Come Undone Cityscape Series, Book 1

By: Jessica Hawkins

Narrated by: Andi Arndt

Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

Olivia Germaine has already found love. Devoted wife, loyal friend, determined career woman - she’s created the life she always envisioned...until she locks eyes with a handsome stranger across a crowded room.

David Dylan, alleged playboy and Chicago’s most eligible bachelor, awakens a passion in Olivia she buried long ago. He challenges her to confront the perfect life she’s built and to ask herself questions that could lead to either happiness...or regret.

Because David knows who she is. He knows what she wants. And he can give it to her. If only she’ll give in....

©2013 Jessica Hawkins (P)2015 Jessica Hawkins

Jessica Hawkins I NEED the Rest of This Series NOW

Come Undone

I stayed up WAY past my bedtime listening to this book. It is excellent - except for one thing, it is a cliffhanger! Grrrrrr! Usually, I wait until all of the books in a series or trilogy are released – however, *I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my thoughts, opinions & this review.

This book is phenomenal and I did not want it to end. The tension and frustration between Olivia & David Dylan was off the charts.

The premise of the book is this: A content and married woman meets a man who is everything she could have ever dreamed and more. Could she ever cheat on her husband? How does she deal with these feelings? Will the other man wait for her? And her husband, Bill, will you catch on to her new discontent & unhappiness?

This is an action packed with a good story line and the tug-of-war that Olivia is dealing with is brilliantly written.

This is a new to me author. I hope Jessica Hawkins is locked away writing the next book NOW. That it will be on available on Audible very soon – as in tomorrow when I do a search for Jessica Hawkins.***

***BOOK 2 IS AVAILABLE...HOORAY!
(My audio twin, Dawn did the search before I could and it's available. YES!)

Am I awful to want Book 3 done by next week?!?

The narration was incredible. Andi Arndt has a way of telling the story without being distracted by or focused on her performance. She reads and my mind takes over. I'm very impressed.

Notes: Some descriptions of mature situations, a bit of strong language and an assault from a man on a woman.

This would have to be rated R or NC–17 for the subject matter.
Stars – This is a RARE occasion that I give five stars in all categories

I'm really excited about the follow-up book. If you enjoy contemporary romance with a bit of sexy talk, I would recommend you buy it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review. I enjoy leaving reviews, as I know that they help me decide whether I'll purchase a book. If you found my review helpful in your decision about this book, would you please select "yes" directly below this review? Thank you so much.

Please consider "following me" here on Audible.com. I purchase a lot of books by authors that I am faithful to and well known names. I also have the unique opportunity to review books from lesser known/new authors in all genres. Most of these books are not something that I would not pick up on my own. I have been pleasantly surprised by new authors and great narrators.

Sticky hot romance 💋

If forbidden romance isn't your thing you'll want to skip this cheating trilogy.
For the rest of you like me who pass no judgment on a good listen, you'll be captivated till the end.
Liv has been somewhat happily married to Bill for 3 year's.
I say somewhat because,
Liv tends to feel trapped in her own life when she's with her husband.
He wants things Liv isn't ready to give.
They do love eachother but it feels like both of them are just going through the motions without connecting or communicating.
Bill doesn't show interest in really knowing his wife or her past.
He's one of those "don't acknowledge your problems" and you don't have any problems kind of guy.
Case in point... most men would be more attentive when it comes to their partners sexual pleasure and safety.
Bill's nonchalant attitude about everything makes him appear not to care about anything.
Then Liv meets David and he ignites a 🔥 passion in her that fuels her excitement for him.
David's so enchanted,
he not only wants to know every inch of her body, but everything about her.
And because he's so interested, she wants to share.
That's when Liv's lust eventually outweighs her sensibility.
The intimacy between them was a slow burn.
(But still no excuse for cheating)
Of course the narration was on point because Andi Arndt always brings her A game.
Just a warning... there is a Cliffhanger ending.
Even so, to me this book was worth the credit.

If you think 50 Shades is degrading, look out

What disappointed you about Come Undone?

I returned the last in this series before I could review it because I became so disgusted with it, so it's really "Come Together" I had the biggest problem with. There's another reviewer who said what I want to say, but I wanted to second it. I started out liking this author much better than most syrupy, gooey romances, but then it turned into dysfunctional, controlling, degrading storyline, which is too bad. I enjoy steamy sex scenes, and the line between sexy and abusive can be subtle, but this series stepped well across that line. It frightens me because there is already so much abuse and too many women willing to accept it rather than be alone, so let's not promote it any further, huh?

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator has a voice very fitting for steamy romances, if this were one it would be ideal.

Strange Fascination

I found the character of Olivia (27) incredibly immature and almost unlikable. She is married to Bill, a self-absorbed asshole who tries to bully her into be the wife he wants rather than the person she is. Hell, Bill's not even adequate in bed - what a dud!

When Olivia meets David (34), she is confused by her sexual attraction to him. Why? She can't be stupid enough to believe that her marriage is normal & happy. Olivia hides her feelings from everyone, including her closest friends.

David appears to be smitten with Olivia - not sure why - and pursues her relentlessly. At times he seems to genuinely care, rescuing her from an assault at one point, then slaps her without remorse another time. Very strange and absolutely not romantic.

Although I wanted to empathize with Olivia; her self-destructive behavior was sad & rather pathetic. I have difficulty caring about a character who doesn't care about herself. While an improvement over Bill, David was too sexually aggressive and violent. Where have all the mature, loving men gone?

I Am a Hypocrite

Yep. I'm embarrassed, but it's true. I'm apparently also not very good at reading the blurb, or I would have noticed that the premise of this book is about a married woman wondering if she should cheat on her husband with a man who might be her soul mate. See, I don't generally read these books. I avoid books about cheating because it's not a trope I enjoy. I unabashedly read romance because I want a good HEA, and that's hard to pull off if there's cheating going on, even if one spouse is a creep, dud, louse, or generally a tool.

Having said that though, (here's where that hypocritical part comes in)... I enjoyed book one well enough that I've already got the next book queued up and ready to go. Guess I threw out my morals somewhere along the way in this novel. I'm claiming temporary insanity due to the over-the-top high level of erotic tension between David and Olivia. This is not chemistry 101--it's more like nuclear fission meets volcanic annihilation. I'm surprised light bulbs don't explode when these two find themselves in the same room together. Holy cow. I've got to say, Olivia does an amazing job of keeping her head on pretty straight and bearing consequences in mind while swooningly handsome David whispers the most deliciously seductive things into her ears. Suweeet silver handcuffs, this guy knows how to talk to a woman. But Olivia is smart enough to realize that's part of the problem...isn't it?

So as much as this subject isn't usually my gig, the author has done an outstanding job. The characters are rich and dynamic, while the plot flows nicely and has a good blend of wit, spice, and intrigue. So I'll unashamedly read the next book in the series, because the author saw fit to leave the readers of book one hanging on the edge of that dreaded cliff (dang it, I do hate when that happens). You've been warned, fair reader: don't be a hypocrite like me. This excellent book is about the possibility of marital cheating and the subject of soul mates. It'll leave you hanging and wanting more because Olivia and David are achingly hot together. I can't let them go.

Best Trilogy Ever! 10 stars ⭐️ ❤️⭐️😘⭐️❤️⭐️

Words alone cannot express just how much I love this series by Jessica Hawkins, I’ve relistened to it so many times now yet it never gets old. Do yourself a favor and listen today and you can thank me later. World class narration by Andi Arndt! Always perfection!
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

Fifty shades of who? I’ll have some David Dylan please!

Andi Arndt is FREAKIN AWESOME AGAIN!

This is the first audible review I’ve written. I’ll admit as a married woman I felt a little trepidation about listening to a book about adultery. Jessica Hawkins nailed the bitter struggle within Liv as she attempted to deny the magnetic pull towards David and did it without tarnishing Bill. When the moment we had all been waiting for finally arrived...IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I have not listened yet to an audiobook that made me feel as though I were in the exact same moment, the exact same emotions, betrayal, attraction and lust. The detailed description of the way David made Liv feel made my heart literally ache for both Liv and David. Such a great book. Can’t wait to see what happens next! Highly RECOMMEND!

Audible book did not follow the book exactly.

Words/sentences were either in different places or not there at all. Book is different. Audible should follow book.

GREAT, BUT NOT RED HOT AS LISTED!!!

This book was listed as "Red Hot" but it wasn't until the final hour of the book. Don't get me wrong, it sizzled with the temptation between Liv and David, and I couldn't wait for their moments together. I really loved the book, even if Liv was a married woman that is being tempted to cheat. I'm moving on to the next in the series, can't wait to see what happens next.

WHY IS THIS NOT A MOVIE YET?!!

Oh. MY. GOD...y’all. Y’all...I can’t even begin to describe how much I FREAKING LOVE this BOOK!! I only have one question: why can’t men like David be real?! I lied. I have another question: WHY did it take me this long to find this book?!! Andi Arndt is hands down my favorite female narrator, EVER. That woman KILLED it. Nailed it, fried, dyed and laid it to the side.

AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL

Where does Come Undone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd have to say the 1st as this is my first audiobook I'd listened to.

I was definitely uncertain of audiobooks, I'm not sure I liked the idea of listening to someone reading the book. Never paid attention to my teachers reading or anything, I prefer reading it myself ;)

So I'd listened to the sample first and was surprised at how good it sounded.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Come Undone?

When I'd read the book myself, I felt Liv was kinda cold and didn't open herself up more for Bill to figure her out because they could have worked things out. However having listened to Andi Arndt, my opinion of Liv has slightly changed. Which is kinda weird I guess LOL. I sympathised with her whenever Bill had tried to push on about having a baby. I wanted Andi to shout out she isn't a baby making machine, not all women want to be mothers! Idiot. Still dislike Bill just as before when I'd read so that hasn't changed.

What about Andi Arndt’s performance did you like?

Andi Arndt's voice is AMAZING. The way she'd narrated the entire story was just beautiful, I fell in love with David all over again.

Andi Arndt's slight change for David made me laugh especially at the beginning, it was deep and did sound like a bear but guess David's voice is quite deep so she'd done a very good voice for him.

Any additional comments?

Fell in love with this trilogy once again, was planning a re-read instead listened to the first book which has left me wanting more and more of David and Olivia. Jumping for the next book soon.

Thank you sooo much Jessica Hawkins for the audiobook!

really good

Would you listen to Come Undone again? Why?

yes I would, as this is the first audio book I found it quite a refreshing change

What did you like best about this story?

it goes into such detail and isn't glorifying infidelity, it is a real life situation that so many can find themselves in.

What does Andi Arndt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

her voice compels you to take in all the descriptive parts as you picture the scenario and the story unfolds

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I think it made me question how I would behave and act in that situation

Any additional comments?

I would definitely like to read/ listen on to this story and really enjoyed it