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A review by astridthebookishsweettooth
Undone By You by Kate Meader
5.0
IT'S LIVE"
AMAZON
READ MY REVIEW AT VANILLA & SPICE BOOKS
If you've read the previous book in the Chicago Rebels series you might have caught glimpses of Cade and Dante's strange connection. There seemed to have been something going on, chemistry, electricity and one scene toward the end of Isobel's book that looked like something akin to a fight. Now we get all the deets - UNDONE BY YOU runs parallel to SO OVER YOU.
I've always had a thing for the sharp, a little sardonic and reserved Dante Morretti, the first out and proud gay GM of a hockey team. When he runs into happy-go-lucky D-man of his team, Cade "Alamo" Burnett, at an exclusive gay club he can't believe his eyes. While Dante is still calculating the PR nightmare of an NHL player being outed as gay, Cade starts a game of seduction and Dante stands no chance in hell to resist him. As his boss, though, Dante can't, won't let his attraction get out of control.
“Honestly, Cade? You’re impossible to resist.”
I loved Cade from the first moment I met him. He is a light-hearted, laid-back Texan guy, always a joke on his lips to lighten the mood and cheer up the team. Of course, it isn't until UNDONE BY YOU that you realize that he, too, comes with baggage. He is firmly in the closet for multiple reasons and none of them have to do with cowardice. One, there is his dad, who is proud of him but being from Texas he has a rather old-fashioned opinion about what a family must look like. Two, there is still the misconception that only because you're gay you can't be masculine and thus don't belong on a testosterone-fueled hockey team that also has all sorts of homophobic characters. It's like fighting wind mills. But Cade isn't just adorable, endearing, funny and playful, he is also bold and brave and it's the combination that has Dante's hormones raging. I adore him and his connection with Violet. Their friendship is so incredibly special.
Dante doesn't want to think of Cade as a potential relationship. Too many obstacles stand in their way. For one there is the fact that he is Cade's boss. Then there is the age gap. And third he promised himself never to bind himself to somebody who was still closeted. He'd given up too much to let himself be second best in somebody else's life. In his experience coming out comes with sacrifices, however, the freedom of it beats the hiding and secrecy by a long shot.
Dante was everything I expected him to be and more. He was protective of Cade, always had an open ear for him and ready with advice if asked. He also made me a little angry but there was also understanding for where he was coming from. Dante turned out to be the enigma I thought him to be. He was a contradiction of reserved, cool, collected and warm, kind, wise and vulnerable. - yes, it sounds weird and I applaud Kate Meader to transfer that through her words.
The quote below is significant - and it shows what's wrong with society. It's taken from the conversation Dante has with Cade's father.
Dante: “What kind of statement am I making other than to demand that people accept I can love whomever I want? Do you think gay people are bucking society’s norms to mess with straight people’s minds?
Figures that this novella is my favorite in the series so far. I wish Ms. Meader would have written a full length novel about Cade and Dante, the material would have been there. But, we still have one more story coming up in this series and I can't wait to see more of these two. UNDONE BY YOU is a wonderful addition to the Chicago Rebels series and has it all - it's sexy and sweet, two wonderful leads and full of banter. I have no idea how Kate Meader comes up with this stuff but her brand of humor totally aligns with mine.
If you read MM give this a chance - it definitely can be read as a standalone and while I couldn't get enough of Dante and Cade the author did a great job of packing a satisfying story into this shorty.
