ARC Review: Unraveled by Lauren Dane

“UNRAVELED felt like a slow moving and easy romance.”
~ Under the Covers

I was so excited to start this series. First of all, it’s a new Lauren Dane contemporary and that alone had me salivating for it. And second, the setting for this sounded just so cool and sexy! It’s a vintage barber shop that turns into a whiskey bar for happy hour basically. How cool and fun?!

From the beginning I loved the atmosphere of this story and I loved the setting just as much as I was expecting to. Another thing that was an immediate hit with me is the fact that Maybe and Alexsei work together so it’s kind of a workplace romance. What rubbed me the wrong way from almost page one, though, was the heroine’s name. No, I just couldn’t get behind Maybe. I know it’s a nickname and there’s an explanation for it, but everytime her name is mentioned it would throw me off and got on my nerves. As much as I was trying to not let it bother me.

I really liked Maybe’s bubbly personality. She won’t stop talking and comes across as a genuinely nice person, so I was a fan of that. The story opens with Maybe getting the job at Whiskey Sharp and quickly fast forwards a couple of years so I feel like I was also missing the struggle and build up of the connection. By the time we get to see what’s going on I felt like it was almost a given that they were going to work out from the first time they touched and I found it made the story a little boring in terms of the romance.

There’s some added tensions from both of their pasts, some of it while serious I found annoying because Maybe had let things go too far without speaking up so she really made me want to slap her around a bit. But at the same time I also felt bad for her situation and how she had to grow up and it made me appreciate the new family she has and the support system she was able to find.

One of my favorite things about this story, and something that Ms. Dane does very well time and time again, is the feeling of family. I loved Alexsei’s family, his meddling aunt, just about everyone! And then there was also Rada, the ex fiance, who I have a feeling is being molded to be the Raven of this series. So I was ok with feeling annoyed by her character and I’m looking forward to seeing her character developed more throughout the series.

Overall, UNRAVELED felt like a slow moving and easy romance. The main couple has a nice chemistry but I never felt like it spiked for me and I maybe even found it to be dragging. But I was interested in the story and ultimately will continue reading this series. I’m looking forward to the next book about Maybe’s sister.

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