Undone

The Henry Brothers, Book 3

By: Amy Knupp

Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor, Patrick Zeller

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

When you come undone, sometimes the only way to find yourself is to go back home....

Ava: I was about to land my dream writing job when I hit a plot twist. See, I inherited a fixer-upper inn in my small hometown. Where my first love—the guy who broke my heart—still lives. I wish I could say our chemistry had disappeared. But it hasn’t. So now, I have to figure out how to walk down memory lane without repeating history. Because there’s no way I can afford to give him a second chance....

Cash: I hurt Ava, and I wouldn’t blame her for hating me. I’d hate me, too. But that doesn’t mean I ever stopped wanting her. She’s just as smart and sexy as ever. Avoiding her would be like avoiding sunlight. So if she wants a hot fling while she’s in town, I’ll give it to her. I know she’ll probably end up taking my heart with her when she leaves me—and Dragonfly Lake—in her rearview. But that’s my problem. Not hers....

Undone, book three in the Henry Brothers series, is a light small-town contemporary romance that can be listened to as a stand-alone. It has a little humor, some spicy times, and plenty of emotional, heartwarming moments. Download today and watch Cash and Ava find their way back to each other.

©2023 Amy Knupp (P)2023 Amy Knupp

Regrets, I've Had A Few

I enjoyed book 3 of "The Henry Brothers" series. Ava wanted to repair her aunt's inn as a memorial to her aunt. Ave returned to her hometown where she ran into Cash Henry, the boy who had been her teenage sweetheart. Cash broke off his relationship with Ava and then left town. This story featured two tropes: a second chances one and a grumpy/sunshine one. I enjoyed the grumpy character of Cash who was shown to be in a happier state after meeting with Ava again. I liked that Ava was a very caring person who was determined enough to follow her dreams. Their romance was sweet. Patick Zeller's and Samantha Brentmoor's dual narrations were delightful and added to my enjoyment of the story. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Loved this!

Undone is book #3 in The Henry Brothers series. After reading Unsung and thinking that maybe this series was losing my interest, BAM! Ms. Knupp hits us with Undone. Cash is the chef for the Henry family restaurant and the grumpy brother. When Ava comes back to Dragonfly Lake to settle her Aunt's estate including her beloved Inn, she and Cash realize their old feelings haven't died out at all. Ava has landed her dream job out in L.A. and has no desire to remain in town. This story gives us small town and second chance romance in a heartwarming story with enough spice to set that kitchen on fire...TWICE! We also had lots of crossover characters from the True North series, which was very yummy!

The narration was fantastic! Patrick Zeller and Samantha Brentmoor are awesome narrators that bring heart and passion to their performance. 5 stars for this duo!

Second Chance Romance

This is book 3 in Amy Knupp’s Henry Brothers series. This can be enjoyed as a stand alone. However, I think it’s a little more fun having “met” Cash and the rest of the Henrys in previous books – starting with Unraveled.

This was a great second chance romance. I think my favorite part was that this was really less about the past and more focusing on Cash and Ava falling in love again with who they are now. That strong history – and passion – is there providing a wonderful foundation for them slipping back into being lovers.

However, with futures seemingly diverging in two different locations, they know that their time together is limited. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I loved how Knupp didn’t make it so that one person was forced to give everything up (and that it wasn’t only Ava making concessions!). Their solution was wonderful and really solidified their HEA.

Then they get an awesome epilogue which ends on a huge surprise impacting the entire Henry family. Audio lovers get a *second* bonus epilogue offering a peek into married life for Cash & Ava. I’m looking forward to Knox’s book, Unexpected. I’ll be waiting for audio though because…

Narration:
Knupp continues to pick great narrator matches for her characters. Samantha Brentmoor & Patrick Zeller had perfect voices for their own and the opposite character (plus the rest of the Dragonfly Lake folks). The opening chapters – Ava’s grief and hesitation and all that comes with loss was flawlessly encapsulated by Brentmoor. Zeller likewise brought the nuance to Cash he deserved. Then both pivoting as the couple fell in love again. The myriad of emotions they went though. Loved listening.

While I had the ebook, I did received an advance copy of the audiobook from Home Cooked Books and am leaving an honest review.

Hurt and loss.

For anyone who has lost a loved one, it’s easy to relate to Ava after the loss of her Aunt. Being thrust into a situation that surrounds her with the heavy memories of not only her Aunt, but of her childhood and mother as well, brings on a torrent of emotions for Ava. Cash is just trying to make his restaurant prosperous and grow the family businesses. He feels judged by people who don’t know his culinary background or the fact that he has one. I enjoyed their reconnection and the feelings they needed to sort through to get there. The characters were relatable and very dynamic.

I loved the way Samantha Brentmoor and Patrick Zeller brought the characters to life. It was an an amazing performance from both.

Hot. Romantic. Swoony!

This book. Book three of the series was so good! I love when a series get better and better! These characters were wonderful. Second change Romance. “I know we said no strings but I want string” melt my heart!!!!

The narrators did a really great job making feel like I was watching all this happening. Even started to blush during some scenes that were 🌶️🔥

Heroine outshines hero in this outing…

Story: 3.5 ⭐️s
Narration: 4 ⭐️s

This third installment in the Henry Brothers series did not meet the level of anticipation I had at the end of book 2, so my experience with Ava and Cash’s love story was a slight let down by comparison. It can be hard to thread the second-chance romance trope needle - navigating any trope is an art form really - and the execution here was a bit underwhelming. I also found their overall connection in the present a bit surface. Both spend a lot of time in their heads thinking back on their past connection and I was less sure as to why they were into each other 17 years later. There is obviously a lingering physical connection, but there just weren’t enough out-of-bed interactions between the two, or maybe the quantity was fine, but the quality of those interactions was just (again) underwhelming. I think this is mostly down to Cash’s character development falling short when compared with Ava’s.

While Ava was developed through her interactions with other characters and her struggles with her grief, Cash was just sort of there and very much in h is own head. Most of his struggles were internal, so there were pages of pages of him in his head. I get he is the broody brother, but when he was interacting with his brothers or other characters, it did so much more to show him than all the telling in his head. I find this one of the pitfalls of first person POV and that’s not on Knupp; I enjoy her storytelling and the majority of her characters. I just prefer when character growth happens through action and interaction rather than redundant introspection; or I at least prefer when there is more of a balance between those elements. There is definitely that balance with Ava, and it’s done very well and that is what kept me engaged.

The secondary character work is also something I enjoy about this series as a whole, along with the setting. I’ve said in previous reviews, this is just a place I want to spend time and that has a lot to do with cast of characters Knupp has created. I was a little let down when in Cash’s POV because there was less of this, and even when other characters were not he scene, I was still frustrated by Cash; so I don’t think I enjoyed even that as much as I did when in Ava’s POV. For instance, I am interested in Knox. I loved that he and Ava’s relationship was purely platonic and there was no hint of any attraction between the two (despite Cash’s cliched assumptions). I kinda wish Cash and Ava’s romantic reunion had been half as compelling as her friendship with Knox. And that bomb Knox drops at the end was just… wow! Definitely excited to see how that plays out; though less excited that his story will include a traditional age gap (older man/younger woman). Still, I do want to see where things go!

The audiobook is solid. The standout performance in the narration was Samantha Brentmoor as Ava. Brentmoor is just gets better and better with each performance I hear. She moved seamlessly between emotions in this outing; Ava goes through it in this book, but there are still lighter moments. Brentmoor displays a range that was a perfect fit. While Patrick Zeller is a good narrator, I just wasn’t as into his performance as I as into Brentmoor’s. Now, maybe this was a case where because I was not as interested in the character, even a solid narrator could do little to save it. I’ve heard a few of Zeller’s performances in the past, and he can get the job done. It just worked less for me this time around.

Overall, I still recommend this one, as it is a lovely exploration of grief and how finding the right support system (when you didn’t know you were missing it) can be everything.

I received an ALC copy of the audiobook via Home Cooked Books. All opinions are my own.

Second chance

I normally don't read alot of second chance books, but I'm so glad I gave this one a chance. This series has been so good and this one definitely did not disappoint. Seeing how Cash and Ava started and then seeing them grow into a better versions on themselves. It was a really cute read.

I did this on audio and really enjoyed the way the narrators portrayed each character and the emotions.

Sweet Second Chance Love Story

If anyone deserves a do over it’s these two. Cash and Ava’s story was a feel good second chance listen. Samantha Brentmoor and Patrick Zeller did an amazing job bringing Amy Knupp’s Dragonfly Lake world to life and I loved every minute of it.

Such a fun series - and wonderful to listen to

Undone is the third book in the Henry Brothers series, and I am so loving making my way through it, earbuds firmly in place, certain that observers think I’m crazy when I laugh out loud, shout, “Oh, no!” or get the dreamy swoony look. Perfect as a standalone but trust me, you need to get to intimately know all these guys and their family, friends and special loved ones. Because the Henry Brothers are special. They grew up in a loving home, cherished, wanted, secure in the knowledge that family would always be there for them. But upon closer inspection, they have all had vulnerabilities, concerns, worries, fears and secrets that made them each feel ‘less than’ in their own way. Which is why they most definitely need the love of that woman who is perfectly right for them. And for Cash who could it possibly be but Ava? The one that got away. Or more precisely, the one he sprinted away from twenty years ago with no explanation. He is gruff, has friends but keeps most things close. He is a wildly talented and successful chef, but also has a ton of baggage he carries around with him about his self-defined failures. And Cash is no second-chance guy. Once and done as far as he is concerned. He blew it and that’s that, he won’t ever be able to successfully overcome that shortcoming. And just how irresistible and adorable does that make him? He didn’t expect these feelings with Ava to resurface when he sees her again. Heck, he didn’t expect to ever see her again. But now that she’s here? A minute, an hour, a day, a week – he just wants to enjoy every second he has with her now, his body and his heart are telling him to just give in, relax for once. She’s going back to LA. Does he want her to? Who knows? He wants her to finally realize her dreams, to have what she wants instead of always forcing down her own desires to take care of others. But can he lose her again? Can he walk away like he did last time?

And what’s up with that writer guy, Knox Breckenridge, who showed up in book one and says he’s never leaving Dragonfly Lake now? That he’s fallen in love with the place and is planning to settle in. Holden and Seth didn’t pay him too much attention, but Cash doesn’t like or trust him, and for now I’m on Team Cash. I thought maybe Knox was going to expose Everly when she was trying to hide out or expose Seth’s secret in book two. That didn’t happen, but my maybe-overactive-reader-imagination still has me wondering if he’s writing a tell-all book or something about Dragonfly Lake. Don’t know but something about him makes me cringe. Or maybe hope there’s a Knox’s Story book in the future?

Ava has come home to Dragonfly Lake for her aunt’s funeral, the only family she had left. And to see what repairs and remodeling are needed and to find a manager for her aunt’s baby, the Honeysuckle Inn. She grew up working at the inn but she’s a writer, not an innkeeper. She has an amazing opportunity in LA – this could be her shot, what she’s always dreamed of. So she makes her lists and gets going fixing thing up, preparing for when she can go home. But as she reconnects with people she knew long ago and meets new people, settles into a routine, Dragonfly Lake starts to feel an awful lot like home. And of course there’s the Cash thing. Yes, he broke her heart when he up and left her, but he’s even more good-looking now (can that even be possible with a Henry man??), so sweet, so helpful, so considerate, so appealing – and so much heat in his gorgeous eyes – that that broken heart of hers starts going pitty-pat and she starts wondering What If? I was ready to travel to Dragonfly Lake myself if I had to and make Cash and Ava find a way for this to work. Because if there were ever two people who belong together, no matter how many years have passed, it’s these two.

Author Amy Knupp has crafted another enticing, enjoyable, impossible to stop listening book. We catch up with friends and family from previous books, meet new people we might like someday but don’t quite yet, laugh, cry, worry. Ava and Cash lean in, pull back, lean in – the tension is unbearably perfect. And there is a big surprise at the end and a tantalizing peek at what might come in the next book. Two more stellar narrators for this book series, Patrick Zeller & Samantha Brentmoor, give you all the shivers of emotion with their perfect pacing, perfect portrayal of our two lovebirds’ personalities. 100% satisfying all around.

I received a free audio copy of Undone from the author via Home Cooked Books. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am loving making my way through this satisfying series. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Wonderful small-town, second-chance romance!

~*~ Audiobook Review ~*~ I adore this new Henry Brother series by Amy Knupp. Each book reveals a new love story and more characters in the lovely town of Dragonfly Lake, which is a character itself. This brings all of the small-town feelings to each story with the various quirky people in the town making it feel like home. In Undone, Cash and Ava get their second chance at romance in this wonderful example of finding the right person again when it is finally also the right time.

Samantha Brentmoor and Patrick Zeller are fantastic in this story! Patrick has that growly voice with the subtle undertones of vulnerability that were perfect for Cash. Samantha is a rock star and casting them together is excellence in audio!