Title: Unquiet
Series: Resilient Love 03
Author: Melanie Hansen
Narrator: Michael Stellman
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 10 hrs 32 mins
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (13th September 2017)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb: Loren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him. When Eliot’s increasingly erratic and self-destructive behavior culminates in a suicide attempt at 17, Loren is devastated.
Upon meeting again by chance nine years later, Loren is enjoying a successful career as a police officer while Eliot’s life has been a constant struggle for stability. In and out of mental hospitals, with a rap sheet a mile long, he continues to be buffeted by the twin storms of mania and depression. Loren’s love and protectiveness for Eliot are deeply ingrained in him, however, and their feelings for each other are quickly rekindled.
Loren has issues of his own that he’s dealing with, and trying to understand and cope with Eliot’s bipolar disorder isn’t easy. They believe they’re meant to be, and Eliot brings a fulfillment to Loren’s life that no one else will ever match. But, as they both come to realize, love by itself can’t cure all.
Product Link: Audible AU | Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Reviewer: Prime
Review: Unquiet is the third book in Melanie Hansen’s series Resilient Love and this book certainly lives up to the title. I’ve been one to do trigger warnings in my reviews but I feel that I need to for this as there is one character who suffers from a severe mental illness, to the point of attempting suicide. This book left me raw and I think I cried throughout the entire 10-odd hours that the book went for. Michael Stellman, a new narrator for me, was just perfect, hitting the right tone and emotion.
This is the story of Eliot and Loren.
Loren is a cop who we met in the previous book as the best friend as one of our heroes (FYI he is Kai Daniels’s best friend), but it’s ok to read this one as a standalone book. Loren knew that he would be a cop when he was a kid, it was family thing for him but it is a job that he loves. There was really only one thing that was left a loose end for him and that was the sudden loss of his best friend, Eliot Devlin when they were in high school. Eliot was always different but until the suicide attempt he had never known that his best friend had had all the signs of bipolar disorder, even as a kid. As kids their relationship was very sweet because they were each other’s everything until one day Eliot tried to kill himself and then Eliot and his family suddenly moved away without Loren ever knowing what happened to Eliot.
Ok, I’m seriously starting to cry just writing about this book. This left such a mark on me, it’s one of those books that just stays with you for days and weeks after you finish. With that said, I’m going to keep the rest of this review short.
Fast forward to the present day and Loren took up an opportunity that could mean a promotion to detective for him. By chance he encounters Eliot after so many years. Loren immediately tracks down his best friend, even after finding out the horrifying and sad truth of his illness. At first Loren understands on the surface but he really needed to experience more of Eliot’s illness to fully comprehend what life would be. Eliot is used to being alone but as soon as Loren comes back into his life it was like a switch was flipped and their old friendship is something of an anchor to him despite his issues. However, Eliot’s issues are not minor and can just be glossed over to a quick HEA and I think that is what I loved about this story. I am glad, too, that Hansen’s didn’t fall into the trap that Eliot would suddenly be better just because he found love with Loren.
Sometimes I wanted to kick Loren because he didn’t see what that sometimes his behavior did negative things to Eliot’s state of mind. But I knew that this was on the bumpy road to Loren understanding Eliot and maybe, just maybe there would be a chance of a future together.