Coming Undone [Paperback]

This was a much-anticipated book from the excellent Lauren Dane after the emotional experience that was Laid Bare, and the tantalising glimpses we got of Brody, and this book did not disappoint. I got it and read it in 2 hours, and from start to finish, I found it 5*.

The book starts with Elise and her daughter Rennie moving into Brody's road, and he gets introduced to her when a drunk driver ploughs into him and she comes to his aid. They quickly realise that they are both attracted to each other, but both have been hurt and they say out loud that they are only looking for a casual sexual relationship...which soon turns into something much more.

The tale could have been seedy and tacky, as Elise never lets Brody stay over i.e. they only have sex and spend a little time together each time, as she has been hurt in the past and has secrets, but it was a wonderful, warm and emotional read, and everyone around them seemed to know about their feelings for each other before they did, and before I knew it, 18 months had passed.

Elise quickly becomes friends with Erin (who is having her HEA with Ben and Todd) and reveals that her ex had been into drugs, and had held her hostage, raping her, and that she had ended up shooting him in self-defence, and that her evil ex-MIL was trying to take her daughter away, but Elise did not want to open up to Brody, as he is the protective, take-charge type, and that would make their relationship too intimate for the terms that they had initially agreed, but eventually she does and she finds that Brody is her strength, both physically and mentally.

The story was emotional and totally believable, the sex was hot, plentiful and graphic, and despite Elise wanting to keep that side of her life away from her daughter, it did not come across as furtive. Brody turned out to be a caring and loving man towards both her and her daughter, which helped the relationship change into boyfriend/girlfriend rather than sex-buddies.

I don't want to spoil the end, but will say that Elise, Rennie and Brody get their HEA, and that Erin, Ben and Todd's HEA gets even better. This was a wonderful tale, and I can't wait for Adrian's - it has to happen soon!

Ordered this after checking out the reviews on Amazon and Listmania as it was also mentioned with J. R Wards Black Dagger Brotherhood, which i've loved. This is a story set in modern day and the relationship that developed between two people, Brody and Elise. Lauren Dane manages to cover some relative everyday issues that touch many peoples lives, addiction, abuse, helplessness and anger and yet although she weaves them into the story they don't so much dominate the book as help the reader to understand the characters and their strengths, Brody and Elise the two main characters in the book travel through the story overcoming their own personal issues, but i mostly like that Dane doesn't put them both in the pitty parlour as i think it would have been easy to have fallen into the trap of making Elise too much of a victim, instead Dane gives her a strength which makes her a likeable character and Brody is a real sexy hunk. The prominent thread in this story is the incredibly hot sexual relationship they develope almost from the word go!!, i just want to know how you get one that hot in real life? because i want one please! this book is 100 percent fantasy and just a great fun read with some very hot and steamy sex scenes...i'll be checking out more of her titles soon

Lauren Dane delivered romance with the capital R in COMING UNDONE! A romance that was saturated in a true-to-life essence, one where there was room for anguish, angst, loss but most of all there was room for the beauty. Beauty in a passion shared between a man and a woman. The beauty of friendship, family and community. The beauty of a love development between a man, a woman and a child that carried a strength which will make you a believer of `Love concurs all'. COMING UNDONE has a totally different vibe then its predecessor LAID BARE, but enamored me all the same with larger-than-life characters who have a powerful story to tell.

From chapter one I was ready to sink my teeth in Brody; a bad-boy, a tattoo artist and riding a Harley. While Brody fits this description he is anything but a bad-boy when push comes to shove. He bleeds his personality in to his story with a zest for life, with a virile passion but he's also a touchstone for his family that made me fall for him. He is flawed with his sometimes `take charge' attitude but in the end the kind of guy any woman would pine for.

The Sorenson ladies exists out of the ex-ballerina Elise, and her daughter Irene a.k.a Rennie. You can't talk about one without talking about the other. Elise is first and foremost a mother, with all the doubts and fears of a single mother. Coming from a difficult period in their lives Elise wants to pick up the pieces and move forward. She is resilient and strong as a woman can be but there is more to her then being a mother! I watched Elise bloom back to life as the passionate woman in her got attention and a friendship took root between her and Erin. Elise is a mix of determination and vulnerability. At first you get a piece of her determination that she uses to shield herself with but when there is trust she lowers those shield and her vulnerability is there to see.

Next to the more complex adult woman Elise is, there is Rennnie, who is just a likable, talented, exuberant kid you can't help but love. She brings an innocent charm to the story that I will always enjoy. She is innocent but in her innocence she has a wisdom and an outlook on life that is endearing. Next to that she brings out the tiger in her mother, the overwhelming love a woman can feel for her child and do anything to protect her. Rennie, with her mother Elise and Brody just interconnected together and over the course of this story grew closer together and became this tight knit unit where I knew they were just right for each other.

It is perhaps a homey picture I'm painting but Lauren Dane has got this knack for creating great family dynamics and this is emphasized in COMING UNDONE. It isn't to say there wasn't enough sensuality to be found, also one of Dane's strong suits! There was a moment where she knew how to move me with music, dance and Brody watching Elise. I could feel Elise absorb the music, making it her own and letting her body translate it into dance movements. The music, the dance, Elise and Brody created an erotic vibe that was palpable. Slowly I got to witness that scintillating burning passion between two people develop in to the much stronger emotion of love.

Brody and Elise push each other buttons, both the good and annoying ones. Their romantic development was spread over almost two years which gave it a true feel of growing towards each other, getting to know one another and delving into the painful issues as much as the other would allow. While nothing overly dramatic happened in the present I was encompassed by the way this twosome grew closer as a man and a woman. Brody, Elise and Rennie are the center of this novel but an extensive cast of characters fleshed out the family and community they lived in. Of course Erin, Todd and Ben are a part of this novel and I was over the moon in getting a glimpse of their ongoing relationship. Cope makes a brief appearance and Adrian is getting more interesting by the minute. The parents of Elise, Martine and Paul DuLac provide another support system for their daughter. There is also Mina, BFF of Rennie and her mother Maggie who were among the people that added a nice touch to the story. If there is one secondary character who stood out for me and truly intrigues me in her actions, reactions and attitude it is Raven. She is a sort of anti-heroine and I can't help it but wanting to know what's up with her.

COMING UNDONE is again a title that holds meaning to the story where Lauren Dane shows that she owns this genre with style, depth and class. An erotic passion blends with a deeper meaningful romance and as Brody and Elise are coming undone there is the bond of family and friends that will support you no matter what. I love the characters Lauren Dane breaths to life and the stories they need to tell. I can't wait for more!