Unspoken Vow

Steele Brothers Series, Book 2

De: Eden Finley

Narrado por: Antony Ferguson, Joel Leslie

He's everything I want but run away from.

There's a long list of things I don't handle well: Change. Relationships. Breakups.

But there's one person above everything else I can't seem to get a handle on. Brody Wallace.

In short, he's perfect. The reality, he scares me. He's the opposite of what I usually go for. He's bigger. Intimidating. He reminds me of someone I'd rather forget.

When I need to find a new place to live, Brody offers me his spare room, but I have no plans on taking him up on the offer. He doesn't know what happened to me five years ago, and I want to keep it that way. But with limited options, I find myself outside his apartment holding a full moving box and wondering: How can I do this without exposing the darkest part of my past?

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Eden Finley (P)2020 Tantor

Overcoming in a positive way - beautiful story

We got to know Anders in Unwritten Law, book 1 of the series. Codependent, filled to the brim with anxiety, PTSD, triggers, needing to lie habitually to seem normal and a neediness that is off the charts. In this story, Anders and Brody become a couple and grow. Anders has to overcome hugely debilitating hurdles to even be in the presence of the man he desires deep down. What I love about this book is that we see the internal struggle Anders has (his actual thoughts) as well as his external manifestations (his actions). On the outside he may look happy and calm but on the inside his anxious thoughts are racing as fast as his heart. Brody is absolutely clueless that Anders has problems at first and has to learn and grow with Anders. That is a challenge that has its own ups and downs, but Brody is amazing (though fallible). The really cool thing about the story is that Anders and Brody are constantly learning about each other and the need for clear communication, even though it is super difficult. Also, there is never an expectation that Anders will be 100% ‘cured’ so they can be a good couple- they both come to realize that getting better bit by bit and learning to manage will be their normal. The journey towards managing Anders mental health positively is a long one- hard fought- and full of enough interesting details to keep the story moving. This story deals with the after effects of a nearly deadly domestic violence attack, and might be a trigger for some. The audiobook is fantastic- Antony Ferguson is a new narrator to me and is phenomenal. Joel Leslie is one of my favorites and is amazing in this story.

2nd Narrator Meh

Same review for both books. I should probably start by saying that I hate dual narration. Especially when you have a master narrator like Joel Leslie, who can do all of the characters, there is no reason to have a second narrator. And this second narrator is not very good -- I often struggled to tell who was talking, and whether the character was talking or thinking. Both of the Steele Brother stories are solid, and I definitely recommend them.

Loved it!

I really enjoyed this one! It pulled me in from beginning to end and I loved getting to see more of Anders and see him move forward on his healing journey. He had a horrible and traumatic experience years ago and is still trying to find ways forward and to reclaim more things that he used to do and enjoy. I loved watching Brody and Anders spend time together and get to know each other. Brody was so sweet about things and I loved his fun personality. Anders and Brody have some great banter throughout the story. Anders starts sharing things with Brody, certain parts that he can't quite avoid anymore when they start living together as roommates, though he can't quite get the full story out that it was his ex that did it. I enjoyed the way that Brody took it in stride and started putting the pieces together and working to a way to do things without triggering Anders. This story was well done and Anders healing journey was a hard fought road with steps forward and setbacks that happen. The story handled all of this situation well and it felt genuine to me. It's not linear and it's not easy and that is what came across in the book. Yes, there were times where you just want them to be okay and to have easier, clearer communication but that's not exactly the easiest and this just read and felt more like real life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and this series!
The narrators did a fantastic job with the characters and bringing them to life with the accents and emotions that came through and matched the action happening in the story. Very well done!

Anders & Brody

I really enjoyed this audio! I had read the book when it first came out, ans as Joel Leslie is one or my favorite narrators, I snagged the audio too. I really enjoyed each narrators readings and how they portrayed Anders and Brody. I thought their accents were fantastic, and I thought it flowed really well. I had a bit of a soft spot for Anders after having read Unwritten Law. Anders story was amazing and real. It was so emotional and raw and I could relate to so many of his feelings. Anders suffers from a traumatic event from his past that continues to haunt his present, and his future if he lets it. Meeting Brody, who is the most patient and amazing person, makes Anders want to get better and be better. Brody patiently stands by and lets Anders lead their roommate turn benefits relationship slowly as he discovers new limits and boundaries. Brody’s patience and dedication of just wanting to BE with Anders was just everything to me. It’s not just darkness here though for Anders and Brody. There is humor, laughs, and super sexy times with cuffs and ropes. Oh! How could we forget Brody’s sister’s cat Lucky? Lucky forsakes her savior for Anders who aptly renames her Meatball, and who needs her beast-like presence more than he could ever know. Thank you so much for Anders’s story, and sharing Anders and Brody with us!

good development

liked the way the characters had a good open relationship and not a hurry let's get to bed one.

Very Good Story

I liked it even though I'm not a big romance genre fan. Nice plot twist towards the end I wasn't expecting.

Emotional and healing

This was such an intense and emotional story. I love how real & raw Anders’ character was, he was dealing with his trauma, but not healing from it.
I love that Brody was able to help Anders realize he wanted to TRY to actually heal from his trauma and move forward. I absolutely love how Brody was always so kind, patient, supportive & understanding.
Anders story was so incredibly powerful, and Brody & Anders’ story was beautiful and inspiring.

Unspoken Vow by Riley Hart.

Thank you so much for Anders story. It was a raw and very emotional journey that didn’t end with the final chapter of the book.
Loved Brody’s character and his unwavering support of Anders.

Loved it!

Its a bit triggering for some parts, but not too bad. you can tell that the author either researched or has some of these symptoms. I really related to the main character. His partner kind of reminds me of my husband, but sometimes these relationships can really turn into co-dependent. My husband and I go to therapy because it turned into that with him and me, but the way they wrote his partner it seems like it won't happen. I really love this one!

When you open your walls and except help.

Loved this audible. So glad Brody was persistent and open enough to help Anderson explore ways to embrace physical and emotional love. I appreciated that the story didn't have Anderson become "Healed" but acknowledge that trauma isn't something you are cured of but can learn to live with and if you open up to the help of loved ones and professionals you can find your own form of happiness and dinner ways to deal with the pain.