The Unwanted Love

The Davenports #0.5

by L. Steele

He's my brother's best friend...
And completely out of bounds...

One look from Nathan Davenport makes my heart stutter.
Six feet three inches of pure muscle with stormy blue eyes that see right through me.
He's everything I've dreamed about since I was sixteen
And snuck glances as he trained with my brother in our backyard.
Not that he noticed...

He’s the decorated Royal Marine who commands every room he enters.
I'm the curvy girl who hides behind textbooks and oversized hoodies.
He’s the definition of off-limits – my brother's best friend,
...Also, my hopeless crush
And the man who still sees me as his best friend’s kid sister.
Or so I thought...

Because lately, those lingering glances feel different.
The air crackles when we're alone.
And the way he tensed when that guy hit on me at my brother's barbecue?
Definitely not brotherly protection.

I've spent years playing it safe, ducking away whenever he visits.
But now I'm eighteen, done with hiding,
...and ready to show him I'm not that shy little girl anymore.
There's just one Nathan's iron-clad loyalty to my brother.
But some rules are meant to be broken...

The Unwanted Love is the prequel to The Unwanted Wife – Nathan & Skylar’s story. An emotional angsty romance featuring a protective Marine, a curvy heroine finding her confidence, and all the delicious tension of falling for your brother's best friend. This novella includes strong chemistry, found family feels, and a guaranteed HEA. One-click to start reading today!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Audiobook, Plus Size, Military Fiction

82 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Amazon top 4 bestselling author L. Steele is best known for her marriage of convenience, billionaire romance novels.

She writes about powerful men with ice in their veins who are brought to their knees by the curvy, strong women they never saw coming.

She lives for the heart-aching angst, the sharp banter, and the kind of raw, soul-deep connection that makes readers stay up until 4:00 AM because they cannot bear to leave her characters behind.

She strives to create stories that breathe. The kind of magic that imprints on your heart and stays with you long after you have read the final page.

Did she succeed? Message her and let her know. She loves hearing from her readers.

When she is not dreaming up her next OTT possessive MC, she can be found trading trivia with her husband, watching movies, or walking nature trails with a dirty chai latte in hand.

Reviews

[Tabatha (tab.talks.books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ 1🌶️
An emotional angsty romance featuring a protective Marine, a curvy heroine finding her confidence, and all the delicious tension of falling for your brother's best friend.

[sladjana.reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have dnf'ed the audiobook.
I have had The Unwanted Love & The Unwanted Wife forever on my tbr.

Let me start by saying there is a 15 years age gap. I love age gaps.

But this bitch has had a crush on her brother bestfriend Nathan since she was 14 years old. She is now 18 and he is 33 and she told him at her 18th birthday that she wants him. BRO FUCK NO!
She acts like a child, and he almost gets hard by the word daddy, while they were talking about her maybe having daddy issues. BRO FUCK NO AGAIN!

I know that she is 23-24 in the next book. But this prequel just gave me the ick.

[Laura W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prequel to The Unwanted Wife (#1 in the Davenport series) introduces readers to Skylar and Nathan. He’s her brother’s best friend. She’s fifteen years younger and has always hidden behind books. Now, at 18, she’s finally an adult — and doesn’t understand why he still sees her as “the kid sister.” She asks for one thing… but will it be enough to keep them apart? This prequel novella explores forbidden crushes, slow-burn romance, and left me eager to dive into the next book immediately!


#TheUnwantedLove #LSteele #DavenportSeries #BookReview #RomanceNovella #SlowBurnRomance #ForbiddenLove #Bookstagram #BookObsessed #RomanceReads #PrequelNovella #SweetRomance #ContemporaryRomance #IGReads #BookishCommunity

[Satchel Paige (Southernbellbookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having not read any of the series yet, this was a great introduction to the next book with the full story of Sky and Nathan. Shane East is my favorite narrator and if I see his name, I know I will enjoy the book. This was my first L. Steel read and I really enjoyed what I heard so far. This is the first time I’ve heard Roxy and I think I she did a really good job and portraying Sky at 18. This little listen had what I love; military romance, best friend’s little sister, somewhat forbidden, and enough tension to keep you wanting more, a little taste of what’s to come. Only reason it’s a 4 for me is the age gap for this particular read. 18 and 33 is a bit much for me, but I pushed on through though for the next book because she’s older and I know I will enjoy it more, even with the 15 yr age gap. It was a plus that it was only some first base with hot grinding for this round. I am definitely interested in listening to their full story.

[Debbie Lyon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm confused!

I gave this story a low rating only because I'm confused, when I ordered this book I must of miss where it said prequel or something like that and then I realized what I'm reading I have all ready read Skye's story which I really enjoyed and I did gave a higher rating.So the low rating had nothing to with the story but I think it should of came out before the original story came out!

[Ashley Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cute and made me want more highly recommend!

[Rach · Rating 2 out of 5]

This prequel kinda made me not want to read/listen to the full length books. The age gap of a freshly turned 18 year old wanting a 33 year old man, it was a bit… hmmm… yeah…

Even though I listened to the sneak peak of book one at the end of the audiobook, I still don’t think I’ll follow on.

[Yanaa Bhavsar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐
Well great introduction of characters.

[Minnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐

I listen to the audiobook, but because of reasons, I'm not rating anything about the audio, only the story 😎

This prequel is set 5 years before the novel (The Unwanted Wife). It's Skylar's 18th birthday, and she and Nathan see each other for the first time in ages.

The chemistry between these two is ⚡💥🔥. If you expect 🌶️ in this book, I have to disappoint you. BUT there will be A LOT of 🌶️ in the novel. Lots and lots of 🔥🌶️ Nathan just needs to come over the fact that Skylar is his best friend's baby sister. Like Ben, Nathan is 15 years older than her. A fact Skylar doesn't care about 😎 I mean, Nathan is super 🔥 I wouldn't care either 🥵

Because of it being the audiobook, I don't have any fav quotes, even though there are a lot of things I would have chosen 😁 Especially because of Skylar's love for 🌶️ romance books 😉

I loved getting a bit of what happened before the novel. The love between Skylar and her brother Ben is so wonderful. Even though they rarely had any time together because he went to the Marines when she was (and here it is... my brain is not made for audiobooks), I think when she was 3 or was it 5? I really don't know 🤷‍♀️ As I said, Ben is 15 years older than her.

If you like super 🔥, dominant, grumpy, alphahole billionaires. LOTS of 🌶️. Curvy/plus-size FMCs. Then don't miss L. Steele's books! They are all set in London (except for the Mafia series, which is set in Sicily, Italy).
Don't wait. Go and start with "The Billionaire's Fake Wife". The books are ALL connected with each other; you will meet MCs from the first series in the 4th series, and all in between. You won't get rid of any of them 😎


Follow me on IG for more
https://www.instagram.com/minnie.love...

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure what I just read .... but don't pay for this book and waste you money! it's free with the Kindle Unlimited first book - The Unwanted Wife.

I get that it's a little prequel to The Unwanted Wife but it's only 88 pages and stops at page 48. The rest are just excerpts from the other books and the author pages at the end.

I'm not sure how tall either Skye or Nathan are, but she would have to be super short (like under 5 foot) and he would have to be like 7 foot tall based on him still being taller when she's standing on the bed... and then she's "jumping up" to kiss him and getting the base of his neck and he's groaning at that? Um, what? A mere brush of her lips has him groaning? And this insta-attraction is just a bit much too. Sure, she's had a massive crush on him for years but this is the first time he's seen her (and didn't recognize her) in several years and is ready to jump her bones? sigh. The next book should be interesting, to say the least. and I've not decided if that's a good or bad thing yet.

I wish myself luck. haha

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: I read the German Edition!

Spoilerfreie Rezension: Kleiner Appetizer aus der Feder von L. Steele: toll – und macht Lust auf mehr🥰🤗

Gerade habe ich das Buch „The Unwanted Love“ beendet.

Es handelt sich hier um das Prequel zu der Davenport-Reihe. Und wie es generell ist, ist dieses auch nicht so umfangreich wie ein vollständiges Buch. Dennoch fand ich die Dynamiken schon mal total gut ausgearbeitet und auch die Charaktere sehr interessant.

Ich brauche euch nicht zu sagen, dass das Ganze mir viel zu kurz war. Aber dafür freue ich mich um so mehr auf den nachfolgenden Band, der die Geschichte ausführlich weiterführt.

Der Teaser war auf alle Fälle schon mal vielversprechend, so dass ich wirklich j e t z t weiterlesen möchte…

Auch die anderen Einblicke, die uns die Autorin ermöglicht fand ich toll….

Insofern also 5-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sterne für einen kleinen Appetithappen der Großes verspricht!

Eine klare, definitive Leseempfehlung! Holt euch dieses Buch! Ihr werdet es nicht bereuen! 😉🤗

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was about to start the first book in this series but saw there was a prequel so I downloaded it and started with that. Thankfully I did because what the heck am I reading???

This reads like it was written by a 12 year old on one of those ridiculously expensive pay by the chapter apps. I don’t even get halfway through this prequel novella without cringing so I decided to check the reviews for the first book and I’m glad I did. They reinforced the issues I noticed with the prequel.

Poorly written, strange phrasing, a childish FMC (makes sense since she just turned 18) & a 33 year old MMC that clearly has some issues going on. He’s also written as “shuffling his feet” & bouncing from foot to foot. Any 33 year old man that does that is instantly unappealing to me 😂

I’m not bothering to finish this and can’t say I’m overly intrigued to read anything else by this author after reading 30% of a short prequel.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the books created by L. Steele. This prequel to The Unwanted Bride only makes me thirstier to read the next installment. Harper is so fresh. The way she blurts out what she's thinking, before truly thinking. Then questions why she said that out loud. She's determined, lively and spontaneous. But for her age, she's very intelligent. James, a Royal Marine, has a lot of baggage to unpack. But the chemistry between himself and Harper is hard to ignore. He is about a decade older and feels that his darkness would hurt her. Also, he believes she needs to see more of life. Plus she is his little sister's best friend. Knowing how deeply Harper feels this link between them, only makes it harder to walk away. Now Phe, noticed the chemistry and is trying to play matchmaker. But when James sets his mind on something, there's no swaying him. Or is there something coming that can put this train back on the tracks?

[Korkoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fighting for His Feelings -
This story is the prequel to the love saga between Skylar and Nathan, where she tried to turn her childhood crush into a real relationship when she comes of age, but he doesn’t give her the time of day. However, Nathan and Skylar become entangled again years later when she asks him for help and he puts forward a proposition that throws her through a loop. This novella did a wonderful job setting the scene for the next book in the series. I am sure you will have fun reading this book, just as much as I did.

I received a copy of this book free and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gail Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick introduction to Skylar and Nathan. She has been crushing on him for years but now she is turning 18, she wants to make her desire known.

Nathan knows Skylar as his best friend’s little sister, but when reunited after a few years, he is very surprised to find that she has grown into a beauty and is not the ‘kid’ sister any more.

“Good girl” … mmmhmmmmm

“I do. I simply want to know your taste. Just once, Nate.”

Excerpts from The Unwanted Love by L. Steele. This material may be protected by copyright.

[Bailey (Myveinsbleedink) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio and i'm not going to lie it made me uncomfortable. I did not like the interactions between Nathan & Skylar at all. He was so wishy washy and she was so ridiculously immature I was embarrassed for her.
With that being said at the end of the audiobook it started on the first chapter of Book One The Unwanted Wife and it was a lot better. So i'm looking forward to reading that one.

[Tampatha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the narration - I thought that Shane & Roxy were a great pairing. The story was fine. I realize it is a prequel and I am hoping that their actual story in the next book is a bit better. I love brother's best friend and marine so I'm looking forward to that. I just thought that Nathan & Skyler's interactions were a bit awkward, but then maybe that is the point as this is where their relationship starts to change and it's a bit of a bumpy ride.

[Amber Trevathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
The Unwanted Love by L. Steel is a quick, cute novella that does its job but doesn’t quite leave a lasting impact. The story is good and easy to get through, and Skylar and Nathan are interesting enough to keep you engaged.

What it really does well is spark curiosity — it definitely made me want to know more about their story, which feels like the main goal of the novella. On its own, it’s enjoyable but a little light, leaving you intrigued rather than fully satisfied.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This audio was good, but it went so fast. That's my only complaint about novellas.
Nathan realized how much his best friend's sister grew up and he had to fight his new feelings for Skylar. The only thing I didn't like was the narrator who voiced Skylar.
Can't wait to read The Unwanted Wife, which is they're full lengh book.

[Ursula Rommel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kleine Vorgeschichte, die erzählt wie alles anfängt mit der Geschichte von Nathan und Skylar.

Das Problem ist das sie die kleine Schwester seines besten Freundes ist und damit Tabu.

Ausserdem ist er 15 Jahre älter, was ihr egal ist.
Nice und auch etwas spicy.
Ich hätte mir gewünscht sie wäre etwas länger.
Aber definitiv macht sie neugierig auf das Buch.
Mehr Infos im Klappentext.

[Aly Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have had this series on my TBR for over a year. Glad I started with this short novella. Brother's best friend, love it. Military, yes, we love a uniform. Curvy leading lady, perfect! Age gap, sure. Barely legal, uhhhhh, not great. Throwing herself at a 15 year age gap, nope! An immature girl who can't take no for an answer, I checked out.

[Teresa R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unrequited Love
Skylar’s been in love with her brother’s best friend Nathan forever. Now she’s 18 and definitely knows what she wants, him! But will he reciprocate or keep his distance because their first kiss is epic!

[Hayley Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm so naive. So. So. Naive." "Yes, you are... but in a good way" I freeze. - LOL Skylar caught having a melt down! The way I squealed and re-read that again and again! This is the Prequil to "The Unwanted Wife"

[Carol Mason]

Amazing read as always.

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
I thought this was a great introduction to the characters and I will definitely be reading this series as I am excited to see their full story.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

A great look into the early years of these two. The full story was so good. Surrounded by love and family.
Narration was superb.

[Abby Greenleaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book needs to be much better than this novella is all I’m saying

[LAJordan Leigh Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it did its job—I’m so very smitten with Nathan & Skylar and want more of them. Thea narration is scrumptious and perfect!! I’m headed to grab The Unwanted Wife!

[Nicole Ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I listened to the audio. The narrators did a good job. This was a real quick listen on how the characters from The Unwanted Wife know each other and how they got to were they are.

[Brooke Miron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was expecting at least one spicy scene, was definitely a teaser.