Audiobook Review: Unquiet (Resilient Love #3) by Melanie Hansen

Loren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him. When Eliot’s increasingly erratic and self-destructive behavior culminates in a suicide attempt at seventeen, Loren is devastated.

Upon meeting again by chance nine years later, Loren is enjoying a successful career as a police officer while Eliot’s life has been a constant struggle for stability. In and out of mental hospitals, with a rap sheet a mile long, he continues to be buffeted by the twin storms of mania and depression. Loren’s love and protectiveness for Eliot are deeply ingrained in him, however, and their feelings for each other are quickly rekindled.

Loren has issues of his own he’s dealing with, and trying to understand and cope with Eliot’s bipolar disorder isn’t easy. They believe they’re meant to be, and Eliot brings a fulfillment to Loren’s life that no one else will ever match. But as they both come to realize, love by itself can’t cure all.

Listening Length: 10 hours and 32 minutes
Narrator: Michael Stellman

Unquiet is the final chapter in the Resilient Love series. It introduced me to great writing, interesting characters and angst filled love stories.

This novel definitely delivered all three with a friends to lovers theme featuring Loren (Kai's closeted ex from Signs of Life) and Loren's childhood best friend, schizophrenic/manic depressive Eliot.

When reading about mental illnesses in romance, I might be a little more apprehensive since it's a population I've worked with. And Eliot's character didn't come across as inauthentic. It was hard to read what he went through at times. It tugs on the emotions. But to me, it read...real. I believed he loved Loren. I think he was as great of a friend as he was capable of. Loren has always been Eliot's person since they were kids, no matter the time or distance.

My biggest issue? Loren. He grew up with Eliot from childhood neighbors. He knew Eliot prior to his diagnosis, during and after. His running away when situations got tough made me hesitate on his staying power toward the longevity of his and Eliot's relationship. It can be hard to learn but at the end of the day you must remember to not take Eliot's actions due to his illness personal. It's an illness and Eliot's illness does not define him.

I am a fan of Michael Stellman's narration. He doesn't make many voices but he did a solid job capturing the emotions from the text. I enjoy listening to his growls and his interpretations of dialogue. It's not my favorite book of the series, but overall it was a great conclusion..

This could be read/listened to as a standalone, though I like doing the legwork and reading a series from the start. Plus, it starts with my fave of the series (Everything Changes).

P.S. The epilogue was fun, though I rolled my eyes at 'biology lesson' part. Thank god for Jase (my fave character of the series) for taking the reins and being an adult about it.