Unbreakable Stories: Rowe

Why can I not get enough of these men? I just love all the men in this series, and they are written so well by Drake & Elliott, I have to wonder how anyone will be able to get enough. I almost NEVER beg for additional stories on characters, mostly because often it seems when they have achieved their happy ending, then there isn’t much to tell about them.
However, these two authors have written such an incredible series, with characters who are so true to life, so diverse in personalities, that I cannot imagine how any of them could be boring. Adding these stories after their happy endings are such a joy to read. You learn more about their lives, their pasts, their wants, all the hot sex they have, and mostly about how the relationships between all these men continue to strengthen bonds built over many years.
Rowe’s stories are no exception. We see the fun side of Rowe and Noah, as they mess with their oh so serious friends. And we see the tender side, as we learn more about Rowe’s deceased wife, and his sister in law. The tears were flowing…in a short story. THAT is hard to do. For an author to bring a connection to a reader based on a short story is an incredible gift, yet these ladies do it so well.
I can’t help but hope that we get more scenes, maybe even more books, even as I know that these two will be working on a spin off series that I have no doubt will rock my world. Their writing draws me in, creates some serious magic, and then spits me out the other side, wrung out from the feels, but still happy as can be that I get to have a little of that in my life.
Well done, ladies…well done.
4.5 pieces of eye candy

Just a head up, if you haven’t read the series, there is a spoiler or two in this review.
With every book in this series I have come to love these men more and more. It’s not fair….I want them to be real! First, this is not a stand alone book. Second, this book should be read after Torch (Unbreakable Bonds Series Book 3). This series is so intertwined, that you need to start with Shiver (Unbreakable Bonds Series Book 1) and just joyously work your way through all of them. The characters are so wonderful and finely drawn, the plot development is so superb in all the books, it’s just really hard to find any fault. I will admit that Lucas is my favorite, and Ward Rowe, I thought, was my least favorite. Well, I was wrong. Lucas is still my favorite (one of my top five book boyfriends), but Rowe, he grew on me slowly through the first two books until I loved him just as much as the other main characters. If I’m sounding too much like a fangirl…..tough, I am a fangirl! I just really love these books. Romantic suspense is my favorite genre, and this is romantic suspense done at its finest.
This novella about Rowe Ward and Noah Keegan is short, but again, every story in it hits all my buttons for what makes a good read. When you care so much for the characters in a story…your rational mind knows they are not real, but you just really want them to be, and you want to have them over for dinner too! That is how well these characters are drawn. All of the characters will break your heart in different ways. They carry so much emotional damage and still manage to overcome and thrive in spite of their pasts. Rowe’s damage was more recent and devastating, he lost the love of his life in Shatter (Unbreakable Bonds Series Book 2), when his wife was killed. Torch is the story of Rowe returning to life and learning to love again. He found his second love, Noah, and this novella is stories of them moving on together with their love.
These are short stories within the novella, and all the usual characters are there with them along the way. Rowe finds out he is still accepted by his deceased wife’s family, and they also open their arms to accept Noah.
“Damn it, Rowe. You made her so happy, and I love you for that. I know she’d want you to be happy. If Noah makes you feel that way, then hold him tight and be happy. That’s all she’d want for you, honey.”
We see Noah and Rowe trying to get through Christmas while making new memories for each other. More of Noah’s past is dealt with by returning home to Alabama with Rowe, and we feel the pain Noah feels about never being able to be honest with his grandmother about being gay. Rowe gets to help Noah heal a little bit, rather than it always being about Rowe’s pain. My favorite short story was There Goes The Security Deposit. All three couples from the series, Lucas and Andrei (Shiver), Snow and Judd (Shatter) and Rowe and Noah (Torch) rent a houseboat for a weekend. This story shows the special bonds between these men and how they have grown and overcome the obstacles life has thrown at them. They have made their own family in a world that doesn’t always give a loving family to all people. Noah comes to realize that he is now lucky enough to be included into this family.
“There really was no sneaking into this group. You earned it through love and loyalty and selflessness. No matter what, these men –his new family–would have his back and he would fight for them too. No questions asked.”
These men’s family is drawn tighter and stronger through all the books in this series. I can’t encourage you enough to read this series, and if you do, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Grade: A