Book Review for The Other Brother Part 3: Illicit by Lauren Hawkeye and Tawny Stokes

From two New York Times bestselling authors comes the conclusion to the captivating story started in The Other Brother Part 1: Forbidden...
Blood is thicker than water.
And there’s always a secret, right? And three people can keep it only if one of them is dead.
My mind is telling me to believe one brother, and my gut the other…
What happens to us all when the truth comes crashing down?
The Other Brother is a novel told in three parts. This is part three of three.

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The romance and suspense that has been building throughout the two previous installments in this  erotic serial comes to a head in this story that culminates in a pulse-pounding, edge of your seat conclusion.  Just when it looks as if Seth and Allegra might be on their way to HEA, Theo finally makes his move and acts on his feelings that only intensified once Seth came to live with them.  Theo's actions put Allegra's life in jeopardy and have Seth falling back on his violent youth once he realizes just how much she means to him.  When all their paths collide, and once the dust settles, readers will be left rooting for a HEA that might end in blood and tears.

Throughout these three installments this duo has crafted a compelling and sensual serial that easily, and should've, been one complete read.  By breaking it into separate stories the sensual haze and gripping and suspenseful flow was disrupted.  Just when things were getting good the story ended and we were again left waiting.  Making readers wait doesn't always make us excited for the next installment, sometimes it makes us frustrated.  Knowing how short these installments were exacerbated my frustrations, but the compelling writing and engaging storyline captivated me and kept me coming back for more.

The forbidden nature of the attraction between Allegra and Seth was more titillating than anything else and drove this story of obsession.  Allegra's a strong-willed woman who went through a rough period when her family imploded over an act that Seth committed to protect her.  She's risen above the lows she fell to and will need all of her strength once Theo's obsession becomes crazed.  Seth was once the bad boy but after his time in prison he's now more contemplative.  He thinks before he acts except when it comes to Allegra.  Being with her throws his emotions into chaos once again and leaves him a desperate man willing to do anything to rescue her from Theo.  Theo's been a dangerous and creepy character since we first saw him.  His time away from the family only hardened him further and made him even more dangerous.  He's a truly vile villain and the author's portrayed him in a vividly chilling way that cemented his insanity and left readers guessing the story's outcome until the very end.  Though the ending was satisfying I felt it was very rushed and didn't fully cover all the character's endings.  Also satisfying was the romance and sensuality between Allegra and Seth permeating the entire serial with its steaminess.  I could understand their mutual attraction, and with a judgemental society I could also understand their trying to fight that attraction.  This led to intense sexual tension, along with the time bomb that Theo was becoming, that combined to keep me on the edge of my seat.  On a whole this was a compelling series full of enticements that called to me despite my frustrations with its serialization and with the talent shown her I look forward to more from this talented duo.

My rating for this is a B+

*I got this book from the authors for review in exchange for my honest opinion.