Customer Reviews

Coming Undone (Harlequin Blaze)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm so confused! I really don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this book...

Based on the book description, I was ready to enjoy a somewhat silly (in a good way) story with some naughty banter between the H/h, steamy love scenes and a touch of angst (provided by the heroine's traumatic accident). The first 1/4 of the book didn't prove me wrong, but something didn't feel quite right to me. I couldn't connect with Hunt and Carly, even though there was nothing I disliked about them. I just couldn't put my finger on what was "wrong" and why the story wasn't working for me, and that was annoying. As I kept reading, I eventually realized what the "problem" was: there were too many things crammed into the story, making it impossible to develop any of them properly.

To sum it up, here's what this book is about: (a) Hunt and Carly's relationship, of course; (b) Carly's trauma and strugle to go back to surfing; (c) Carly's meddling family; (d) Hunt's need for control and fear of commitment; (e) Hunt's career as a Navy SEAL; (f) Hunt's relationship with his younger brother Ty; (g) Ty's returning cancer and indecision about the future; (h) Carly's friend Samantha's "epiphany"; (i) Ty and Samantha's relationship; (j) Hunt's SEAL teammate Cash, who's the hero in the next book in the series... Are you lost yet? :(

Individually or, at most, in pairs, all those storylines were enough to make a compelling story, especially when we take in consideration the restricted length of a Harlequin Blaze novel, but as it was, I found myself disconnected from the characters and their stories. With so much going on, I wasn't surprised by the rushed ending, but I was disappointed with the lack of closure. Don't get me wrong, Carly and Hunt got their HEA - after all, this is a romance book - and almost all the storylines (under)developed in the book were settled, but the one loose end that was left bothered me. By the end of the book, Ty's future is uncertain. I was okay with that when I thought his story was "to be continued" in the next book(s) in the series, but then I found out he isn't the hero in any of those books. WTF?!? Will I ever know what happens to him? What about his relationship with Samantha? Do I still want to read the next book(s) to see if that loose end is eventually tied up? Yes, because I found that particular storyline engaging and I really want it to get a nice pink bow in the end. Having said that, I'll be really mad if I go through those books and don't see any resolution to it.

Carolyn "Carly" Winters meets Lieutenant Jonathan "Hunt" Huntington when she accidentally sends an erotic fax to a Mayport Military Base.

She is a retired professional surfer. Her last competition ended in a terrible accident and she suffers from panic attacks whenever she gets near the beach. He feels a need to help everyone in need, but at what cost?

Coming Undone is sexually charged. Along with Carly and Hunt, the author weaves in two other strong characters, Samantha and Ty, who have their own story.

This is my first Blaze book and what a pleasant surprise it was. I really enjoyed the story, characters, and fast-pace writing.

Carolyn Winters accidentally faxed an erotic fantasy to the Mayport Military Base and it fell into the hands of Navy SEAL, Lieutenant Jonathan Huntington. When Hunt arrives at Carly's home to find out who sent the sexy fax and why, he goes from stranger to boyfriend in five minutes.

Hunt offers to help Carly out with a family obligations in exchange for surfing lessons. Carly was a professional surfer, but an accident has kept her out of the water.

Hunt helps Carly, and then Carly returns the favor. Before he can ride off into the sunset though, Carly gives Hunt her heart.

Coming Undone is full of sensuality and emotion. The chemistry between Hunt and Carly is strong. Hunt is a super sexy guy with a heart of gold and Carly is totally cool. As secondary characters, Ty and Samantha are wonderful. Coming Undone is a sexy, romantic and fun story.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

If you're looking for a steamy, quick romance with slightly more depth than a novella, but not the time investment of a full blown novel, look no further. This is a charming story that starts with former pro surfer Carly and her best pal Samantha discussing the latest Cosmo like article for steaming up your sex life. The article suggests writing down your fantasies for your lover to act out, but Sam has writer's block and asks Carly to help her get started. Because Sam's email isn't working, Carly promises to fax it over to her only to find out that she screwed up the fax number when Navy Seal, Lieutenant Jonathan Hunter, aka Hunt, shows up at her door to investigate the inappropriate fax that was sent to the US government. When Hunt arrives on her doorstep, the timing couldn't be better, or worse, depending on how you look at it, since Carly is having dinner with her parents and trying to avoid her parent's meddling in her love life. They're trying to set her up with the son of a family friend and Carly wants nothing to do with it so she says she already has a boyfriend. Hunt who is stymied not only by the erotic fax that he's been dreaming about, but by the beautiful woman who answers the door, quickly guages the situation and pretends to be the mysterious boyfriend. In doing so, he's essentially committed to being her date for her sister's wedding and the story progresses as the two learn about each other and help one another.

There's emotional healing as each has their own heartaches to deal with. The side characters and subsequent romance between Samantha and Hunt's brother is fast and sweet. Although predictable, in romance, it's not about the destination, but the journey getting there and this is well told.

Coming Undone is a quick reading book that wants you to just keep turning the pages. The mixing of romance,carnal love and family intrigue keeps you glued to the pages. For a first book, Stephanie Tyler has it all.

The novel is good, but a lot things were going on. I would have liked to read more and focused more on the hero and the heroine, instead of reading about the secondary characters too. Don't get me wrong, but reading about the secondary characters takes time from the reader to really enjoy the novel. The writer could have given the hero's brother and the heronie's bff their own novel. Just be open minded with this novel.

Carly has retired as a professional surfer after a very terrible accident and is now having panic attacks around water and the beach. She sends an erotic fax accidentally to a very HOT navy seal who comes to her door to investigate the fax. He is Mr. Fixit - needs to help everyone and helps Carly with her parent but agreeing to pretend to be her boyfriend and be her escort to her sister's wedding. Great strong characters and great sub-plots.

Check out some of her other books; Risking It All (Harlequin Blaze)(John "Cash" Cashman story - a character in Coming Undone) , Beyond His Control (Harlequin Blaze)(Justin Brandt story) and Hot Nights, Dark Desires.

This book was fabulous. I actually got it as an ebook for my pda. By the time I was finished reading "Coming Undone," I wanted to continue following the characters lives. Their stories were so well written. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading her next book.

I pretty much agree with all the 5 star reviews and would have given the last star, but the ending was so abrupt. We all know that the ending will be a happy one, but I like to read how the characters grow and develop. Everything was fine and dandy with the characters emotionally struggling and trying to find themselves and then bammm...oops the author must have realized that she was running out of pages and finished in a rush. Left me feeling a little unfullfilled at the end.

Altough it is an impossible story, I liked it. It is fun, sexy and light. The only problem I had was with the very abrupt end. It seems to be written in a rush, and it took away from the fun I had while reading the book. Anyway, for the price of the ebook, it is a good buy.