Book Review: Better Left Unsaid by Barbara Cutrera

Better Left Unsaid

(The Limitless Series #2)

by Barbara Cutrera

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Release day June 6, 2017

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Cate Nasello, who is mute, collides with Logan Kirkland, a blind business owner, on a downtown Sarasota sidewalk one morning on her way to work. Unable to communicate with Logan because of their individual physical limitations, she unsuccessfully attempts to apologize. The events that follow force the beautiful, petite Cate out of an emotional isolation that began eighteen years earlier when a murder-suicide destroyed her family. 

While struggling to deal with her past and her present challenges, Cate meets Jake Genter, a handsome paramedic who offers her comfort and the opportunity for romance. Impulsive and intense, Jake reminds Cate that life is meant to be lived to the fullest. She realizes that she can love and be loved by someone, something she never expected due to her muteness and her troubled history. Immediate attraction and an impetuous love affair lead to more than a hasty fling, but Cate wonders whether or not Jake’s overprotectiveness stems from his love for her or his own fear of betrayal. 

As their whirlwind courtship develops into a serious relationship, Cate finds her voice by using technology in order to reach not only Jake but also others worldwide. Yet, some people from her father’s criminal past have long memories and want to keep her silent. Cate knows that if she intends to have a lifetime with Jake and her new family and friends, she’ll have to save herself from her father’s legacy and the terrible secret in Jake’s past that threaten their future happiness.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

  … the furnishings had been bought second-hand. This was partly because Cate had put all of her savings and most of her monthly income into buying and maintaining her home, but it was also because she loved the idea that the things she bought had some sort of history. She liked to imagine that everything in her house had a happy story that went along with it.   


I’ve never been able to talk, but you know that doesn’t mean I can’t speak.   


I’m a strong man who lives to love and protect you, but that also makes my fear of losing you my greatest weakness.  

My Review:

 Barbara Cutrera cleverly introduced us to her new character of Cate by having the main character from her previous novel – the luscious Logan – bump into her on the street. Logan being blind could not see her, and Cate being mute, could not answer him when he apologized and asked if she was hurt.   What a cunning conundrum. I adored Logan in Sight Unseen and relished his continued involvement in this story.   

Born without a voice box, Cate was totally mute and incapable of sound.  I had never contemplated such a thing.  Not a sound.  Merely pondering the inability to speak seemed unimaginable, but attempting to comprehend a total lack of sound - no crying, laughing, screaming, etc. – well, my tiny mind was boggled.  Cate had led a quiet and solitary life of minimal subsistence and limited interpersonal encounters. 

Cate’s singular and silent life took on a rapid level of upheaval and personal development with near constant activity once she started seeing a handsome man named Jake, who had come to her aid as a paramedic on a 911 call.  One kiss and their lives were never the same.  Their worlds quickly entwined, meshed, and melded.  Both had suffered unspeakable (no pun intended) childhood traumas and continued to struggle with trust issues and anxieties.  The intrepid couple took on each other’s drama and while vulnerable when apart, they were remarkably resilient once united.  Ms. Cutrera turned out an emotive, well-balanced, and thoughtful storyline with alternating hits of sensual steam, humor, and drama, as well as the most satisfying ending I can recall in ages.  This tale will most likely keep me ruminating for days.  

Empress DJ

ABOUT BARBARA CUTRERA

Barbara Cutrera is the author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fiction, and mystery novels. She became addicted to reading and creative writing at an early age but didn’t decide to write her first novel until she was in her 30s. Even then, she was unaware that she was destined for a writing career. Barbara, who is visually impaired, was a rehabilitation counselor before she became a full-time author. She believes our minds are only limited by the restrictions we place upon them. Her greatest passions are for writing, reading, spending time with family and friends, listening to music, cooking, and drinking Dr. Pepper. Originally from Louisiana, Barbara, her husband, and their son moved to southwest Florida in 2004 and love the diversity of their coastal community. 

To learn more about Barbara and her works, read her blog, and enjoy extra content, go to www.onmywayuponline.com. There, take advantage of the opportunity to subscribe to her monthly newsletter in order to receive updates, participate in giveaways, and read extra content not readily available to nonsubscribers.

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