Definitely a different kind of love story. This one begins with so much pain (almost hard to continue when you can feel Isabel’s through the pages) but then slowly turns as Paul begins to tell HIS side of their story.

Fair warning though...watching the bickering and hurtful words slung at these two, who were only married for such a relatively short time, is painful.

BUT...once they truly start to talk, truly begin to see one another, truly begin to realize they both have issues that led to where they are now (less than a week from divorce finalization), the story takes on a different less combative feel.

This one won’t be for everyone. All of the hurtful comments may bring back painful memories. In the end, however, watching both Isabel and Paul grow, face their own issues - it’s heartwarming!

Thank you NetGalley and HQN for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

First time reader for this author. I will read more by her. Who would not want a 2nd chance at love. Isabel and Paul fell hard and fast. A whirlwind romance, marriage happened pretty quickly. Did they marry to quickly? Separated, after 4 years of marriage they both decide to spend some time a lone and reflect. What is comical is they end up how this comes about. Will they be able to figure it out and a place they once loved to visit? The accusations and fighting begins and a secret is revealed by one. NOT your typical HEA I received an ARC for my honest review.

This book was a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Spending one last weekend in their favorite place before the divorce opened so many doors and showed them how communication was their biggest problem.

Complementary copy given for honest review

Wow, this story completely blew me away! 5 amazing stars for this one! Grab it asap!
This story is a second chance romance that will melt your heart, and pull at it also. It was so well written I could not put it down!
Meet Isabel & Paul, they will officially be divorced this coming Wednesday, but each separately decide to spend one last weekend at their summer home, not knowing the other will be there too! The shenanigans these two do to each other trying to get the other to leave is funny. But when he convinces Isabel to sit and have dinner and they open up to each other, it becomes so apparent the lack of communication is what led them down the divorce road. Can they work on it and repair the damage or is it to late?
This was my first book by this author and I'm looking forward to reading more by her!

A second chance romance! Isabel and Paul fell in love and got married really fast. Now, four years later, they've been separated for almost a year. They both get the idea to spend a few days at their weekend home and the closeness after time apart opens up the floodgates. There's a lot of arguing and accusations but once Paul reveals his secret- one which someone anyone probably should have identified a lot sooner- they can get down to working on their relationship. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. This isn't the easiest of happy second chance novels (there's some nasty stuff said) but it feels real.

I absolutely adore this book! I read Unexpected a few months back and loved it and when I heard that the upcoming book was a second chance romance, I was even more excited! In addition to the second chance trope, I'd also categorize this in the force proximity since they were forced to interact while staying in the vacation home.

My heart hurt while reading this book but it was also happy. The main characters don't really interact with a lot of people in this book except with each other so there was a lot of commentary. I'd usually find this boring but it had the opposite effect on me for this book because it made me feel connected to the characters and just made me feel in general. I love the MCs but I need to admit, Izzy annoyed me in the beginning but she grew on me. And I just want to hug Paul.

Anywho, I'm really looking forward for the next book!

Isabel and Paul were married for four years before it all fell apart. Paul still isn't sure what happened but he does know he has just a few more days in their vacation home before it becomes hers so he's spending the weekend there. Too bad Isabel had the same idea. And she's really not happy that Paul is there as well. Too bad their time together is reminding her of why they got together. And showing her that Paul has been working on himself. But that doesn't mean that Isabel is ready to fall back into marriage - a lot of the same problems are there, including his devotion to work.
I liked that we got to see after the HEA. Not every book stops at the wedding and getting to see two people who actually worked on their relationship was lovely. A little dragging in parts but overall a nice read.

Four stars
This book comes out November 26th
ARC kindly provided by Harlequin and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Sincere, emotional, and sweet!

Unspoken is a heartfelt, second-chance romance between the intelligent, workaholic Paul and the spirited, outgoing Isobel as they discover just days before their divorce is finalized that perhaps they both made a lot of mistakes and that their love is something worth fighting for.

The writing is passionate and smooth. The characters are frustrated, angry, and sympathetic. And the plot is a genuine, push-pull tale of relationship dynamics, miscommunication, introspection, patience, acceptance, forgiveness, love, friendship, understanding, steamy romance, and new beginnings.

Overall, Unspoken is a heartwrenching, sexy, tender read by Rimmer with characters you can’t help but root for and a happy-ever-after ending that leaves you smiling, satisfied, and hoping for more.

Paul and Isabel are about to be divorced after nearly 4-years of marriage. When Isabel walked out on Paul 11-months before, he felt distraught and couldn’t help but question why. Now their divorce is going to be final in 5 days. And Paul’s agreed to give Isabel their weekend house, a house that’s sentimental to them both. So Paul’s decided to take the rare weekend off from work and spend it one last time at the house that’s not going to be his for much longer.

To Paul’s surprise, Isabel also had the idea to spend the weekend at their house. And due to their own stubbornness, both of them re guy we to leave. So now Paul and Isabel are stuck together, whether they like it or not.

Isabel walked out on Paul because he never put their relationship first. It was always work, work, work. It’s not about what he couldn’t do, but what he wouldn’t do. But over the course of 3 days together, the couple learns what tore them apart in the first place. And Isabel realizes Paul wasn’t the only person at fault in their divorce. She’s as much to blame as Paul, and that makes Isabel reevaluate her reasons for leaving.

Paul and Isabel’s marriage fell apart slowly over 4-years but now a weekend together has the ability to bring them back together once and for all.

Unspoken by Kelly Rimmer is the second book in the Start Up in the City series. What I enjoyed most about this book was that it’s a love story between two people who are already married. It’s about fighting to stay together, not fighting to be together for the first time. I’m not sure if this type of story will appeal to people who haven’t been married, but I felt so many emotions about this and imagined myself in their shoes. Usually I’m not a fan of romances that take place over a short period of time, as that usually leads to the insta-love trope, but here it works because of the nature of their relationship. I really enjoyed the second installment to this series! 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQN and Kelly Rimmer for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a different sort of romance. It starts with the relationship ending right before Isabel and Paul’s marriage is ending. They end up spending a weekend together and beginning to learn what went wrong with their marriage. I enjoyed the dueling POVs. It becomes increasingly clear to the reader what went wrong and we can’t help pulling for them to rediscover what was “unspoken” between them. I enjoyed following along with them.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Isabel Winton had planned to spend the last few days of her marriage at her vacation home, intending to reflect, regroup or maybe just do some solitary sulking. Instead, she collides with her almost ex, Paul, who has the same idea. Too stubborn to leave, Isabel figures this is a chance for them to get some closure. But she’s astonished to see that months apart have transformed her emotionally aloof husband into “Paul 2.0,” more open than ever before.
Paul was blindsided when Isabel left him. He had no idea she felt he was more committed to his career than to their marriage. With his new, hard-won self-awareness, he blames himself for letting her walk away. But winning her back will take more than simple words. It’ll mean finding the courage to grow, to trust, and grab a second chance at life by each other’s sides.

This is a very slow read. So much "the marriage is over" and analysis that could have been edited it down. It does not improve the story.
My biggest issue with this book is that Isabel, who is supposed to be so good with people, is totally clueless to Paul's spectrum disorder. In this day and age, where it is everywhere and talked about everywhere, it seems unlikely that someone who is supposed to be aware of others wouldn't notice.
Also, Isabel is just a brat. Yes, divorce is hard. She has a right to own her anger, but even in parts told from her POV, she's just not likable. I kept hoping Paul would meet someone and move on.

I am a huge fan of Kelly Rimmer. I loved “The Things We Cannot Say” and “Before I Let You Go.” At some point, I saw that she had started a romance series. When I saw that I could request this one (even though it’s #2) I thought I would give it a try.

I think the previous two books were much darker books, but this one has the same deep explorations of characters and relationships. I would almost describe this one as a romance in reverse. We meet Isabel and Paul when their divorce is just about final. They are somehow thrown together at their beach house for the last weekend before it moves ownership to Isabel and the divorce is final. Paul heads up a start-up technology company and Isabel is a yoga and fitness instructor.

They do not want to be together at the vacation house, but they decide that maybe enough time has passed that they can hash some things out, get some closure, and maybe have a friendship. We learn all about their relationship and marriage and what went wrong.

The two have some deep and tough conversations and I don’t want to give away the story. It was an interesting process for them to go through. I found them to be interesting characters and I do want to go back and read the first one in the series and #3 once it’s written. This was not a fluffy romantic book, but a deeper dive into what makes people tick and poses the question if you can change. I liked the way this one ended.

*I will update my Goodreads review the week of publication

This book was a very different kind of read for me. It is about a couple who is getting a divorce. They are days away from their divorce when they both end up at their beach house at the same time. There are a lot of hurtful things said and done between the couple. The couple’s names are Paul and Isabel. Once the couple really starts listening to each other and they start to really talk the book turns into a really beautiful read. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Thanks to Net Gallery and the publisher. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

Second chance romance from the author who can literally do no wrong? We were introduced to Paul and Isabel, the arguing couple in the midst of a divorce in book 1 of this series, Unexpected, but now we get to really know them, what went wrong, why and is there hope for salvation?

Rimmer does a masterful job (as always) at capturing emotions and making her characters come to life. There are moments where I wanted to scream at these two and moments where I wished they would just kiss and make up - but Rimmer takes no short cuts here - we are taken through the true rollercoaster of emotions alongside this couple and the ride is worth it. I continue to be amazed that Rimmer writes multiple novels a year without ever sacrificing a drop of quality. I, for one, will now be counting the days until Undone (book #3) is released.

Before I begin my review of UNSPOKEN by Kelly Rimmer I have to admit that there are many books penned by this talented author that have been duly noted as my favorite. How can there be so many favorites written by one person. That is the struggle I faced when I put pen to paper – so to speak – and began constructing another what would become a five star review. In short there is no way to avoid this when speaking about UNSPOKEN by Kelly Rimmer.
UNSPOKEN is the second installment of the series Startup in the city. And before you ask – no you don’t have to read them in order as each perfectly stands alone on its own merit.
Nothing is as sad as watching the dissolution of a marriage especially one built on a mountain of love. But how do you stop the avalanche of hard feelings, hurt and disappointment.
First thing to learn is that people don’t know what you are thinking so if there is something on your mind do yourself a service by speaking out. Second thing is to listen, really listen to what someone is saying.
Isabel and Paul are a lovely couple and deeply in love. We at least they were and then marriage took a sharp turn when Isabel literally walked out. Both are truly devastated by this turn of events. Paul is destroyed. Isabel keeps waiting for Paul to call her back to him – even though she is the one that turned her back on their marriage.
Are you confused yet? Well so are Isabel and Paul and in UNSPOKEN that’s the clear message that Kelly Rimmer is trying to convey.
Isabel has in short become a spiteful, angry, sharp tongued, miserable person. Paul doesn’t even recognize who this Isabel is – she is not the Isabel he loves and married. Isabel is busy rationalizing her reactions to everything Paul does or says in the present or in the past.
Paul does not want a divorce. Isabel can’t see an alternative. Talk about a stall mate.
Something has to give but the best these two can come up with is to temper their over wrought reactions and strive for a friendship. Sounds like an impossible mission. But without even a friendship it means they are truly broken and split apart.
Paul is a programmer with a thriving growing company. When thinking of Isabel and Paul’s relationship it is like writing or designing a computer program where you recognize a problem – in this case a failed marriage, then write code of steps to get your desired result – no divorce.
UNSPOKEN is filled with many moments, some insightful others candidly frustrating which is designed to show the realities of a marriage or partnership with another human being. Each person comes with their own bag. Recognizing differences and accepting them is a huge hurdle in real life. And in UNSPOKEN both Isabel and Paul will have to uncover these issues, accept them, work through solutions and candidly decide if their relationship is worth the work. Real life is just like that with no short cuts but the rewards might be wondrous.
So welcome back to Startup In The City if you have already read Unexpected. Welcome to UPSPOKEN that will make you equal parts angry, frustrated, and enamored with a crazy wonderful couple. UPSPOKEN is another jewel of Kelly Rimmer not to be missed.

Kelly Rimmer is a must read author for me. While I am not much of a romance reader, I will read anything she puts out. This is your typical feel good romance, and sometimes it can be so refreshing! Is it predictable? Yes. But it’s also relatable, emotional, and a beautiful love story. This book would make a great palate cleanser or a book for someone looking for a lighter, steamy read. Thank you @harlequinbooks for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Paul and Isabel's story is unlike any other romance I've ever read. Yes, I've read second chance stories, but this one really makes you think about your own relationship and the things you may also leave "Unspoken." While I was longing for more conversation and action at the start of the book, I am so glad that I kept reading.

Thanks Kelly Rimmer for writing this thoughtful, sweet and sometimes frustrating story of love and all that it takes to make a good relationship work.

Thanks to #Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of #Unspoken in return for an honest review.

I didn't really finish this book. It was a little to slow for me and I hated the characters. I liked the story and had high hopes but I just couldn't finish it.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I thought Unspoken by Kelly Rimmer was well written and had a well developed original (for romance) storyline. I have to save however, that I really didn't like the characters very much. Paul was completely clueless emotionally and Isobel was just a bit too bitchy for taste.

I have read others by this author and was excited to see Paul and Isabel's story. Paul is an introverted genius and Isabel is an outgoing fitness trainer. When Paul and Isabel met it was instant love. They married quickly and fell into a routine that eventually led to hard feelings on both sides and divorce. This book talks about what happens when they put the anger aside and really communicate.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. Like with Rimmer's other novels, it was well written and the story line flowed. The characters were really fleshed out and the emotions where real. However, I <spoiler> really hate that Paul was in therapy for so long and his therapist didn't know he still loved Isabel and/or encouraged him to reach out. Especially since she was originally their couples counselor. However, that didn't diminish my joy at finally reading Paul and Isabel's story.