Review: Undone: Christina Lee
Release Date January 30, 2023
Shae Shanahan has no idea how to sew a button or steam a shirt. How he ends up as the assistant to the famous wardrobe stylist Rowan Abernathy is beyond him. But his need for stable employment in an expensive city is as dire as Rowan’s need for an assistant to actually stick around. Or maybe an assistant he can order around and mold to his ridiculous standards. So much so that Shae has threatened to quit dozens of times—at least in his head. Is maiming your boss with a satin hanger a crime?
Rowan might be an expert when it comes to selecting the perfect looks for his celebrity clients, but his love life is as much a disaster as his desk. He needs Shae to organize his schedule but keeps him at arm’s length regarding anything personal. When the cracks begin to show and Shae sees the generous, vulnerable man beneath the arrogant, sarcastic exterior, it makes him beyond curious to know more.
When a fake kiss leads to even hotter encounters, they have trouble keeping their relationship strictly professional. Shae sees just how gentle the man can be and feels cared for when it’s only the two of them. But Rowan’s defenses are hard to break, and he makes his boundaries more than clear. When Shae finally has enough and needs to protect his own heart—and his sanity—will Rowan finally see what’s been right in front of him all along?
Shae Shanahan is trying to follow his own path n New York trying out various temp jobs until he finds his passion. He is organized but also clumsy, awkward, and lacks some practical skills. But he is a hard worker determined to make it.
Rowan Abernathy is a famous wardrobe stylist for a popular talk show host. He is a perfectionist, bossy, broody, arrogant, sarcastic, and demanding. And he is desperate enough to hire Shae despite his lack of fashion sense or skills.
This sunshine/grumpy pairing should not work at all. But somehow Shae pushes back just enough and works hard enough to at least earn Rowan's respect. They verbally spar, challenge each other, and the antagonism ramps up the sexual tension. They awaken a passion in each other that neither expected and both know is a bad idea
This is a snarky, witty, passionate, should-be-forbidden, boss-employee, age-gap, opposites-attract romance with the backdrop of fashion. Rowan has trust and abandonment issues with big walls and boundaries in place. Shae is trying to find his own way and is in a difficult position. But he is also one of the few people that Rowan will let down his guard for even if it is only for short periods of time. I have not read a book with a character quite like Rowan and my heart hurt for him at times. I loved how Shae is just a breath of fresh air and how he just wants to make Rowan feel safe. And how generous and caring Rowan could be at times. They really are an interesting match, but both are also stubborn and afraid of having their heart broken.
Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son–her two favorite guys. She’s addicted to lip balm, coffee, and kissing. Because everything is better with kissing.
She writes mostly MM Contemporary as well as Adult and New Adult Romance. She believes in happily-ever-afters for all, so reading and writing romance for everybody under the rainbow helps quench her soul.
If you’d like to keep up with her on a daily basis, join her reader group on Facebook called The Swoon Room. Or join her newsletter to be notified of sales and/or new releases.
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