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Shaken #5

Words Unsaid

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Anna Kaklis is at wits’ end with sixteen-year-old Andy. How did he get to be so strong-willed, so stubborn and unwilling to admit when he’s wrong? Lily has a pretty good idea…which she mostly keeps to herself. Now a family court judge, her experience playing peacemaker is coming in handy at home.
As parents, Anna and Lily’s guiding principle is to help their children reach their potential and capture their dreams. Ten-year-old Eleanor is a STEM whiz already building apps for her mobile phone, while her twin brother Georgie is climbing the youth tennis rankings in Southern California. Andy continues his love affair with cars, but his dream is threatened when Anna decides to sell her empire of dealerships and move on to her next career challenge.
Meanwhile, heartbreak looms for the Kaklis family as a loved one nears the end. Their annual family vacation is a time to draw closer, to reaffirm their love for one another and remember a life well lived. But their holiday is upended when Andy goes missing.
Don’t miss Words Unsaid, the fifth installment in KG MacGregor’s ground- breaking, award-winning Shaken series.

Genre: Romance
Editor: Katherine V. Forrest
Cover Designer: Kayla Mancuso

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2021

20 people are currently reading
135 people want to read

About the author

K.G. MacGregor

39 books331 followers
A former teacher and market research consultant, KG MacGregor holds a PhD in journalism and mass communication. Infatuation with Xena: Warrior Princess fanfiction prompted her to try her own hand at storytelling in 2002. In 2005, she signed with Bella Books, which published the Goldie Award finalist Just This Once. Her sixth Bella novel, Out of Love, won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Women's Romance, and the 2008 Goldie Award in Lesbian Romance. In 2009, she picked up Goldies for Without Warning (Contemporary Romance) and Secrets So Deep (Romantic Suspense).

Other honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Academy of Bards, the Alice B. Readers Appreciation Medal, and several Readers Choice Awards. An avid supporter of queer literature, KG currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Lambda Literary Foundation.

KG MacGregor divides her time between her homes in Miami and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. When she isn't writing, she's either on a hiking trail, a golf course, or if she's really lucky, a cruise ship.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Diane Wallace.
1,453 reviews165 followers
April 6, 2021
'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'

**'A really true and good writer opens people's ears and eyes, not merely playing to different readers but also trying to change minds and lives..'

Compelling 5th series!
'WORDS UNSAID' like those other four series that have preceded it has the familiar MacGregor cadence, complexity and provocative storytelling that keeps the ensuing action moving is well-paced and the readers on the edge of their seats. I don't think readers will be disappointed with this suddenly surprising book #5 of this well written series because the storyline is both absorbing and fascinating from the prologue to the very last sentence.
The overall sustenance of family, Lily and Anna's intimacy and their grown kids plus the interweaving of other enticing topics mainly how Ms.MacGregor undertakes a sweeping critique of ICE -- their controversial inner workings and policies concerning immigration in the USA which did evoke the absurdity and alienation of their disruptive activities because during the storytelling readers saw how this did hit closer to home with The Kaklis clan than they wanted to believe.
With her signature blend of narration, science, menage and current social issues, MacGregor's passion for most of her subjects just jumps off these pages and while reading a few of these chapters of this ongoing saga, it will inspire readers to really take notice that this book can be relatable or a figment of someone close to them.
Still a highly recommended series!
Profile Image for Lex Kent.
1,683 reviews9,859 followers
May 21, 2021
This was another good book in the series. I’ve been singing this series’ praises as I’ve been catching up on the past books. I just love the books and it has been a joy to read them all. I do have to be honest that this is probably my least favorite of all 5 books, and I’ll explain why, but even saying that this was still an easy 4 star read.

I loved seeing more of Lily and Anna –I’m a big Anna fan- and of course how their family dynamic has changed since a decade has passed –story time wise- since book 4. I did find some characters to be growing up to be super cute kids, but I was disappointed about Andy. He used to be a sweet kid too, but now he was spoiled and bratty. I also wasn’t crazy about how Lily was mothering him, and considering her new occupation, I couldn’t really understand where she was coming from.

On the book blurb it clearly states that something is up with Andy. This is the big storyline of the book, and I think this is why this couldn’t be a 5 star read for me. Because I had to catch up on past books of the series, I was late reviewing this and I had read many reviews already. And since I read those reviews, I knew what happened with Andy. The whole time I’m reading this I’m wondering when and where it’s going to happen and that’s all I can think about. Plus, just really knowing things ahead of time and not finding out organically, put a damper on part of the story for me. I would highly suggest that if you don’t know what happened to Andy, don’t find out ahead of time. If you are already a fan of this series, get this book because you will absolutely enjoy it, and try to not spoil things for yourself like I did.

I want to keep my review as spoiler free as possible so I’m going to be vague about a part I can’t really talk about. I will say that the book felt very realistic and all too real. There were parts I didn’t want to read just because they are sad, and it was made worse because MacGregor used real headlines. This book will get to you in parts emotionally and it shows off how good of a writer MacGregor is.

In the end, this was a very well written book. Not my favorite of the series, book 3 and 4 get that honor, but I’m glad MacGregor wrote a new book for the series. Five books, all about the same couple and still MacGregor knows how to keep the story feeling fresh, new, and never repetitive. It’s impressive. If you are a fan of this series, I would absolutely recommend this book.

A copy was given to me for a review.
Profile Image for khi.
237 reviews11 followers
April 6, 2021
Going into this book, in my head there was absolutely nothing that the author could do to top the previous books, I told myself that this was just another unnecessary add on to an already perfectly wrapped up series- boy was I wrong. In fact I loved this book so much to want to read the whole series again.

This book is a continuation of the Shaken series by KG MacGregor which started as two women trapped in a mall after an earthquake and slowly falling in love. In this book we get a further look into their family.

Everything about this book was perfect to me- from more of my favorite characters to even more character development and to top it all off a gut punch of reality.

We see Anna struggle with what many parents fail to even notice they’re doing and that is forcing their wants onto their child. She wants Andy to do everything her way and the satisfaction of her facing that adds on to my enjoyment of this book.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been unable to put a book down and admittedly for the first few pages of this book I had already made up my mind to give it four stars out of my lack of excitement but as I approached the climax of the book I found my self all over the place in emotion.

As someone who’s previously read up on the topic of ICE methods there was not a doubt about the realism of the story which helped add to the emotions that I felt.

Five stars! My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer because I would’ve loved more parenting scenes with them and their other two kids.

Delightful read! I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in return for an honest review!
Profile Image for Betty.
649 reviews91 followers
April 26, 2021
This book is awesome! Words Unsaid by K.G. MacGregor is probably one of the best novels I’ve read this year.

I asked for this book knowing that it is the fifth novel in a series I hadn’t read yet, but it sounded so good, and Ms. MacGregor is such a talented author, I just had to get it. I realized very quickly that it is definitely not a standalone story so I bought and read the first book in the series, Without Warning. That way I would at least know the characters and some of their back story. In fact, I now have all the books in the series and plan to read every one as soon as I can.

Words Unsaid is another chapter in the lives of Anna and Lily Kaklis, their children Andy, Eleanor, and Georgie, as well as Anna’s extended family. However, this is no mundane day (or month) in their lives. Misunderstandings and teenage angst create a rift between Andy and his moms, especially between Andy and Anna. Then Andy goes missing, and their whole world seems to implode.

Because this is the fifth book in a series, the setting and characters are already well established and developed. I fell in love with Anna and Lily in the first novel, and it didn’t take long to feel the same for their children. The story itself will have you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages as fast as you can. It may also have you in tears at certain points.

This book will definitely pull at your heartstrings. It is a tale of love, but not just romantic love. At its core, it is a story about love of family, and especially the love between parents and their children. There is also a thread of politics in the book that specifically affects this family.

Words Unsaid has my highest recommendation. I also highly recommend Without Warning. In fact, you should do what I’m going to do and read the entire series.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
Profile Image for S.
201 reviews17 followers
April 25, 2021
A different but at the same time familiar new entry to the Shaken series from MacGregor. It’s hard to say you enjoy a book when it contains such difficult subject matter, but it had lots of great features that I really liked.

I read all five books in this series one after the other, so it’s possible I’ll have a slightly different opinion than someone else who read this with some time between book four and five.

This review isn’t going to be as detailed as I normally would - as the storyline is too important, and the surprise too much a part of how you feel about the storyline.

The biggest difference between this and the other books in the series is that we get an additional point of view in the narrative, that of Lily and Anna’s oldest son - Andy. It’s an important difference. The reason Andy goes missing is unfortunately all too familiar in the news nowadays, but it’s an important story to tell. I enjoy books where I learn new things, even though it’s fiction, so this was right in my wheelhouse.

Despite the subject matter and the changes in viewpoint, I found lots of similarities in the book that definitely make it a great addition to a series I’ve come to really enjoy. The openness and communication between Anna and Lily is still paramount. I love their relationship, their relationship with their kids and their families.

The book is packed with lots of things going on, and is set approx. 10 years after book number four. It would make for a good final part of the series if this is to be it, but I wouldn’t mind one more either.

If you haven’t read this series I’d definitely recommend it, but start at the beginning. I think this could be read as a standalone, but you’d miss so much about how Lily and Anna got here, and a big part of the enjoyment for me in this book, was the continuation of their journey together.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Heinerway.
767 reviews98 followers
May 1, 2021
This was really a great new installment in the classic Shaken series. I was looking forward to read more about the Kaklises. And on the plus side, it gave me an excuse to re-read again the whole series.

But seriously... OMG... Is all this shit actually happening in the United States?
Profile Image for Kennedy.
1,173 reviews80 followers
April 24, 2021
Parenting is not for the faint of heart and neither is immigration. The Shaken series is one of my favorite. I was so pleased to see that MacGregor added to the series. Although a continuation of the series which features the lovely couple, Anna and Lily, the focus is on family especially the children, Andy 16, twins Eleanor and George 10 . This read is not about romance. This read is not about falling in love. This read is about day-to-day family life. This read is about being in love and staying in love. This read is about informing and challenging the reader to think about the immigration system and the give and take as a parent interacts with their children.

I was captivated by the depth of information related to immigration. Keep in mind that some people believe that the images we see on social media and television are manufactured. In my opinion, that is pretty short sighted. That is a whole lot of energy and time put into making something look like it is not so or fabricated. Wow, why would anyone spend time making up the unfortunate horrors of the current immigration system or down playing them.

ARC provided by Bella Books via NetGalley
Profile Image for Della B.
653 reviews180 followers
April 21, 2021
This is a wonderful novel which deals very personally with the immigration issues left behind by he who shall not be named.
Andy is now sixteen and is being a typical teenager. Anna has grown her BMW empire and Lilly is making a difference to children’s lives as they get caught up in the foster system.
I am a huge fan of Ms MacGregor’s novels. Her stories are all well written with unique circumstances. She takes you deep into her characters and allows her stories to unfold.
Words Unsaid is a combination of all of Ms MacGregor’s strengths which results in a superb novel. I could not put it down.
A definite 5⭐️ novel.
Profile Image for Rain G.
95 reviews14 followers
July 4, 2021
This book impacted me in not the most pleasant way. Don't get me wrong. The book is really good, but a taugh topic that appeared at some point of the story caught me off guard.

I celebrate when writers can insert some present reality to their stories, as showing injustice practiced by authorities that could affect people lifes in terrible ways.

Without spoiling  I can say I had a couple  of issues with the story:
If the author brings realistic, then I expect realistic.

And I found some not credible situations in terms of how main characters dealt with this difficult issue they went through.
I was also kind of disappointed about the change of nature of personality of Andy, one of the couple kids. But maybe it was useful to the plot.

It's a definitely interesting book to discuss and debate

If you take a look at the whole series, it is great!
It goes from book 1 with almost loosing MCs lives throughout  book 5 trying to succeed  in building a loving family.
Profile Image for Cheri.
1,120 reviews86 followers
April 20, 2021
Without Warning is one of my favorite f/f books of all time. I honestly can't say exactly how many times I've read it. It's in my top five for rereading when I'm in a funk or in need of a literary hug, if you know what I mean. It has everything I want in a romance: crackling chemistry, tons of humor, sweet, sweet - but believable - angst, and developed characters that you cheer for. It's damn near perfect for me. Maybe even actually perfect. I've read each of the 3 sequels and enjoyed them all but never as much as that original.

When I saw that there was a new book in the series coming up, I was literally giddy. It has been many years since we've had a look into the Kaklis home and I was curious about what Anna, Lily, the kids, and the rest of the family had been up to. Mostly I was excited to experience that chemistry and humor again. Unfortunately, there wasn't any of that.

No friends, this book is solidly family drama. Timely, politically and socially relevant family drama. Anna is selling her huge auto empire for half-a-billion bucks, Lily is a judge, Andy is nearly 17 and butting heads with Anna on the regular. Georgie and Eleanor are perfect in every way from what I could tell. There are some other family things going on with George and Martine but the focus of this book is really Andy and Anna. I have to say that I really didn't like Anna much at all. By the end, I didn't dislike her but I never got a warm feeling for her again.

Maybe if I had gone into the book knowing it was almost solidly about "The Administration" (the word Trump is never mentioned but implied regularly), I would have felt differently about it. As it was, it was too much for me. I'm about as left as I can possibly be without being on the fringe and I think "The Administration" was evil incarnate and every one of those fuckers should be in prison or worse. But I didn't expect this book to preach to me about the evils of ICE - particularly since I agree with the sermon - in such a heavy handed way. I hesitate to write this because I don't want to come off as a heartless asshole who can't appreciate the tragedy that is our immigration policy.

I expected something completely different - COMPLETELY - and was disappointed with what I got. It happens. I just took a peek at some other reviews on Goodreads and I'm clearly in the minority. Which is awesome! I'm glad that I'm the anomaly. Because Anna and Lily stories should be loved. This one just didn't do it for me.

Thanks to Bella and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite couples in all of wlw. I'll still keep on reading Without Warning whenever I feel down.
Profile Image for nutmeg.
130 reviews10 followers
April 18, 2021
Fantastic 5th instalment to the Shaken series.

I was surprised and could not believe that the author gave us another book for the series. Before I delved into this book, I went back to the previous 4 and basked in the love of Anna and Lily once again. For those who have not read the series, the ladies met while trapped under the debris and fallen structure of a mall due to an earthquake. What started as an oven toaster romance grew into a family with kids added into the mix.

This time around the spotlight is on Anna and Lily’s kids and some changes to Anna’s car dealership empire. What stands out for me in this book is the bond between Anna and Lily. The pair has gone through so much in the previous books yet the love and support that radiates through the pages cannot be contained. Andy, their eldest son who was adopted when his birth mother (Lily’s sister) died, is 16 now. He has eyes on being the successor to Anna’s business but has not quite developed the fortitude and maturity to do so. In this book, Anna has her hands full trying to manage her expectations of Andy and the sale of her empire. Lily, the ever nurturing parent, who has left her career in the sidelines to care for her children and family is finally a judge. You see her at her best, presiding over family matters and no doubt terrorising parents due to her personal experience and knowledge of the system.

5 stars. You cannot miss this series of love, family and life. Although this latest addition does not focus as extensively on the couple, it is a natural progression of their great relationship and a very welcomed update of their family life.

I just reviewed Words Unsaid by KG McGregor. Thank you NetGalley and Bella books for the ARC.
Profile Image for MJSam.
477 reviews40 followers
May 2, 2021
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to see a new book in the Anna/Lily series, not sure what I was expecting after all this time, but it wasn’t this.

So, this takes place 10 years after Mother Load and features Anna and Lily of course, as well as 16 year old Andy and 10 year old Georgie and Eleanor. Georgie and Eleanor don’t have much to do here, they’re mostly just background characters, and seemingly without any real flaws. Anna is still head of her car yards, but owns more of them now and Lily has moved up to be a judge, but I didn’t find either of them particularly interesting this time around.

As far as flaws for the kids, all of these have been left for Andy, who was a sweet little boy when last we saw him and has turned into a privileged little brat. Anna calls him on this, but Lily likes to be the “nice” mom and wave away most of what he’s doing. Andy is incredibly unlikeable, which I found unfortunate, because he was such a lovely character in the last book.

So, Anna is also trying to decide if she should sell her empire of car lots, which would also make Andy very unhappy, because even though he doesn’t like any aspect of running the business other than selling cars, he’s the heir apparent anyway. There’s lots of tension in the house between him and Anna, so the standard family vacation is something Lily is looking forward to. The whole family is jetting off, but Andy asks to stay behind for a day to attend a party. Given his behaviour up til this point, that should have been a big fat no anyway, but he gets his way.

This is where the story really lost me, up til this point I was just disappointed in how boring Anna and Lily now were and what a brat Andy was, but he then goes missing, because he’s been swept up by ICE. Anna and Lily don’t know this for awhile and we cut between them and Andy. I felt this whole storyline to be over the top. Not being from the US I don’t know how close this is to being true, but I hope it was a bit of poetic licence. Anyway, regardless, I didn’t really want to read something so political (and depressing) in a catch up with two of my favourite characters. The situation drags on for too long and bogs the book down.

I didn’t really like the epilogue either, which tried to tie things up in a big bow, especially with the gift Andy gets from Anna, which was way over the top and in no way earned. I wish I’d skipped this to be honest, it just left me feeling flat. I preferred how we left these characters in Mother Load. 3 stars.
Profile Image for Sarah.
186 reviews16 followers
April 14, 2021
This is not so much of a romance between two women as it is a romance between an entire family. The author really uses this book to delve into the intricacies of the unconventional family dynamic.

The story is pretty gut wrenching as it goes through the saga of having a child essentially kidnapped by ICE. The emotional depth, anger and fear the MCs had to deal with was clearly laid out and left you feeling exposed. At the same time the level of profound love, support and understanding between the MCs together and the MCs and their children was moving, to say the least.

My one minor exception would be that this story broaches some highly politicized topics and extreme situations. Not that I don’t completely agree with the authors angle on a personal level, the truth of the situation is far too real over the past few years. Basically, after I finished the book I felt very raw and was ready to burn down every unjust institution I could think of.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bib.
312 reviews
April 17, 2021
I totally did not expect a fifth book in this series, and was looking forward to reading it once it’s released. I read it in one sitting. It’s now 5.35am in the morning, I’m going to suffer and stone through the entire day so badly, but it is so worth it!
562 reviews14 followers
April 24, 2021
For those of us who have already read the other books in the ‘Shaken Series’ this was hopefully going to bring back to us the story of Anna Kaklis and Lily Stewart. If you remember these two women met when a shopping mall came down after an earthquake leaving both trapped in the rubble. Now with book # 5 we can see what has been happening since that time.
When Anna’s and Lily's adopted son turned 15 he, like most other teens at that age, felt like they were old enough to make their own decisions. Andy was no different. With two other children, twins, Georgie and Eleanor the ladies had a hand full. What with Georgie’s tennis and Eleanor’s STEM projects they didn’t get a lot of down time.
One reason was the fact that Anna found it hard to leave business at the office. When she’d first taken the reins from her father they had the one dealership selling BMW’s but now under Anna’s guidance Kaklis cars have grown, now having 20 plus dealerships in southern California. Andy has been told he would be taking over from Anna when she retired but now Anna has decided to sell the business and try her hand at something else. Lily would just be happy with them slowing down. Lily has gone from working for legal aid to becoming a judge so they decided they’d both try to slow down.
While on vacation Andy goes missing along with their long term housekeeper. Now Anna and Lily have to track down just what has happened to their son while digging through the illegal immigrant system put in place by the former President. One thing comes clear, their love for each other and the family they’ve built has grown.
I would recommend if you can read the first 4 books in this series you will have a much more enjoyable experience. For myself it was time to do some digging around my DropBox so I could reread the series from the start. You will not be disappointed because Ms MacGregor has done a wonderful job telling Anna’s and Lily’s story from the beginning. Simply a great read, very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley and Bella Books.
Profile Image for Kay.
292 reviews6 followers
April 11, 2021
This is a great family drama that touches on issues that are currently going on today.
Anna Kaklis the owner and CEO of a few BMW car dealerships in California and her wife Lilian Kaklis a court judge. Together have three beautiful and amazing children 'Andy who is 16, Eleanor and George who are 10 years old.
Anna and Andy seems to be butting heads lately. In his eyes he can never do anything right to please his mom. What can I say, some of us know how teenagers can be when they are trying to fit in and discover themselves. Without giving too much away. For their annual family trip to Los Cabos for spring break. Andy asked to remain home then join them a few days later. Lilian talks Anna into agreeing.
On the day he is due to arrive they're wondering why they haven't heard from him. When Anna got to the airport to pick him up she learned he didn't check in for his flight. This leads his parents panicking and also thinking he was kidnap because of some decisions that were made professionally.
As the story progress it really sheds a light on immigration, Ice, politics and what some families might be facing today in this country. The page turner is beautifully crafted and well written. I recommend 5 stars.


I received an ARC copy from the publisher Bella Books via NetGalley for my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Linda.
864 reviews134 followers
October 5, 2022
A pleasant read.

A decade plus later, with both Anna and Lily now in their forties (48 and 45 y/o respectively) with 3 kids in their teens/tween and with a different set of drama unfolded in Words Unsaid. Though I must add that Words Unsaid is not top in my list of favourite books when it comes to the ‘Shaken’ series.

Ratings: 3.5 ⭐️
Profile Image for Em Lewis.
369 reviews17 followers
May 22, 2021
This is such a great series. I enjoyed this instalment and this series would be fabulous as an audible book.
Profile Image for Michael Wells.
1,080 reviews6 followers
April 25, 2021
I enjoyed this book and the characters. The setting of Los Angles and rich mothers did not excite me much. There were several plots which blended well and made for a good story. The parenting plot was good as was the immigration story. I recommend this book to those who like lesbian parenting.
Profile Image for chaos.
122 reviews
April 9, 2022
this seemed like a fairly everyday kind of story at first and it was a bit of a struggle to push through, but the very sudden plot twist around 60% did grab my interest. It was not at ALL the direction I expected from this book based on the first chapters, but it earned an extra half star for originality and suspense.

3.5 stars
Profile Image for Kat.
666 reviews12 followers
Currently reading
July 18, 2021
This one was hard to read especially when it comes to kids and the issues with ICE.
Of course I loved the story. The deive both moms had to get their kid back. The issues, poor Andy, had to go though. The aggravation for everyone.
Wow, excellent book.
Profile Image for Kaye.
4,346 reviews71 followers
April 8, 2021
Really great family drama. The author, K. G. MacGregor returns to a series she finished in 2010 and picks up where the characters would be in 2019. I wasn't familiar with the series and took the time to read synopses for the previous four books. This novel does give enough background so that step wasn't necessary but it helped me have a better feel for the characters.

Anna Kaklis is CFO and owner of 22 car dealerships in Southern California. She has grown the company from the original BMW dealership owned by her father. Her wife Lily has recently has gotten her dream job of being a judge, currently in family court. They have three children Andy 16, and twins George and Ellie who are 10. They are a happy and privileged family. Anna and Andy are butting heads about typical teen stuff. The moms don't feel Andy is trying his best and being responsible in school and helping at the car dealership.

When the family heads to Mexico for a family beach vacation Andy pleads to stay and fly down on his own after attending a friends party. Reluctantly the moms agree. But Andy misses his flight and it is apparent he is missing. I will say the tension level went down for a bit when I realized where Andy was and that this book was going to take on ICE. Sadly the policies and procedures that the author chooses to highlight are so common they almost are not newsworthy, and they should be.

I really enjoyed reading this book and meeting the characters. Anna and Lily are loving and wonderful as they support each other and take care of their family. I felt their frustration as they dealt with a system that doesn't have a level playing field even with the resources they have available. I appreciate the clever way the author brought back favorite characters to highlight real problems in the immigration system. Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Women Using Words.
483 reviews67 followers
October 11, 2021
I’ve been a fan of MacGregor’s stories for many years now. I first fell in love with her writing over at the Royal Academy of Bards, a Xena fan fiction site, where she posted several online stories in the early 2000’s. That’s where I first discovered Anna and Lily and the Shaken Series. I loved it then and loved it even more when Bella Books picked it up and published it. Since then, I’ve probably read nearly everything she’s published. The Shaken Series, however, will always remain one of my favorites.

It’s been over ten years since we’ve heard anything from the characters of this series. I was quite surprised, to say the least, when book 5 rolled off the press. With an average of 4.7 stars, it seems it is well worth the wait, though. And why wouldn’t it be? The characters are fabulous. It’s wonderful to see Anna and Lily again. I absolutely loved revisiting them. They are just as charming and captivating as I remembered. Their family has grown and changed quite a bit over the last 10 years. That’s not surprising, but it’s lovely to see just the same.

MacGregor stated that she had originally envisioned different characters for this dramatic story, but Anna and Lily just seemed to quietly nudge their way to the surface and make their presence known. I am so glad they did. This is a serious story with an ambitious political theme. It was genius of MacGregor to use them to tell this story. It makes it more emotionally charged, for sure. There are some hard truths and scary realities inside these pages, and the Kaklis family really drives it home.

Final remarks…

This is a fantastic read. The storyline is gripping, well-told and perfectly paced. The main characters, unsurprisingly, are lovely as ever. Anna and Lily have always had this charming appeal, and Words Unsaid really spotlights it. They drive this story and its difficult subject matter home in ways that lesser characters would fail. This is a top-notch story and I highly recommend it. If you haven’t read the other four books in the series, I’d suggest that you do. They are all too good to miss.

Strengths…

Well-written
Great characters
Compelling
Stirring
Well-paced
Relevant
Profile Image for Rosi.
402 reviews112 followers
December 19, 2022
This book is part of a series that is quite old, the first in the series is from 2007, this is the fifth, so there have been five books in 14 years, quite far apart. This makes remembering what has been happening from chapter to chapter is a bit difficult in some respects. So if you are not a big fan of the series, it may lose reason to interest the reader.

Focusing on what refers to the current book, as the relationship between Lily and Anna is already consolidated and is strong and long-lasting enough, the romantic part is in the background and the story focuses on day-to-day life and other problems of coexistence of a family with teenage children.

I recommend this book for fans of the series, but if you are not, I do not think you should read it if what you are looking for is a traditional or standard romance.

Publisher Bella Books was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for my honest review
Profile Image for Eugenia.
274 reviews15 followers
May 25, 2021
I had Without Warning (the first book in this series) on my to read list for a long time. I finally read it two weeks ago. Simply said, I couldn't put it down. I loved the MCs, the supporting families, the storyline. Words Unsaid, is the fifth of the series and it doesn't disappoint. Ana and Lily's constant in their lives is their love for each other. That has never waivered. It is a story of triumphs, of moments of defeat and sadness, of gut wrenching lows and the happiness that comes that together they can conquer anything. I highly recommend this series. I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for KarenC.
334 reviews
July 7, 2021
I think I'm the only lesfic reader who hadn't read the Shaken series, so this fifth installment was the nudge I needed to read them all. Since it has been several years since the 4th in the series, I appreciated that instead of picking up where the last book left off, the author chose to set this book in the present day. Anna is set to sell her dealerships, Lily is a judge, and the kids are 10 and 16. Andy gets caught up in a wrong place/wrong time situation, and most of this book deals with the fallout. I was on the edge of my seat.

One common theme running through the entire series is that "BMWs are the best cars on the road!" I've never owned one, but I certainly learned all about the brand, and that was a nice twist.
21 reviews
June 18, 2025
This was my least favourite of the series which is really disappointing for a closer. First, what happened with Anna's mom was wholly unnecessary, especially with the amount of space Andy's issue took up in the story. Second, while I appreciate shining a light on tough subjects, it doesn't need to be a spotlight. While I'm sure the annoyance and frustration of the roadblocks were what the author wanted us to feel, it was a bit heavy-handed. I need to empathise with the annoyance not be annoyed myself. And lastly but most importantly, I HATED that they just let it go. If I had to sit through that shitshow then I deserved some revenge/justice but preferably revenge. Real issue or not this is still FICTION. If I can't even get justice or vengeance in fiction what the hell is the point? At the very least, they should've sued the administration and literally every official Andy came in contact with.
Profile Image for Kathleen Wills.
44 reviews1 follower
May 1, 2023
Whew, what a wild read!
Words Unsaid, the latest in the Shaken Series, goes full throttle from the start and doesn't let up. Twelve years have passed, and the Kaklis family has had its share of loss. Some hit harder than others...not ashamed to admit my heart hurt a few times.
The action ramps up quickly, and it's a seesaw of emotion as KG hits hard on current events and the horrific consequences of having a soulless megalomaniac in power. Terrifyingly relevant.
Still, the love of family and the devotion that Anna and Lily share is right out in front...two badass women who will literally stop at nothing to get their son back home.
And Andy's growth during a hellish ordeal was intriguing to watch.
This is an edge of your seat book...in the absolute best way.
88 reviews
July 31, 2022
Good story line but the political trash talking was a little over the top

I really like this series. The main characters are realistic and the storyline is decent.

I don't care for the political trash talking that's forced on the reader though or the activist overtones. Readers don't want political agendas shoved down their throats because the writer doesn't like who's in the WH.

I like this story because I'm lesbian and I like lesbian romance, but I'm also conservative and I don't like it when dimocrats trash conservatives and stereotype us all as gay haters.

That being said, I would recommend this series to other people who read lesfic.
26 reviews
September 2, 2021
Car World California

Exciting.. can't put it down. California politics, teenagers, Latinos, ICE, gangs and a lesbian love story all rolled into one novel. The continues series started with a California Earthquake. Two women one straight falling in love after a rescue. Their life thru marriage, children, adoption of a motherless child. Law school, judgeship and buscar dealerships one by one becoming an empire. In the end a FAMILY'S LOVE STORY.
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