Bantam | October 13, 2015 | Romantic Suspense
Everything I Left Unsaid, book 1
★★★★1/2
I didn’t think answering someone else’s cellphone would change my life. But the stranger with the low, deep voice on the other end of the line tempted me, awakened my body, set me on fire. He was looking for someone else. Instead he found me.
And I found a hot, secret world where I felt alive for the first time.
His name was Dylan, and, strangely, he made me feel safe. Desired. Compelled. Every dark thing he asked me to do, I did. Without question. I longed to meet him, but we were both keeping secrets. And mine were dangerous. If I took the first step, if I got closer to Dylan—emotionally, physically—then I wouldn’t be hiding anymore. I would be exposed, with nothing left to surrender but the truth. And my truth could hurt us both.
{ about molly o'keefe } .
Molly O'Keefe has always known she wanted to be a writer (except when she wanted to be a florist or a chef and the brief period of time when she considered being a cowgirl). And once she got her hands on some romances, she knew exactly what she wanted to write. She published her first Harlequin romance at age 25 and hasn't looked back. She loves exploring every character's road towards happily ever after.
Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she went to university in St. Louis where she met and fell in love with the editor of her school newspaper. They followed each other around the world for several years and finally got married and settled down in Toronto, Ontario. They welcomed their son into their family in 2006, and their daughter in 2008.
When she's not at the park or cleaning up the toy room, Molly is working hard on her next novel, trying to exercise, stalking Tina Fey on the internet and dreaming of the day she can finish a cup of coffee without interruption.
Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she went to university in St. Louis where she met and fell in love with the editor of her school newspaper. They followed each other around the world for several years and finally got married and settled down in Toronto, Ontario. They welcomed their son into their family in 2006, and their daughter in 2008.
When she's not at the park or cleaning up the toy room, Molly is working hard on her next novel, trying to exercise, stalking Tina Fey on the internet and dreaming of the day she can finish a cup of coffee without interruption.
{ playlist } .
Florence and The Machine – What Kind Of Man.
And with one kiss
You inspired a fire of devotion
That lasted for twenty years
What kind of man loves like this?
The music of Florence and The Machine is like my spirit animal. I wish I could write something so perfectly sexy and broken and personal and smart, popular and totally outside the box at the same time. I love love love this music. And this song fits Annie’s utter dumbstruck and perhaps ill-fated fascination with the man on the other end of the phone…
You inspired a fire of devotion
That lasted for twenty years
What kind of man loves like this?
The music of Florence and The Machine is like my spirit animal. I wish I could write something so perfectly sexy and broken and personal and smart, popular and totally outside the box at the same time. I love love love this music. And this song fits Annie’s utter dumbstruck and perhaps ill-fated fascination with the man on the other end of the phone…
July Talk – Summer Dress
Yea but this is life we're living
Life ain't always 'bout forgiving
She's my lady in a summer dress
This is life we're living
Life ain't always bout forgiving.
July Talk is my new obsession at the moment. They are a Canadian band with a really signature sound. Lots of songs of anger and devotion and obsession could have fit with Everything I Left Unsaid, but I love this song and the singer/characters obsession with NOT forgiving. Totally fits Dylan.
Cake – The DIstance
Reluctantly crouched at the starting line,
Engines pumping and thumping in time.
The green light flashes, the flags go up.
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.
They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank,
Fuel burning fast on an empty tank.
Reckless and wild, they pour through the turns.
Their prowess is potent and secretly stearn.
As they speed through the finish, the flags go down.
The fans get up and they get out of town.
The arena is empty except for one man,
Still driving and striving as fast as he can.
Well, first of all who doesn’t love Cake! And second of all – it’s a song about a driven race car driver! My main character Dylan was a driven race car driver until everything fell apart.
Maroon 5 - - Animals
So if I run it's not enough
You're still in my head forever stuck
So you can do what you wanna do
I love your lies, I'll eat 'em up
But don't deny the animal
That comes alive when I'm inside you
One of the sexiest songs sung by one of the sexiest men in the world – this was one of the first songs on my playlist. It’s just. So. Sexy.
Imagine Dragons – Shots (the acoustic version!)
I'm sorry for everything
Oh, everything I've done
From the second that I was born it seems I had a loaded gun
And then I shot, shot, shot a hole through everything I loved
Oh, I shot, shot, shot a hole through every single thing that I loved
I heard the acoustic version of this song first and it shattered me. The lyrics, the harmonies – it’s just amazing. Then I heard the poppy arrangement and it was like a completely different song, so I’m pretending that version doesn’t exist. It’s all acoustic heartbreak for me. Imagine Dragons is one of those bands that write and sing about obsession and heartbreak and darkness and redemption in a way that just speak to me. I could use a dozen Imagine Dragon songs on every play list – but this one totally suits Dylan.
Coleman Hell – 2 Heads
I turn to you, you’re all I see
Our love’s a monster with 2 Heads and one heartbeat
We just got caught up in the moment
Why don’t you call me in the morning instead
Before we turn into a monster
Before we turn into a monster with 2 Heads
I love everything about this song. The dance beat with a banjo?! Perfection. But the lyric is what kills me most – this song is all about Dylan pushing Annie away when she confesses she wants more of him.
Metric – Lie Lie Lie
Baby, you'll be safe with me
Rage against the dying of the light
Holding up a tattered dream
Rage against the dying, rage against the dying of the light
Another great Canadian band – this song is fascinating. An anthem against changing with fame or popularity. Which doesn’t fit with my book – but I just love that lyric…
Rachel Platten – Fight Song
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion
My kids are totally obsessed with this song. I hear it in my sleep and it’s a great song that encapsulates Annie’s journey.
{ review } .
Immediately, as a reader you're drawn into the chemistry that is between Annie and Dylan -- all through a simple phone conversation. These two, their potential right from the beginning? It's hot.
Annie's immediate past hasn't been all that great. She may be running, but she's finally doing something for herself, doing something to better herself. She's proving to herself that she can be strong. Throughout the story, both Annie and Dylan's secrets become revealed, and both emerge into different, fuller people -- and I truly enjoyed their growth.
One of the writing styles I've seen a few times as of late is where one point of view is done in first, and the other in third -- and that is how Molly has written Annie and Dylan's story. With Annie's first person, we get a lot more of the emotion, the fear, the desire, her strength. With Dylan's third person, while we still get a good dose of who he is, there's just enough missing between the "I" and the "he" to make the reader question things.
I was completely drawn in to this story, from beginning to end. The angst kept me turning the pages, and the need for these two to meet, while frustrating to a point, had me not wanting to put the book down for anything.
This is a two-parter (or four-parter, if you want to get into how the books are laid out). That said, this does end on a cliff!
...let's just say, the moment this book ended, I was super thankful to have an ARC copy of the second book. I needed to finished Annie and Dylan's story!
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