Review: What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: What He Doesn't Know
Author: Kandi Steiner
Series: What He Doesn't Know Duet #1
Version Reviewed: eBook, ARC
Website: www.kandisteiner.com

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

GoodReads Synopsis:

On the northeast side of town, there is a house.
The house was once magical, filled with love and joy and plans for the future.

Inside its walls are many things that belong to me — my books, the china from my mother on my wedding day, the beautiful cage once home to two birds, now empty, just like me.
And a man.
A man who also belongs to me.
A man I no longer wish to keep.
A man who, no doubt, has not slept, though the sun is rising. Because the house where he waits is where I laid my head to rest every night for eight years. Until last night.
No one who knows me would believe Charlie Pierce, the quiet, bookish girl who never made waves is pulling out of the driveway of a man who isn’t her husband.
But they don’t know me at all.
I don’t even know me.
Not anymore.
They say there are two sides to every story, and I suppose in most cases, that’s true. But the one I live inside of? It has three.
On the northeast side of town, there is a house.
But there is no longer a home.

Review:
I've been eyeballing Kandi Steiner's books for a while now. With covers as gorgeous as hers, it's really hard not to. When I saw the cover and read the description for What He Doesn't Know, I knew that this had to be the book that broke the ice for me and this author. I couldn't pass by this one. The cover was too good and the synopsis, though I was unsure of the theme, was one that I couldn't pass up.

I can read a lot of books without blinking an eye. There are a lot of "forbidden" or "taboo" themes that don't bother me at all as I am extremely open minded about different situations, lifestyles, and circumstances. For personal reasons, the whole "cheating" thing is a little hard for me to read. This particular situation has played a huge role in my life and my childhood and it's hard for me to read these types of stories without feeling... wrong about them. But at the same time, I enjoy stories that make me feel a bit uncomfortable because it means that they truly made me feel. They were good enough to bring out an emotional response from me. And, as a reader, that means something.

So I decided to give this book a try and I'm really glad that I did. This book was right up there with Slip of The Tongue by Jessica Hawkins, though not as long. There was so much emotion and real, human reaction to the situations that the characters were put in. I really enjoyed Charlie and found myself falling in love with her pain and with her growth as a character. She was extremely easy to relate to and the author did a great job at making me feel for her and the situation that she found herself in.

Reese and Cameron are a great example of why these books are hard for me to read. When the character that's being cheated on is a despicable human being, it's easy to understand and you don't feel much for them. But when you have a character like Cameron who, not lacking in his issues, is very human and actually takes a stand for himself. Even though he's not been the greatest, there's still something about him that makes you care about him and what he's about to go through. When a character like Reese, who seems perfect for Charlie, comes into the picture, it makes it difficult to work out your feelings for these characters and how you want their stories to end. Do you want Charlie to finally have the man that has always been the one for her, the one that seems perfect for her, or her husband who, through his faults, is trying his hardest to keep her and to fight for her.

Man, oh man I can't wait to read the second book in the duet. I desperately need to know what Charlie is going to do.

Rating: 5 Stars