Once upon a time Max Cirillo and Sloane Madison were close friends and business partners. But when their business relationship imploded, so did the friendship.
Now, four years later, Max is a rich CEO. Sloane’s a not-so-rich etiquette expert who returns to Maine to serve as her niece’s temporary guardian and help the girl search for her birth father. Sloane and her niece move into a darling garage apartment but Sloane’s joy in their accommodations soon turns to horror when she realizes their apartment belongs to Max. Thanks to an unbreakable lease, she’s stuck living right next door to him.
Max pulled strings to bring Sloane into his orbit because he needs closure on what went wrong between them. Quickly, though, his scheming comes back to bite him. The world might view him as a cold-hearted rake, but this one woman has dangerous power over his emotions.
They’ll have no choice but to confront their history—and the undeniable spark between them—while living side by side on uneasy street.
Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas with their three children and one Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She loves penning sweet contemporary romances laced with sizzling chemistry, mystery, faith, banter, and humor. Her novels have been recognized with Carol Awards, INSPY awards, and a spot in the Christy Award Hall of Fame.
When she’s not at her computer, you’ll find her power-walking her neighborhood, driving carpool, eating chocolate, doing yoga, or admiring her dog.
Connect with Becky via her website at BeckyWade.com, on Facebook as Author Becky Wade and on Instagram as BeckyWadeWriter.
Uneasy Street by Becky Wade - Releases on KU and Amazon February 14th, 2025 2.5 ⭐ rounded up
This book follows Max and Sloane and concludes the Sons of Scandal trilogy. In this enemies to lovers romance, Max tricks Sloane into moving into his guest house and keeps her in a binding contract so she can't leave. They had a business falling out in the past and they never talked about it. Max wants closure and to know what happened with Sloane.
Sloane is taking care of her niece, Ivy. Ivy has two pet rats.
What I liked: -the setting in Maine -seeing the couples from the previous books -the texts were cute
What I didn't like: -lack of chemistry between Max and Sloane -the bad boy persona Max was stereotyped with -the side stories of the missing tiara and Fiona's drama -the rats -the dialogue between Max and Sloane
Not my favourite series by Becky Wade. Read the Misty River series!!!
Tropes & Triggers: enemies to lovers, adoption, cheating, family drama, brief mentions of God No spice, only kissing. No langauge.
Oh my! I really enjoyed Uneasy Street. I think that Max's story is my favorite of the three Sons of Scandal series. He is determined to get closure in his relationship with Sloane, a friend and business partner from the past, and manipulated things so the two would be in close contact while she is in Maine taking care of her niece. Ivy is the daughter of Sloane's deceased sister and is happily adopted. It was fun watching Max and Sloane bicker, fight, and gradually move to a civil relationship with Ivy in the middle, wise for her fifteen years. The two are such wonderful but wounded souls. ivy is a pure delight and there is a whole story about her as she wants to find her biological father. Sweet romance with inspirational moments. I recommend reading this series in order for best enjoyment since ongoing issues from the first book are addressed. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my thoughts.
As a long time fan of Becky's books, I was excited to dive into this one! I have loved the Misty River series and Memory Lane is my favorite of this series.
While the premise of Uneasy Street had plenty of promise--second chances, an adoption side story, a missing tiara and a business between the characters reminiscence of kindle unlimited/libby/hoopla/audible etc., - I ultimately had mixed feelings about this one.
Let's start with what I loved about this one: the side stories! The relationship between Sloane and her niece was heartwarming and the subplot involving the search for her niece's birth father added a layer of depth that kept me engaged. Becky's signature emotional depth was present there and the small down Maine setting was charming. It was nice being back with characters from the previous book too.
There was also a very interesting tiara side story involving Max's mother that I liked following.
Where the book fell a little flat for me was the romance. Enemies to lovers is a tricky trope for me personally - I need the tension and chemistry to feel natural without being rude to one another to a certain extent. In this case, it was hard for me to get past their rudeness to one another and root for them as a couple.
Also, it was hard for me to love either of their actions regarding the reasons they went their separate ways in the business venture they had together. Her sister had passed away and she didn't tell anyone - which led to her panic attack, leading to her inability to continue to work in a key moment in their business. She didn't tell Max, which led him to being unaware of what was going on, leaving him upset about the consequences from the panic attack.
While I do think it's important to let your co-workers know big things like that in your life since it would affect your job, Max should have also had more compassion for her and he didn't really have that like I wanted, even when they met back up many years later. Their romance didn't quite deliver the emotional payoff and the connection to characters that I was hoping for.
I found myself just more invested in the side characters and their journeys than in the central romance. It was nice to see how it all ended though and wrapped up with characters loved in other books in the series.
The romance was clean, no language, small faith elements throughout the story. While it wasn't my favorite, I know many other readers may adore this. I will continue to support Becky in her books and look forward to reading more of her backlist.
Thank you to Becky for sending me a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was completely captivated by this final book in Becky Wade's, The Sons of Scandals series. I've been waiting patiently for Max's book after meeting him in the first book. I was so happy to see him find resolution and healing. His story was really good! I loved seeing him and Sloane together and learning more about their history and seeing him work towards fixing it and understanding what happened between them.
All the while enjoying Max and Sloane's story, we also get to watch them work together in helping Sloane's niece Ivy go on her own adventure and sleuthing mystery as she searches for her dad after never knowing who he was due to her birth mother dying very young. It was such a tender part of the story and I loved it so much. I'll admit to having some tears, of joy, while reading about Ivy's journey.
And the book was a great ending to all of the stories that have been building since book one. I loved the healing and forgiveness and joy! Definitely a trilogy that I would recommend to readers! These books are best enjoyed in order as they build upon each other. You could probably read them out of order but you would be missing important information.
Content: Some kisses. Talk about adoption, a couple very brief mentions of drugs. Some talk of an affair in the past for secondary characters. This is a Christian fiction story so some talk of church and forgiveness, healing and redemption through forgiveness.
I received a copy from the author through NetGalley via Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Oo. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Max’s story is finally here! I devoured Uneasy Street! Not only is it enemies to lovers filled with all the delicious banter, but it also weaves in a missing tiara & a wonderful adoption storyline with forgiveness & reconciling the past. Becky Wade wraps up this series in a great big bow & proves once again why she’s such an amazing writer, with endearing characters who feel so real.
Max Cirillo has a plan. He’s been waiting a long time to finally get Sloane Madison back in his orbit & find out what went wrong years ago when a misunderstanding led to estrangement. They had an amazing relationship where they could finish each other’s sentences & were always there for each other as friends & business partners. When Sloane returns to Maine, she unknowingly rents a garage apartment from Max who makes it his mission to get under her skin.
The struggling etiquette expert’s back in Maine to take temporary custody of her niece while her adoptive parents are out of the country. But while fifteen year old Ivy’s searching for her birth father, Sloan’s grappling with seeing Max again. While Sloane & Max work through their messy past, they also help Ivy find her missing father. With all the close proximity, & working together, their walls begin to crumble & the sizzling chemistry between them roars to life. But, can Sloane really trust Max with her heart?
I loved Max’s story! It was even more fulfilling than I imagined. It was nice to see the depth beyond his businessman, playboy image. Both he & Sloane are complicated characters with difficult pasts. They’re so perfect for each other, but had to get past the hurt & fears. Max also has his hands full trying to locate a missing tiara.
Ivy’s adoption story definitely tugged on my heartstrings. Her journey in meeting her father & discovering even more secrets had me eagerly turning the pages. She was a darling addition to the story. It was also fun seeing the other brothers again, & Fiona find closure with her storyline.
I listened to the audiobook version & it was fantastic! I loved the dual narration. The narrators were both fabulous, but I especially enjoyed the male narrator. They both did a great job bringing this book to life particularly with such a large cast of characters & complex storyline.
Highly recommend this book & the entire series! After finishing, I was immediately sad that this was the end. I’m hoping somewhere in the future we’ll get to see these characters again. I’m going to miss them! While Uneasy Street can be read as a standalone, it’s much better if you’ve read the previous books, as each story builds on the other. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided.
5 Big Stars! 🌟 It’s not easy to do an enemies to lovers trope right. And it can’t possibly be easy to do a Christian enemies to lovers trope. But Becky Wade has nailed it! Which doesn’t surprise me. After reading her books I always think this is my new favorite, but Uneasy Street truly is my new favorite! And the Sons of Scandal series is my favorite of all her series. I will miss these characters. All of them. I even loved Fiona as a side character. Seeing her, an older woman with her sons grown, work through real life issues and grow and mature and find healing was so wonderful to me! Again, I loved this series, I’m sad to see it over, and I can’t wait to see what Becky Wade comes up with next!
This was a great read. There were themes of family and forgiveness and I loved the banter and character development. I really enjoyed Ivy, and liked the sandwich and etiquette lesson nights. Though Max's actions at the beginning were quite off-putting, I grew to root for him by the end. I'm sad to see this series end.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
4.25🌟 Audiobook I loved all three books in this series, but this is my favorite. I loved the complications of the couples’ past (and their individual pasts). I loved the complication of the family dynamics. I love seeing all three of the brothers and how they navigate all those complications. Ivy was a fun addition to the story.
Robin’s Ratings 5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite. 4🌟 = Loved it. Will recommend to others. 3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it. 2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed others so much more. 1🌟 = I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.
I absolutely loved the third and final book of the Sons of Scandal series! Uneasy Street features the half brother, Max to Jeremiah and Jude Camden. And, his long time friend from college, Sloane. I listened to this book with my husband and I can honestly say we had the best time listening. The narrators are the absolute best. I could not have imagined anyone else being Max and Sloane. They were fantastic! Also, they had the correct age voices. All of this combined to make the listening experience so pleasurable. We couldn't wait to turn the app on each evening to hear what was going to happen next.
The characters are all so loveable you want to be in their family. There are two mysteries to solve, and the romance is so swoony! The witty banter had us laughing out loud all throughout the story. In fact, the dry witty banter is my favorite!!
Do yourself a favor, and get this book and escape for a few hours into a wonderfully witty, romantic, mystery with a fabulous set of characters.
Becky’s books NEVER disappoint! This one was a wonderful read. I’ve been looking forward to Max’s story for two books and it was certainly worth waing for. Max and Sloane have a lot of shared baggage and seeing them overcome all of it makes for quite a story. I also liked that there’s a couple of added mystery threads to the story. I pretty much devoured this one! I also loved the audiobook version. The narration is perfection!
I received a copy of this book from the Author and was not required to post a positive review. I’ve also already pre-ordered my own paperback copy for my keeper shelves. All thoughts are my own.
Uneasy Street by Becky Wade is book three in the series (Memory Lane and Rocky Road are the first two books). I highly recommend reading them in order. Uneasy Street brings to a conclusion not only the lives of the three brothers (Max is the youngest and half-brother) but brings resolutions to other family relationships. Filled with messages of forgiveness and faith, Uneasy Street has relatable characters and events. Plan your time wisely. Once you start reading you will not want to put it down.
Releases Feb. 14th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
4.5, I loved the adoption representation in this book. It was incredibly sweet, as well the themes of forgiveness. Overall an incredibly strong contemporary romance by one of the greats.
⛵️ Release Date: February 14, 2025 ⛵️ . . . Sloane’s character intrigued me. I’ve never read about a character so enthralled with proper etiquette before and it made for quite the unique read. As she put it, “𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.” Her business, My Fair Lady, sounds very interesting!
I loved Ivy! Her character won me over very quickly and I adored every scene that she was prominent in! Her weird obsession with rats had me highly amused. I loved Ivy’s relationship with Sloane 🥹 It was so touching how sweet and patient Sloane was with her, especially with helping Ivy to locate her birth father. Hearing Harper’s story literally had me tearing up 😢
Max was…not a favorite of mine at all. Honestly, I could hardly stand the guy for some reason. He was very off-putting and overall obnoxious. When I heard how everything went down with Libri, I knew that I for sure did not like Max. He was sweet with Ivy, but that’s about all the good I have to say about him.
Don’t even get me started on Fiona, Isobel, and Nicole 🤦🏻♀️ What even?! The more I learned, the more horrified I became! Nothing there was remotely okay and I was so disgusted. I was not a fan of all the mentions of divorce, remarriage, and cheating in this book.
The missing tiara plot line felt completely unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story.
Top Moments: ⛵️The rats: Kevin and Ricky ⛵️ Turning off the water ⛵️ My Fair Lady ⛵️ Mouse debacle ⛵️ “Darth” ⛵️ Party “crashers” ⛵️ Meeting Ivy’s birth dad ⛵️ Unexpected plot twist ⛵️ Finding Anna
Overall, I did not enjoy the writing style in this book. Beings as this was my first Becky Wade book, I’ll probably give her one more try before I call it quits, but it’s safe to say I was less than impressed. So much of the story fell flat for me because of the way things were written.
I also listened to this as an audiobook and I was not a fan of the narrators, especially the male narrator. His voice was very monotonous and not great for this story at all. I tried to judge the book according to the plot and not the bad narrators. . . . I received a complimentary arc and alc of this book from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op. All opinions listed are purely my own.
Another great contemporary romance from Becky Wade! This book is the 3rd in the Sons of Scandal series. Though the story itself could stand on its own, I do recommend reading this series in order as pieces of the story (particularly Fiona's element) carry over throughout the series. But Max and Sloane's story stands on its own in this tale. Max is the 3rd son of Felix Camden, but he is the "illegitimate" one and doesn't have the Camden name or prestige. Sloane and Max were best friends in college and became business partners, but had a falling out 4 years ago. When Sloane returns to Maine to spend a few months with her niece, Ivy, whose parents are overseas, she doesn't realize that the apartment she's renting for the time is owned by Max, who has arranged for them to re-connect in order to get closure. What he gets is so much more, though. This one had an intensity similar to Memory Lane, where I appreciated the more rom-com feel of Rocky Road. If you have enjoyed this series and preferred Memory Lane to Rocky Road, you will enjoy this story. If you enjoy friends to more and/or enemies to more trope, you will enjoy this story. This has a friends to enemies to more.
In addition to the romance thread, this story has a couple of low-key mysteries going on - Sloane's niece (who was a fabulous character, by the way) was adopted as a baby and has decided she wants to find her birth father, which ends up unraveling a new thread as well. And Felix asks Max to help him find a tiara that has gone missing from his collection for Remy to wear on her wedding day. In addition, fans of the series will be glad to see Fiona's tale, which has been interwoven in all 3 books, obtain some closure as well. Though I would call the faith thread in this one "light", it was present and there was a big theme of forgiveness and grace woven within the entire story. The character development in this story was fabulous as Max and Sloane both grow significantly through the story and I enjoyed Ivy's journey as well. One note I will add - because Sloane gives lessons in proper manners and etiquette for a living, her speech patterns are very polite, which came across as "stilted" in some places. Though it had its place in the story itself and was appropriate within her character, it did take me "out" of the story at some points. All in all, though, this was an overall enjoyable read and a great conclusion to this series. Special thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.
I have absolutely loved the Sons of a Scandal series that tells the story of three brothers! This time we get to follow Max. Max has been a bit of a playboy throughout the series but there is so much more to him and I was so glad to see it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Although they had never had a romantic past, for Max, Sloane is the one who got away. These two had a close friendship for years but had a falling out. Now Max is looking for some closure as to what happened.
From the moment these two met up again the chemistry is there, and although they had been friends in the past they are currently enemies. The banter between them was spot on and I just loved it! I also loved the unique backstory these two shared and of course their romance. There were so many great facets to this story. Ivy, Sloane’s niece, was such a delight and Max was so wonderful with her. Their relationship melted my heart. Max had such great confidence and strength when it came to teaming up with Sloane to help Ivy, and Ivy was so great at playing matchmaker for the two of them. There was also a bit of a mystery to this story that added to the intrigue and kept me rapidly turning the pages. Max could be funny at times and I loved the overall theme of forgiveness and redemption. You can read this as a stand-alone but they are best read in order as the stories kind of build on each other. I loved the Jude and Jeremiah cameos and getting another glimpse into their relationships.
This is the first series I have read by Becky Wade and can’t wait to dive into more of her books.
Read if you love: Enemies to lovers A fresh take on second chance romance Slow burn Forced Proximity Mild Christian elements
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A sweet romance filled with inspirational moments, this story follows Max and Sloane as they confront their shared baggage. Sloane returns to Maine to spend a few months with her niece, Ivy, unaware that the apartment she’s renting belongs to Max. He has arranged for them to reconnect and seek closure after their friendship and business partnership fell apart due to poor decisions and a lack of communication.
Four years later, Max is determined to get answers from Sloane. This part of the story beautifully illustrates the consequences of their past choices and how unresolved issues can resurface if not addressed in a timely manner. It explores how family struggles can disrupt our relationships and future if we don’t strive to heal our wounds.
These books are best enjoyed in order, as they build upon each other....well-written, likable characters, plenty of humor, and engaging family drama.
The conclusion to this series was very entertaining! I loved seeing Ivy trace her family roots and characters from the other books getting their full circle moments. What kept this from a 5 star was Max and Sloane's immature behavior for most of the book, and I personally didn't see much chemistry between them. Other than that, I really appreciated the redemption arcs in Max and Sloane. There were also several funny moments that had me giggling. All in all, this didn't quite live up to the first two books for me, but I still enjoyed this conclusion to the series with the unique elements it had.
I really enjoyed Becky Wade’s Sons of Scandal series, and Uneasy Street was a sweet, romantic ending. The subplots in this story were tied in nicely to the main story; each one complemented the other. Max and Sloane were both relatable, despite the fact that I’m not a billionaire nor an etiquette connoisseur, but I enjoyed getting to know them better. It was also great to see other characters from this series again. If you enjoy contemporary romance, definitely add Becky’s books to your TBR! 4/5 stars
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Absolutely love this story and this series! Moving beyond past wounds, searching for family, and healing so one can grab ahold of love, are some of the beautiful themes in Uneasy Street. Author Becky Wade is on my must-buy author list. I preordered it, and "Uneasy Street" was on my kindle on release day, on my vacation! Perfect!
"Once upon a time Max Cirillo and Sloane Madison were close friends and business partners. But when their business relationship imploded, so did the friendship." Max has been in the series with his half brothers in "Memory Lane" and "Rocky Road", and I couldn't wait for him to have his own story. The characters are lovable, loved Max and Sloane's story, and loved the continuing family interactions from the previous stories.
I highly recommend Uneasy Street, it was the perfect wrap up of the Sons of Scandal series.
If you’ve read the first 2 books in the Sons of Scandal series, you know that baby brother Max has had a difficult life. However, this illegitimate son of a big muckety-muck made good with whatever push he got, and turned himself into a wild success story. Unfortunately, he chose to step on the toes of his best friend and business partner, Sloane in the process. Years later, he orchestrates a tête à tête with Sloane and to finally clear the air. It’s at that point that readers really figure out that their story is far from over. The swoony banter, the heartfelt moments, the side stories of Sloane’s niece Ivy and Max’s mom…it’s all absolutely wonderful and makes for an irresistible story! I especially loved the audio, and the narrators were incredibly entertaining. I received an audio ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.
Uneasy Street is a great wrap up to the Sons of Scandal series but could also be enjoyed even if you haven’t read the first two books. There is a lot of uncomfortable history in these brothers’ backstories. Throughout all of the Sons of Scandal books, the author does a great job of showing how the bad decisions that people made had repercussions not only for the main parties involved, but also for the children and the surrounding family members who were forced to deal with the fallout for years to come.
I loved that this tale began as a true enemies story. Max wanted closure and some real answers from Sloane about the past and why she did what she did. However, when what happened was revealed, it was easy to see that both Max and Sloane did things that hurt each other. It felt plausible to me that things played out as they did, with a lot of anger building between the two of them in the aftermath, turning best friends into true enemies.
One truth that continually flowed throughout the pages in this story was that both Sloane and Max dealt with feelings of not being enough or not being loved because of their pasts. And although Max had the love of his mother and her family, he was never loved or acknowledged by his father. Sloane had a particularly sad back story and that really impacted her ability to trust and believe that anyone, especially Max, would ever fall in love with her.
This story also had a couple of side plots that both Max and Sloane were looking into and trying to find answers to. Both storylines were very interesting and I loved seeing how things played out with them, as well.
I listened to the audio book for Uneasy Street and it was wonderfully read by the narrators. I loved listening to it!
I received a complimentary copy of this audio book, but I also purchased my own print copy.
Uneasy Street is the third book in Becky Wade's Sons of Scandal series and a wonderful read! I really enjoyed the romance and how they were former friends who had to work through their past hurt. It was interesting to learn what had happened to cause the fracture in their friendship.
The mystery of Ivy's search was great. It had some surprising twists and I loved how that storyline turned out...the ending was so sweet!
I loved how this book wrapped everything up so nicely. It was great to see how the main characters from the previous books were doing and get updates on their lives.
All in all, Uneasy Street was a great read and I think fans of romance novels will enjoy it. It was a very good romance. It was written so well and held my attention. So good!
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
We have Max’s beautiful story! I absolutely loved this book! The 3rd book in a gorgeous series that took me for a ride! The characters were strong and complete! The side characters’ journeys were enjoyable and filled in the empty spots nicely! Max and Sloan had to work out a lot of their own issues. And the author’s writing made it worth watching their paths come together! Enjoy!
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
***Listened to this book as well and loved the narrators!
Whew! Normally I am a friends-to-more kinda gal rather than enemies-to-love. BUT with Becky Wade at the helm of Uneasy Street, these two friends who became enemies have some smokin’ hot chemistry that made me an instant fan!
I’ve been eager for Max’s story since first meeting him on the pages of this series – talk about complicated family dynamics. He’s definitely the edgier of the three sons of scandal (and the one with the most right to be bitter) but I knew Becky Wade would give me layers of depth beyond those bad boy vibes… and I was right. Yes, he’s a bit of an arrogant jerk toward Sloane for part of this novel – definitely channeling Mr. Darcy – but it makes sense with his history and their history, and he redeems himself quite sweetly (and swoonily) in the end. And in the meantime, that simmering need to set Sloane off-kilter in order to find the closure he needs makes for some sizzling tension that proves there’s a fine line between hate and love after all.
Sloane cracked me up at first with her buttoned-up, ‘aspirationally dressed’, Princess Kate idolizing, rodent-squeamish, etiquette-teaching self. Especially when seen in contrast to Max’s much more casual personality. But as we delve deeper into her backstory, we see the painful reasons she gravitates toward order and manners and, while her adorableness still made me smile, it also made me really sad for her. Just like with Max, there’s more depth to Sloane than first meets the eye and we end up with two broken souls who may just be the ‘home’ they’ve each been chasing their whole lives. Oh how I loved that tender part of their story, even as we’re treated to fun banter and sparks a’plenty (of both the loathing and loving kind) between them.
And then there’s Ivy, Sloane’s gregarious 15-year-old niece who’s looking for the missing pieces to her own story and has also fully embraced being a ‘rat mom’. (I gotta say, I’m with Sloane on Ivy’s rats though. Shudder. The things we aunts do for our beloved nieces & nephews lol) I loved Ivy’s journey that made for not only a satisfying subplot but also gave Max and Sloane believable reasons to be forced to spend time together. (I’m putting in my official request now to have a Becky Wade story featuring a grown-up Ivy one day!) She’s not the only family member who plays a critical role in the subplots of Uneasy Street, either. Sloane’s father and Max’s mother also create challenges (separately) in this story, and of course there’s Felix and Fiona and Isobel who are the very definition of complicated. Each of these elements make Uneasy Street so much more than ‘just’ the delicious romance that it is while also adding context and emotion and obstacles that make the swoon factor all the swoonier in the long run.
Bottom Line: Uneasy Street by Becky Wade delights readers with layered characters, wit, heart, family, and ‘find-me-some-oxygen’ kisses! I loved falling in love with Sloane and Max, two former friends who became enemies, as their eyes are opened to their real feelings for each other. Cue those breath-stealing kisses I just mentioned! Wade is such a master at creating sizzling romantic tension that remains respectful, and this skill is in top form with Sloane and Max. Not only that, but she uses their story – and their complicated family dynamics – to explore forgiveness and loving people even when it’s not reciprocated. I also appreciated that, while Wade provides resolution in this final book of the trilogy for several different family-relationship threads (including some we’ve been following since the first book), that resolution isn’t always tidy or ideal. Another highly-entertaining Becky Wade story from beginning to end!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
This book will quickly pull you into a story that has large hints of enemies-to-lovers but I wondered if they really wanted to hate each other. There's an unresolved past between Max and Sloane, and Max is determined to force closure. He goes about it in a pushy way -- that involves Sloane's niece Ivy. The three of them have a fun dynamic, but at first I didn't love Max and Sloane together. I wasn't really supposed to as each was hurt by what happened to blow up their business partnership. As the pages turned, I came to like both characters as they helped Ivy on a journey of her own. This was a really enjoyable read that kept me coming back to the pages. I want to go back and pick up book two which I somehow missed. Oops!
Audiobook review: Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Story: 3.5 stars, one of the narrators 2 stars.
Sooo, yeah... still liked the story but didn't really like the actor reading Max's part. His voice wasn't terrible or anything but there was something about his tone or cadence or something the sounded repetitive to me. I just found it a little distracting.
Ebook review: Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars. This was nice ending to an enjoyable series. I didn't love it as much as Books 1 and 2 but still liked it enough that I will certainly buy the ebook and audiobook when they're released. They are already on my "Wishlist".
I initially found it hard to like Max and Sloane, the two main characters, and even after I found out why they were estranged, I still wasn't completely on board with them finding their HEA but eventually started to root for them. Also, although I liked the overall theme of forgiveness and not holding on to grudges, I personally felt ambivalent about some of the side storylines regarding adultery. On the other hand, I loved Ivy and enjoyed revisiting my favorite characters from the first, two books.
Sloane is thrilled to get three months with her niece, Ivy - until she learns that the garage apartment they'll be staying in belongs to Max, the man who betrayed her four years ago. Worse, he apparently engineered the arrangement because he wanted closure after what he perceived as her betrayal of him. She's determined to steer clear of him. He's determined not to let her. And Ivy? She remembers them when they used to be best friends, and would like them to get back to that. But she's also eager to find her birth father, and enlists the help of both Sloane and Max. But even if they can clear the air, can they ever return to the trust they once had?
This was that uncertain quantity, a third book in a series of which I've loved the first two - could this possibly live up to my memory of the first two? Answer: Yes, most definitely. Max has been a bit of an odd character in the previous books, from what I recall, but here we really get to know him - and see him change. His position as the illegitimate son of a famous man is unenviable and brings with it all sorts of baggage, and Sloane has baggage of her own. Throw in their history and you've got an explosive combination. Watching them dance around each other is a mix of amusing and touching, and seeing them finally start to make things work is amazing. Ivy's family hunt is a beautiful addition to the story, and I love that we get some things from her point of view too. All in all, a delightful and moving read, with an inspirational message and a great cast of characters. While it shares characters with previous books, this could be read on its own. I assume this will be the end of the series and am torn between looking forward to what the author writes next and being sorry to leave this series! Highly recommended.
Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.