Thursday, November 05, 2026

Book Review: Unconditionally by Jackie Ashenden

 

Book Description

He sacrificed everything to set me free. So I walked straight into the devil's arms to save him.
Lucien Frost is a killer. A weapon forged by the most dangerous man in the criminal underworld. He told me to forget him. Told me there was no future for us. Told me I was better off walking away.

I didn't listen.

Now I'm deep in a world where loyalty is currency, betrayal is punished in blood, and love is the most lethal vulnerability of all.

Three dangerous men want to control me. One is a crime lord who sees me as an acquisition. One is my best friend who sees me as the woman he's always loved. And one is the cold-eyed assassin who would burn down the world to keep me safe—even if that means losing me forever.

Someone is going to get hurt.


My Review

This sequel centers on Wolf, the enigmatic biker whose rough edges hide a surprisingly tender heart, and Astrid, a heroine still reeling from the fallout of book one. Now, I didn't read book one, irrevocably. But I was still able to follow along in this book for the most part and enjoy it. Reading the first book might have given me a little more insight into these characters though.

Astrid did irritate me quite a bit in the ways that she dealt with Wolf. I didn't like the way she treated him for the most part. Wolf is supposed to be this big, gruff biker but underneath it all, he's such a sweet person and I really liked that about him. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but it got kind of sad when the storyline leaned heavily into exploring trauma, healing and heartbreak. 

I didn't like that this ended on a cliffhanger so I probably won't read anymore of this series. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 



15 comments:

  1. It's always frustrating when books end on cliffhangers! I don't care for that either. I have mixed feeling about series books--I can really get into a series and eagerly await the next book and then at some point, simply lose interest. Maybe some series go on too long.

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  2. It's disappointing when an author leaves the reader dissatisfied with the outcome.

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  3. Sorry not a winner

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  4. A mediocre one then! I finished HEATED RIVALRY this morning.

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  5. Yes, those cliff hangers are often frustrating!

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  6. It sounds like it's a series. Or a trilogy. (Although a trilogy is a series of three...)

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  7. Well, that's a bummer. I do love the big, burly cinnamon roll heroes.

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  8. I completely agree with you on cliffhangers—there's nothing worse than investing in a heavy story only to be left hanging!

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  9. I prefer standalones! Just entered a bunch of goodreads giveaways 🤞🏻

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  10. Bummer it was a cliffhanger, but sounds like it dug deep emotionally. I don't like it when a character takes advantage of another characters good nature.

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  11. Sorry it ended on a cliffhanger for you. Seems like many authors are doing that these days.

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  12. Would you go back and read book 1? Do you think it might make you appreciate this story more. And I agree about cliffhangers also. Especially with books you have to wait a year or more for the answer.

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  13. Oh dear . . . sorry it ended on a cliffhanger for you.

    All the best Jan

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  14. Desconheço o livro e o autor, que não deve ter chegado a Portugal.
    Abraço de amizade.
    Juvenal Nunes

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  15. I don't mind cliffhangers, but I have to be invested in the characters, otherwise...why continue for the sake of getting answers? And it sounds like it wasn't the case here...

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