Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it but I would have liked to get to know Quinn and Johnathan a little more. The book discusses strong themes of guilt and grief but also just the right amount of sauce! A strong 4 stars from me. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Well, this was a good one...

It is always interesting to read about the love story that comes after the love of your life.
It is almost a forbidden road to take in the eyes of romance... because here everybody is chasing just that - the love of your life... the one!!

But what happens when "the one" dies unexpectedly - are you just supposed to sit in a corner and wallow in grief?? (Which of course is allowed if needed)... But is that it?? Is that the end of your love life??

This story brings hope that you can find happiness again... you can find another one to love!

This is the first book in the Transformation series and can’t wait for the second.
A brilliant read my only comment it ended too soon and I want more. Brilliant story with the right amount of spice.
Can’t recommend it enough

Silently by Talya Blaine.
Transformation Series Book 1.
Award-winning novelist Quinn Layborn lost her muse the day her husband died. Still mourning more than a year on, the last thing she wants is a second chance. At writing or romance..
Really enjoyable read. Great story and characters. Loved the cover. 4*.

Silently - Talya Blaine

Silently is the first book in the Transformation series. We follow Quinn who is mourning her late husband, I felt it difficult to connect with the main character Quinn, even though what she has been through should stir up compassion and a feeling of loss, I just struggled with her. I also lacked a chemistry between her and Jonathan. This is shortish read but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the e-arc in return for my honest opinion.

Silently is the debut by Talya Blaine and the first in the Transformation trilogy. As such, it introduces the main characters Quinn and Jonathan and sets them on their path to a - hopefully happy - ending. Both struggle with guilt and pain from previous relationships and turn to each other for distraction and relief. Add a foray into BDSM, some steamy hot scenes, well-meaning friends as well as some drama and you have an entertaining, shortish read that ends with a happy-for-now-but-looking forward to more.

The plot of the story is good, intriguing. The way the story is written could coincide with the emotional ride of the female character. More of a smooth transition throughout the book with more information would help with some of the choppiness, for me.

If you love a book with fire, this is the book for you. This is the new 50 Shades. It makes you hot from the very beginning and leaves you wanting more. I read it in less than 1 day and wasn't even sorry that I was tired for work. It's about love and the heartbreak of losing someone. It's about finding a way to cope with grieve and learning to live again, all the while setting the pages on fire.

Silently by Talya Blaine is billed as "Fast-paced and intense, Silently is a story about devastating loss, primal need, and the unexpected bonds that help us heal." I found it to be none of these things. Yes, it's a quick read at only 161 pages, but the only time it becomes "fast-paced" is when Quinn, the main female character, has a very brief encounter with an unsavory character outside of a private club.

While the subject of losing a spouse can indeed be a heart-wrenching and devastating loss, Quinn comes across as more whiny than someone caught in the throes of devastating depression. As for the primal need, I didn't see it because I felt no connection with Quinn, Jonathan (main male character), or any other character in the story.

Yes, I understand Silently has been classified as erotica as well as romance and/or women's fiction. However, I feel that it doesn't live up to the standards of other books in these same genres. In order for a book to be considered a romance, there must be some, actual, romance. There is none between Quinn and Jonathan. No flirting. No real attraction. No tension. Their "relationship" consists of so-called "mind-blowing sex." Sorry, but I've read more intensely sexual encounters in young adult fiction that didn't even include intercourse. The characters are two-dimensional, have no chemistry, and there is no plot in the book to help drive the story or the character toward and/or away from one another.

Silently is the first installment in a new series; however, after reading this one, I won't be continuing the series.

This is a DNF for me. I don’t mind a little spice and steam but 30% into this book and that’s all I’m getting.

Quinn has apparently lost her husband and has withdrawn from everyone except for Jonathan…a man she reconnects with and quickly becomes involved with.

I wanted to like this book and want to know what happened to her husband but the dip into kinky sex and bondage did it for me. Just not my type of book!!!