ARC Review: Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas

I have been hoping to get more of the Jaeger brothers since I first read Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas. This book definitely didn’t disappoint! Five Brothers can be read as a standalone story, but I highly recommend reading Tryst Six Venom as it is good and will give you a bit of backstory on these brothers and Liv and Clay that feature here. You don’t need to read it though to understand this book.

This story centers around all five of the Jaeger brothers and Krisjen. While the Jaegers come from the “Swamp” side of town, Krisjen is a “Saint”. Their sides aren’t supposed to mix, but Krisjen finds herself more comfortable on the other side of town in the Jaeger house. I won’t get into details of the story as I don’t want to give anything away, but I genuinely enjoyed getting to know each of these brothers better. I will say that while there is a lot that happens with the brothers here, this one is not an RH. It does end with Krisjen in a relationship with one brother.

I didn’t want to put this one down, interested to see what would happen and who she would end up with. I honestly felt like Krisjen belonged in the Jaeger family and I loved seeing how much she cared for all of them. She was such a likable character and was so genuinely nice and caring. While I loved this one and know readers will too, I can absolutely say that I hope we get more of this family! I’d love it if each of the brothers gets their own book. While I loved the relationship that developed here, my favorite parts were the family moments here. The Jaeger crew are truly one of a kind and I couldn’t get enough of their moments together. I highly recommend this one!

**ARC Provided by Publisher via Netgalley**

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ARC Review: Mr. Wicked by Marni Mann

I couldn’t wait to read Mr. Wicked by Marni Mann after reading Mr. Hook-Up! Mr. Hook-Up was one of my favorite reads from 2023, so I will admit my expectations were high here. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with this book like I did the first in the Hooked series. Each book is a standalone, and honestly the feel of this book was completely different to the first. While there were things I liked here, I just didn’t enjoy this story as much as Mr. Hook-Up. 

I struggled to get into this story and that continued for the entire first half of the book. I felt like Grayson was just too much of an asshole. Usually I am able to find some redeeming qualities when a hero starts off this way, but honestly Grayson was just that bad. I didn’t understand why Jovanna felt the way she did. Her insta-love feelings didn’t make sense to me. She gave him so much leeway and he frankly didn’t deserve it. When he finally did make the switch, that didn’t make sense to me either. His reasoning for it didn’t seem believable to me. 

Once things changed for these two, it was like a switch had flipped and all of a sudden things went into overdrive. The whole second half of the book things felt rushed. I just really couldn’t get on board with the flip to their relationship and things didn’t feel genuine. While these two had chemistry and it was clear the attraction was there from the start, I just really felt like the relationship didn’t feel authentic to me. The big secret fell a bit flat for me, with things exploding when the truth was learned to quickly be swept under the rug because of circumstances that felt a bit manufactured just to clear things up and put them into perspective. Usually Marni’s stories are some of my favorites, but this one just felt forced and as though each thing that happened was manufactured to drive something else. There wasn’t the natural flow I am used to from Marni and I had to keep picking this one back up. I wasn’t anxious to keep reading, but it was more of a mission to finish. I still love Marni’s books and am looking forward to the next one. Unfortunately Grayson and Jovanna’s story was a miss for me.

**ARC Provided by Netgalley**

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ARC Review: Fake-Ish by Winter Renshaw

I loved Dorion so much! Him and Briar were so good together. They had such a strong connection from the very start and their chemistry was off the charts. These two had it all and my heart felt for both of them in the situation they were in. I'm so glad that they were able to figure things out in the end. They were so real and genuine and I'm glad they remained that way at the end. 

Winter Renshaw never disappoints, and this was no exception. She just knocks it out of the park each and every time! I always look forward to her stories and can't wait for what is next! Winter Renshaw is one of my favorite authors and I can't recommend her books enough. Fake-Ish is one of my new faves, this one is a must read!

**ARC Provided by Publisher/Author**

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ARC Review: Mr. Hook-Up by Marni Mann

 

I couldn’t wait to read Mr. Hook-Up after reading The Bachelor by Marni Mann, and it was everything I hoped for and more! This book is a standalone story, and the start of Marni’s new Hooked series. Readers first meet some of the characters from Mr. Hook-Up in Marni’s book The Bachelor as Camden Dalton helps Declan Shaw take on a case that becomes a large part of this series. Not only do I highly recommend the whole Dalton series (they are interconnected stand-alones) as they are all fantastic reads, but I definitely recommend reading The Bachelor first if possible as it was so good and gives you a little glimpse into this book!

This book has one of my favorite tropes ever, texting/secret identity, and I couldn’t get enough. It is split into two parts, and I was honestly so in love with this story as I read it. I won’t give anything away, but I had to know how things would go after part one and didn’t want to put this one down for anything! These characters are sexy and witty, and I just loved every second of this one!

Fans of Marni will love this book as it has everything i’ve come to expect and appreciate about her stories! Her writing is so good and you can’t help but fall in love with her characters and want to be right there with them. She also always brings the spice, and this one was no exception! I can’t wait to read this one again and to also get more in this series! I love Marni’s books, but this one could possibly be my new favorite! Mr. Hook-Up will have you Hooked from the very first page, an absolute must-read!

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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