Reviewed by Anna Lynn
TITLE: Unshackled
AUTHOR: Cara Dee
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 303 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 2021
BLURB:
In the wake of the bloodiest war the Sons of Munster had seen in a long time, we were supposed to celebrate our victory and move on with our lives. I wanted to see my brothers-in-arms dance and drink way too much. I wanted to hear laughter and Irish music. Instead, we were a syndicate crushed by grief.
Shannon O’Shea had lost more than most, and every fiber of my being screamed at me to pull him from the depths of his despair. As the father of my best friend, he’d been there for me when my parents kicked me out for being gay. Now it was my turn. I had to find the answers. I had to rescue him.
The day he asked for a favor and demanded discretion, the plan unfolded before my eyes, and I couldn’t resist the temptation. No names, no faces. He wouldn’t know it was me in the darkness. At the same time, the shackles around my wrists tightened as old enemies slithered back out of the gutters of my city, and my brothers and I were once again on the warpath.
REVIEW:
Loss can be devastating, especially when the one you’ve lost is someone you love so deeply. Coping with several losses one after the other can be debilitating. This book deals with loss, grief and depression. Family is strongly represented too, with your family there for you, you will heal with love, time and patience. If you have been reading books from Ms. Cara Dee, this storyline is not unfamiliar although in this tale, it is dealt with more closely and carefully.
I love Mafia storylines, I love the action that ensues from a plot like that. This book has all that and so much more. It has romance, witty banter between brothers and friends. It has also so much Mafia action, Mafia politics too.
Kellan Ford and Shannon O’Shea have had more than their fair share of loss and grief, but right now at this timeline, might be the worst. They are still feeling the aftermath of the gang war they had with a rival mafia group. They are still coping, in their own way, to losing Patrick a few months before and Shannon’s wife before that. They are also trying to clean up whatever was left of the Italian group that they thought they finished.
Navigating through a new system implemented under Finn’s management, they also have to cope with disgruntled older group of leaders/enforcers. They are also in the process of bringing in new recruits, new generation of runners, leaders, enforcers. Amidst all that they are all coping with depression, loss and grief each in their own way.
Kellan uses work as his coping mechanism against all the feelings that he has inside. Shannon uses alcohol to deal with his. But it is going downhill fast for Shannon. Finn, his son, is getting worried. Meanwhile, Kellan also sees the path Shan’s getting on and he wants to help him go through it without drinking himself to death. Kellan has had a crush on Shannon for so long, but in his own way, he has found a way to deal with it. But with the desire to help Shan get through the loss, grief and depression, spending time with the man would certainly bring all these feelings on top again, and this time, it is way stronger.
Through reading Ms. Cara Dee’s books I have learned to love her way of telling her stories. It is unique and refreshing. It is reality. I have to be honest, I love angst. I love to cry, laugh, get angry, hope and pine when I am reading my books. Unshackled has given me that and so much more. So if your favorite tropes include Mafia plots, then you will love this one. Congratulations Ms. Dee on another bestseller!
RATING: 
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