I don’t often say I dislike the main character. In this case, I have to say it. She got on my nerves more than once throughout the story.
Overall, this was a ok read for me.

This is one of those books that you really want to love but really can't connect with the characters. Veronica has got to be one of the most romantic heroines that I have ever encountered. For that reason, I wasn't nearly as invested. Not because she wasn't perfect, but because I couldn't find a lot of redeeming qualities in her,

This is the second book in the Forbidden Cove series. There were some parts that were enjoyable and some parts that were a bit annoying.

Veronica and Brian are both at turning points in their lives, and both believe they're not interested in a real relationship, only in friendly sex. The love scenes in this book are hot hot hot! The issues that they both face are serious and make them question long-held beliefs about what they want out of life.
I felt that the resolution was a little too simple after how deeply resistant to change they were, but the story was well-written and held my interest, and made me care about the characters.

Lavinia Kent offers readers the second book in her Forbidden Cove series. I think that Unmanageable stands alone but I found the town interesting enough to seek out the first book. The premise of Unmanageable has the hero , an injured hockey player, setting up in a small town, helping a dog walker as his rehab. I found the hero to be well drawn and engaging, I was interested in his future, I wish I could say that I liked the heroine. She was certainly a complex character, with lots of baggage that caused but didnt excuse her behavior. Ms. Kent was able to make me care about the happily ever after - kudos to her! The dialogue was strong, the settings and situations well drawn, and the love scenes passionate. I was entertained.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

This was a cute story - I love romances that involve athletes, and who doesn't love an adorable animal character. Am definitely looking forward to more Kent novels.

UNMANAGEABLE - Lavinia Kent

#2 in the Forbidden Cove romance series

INDECISION - 3 stars

Plot - 3 stars - The plot drew me to this book because I was anticipating some fun scenes caused by the fact that Brian is an injured hockey player trying to rebuild his life and that Veronica doesn't know who he is and assumes he's a deadbeat dog walker living with his aunt. The comedy of errors could have been amusing, but instead it became this big angsty thing that caused them both to rethink their relationship.

Writing - 3 stars - I'm a Kent fan, but I feel she's still finding her way in the contemporary romance world. Her characters don't quite work, and she spends too much time on the sex scenes and doesn't have quite enough meat in the storyline.

Characters - 2.5 stars - This is what stalled this book for me. I just couldn't like Veronica. She's a 35-year-old woman who still feels the need to please her father, despite the fact that she's an experienced lawyer and independent woman. She spends most of the book worrying about how people in town will see her and her relationship with Brian (thinking he's "just" a dogwalker). She's a snob who can't seem to relax enough to think about what her own wants and needs are. She sends him mixed signals, and I was amazed that he stuck around through all of it. Brian is a good hero, although he's so closed up also that he doesn't share. He says that he wants to talk things out, but then he generally leaves it until "later." It was frustrating to see a relationship with a lot of potential go down the drain because of their inability to share. There was some talk about the age difference, but it didn't really amount to anything and didn't make an impact on the story at all.

Title - 4 stars - This title works since both characters are struggling with "unmanageable" areas of their lives, including their potential relationship.

Cover - 4 stars - I like the scruffiness of the cover model, which fits my picture of an off-duty hockey player.

Overall - 3 stars - This book had a lot of potential for romance as well as playfulness, but it evolved instead into a constant battle about status vs relaxation. Veronica couldn't get out of her own way, constantly second-guessing her decisions and life choices, driving me crazy with her snobbishness and indecision. Even relaxing with Jordan was a bitch session, and I couldn't feel close to Veronica at all. It was understandable that Brian enjoyed the anonymity of their relationship at first, but as they got closer, there were plenty of opportunities for him to share, and he avoided them. I just couldn't get behind their relationship since they seemed so painfully unsure about it and even about their own feelings. The book spent way too much time with the sex scenes. I have nothing against a lot of sex scenes, but I felt it took up too much of the time when they should have been building their relationship and having fun. Instead they had two speeds--intense sex or incredible angst. I will continue with Kent's contemporary romance, but I'm hoping for more as she gets used to the genre. Otherwise, I'm a big fan of her historical erotic books and am rooting for her success here.

The good storyline and well detailed characters grabbed my attention from the very beginning and wouldn't let me go until the turn of the very last page!

Today's book is Unmanageable and was written by Lavinia Kent. This book is the second in the Forbidden Cover series, a contemporary romance series. I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy from LoveSwept through NetGalley. Victoria Andersen is a lawyer at her father's law firm, where she is treated less than her younger sister. She has yet to determine what she wants, besides living in the home left to her by her mother. Her younger brother has died and now feels the need to gain her father's approval in all aspects of her life.

I did not like the way Mr. Andersen treats both of his daughter but also the way his younger daughter treats Victoria. I was impressed by Brian's academic nature as well as his athletic ability. The least interesting part was the wedding and Mr. Andersen's announcement of who would take over after his retirement. I wonder why the author left Brian's backstory along for so long.

The overall plot development lacked a certain finesse as it mainly focuses on Victoria and her problems, so 6 points and the overall character development also lacks the depth of character growth as the no was showing of extra relationships, so 5 points. The overall layout was okay as it balanced narrative with dialogue, so 7 points for an overall grade of 60%. I would not recommend this book. Those who enjoy main female and family drama. Those who don't enjoy lack of character growth and lack of connection with characters may need to look elsewhere.

This is the first book that I have read from this author. It left me puzzled.

I really like Brian Walsh. He is a former NHL goalie was has to reinvent himself after he blows out his knee. He spend many childhood summers with his Aunt Mols in Forbidden Cove and has come to help her with her dog walking business, which is PT for his knee and to figure out his future. Since he always liked science even before he got into hockey and did get his BS, he is thinking of going to Med School.

Veronica, I found hard to warm up to. She definitely has Daddy issues, and knows it. Her father seduced her mother, when he was in college and she still in high school. Ok, he didn't know that at the time. He married her after she became pregnant, but divorced her after Veronica was born and started a second family. He is a jerk, but Veronica did have her sweet mother's love for many years, so did not have to be such a bitch. She adopted her half brother's dog Baxter, after her brother died in an auto accident, but is a workaholic, so uses Mrs. Clouster's services. She has issues with not only her father, but also her half sister, who is even ruder than she is.

Veronica doesn't recognize Brian and he finds that refreshing, so lets her believe that he is an unambitious, but gorgeous man. She is a snob, but there is strong chemistry between them. When her sister becomes engaged to her ex, she feels threatened about their father's law firm and who he will leave it to when he retires. She finds Brian easy to talk to and have sex with. Neither is looking for a relationship, but they do become friends. His mother is a therapist and he forces Veronica to talk things out with him.

There is a lot of dialogue between them, but at times it becomes annoying. There is also lots of holes in the story. What was her relationship with her brother and why was it so much closer than with her sister? Why is her sister so nasty to her, when she is the oldest, but received so little attention from her father? And then the climax leaves everything in the air, with no resolutions.

I read an ARC from NetGalley. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

This review is going to focus on Unmanageable by Lavinia Kent. This is the second book in her Forbidden Cove series. I received an eARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


The main character of this title is lawyer Veronica Andersen. She lives in Forbidden Cove and commutes daily to the city. Sometimes it's hard for her to get back home with work events at night, which makes it hard for her to care for her dog she got from her brother after he passed away in a car accident. She's hired a neighbor to walk her dog when she needs it.


But when she opens the door she doesn't find the older woman she's expecting. She finds the woman's nephew, the sexy Brian Walsh. The two feel an immediate connection, and after an initial hook-up Veronica invites him to be her date to her sister's wedding.


The two insist they don't want anything serious, and Veronica doesn't take the time to get to know Brian. She even judges him for his current lifestyle of being a dog walker and doing sunset yoga on the beach.


But what she doesn't know is that he was a star goalie in the NHL until a recent injury ended his career. Eventually the two can't be kept apart and they work on their differences and learn about each other.


This was a fun, interesting read, and I will definitely be picking up other titles in this series.


Happy reading :)

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley..

This was my first book by this author.
I adored this author's style. The characters were easy to like. The storyline was easy to follow. I definitely will be reading more!

This book was ok, I had a hard time with Veronica. She is self-centered and basically irritating for a good portion of the book. While Brian did keep secrets, it was unintentional and after meeting Veronica I wouldn't have told her his secret either after the way Veronica treated him.

The book wrapped up really quickly, with little connection.

Light romance with difficult life decisions. Some life altering are very visible and yet not easily realized. Others are deep and very emotional. Lavinia leaving what's to come

This is the first book I have read from Lavinia Kent and it will not be the last. This book was a fun and quick read. I liked Brian and Veronica both together and separately so I really found myself rooting for them. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Steamy, fast paced romance with just enough romantic tension to keep things interesting. This should warm readers up well into winter.

Unmanageable is the second book in the Forbidden Cove series but can be read as a standalone. It is a bit similar to the first book, at least in terms of the romance or lack thereof. Veronica and Brian do seem to do a lot of talking, and there is certainly chemistry, but chemistry and sexual attraction don't necessarily equal love and romance. These two just didn't seem very compatible to me. Veronica is a hard character to like, and I'm not really sure that I ever really got there with her. She comes across as self-centered, selfish, and judgmental, and just when I would start to think there was more to her, she'd do or say something else that just frustrated me to no end. She had reason for some issues, but instead of making her more relatable, she acted like the whole world revolved around her. On the flip side, Brian is just a genuinely likable guy. He's warm and friendly, and an all-around good guy. He does have a secret, but the big reveal of that secret was a bit blown out of proportion in my opinion. It really had nothing to do with Veronica or the relationship, and it felt like her response was just angst for the sake of angst. In the end, this one was just okay for me. I really wanted more depth in the relationship, and maybe a more likable main character.

This was a refreshing book to read. I loved reading a book where the main characters were willing to talk out their differences/squabbles instead of leaving each other angry. I also liked that Veronica called the shots in their relationship. She let Brian know what she wanted.

Now, saying that, I did think that Brian and Veronica talked too much. There were points in the book where they seemed to go on and on. Which drove me crazy go nuts. I was mentally yelling "Just get to the heart of the issue!!

Unmanageable is currently available for purchase.

I liked that Brian was a dog walker, reevaluating his life. He's walking dogs, and keeps getting entangled with Veronica.

Veronica has a plan, to make partner. She's driven and focused and her family would not approve of a dog walker. I liked that she had um, needs she planned to take care of. With Brian.

I liked Brian and liked the take that he was in flux with his career.

This book was a good romance with some steamy sex scenes. Veronica is a workaholic trying to impress her father (that owns the law firm she works for) so she can make partner. She has an older woman dog walker so imagine her surprise when a mid-twenties man shows up at her door. He's the woman's nephew looking to have something to do. In reality, he's Brian, a former NHL hockey goalie that went down with an injury & is looking for his next step in life. Watching this relationship develop is well worth the read. I like that the characters aren't one dimensional & have a lot of depth to them. Highly recommend reading this book.