THE UNLUCKY ONES by STACEY MARIE BROWN

‘There’s nothing worse than meeting the perfect person at the wrong time.’

We were grabbed immediately by the synopsis for The Unlucky Ones, with the prologue making our hearts race, because oh boy, as sad as one part was, another was one of the hottest scenes we’ve read!

The Unlucky Ones gave us those old school romance feelings, with Stacey Marie Brown’s writing winning us over completely! This was a story brimming with heat, emotion, mystery, and secrets we were desperate to uncover! The author kept guessing as to how the story would fall into place, and we weren’t disappointed, holding onto every word!

Devon Thorpe hasn’t had it easy. Always the responsible one, the dependable daughter, the taken advantage of sister, the doting aunt, the dutiful niece. Devon’s dreams and aspirations for her future come tumbling down when she is delivered some devastating news, but in typical Devon fashion, she takes all the responsibility on her young shoulders without hesitation.

….’something had shifted in me, and I knew I would never be the same girl.’

A passionate and sizzling one off encounter with a mysterious, dangerous and commanding man rocked her world and was never to be seen again. Yet he would plague Devon’s thoughts and fantasies for years to come.

‘The kiss consumed. Took. Gave. Incinerated. ‘

Fast forward five years, now twenty-two, another man is about to take this mystery man’s place. Out of necessity, Devon, her Mum, her sister Amelia and niece Mia, make the move to Albuquerque due to her Mum’s deteriorating health, where Devon is given a job in a bar, much to the chagrin of the owner Lincoln Kessler who is not happy his Manager employed Devon. Lincoln is a man with a past, harbouring a tonne of secrets, and instant chemistry is felt between the two. Devon is drawn to him in ways she finds hard to understand, Lincoln tries, without success, to avoid Devon at all costs.

‘The guy emanated bad. Trouble. Everything that scares me. I was used to safe. Sweet. Nothing was nice about him.’

Can they break down their walls? Will their secrets destroy them? You’ll have to read and see!

This was our first read by Stacey Marie Brown and we’ll be hunting down more of her work as we became completely invested in Devon and Lincoln’s story, loving the feelings her writing elicited from us.

This is a story of family responsibility, heartache, and love, a story of two young people who sacrificed their happiness for family loyalty. How far would they go, and how much would they risk? A steamy, page-turner with deep emotional undertones, and it’s one we thoroughly enjoyed.