Review: "Unsurprisingly Complicated" by Claudia Burgoa (Unexpected #2)

April 30, 2015

Note: This ARC was provided by Rock Star Lit PR in exchange for an honest review.

I had you. I tried to enjoy you, and yet I missed my freedom and craved to have it back.

I hate that freedom. It's lonely out there.

I believe in you, in us.

From the time they were innocent children, AJ Colthurst-Decker and Mason Bradley have been the best of friends. They were there for each other, whether in good or bad times, always ready to drop everything at a moment's notice. They know one another so well that they don't even bother keeping secrets, unless it has to do with Mason's work and in what part of the globe he's holed up in. Even when they're not physically together, AJ and Mason always manage to stay in touch, all thanks to technology. After all, she's his Nine and he's her Ten--Nine and Ten, together forever. Until one unplanned kiss begins to unearth feelings that they never expected or gave voice to, and then what was once a comfortable companionship becomes a still affable yet now awkward friendship that is suddenly at a crossroads of sorts.

AJ and Mason haven't exactly had the best track records when it comes to relationships, what with her being in an emotionally abusive and repressive relationship and he having gone into and then ending an engagement to a girl he never even loved. Add to that Mason's deep-rooted issues with regards to his parents who divorced within months of being married, only for his mother to re-marry multiple times and for his father to remain a bachelor. AJ and Mason have opposing views when it comes to love and commitment, especially when there's a friendship as close as theirs that can be put at risk should things go awry. When they decide to dare and try to make a go of a relationship, will they buck the odds they've set against themselves and find happiness and contentment or will their niggling doubts doom them?

Ah, where do I even begin with this book?! After reading Unlike Any Other, the first book in the Unexpected series, I had fallen in love with the entire Colthurst-Decker clan and was already chomping at the bit to know what Claudia Burgoa had in store for Ainsley Janine "AJ" Colthurst-Decker and Mason I. H. Bradley. And now, after having finished Unsurprisingly Complicated, the second book in the series, in one sitting, I find myself emotionally wrung out after everything AJ and Mason went through. Goodness, these two had to truly want to be together and to fight for what it is they wanted. But it was when they realized that they actually needed each other and were worth the risks that things leveled up, as if the previous trials were meant to prepare them for the ultimate test of love, trust, and commitment.

AJ's story of heartache because of what happened with her family and then with her ex-boyfriend was a painful one to read in Unlike Any Other. Here, she wasn't just a mere survivor; she started her life over and believed she was worthy of more than what her ex had forced upon her in the past. She wanted a love similar to what her parents shared but a love story that she could call her own and one that she could have with someone who loved her as much as she loved him. She truly grew up and matured in Unsurprisingly Complicated and the ups and downs of her relationship with Mason taught her important things about herself, most important of which was her inner strength and that she had a family that would always be there for her, providing her with acceptance and support and not asking for anything in return.

And then we have Mason. He may have been physically and intellectually superior to a lot of other men, but the poor guy had a chip on his shoulder the size of the entire state of Washington and was often so confused by his own feelings and reactions that he was screwing with himself. There were times I wanted to give him a hug, and then there were times I wanted to slap him upside the head. He was dealing with a lot of emotional baggage courtesy of having parents like his and living the kind of childhood he did, so I more than empathized with how emotionally unavailable he was every now and again and applauded how much he wanted to try to be the kind of guy who deserved to be with AJ. Even when I was miffed at him, I still continued to cheer him on, hoping that they would get the ending their love story deserved.

I squeed. I sighed. I smiled. I stilled. And yes, my heart experienced that squeezing sensation that I associate with being so immersed and invested in a story and its characters that everything else fades away. When I read books that are part of a series I love, I always go into each one hoping that I'll love it as much as the one that came before. When a sequel surpasses my expectations, then calling me a satisfied bookaholic is a vast understatement. Unsurprisingly Complicated exceeded the bar that was set for it by its predecessor and that ending has me itching to get my hands on book three in the series. While I wait, however, I've gone ahead and bought Claudia Burgoa's past work to satisfy my for her addictive storytelling. My rating for Unsurprisingly Complicated is surprisingly simple: five-plus stars. ♥

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