me like Jimmy’s ferocity against religious people or that during a misunderstanding where Eli thought for a short time that Jimmy had a boyfriend, he didn’t mind kissing Jimmy. There was also a scene that I didn’t like at all where Eli before reconnecting with Jimmy, happens to pass by his bar and sees him having sex with someone else, I am definitely not fond of that type of scenes in romance.

If I had to choose one thing I wanted more from “Unstable” it would be more details about Eli’s and Jimmy’s past, more about Eli’s family and the way he lived during his time in the streets and more about Jimmy’s past life. I liked the fact that both heroes loved one another and accepted each other’s past, but I would have loved to see them sharing more about it and in the process gain more confidence about themselves.

*3.5 Stars*

I voluntarily reviewed the free copy that I received from Reading Alley.

[Caitlyn Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an easy read but worth the effort

Unstable is the first M/M romance I've had the opportunity to review for this blog, and I wanted to enjoy it more than I did. The problem is that this is the kind of book that isn't easy to read for me; my personal tastes run towards 'sweet' romance with a side of hot and steamy action. While the hot and steamy action is certainly present, there is nothing sweet about these two men. They both have terrible pasts - if you have triggers concerning child abuse or sexual abuse then you should run a mile. Do NOT pick up this book.

I loved Eli - poor bb! - and just wanted to cuddle him and make everything better for him. Jimmy was a harder sell, but knowing from the blurb "After a childhood so horrific a book was published about it, Jimmy understandably didn’t become the most well-adjusted adult" that he had a terrible past, it was a little easier to sympathize with him.

I felt like the book could have spent a lot more time with Jimmy and Eli in the early stages of their relationship; there was a rather surprising disconnect halfway through the book when pretty much in the middle of their first 'proper date', we get a chapter break and a sudden "Three months later" which really had me blinking and wondering what the hell happened.

The author's writing style is excellent, and she doesn't shy away from difficult topics, but I'd have liked to see the budding relationship fleshed out quite a bit more in the middle of the book. Even though the story was well outside my comfort zone, I did enjoy it and I'd read more books by this author.

Four stars.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book for review through ReadingAlley.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

  
    Two broken people becomes one soul
  

This book was a tragic and yet beautiful love story...
Eli & Jimmy, both are struggling with their past, but together they just fit perfectly.



There were some tough issues, that I feel was skip over too easy, which was kinda sad for the story, because it would have made it so much better, if we could have gotten a little more of it. With that being said, it was still a damn good story.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite being 272 pages this was a quick read. For me, however, it wasn't a great read. The subject matter wasn't as much the issue as was the writing style. I am usually a fan of this Author but this book seemed disjointed and almost stream of consciousness. A 2 star read this time around.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok eli has my heart. I loved eli. The struggle to just be for him. The connection between him & Eli (the hair thing). I love the way the next couple is brought in to the mix. You want to know their back story.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better with each book. I like how two broken individuals helped each other to heal and trust despite their messed up backgrounds. I really enjoyed this couple and how their story wasn't the stereotypical love story filled roses and wine. Even though Jimmy never mentioned much about his family, I knew his history wasn't pretty based on the trigger warning before the story began. I'm so glad Parkerson didn't get graphic with the child abuse. Since Jimmy and Eli focused on their present, I'm glad the author didn't keep bringing up their past for shock value. We know their upbringing. There's no point in bringing it up every page.

I'm curious to see how the next book will be since it focuses on Tyler and Jace. Jace was out of line when he brought it the unofficial biography of Jimmy. I know Eli saw it as a warning but I saw it as Jace being a hateful jerk.

[Kenzi Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a fluff read

From the very start we know that Jimmy and Eli have had very difficult lives. There is no sugar coating what they have been through but the love story makes it worthwhile. One of the best in the series.

[Lisa D. Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

I was wondering about Jimmy and this was a just a good book. Didn't need a lot of details; but what was inferred was just enough and wasn't detrimental to the story. Can't get enough from Charity.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved these fascinating characters. Some heavy topics covered, but done well. I was wishing for a bit more depth at certain times, but otherwise I really enjoyed this.

[Paisleyrowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had very realistic portrayals of people who'd experienced abuse in their childhood. I have read many a book where the characters haven't reacted in a way that I recognize, and I am intimately familiar with the subject and how it affects a person. Their reactions to "crazy" truly are different than other people's. Yes, they can spiral. But they can also hold it together and function like everyone else while seeming more detached from people and life than the rest of the humans. Until you get to know them, and then you see how they really feel.
I appreciated the warning provided before I started reading. I've been triggered by that lack before.
This author handled the story well, and the writing was as good as I have learned to expect from her.
While I don't generally compare the book I'm reviewing to other books, I will say that I believe this was better than the rest in the series and better than any in the hard hit series, though I enjoyed all of those books as well.

[Chloe (Romancing the Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, unforgettable characters

I can't tell you how much the author gripped me with her words from the first page to the last. The story is utterly compelling in the unforgettable, wonderful characters that she has created, in their backgrounds and the way they came together.

"Hope was a hard thing to beat into submission."

I don't have the words to tell you how much I feel for both these characters. I can't stop rooting for them both, that they would finally get their HEA after experiencing so much.

I understand this is a book in the middle of a series, but not having read the other books, I have no problem understanding and enjoying this story. This is my first book by Charity Parkerson, but if every story she's ever written or to write is like this one, it won't be my last! Love, love, love this book, though I have to say that I don't read many LGBTQ books. But everyone deserves a happy-ever-after, and I'm happy to be part of Jimmy and Eli's journey.

[Amber Fueston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book of the series!

I was already half in love with Jimmy before starting this book and it didn't take long at all before it was a done deal once I started reading. Both Jimmy and Eli have been through things that no one should ever have to go through. They both think that they are broken but they are only damaged. Together they fix the broken pieces of themselves.

This is definitely one that pulls the heartstrings. I couldn't help but become emotionally invested in the characters. It had some lighthearted moments to help balance things out though as well as some seriously erotic ones too.

I wish we could have gotten a little more information about both Jimmy and Eli's past. I feel like they could have a second story to tell but maybe that's just because I am not ready to let them go yet.

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two broken men find a future in each other

Why are they so short!? This was a bit brutal, a but beautiful but definitely too short for a full development of characters.

Still, Parkerson us a talented writer so so always provides enough of a background for the reader to know the sort of horrors her damaged men have lived through even when she doesn't give full details.

There were obvious threads laid for book 5 as Tyler remained a bit of a mystery and there's presumably going to be something with Jade too.
But it was good to catch up with the rest of the men in this interconnected world.

[M L R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stays with you

So, finished this yesterday in one sitting and had to you back today to re-read and leave this review. I definitely have the best kind of book hangover. At first this read almost surreal and dreamy. But then before I even realized, Jimmy and Eli were very real and I've highlighted the heck out of this. They share their personal hells so they can move forward and make more good memories than the bad. 2 broken pieces that fit to make a whole that saved each other. So beautiful! I read next in series because I had to see this couple get their full on HEA and I still need more. And that cover!

[Angela Goodrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another of my favorites in the series. While I probably wouldn't advise their relationship in the real world, there's something beautiful in seeing two horribly broken men find love and home with each other. I loved that Parkerson didn't treat love as a cure for Jimmy and Eli's issues, but rather showed how they helped each other cope with the world when everything became too much.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely wonderful, intense, angsty story! Jimmy and Eli, both have issues, both have horrendously awful pasts that haunt them still, but they click, they fit so well and help each other through the bad days and the good. This tale is painful at one time and then stunningly sweet the next. It's just a thoroughly wonderful read.

[Monikat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this wasn't my favorite book, it definitely had some of the most profound, beautiful sentiments and words said. Where it was almost plain, suddenly the passage read would stop me in my tracks in awe.
Both men carried vast amounts of trauma and their stories tragic. Falling for each other and healing together and falling into their found family made this a great read.

[Char Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read!

Love this series! Fell for Jimmy and Eli hard. I loved their vibe together! Hotness whenever they were in the same vicinity. I like it!!! Can't wait for the next book! I'm starting it right now!!!

[Louan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨

[Neisha † The Poet † · Rating 4 out of 5]

S. 4.2. Idk how I feel .. I feel a lot lol. I liked it and will reread

[Mystisith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute 5 🌟 . Oh, my heart... Those 2 deserved their happy ending (I liked that the bad stuff wasn't too graphicly depicted). Devoured the book.

[Mateo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure.

[Ottilee B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Unstable" ??
Dec 23, 2016

I've read a few of Charity's books and I'm never disappointed in them.

With a title like "Unstable", I was blown away at the sincerity between the MCs. I didn't get the feeling they were pandering to the other's emotions or saying the 'correct' words the other wanted to hear. They each spoke from their heart-- and after their childhoods, it was amazing they could still find their heart.

While not a tear-jerker for me, it was a very sobering read. When you learn of what happened you realize that what they're not telling each other is as important as what did happen to who they were, how they interact with others and feel toward one another.

I was extremely impressed with this story and very glad it had an HEA. They deserved it.

[Sue Milkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEARTBREAKING & ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

Jimmy and Eli are two tough, damaged, lonely individuals. It's hard for people to understand their young lives. So it makes it hard for them to relate to people their own age. How could they ever find love?? This is a magnificently written character driven love story. This is a beautiful story of unconditional love and acceptance. I can't express enough, how broken, but adorable, these two characters are. Fantastic, Just Fantastic!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THIS INCREDIBLE SERIES!!!!

[Anne in VA · Rating 3 out of 5]

False advertising!!! This book claims to be 270 pages, but when there's almost double the space in between paragraphs compared to other books, I don't think it's fair to advertise as a long book. This was a novella!

I started to notice something was off because it was reading like a novella--which I wasn't expecting. I tend to stay away from novellas because they're usually vet unsatisfying. This book had everything I hate about novellas: scenes that either begin or end abruptly, time jumps where major things seem to happen in those missing pockets of time, no real explanations for anything important and then it was over. The worst part is that there is an amazing full novel somewhere in here. Jimmy's story could have ripped my heart out, but we never hear much about it. And Eli living on the streets? That's pretty much all you learn about his struggle: He lived on the streets, Jimmy found him in a dumpster, the end. This book was SO disappointing!

Sadly, it seems all the books written by this author are fairly short, I doubt I'll read anything else. I can't stand an unfinished story.

[blub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy provided via Reading Alley in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect imperfections

I don't feel as if I need to write my own summation or description of the book since the blurb actually does a very clean clear cut of the book and it's contents on it's own.I do think it could have been vaguer. It gave too much away and was much like a movie trailer that gave away the good bits. That being said I did enjoy getting to know both Jimmy and Eli. Both were deeply flawed and with good reason. They both led very tough lives and had a lot thrown at them at young ages and they continued to prevail in their own way. Their background stories were quite heartbreaking but so interesting and inspiring. I loved seeing Jimmy and Eli develop emotionally and accept each other as they were. Neither trying to change the other was sweet. I also liked how the two cared for each other. I really wish the story had been longer. I would have loved to see the two spend more time with each other. I really hope the author will revisit these two in the near future.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had elements of 4 to 5 star, and then some annoyances too.

I love the homeless-turned-successful theme, especially with my romance, and *especially* with my M/M romance. But here besides one being homeless, the other also has a beyond-belief dark past, and that amount of drama always makes me roll my eyes a bit.

Which is unfortunate; I'm not sure it truly needed it. Jimmy could easily have been a more run-of-the-mill troubled soul, and the story would still have worked.

The ending was also a bit abrupt, like the author couldn't be arsed anymore.

I did like this, so I might very likely get another from this author at some point, but I won't be first in line for it.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really heartwarming story that certainly wasn't perfect but I enjoyed a lot. An older gruff bar owner pulls a young homeless guy out of a dumpster and lets him spend the night in the bar. The kid proceeds to take money out of the cash register, items he can use to live on the street and leaves. Three years later he returns to pay back the money. Not quite believable but it did make a really good romance and story.

[joani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love ,love this story

Jimmy and Eli are mesmerizing...I love the two damaged souls thrown together and healing each other with nothing more than honesty, patience and love....what I didn't like was it was cut off and ended way to soon....