Saturday, July 16, 2016

NEW REVIEW! MONSTER STEPBROTHER by Harlow Grace:


TITLE: Monster Stepbrother
AUTHOR: Harlow Grace
AGE GROUP: New Adult, Adult
GENRE: Romance (Dark)
RELEASE DATE: February 9th 2015
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
PAGES: Approx. 177

COPY PROVIDED BY: Purchased
MY GOODREADS REVIEW LINK
RATING: 4 Stars!
CLIFFHANGER: No

BOOK BLURB:
*** Standalone Novel ***
His dark obsession runs deep.
He's obsessed with her.
She's addicted to him.
Two damaged souls.
Will they heal or ruin one another?

How does a girl go from being Daddy's precious doll to a different kind of toy?
Easy really. When my father remarries it changes the course of my life and everything becomes . . . complicated.

My new stepbrother is a monster who hates me. Unapologetic, controlling, and brazen, he's intent on making my life a living hell. 
Oliver King makes the rules. Whenever he wants. However he wants. Wherever he wants.
My head screams this is wrong, but I can't resist giving in to forbidden desires.
I want it as much as he does. 

I'm his possession, his ultimate pleasure, his dark obsession.
My addiction to him grows to a dangerous level. I can't stop craving more from the man who has made me his and ruined me for anyone else. 
Can what starts out as lust and vengeance end as love? 
Can we take away one another's pain and ease one another's fears? 

Nobody said life or love was easy.
My name is Maya Childs, and this is my story. 

*** Standalone ***
*** No Cliffhanger ***
*** HEA ***
18+ 

A NOTE from the Author:

This book is NOT for everyone and may have triggers that make some readers uncomfortable. Please be aware of that before you read this book! If you do decide to go ahead, please keep an open mind. 

Inside each of us lurks a monster. We all have demons we hide from the world. We all need that one special person to look beyond the surface of the mask we wear and deep into our souls. I hope you enjoy Oliver and Maya's story--that you will indeed peel back the layers and look beneath the surface.

Dark erotic novel that contains sensitive subject matter that may make readers uncomfortable. Not appropriate for readers under 18. Contains explicit language and descriptions of sexual situations and violence.


REVIEWER'S NOTE: In continuing with pulling books from my LONG To-Be-Read list in an effort to read books I've had tagged for a while, Monster Stepbrother is this weeks choice. If you like taboo books with spice, this one is definitely worth a try.


4 “Monster” Stars!
So Hot, Super Angsty and Totally Taboo! 

The Review: 
Did I love this book? Definitely!

And just like the warning says, this book is NOT for everyone. The hero is foul mouthed, narcissistic and so full of himself, I’m surprised he had room for anything else. He’s a total mean-boy, he’s manipulative, a complete douche and in a real life circumstance, I would probably hate him. But this isn’t real life. This is escapism and I absolutely LOVED him.

Story/Characters... 
Written in dual POV’s and has multiple time shifts.

At sixteen, Oliver is invited to travel back to a city he hates to spend time with his mom's new family for a couple of weeks. He’s angry and he’s hurt and he’s fighting demons passed on to him by his father. He has no room for a new step-father or a new step-sister.

The first time he meets Maya, she’s 12 and it’s hate at first site on his part. Maya is sweet and excited to meet her new step-brother but it’s evident he wants no part of her.

Skip forward to four years later, Oliver returns to his mother's house to visit once again only this time, sweet 12 year old Maya has become a beautiful spitfire of a teen. She’s sixteen, gorgeous and Oliver wants her desperately but knows she’s both forbidden and jailbait.

But that's where their story really begins. Maya has been in love with Oliver since she was twelve but she’s as innocent as it gets, playing adult games to try and win her guy's attention and maybe his affection. Maya’s character was so complex. She had an entire well of insecurities and hangups stemming from the loss of her mother and the abandonment of her family. She was confused about her body, her mind, her feelings and her place in life and she had no mother figure to confide in about these things. I loved the way the author portrayed her and explained her. I could see myself in her. I connected with her on a female level and understood all those growing pains she was feeling. She was so lost and my heart broke for her.

Skip forward again to when Maya is eighteen and Oliver is twenty-two and that’s when their “story” turns into a heated, sexy, twisted kind of romance.

Oliver was intense and angry and just plain mean. But holy-hell was he HOT! And I mean, H.O.T! His past is steeped in hurt and shame and he really didn't have any good role models to help him through a life that was doomed to be ridiculed by others who didn’t understand or accept the sins of his father. But as with all heroes of this caliber, his poison was a cover and inside, he had a caring and nurturing side. It was hidden most of the time, but it was there, just waiting for the right person and a safe time for it to surface.

The Wrap Up: 
This was this author's debut novel and it shows. Some of the scenes were choppy, some of the plot felt missing and I think it could have benefited from a good editor. BUT... that does NOT take away from the incredible story, the steamy-sexiness or the amazing characters. Sometimes I need a good taboo book. Something with edge, a bit of a challenge, something without rules and is on the light side of dark. And something that dips its toe in the forbidden pool. This is definitely that kind of read. It’s not for everyone, but it was perfect for me. This book delivered those chest pangs I love and the tummy flutters I crave. It was a great read!


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