Undeserving

I love this story, but I love it for different reasons than the other books in the series. For me it was watching as one of the pivotal characters in the Undeniable series comes full circle. It is a story filled with beginnings and endings, and not just Preacher’s story, but the ushering in of different epochs of his journey. As one door opens, another door is blown to smithereens, and there’s so much dust and debris, that you can’t clearly see the aftereffects until it’s too late, and by then another explosion occurs. This story, although there is romance, it’s more about love. Love between a girl and boy, between a son and his mother, between a father and daughter, between Preacher and the club, and between Preacher and Deuce. It wrecked me at times, and haunted me for days afterwards. Once again, I want to mention that this series contains violence, and illegal activities, but it also is filled with love and tenderness. And a reminder that this ain't our world, it's their world, their love story, and their rules.

Undeserving is the prequel in Madeline Sheehan’s Undeniable series, the fifth book in the series. Sheehan swings off course in this installment, instead of writing the continuing saga of the Horsemen, she takes us back to a time before there was a Cox or Ripper, heck, this story is pre-Deuce, but if you keep your eyes sharp, you may catch a glance of a young Cole West. I’m going to warn you that this is the darkest book in the series, if you are only wanting hot biker sex scenes or to read about a bad boy saved by the power of love, then save your money, this isn’t THAT book. This is Preacher’s story, the only man who could on occasion strike fear into Deuce, so you must know by now that Preacher doesn’t do fluff. However, if you ever wanted to see what the Silver Demons MC was like before Damon “Preacher” Fox turned it into one of the most notorious crime syndicates, his rise to power, or how Eva come to exist, then this is the book for you So if you’re ready, jump on the back of Preacher’s ’69 Chopper and prepare for the most emotional, scariest, gut-wrenching ride. P.S. This story is not mascara proof, so be prepared.

One of the true joys of reading Sheehan’s books is the assortment of eclectic characters, and she writes them in a way that you can identify someone that you know with each one. Never has Sheehan showcased her talent for multi-dimensional characters as with Undeserving; from the vulnerable street rat Debbie, hippie Ginnie, Jersey girl Sylvia, to the despicable Rocky. Sheehan also has a talent for throwing in some humor when the reader least expects it, “Females, give’em an inch, and they take your xxxxxx wallet”. Once again Sheehan tackles the subject of an outlaw biker and an underage girl, and once again she does it in a manner that she is only telling a story, not advocating it. Sheehan lays it out bare, she doesn’t attempt to dress it up, she doesn’t try to gloss it over, and she doesn’t apologize. Sheehan is also fearless in allowing her characters to age, die, and dealing with life events. Deuce and Eva exemplifies Sheehan’s talent, their story is still endearing and fresh, never appearing stodgy or limp. Did I just write Deuce and limp in the same sentence …bwahahahahahahahaha.

I want to thank Madeline for the opportunity to say goodbye to Preacher. I was floored and upset in UnBeloved when his death occurred; I wasn't prepared, and I felt cheated of getting to mourn for him. I didn't know at the time that she was already working on Undeserving. Not everyone gets the opportunity to say goodbye, especially in Preacher's world. So goodbye Preacher, thank you for all the angst, for the surprises (he did shoot Deuce), for making me embrace your den of outlaws, for being the imperfect father who tried to do his best, for giving advice such as fornicating w a club bunny was the solution for many a problem, for forcing Deuce to become a better husband and president, for also giving Deuce heck and getting on his nerves, for making that Jersey girl Sylvia to shut her trap, for giving a home to bumbling bikers and club hookers, for the many laughs although inside you were longing for that special girl, for all that you sacrificed (and you sacrificed plenty), and lastly, thank you for the memory of that one day when you made a girl who had a crappy life light up like the 4th of July by telling her “I noticed you.” May you be reunited in the afterworld with all the people whom you didn't get the opportunity to tell goodbye, surrounded with the smell of clove cigarettes and Summertime playing in the background. Goodbye my friend, you'll be sorely missed.

And to my new favorite side character Tiny, thank you for making me laugh through the tears. Beautiful things often come in ugly packages; I love you….with extra sugar.

Undeserving was unquestionably my most anticipated release for this year. When Sheehan dropped the book, I dropped everything else and started reading the moment it was available. She's been telling us for a while now that we needed Preacher's story and this was the right order in which we needed it. Of course, she was right. I knew I was going to love getting his story but I didn't know how emotional it would be.

First off, Sheehan's writing is just absolutely amazing and what I was really impressed with in Undeserving was how she was able to switch between different times in life with such finesse and ease. The transitions were flawless and really made the whole experience tie together.

Of course, we all love Eva and Deuce so it was nice to still get a piece of their epic love but this book is about Preacher. It's his story so I'll focus on him. Since Undeniable, Preacher has been a force to reckon with. He's the President of the Silver Demons, who has ties all over the country, including the FBI. People are terrified of him and rightfully so. Yet, we always saw that soft spot he had for Eva.

I'm not going to try to give you a recap or anything like that. I'm just going to tell to what I felt. It was so great to get to see a different side of Preacher than what we are used to. We get to watch him grow into the man he became but most importantly, we got to watch him fall in love. I truly enjoyed watching Preacher fall in love with Debbie.

Sheehan has a way of creating her characters so that they are relatable and easily connectable. From the start of this series, I've fallen for each and every character. Sure, some I hated but it was an emotional hate. One that shows that no matter what, I've connected to them and have some type of emotion towards them. I've always loved Preacher and wanted his story so this was the perfect chance to get the closer I needed. I cried, I laughed, I overall just FELT EVERYTHING. And I will admit right now that I didn't see what was revealed to us close to the end at all. So I literally gasped, threw my hand to my mouth and started crying. It takes a lot to get me like that. Once again, a testament to how well Sheehan's writing gets you emotionally invested with the characters.

Thank you, Sheehan for once again delivering an amazing story that will stick with me for a long time. I will always listen to you when you tell us we need something, you certainly were right about this!

Very few books reach out and touch something with in you. Almost rarer then that are series that get deep down inside you, hold on and never let go. For me that series is the UnDeniable series by Madeline Sheehan. These characters and their lives have become something that I will never forget.

Preacher, the beloved President of the Silver Demon MC, has gotten the book that he deserved. This story is one that had to be told and Madeline did it justice. While this book shows the story before UnDeniable, this is the 5th book in the series. So many pieces to so many puzzles have been answered. There are so many things I understand better because of her giving us this book. Some things I knew where coming and man those were some hard pages to read through the tears and the heartache. UnDeserving was full of feeling and intensity, some parts where grueling and some parts were down right brutal but this book was worth the wait and then some.

I love you Preacher.....RIP

Deuce- It was nice seeing you again.....XOXO