What He Never Knew

Written by Kandi Steiner

Narrated by Jason Clarke and Mia Madison

I never learn my lesson. And I always want what I can't have.

When Sarah Henderson walks into my life, I tell myself she's off limits. She's my student, sixteen years younger than me, and my boss's niece. It doesn't matter that I see the same pain reflected in her eyes that I have in my own, or that the dead organ better known as my heart kicks to life when she's around. I've been here before, and I know how this ends.

It's been two years since I fell for the last woman I knew I couldn't have, the one with the ring on her finger that I chose to ignore. Two years of trying to overcome that heartache when Sarah slides into my life. Another woman I can't have. Another woman I can't stop myself from wanting.

I never learn my lesson, but with a constant reminder of how that last forbidden love burned, I think I've finally learned this one. This time, I won't chase what's off limits. This time, I'm staying away.

And I'll keep telling myself that until I believe it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781541402331

Reviews for What He Never Knew

[Angela Kelly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the original duet series and so glad the author decided to make it a trilogy with closure for Reese.

"Maybe that was where our love was born lines of our scars,"

Sara and Reese were a couple destined to find one another as broken knows broken like nothing else. The fact that these two broken individuals recognized that within one another and then went on to each help the other heal is a story unlike any other. It's not just a type of love story where love conquers all. it's so much more. This type of love story is raw, passionate, dirty, ugly, ruthless, angry, and more. But then, when all of that is worked through, fought though, cleared away, forgiven, etc, what remains is a blank canvas or established foundation on which to begin to create or build anew. That type of creation is what makes dealing with this crappy world day in and day out worthwhile. Without such things to give us hope, ideas to ponder, things to seek out and strive to comprehend, what we would be the point of living each day really be worth?

Once again, this book will tear your heart out, give it a whirl, and then put it back all the wiser until the next time. I'll be damned if that in itself isn't worth the crazy ride of a kick butt novel!

[carleneinspired · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Personal note that may spoil parts of the book if you've not yet read.

I have received so many comments and messages since posting my reading updates and initial thoughts, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to be a bit more transparent before writing this review. I was sexually abused as a child and when it came to dating as a young adult I really struggled, similar to Sarah my sense of worth and my connection to reality were not what they should have been. I put so much work into overcoming that, but what ultimately change my life for the better was a book, a thing I loved, and I've been unashamed and free ever since. What He Never Knew took me back to a lot of those old feelings and while I cried from start to finish, I also realized that who I am today can handle those memories, those subjects, so much better than I ever used to. Kandi Steiner really tackles the topic beautifully, in such a way that I really connected with Sarah on a personal level and I loved her just as much as I wish I had loved myself when I was going through the same thing. I don't typically advise of trigger warnings, for this book I obviously feel like I have to as it affected me quite significantly, but I also think it's a must read. It's accurate, it's realistic, and it still is romantic. As for myself, I feel like my life is quite beautiful after it all as well and if any of you ever want to chat, I'm an open book. <3


5 Stars

Reese Walker is a piano genius that shied away from the spotlight and embraced a quieter life teaching piano to youths. He knows a star when he sees one and he doesn't see it in Sarah, the quiet, angry niece of his boss. Sarah Henderson is ready to stop hiding and wants to love the piano again, but it sparks fear in her still, even after being away from her old university for some time. Reese is her one chance to make her dreams happen again and she's ready to fight. When Reese sees that fight in Sarah he recognizes a bit of himself and as he helps her turn her emotions into notes he feels emotion stir in him again, kick starting his heart again after it had been trampled over. They both believe it's wrong, they know everyone else will too, but the feelings they have, the hope they share, it just might be their chance to know happiness again.

"Reese was an entire universe, and the piano was a mere telescope we tried to see him through."

There are books that make you warm and fuzzy inside, there are books that make you angry, and there are books that make you sob in sadness, or in this case, in solidarity. What He Never Knew is one of those reads that quickly became very personal for me, my connection with it may not be the same as it is for everyone else, and I ultimately loved it due to that personal connection. It's very easy to gloss over the ugly, to allow romance to clean up the mess, or to tackle difficult subjects in a way that isn't sensitive at all. I can name on just two hands the books I've read that have tackled the incident in this novel well and What He Never Knew by Kandi Steiner has just been added to that list.

Sarah's situation isn't unique, but Kandi's sensitivity to it is. Sarah is at first despondent, she is defensive and angry, and she has given up the things she loves. She's left university, ashamed and afraid of the incident that occurred. She's left it all behind and now, after hiding, has moved to Pennsylvania to try to train on the piano again. What He Never Knew is her butterfly moment captured on pages, it's her opening up, embracing the beautiful parts of life again, and learning that the tragedies don't have to hold us down. She learns to love music again, to open up, and to trust. Reese Walker, who I loved so very much from the What He Doesn't Know duet, is her piano teacher and while he is significantly older than her he sees that she is wise beyond her years. He sees a darkness in her that he sees in himself, he too finds someone to trust with the things that have weighed him down. He shows her how to harness that pain and while he watches the piano make her shine again he begins to fall.

"He searched my gaze like I was a puzzle with all the right pieces shoved in all the wrong places, and I'd never felt more pegged down in my entire life."

Kandi Steiner is always one of my favorites, she can write angst and love in such a way that you feel it too, but in my opinion this is her at her very best. This story is told in a descriptive, lyrical way, moving much like the piano Sarah plays. It's a story of loss and tragedy, of forgiveness and hope, and of love and strength. I really appreciated the character development in this book, especially with Reese recognizing his poor behavior and Sarah realizing that her initial choice to hide isn't the right choice at all. While it is incredibly heavy, it features the promise of love, a feeling we all know how to cling to. Reese and Sarah, though unconventional, heal one another and no one can deny that their broken pieces fit together perfectly. They bring out the best in one another and even when things are hard they each push themselves to overcome it.

"'For the record,' he finally said. 'I am in your corner.'"

If you are not afraid of an emotional read, get this one in your hands right away. I do recommend reading the duet first, but this book is equally brilliant as a standalone. Fans of Reese will be so happy he finally got the HEA he deserved, but fans of the romance genre in general will be over the moon about the gorgeous, realistic story Kandi Steiner has gifted us.

ARC provided.

[simplykelina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“I was the girl who cried wolf. But I vowed to myself that I would not the girl who let the wolf win.”What He Never Knew is the third book in the What He Doesn’t Know series. This starts off right where book two ends. These are not meant to be read as standalones. However; I do feel you could read this one without reading the others. I do not recommend it though as it is important to know the background around some of the characters to appreciate the story even more.This does deal with an age gap romance with Sarah being 21 and the man (do not want to spoil it in case you have not read the other books) is 37 years old. I also had no clue that our couple is a bi-racial couple as the male is white and Sarah is Haitian and white. I loved this aspect of their relationship.Where I loved book one and two, this story was a little slower moving than those. If you are a music lover, you will love it as it talks a lot around piano playing. I did feel at times it dragged on and it was a little repetitive. I was ready to see what happens with the characters and how it would all end.This series is amazing though and I highly recommend it. Overall, I still loved it.