More Than Need You (More Than Words Book 2) Kindle Edition

More Than Need You is part of the series More Than Words and that is the perfect way to explain the theme for this book. A relationship is built and destroyed and rebuilt again on more than words. It takes love, anger, forgiveness and happiness. This book has it all.

Griff is amazing even with all his faults. He made a huge mistake 3 years ago and ruined the most important relationships in his life. He has the sins of his parents on his shoulders and that has continued to eat away at him and affect his relationships with the people who are closest to him. Griff wants to be a better man for Britta but it doesn't happen overnight. And he has a lot to learn.

Britta is the love that Griff pushed away. There is a lot of reasons why Griff did what he did but Britta now wants to protect herself and her son. She doesn't want to put herself in the same position to get hurt again. Plus so much time has passed that old wounds have festered and she doesn't know how they can heal.

Keeley and Maxon also give great advice to Griff, especially Keeley. She is a force to be reckoned with. She gives Griff something he desperately needs, a friend. She is that ear that all of us need from time to time and she isn't afraid to tell Griff that his is being stupid.

I love this book!!! It has all the elements that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. I really adored Griff. Make no mistake, he has his moments where you want to tell him off but he had a chance to look inside himself to become something more than his father. I understand Britta in the way that she didn't want to put her heart on the line again and just so much time had passed.

I also really love how music is weaved throughout this story and series. I can tell how important music is to Shayla Black. She is really knowledgable and her playlist is amazing and fits perfectly to the mood and tone of the book.

We also get some insight about Harlow and the man she is about to marry. The bothers are already expressing their thoughts. I can't wait!!!

More Than Need You, the second novel in the More Than Words series by Shayla Black is Griffin Reed and Britta’s story. Like book one I purchased the audiobook immediately after I finished reading the e-book and began listening to the words in Christian Fox’s voice.
I read a lot of books about characters with dark or damaged paths. As a matter of fact, I’m drawn to them. It doesn’t matter to me if it is the hero, the heroine, or both. There is something about the characters as they learn to trust and deal with their past. Griffin Reed is the dark character in this book.

If you read the first book, you know a little about the way Griff treated his former girlfriend, Britta. Knowing what he did, I wasn’t sure if he was salvageable for me. I wasn’t sure Shayla could convince me that Griff is worth forgiving. More than Need You picks up parallel with the ending of More Than Want You. With the parallel scenes, the reader experiences some of the final events from Griff’s perspective.

More Than Need You is well written from Griff’s point of view. Maxon and Keeley are also present. Keeley was a friend of Griff’s for a couple years and still works to help him, and Britta repairs their past. I love that her communication is still through music. For me, Griff redeems himself quite nicely. More is revealed about the Reed’s parents and the life Griff had as a teen. It is sad that a person who appears to have all the opportunities afforded an upper-class family, but in reality, he is used by both parents. His father uses him against his brother, and his mother uses him to get an in with some influential women.

Britta is a lovely character. Her priority is her son. Rightfully so, she doesn’t trust Griff not to hurt her again, and she fears he will leave his son if he has contact. It is confusing that Brita held onto the hope that he would come back and makes the decision to move on just as he does. He wants to explain, but she doesn’t really listen. Honestly, who can blame her?

One of my favorite aspects of Shayla’s characters is how believable they are. I can see where a person conditioned to wait for every person in their life to serve up betrayal that s/he turns away. This is Griff I believe that the other person in the relationship will have a hard time giving that person the benefit of the doubt. I’m team Harlow on this point and agree that Britta set Griff up and Griff failed.

Shayla Black takes us on a realistic journey of love, loss and a second chance to get it right. She guides these characters on a frustrating journey of pain and heartbreak, but the characters don’t give up. There are many moments of joy especially when both characters are in parent mode. I love experiencing all the “feels” with these characters. While this is the second book in the series, it easily stands on its own. Everything you need to know is presented here. The conclusion of More Than Need You gives the reader a solid ending while whetting the appetite for the next book where Harlow will reveal her story. Can’t wait!

Audio Book Review
This is the second book I’ve listened to with Christian Fox as narrator. He does an excellent job. At first, I thought he might throw me off as I recently heard him telling Maxon’s story. It didn’t. I dropped right into Griff’s trials as interpreted by Christian. I highly recommend More Than Need You as an audiobook for all audio fans. Brilliantly done!

FINAL DECISION: A second chance at love with an messed up jerk of a hero who has to reveal everything about himself to reclaim the woman that he loves and hurt.

THE STORY: Griffin Reed has just learned that he has a son. Three years ago, he made a mistake in thinking that his brother had betrayed him and that Griffin's girlfriend was complicit. He tossed her away. Now he wants a second chance but Britta Stone has moved on and just gotten engaged to a reliable man. Griffin has only a few short weeks to convince Britta that he is a changed man who loves her and wants her and their son to be a family.

OPINION: I overall enjoyed this book and I really like the trope of the jerk hero who has to chance everything to win back the woman he loves. I just felt, however, that the book went on too long without much changing in Britta and Griffin's relationship. In the first half of the book, I got tired of pages and pages of him desperately wanting her and her not responding. I think I would have liked the book better if I got Britta's point of view as well (We do get a glimpse at the end).

Once the two move in together, however, and they really started to develop their relationship, the book got much better for me. I liked that Griffin has to accept responsibility for his behavior. By the end of the book, I was totally on their side.

As the two begin to communicate, the book gets much better because Britta's feeling are more transparent. I also really liked how Griffin is determined to make grand gestures for Britta to show his love.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book's timeline overlaps slightly with the first book in the series MORE THAN WANT YOU.

CONNECTED BOOKS: MORE THAN NEED YOU is the second book in the More Than Words series. These books are connected by overlapping characters but can be read as standalones.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.