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bookish_notes's review against another edition
This is the sequel to Annie and Dylan's story. The first book, Everything I Left Unsaid, ended in a cliffhanger. The Truth About Him picks up right where that book left off. This story is intense. There's really no other way to describe it. The first few chapters of this book is action-packed and I just couldn't put the book down until everything was resolved. The majority of the story shows how the characters lived in the aftermath of those events.
Throughout book one, we don't really get to see Annie and Dylan interact face-to-face with one another, their interactions mainly limited to their voices over the phone. Now, they have to learn who the other is, truly is, with no barriers between them. There are dangers lurking in this book for both the characters, even though they think their biggest concern has already been taken care of. There's a constant push-and-pull between Annie and Dylan and I feel like the story stalls a bit around the 70% mark? The story was just a bit longer than I would have liked for this to be a story told in two books, but overall, I really loved reading Annie and Dylan's story.
It does take a little bit of...relearning, I guess, to get into this book. While Everything I Left Unsaid was told from a first-person POV from Annie, this story is told from a first-person perspective from Dylan, and a third-person perspective from Annie. It's a switch, but after a while, I did get into the swing of reading the book.
I loved Tiffany getting her moment. Tiffany is a mother of three young children at the trailer park and she comes from a similar situation with Annie and her husband. Except in Tiffany's case, she has children she has to look after, so running like Annie did to get away? It really isn't an option for her. So, when she gets her moment to take control of her own life, in more ways that one in this book, I really fell in love with her.
I think that the author has a way of writing tropes that I wouldn't usually like reading, and changing it enough, or giving enough backstory to it, where I'm okay with it? Like with this story, Annie was still married to her abusive husband when she started something up with Dylan. Even when they had sex (Dylan didn't know she was married), she had left her abusive situation and husband, so was it cheating? It's a bit of a grey area, I think, for these characters, so I was totally rooting of Annie and Dylan to get together despite everything.
As dark as the characters' stories got, the one that really made me tear up was Ben's story. It just really got to me and the epilogue was a surprise. I liked getting introduced in this book to Max (Dylan's brother) and Blake (Dylan's really wealthy business partner). There were some tender moments in this book that I enjoyed reading, as well as some sexy moments. Again, this book ends on a bit of a shocking note as far as the storyline is concerned. But, Annie and Dylan's story ends with a HEA, and for fans of this couple, that's what really matters.
Because I wasn't sure if I was a good person who did some bad things or a bad person who'd done some good. I had no damn idea.
But Annie deserved someone good. And I used to think I could be the guy to give it to her. But it looked like that was only a dream.
Throughout book one, we don't really get to see Annie and Dylan interact face-to-face with one another, their interactions mainly limited to their voices over the phone. Now, they have to learn who the other is, truly is, with no barriers between them. There are dangers lurking in this book for both the characters, even though they think their biggest concern has already been taken care of. There's a constant push-and-pull between Annie and Dylan and I feel like the story stalls a bit around the 70% mark? The story was just a bit longer than I would have liked for this to be a story told in two books, but overall, I really loved reading Annie and Dylan's story.
It does take a little bit of...relearning, I guess, to get into this book. While Everything I Left Unsaid was told from a first-person POV from Annie, this story is told from a first-person perspective from Dylan, and a third-person perspective from Annie. It's a switch, but after a while, I did get into the swing of reading the book.
I loved Tiffany getting her moment. Tiffany is a mother of three young children at the trailer park and she comes from a similar situation with Annie and her husband. Except in Tiffany's case, she has children she has to look after, so running like Annie did to get away? It really isn't an option for her. So, when she gets her moment to take control of her own life, in more ways that one in this book, I really fell in love with her.
I think that the author has a way of writing tropes that I wouldn't usually like reading, and changing it enough, or giving enough backstory to it, where I'm okay with it? Like with this story, Annie was still married to her abusive husband when she started something up with Dylan. Even when they had sex (Dylan didn't know she was married), she had left her abusive situation and husband, so was it cheating? It's a bit of a grey area, I think, for these characters, so I was totally rooting of Annie and Dylan to get together despite everything.
As dark as the characters' stories got, the one that really made me tear up was Ben's story. It just really got to me and the epilogue was a surprise. I liked getting introduced in this book to Max (Dylan's brother) and Blake (Dylan's really wealthy business partner). There were some tender moments in this book that I enjoyed reading, as well as some sexy moments. Again, this book ends on a bit of a shocking note as far as the storyline is concerned. But, Annie and Dylan's story ends with a HEA, and for fans of this couple, that's what really matters.
eddiemunsonssecretbookshelf's review
4.0
Meine Meinung
Ihr merkt wahrscheinlich, die Inhaltswiedergabe war mehr als schwierig. Aber das Buch beginnt auf den ersten sechzig Seiten schon mit einem Pageturner, sodass ich so gut wie nichts vorwegnehmen kann. Also bleibt nur dieses mystische Gefasel da oben. Aber nun zum Buch. Zum Glück habe ich meinen Zettel, denn sonst wüsste ich so gut wie gar nichts mehr. Es ging sehr spannend los. Direkt am Anfang kam eine Sache, die ich am Ende erwartet habe, sodass ich dann verunsichert war, ob der Rest unnötiges Drama werden würde. Gab es kaum. Ab und an dachte ich mir “Kommt mal zu Potte jetzt”, aber insgesamt gab es wenig unnötiges Drama. Dafür eine Menge unnötiger Sexszenen, die irgendwelche Probleme lösen sollten oder nur für Verdrängung gesorgt haben. In Band 1 haben sie tatsächlich (man mag es vielleicht nicht glauben) zu einer Entwicklung geführt. Hier war ich allerdings oftmals genervt. “Schon wieder?”
Diesmal haben wir sehr viel mehr über Dylan erfahren, weil seine Kapitel in der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben wurden, während Annies in der dritten Person kamen. Umgekehrt zu Band 1 also. Das hat mir sehr gut gefallen, denn im ersten Band hat man so wenig über ihn erfahren, dass er mir sogar zu geheimnisvoll war, zu uninteressant. Hier habe ich ihn nun lieben gelernt. Man hat mehr über ihn erfahren und über seine weiche Seite.
Dann habe ich das Buch, nach ungefähr 180 Seiten, vier Wochen pausiert. Es hat nicht gepasst. Aber als ich es dann wieder zur Hand genommen habe, dann lief es, sodass ich es dann sehr schnell beenden konnte. Und das heißt dann wohl doch was. Als launenhafter Leser hat es aber nicht viel zu bedeuten, wenn ich ein Buch mal zwei Wochen nicht zur Hand nehme. Lieber lese ich ein Buch später und bewerte es dann vernünftig, als dass ich mich durchquäle, weil ich eigentlich keine Lust drauf habe und dann nur zwei Sterne gebe. Das verdient ein Buch nicht.
Ebenso wurden schon viele Andeutungen für Band 3 und 4 gemacht, ich möchte definitiv noch weiterlesen und bin total gespannt, was die zwei anderen Pairings mit sich bringen. In diesem Buch gab es allerdings so wenig Handlung. Würde man mich jetzt fragen, was eigentlich passiert ist, ich wüsste nur zwei oder drei kleine Sachen. Es war nicht langweilig, aber wirklich Handlung gab es halt auch nicht. Ich finde das ziemlich faszinierend, wie man knapp 400 Seiten mit äußerst wenig Handlung füllen kann, ohne dass mir langweilig geworden ist. Das Ende war dann sehr schön. Annie und Dylan haben ein tolles Ende bekommen, sodass ich zufrieden bin.
Kurze Übersicht
+ spannende Handlung
+ Entwicklung beider Charaktere
– es gab kaum Handlung
– unnötige Sexszenen
– vier Wochen pausiert
Fazit
Auch wenn meine Übersicht negativ aussieht, ich hatte Spaß beim Lesen. Ich wurde gut unterhalten und habe gerne weitergelesen (nachdem ich meine Pause eingelegt habe). Ich gebe 4/5 Sterne, denn das Buch hat schließlich seinen Zweck erfüllt.
Ihr merkt wahrscheinlich, die Inhaltswiedergabe war mehr als schwierig. Aber das Buch beginnt auf den ersten sechzig Seiten schon mit einem Pageturner, sodass ich so gut wie nichts vorwegnehmen kann. Also bleibt nur dieses mystische Gefasel da oben. Aber nun zum Buch. Zum Glück habe ich meinen Zettel, denn sonst wüsste ich so gut wie gar nichts mehr. Es ging sehr spannend los. Direkt am Anfang kam eine Sache, die ich am Ende erwartet habe, sodass ich dann verunsichert war, ob der Rest unnötiges Drama werden würde. Gab es kaum. Ab und an dachte ich mir “Kommt mal zu Potte jetzt”, aber insgesamt gab es wenig unnötiges Drama. Dafür eine Menge unnötiger Sexszenen, die irgendwelche Probleme lösen sollten oder nur für Verdrängung gesorgt haben. In Band 1 haben sie tatsächlich (man mag es vielleicht nicht glauben) zu einer Entwicklung geführt. Hier war ich allerdings oftmals genervt. “Schon wieder?”
Diesmal haben wir sehr viel mehr über Dylan erfahren, weil seine Kapitel in der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben wurden, während Annies in der dritten Person kamen. Umgekehrt zu Band 1 also. Das hat mir sehr gut gefallen, denn im ersten Band hat man so wenig über ihn erfahren, dass er mir sogar zu geheimnisvoll war, zu uninteressant. Hier habe ich ihn nun lieben gelernt. Man hat mehr über ihn erfahren und über seine weiche Seite.
Dann habe ich das Buch, nach ungefähr 180 Seiten, vier Wochen pausiert. Es hat nicht gepasst. Aber als ich es dann wieder zur Hand genommen habe, dann lief es, sodass ich es dann sehr schnell beenden konnte. Und das heißt dann wohl doch was. Als launenhafter Leser hat es aber nicht viel zu bedeuten, wenn ich ein Buch mal zwei Wochen nicht zur Hand nehme. Lieber lese ich ein Buch später und bewerte es dann vernünftig, als dass ich mich durchquäle, weil ich eigentlich keine Lust drauf habe und dann nur zwei Sterne gebe. Das verdient ein Buch nicht.
Ebenso wurden schon viele Andeutungen für Band 3 und 4 gemacht, ich möchte definitiv noch weiterlesen und bin total gespannt, was die zwei anderen Pairings mit sich bringen. In diesem Buch gab es allerdings so wenig Handlung. Würde man mich jetzt fragen, was eigentlich passiert ist, ich wüsste nur zwei oder drei kleine Sachen. Es war nicht langweilig, aber wirklich Handlung gab es halt auch nicht. Ich finde das ziemlich faszinierend, wie man knapp 400 Seiten mit äußerst wenig Handlung füllen kann, ohne dass mir langweilig geworden ist. Das Ende war dann sehr schön. Annie und Dylan haben ein tolles Ende bekommen, sodass ich zufrieden bin.
Kurze Übersicht
+ spannende Handlung
+ Entwicklung beider Charaktere
– es gab kaum Handlung
– unnötige Sexszenen
– vier Wochen pausiert
Fazit
Auch wenn meine Übersicht negativ aussieht, ich hatte Spaß beim Lesen. Ich wurde gut unterhalten und habe gerne weitergelesen (nachdem ich meine Pause eingelegt habe). Ich gebe 4/5 Sterne, denn das Buch hat schließlich seinen Zweck erfüllt.
planningwithgrammy's review against another edition
3.0
it solved the cliffhanger of the first book very quickly. then it felt like the author was writing just to have a second book and should have just made a longer first book. but the last quarter solved up some story lines and started some for the next book. curious about max's story and curious about Phil ' s children and grandma margaret.
kayla_llbr's review against another edition
5.0
AMAZING!
I loved this duology and cannot wait to read more from this author :)
Formal Review to come!
4.5 Stars
I loved this duology and cannot wait to read more from this author :)
Formal Review to come!
4.5 Stars
michellesantiago's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted on Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks:
Warning: The Truth About Him is a direct sequel to Everything I Left Unsaid, which means if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid you probably shouldn't read further than this paragraph. I'll keep things vague, but no promises. My overall rating for The Truth About Him is 4.5/5 stars. While I didn't give it as high a rating as Everything I Left Unsaid (because that book was something else!) I still really, really loved it. The series, overall, is a five-star read for me. I highly recommend it, especially if you like your romances more on the darker side in tone and the issues touched upon. The sex was pretty explicit too, but nothing weird or crazy.
Okay, if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid, read the rest of this review at your own risk, because I will be spoiling it. If you want a general premise about the series please read my review of Everything I Left Unsaid.
Everything I Left Unsaid ended on a cliffhanger--it was basically like a TV season finale with Annie coming face to face with her abusive husband Hoyt in her trailer after she came back from Dylan's house, Hoyt hit her hard and she passed out. That was how EILU ended and if you didn't have The Truth About Him on hand, you're left wanting to tear your hair out wondering what will happen next. The Truth About Him picked up right where EILU ended and holy shit were the first four pages of The Truth About Him crazy intense!
But those four chapters and the couple of chapters that followed really served as a resolution to Everything I Left Unsaid, which was Annie's book. The Truth About Him was Dylan's book. We got to know Dylan a little bit in the first book, but the focus was on Annie and Dylan remained a mystery. In The Truth About Him we not only learn more about Dylan and what made him tick, but we also got his inner thoughts because the narration flip-flopped and we got Dylan's first person POV while Annie's was in the third-person.
In Everything I Left Unsaid we learned that Annie's neighbor in the trailer park, Ben, was Dylan's estranged father. Dylan also has an estranged brother named Max. Ben, a former member of a motorcycle gang, and Max, a current member, both betrayed Dylan many years ago so he stayed away from them and their dangerous associations for many years. Dylan preferred to stay on his mountain and live the hermit life while accumulating millions from his race car engine patents. But Dylan's relationship with Annie brought him down off his mountain and back to the attention of the motorcycle gang. He'll have to deal with his family's baggage before he can find his happily ever after with Annie.
The Truth About Him was really where Dylan and Annie worked on their relationship. If the story ended where Everything I Left Unsaid did (barring the Hoyt cliffhanger), it was just a happy-for-now and it would've been so sad because these two deserved their happily ever after after all the crap they've been through, especially Annie.
The reason why I gave The Truth About Him a half-star less than EILU was because it was missing that extra oomph Everything I Left Unsaid had. EILU had that forbidden element because Annie and Dylan had this sexual thing going on but they've never met each other, only communicating through the phone. And, technically, Annie was married. They were keeping secrets but at the same time telling each other truths they'd never told anyone else. Annie and Dylan had moved past all that and now they're working on their relationship as a couple. But, of course, they both come with extra baggage, especially Dylan who knew that keeping Annie in his life meant putting her in danger. But can he let her go? Annie, after everything she went through, had so much love to give but she knew she also deserved to be loved. She's worried that Dylan might not be capable of loving her the way she deserved. It wasn't as thrilling, but I was still riveted to Annie and Dylan's story and rooted for their happily-ever-after.
As for the steam factor, yep, it was scorching hot. Grab some ice water before you sit down to read because you're going to need it.
Everything in the end was tied into a neat bow thanks to the epilogue, which showed us a glimpse of Annie and Dylan a few years later. And, awwwww, you guys, it made me cry. Dylan and Ben's relationship was so bittersweet. But it was such a perfect ending for Dylan and Annie. There were some secondary characters whose stories were left unresolved, like Dylan's brother Max, his business partner Blake, and Annie's neighbor Tiffany. If Ms. O'Keefe decide to write a companion novel or duology about any of them, I'll definitely be interested.
I gave Everything I Left Unsaid 5 out 5 stars and The Truth About Him 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the series a 5 star overall. Both books were excellently written with fantastic, well-fleshed out characters and an engrossing romance. Romance fans, this duology is not to be missed. I highly recommend you pick up both books and marathon them.
Warning: The Truth About Him is a direct sequel to Everything I Left Unsaid, which means if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid you probably shouldn't read further than this paragraph. I'll keep things vague, but no promises. My overall rating for The Truth About Him is 4.5/5 stars. While I didn't give it as high a rating as Everything I Left Unsaid (because that book was something else!) I still really, really loved it. The series, overall, is a five-star read for me. I highly recommend it, especially if you like your romances more on the darker side in tone and the issues touched upon. The sex was pretty explicit too, but nothing weird or crazy.
Okay, if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid, read the rest of this review at your own risk, because I will be spoiling it. If you want a general premise about the series please read my review of Everything I Left Unsaid.
Everything I Left Unsaid ended on a cliffhanger--it was basically like a TV season finale with Annie coming face to face with her abusive husband Hoyt in her trailer after she came back from Dylan's house, Hoyt hit her hard and she passed out. That was how EILU ended and if you didn't have The Truth About Him on hand, you're left wanting to tear your hair out wondering what will happen next. The Truth About Him picked up right where EILU ended and holy shit were the first four pages of The Truth About Him crazy intense!
But those four chapters and the couple of chapters that followed really served as a resolution to Everything I Left Unsaid, which was Annie's book. The Truth About Him was Dylan's book. We got to know Dylan a little bit in the first book, but the focus was on Annie and Dylan remained a mystery. In The Truth About Him we not only learn more about Dylan and what made him tick, but we also got his inner thoughts because the narration flip-flopped and we got Dylan's first person POV while Annie's was in the third-person.
In Everything I Left Unsaid we learned that Annie's neighbor in the trailer park, Ben, was Dylan's estranged father. Dylan also has an estranged brother named Max. Ben, a former member of a motorcycle gang, and Max, a current member, both betrayed Dylan many years ago so he stayed away from them and their dangerous associations for many years. Dylan preferred to stay on his mountain and live the hermit life while accumulating millions from his race car engine patents. But Dylan's relationship with Annie brought him down off his mountain and back to the attention of the motorcycle gang. He'll have to deal with his family's baggage before he can find his happily ever after with Annie.
The Truth About Him was really where Dylan and Annie worked on their relationship. If the story ended where Everything I Left Unsaid did (barring the Hoyt cliffhanger), it was just a happy-for-now and it would've been so sad because these two deserved their happily ever after after all the crap they've been through, especially Annie.
The reason why I gave The Truth About Him a half-star less than EILU was because it was missing that extra oomph Everything I Left Unsaid had. EILU had that forbidden element because Annie and Dylan had this sexual thing going on but they've never met each other, only communicating through the phone. And, technically, Annie was married. They were keeping secrets but at the same time telling each other truths they'd never told anyone else. Annie and Dylan had moved past all that and now they're working on their relationship as a couple. But, of course, they both come with extra baggage, especially Dylan who knew that keeping Annie in his life meant putting her in danger. But can he let her go? Annie, after everything she went through, had so much love to give but she knew she also deserved to be loved. She's worried that Dylan might not be capable of loving her the way she deserved. It wasn't as thrilling, but I was still riveted to Annie and Dylan's story and rooted for their happily-ever-after.
As for the steam factor, yep, it was scorching hot. Grab some ice water before you sit down to read because you're going to need it.
Everything in the end was tied into a neat bow thanks to the epilogue, which showed us a glimpse of Annie and Dylan a few years later. And, awwwww, you guys, it made me cry. Dylan and Ben's relationship was so bittersweet. But it was such a perfect ending for Dylan and Annie. There were some secondary characters whose stories were left unresolved, like Dylan's brother Max, his business partner Blake, and Annie's neighbor Tiffany. If Ms. O'Keefe decide to write a companion novel or duology about any of them, I'll definitely be interested.
I gave Everything I Left Unsaid 5 out 5 stars and The Truth About Him 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the series a 5 star overall. Both books were excellently written with fantastic, well-fleshed out characters and an engrossing romance. Romance fans, this duology is not to be missed. I highly recommend you pick up both books and marathon them.
msmattoon's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the first one, but a satisfying conclusion.
isitcake's review against another edition
DNF'ing for now. Didn't keep my interest. After the end of the last book it was pretty obvious that she would have to turn out ok. Except not only is she ok but the threat is eliminated. Her abusive husband is dead. So now the only threat is Dylan's brother Max, the head of the motorcycle club his family is involved with. We don't really know what he wants and the gang is after Dylan. Except whatever FMC's name is refuses to leave the trailer park because she wants to care for Dylan's dad, who is dying of cancer. So Dylan is staying in the trailer park to be near her. And their relationship is all weird now? Like he doesn't want to have sex with her because she's so pure and innocent or something? Idk like I said I started losing interest, put it down and haven't picked it up in weeks.
mandy_pandy's review against another edition
5.0
I loved these characters - I could read another book just about Annie and Dylan but I'm so happy to see who the next book is about. I loved the way Dylan evolved throughout this story and how much stronger Annie became. There were a few small things I didn't like but overall I loved this book and can't wait for the next book in this series.
Spoiler
all the pushing away was a bit much - especially when it was obvious they were in love and I would've liked a little more from the epiloguebleulucy's review against another edition
2.0
So, in the tradition of the romance books, there is the story of the couple, which, after they got together in the last book, becomes much less interesting. They bicker, they don't talk, they misunderstand, until their happy ending when everything is resolved. The world around the couple is much bigger in this book, until the story is one action scene after another..
A note - the POV is constantly changing and the chapters are labeled with names of the character to help out. Still it was really hard to tell who was talking. Many things got sloppy toward the end.
Will I read the next book? Probably.
A note - the POV is constantly changing and the chapters are labeled with names of the character to help out. Still it was really hard to tell who was talking. Many things got sloppy toward the end.
Will I read the next book? Probably.