Limecello’s review of Beloved Brother by Katie Blu
Erotic romance ebook published by Ellora’s Cave 4 Jul 08
I’ve heard a lot of about Ellora’s Cave, both its books and in general, and I decided to read one of their “quickies” to find out for myself. The premise was interesting, and I generally enjoy variations on the friends-to-lovers and forbidden love themes. The book started off well, and I was pleasantly surprised. However, the feeling did not last as long as I would have liked.
I felt that the characters started off much too antagonistic. I couldn’t really place Phoebe and Jared’s relationship. Not only was there little romance, I didn’t find the chemistry believable. Some of the scenes were sexy, but the lack of connection between Phoebe and Jared, and their antagonism made the reading less enjoyable than it could have been. It caused an emptiness in their encounters.
Phoebe seemed like a very angry character, and rather under developed. I didn’t get a feel for her personality, but she had a lot of issues – some which were cliché and came out of the blue. Because her father left her mother, she was emotionally closed off, but didn’t seem to realize this. The times Phoebe and Jared had sex seemed non sequitur until the end, and even that felt a bit off.
Jared, for his part, rather than acting like an emotionally mature adult, becomes sullen and unpleasant towards Phoebe, because he loves her, but knows she has emotional issues. I didn’t particularly like the sudden change in Jared’s behavior, where everything was different because Phoebe’s mother died.
Then there was the slightly creepy conversation of Phoebe trying to place herself as Jared’s sister (right after they had sex) – and them arguing about being step-siblings who didn’t grow up together. The latter part made it better, as I get squicked out by cousins dating. This scenario, however wouldn’t have bothered me if the characters didn’t make an issue of it. Which they did. The public sex in front of spectators also seemed rather gratuitous to me, and didn’t add anything to the story.
I did think the “meant to be” theme, and the fact that their respective parents thought Phoebe and Jared would make a good couple from the start was cute. The ending was nice, where the two begin to find their footing and embark on a relationship together.
All told, this was an ok story- and even though it was a short, I felt that the characters were a bit underdeveloped. The flow wasn’t quite there. While the premise was interesting, I didn’t particularly connect to the characters, and was not terribly enthralled. However, if you’re looking for a very short steamy read, this might be your cup of tea.
Grade: D
The Summary:
Phoebe Marks has a lot of history with Jared Larabie and none of it is good. Unfortunately, her mother and his father got married and now she can’t ignore the sexy bane of her existence at family gatherings. Phoebe pushes Jared away, building barriers wherever possible based on their tumultuous past. But Jared is convinced the woman Phoebe has become is worth the effort. The trick is in convincing her he’s traded his former antics for something real.
Read an excerpt here.
