Sebring

The Unfinished Heroes Series, Book 5

By: Kristen Ashley

Narrated by: Stella Bloom

Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nick Sebring has issues. Born feeling like an outsider in his own family, growing up under the shadow of a brother who could do anything, Nick isn't that great of a guy. But when this culminates with Nick lashing out to hurt his brother through the woman he loves, Nick turns inward and makes some decisions about the man he intends to be. And as he does this, he falls in love and truly learns the man that he's grown to be.

When his love is murdered right before Nick's eyes, Nick knows he has to avenge her. He knows how he's going to avenge her. And he has no qualms about using Olivia Shade to exact that vengeance.

Olivia Shade has grown up on the outside of her family, too. Her problem is that they don't want her outside. They want her all the way in, right under their thumbs. She pays the price for seeking escape and learns her lesson - she'll never see a dawn where she wakes up free. Then she meets Nick Sebring, and even as she fights it, the hope that died years ago starts to blossom. She can find love. She can have a man of her own. She can be happy. She can be free.

Olivia hopes while Nick schemes. However, as Nick peels back the layers of all that is Olivia Shade, he finds something surprising. He understands its fragility. He falls in love with its beauty. He seeks to protect it. But he forgets to protect his Livvie from one thing: Nick Sebring.

©2016 Kristen Ashley (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

A Fantastic Brilliant Close to a Touch & Go Series

This portion of Kristen Ashley's The Unfinished Heros series is the final chapter. While each book can stand alone, if you are going to read the entire series – you may want to stop reading this review. It contains spoilers, I don't purposely do this but you have been warned!

Olivia Shade is the daughter of a crime family powerful. Nick wants retribution from them for making him watch them murder his woman.

Olivia feels that she is nothing more than a pawn to be used however her father seems fit, to advance to business and career.

Nick and Olivia cross paths. Nick is never going to love again, after the murder of his girlfriend. Olivia does not even know what love means. However there is an electric spark that flows through Nick & Olivia every time they touch.

I really enjoyed this book and it seemed to go a lot deeper as far as the plot, etc. I do not know if that is because it is the final book in the series or what, but I had difficulty putting it down.

SPOILER!! The very end chapters of this book, KA brings us up to speed on all of the previous characters and how their lives look now. I really enjoyed that, so very much.

Stella Bloom is new to me (in this series.) I would mark her performance as above average because of her ability to handle such a large class cast of characters. There are male & female and an occasional kid. If I see something that looks interesting to me in the future and she is the narrator, I will grab it in a heartbeat.

Notes/warnings: graphic descriptions of sex, violence & strong language, also the discussion of trafficking anything from drugs to girls to women – this may upset some readers.

This is definitely for the older than 18 years crowd. I like my books racy & spicy and this series was a little bit outside my comfort zone. If you don't mind the things that I warned about, it is a great series. I had a chance to read it from beginning to end and that's how I would recommend anyone else listen. I also prefer my books a little bit deeper.

Ratings: The first book I enjoyed, the second a bit less, the third about average but Sebring knocked my socks off, I felt great after having read it especially as the characters from previous books came into play.

Stars: Four stars overall


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✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫

I wasn't sure about this book when it started because Nick wasn't a good guy before this and because Olivia seemed a little snooty but they both took me by surprise and I loved them together. I loved how this one ended, everyone gets a happy ending!

The narration was great as always!

A HOT LISTEN THAT LEADS TO A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY

One of the things that you know a Kristen Ashley book will give you is a loveable, sexy Alpha Hero who, once he's made you his, he'd lie, cheat, steal, kill or die to protect you. They have clipped speech, are hard, possessive, jealous, demanding lovers, often dirty talkers, cryptic, intelligent, loving, protective, very sexual and, as Knight declared to his woman in book 1 "wars fought over a face like this, a man would work himself into the ground for it, go down to his knees to beg to keep it, endure torture to protect it, take a bullet for it, poison his brother to possess a face like this"..... yup, they're not afraid to show that they love deeply, are vulnerable to the woman that holds his heart..... and the family he makes with her.

The second thing is a fantastic storyline, filled with suspense, angst, drama, bad guys, quick witted banter and dialogue, twists and a plot that includes well loved characters from the previous books. Finally, the third thing that KA gives you are mesmerizing romances that are passionate, filled with heartfelt declarations, unpredictable, very hot and they'll curl your toes, make your blood pressure rise, frustrate you, charm you, have you eager to get back to them and finally leave you sighing in pleasure, and on a book high, because you know you've just listened to something awesome.

Nick and Olivia's story was all this and much more.... they came from different worlds but somehow found each other.... but it wasn't going to be easy, it wasn't going to be without it's bloodshed and it wasn't going to go smoothly. Nick has wanted revenge for the death of his girlfriend for four years and his ticket to get it is Olivia - she's quiet, vulnerable yet strong and is the disillusioned Boss' Daughter.... but what he wasn't prepared for was for Olivia to stir up and ignite intense, possessive and protective feelings. Slowly she comes out of her shell, trusts and puts her faith in Nick but he has hidden his agenda and secrets from her and, when she eventually learns the truth (not, of course, from him) the sht hits the fan, hearts are broken and dreams crumble. The roller coaster ride does stop at some precarious situations but it left me with that 'feel good' feeling, wishing there was more but very grateful that I found this talented and gifted Author.

Dual POV's (with multiple POV's at the end) and a really good narrator who delivered very convincing male voices and injected the perfect emotional dialogue into well described and easily visualized scenes. Could be stand alone but it does refer to characters from the past 5 books and gives an Epilogue which wraps up all the characters HEA's from the entire series beautifully.

Worth a credit? Yes, not only is KA an auto download Author for me but her books are also worthy pre-orders too. Each and every one of her books in the Unfinished Hero series, IMO, are creditworthy and this story has made me want to listen to this wonderful series all over again.

So Hard to Say Goodbye

I fell a little in love with each and every one of the hardcore men of the Unfinished Heroes Series. I set aside a small place in my reader's heart for Mr. Nick Sebring when his story became available and I wasn't disappointed.
Of course one of the darkest of the bunch would be paired with the princess of an empire he was employed to bring down because that's just how Kristen Ashley rolls.
The heat between Nick and Olivia was off the charts and made it easy to believe that they would create rules that would allow them to continue experiencing each other without getting scorched. It was a good try anyway.
I rooted for them even though I knew they would each have to battle through their personal hells to want something lasting.
My heart went out to Olivia who seemed to be the proverbial princess held captive by her family, but it was also nice to see that she had some claws of her own.
As secrets were revealed and lies exposed there was one choice for these two to make. Give up their former lives or give up each other. I was very happy with the choice they made, but of course I want more. On to her next series.

Best one yet !!!

Fan of Ashley in the past books were the same this one didn't follow the rule. So that was great. Don't get me wrong I love the past books. This one made me smile and laugh and that is the big plus.

Hated Finishing the Series

These unfinished heroes are perfect book boyfriends - under the talented narration, the characters come to life in all their alpha goodness. The story grabs you and before you know it, you're done listening and wishing there was more.

No erotica here

Great story. It took time to get used to seeing Nick as a good guy. However, unlike the other unlikely hero books this story was less erotic. It had some undertones but nothing compared to Decon. I love KA!

OMG

OMG this book was awesome!! I knew it was going to be great because I love every last book in this series. At first I disliked Nick so much in the first 4 books, but in this book I fell in love with him. OMG Olivia had my heart tearing apart but I am so glad she found her HAPPY!! This book is a must read and definitely worth the credit, but you really need to read the first 4 books to understand how far Nick has overcome!! LOVE IT!! Kristen Ashley is my favorite author.

Perfect ending

I didn't have any real attachment to Sebring, so when I heard this book was about him, I didn't know how well I would enjoy it but it was fantastic.

I have wanted to know more about the business end of these men for quite some time and this book gave it in spades. Olivia is part of that reason because her life was part of that side of the men. Sebring, still living part in and part out of the life, thought his life was about revenge. Little did he know that olivia would make him realize he could have a second chance at love.

Awesome storyline. It's a long book but I didn't feel like any of it was wasted, all meat and no potatoes. And the best part of all is the epilogue where we get a chance to revisit all the men in this series and get caught up in their lives.

Stella Bloom was the narrator in the last book and I'm so glad she was because she did right by the books. Her ability to portray so many different characters was spot on and I never felt myself leave the story because something was amiss.

Sebring Stars

Bittersweet this book, because it means the series is done. But as we know with most Kristen Ashley books they can make appearances in other books just look at the Rock Chicks we got a little of them in this series along with others. So we are never truly done with a series. I did put this book off because I wasn’t ready for it to be done. But all good things right…

Nick Sebring… what to say about him. Well we meet him in Knight and I will say this he wasn’t someone I would have ever wanted to read about back then. He sure grew up and grew into his own that’s for damn sure. Instead of riding his brothers coat tails. Or expecting something for nothing, he learned what it was to work hard for what you want and get it. There is a convo between Knight and Nick that is stuck in my head . –

“You, brother, you started life havin’ it easy,” Knight continued.

“Got a lot of love for you so this is difficult to say but I’m gonna say it. I like you gotta work for what’s important. If you work for it, you’ll get it. You’ll get why it was worth the work. You’ll never forget that. And you’ll finally get it where I am now after you wade through all the sh- t, knowin’, when you finally have it easy, just how worth it was to keep wading through. But bottom line, I know you’re a man who’s got balls and the guts and the heart to stick it out and wade though.”
“You done with the heartfelt big brother lectures?”

“F -- you.”

I have to say that sums up what I felt like with this story. Nick really became a man you respect. No, getting Livvie wasn’t easy but isn’t that what makes it so much sweeter? When you have to work really work for what you want?

“Just so you don’t forget, you mean more to me today than you did yesterday. And yesterday you meant a fuckuva lot to me.”

This review is longer than I thought because now I have to talk about Olivia and I have a lot to say.
I know a lot of people compared her to Sadie from the Rock Chicks and I have to disagree. Livvie, never liked the life not saying Sadie ever did. But Livvie had to be there look what happened when she tried to leave. She struggled with her lot in life. She never had the persona Sadie did. What you see is Livvie just trying to make it from day to day.
She wasn’t emotionless, but at times I wondered. I think she just truly didn’t know what real happiness was. Why smile if it’s going to be fake? Or if smiling will be misinterpreted for something good that can be taken away from you? She had family but they were never the loving, she loves her sister sure but she doesn’t like her.

When she meets Nick, she starts to come alive. We hear about the man who is broken and needs the love of a good women right, well revers that. That’s what we see here. Livvie is the broken one and she needs the love of a good man to see her because she can’t see herself. She doesn’t think anyone could or would love her not after the life she has lead.

“I breathe. I’m here. I take up space. I eat. I drive. But I have no brain. No will. No strength. No opinions. I do not matter to the point I do not exist.”

“You exist for me.”

It broke my heart this book and it put it back together, I loved it. I usually love all of Kristen Ashley’s books because they are what I expect my romance novels to be.

“Dawn is coming, Honey. Open your eyes.”

Again another great Audio! I love the narration as always with a K.A. book she picks the perfect narrators to bring her books to life. And this book Stella Bloom did exactly that. <3

Erotic Romance

This is, perhaps, the most extreme of Kristen Ashley’s “bad boys” with an H who was very dislikeable in previous books. His transformation into one of the “good guys” all happens in the prologue and it did feel like a critical part of the story development was missing.

The H plans to use the h to get inside her father’s criminal network, to get revenge for the murder of his FBI girlfriend. The h was a reluctant part of the family, (keeping the books and laundering the income). She had given up on ever having a happy “honest” life as her past attempts to escape had been brutally punished. She (conveniently) finds the H irresistible, and they have ten chapters of hot sex with very little conversation. As the h openly did not trust the H for anything apart from sex, what this was supposed to achieve was unclear.

The couple somehow fall in love, even though they never really talk honestly to each other - or talk much at all between their many sexual encounters. They then change from edgy, cynical and damaged underworld characters, into a mushy, loved up couple. The h, who had been so deeply unhappy that she did not smile until Chapter 15, becomes a rock chick clone and was suddenly “cute” and “klutsy”, while the H, who had spent four years preparing for revenge, falls in love with ease. It would have made more sense for both characters to strongly resist admitting to any sort of emotional caring for each other – they were both wired to be in control, so more of a tussle for dominance and less of the cliché secret trip to Vegas would have made this romance more convincing.

In some places this book is really good, particularly when the couple are apart (!), and I adore so many of KA’s books, but she does seem to be struggling lately with what market she is aiming for. This book, and the previous one I listened to (Deacon), both seem to be targeting the YA market, with musical "messages" and videos as part of the romance. But then there seems to be the obligatory BDSM thrown in to target the FSOG market and so many chapters of fabulous sex that it becomes a bit mundane. Her earlier books were more “romantic suspense” with super hot guys (and super hot sex), whereas now they are more “erotic romances” with less emphasis on a strong plot line and instead there are chapters and chapters of lengthy sexual encounters. I guess it’s a personal preference, because her writing ability is, without a doubt, already proven, but I do wish for more along the lines of “At Peace” “The Gamble” and “Sweet Dreams”.

Loved it!

Nick really grew up in this book. I was really impressed by the change and Olivia is one of my fav heroines of the KA series because she is just so classy and strong. Loved it!

Wow

Was not expecting to love this but I definitely did! We met Nick in the previous books acting like a jerk. In this book we learnt the reasons why he was. The story unfolded really well and I was hooked to both the main characters. A great end to the series