Unconditional: A Love Story by Shon details romance of Charli and Damian. The book begins with their intense summer fling, which ends abruptly when Charli rejects Damian’s desire for a deeper commitment. Two years later, Damian is still haunted by the “what-ifs” and finds himself unable to move on. When their paths cross again, Damian is determined to win Charli back, despite the changes and challenges that have arisen in their lives. I love the themes of affection, remorse, and the reigniting a past relationship.

The author captured the emotional turmoil and longing of the characters, making their journey relatable and engaging. The emotional depth and character development make Unconditional a compelling read for fans of romance and stories about second chances.

A heartwarming and sexy second chance romance.

I really enjoyed this book! My being a sucker for romances -- especially those where the characters are clearly meant to be together -- aside, this was a well written and enjoyable story.

The author, Shon, balances the substance of Charli and Damian's relationship with its steam. In my opinion, this is a worthy accomplishment considering their original relationship was based purely on sex, and they didn't know each other very well. And bonus (also, *MINI SPOILER*) Damian's long-held torch for Charli isn't one-sided. *Mini spoiler OVER*

Shon also did a great job writing the characters. Not only are Charli and Damian are well-rounded with clearly defined personalities, insecurities, backgrounds, etc., but so are their friends and relatives. Bonus points again for Charli seeking out therapy! *Mini SPOILER* Personally, I appreciate Shon allowing Charli to have a breakthrough/revelation in therapy, but not "healing" her completely by the end of the book. *Mini spoiler OVER*

I've seen this book described as a "slow-burn" but I thought it was pretty fast-paced. This may be due in part to the alternating perspectives and the flashbacks peppered throughout. It's definitely short enough to be devoured in a day or two (and to feel like you want to see more of these characters' lives beyond what's written), but not short enough for it to feel rushed or concluded conveniently. It was realistic and relatable, and I definitely recommend this book. I'll be looking forward to reading more of Shon's work.

Book review :

Unconditional: A Love Story is a very heartwarming second chance romance. This is a sweet story of the love reconnection between Charli and Damian. Two years prior , these two lovebirds were having some "fun". But they stayed in each other's hearts and realized things about themselves that helped to put them in a better place. A fateful meeting between Charli and Damian rekindles feelings and emotions that scare them at times, but ultimately, they realize that they can't get enough of each other and their relationship becomes deeper.

It was really beautiful to see how important the community is for Damien and how much Charli values that. Also, the characters were very captivating, funny and sexy. The spicy scenes were really hot and the sexual tension between the characters was great. I loved the way they describe each other and how they remember vividly everything that happened that one summer.

The reconnection for them was annoying at times and at others; it was cute. The chemistry was even sensible. I know - it's an odd way to describe a romantic love story session, but that fits my feeling about the narrative. Overall, the story was cutesy good and a worthwhile read.

I liked reading this book and would recommend this book to all. I am thankful to netgalley and the Publisher for gifting me this book in return of an honest review.

Happy Reading!

This was a quick second chance romance. The character were three dimensional and the romace and tension was very believable. I felt that the characters issues that led to the first go at the relationship not working out, was worked on well. So I have a good rating for character development.

This book is just as stunning on the inside as it is on the outside. I was fully captivated in this love story. It is so refreshing to read a romance between two characters who are so mature and the growth between the two of them and individually throughout the book was delightful. The representation in this book was also lovely to see, it’s so important to read love stories of different backgrounds. Charli and Dame were both interesting and complex characters to read from and I loved the balance of tension and warm fluffy feelings this book radiated. It was all around a great story!

Unconditional: A Love Story by Shon was everything for me! It had love, steam, culture, and a match made in heaven. This novel was such a fantastic ride, Charlotte and Damian were so enjoyable!

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

Second chance trope are definitely my thing. The chemistry and temptation between the two main characters was spicy.

Damian was not confident he was good enough for Charli and Charli got daddy issue. When two people want each other we got this 🥰

i was heartwarming. i really connected to the premise of the book, and felt like the characters were endearing enough to care of what the outcome would be. i was rooting for them, as individuals and as a couple.

It was a quick easy read but the story didn't have anything concrete. It was just all fantasy happy going love story. I found it quite tiring to read as it has so many unnecessary context. This is really just a teen read novel.
It had all those giggly, romantic, sizzling moments but all too much.

Thank you#netgalley for the ARC.

It was a very nice quick read. While nothing really stood out to me, I didn't dislike it and i thought it was really nice to read about non-white people in normal tropes we love. It was really nice to see Charli's whole journey too, i think it was very important and thought it was really nice to see how she handled that or didn't. I would say i enjoyed it and don't really have anything bad to say about it.

This love story has it all. Love unconditional is a great love story with cultural representation . It is a second chance romance but it has a lot what unconditional love should look like examples. It has an two people meeting from two different worlds and falling in love feel. Without giving away any spoilers if you love a good love erotic intense love story this is the book for you. Shon don't hold back any details for the reader.

I really loved Charlotte and Damian they were a match made in heaven, I was so sad to read people so perfect getting in their own way of their happiness. But our traumas will have us feeling things that are not necessarily true but they're so real to us that no one can tell you any different and you have to find out the truth the hard way. One thing that I loved besides the romance was that Shon showed how unforgiving parents can be, I was glad that it was not resolved because it showed how realistic some of our lives are; that abandonment is real and you have to seek help on how to cope especially in the black community we're always raised to believe therapy is for others, but it's for whoever needs and I was happy Shon shined a light on mental health and healing so that you can be ready to accept unconditional love.

This is a great debut novel by Shon, I will definitely be looking for more from this author in the future.
Charli and Damian meet and have a fling and went their separate ways. Damian wants more but he doesn’t think that Charli feels the same way. Even though Charli and Damian went their separate ways they still had feelings for each other. Years later Damian and Charli’s paths cross again and rekindle what they once had. The chemistry between the two is awesome and swoon worthy.

Now that Charli and Damian have made their way back to each other is there and HEA waiting in the wings for them?

I received an ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

When I first saw this gorgeous cover I added this book to my TBR. Now that I’ve actually read it, be still my heart. Damian was truly captivated by Charli from the moment they met and quiet as its kept Charli was captivated as well. The timing was not right in the beginning because Charli did not feel like she was worth of love, worthy of Damian because of family trauma. I absolutely love that she spent their time apart healing herself and molding herself into the woman she wanted to be. & Mr. Damian— that is a man right there😍. I love a “can I feed you?” man. I loved his Haitian pride and his desire to give back to his community, his people. Damian knew Charli was his one and everyone around him knew too. He paid close attention to Charli, he wanted to provide whatever she needed and keep her smiling and I love that for her. I was ready to push her to that man because she was trying to play it cool, like she wasn’t as down bad as he was. 🤣

I love second chance and I will always pick up a black romance before I pick up anything else. This cover is absolutely stunning, the love story is beautiful and these characters were just lovely. I loved the way Charli loved so fiercely, making him such a good book boyfriend. The second chance unfolded beautifully as well.

Thank you #Netgalley for an early read of #Unconditional in exchange for my honest review

4⭐️

I really loved this book!
The cover, gorgeous!
Second chance tropes are always my fave!
It was definitely refreshing to read about black characters in a realistic and relatable way.

The way he loved her so fiercely & in a way that still respected her boundaries was *chefs kiss*
Overall, I’m definitely rooting for Damien & Charlotte ❤️

Thank you, Netgalley, for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit, I wanted to LOVE this book so much. Look at that gorgeous cover, the emotional description, the promise of so much.

But... unfortunately, it kind of fell flat to me. Not because I don't love a second chance romance, I love those, but because of the in-your-face, weird, no-substance insta-love. I hate, abhor insta-love with all my heart, especially when it's always backed up by how GOOOOOOOD the other person looks. And you're reminded of that constantly.

Things I liked:
* the fact that Charli was aware of her issues and was going to therapy. HELL YEAH, GIRL, GET YOU SOME THERAPY.
* the fact that both were aware of the fact that they were attractive. It wasn't just the guy who was so hot, but cool about it, and the female who is "so hot but she doesn't know it." Charli knew it.
* loved the cultural representation
* POC main characters
* getting over generational trauma
* working on yourself so you can love yourself first

Things I didn't like:
* insta-love
* the fact that they barely spoke, but were soooo attracted to each other that nothing else mattered
* Damien's thoughts of violence any time a man looked twice at Charli, although everyone knew that she was gorgeous, it felt too alpha to me.
* the fact that we could've gotten more context with the characters interacting with other characters / even with each other. Their first run wasn't even covered, we read about it as Damien remembers parts of it.
* for most of the story, there was no actual obstacle between the two, who clearly had it hard for each other.
* despite all therapy, Charli barely believed she was worth all the attention she got from Damien, and didn't think SHE herself deserved it. She only allowed him in because he praised her work, still needing his approval.

To be honest, if it hadn't been a free ARC from Netgalley, I probably would've given up about 30-40%, because it was just repetitive, with both of them pining for each other, but no one actually making the first step.

This was a sweet second chance at love book with a straightforward plot, goal oriented characters, and great chemistry. It had a bunch of things I liked, including dual timelines, therapy, and black representation in romance. I didn’t give it a 5/5 because I found it fell a bit flat in some places and was predictable. Despite that, it was a quick and enjoyable read!

Thank you to Shon and NetGalley for providing this ARC!

So I figured out second chance love tropes are my thing. Initially I found Damian triggering with him feeling he was ‘less than’ Charli because she had money. But that quickly went away. I loved that Charli had a pretty sound therapist, and that Damian came from a loving family. Spicy scenes were just *chef’s kiss* Also enjoyed that this had scenes in Haiti!

I can’t wait to read the next book about Devyn!