The only place Kellan Kyle has ever felt at home is onstage. Gripping his guitar in a darkened bar, he can forget his painful past. These days his life revolves around three things: music, his bandmates, and hot hookups. Until one woman changes everything . . . 

Kiera is the kind of girl Kellan has no business wanting-smart, sweet, and dating his best friend. Certain he could never be worthy of her love, he hides his growing attraction . . . until Kiera's own tormented heart hints that his feelings might not be one-sided. Now, no matter the consequences, Kellan is sure of one thing-he won't let Kiera go without a fight.







Our lips moving together felt better than I had imagined. There was so much eager, pent-up passion, I felt like we were both going to burst into flames. I couldn’t get enough of her. My hand on the back of her neck tightened, drawing her in even closer. My other hand found the small of her back. Perfection.

I purposefully went into Thoughtful without doing a reread of the previous books. It has been a long time since I read Thoughtless so I was trying to see if I felt Thoughtful could stand well enough on its own in Kellan's point of view. I will preface it to stay I have always been a Kellan fan and have had a hate/like relationship with Kiera. 

Kellan Kyle is a lonely man who is searching for a connection that he is not sure he will ever find. He lives for his guitar and his band. He fills the void with music and meaningless hook-ups. His past has taught him that he is unworthy and unlovable. But when his old friend Denny moves in with Kellan and brings his girlfriend, Kiera, he is happy to not be as lonely anymore. 

But then everything changes. When seeing Kiera through Kellan's eyes initially she is sweet, funny, smart, shy and playful. From friendship to innocent touches to intense need, we feel Kellan's attraction and feelings grow for the forbidden Kiera. And we also are privy to his guilt and fear. My heart broke for Kellan. He almost always felt left out,  just not close enough, and second best. And I eventually came to hate Kiera all aver again for what she did to him--keeping him pulled in just enough to keep him ensnared, but still having a relationship with safer Denny too.

I loved getting into Kellan's head. His feelings ran so deep and he had trouble communicating them. It was interesting to see how Kellan's view of Denny and Kiera's relationship changed over the course of the book. In the beginning he was happy for his friend, but as soon as his feelings for Kiera grew it all became convoluted and more negative. From the innocence of their initial friendship with a connection, to jealousy over her attachment to Denny, to his complete fall into love with her. But also seeing his darker feelings of loneliness and rejection, lack of self worth, abandonment issues, feeling unloved, jealousy, hurt, fear, and anger. He felt is all so deeply and in this version we can clearly see that. In Kiera's version we just know some of his coping mechanisms--avoidance, lashing out, running away, distractions and trying to hurt her in return. But it was harder to see all these feelings boiling up in him making him act the way he did. He had trouble expressing himself leading to anger issues and poor coping with the situations. It was interesting to see his connection and love for Kiera from his side, and just how sure he was of his own feelings. And also see his little lies and manipulations trying to make the situation more tolerable. I loved that in many of the situations where we previously only knew what he actually said, this version also has his underlying thoughts in italics so we get all of the unspoken words and feelings too. Many of those were more intense than what actually came out of his mouth and showed his depth of feelings and desperation at times. I loved seeing his broken parts, his vulnerablity, his ability to cry and be emotional, and I enjoyed every shred of happiness he found along the way.

With that being said, I have to admit that sometimes I missed Kiera's point of view. Mainly because she was the bridge between Denny and Kellan. So it was easier to see how some situations occurred in her point of view as she volleyed in between them and was relating to both of them. Where in Kellan's point of view, he did not always know what was going on her relationship with Denny and he was unable to consistently read Kiera's changing moods and behavior. I did actually go back and read one pivotal scene from Thoughtless because I really needed to remember more specifically what was going on with Kiera and Denny at the time to make her act the way she did. 

I loved getting more with the D-Bags Griffin, Matt, and Evan and seeing the beginnings of their relationships with their future girlfriends. I love the camaraderie of the band, their funny banter, and the fact that they loved and supported Kellan in a way that no one in his life really did. I think his version really showcased his closeness with the guys, especially Evan. And we also got to see just how important Denny had been in Kellan's life and how that impacted his feelings of guilt and betrayal.

This was emotional, heartfelt, passionate, and equally as angsty and frustrating as the original. It just gave us a new spin and different view. And it made me love Kellan even more. And Kiera still remains on my heroines that annoy me list (I don't think I really started liking her until Reckless). I had no problem following the plot with just his point of view and technically it can stand alone, but honestly I think it works best as a companion novel so that you get the full story from both sides. Sometimes I have a problem with male point of view books written later and worry that they will be a rehash. But I think this one did have purpose, brought us closer to Kellan, and gave us more depth to their story. It was a bit long and so sometimes I felt like maybe it dragged a bit. It has been so long since I read Thoughtless so it was hard for me to determine how much new information was provided. But Kellan fans will be thrilled to get to get deeper into his head and his heart. Kellan Kyle is one book boyfriend that will always be high on my favorites list and I enjoyed spending more time with him. I am looking forward to Griffin's upcoming book. 

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kellan Kyle always wanted to feel needed, belonging, and a sense of family. His own family and childhood were not pleasant, and as an adult he searches for that belonging that he missed as a child. When Denny, as near to a brother as Kellan had as a child, moves to town and into Kellan’s spare bedroom, Kellan meets Kiera, Denny’s girlfriend.

Kellan and Kiera develop a fragile friendship, and eventually an intimate relationship. Both Kellan and Kiera struggle with the guilt and insecurity that come from going behind Denny’s back and not knowing where they stand together.

This took me a long time to read. While it is longer than many other novels, it wasn’t the length that made reading Thoughtful feel long. Knowing exactly where they story was going, and waiting for the pivotal scenes, I felt like I wasn’t getting a whole lot of new material. Though it was from a different perspective, because it rehashes their beginning, a story that was very thoroughly told in Thoughtless, I couldn’t get passed the feeling that I had read this before. The angst was still there, only instead of being torn between two men, it is the pain of watching someone while not being able to have them.

Particular scenes were priceless to read in Kellan’s voice. But for the most part, I could have done without the repetition. I will say that the last 15-20% was my favorite part of the book, and I’m glad I continued to get to that point.

I was reminded that as much as I loved Kellan Kyle, as much as I loved the D-Bags, I wasn’t in love with Kellan and Kiera’s story, nor was I in love with Kiera. In fact, my dislike of Kiera was only reinforced by this alternate point of view.

The angst was just as tumultuous here as it was in the original story, but this time readers don’t see the connection between Denny and Kiera, because Kellan doesn’t want to see it. There were moments I almost didn’t like Kellan. He is so focused on Kiera, on not having Kiera, that at times he feels whiny and emo, and that is not the Kellan that I remember. Desperate. Insecure. Feel like Denny became a non-issue in this. Kellan deals with his feelings about hurting Denny different than Kiera did.

In the end? I still want more of the D-Bags and their girls, but I can safely say I think Kellan and Kiera’s story has fully been told. Fans of the series will love this story as a companion to the original trilogy and it does stand alone nicely.

Thank you, Forever (Grand Publishing), for a complimentary copy of Thoughtful.

Thoughtless (book 1): Goodreads/Amazon/B&N

S.C. Stephens   

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