Heart Untouched

Heart Untouched is the third book in the Hearts Entwined series by Andrew Grey. I greatly enjoyed the first two books in the series. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first two. I just couldn’t connect with the main characters as much. The writing was just as good as the first two, and it had a good storyline, but for whatever reason, I just didn’t like the characters as much. But it won’t keep me from reading the next book in the series which I’m hoping will be about Dean and Lee.

I liked Duncan, but he sometimes comes off as whiny, negative, and self-loathing. Not that he didn’t have every right to be when his Olympic dreams were crushed by a bad accident that left him in a wheelchair. He has to relearn how to do everything again, including being independent. He lost most of his friends after his accident. He does still have his friend Todd, who’s also an Olympic skeleton racer, and a couple of people that he made friends with during physical therapy. Since he can’t fulfill his dreams of being on the podium, he’s determined to help his friend Todd achieve his. When Todd mentions that the garage he works at is interested in an advertising/promotional campaign, it’s right up Duncan’s alley since he went to college for marketing and promotion. He has the brilliant idea to use Todd as the spokesperson for the garage chain. Not only will the campaign help Duncan regain some direction in his life, but it’ll hopefully give Todd the financial boost he desperately needs.

I liked Todd more than Duncan. He refused to give up on having a relationship with Duncan even when Duncan refused since he didn’t know if his equipment down south would ever regain its function. I loved when Todd said that loving somebody was more than just the physical side of things. I loved that he loved Duncan unconditionally. He also set up a couple of go-fund-me campaigns to help with expenses. I really enjoyed when the book was in his POV. He was such a patient, sweet, kind, and generous person, which was definitely needed as Duncan needed lots of reassurance.

I also loved how supportive everybody was when they ran into opposition during the campaign. I also like getting to see the other characters from the first two books and how they were doing. I’m hoping to see more of Todd and Duncan in future books as well.

I can’t wait to see if Todd manages to get a medal at the Olympics and I can’t wait to see who Lee ends up with. Overall, Heart Untouched is a great addition to the Hearts Entwined series.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ 4-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

> > Judging a Book by its Cover < <
Split Screen fade design with two men kissing on the upper half and a man in a wheelchair in the lower corner. Bold, legible title and author name. Synopsis promised to be as good as the other two books in this series.

> > Looking Deeper < <
POV ~> Third-person

Duncan and Todd used to compete with and against one another on the US Olympics team until a critical injury put Duncan in a chair for life. Months of rehab, confinement, and solitude are taking a toll on his well-being and his mother steps in, hoping Todd can breathe life back into her once vibrant son.
Together Todd and Duncan discover that their friendship is only the foundation to something much stronger and soon they are coaxing one another to be stronger, better, happier in all areas of life, including love. When outside sources begin conspiring against them, they learn they have a strong support network willing to fight alongside them.

Todd deserves a gold medal in patience. Duncan was not an easy one to love. He tended to dwell in negativity and doubt quite often and need more than his fair share of reassurances. But the two of them together were endearing. It was nice to see the former couples highlighted now and again. The plot kept me entertained and the writing flowed smoothly. There were some conflicts from outside sources that were mostly handled; however, I’d liked to have known what became of cray-zee Corinna. Predictability was on the low end of moderate for me.
While the ending provided a solidly given HEA, I felt like it ended mid-scene… it was SO abrupt and over with. I’m really hoping there will be more books in this series, just so we can hopefully catch up with Duncan and Todd down the road to see if the winter ad ever ran and if it was successful and what became of the racing prospect. Did Duncan gain more clients, did Albert hire him for the proposed expansion?
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Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.15 ~ Stars: 4
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