Sebring (The Unfinished Heroes Series Book 5) by Kristen Ashley (Epub)

Description

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 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.

User’s Reviews

Kristen Ashley is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She grew up in Indiana, but has lived in Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she’s been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least), but loopy is good when you want to write. Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched). Needless to say, living in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up. And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ First let me say that I wanted to love this book. I’ve been a fan of Kristen’s for years, I own ALL her books, but there seems to be an ongoing trend with her. I thought that this book was ok.Here are a few issues I have -1. I read someone else put up that there was too much sex, usually those types of reviews I take with a grain of salt as everyone’s views and takes are different. This is supposed to be the alpha/dom series, so I get it, but I would have to say, that this has way too much sex. There is no plot, because every third page this couple is at it. Not only is the way they get together completely unbelievable, they never even really get to know each other on a basic level and then all of a sudden they are in love. No real reason other than one day they get done and think “wow this person is my other half” (that’s an exaggeration, but pretty close in my opinion. Nor do they get to know each other, all the focus of this book is sex, down to the last chapter and epilogue. It was too much.2. The time stamping – She’s done this in a few other books but not to this degree. Every new portion is time stamped. It’s distracting and made me feel as if I was reading a fanfic from a new writer. You don’t have to constantly say “Saturday 11:00pm” then “Sunday 6:00am”…. really?? Why can’t she imply it by saying “the next morning when I woke up” like she used to?3. You ever walk into the middle of a conversation and wondered what was going on? That’s how I felt at the beginning of this book. *****SPOILER****** How and what exactly happened between Nick and his former woman? What covert operation? What rescue? WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHAT??? I hate how all the important things that could have made this a great book were thrown into one chapter and we never learned who, what, when and why. Just that it all happened.4. Now for the trend. The last couple of books that have been a “last” book of the series seem to have nothing but sex on the brain and are totally rushed. And I mean RUSHED. I don’t know if she just didn’t know how to wrap up the series or what exactly was going on, but it’s basically bam …the end. When you love the series it can be a big let down. I can’t figure out if it is because she doesn’t know how to end the series and/or she has a deadline now that she has a publisher, and basically is like ‘ugh let it end!’All this said I wanted to love this book, but it was really just ok. I kind of wish I wouldn’t have got it because I know I’ll never reread it. I’ve reread almost all the books, I adore the Chaos series, the Magdalene series and the rest of course. But when I read work like this I think, I’m not sure anymore.

⭐ 5 stars!”Olivia Shade was something of exquisite beauty not allowed to be what she needed to be. Beauty bound. She was not a ghost who could be seen. She was a hostage in a lavish cage.”Five years ago, Nick Sebring saw his girlfriend murdered right in front of him and he could do nothing to save her. Now, he’s back for vengeance on the man who ordered the hit but he needs an in. Olivia Shade is the daughter of a notorious criminal and plays her own part in the family business. Years ago she tried to get out and found out the hard way that for the shades, there is nothing else but the family business. A prisoner of her own life, she indulges herself where she can, and this brings her to an elite and private club where she meets Nick.The two are aware of each other from the world they live in, but when they meet for the first time their chemistry is explosive. But Olivia, knowing what her family is capable of, keeps Nick at a distance. Nick continues to pick away at her walls but finds other ones popping up along the way. As time goes by both of them begin to have deeper feelings for the other, but a huge amount of obstacles stand in their way, the worst being Nick’s ulterior motives.“I live in dark. Dawn never comes for me. There will be no new day where I wake up complete. Happy. Loved. There is no other side to make my way to. There is no believe. It just isn’t for me.”This book completely gutted me. It had everything I look for in a romance novel, not even just a Kristen Ashley one. I love when a heroine is closed off and the man needs to fight for her, it’s one of my favorite romance tropes. Being in the minority and not loving Knight Sebring (I know ladies, put down your pitchforks) I was apprehensive about Nick Sebring as a hero, especially because I didn’t remember him being the best guy when we met him initially. Ashley obliterated these fears because Nick is now one of my favorite Kristen Ashley heroes now. And he doesn’t use the word daddy, thank God.I loved the plot, it kept me guessing at every turn. There were some twists near the end that I felt I should have seen coming, but honestly didn’t at all. I also don’t normally like mafia/organized crime romance and it totally worked for this story and didn’t hinder my love of the book at all. I also loved how the characters from previous books in this series fit seamlessly into the story and felt like I was saying hello to old friends. Everything with the plot was so intricately done and yet didn’t feel forced, I loved every moment of it.Hands down my favorite part of the book was Olivia. I felt for her every page I read, and it only grew as the book went on. I understood her choices, and I completely empathized with her situation. My heart bled for her and her suffering, for her impossible situation and her fruitless efforts to escape the life she had been born into. Her constant efforts to shut Nick out and down I was cheering for her and yet at the same time hoping Nick would break through, because I understood both sides of her dilemma. Let him in and possibly get hurt, or let him go and feel that loss.Kristen Ashley writes a romance that everyone can love and will capture the hearts of her readers, old and new. I felt this story deep in my gut and even now days later I can still feel it; it’s one that will stay with me a long time. I loved it. It made me cry! (In a good way).“I woke up from my dream to a living dream. Complete, happy…. And loved.”

⭐ Well written, great characters, interesting story line, an easy read, just overall (this series) not my cup of tea.KA writes phenomenal books, I really enjoyed her other series and I highly recommend them (The Colorado Mountain series, Chaos Series, the Burg Series, Dream Man series, and the Rock Chick series), they were fabulous, and I look forward to reading them again. I’m thankful I started with the other series first, had I started with unfinished heroes I may never have read any more of KA’s books. And that would have meant missing out on a great author.I love an alpha male, and KA’s books are filled with them – which is all good. But this series of books were pretty kinky, (bondage, paddles, riding crops, anal plugs, anal sex) which is really not my thing, and most of this series of books – were pretty over the top in that respect.So if you’re a new reader of KA – and kink isn’t your thing, I recommend you start with the other series I mentioned in my review. (But hey, If you’re into “kinky” you’re going to love this series).

⭐ 4 starsI really didn’t want to read this book as Nick has been such a jerk in the previous books and I wasn’t sure how he could be redeemed. I don’t feel liked we found out how he fixed it with Knight only that at the end of the previous book the crew were hightailing it to save him and in this one we find out his girlfriend was killed before the rescue but there wasn’t any mention of how Nick made it up to Knight, was all just forgiven because he was family?I loved Olivia. She was vey closed off as she had to be so that made getting to know her a little hard, but when she relaxed I really liked her. I liked the little bits of personality that shown through at times when she was closed off. I felt for her when things went bad and understood why she acted as she did. After he life she didn’t trust anyone and the moment she opened up, she was again betrayed.The epilogue was another K.A. special and it is something she does well.Not my favourite series of hers and not sure I will ever reread but I am glad I read it.

⭐ To say I love all things Kristen Ashley is an understatement! Her ability to create worlds and characters you instantly fall in love with causes you to be on the edge of your seat hoping everyone gets their happy ending!!Sebring was a fantastic installment in this series. You first meet Nick in Knight’s story and boy was he awful. Trying to break up his brother and Anya because he was so jealous he couldn’t have her. Fast forward to this book and Nick has just faced an incredible loss with his brother being the one who saved him. I was curious if over time Nick would change and unfortunately he did drastically via something incredibly traumatic. To see his relationship with Knight, Anya, and their girls become something beautiful was divine.This story starts out with Nick on a revenge mission against Vincent Shade. Enter Olivia, one of Vincent’s daughters. Nick’s relationship with Olivia starts off in a completely unconventional way and they both fight the growing feelings between them. While Nick is planning retribution that could potentially have Olivia as a casualty he has no idea the suffering or hardship Olivia has experienced.Olivia and Nick don’t have your traditional love story. They both come from a world not many understand. The feelings and attraction between the two is developed and written so well. You hope with each page you turn they will end up realizing they are good for one another and get their happy ending.Kristen Ashley is a genius in her writing ability and always adds the appropriate amount of steam and action into her stories. Absolutely loved this installment!!

⭐ If you have read the Unfinished Hero series by Kristen Ashley, then you know the character of Nick Sebring. In previous books, Nick was a contemptible character who caused no end of problems for his brother, Knight. However, since we last seen Nick, a lot has happened to him to cause him to get his life together. Not the least was he fell in love with an FBI agent, who he watched die in front of him. This event caused Nick to be the man he is today – thoughtful, mature, steady and after revenge on Vincent Shade, the crime boss who ordered the shooting. Needing an “in” to get to Shade, Nick goes after Olivia Shade, Vincent’s daughter.Olivia has lived under her father’s thumb her entire life. The one time she tried to escape, she paid in a big way, and now she has given up all hope of ever leaving her father and his crime ring. Over the years, Olivia has grown an ice-cold exterior as a way of coping with her father’s demands and watching horrific things go on around her. However, after meeting Nick, she falls for him, but remains scared to death her father will discover their relationship. She fears for Nick’s life and even her own at that point.The first 30% of this book was super awesome. It was rich, vivid and totally engrossing. Then the story just fell flat. In an effort to show how closed off and disconnected Olivia was from her emotions, Ashley wrote sex scene after sex scene where Olivia and Nick didn’t even speak to each other. The first couple of times this happened, it was hot, but after that it just all became so boring. We were treated to sex, sex, and more sex, different positions, different locations and small kinks, but nothing happened to advance the story or the connection between the two characters. After a while I laid the book down and went off and did a variety of things over the next couple of days.Eventually the story did pick up and Olivia and Nick actually started communicating and feeling for each other. The story became interesting again, but it did fall into the same old K. Ashley pattern. Heroine is in trouble. Heroine is mentally scared and emotionally scarred. Hero rides to the rescue, saves her and makes everything okay. Hero says sweet things to her. Heroine melts. They all live happily ever after. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a heroine who met the hero on an even footing and actually problem solved with him? All that aside, at about 75% the book became interesting, the pace picked up and the Unfinished Heros series was closed out.My 5 star picks and favorites of K. Ashley’s are the books Knight, Deacon and Golden Dynasty. This book was not in their ballpark.

⭐ Man was this ever on the verge of perfection. This almost had everything a KA book could offer. But, the biggest let down was what I needed the most to make this book top notch. Connection. There was zero connected feeling between Sebring and Olivia. Yes, there were exceedingly numbered sex scenes. Back to back to back. Day after day. This had some great plot line that I was extremely into. Loving the suspense and mystery, loving the non-loving family ties. I found myself particularly enjoying Liv’s side of the story and the constant expectation of bad to come from her father and sister. As for as Nick Sebring reason for involvement and his need for vengeance this fell beyond flat for me. There was little depth into his need to bring the Shade family down. It’s how they were brought together but it was such a minute detail. I expected real emotions from the beginning but his story just never took off.Along with some of the best lines and banter but it all fell so flat because I never felt THEM. I think the sexual compatibility was off the charts here and that overtook the entire book. That kind of connection is soooo not what I’m talking about. The good thing is it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed all of the steamy scenes. It was nothing but in and out and done. Repeatedly.This was cute, on top of cute and all steamy and bedroom-y with great lines and a sentimental guy moods but extremely light on the connection. After YEARS of setting up, a few nights of tankless screws it’s an easy change. So not believable.

⭐ So, I’m not going to take an opening paragraph to wax poetry on how much I normally love K. A. because honestly, I’ve only read a handful of her books. Those books being the only ones I’ve found interesting.I was excited to read this one because ‘Knight’ is one of my favourite books ever. I downloaded it on Audible and trust me, if you haven’t heard that story on audio, do it. It is fantastically narrated.In order for me to explain what did and didn’t work for me, this might have a few tiny SPOILERS….I can honestly say Nick was completely redeemed. I just wish we had felt more of his pain. Now, maybe this was explained more in the previous books, but being read as a standalone, that was definitely missing. The only thing mentioned about his dead girlfriend was her inability to make eggs and her great blow job’s. (hey, his words, not mine.) I had no other information on their relationship so it was hard to understand his dive into pure darkness. Especially because he’s looking back at her and remembering a bunch of things that were negative. She wasn’t really his type, she was one of the guys, couldn’t cook… and ending on her appearance. Her hair was thin and she had freckles. All this while he’s thinking how fabulous Olivia’s hair is and her perfect skin. This made me feel like K.A. felt the need to make Olivia outshine the dead girlfriend (who’s name I can’t remember -even though I just finished this book a few hours ago). I didn’t like that. Then again, it was just a personal observation.I needed a few sweet flashbacks between them. I needed to feel the strong bond of undying love that was (kinda) mentioned.Which lead to me feeling like Nick was still a little bit of a mystery.I absolutely loved Olivia. She made me bleed for her, feel anger on her behalf and finally, rejoice when she found her road to happiness. She wasn’t naive, wasn’t on a mission to ‘pull him into the light’, and wasn’t -thank god – a virgin.She was, however, a cool as ice mafia princess (so to speak) and a completely believable character. It took her a while to open up and I really loved and appreciated that we got that from her.What I didn’t love was all the repetative-ness.As I said, I’ve read/heard ‘Knight’ (repeatedly) and half of ‘Creed’ (<- hated it) So when I kept reading sentences like- Got sh** to do, _______ (insert female lead)- Look at me, give me your eyes or just 'eyes'- After Olivia complements his condo 'I can die happy' (<-- sarcasm) we got the same line from Knight.- Even giving us the 'Wars fought over a face like this' line AGAIN, even though it was written THREE times in Knight. Yes, KA. That line was brilliant, but you don't need to keep rewriting it.I felt as though she just took pieces of other books and switched out character names. It just didn't feel original. And Nick deserved originality.He was the mysterious one, the dark horse and he just ended up staying that way.Overall, the story was OK, the lines were rewritten from other books, but the characters were excellent. They were just short changed. ⭐ I put off reading this book...because really how could the character of Nick Sebring hold my attention....Oh my....this book was so good....Kristen Ashley accomplished that....the plot of this character's path one that I found oh so believable....enough to invest stepping into the pages of this book....and while there....living the book.....It is something when an author takes you into that realm...where they are no longer characters in a book....becoming living breathing beings in your mind.....The song....too....the song and the pages and the words.....the promise kept...Kristen Ashley writes books that are gifts.....Thank you...... ⭐ Nick Sebring. I didn’t know what to think of him as the hero of a Kristen Ashley book. Nick is introduced in Knight, the first book of ‘the Unfinished Hero series’. To say he didn’t make a good first impression is an understatement. Throughout the series, Nick made an appearance now and again, he wasn’t a good man at best. Learning he would be the leading man of the final book to the series made me wonder if Kristen Ashley can redeem him. After having read Sebring, I can tell you she can.“I live in dark. Dawn never comes for me. There will be no new day where I wake up complete. Happy. Loved. There is no other side to make my way to. There is no believe. It just isn’t for me.”Nick Sebring always felt he wasn’t needed by his mother, his older half-brother – golden boy Knight was all she needed, or so he thought. In Knight he was a selfish, superficial j**k who used women and other people for his own pleasure. While partying and living the high-life, he expected his brother to provide for his lifestyle without having to do a thing in return. But over the years, Nick has changed, becoming a better man. He found a purpose in life and a woman to love. When his girlfriend is killed right in front of him, Nick vows to avenge her death by bringing down the crime family responsible. After years of careful planning, he sets his plan in motion, one of the daughters of the Shade family is his way in. He didn’t count on falling for her though.“As she melted into sleep, Knight’s words came to him. Mysterious p***y can be good. But mostly, mysterious p***y is just a trap. His brother was right about both. But he’d missed one. Mysterious p***y could also just be a mystery. And Nick was now drowning in the mystery of Olivia Shade. Which meant he had no choice but to solve it so he could surface. And maybe survive.”Olivia Shade has grown up in one of Denver’s most notorious crime families, with her father being the leader and her older sister the heir. She has learned the hard way never to cross her father, that the family owns her and that there’s no way out. Olivia works in the family business, but she would gladly walk away, starting a new life without the presence of her family, if she could. Over the years, she has mastered hiding her true feelings, pretending has become a second nature to her. Meeting Nick and spending time with him gives her a tiny spark of hope, hope for a different life, hope to be loved by a man.“I turned to him, my mouth opening to tell him that would never happen. It was a grave mistake. The instant I caught sight of him, I froze. He was tall. His eyes were the color of the ocean. And he made me believe that I could want something, take it and have it. Own it. Keep it. Something precious would be mine. Even if that belief only lasted seconds, I’d waited all my life to feel that feeling. To really, really believe.”Nick and Olivia start off with an explosive meeting. They keep seeing each other on neutral ground, no talking, no feelings, and no sleepovers. When Nick discovers something about Olivia, something very painful and heartbreaking, slowly he begins to see her in a different light. The beautiful, untouchable façade is a mask and underneath it a scared, lonely woman who has learned to keep other people at bay. Olivia is conflicted about her feelings for Nick, she knows her loyalty is owned by her family and he’s an enemy, but she can’t help falling in love. Nick too is conflicted, he needs to avenge his girlfriend’s death, but he knows it can’t be done without harming Olivia in some way. When the fragile, new relationship is destroyed by forces beyond their control, Nick sets events in motion to give Olivia the freedom she so desperately needs – and they can have a chance at their Happily Ever After.My heart broke for Olivia—to outsiders she’s a though woman involved in the criminal world. But on the inside she’s a lonely woman who was forced to give up love, to place her life in the hands of her family. She can do what she wants, but the family owns her and has the ultimate say in her life. Basically, she’s living in a golden cage. Nick’s betrayal cuts her so deep, she lets go of the idea to ever find happiness, and surrenders. Nick has come a long way from the spoiled, entitled b**t he was. Seeing him having cleaned up his act and finally be the man his family can be proud of was amazing.“I was scared. Terrified. If I woke up, like so many mornings before, a lifetime of them, it might be gone. But the promise was too beautiful. And now, I believed. I opened my eyes. And there it was, an inch away. Swimming in an ocean of blue, a new day dawning. And me? I woke up from my dream to a living dream. Complete, happy… And loved.”This being a true Kristen Ashly book, the characters from the previous books – including my favorites Knight and Anya from Knight – have made their appearances. I love to see the little glimpses in their lives, since their own stories were – just as the story of Nick and Olivia – hard to read at times. I give this story 4.5 stars.

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