What do you think?
Rate this book
Unrestrained
A guarded recluse, some dirty pictures and a spark of curiosity that leads to a dangerous attraction. When the reclusive Holly accidentally finds some very naughty photos, both the star – all inked muscle and attitude – and the way he’s tied his lady friend to his four-poster bed make her more than a little curious. But to get to know the big, built stonemason better, she’ll have to overcome his vengeful ex and her own inhibitions – and pray that the walls she’s built around her guarded heart and dark secret remain safe from a man who has a way with stone. ‘One of the funniest, smartest and sexiest erotic romances I’ve read. Unrestrained has a balance of emotional intensity, humour, and heat that is rare and incredibly special.’ – Love Reading Romance
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2014
44 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 23, 2020
Very good!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. There was a PTSD storyline that is quite well thought out, the romance is fun. The way the two characters meet is amusing. The book is funny and sexy and sometimes both at the same time, such as an awesomely hilarious role playing scene. There is a stalker and some other problems to overcome. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. There was a PTSD storyline that is quite well thought out, the romance is fun. The way the two characters meet is amusing. The book is funny and sexy and sometimes both at the same time, such as an awesomely hilarious role playing scene. There is a stalker and some other problems to overcome. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Looking down at herself she saw her jeans gaping wide open, exposing her third trimester junk-food baby. She grabbed a cushion to cover it. “What?”
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
November 22, 2014
Book – Unrestrained
Author – Rhyll Biest
Publication Date – November 8, 2014
Genre –Romance
Type – Stand Alone
Cliffhanger - No
Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Complimentary Copy generously provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts - Story
I have to be honest and tell you that I did have a hard time with the language in this book. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t in the writing style of the US. Trying to look past that, the thing that caught me with this is the inner psyche of Holly and the gentleness of Stein.
At first I had a hard time connecting with Holly until I understood the tragic past she lived through and how she was suffering from PTSD.
This is a very deep book, which brings the reader into an experience and journey through self-discovery and healing with the help of a German god.
I found it best if I read it slow and took in a little at a time – I had to keep taking breaks during the rehashing of traumatic events and the frustration I felt toward Holly when Stein would try to push her.
Re-Cap
I can’t really rehash this book without giving too much of it away – I’m just going to leave you with – two wounded souls who help each other overcome past hurts. Sensual – Heart breaking and gives the “aww” factor!
Reason for Reading – Author Request
Story – 4 out of 5 Stars
Steam – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst – 4 out of 5 Stars
Writing – 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow – 4 out of 5 Stars
Told In – Single POV
Heroine/Personality – Holly – fragile but full of sass – can be annoying at times
Hero/Personality – Stein – gentle giant and easy to fall in love with
HEA (Spoiler) -
Would Read More from Author? Yes
Recommend To – anyone who loves a good, honest romance
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
Author – Rhyll Biest
Publication Date – November 8, 2014
Genre –Romance
Type – Stand Alone
Cliffhanger - No
Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Complimentary Copy generously provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts - Story
I have to be honest and tell you that I did have a hard time with the language in this book. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t in the writing style of the US. Trying to look past that, the thing that caught me with this is the inner psyche of Holly and the gentleness of Stein.
At first I had a hard time connecting with Holly until I understood the tragic past she lived through and how she was suffering from PTSD.
This is a very deep book, which brings the reader into an experience and journey through self-discovery and healing with the help of a German god.
I found it best if I read it slow and took in a little at a time – I had to keep taking breaks during the rehashing of traumatic events and the frustration I felt toward Holly when Stein would try to push her.
Re-Cap
I can’t really rehash this book without giving too much of it away – I’m just going to leave you with – two wounded souls who help each other overcome past hurts. Sensual – Heart breaking and gives the “aww” factor!
Reason for Reading – Author Request
Story – 4 out of 5 Stars
Steam – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst – 4 out of 5 Stars
Writing – 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow – 4 out of 5 Stars
Told In – Single POV
Heroine/Personality – Holly – fragile but full of sass – can be annoying at times
Hero/Personality – Stein – gentle giant and easy to fall in love with
HEA (Spoiler) -
Would Read More from Author? Yes
Recommend To – anyone who loves a good, honest romance
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
February 25, 2018
Read for the second time. Loved just as much.
This is the story of Holly and Stein, two terribly wounded souls, who find an incredible bond together that unites them against all odds.
The plot in a nutshell: Holly finds an iPad in a cafe, and in order to find out who owns it so she can return it, she opens it. When she looks at it, she finds a folder of explicit sexual photos. Upon further computer investigation (and no, she really shouldn’t investigate further but she can’t help herself and I ask... could you??) Holly discovers emails that prove the owner of the iPad - the disgruntled girlfriend - is trying to blackmail the bloke in the pictures with threats of exposing the images on the internet.
So Holly tracks down the bloke (Stein) and gives him the iPad, and the two strike up a friendship.
What a friendship!
Stein deserves every medal in the universe for his incredible patience with Holly, and it made me love him SOOO much. What a guy. A stonemason! And I do love myself a blue-collar hero.
What these two get up to as Stein tries to win Holly’s trust was just champagne and caviar reading for me, with lobster on the side, and black forest cake dessert.
It’s not just sex. It’s incredibly emotional sex, and there’s a hell of a lot of foreplay on the way because these two are so, hate to say it, scarred.
Holly’s scars are such that she will not let Stein see her without a t-shirt, and he has to then come up with a myriad of fiendishly clever ways to get her to open up to him, while her clothes stay firmly on.
For sexual tension, I think Rhyll Biest just leapt into the top two or three authors I could name, but what I found different about Rhyll’s writing is that there is still a cut and thrust of dialogue and clever description throughout the book. All this is perfectly in character because Holly is an editor. So it’s absolutely fitting that she’ll say or think something that has me in stitches like: “fuck me sideways with a hyphen.”
This is a passage I loved because of what it tell us about these two. This happens quite early in the book:
Stein says:
“I’m not a doctor but I do know that neck lacerations are very uncommon in car accidents.”
Ah, busted.
He rested the cleared plates on the bench. “What makes me curious is that you feel the need to lie about them.” His calm grey eyes inspected her with a compassion she could not tolerate.
“I don’t lie, I just gloss over the details.”
A small smile parted his senuous lips. “Do you gloss a lot?”
She glared at him.
“Can’t hide from me, Holly.” He fielded her glare and tapped his own scar.
I have two favourite favourite scenes. (The entire book is one favourite scene). The first is when Holly washes Stein’s dishes. (Yes - you heard me right, his dishes).
I must say, washing dishes in my house hasn’t been the same since (and I own a dishwasher). Keep an eye out for this scene.
The second is their shopping trip to a grocery store. This is absolutely beautiful as they each swap “saucy stories of vegetable adventure.” There’s a brilliant twist at the end of this scene that reminds the reader of the stakes in this relationship.
If there has been a book that has grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and kept me up late at night, and found me reading while my children grizzled about toast promised to them an hour ago... Unrestrained is that book.
I couldn’t recommend it more.
This is the story of Holly and Stein, two terribly wounded souls, who find an incredible bond together that unites them against all odds.
The plot in a nutshell: Holly finds an iPad in a cafe, and in order to find out who owns it so she can return it, she opens it. When she looks at it, she finds a folder of explicit sexual photos. Upon further computer investigation (and no, she really shouldn’t investigate further but she can’t help herself and I ask... could you??) Holly discovers emails that prove the owner of the iPad - the disgruntled girlfriend - is trying to blackmail the bloke in the pictures with threats of exposing the images on the internet.
So Holly tracks down the bloke (Stein) and gives him the iPad, and the two strike up a friendship.
What a friendship!
Stein deserves every medal in the universe for his incredible patience with Holly, and it made me love him SOOO much. What a guy. A stonemason! And I do love myself a blue-collar hero.
What these two get up to as Stein tries to win Holly’s trust was just champagne and caviar reading for me, with lobster on the side, and black forest cake dessert.
It’s not just sex. It’s incredibly emotional sex, and there’s a hell of a lot of foreplay on the way because these two are so, hate to say it, scarred.
Holly’s scars are such that she will not let Stein see her without a t-shirt, and he has to then come up with a myriad of fiendishly clever ways to get her to open up to him, while her clothes stay firmly on.
For sexual tension, I think Rhyll Biest just leapt into the top two or three authors I could name, but what I found different about Rhyll’s writing is that there is still a cut and thrust of dialogue and clever description throughout the book. All this is perfectly in character because Holly is an editor. So it’s absolutely fitting that she’ll say or think something that has me in stitches like: “fuck me sideways with a hyphen.”
This is a passage I loved because of what it tell us about these two. This happens quite early in the book:
Stein says:
“I’m not a doctor but I do know that neck lacerations are very uncommon in car accidents.”
Ah, busted.
He rested the cleared plates on the bench. “What makes me curious is that you feel the need to lie about them.” His calm grey eyes inspected her with a compassion she could not tolerate.
“I don’t lie, I just gloss over the details.”
A small smile parted his senuous lips. “Do you gloss a lot?”
She glared at him.
“Can’t hide from me, Holly.” He fielded her glare and tapped his own scar.
I have two favourite favourite scenes. (The entire book is one favourite scene). The first is when Holly washes Stein’s dishes. (Yes - you heard me right, his dishes).
I must say, washing dishes in my house hasn’t been the same since (and I own a dishwasher). Keep an eye out for this scene.
The second is their shopping trip to a grocery store. This is absolutely beautiful as they each swap “saucy stories of vegetable adventure.” There’s a brilliant twist at the end of this scene that reminds the reader of the stakes in this relationship.
If there has been a book that has grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and kept me up late at night, and found me reading while my children grizzled about toast promised to them an hour ago... Unrestrained is that book.
I couldn’t recommend it more.
did-not-finish
September 12, 2020DNF at 30%
Okay, this is totally a 'me' problem. Not the book. Actually from what I've already read, it had an interesting premise. Both of our protags were scarred and it had a tinge of bondage (but since I DNFed this, I don't know how far of a bondage theme it is).
It was just the writing style that put me off. I'm not much of a stickler for writing style (as long as it didn't bore me) but my god, I hate books with writing style like this. Like they talk with a few dialogues and then the character went off pages and pages of descriptions and thoughts and musings. It's boring and distracting! I need more interactions dammit!
Okay, this is totally a 'me' problem. Not the book. Actually from what I've already read, it had an interesting premise. Both of our protags were scarred and it had a tinge of bondage (but since I DNFed this, I don't know how far of a bondage theme it is).
It was just the writing style that put me off. I'm not much of a stickler for writing style (as long as it didn't bore me) but my god, I hate books with writing style like this. Like they talk with a few dialogues and then the character went off pages and pages of descriptions and thoughts and musings. It's boring and distracting! I need more interactions dammit!
February 20, 2017
I loved this so much!
You know how the Oscars love movies about Hollywood? Well, this was a romance novel (in part) about a reader of romance novels. But it was so much more!
I love, love, love when an author takes two characters with problems or past traumas and shows them dealing with it in a healthy, mentally-stable way, instead of dwelling on their hardships. Sure, it was a big part of the book, but it was more about acceptance, trust and self-discovery. In fact, there was zero kink-shaming in this book.
And Stein was an absolute pouty man bear dream. He might be one of my favorite H's ever. He bakes sachertorte! And keeps a clean kitchen! The only way he could have even better is if he had a pet cat. This book ticked so many boxes for me, I might have to do a re-read very soon.
You know how the Oscars love movies about Hollywood? Well, this was a romance novel (in part) about a reader of romance novels. But it was so much more!
I love, love, love when an author takes two characters with problems or past traumas and shows them dealing with it in a healthy, mentally-stable way, instead of dwelling on their hardships. Sure, it was a big part of the book, but it was more about acceptance, trust and self-discovery. In fact, there was zero kink-shaming in this book.
And Stein was an absolute pouty man bear dream. He might be one of my favorite H's ever. He bakes sachertorte! And keeps a clean kitchen! The only way he could have even better is if he had a pet cat. This book ticked so many boxes for me, I might have to do a re-read very soon.
June 25, 2024
Emotionally intelligent steamy romance. Two scarred people with PTSD struggle to develop real connections that are more than surface level. Witty banter, cleaver characters, edgy topics, steamy romance.
While this story talks about bondage and is the basis for how the two main characters meet, don't expect much erotica. While there's explicit sex scenes, they aren't of the BDSM variety on page. This story is more about the emotional development between characters and the few sexy scenes described are more explicit steam than anything kinkier.
While this story talks about bondage and is the basis for how the two main characters meet, don't expect much erotica. While there's explicit sex scenes, they aren't of the BDSM variety on page. This story is more about the emotional development between characters and the few sexy scenes described are more explicit steam than anything kinkier.
November 8, 2014
Our heroine Holly has been horribly wounded, and has gotten to the point where that sort of defines her. She is so focused on her scars that she has come to believe that is all anyone else can see of her. Skittish and defensively snarky to anyone who pays her any attention, she lives in a state of self-imposed isolation.
My first impression of our hero Stein is that he is something of an enigma. Hostile at first—with good reason—he reads as a bit mercurial, though direct and bluntly honest. Working as a stone mason by trade, there is an interesting analogy between his enjoyment of working with stone, and how he steadily chips away at Holly’s neuroses.
The book does contain some bdsm overtones, though that is not a thematic as I had expected. There is a fair amount of spontaneous role-play between the couple which lends a lighthearted beat to what could otherwise have been a very dark novel.
My only issue—and it is minor—is that the book is written entirely from Holly’s perspective. I would have loved even the tiniest peek into Stein’s thought processes. Although, I must say one of the most enjoyable things about this book is Holly’s inner monologue. Her thoughts are fanciful and colorfully descriptive, and though she is often self-deprecating her perspective on things is quite amusing.
In the end, this is a story of two incredibly damaged people—both obviously achingly lonely (though this is not a state either seems to notice or acknowledge). There are shades of almost a reverse take on Beauty and the Beast here, though both our main characters have some embodiment of the dual sides to that tale. Seemingly content with their locked down self-controlled lives, they are merely existing until a chance meeting turns to friendship, desire, and the need to help heal one another.
For the sake of full disclosure it must be stated that I received this book, free of charge, from Netgalley.
My first impression of our hero Stein is that he is something of an enigma. Hostile at first—with good reason—he reads as a bit mercurial, though direct and bluntly honest. Working as a stone mason by trade, there is an interesting analogy between his enjoyment of working with stone, and how he steadily chips away at Holly’s neuroses.
The book does contain some bdsm overtones, though that is not a thematic as I had expected. There is a fair amount of spontaneous role-play between the couple which lends a lighthearted beat to what could otherwise have been a very dark novel.
My only issue—and it is minor—is that the book is written entirely from Holly’s perspective. I would have loved even the tiniest peek into Stein’s thought processes. Although, I must say one of the most enjoyable things about this book is Holly’s inner monologue. Her thoughts are fanciful and colorfully descriptive, and though she is often self-deprecating her perspective on things is quite amusing.
In the end, this is a story of two incredibly damaged people—both obviously achingly lonely (though this is not a state either seems to notice or acknowledge). There are shades of almost a reverse take on Beauty and the Beast here, though both our main characters have some embodiment of the dual sides to that tale. Seemingly content with their locked down self-controlled lives, they are merely existing until a chance meeting turns to friendship, desire, and the need to help heal one another.
For the sake of full disclosure it must be stated that I received this book, free of charge, from Netgalley.
November 10, 2014
A horny Hun of hotness, one heroine with attitude. Sex scenes that'll knock your ankle socks off and so funny you'll snort your coffee.
Scars, hot sex and humor. Don't think they go together? Think again. This book had me going from the minute I picked it up. There's something so unique and fresh about Rhyll Biest's writing. She doesn't pull the punches but at the same time, she knows just when to ease up on the tension to give you a laugh. And then she ramps things up all over again. Holly is my kind of heroine an independent, take-no-prisoners who's had a tough time of it and Stein... if you like your heroes German, hot and hewing stone... you've got your guy. The chemistry between these two sends off more sparks than a lump hammer hitting granite and while I'm on the simile, the sex scenes and lava... you get the idea. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes their erotic romance with humor and intelligence. Fans of Cara McKenna and Charlotte Stein will certainly not be disappointed. Definite five stars.
Scars, hot sex and humor. Don't think they go together? Think again. This book had me going from the minute I picked it up. There's something so unique and fresh about Rhyll Biest's writing. She doesn't pull the punches but at the same time, she knows just when to ease up on the tension to give you a laugh. And then she ramps things up all over again. Holly is my kind of heroine an independent, take-no-prisoners who's had a tough time of it and Stein... if you like your heroes German, hot and hewing stone... you've got your guy. The chemistry between these two sends off more sparks than a lump hammer hitting granite and while I'm on the simile, the sex scenes and lava... you get the idea. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes their erotic romance with humor and intelligence. Fans of Cara McKenna and Charlotte Stein will certainly not be disappointed. Definite five stars.
December 15, 2014
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.
Okay, take a look at the gorgeous cover of this book. Can you see why I wanted to try this one? Uh, yeah! But then I read the description and figured that since I love books about gods, I'd give this one a shot. Well, first off, this book has zero gods in it. Hot guys? Definitely. Well, ONE hot guy anyway. But no gods, Teutonic or otherwise. If I had known that the "god" referenced in the blurb was just a euphemism, would I have read it? I'm not sure. But having read this book, I now know that I would have been missing out!
Holly is a strange one. She's unlike any heroine I've ever read and I think I like that! She suffered a grisly attack a few years ago (maybe a year or so? I'm not sure of the time frame) and she has some horrific scars to show for it. But she survived and is trying to live her life as best as she can. Now, compared to a normal person, it may not look like she's doing well but I liked her all the same. On one hand, she could be (and maybe IS) a total bad-ass. She's got, like, a brown belt in Judo, well, Jujitsu, actually...among other things. She can totally take care of herself and can beat the ever loving shit out of most men, I'd guess. If she felt threatened, she'd immediately start evaluating her opponent, trying to find weaknesses, watching to see what their next move would be. And, in that moment, she knows what she's going to do and she has total confidence in her abilities. In those moments, I really envied her! But on the other hand, she's all kinds of effed up, poor girl. I kept thinking, "Oooh, she needs to get some counseling, stat!" because she's occasionally afraid of herself. She gets scared and startled really easily and then, she sort of overreacts but she usually just overreacts in her head. I mean, she doesn't go around screaming her face off or anything but she immediately goes to worst case scenario when its nothing more than someone passing her on the street type of a thing. My point is that even though she may not be mentally healed after her ordeal and thus has become a little aloof and prickly, she was very likable and I was rooting for her.
Stein is the hero and I can absolutely understand why he's described as a god. He's a stonemason (making headstones and monuments and such) so he works with his hands and is a very physical guy. Add to that the fact that he's naturally a large man and you have a huge, muscular beast that makes people very nervous. I actually felt bad for him at first because when he meets Holly in a cafe, people are staring at him. His large stature and scarred face seem to make for lots of stares. Of course, it doesn't help matters that he wears a perpetual scowl on his face! LOL! I guess its a vicious cycle: people stare, he scowls, people stare more, he scowls more, etc. It took a long time to get to know Stein. He doesn't say much and for the most part, the story is from Holly's point of view. That's not to say that I didn't like him because I did. But he wasn't easy to get to know and it took almost the whole book before we get the full story on him. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it... we don't ever get the full-full story on him. Some of the follow up questions that Holly wonders about (that I wondered about too) were never answered. But it wasn't a big deal since I still felt like I had a good grasp on his character by the end of the book. And oh how I wish I could grasp his character... LMAO!!! Sorry, I had to throw that in there! The bottom line with Stein is that he generally doesn't say a whole lot, he's a huge hulk of a man and he has a deep, untapped well of emotion swirling inside him that he is unable to access. I really liked reading about him and kept wanting him to reveal more about himself.
I have to say that it was a little difficult to read about the romance between Holly and Stein. They are two very broken people who, in my opinion, need serious counseling. They're both suffering from PTSD, although Holly's is more obvious. They both have painful, tragic pasts that they neither want to talk about or deal with. Of course, I don't fault them in any way. I mean, who in the heck wants to go around talking about the worst day of their life? Uhhh, nobody, that's who! So I get why they keep so much of themselves closed off. It was really great to read but it occasionally felt like I was trying to push a boulder up a hill... I just wanted them to bear their souls to each other!!! But of course, they can't. And it wouldn't have made any sense for them to do that, in any case. The Sexy Time is SUPER hot! There's a teensy bit of BDSM but I wouldn't consider this a BDSM book at all. There's a little role playing as well but just a little and I thought it was cute and funny. At the end of the day, I think that Holly and Stein were a great couple and were very compelling.
I would definitely recommend this book. For sure, it's not a light-hearted read but there is quite a bit of humor in there and it really surprised me! I will not confirm or deny that I laughed out loud and possibly snorted once or twice while reading this. Holly's sense of humor is usually snarky or self-deprecating and it just cracked me up. The Sexy Time is hot and plentiful but not so much that it gets in the way of the story. Readers in the US should be aware that there are some phrases that may confuse, since this is written by an Australian author. Also, there are some lines in German that were not always translated. But it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book because it was only a word or two and they were usually endearments or a word that looked like the English equivalent. This book would be great for anyone who likes damaged characters who haven't quite got back on their feet yet and anyone looking for a hot, sexy contemporary romance set in the REAL real world!
Okay, take a look at the gorgeous cover of this book. Can you see why I wanted to try this one? Uh, yeah! But then I read the description and figured that since I love books about gods, I'd give this one a shot. Well, first off, this book has zero gods in it. Hot guys? Definitely. Well, ONE hot guy anyway. But no gods, Teutonic or otherwise. If I had known that the "god" referenced in the blurb was just a euphemism, would I have read it? I'm not sure. But having read this book, I now know that I would have been missing out!
Holly is a strange one. She's unlike any heroine I've ever read and I think I like that! She suffered a grisly attack a few years ago (maybe a year or so? I'm not sure of the time frame) and she has some horrific scars to show for it. But she survived and is trying to live her life as best as she can. Now, compared to a normal person, it may not look like she's doing well but I liked her all the same. On one hand, she could be (and maybe IS) a total bad-ass. She's got, like, a brown belt in Judo, well, Jujitsu, actually...among other things. She can totally take care of herself and can beat the ever loving shit out of most men, I'd guess. If she felt threatened, she'd immediately start evaluating her opponent, trying to find weaknesses, watching to see what their next move would be. And, in that moment, she knows what she's going to do and she has total confidence in her abilities. In those moments, I really envied her! But on the other hand, she's all kinds of effed up, poor girl. I kept thinking, "Oooh, she needs to get some counseling, stat!" because she's occasionally afraid of herself. She gets scared and startled really easily and then, she sort of overreacts but she usually just overreacts in her head. I mean, she doesn't go around screaming her face off or anything but she immediately goes to worst case scenario when its nothing more than someone passing her on the street type of a thing. My point is that even though she may not be mentally healed after her ordeal and thus has become a little aloof and prickly, she was very likable and I was rooting for her.
Stein is the hero and I can absolutely understand why he's described as a god. He's a stonemason (making headstones and monuments and such) so he works with his hands and is a very physical guy. Add to that the fact that he's naturally a large man and you have a huge, muscular beast that makes people very nervous. I actually felt bad for him at first because when he meets Holly in a cafe, people are staring at him. His large stature and scarred face seem to make for lots of stares. Of course, it doesn't help matters that he wears a perpetual scowl on his face! LOL! I guess its a vicious cycle: people stare, he scowls, people stare more, he scowls more, etc. It took a long time to get to know Stein. He doesn't say much and for the most part, the story is from Holly's point of view. That's not to say that I didn't like him because I did. But he wasn't easy to get to know and it took almost the whole book before we get the full story on him. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it... we don't ever get the full-full story on him. Some of the follow up questions that Holly wonders about (that I wondered about too) were never answered. But it wasn't a big deal since I still felt like I had a good grasp on his character by the end of the book. And oh how I wish I could grasp his character... LMAO!!! Sorry, I had to throw that in there! The bottom line with Stein is that he generally doesn't say a whole lot, he's a huge hulk of a man and he has a deep, untapped well of emotion swirling inside him that he is unable to access. I really liked reading about him and kept wanting him to reveal more about himself.
I have to say that it was a little difficult to read about the romance between Holly and Stein. They are two very broken people who, in my opinion, need serious counseling. They're both suffering from PTSD, although Holly's is more obvious. They both have painful, tragic pasts that they neither want to talk about or deal with. Of course, I don't fault them in any way. I mean, who in the heck wants to go around talking about the worst day of their life? Uhhh, nobody, that's who! So I get why they keep so much of themselves closed off. It was really great to read but it occasionally felt like I was trying to push a boulder up a hill... I just wanted them to bear their souls to each other!!! But of course, they can't. And it wouldn't have made any sense for them to do that, in any case. The Sexy Time is SUPER hot! There's a teensy bit of BDSM but I wouldn't consider this a BDSM book at all. There's a little role playing as well but just a little and I thought it was cute and funny. At the end of the day, I think that Holly and Stein were a great couple and were very compelling.
I would definitely recommend this book. For sure, it's not a light-hearted read but there is quite a bit of humor in there and it really surprised me! I will not confirm or deny that I laughed out loud and possibly snorted once or twice while reading this. Holly's sense of humor is usually snarky or self-deprecating and it just cracked me up. The Sexy Time is hot and plentiful but not so much that it gets in the way of the story. Readers in the US should be aware that there are some phrases that may confuse, since this is written by an Australian author. Also, there are some lines in German that were not always translated. But it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book because it was only a word or two and they were usually endearments or a word that looked like the English equivalent. This book would be great for anyone who likes damaged characters who haven't quite got back on their feet yet and anyone looking for a hot, sexy contemporary romance set in the REAL real world!
September 12, 2020
Beautiful language, raw feeling, hot sex
I was truly seduced by the writing. Lovely, different and apt metaphors:
...some people treat punctuation like it might come creeping up a banister and strangle them
The emotion was raw and real. Realistic portrayal of people with PTSD and how to treat it. Perfect book.
(though it made me doubt the ability of psychologists in Brisbane... But every city has a few bad ones)
I was truly seduced by the writing. Lovely, different and apt metaphors:
...some people treat punctuation like it might come creeping up a banister and strangle them
The emotion was raw and real. Realistic portrayal of people with PTSD and how to treat it. Perfect book.
(though it made me doubt the ability of psychologists in Brisbane... But every city has a few bad ones)
November 25, 2014
Holly finds a lost iPad and searches through its contents for hints of its owner. Instead she finds some sexy-as photos and some secret desires she hasn’t considered before. When she contacts Stein, the subject of the photos, he’s as imposing as she expected and willing to explore some of those desires with her.
You know when you're having one of those weeks when the only thing you're looking forward to is getting to bed and curling up with your book? And that book is the only thing making getting through the week seem possible? Well recently I had one of those weeks, and this was the book that pulled me through. Sometimes when I love a book, I'll read it in a single sitting, sculling it greedily until there's not a drop left. Other times, I'll get a book that I need to savor, rationing that first time through with tiny sips. This was the latter kind. The sort of book that I couldn’t rush. I read it once through, drawing it out over a full week, and then, when it was done, I had to read it once more - THIS time in a single sitting.
Rhyll Biest’s narrative is smart and witty, and had me hooked from the first line. Contrary to what you might imagine given my prolonged read, the pacing in Unrestrained is exceptional – don’t expect any lull to breathe during this emotional roller coaster. It’s fast moving with a perfect balance between scenes that are sexy, humorous, romantic, heartbreaking and even a little horrifying.
The characters are beautifully written. I didn’t always love Holly as a character (I sometimes wished she was a little more honest), but I always understood her and empathized with her in a way that was almost confronting. She’s very damaged, but she’s also looking for control in her life. And with Stein she finds that release and a little submission might be the best way to experience that control.
Stein is just to die for. Like Holly, he has some trouble opening up, but oh, who even cares? He’s this quietly blunt, caring, sexy, stonemason, who can cook. He’s pretty much the pin-up boy for the perfect book-boyfriend.
Both Holly and Stein are scarred physically and emotionally. And their story is dark. Very dark. They have both been through extreme trauma and suffer PTSD, but not in that PTSD-trope-y way I feel like I read a lot of lately. There’s none of the troubling carer-victim dichotomy (though it does seem like it’s going to go this way at the start). Instead they are two pretty equally messed up people trying to get to grips with life, together. I also really appreciated the unusual honesty that no, actually, PTSD can’t be healed by falling in love (shocking, I know), but that Holly and Stein can support each other in finding help.
Even with the darkness, there are so many sweet aspects to Holly and Stein’s romance. I love that Holly loves her regency novels and I love even more that she keeps catching Stein reading them.
Given the title and the nature of the photos that Holly discovers, I expected the sex scenes between her and Stein to include a lot more bondage. Instead, the focus is much more on role playing. The sex scenes are (for the most part) the lightest scenes of this novel, which otherwise has some incredibly dark overtones. It’s Stein and Holly’s physical connection that often gives emotional reprieve to the trauma of the rest of the story. Some of their role playing had me literally laughing out loud, but at the same time it’s as hot as hell! Amazing. Though it isn’t the focus I expected, there is some light bondage, including one scene in the kitchen which… omg… I’ll never think about doing the dishes in the same way again.
There are a couple of things that bothered me about this story: I found some of the language used to describe Stein’s stalky ex a little problematic – Holly’s references to her as, for example, “Miss Loony Tunes” bothered me a bit and seemed a little odd considering Holly has her own mental health problems. I was also a little thrown by the descriptions of Holly’s bits and pieces. The erotic terminology ranges all the way from the more euphemistic ‘sheath’ to more explicit ‘c#%t’ and I felt like the book was having some kind of vjj-identity-crisis. But despite these points, and to be totally explicit, Unrestrained is f*%$ing fantastic!
This is one of the funniest, smartest and sexiest erotic romances I’ve read. Unrestrained has a balance of emotional intensity, humor, and heat that is rare and incredibly special.
This is the first book I’ve read by Rhyll Biest, but it won’t be the last.
---
More reviews at: http://www.readingromance.com
You know when you're having one of those weeks when the only thing you're looking forward to is getting to bed and curling up with your book? And that book is the only thing making getting through the week seem possible? Well recently I had one of those weeks, and this was the book that pulled me through. Sometimes when I love a book, I'll read it in a single sitting, sculling it greedily until there's not a drop left. Other times, I'll get a book that I need to savor, rationing that first time through with tiny sips. This was the latter kind. The sort of book that I couldn’t rush. I read it once through, drawing it out over a full week, and then, when it was done, I had to read it once more - THIS time in a single sitting.
Rhyll Biest’s narrative is smart and witty, and had me hooked from the first line. Contrary to what you might imagine given my prolonged read, the pacing in Unrestrained is exceptional – don’t expect any lull to breathe during this emotional roller coaster. It’s fast moving with a perfect balance between scenes that are sexy, humorous, romantic, heartbreaking and even a little horrifying.
The characters are beautifully written. I didn’t always love Holly as a character (I sometimes wished she was a little more honest), but I always understood her and empathized with her in a way that was almost confronting. She’s very damaged, but she’s also looking for control in her life. And with Stein she finds that release and a little submission might be the best way to experience that control.
Stein is just to die for. Like Holly, he has some trouble opening up, but oh, who even cares? He’s this quietly blunt, caring, sexy, stonemason, who can cook. He’s pretty much the pin-up boy for the perfect book-boyfriend.
Both Holly and Stein are scarred physically and emotionally. And their story is dark. Very dark. They have both been through extreme trauma and suffer PTSD, but not in that PTSD-trope-y way I feel like I read a lot of lately. There’s none of the troubling carer-victim dichotomy (though it does seem like it’s going to go this way at the start). Instead they are two pretty equally messed up people trying to get to grips with life, together. I also really appreciated the unusual honesty that no, actually, PTSD can’t be healed by falling in love (shocking, I know), but that Holly and Stein can support each other in finding help.
Even with the darkness, there are so many sweet aspects to Holly and Stein’s romance. I love that Holly loves her regency novels and I love even more that she keeps catching Stein reading them.
Given the title and the nature of the photos that Holly discovers, I expected the sex scenes between her and Stein to include a lot more bondage. Instead, the focus is much more on role playing. The sex scenes are (for the most part) the lightest scenes of this novel, which otherwise has some incredibly dark overtones. It’s Stein and Holly’s physical connection that often gives emotional reprieve to the trauma of the rest of the story. Some of their role playing had me literally laughing out loud, but at the same time it’s as hot as hell! Amazing. Though it isn’t the focus I expected, there is some light bondage, including one scene in the kitchen which… omg… I’ll never think about doing the dishes in the same way again.
There are a couple of things that bothered me about this story: I found some of the language used to describe Stein’s stalky ex a little problematic – Holly’s references to her as, for example, “Miss Loony Tunes” bothered me a bit and seemed a little odd considering Holly has her own mental health problems. I was also a little thrown by the descriptions of Holly’s bits and pieces. The erotic terminology ranges all the way from the more euphemistic ‘sheath’ to more explicit ‘c#%t’ and I felt like the book was having some kind of vjj-identity-crisis. But despite these points, and to be totally explicit, Unrestrained is f*%$ing fantastic!
This is one of the funniest, smartest and sexiest erotic romances I’ve read. Unrestrained has a balance of emotional intensity, humor, and heat that is rare and incredibly special.
This is the first book I’ve read by Rhyll Biest, but it won’t be the last.
---
More reviews at: http://www.readingromance.com
November 16, 2014
Unrestrained, Rhyll Biest
Review from Jeannie Zelos book review
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this – the description's a bit sparse but it sounded intriguing so...and I found a great read contained in it. ( Edit: sorry if you read this before I edited, I missed that my spellcheck had replaced my mispelled word for description's with decryption's....Tech, great most of the time until it isn't !!)
Holly – badly scarred from a terrible attack some years previously, exists in a kind of vacuum, works in her little cubicle, home, sleep, then work again. She doesn’t seem to have friends, her family are distant, and she’s closed herself off from people all round, except the very bare essential contact she needs. Treating herself to a hot chocolate one day she finds an i-pad, and peeps in to see if she can find who it belongs to. What she finds shocks and titillates her, pictures that are highly erotic. After some thought she contacts the man in the image, Stein, and agrees to meet to give him the i-pad. It goes badly though, with him being quite rude, it seems he’s expecting her to ask for something in return, and she stalks off offended. Somehow though he persuades her he was just surprised, he’s a cynic and not used to people doing something for nothing, and they slowly enter in a hot and erotic relationship. Holly isn’t really sure what she is to Stein though – is she one of his sex bunnies, as she thinks of them, is he meeting others when not with her? They’ve a very tenuous and undefined relationship, and he’s also got a vengeful ex who wants him back. Oh I do like those, we get such fabulous drama from them and it’s just perfect here.
Stein too has his scars from a vicious dog attack, and like Holly he thinks he’s past the incident, that he’s left it all behind, but as he can see the effect on Holly’s life and that she is simply coping- not living, she too can see he’s doing the same. It seems they can both see the truth about the other but not themselves. Its a story that has some really sensual and erotic scenes, but is more than just sex, a heart felt romance where they have to learn to trust, to recognise they need more help, that they still have problems before they can really move forward.
I really enjoyed the way the stories and secrets came creeping out, loved the jealous ex and the part she played, and the fabulous descriptions of types of stone and its treatments ( I love the kindle paperwhite function for looking up words, it taught me a lot about stone and carving, and was really interesting. The characters were great, strong silent Stein, a big, muscled,tattooed tough man, but with such a gentle core when its needed. He treated Holly perfectly, encouraging when she was scared and pushing her to the limits when she needed a boost, seeming to know all the while just what she needed. Holly seems so quiet and yet when she was with Stein her sharp humour showed a glimpse of the confident person she surely was before the attack. Its a great read, how two people with secrets and problems help in other on their journey to falling in love.
Stars: Five from me, a much deeper read than just an erotic romance, I loved it.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and Author.
Review from Jeannie Zelos book review
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this – the description's a bit sparse but it sounded intriguing so...and I found a great read contained in it. ( Edit: sorry if you read this before I edited, I missed that my spellcheck had replaced my mispelled word for description's with decryption's....Tech, great most of the time until it isn't !!)
Holly – badly scarred from a terrible attack some years previously, exists in a kind of vacuum, works in her little cubicle, home, sleep, then work again. She doesn’t seem to have friends, her family are distant, and she’s closed herself off from people all round, except the very bare essential contact she needs. Treating herself to a hot chocolate one day she finds an i-pad, and peeps in to see if she can find who it belongs to. What she finds shocks and titillates her, pictures that are highly erotic. After some thought she contacts the man in the image, Stein, and agrees to meet to give him the i-pad. It goes badly though, with him being quite rude, it seems he’s expecting her to ask for something in return, and she stalks off offended. Somehow though he persuades her he was just surprised, he’s a cynic and not used to people doing something for nothing, and they slowly enter in a hot and erotic relationship. Holly isn’t really sure what she is to Stein though – is she one of his sex bunnies, as she thinks of them, is he meeting others when not with her? They’ve a very tenuous and undefined relationship, and he’s also got a vengeful ex who wants him back. Oh I do like those, we get such fabulous drama from them and it’s just perfect here.
Stein too has his scars from a vicious dog attack, and like Holly he thinks he’s past the incident, that he’s left it all behind, but as he can see the effect on Holly’s life and that she is simply coping- not living, she too can see he’s doing the same. It seems they can both see the truth about the other but not themselves. Its a story that has some really sensual and erotic scenes, but is more than just sex, a heart felt romance where they have to learn to trust, to recognise they need more help, that they still have problems before they can really move forward.
I really enjoyed the way the stories and secrets came creeping out, loved the jealous ex and the part she played, and the fabulous descriptions of types of stone and its treatments ( I love the kindle paperwhite function for looking up words, it taught me a lot about stone and carving, and was really interesting. The characters were great, strong silent Stein, a big, muscled,tattooed tough man, but with such a gentle core when its needed. He treated Holly perfectly, encouraging when she was scared and pushing her to the limits when she needed a boost, seeming to know all the while just what she needed. Holly seems so quiet and yet when she was with Stein her sharp humour showed a glimpse of the confident person she surely was before the attack. Its a great read, how two people with secrets and problems help in other on their journey to falling in love.
Stars: Five from me, a much deeper read than just an erotic romance, I loved it.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and Author.
November 13, 2014
At times Holly is not fond of using many words to express her feelings, "as his hand loosed her hair before drifting down her back to cup her a**, the bag and helmet dropped from her hand and fell unheeded to the gravel. When he broke the kiss she fisted his T-shirt in her hand. "More." Stein isn't one for finesse when it comes to his Holly, "his nose ran back up along her nape and he sighed into her skin. "I've got a boner a dog couldn't chew through." I loved Holly's good nature when she was with Stein especially when talking about 'the boys down under', "she patted his butt. "I can think of much better things to do with those boys than bust them." She can be very verbal in what she wants, "she was not in shock. She forced a cheeky smile. "I was hoping you'd take me home and put your head between my legs for a bit." I just loved these two together, apart their both messes but together they make the perfect sense, "that's right," he whispered in her ear, "I can put my -d*** mittens, I think you called them - wherever I want. On your books, on your a**, on your breasts, all over you, and you can't do a thing about it." I enjoyed this book two messed up scarred people coming together to make perfection.
July 25, 2015
The cover certainly got my attention - it was hard to stop looking at that perfectly formed torso long enough to open the book! But what I enjoyed most about this book was the characters and the way they interacted with each other. By a few pages in I felt as though these were real people and I was voyeuristically invading their privacy- especially their sexy moments. Unlike some erotic/sexy reads the sex in this book doesn't overwhelm the story, it adds to the plot and allows us to see that physical intimacy is more than a lusty roll in the hay. Sexuality, in this story, blends fear, familiarity, courage and healing.
I can't wait to read more from Rhyll Biest- she's definitely a writer to look out for!
I can't wait to read more from Rhyll Biest- she's definitely a writer to look out for!
November 21, 2014
Rhyll Biest has such an unusual, gritty, story to tell. Holly is gawky and Stein hard as the rock he carves. Sexual tension oozes from the unlikely pair. A really hot read.
January 7, 2019
I thought the storyline was really great and original, but the writing style just didn’t do it for me, it wasn’t as engaging, I felt like I had to put effort to read until the end. It was my first time reading Rhy Biest work so maybe its just an issue of not being used to the writing style. The character development was okayish I but the engagement between the characters and development of the story felt cold and forced to me. The two stars are for a good storyline.
December 14, 2018
My first by Biest... I found it to be an original, a SOMEWHAT steamy, action packed and unpredictable story and enjoyed it enough to finish. But didn't find the continuity I prefer when reading it is to choppy ie:Luisa tearing up the shop and then nothing happens to her... It enticed in the beginning with talks bondage but didn't follow through...
January 12, 2019
Maybe 43/4 stars
Great plot,so creative. Really good book. I think the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that the book seemed to be, almost a synopsis of itself. T think there were hints of narrative that I wanted to see developed, it could be a series. This is a strange review. This is a wonderful book. You should read it.
Great plot,so creative. Really good book. I think the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that the book seemed to be, almost a synopsis of itself. T think there were hints of narrative that I wanted to see developed, it could be a series. This is a strange review. This is a wonderful book. You should read it.
March 23, 2022
DNF 60% The constant time jumps and abrupt chapter transitions are annoying me I feel like I'm only getting flashes of story rather than the full one. Not really feeling the connection between them. I was really looking forward to this one but the writing is not for me which sucks as the characters seem interesting.
November 27, 2022
3.5⭐
3🔥
TW: physical violence, animal attack
What I liked:
⚫the sense of humour of the author really shines through, so the ribbing/banter between characters was 💯
⚫Holly whooping a certain somebody's ass 😆
⚫a somewhat non traditional ending
What I didn't like:
⚫there were times the story felt as if it wasn't going anywhere
3🔥
TW: physical violence, animal attack
What I liked:
⚫the sense of humour of the author really shines through, so the ribbing/banter between characters was 💯
⚫Holly whooping a certain somebody's ass 😆
⚫a somewhat non traditional ending
What I didn't like:
⚫there were times the story felt as if it wasn't going anywhere
April 15, 2023
A bit weird for my taste, but okay 2.5. Holly though not annoying was missing depth. Our man, Stein seemed about as cold as a marble slab, these two scared souls did not ignite as an inferno of passion.
May 4, 2020
No cliffhanger but would love a sequel to see where Holly and Stein end up!
December 24, 2018
This was a really intriguing premise. I enjoyed his fortitude and strength. I felt Holly was a bit too melodramatic about previous experiences, dropping emotional IEDs, and then ghosting. I didn’t have much respect for her.
I do understand what it feels to hide parts of one’s body (scaring, emotional damage, etc.), so in that way, I did sympathize.
And I would have appreciated a bit more parsing of the German. The author was obstinate about not explaining certain phrases, so I had to stop to google. Kind of rude when other, clearer phrases were defined rather artfully.
I do understand what it feels to hide parts of one’s body (scaring, emotional damage, etc.), so in that way, I did sympathize.
And I would have appreciated a bit more parsing of the German. The author was obstinate about not explaining certain phrases, so I had to stop to google. Kind of rude when other, clearer phrases were defined rather artfully.
February 25, 2017
I look at all the great reviews for Unrestrained and I am unsure if we read the same book. I just felt it could have been written a little better. There was a lot of telling and I felt the character's inner monologue was at times all over the place and at others repetitve. I didn't buy into their chemistry either. The story was ruined a bit at the end when I guess this is one of those cases where it just isn't my cuppa.
February 24, 2017
Poignant, hilarious, and hot! This wonderfully written book is my first read from Biest, but it certainly won't be my last. Stein and Holly have each been through their own traumatic experiences and have closed themselves off. Their journey to a HEA is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming. Rhyll Biest weaves a tale with engaging characters and witty dialogue that kept me turning pages.
May 16, 2015
Full disclosure: I read this book because I was so entertained by Rhyll Biest's book reviews that I had to know what her storytelling was like. This was a wise, wise move on my part. One of my better life choices, really.
I'll admit, I'm a sucker for emotionally scarred characters, so when I was reading the blurbs for Biest's books and came across this one, I grabbed it immediately, though I admit to being a bit hesitant prior to cracking open the book. The trouble with emotionally scarred characters, is that often, they come across as caricatures rather than fully realized people. Thankfully, this is not the case with Holly and Stein. Stein,
I love Stein unapologetically - he's this lovely blend of gruff, protective (but not at all in a women are weak sort of way, thank god), haunted, compassionate, and sexy as hell. I would like one of my own. Holly, has a lot of these qualities, too. But you know how sometimes people who've been deeply hurt come off as abrasive in an attempt to protect themselves? Holly's got that going on. In the hands of a lesser author, Holly could have been grating and annoying. But Biest has the skill to pull off Holly's complex personality. Because the story is told entirely from Holly's POV, we get a more intimate look at her thought process than we might have had we been in both characters' heads.
Unrestrained is one of those books that's suck with me long after I was finished reading, and while this was my first Rhyll Biest book, I can safely say, it won't be my last. Well done!
I'll admit, I'm a sucker for emotionally scarred characters, so when I was reading the blurbs for Biest's books and came across this one, I grabbed it immediately, though I admit to being a bit hesitant prior to cracking open the book. The trouble with emotionally scarred characters, is that often, they come across as caricatures rather than fully realized people. Thankfully, this is not the case with Holly and Stein. Stein,
I love Stein unapologetically - he's this lovely blend of gruff, protective (but not at all in a women are weak sort of way, thank god), haunted, compassionate, and sexy as hell. I would like one of my own. Holly, has a lot of these qualities, too. But you know how sometimes people who've been deeply hurt come off as abrasive in an attempt to protect themselves? Holly's got that going on. In the hands of a lesser author, Holly could have been grating and annoying. But Biest has the skill to pull off Holly's complex personality. Because the story is told entirely from Holly's POV, we get a more intimate look at her thought process than we might have had we been in both characters' heads.
Unrestrained is one of those books that's suck with me long after I was finished reading, and while this was my first Rhyll Biest book, I can safely say, it won't be my last. Well done!
June 9, 2016
In the first 100 pages, I considered DNF-ing this book but the reviews were promising so I kept at it and upon completion, I am relatively satisfied with this book.
Rhyll Beist is an Aussie Romance writer 'with attitude' according to her website.
Her love for German is obvious in this book as we are introduced to the German Irkhart Stein. A monster build of a man with the softest of hearts. The German edge definitely made this Hero a lot more interesting and likable than other men in novels.
Then there is our hero Holly. The third person perspective revealed a lot of her character considering the new perspective and it was a bit different than the standard 1st person POV in most novels.
You need to read this book in chunks instead of all at once to appreciate this.
Good read, there are few reasons I am giving this book 3 stars.
1. Five Star Books need to capture my interest within 30 pages, not in the final thirty pages.
2. Holly and Stein live in their own bubble. There are 5 characters with names in this book. It would have been nice to get more background on our two characters but again, at the end of the book you can see WHY there are very few characters in this book. They only really have each other.
3. Sex scenes. All 4 of them. The quality was great but... There was not as much 'action' as promised.
Enjoy!
Rhyll Beist is an Aussie Romance writer 'with attitude' according to her website.
Her love for German is obvious in this book as we are introduced to the German Irkhart Stein. A monster build of a man with the softest of hearts. The German edge definitely made this Hero a lot more interesting and likable than other men in novels.
Then there is our hero Holly. The third person perspective revealed a lot of her character considering the new perspective and it was a bit different than the standard 1st person POV in most novels.
You need to read this book in chunks instead of all at once to appreciate this.
Good read, there are few reasons I am giving this book 3 stars.
1. Five Star Books need to capture my interest within 30 pages, not in the final thirty pages.
2. Holly and Stein live in their own bubble. There are 5 characters with names in this book. It would have been nice to get more background on our two characters but again, at the end of the book you can see WHY there are very few characters in this book. They only really have each other.
3. Sex scenes. All 4 of them. The quality was great but... There was not as much 'action' as promised.
Enjoy!
July 29, 2015
The story is based around Holly and her feelings she still has over the attack on her that nearly killed her. Holly meets Stein when she comes across pictures of him on an Ipad of him and another woman. When Holly realises that this other woman is trying to use these pictures against Stein she decides to contact him and give him the Ipad. One thing leads to another and these two end of casually seeing each other every weekend. But Stein's a little messed up himself and so you've got him not apparently able to show or have emotions and Holly who pushes people away and is just plain wary of them getting too close to her. I enjoyed the read, I did feel like it could have read a little better. For me it just didn't make sense that Stein admitted to not feeling anything to the next minute declaring that he did love Holly. I loved Holly's feistiness and strong will though. Nice ending for these two.
August 12, 2015
We’ve all read many books about both emotionally and physically scarred characters, but Rhyll Biest takes this scenario to a whole new level.
Complex, gritty and passionate, the story revolves around a reclusive young woman who suddenly finds herself in possession of some sexually explicit photos and faced with the conundrum of what to do next.
When the decision is made to seek out the male participant of the pics, Holly is unprepared for the effect Stein’s massive presence will have on her determination to keep to herself.
You often hear that like attracts like, but can two emotionally stilted and damaged souls really help each other face their demons and heal years of detachment and self- imposed preservation?
Unrestrained is my first read by Ms Biest, but I’m sure to be seeking out more from this author.
Complex, gritty and passionate, the story revolves around a reclusive young woman who suddenly finds herself in possession of some sexually explicit photos and faced with the conundrum of what to do next.
When the decision is made to seek out the male participant of the pics, Holly is unprepared for the effect Stein’s massive presence will have on her determination to keep to herself.
You often hear that like attracts like, but can two emotionally stilted and damaged souls really help each other face their demons and heal years of detachment and self- imposed preservation?
Unrestrained is my first read by Ms Biest, but I’m sure to be seeking out more from this author.
January 30, 2017
What a great book by Rhyll Biest about two people, Holly & Stein, who have emotional and physical scars. The physical scars are visible to all but the PTSD they both suffer due to a tragic incident in their pasts are more damaging than the physical. An emotional journey for two people falling in love, healing each other and being there for one another. I loved how strong Holly was and how she stood up for herself in front of Stein's ex and a biker. I also really enjoyed the "stories" and role playing that they made up for each other along with the sexy and hot scenes that went along with them. The only reason didn't give it 5 stars is because there is no epilogue...I love my epilogues. Otherwise a great hot, emotional rollercoaster, steamy book you don't want to miss.
*I received a free copy of this book and I voluntarily chose to review it*
*I received a free copy of this book and I voluntarily chose to review it*
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews