Excellent book. This is Nio and Becca’s story. They were young and in love, Becca’s Father did not approve. Nio was the gardeners son, and Becca’s father was a Judge. Nio had to leave his love behind or suffer the consequences.
Fast forward ten years, will it work this time.

Loved, loved this second chance romance between Nio and Becca. Nio and Becca were high school sweethearts, "living on the opposite sides of the track", when Nio all of a suddenly left. Fast forward ten years later and Nio has returned home to Laguna Beach to win back Becca. Nio has done well with his endeavors where Becca has not. Scandal has ruined her wealthy family and her boyfriend has broken up with her.

Loved Nio, such a fierce hero and always puts family and his brother's Navy Seals first. Soon the truth will come out why Nio left but will it be to late for Becca. This was a book that I could not put down, will anxiously be waiting for the next book in the series.

This is my first from this author and I have to say right off the bat that I truly loved her way with words. And even though it was in 3rd person, it flowed beautifully and I didn't miss my usual need for 1st person perspective. This 3rd in the Band of Brothers series features a great second chance romance between Nio Reyes and Becca Howard. Separated for more than 10 years, Becca never got the closure she needed nor the reasons as to why Nio left town despite them being desperately in love.

The gardener's son and the rich girl who fell from grace should have never been. But just from seeing each other again for a wedding in their hometown of Laguna Beach, California, brought back all of those old feelings and suddenly the world was on its side once again. I loved how much Nio and Becca still had a fire within them in spite of all that has transpired in the time apart. Their chemistry is as evident now as it was then and I was rooting hard for them to both come clean with secrets long held and try to make a go of it once more.

The story held my interest and I read it in one day, simply enjoying the way the Author delivers a love story that is as flawed as it is wonderful. I need to go back and read books 1 & 2 and I also look forward to more from this team of former Navy SEALS who have a tight bond that seemingly will never be broken, no matter what or who tries to come between them. With secondary characters who add just the right amount of support and surprise, this is a story that I won't soon forget.

Unsung Hero is well-written and full of strong emotion and feeling. I happily give it a solid 5 stars!

Aaaaawww. I'm so disappointed this wasn't the first book in the series because it's so obviously first chronologically. It was a little hard to deal with seeing folks before their stories which I'd already read. I don't think it helped that it also carried some familiar and, for me, not much liked tropes.

Nio and Becca are nice enough characters dealing with trust issues and a lot of confusion. In the end, we know they will get together and that all those issues were really manufactured. It was painful in its predictability and I struggled with that a lot. The brief glimpses of one character were especially hard to deal with since I already knew what would come next, having already read the book.

Unfortunately this one didn't do much for me but it was likable enough and I still definitely look forward to reading about the rest of this Band of Brothers.

Second-chance love stories are totally my jam. My fave. My kryptonite. I was really looking forward to reading Unsung Hero by a new-to-me author.

Nio Reyes and Becca Howard were childhood sweethearts, when one day Nio disappeared without a word. Now ten years later, Nio has made something of himself, and has a plan to get back the only woman he’s ever loved. The wedding of his good friend is the perfect opportunity to go back home and make his move.

When Becca sees Nio on the beach, she’s not happy he’s finally come back. But she does want answers. Except Nio knows they aren’t ones she’ll want to hear.

In order for the second-chance story to work for me, I need a few things. I need to see how important the couple used to be to each other. I need to understand why they are still hung up on each other. And, I need to see a good apology - with groveling. The more groveling the better!

Sadly, there wasn’t much of any of those things.

We don’t get much of anything about their past. We know Becca is the daughter of a judge who had a very public and scandalous fall from his courtroom. Nio is two years older than Becca, and the son of the Howard family gardener. But we don’t get much more about their past relationship.

We get very little about how or why they are still stuck on each other. Nio has intentionally come back for Becca, so bonus points for him! (Then again, he knew about the terrible situation with her father and didn’t come back then, so those points get taken away pretty quickly…) But Becca has gotten engaged to another man (they have recently broken up, though - like, the night before Nio shows up). Once Nio makes his appearance, all we get from Becca are thoughts about how hawt he still is. Also, for someone who apparently has always planned to come back for Becca, it's not cool for Nio to have other relationships. I realize ten years is a long time, but dude...you made the choice to leave and you made the choice to stay away for so long. And...this is fiction, so why not make the hero REALLY a hero?

Finally, there was a lame apology, and no groveling. To further add insult to my indignation, Becca didn’t make Nio work for anything before jumping back into bed with him. Not even a full day passed, and she still has no answers. Maybe I’m just good at holding a grudge, but if a man shattered my heart by disappearing without a word, and stayed gone for TEN YEARS, I don’t care how good looking he is, he’s not coming near me and I'm not taking my clothes off for him.

The author also used my least favorite suspense ”building” tactic of repeatedly hinting about the big secret of why Nio left, and then not revealing it until the 80 percent point of the book. Although I’m almost willing to overlook that since, for once, the hero actually had a very good reason for leaving the heroine.

I wanted to like this story, but I didn’t. The writing was decent so I may give this author another read, but as far as this story goes, it failed to make me feel anything for either of the characters, I didn’t feel sad they were separated for so long, and I didn’t really care if they got back together.

As much as I love a second-chance romance, there’s not much more disappointing to me than one that doesn’t work.

* thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I rarely give a 5 Star rating to any book fewer than 300 pages, but Unsung Hero demanded acknowledgement for the author’s skill in conveying the depth of emotion, passion and heartbreak held within its pages.

A story of deception, betrayal and abandonment that span a ten-year period; Nio and Becca’s history is painful and essentially unresolved. So when Nio returns to Laguna Beach after a decade away, Becca is unwilling hear his reason for leaving without a word. Heartbreak is a powerful thing, and the wounds inflicted by his departure and subsequent events run deep and have created the cynical woman he meets on his return.

Ms Ankrum is a new author to me and I only hope I haven’t done this story an injustice by not having read the Canadays of Montana series first (as the author mentions that Trey, Nio’s brother is first introduce in that series). That aside, this book is gut-wrenching! The storyline is impeccable, the character portrayals are on point and believable and the merging of the past and present is interpreted perfectly. I can’t recommend Unsung Hero highly enough, and after just one book, I am a devoted fan of this incredible author.

What a terrific start to a new series! I loved Unsung Hero, which is set in Laguna, California. Perfect for Americans going through the winter chills and wanting to dream of sand and surf this story is equally good for those of us sweltering through a hot, dry summer.
The story embodies all of Barbara Ankrum’s feel-good style with family, friendship and loyalty running through it as a central theme. Front and centre, however, is the reconnection of former teenage sweethearts Becca and Nio. Becca is forging a new future for herself after her father’s disgrace and subsequent suicide stripped her of the privileged life she was expected to live. A cheating ex-fiancé has also strengthened her resolve not to trust men. She is a strong, caring and supportive woman whom I couldn’t help but admire for the way she carries on regardless of what life throws at her.
Nio, who left Laguna suddenly ten years ago, has returned to try for a second chance with Becca, the only girl he’s ever loved. I liked the fact that despite his having made very good indeed financially he’s still focused on caring for and protecting his family and his brother’s injured Navy SEAL friends.
It was clear from the beginning of this book that these two were meant for each other. Their story unfurled over a weekend but in that time they hit plenty of roadblocks, which has made this an entertaining and unputdownable read.

If you like a second chances story, this is the perfect book for you. Unsung Hero by Barbara Ankrum is the first book in the Band of Brothers series. Ankrum writes a quick read which will leave you smiling and anxiously away the next book in this series.

Unsung Hero by Barbara Ankrum, book one in The Band of Brothers series. A excellent start to a new series. Great chapter development and storyline. A second chance at romance. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the series brings to us.

Nio is Becca’s unsung hero. They were in love when they were in their teens, but her wealthy father separated Becca from Nio, the gardener’s son. Becca never knew that her father threatened Nio to send his younger brother to prison and to deport his father if he didn’t leave Becca. Ten years laterr, Becca’s father died in disgrace, so Nio has returned for Becca. As expected, things have changed, so getting Becca back will not be as easy as Nio had hoped...

This was a quick read and the plot seemed a mash-up of several familiar romance plots. We have the couple separated when they were young because her rich father didn’t want his beautiful, rich daughter hanging out with the gardener’s son. Then the father turns out to be corrupt and his family is embroiled in an ugly scandal in which they lose just about everything including their so-called friends. Now the teenage boyfriend has become rich and successful and is back after 10 years to claim his girl. And she is recovering from realizing that her fiance was a cheating, self-absorbed jerk. Got all that? If you read a lot of romances, none of this is all that new. But Nio, the unsung hero, is a great guy and who wouldn’t like a gorgeous, rich guy who is also a great, loyal person to his family and friends? That’s any woman’s secret fantasy, right? It’s never clear what there is about Becca, besides having been his first love, that makes her worthy of Nio’s devotion, but just ride with that and you’ll enjoy the book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

The only way day was yesterday.

Quick read but great story and introduction to the Band of Brothers series.

I enjoyed the writing and the way BA drew her characters into relatable and interesting. Look forward to more.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.. I give it 5 stars as I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t on Goodreads so I was unable to leave my review at this time.

This is the 3rd book in this series by Ms. Ankrum. I previously read the second book. We meet Nio when he returns to Laguna to try and win back Becca after a decade of no contact. Both still have feelings for each other. Nio is there with his brother and his former military group of brothers for an annual reunion and to attend a buddy’s wedding. He choose Laguna as it’s where he’s from and where Becca still lives. Becca’s family had been wealthy and Nio the poor kid. Things have flipped. Becca’s father lost all his money, was arrested and ended up committing sucicide. Becca is in the wedding party and had been engaged until she caught her fiancée cheating. She and Steven decide to not tell them eave broken up since both are in the wedding party. Nio is very wealthy now, before his dad had been Becca’s family’s gardener. He has bought a house in Laguna for his dad with his brother and they are fixing it up as a surprise. We are told that Nio ran out on her without a reason and Becca is still in the dark about why. The book is wonderful as it chronicles the reunion of Becca and Nio and how this happens.

A quote:
There was a comfort in sharing memories with someone who knew your old secrets.

“Unsung Hero”, by Barbara Ankrum, is a sweet, well-written story about old lovers reuniting, after complicated family machinations tore them apart.
Nio and Becca are likeable characters who have both experienced their share of longing and yearning for each other during the separation period.
I like the concept of the Band of Brothers series and I am looking forward for the next stories.

Becca and Nio’s second chance story is wonderful , they had so much to overcome with all the secrets of the past standing in their way, all the years Becca had wondered why he had left her without any explanation,not even a good bye, the hurt of it, the not knowing, but what they had going for them was and always had been true love.
Do not miss the Epilogue, so heart warming it left me so uplifted except for the fact the book was ending and I was having a hard time letting go, talk about mixed emotions.

Becca Howard and Nio Reyes had a relationship ten years ago. But then Nio left Laguna without telling Becca why he was leaving or where he was going. So, it was a surprise to Becca when she ran into Nio one morning while out taking pictures of the waves and surfers.

Nio was back in town for the wedding of some friends. He was also back to fix up a house for his father. But, the main reason Nio was back was Becca. He found out about her recent breakup with her fiancé. And, because Becca’s disapproving father was no longer in the picture, Nio thought he might have a chance with Becca again. Nio would do anything to prove his love to Becca.

I admit, when I first started reading this book, I got a little lost with all of the characters. I didn’t really understand what they had to do with this story. But as I read more, it all fell in place and I really learned to like all of them. I really liked Nio and Becca and enjoyed learning their story. Their backgrounds were well defined and it created true to life characters that I couldn’t help but get caught up in their lives. The role reversal of a rich girl and a poor boy, to a poor girl and a rich guy, was an interesting twist. This book is the beginning of a new series and it started it off on a good note. I look forward to reading the books that will follow this one.

Nio and Becca have so many obstacles past and present to overcome and the truth of what happened a decade earlier threatens to war them apart. At a wedding weekend Nio tries to tell her what happened but his slow reveal may cost him Becca when her ex-fiancé spins a tale that suits his own agenda. This is sort of a prequel to the two Band of Brothers books already published by Ms. Ankrum and while it takes place far from Marietta, Montana (in Labuan Beach, CA), we meet most of the Band of Brothers (not Noah) briefly - even Tommy and see them before circumstances bring them to Marietta for a Christmas not too far off.

I've received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't feel any particular connection to this novel, storyline, characters and content. Just a quick and easy romance that lacked a a little something, something to make it stand out. Nothing memorable.

Nio might not be a Navy Seal like his brother. To his family he's a hero though. When he gets a second chance to find love with Becca, he goes all out. Becca is uncertain about everything, not just the two of them. It was fun seeing the length that Nio would go to for Becca.

The story of Nio and Becca. He left her with no explanation ten years ago, and now he is back, just after she has split up from her fiance. There is more to his story than he is letting on, but what will happen when she finds out the truth. A short and enjoyable second chance romance.