Fans of the m/m genre will find themselves drawn to this tale of two men who are closer than brothers but who have tried to keep their feelings hidden. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Br0th3rly by Alina Popescu, along with my impressions of it, and then add it to your bookshelf. In honor of this first installment of her Famous on the Internet series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $10 Wayward Ink Publishing GC along with a backlist title from Wayward Ink Publishing too!
To distance himself from Trevor, even after discovering they weren’t really related, he left for college at sixteen. Moving into the city, building a new life, and running an anonymous blog about what he considers sick, twisted feelings might make Tristan famous on the Internet, but it isn’t enough to get over his obsession. Every time he goes home, a quick glance at Trevor brings it all flooding back.
When commitment-phobe Trevor announces he’s got a serious boyfriend during one of Tristan’s rare visits home, the adoring kid brother will be forced to run once again. This time, however, Trevor doesn’t stand back and watch him leave.
Instead, he follows him, making it nigh on impossible for Tristan to keep his love a secret for much longer.
Instead, he follows him, making it nigh on impossible for Tristan to keep his love a secret for much longer.
EXCERPT:
Trev ran past me as he shouted, "Give me five."
His five minute prep for a night out had always baffled me. All he did was rush through a shower, pull some clothes out of his closet and throw them on, run his fingers through his hair, a comb if it was really needed, and, voila, he was ready, all perfect and sexy. I could never pull that off. If I tried, my hair would end up sticking out in all directions, my clothes wouldn't match, and I'd end up looking like a hobo.
True to style, he rumbled down the stairs five minutes later, smelling divine and looking as if he'd stepped out of a magazine cover. I swallowed hard, unable to stop myself from taking him in. How my cock did not tear through my jeans, I couldn't say. All I knew was I was now an expert at dressing in a way that would hide my bulge and keep it contained as much as humanly possible.
He hooked his arm around my shoulders and walked me outside.
"Where are we going, Trev?" I asked, looking up into his dark eyes.
I would introduce him as my brother, sure, but I never called him that when we were alone together, nor after that first introduction. I avoided referring to him as my sibling and used his name instead. I preferred his name; the same name I uttered on so many nights while writhing on top of my sheets and fucking my hand. Although the knowledge of how twisted I was never left me, I didn’t need to keep reminding myself he was my brother every time I addressed him.
His five minute prep for a night out had always baffled me. All he did was rush through a shower, pull some clothes out of his closet and throw them on, run his fingers through his hair, a comb if it was really needed, and, voila, he was ready, all perfect and sexy. I could never pull that off. If I tried, my hair would end up sticking out in all directions, my clothes wouldn't match, and I'd end up looking like a hobo.
True to style, he rumbled down the stairs five minutes later, smelling divine and looking as if he'd stepped out of a magazine cover. I swallowed hard, unable to stop myself from taking him in. How my cock did not tear through my jeans, I couldn't say. All I knew was I was now an expert at dressing in a way that would hide my bulge and keep it contained as much as humanly possible.
He hooked his arm around my shoulders and walked me outside.
"Where are we going, Trev?" I asked, looking up into his dark eyes.
I would introduce him as my brother, sure, but I never called him that when we were alone together, nor after that first introduction. I avoided referring to him as my sibling and used his name instead. I preferred his name; the same name I uttered on so many nights while writhing on top of my sheets and fucking my hand. Although the knowledge of how twisted I was never left me, I didn’t need to keep reminding myself he was my brother every time I addressed him.
"Mackie's Bar and Grill?" he asked, raising a brow. He wasn't taller by more than an inch or two, but it allowed him to look down at me, and I was happy with that. I loved to smile up at Trev and see him smile back, especially when he held me like this. It allowed my imagination to turn and twist the moment into something it was not.
BUY LINKS: AMAZON (US) | AMAZON (UK) | AMAZON (AU) | AMAZON (DE) | ARe | BN | WIP
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Taboo-themed romances have become popular recently, and with this novella that's the start of a new series, readers are given the impression of a taboo relationship between two men who always had a close bond even after discovering they weren't bound by blood. That discovery though didn't diminish their feelings of guilt and fears over how their parents and neighbors would react. It all leads to an engaging story full of angst and desperation that culminates in a few steamy interludes late in the story.
Tristan has loved Trevor ever since he discovered the meaning of the word but convinced himself his feelings were dirty because of their brotherly bond. Knowing that he could never love another has left him alone with very little sexual knowledge as he never wanted to give himself to anyone other than Trevor. To bury his feelings over the years he ran away from home, went to college under early admittance, stayed away from home as much as possible and buried himself in work. Everything changes though on the day Trevor introduces his family to his boyfriend as he looks a lot like Tristan. Running away doesn't work this time as Trevor soon follows and all the feelings that have been brewing between them come boiling to the surface.
Trevor always felt close to Tristan but didn't want to tarnish the connection they had as brothers. Instead of running and hiding though he buried himself in numerous one-night stands and alcohol. He acted carefree but inside he too was hurting. After the debacle of bringing his boyfriend home he can no longer ignore Tristan's tendency to run and puts his job, and the life he's lived thus far, on the line by speaking truths long kept hidden in a moment of intense relief and joy.
Tristan and Trevor are both so worried about what others think that they forget about their own happiness. Trevor held back the truth as he felt Tristan needed a brother more than anything else growing up. Tristan was too worried about rejection from his parents, Trevor, and his community to admit his feelings and constantly beat himself up over feelings of dirtiness and perversion. His angst was heavy-handed and palpable and I felt immense sympathy for him. While the two of them wallowed in unhappiness it was their parents who brought a bit of sunshine to the angst in this story as they were sweet and supportive from realizing their sons were gay to the feelings the boys had for each other. Their son's happiness was their only concern and they're what every kid would want in a parent. Along with a romance that percolated for most of the story before combusting in a sensual tug of war was a clever plot device that allowed readers to dig deeper into Tristan's psyche and innermost thoughts. Tristan's blog about his perceived questionable feelings for Trevor caught the attention of the publishing world and it's put him on the cusp of fame. His blog posts were thoughtful, humorous, and self-deprecating and I enjoyed seeing this other side of Tristan; a less serious one. On a whole this was a quick read full of intense emotions that ended just as it got started as I long to see their relationship evolve out in the open. It nicely balanced angst with steamy encounters to keep me fully immersed in the outcome and is another satisfying read from Ms. Popescu that has me excited for the next installment in this new series.
Tristan has loved Trevor ever since he discovered the meaning of the word but convinced himself his feelings were dirty because of their brotherly bond. Knowing that he could never love another has left him alone with very little sexual knowledge as he never wanted to give himself to anyone other than Trevor. To bury his feelings over the years he ran away from home, went to college under early admittance, stayed away from home as much as possible and buried himself in work. Everything changes though on the day Trevor introduces his family to his boyfriend as he looks a lot like Tristan. Running away doesn't work this time as Trevor soon follows and all the feelings that have been brewing between them come boiling to the surface.
Trevor always felt close to Tristan but didn't want to tarnish the connection they had as brothers. Instead of running and hiding though he buried himself in numerous one-night stands and alcohol. He acted carefree but inside he too was hurting. After the debacle of bringing his boyfriend home he can no longer ignore Tristan's tendency to run and puts his job, and the life he's lived thus far, on the line by speaking truths long kept hidden in a moment of intense relief and joy.
Tristan and Trevor are both so worried about what others think that they forget about their own happiness. Trevor held back the truth as he felt Tristan needed a brother more than anything else growing up. Tristan was too worried about rejection from his parents, Trevor, and his community to admit his feelings and constantly beat himself up over feelings of dirtiness and perversion. His angst was heavy-handed and palpable and I felt immense sympathy for him. While the two of them wallowed in unhappiness it was their parents who brought a bit of sunshine to the angst in this story as they were sweet and supportive from realizing their sons were gay to the feelings the boys had for each other. Their son's happiness was their only concern and they're what every kid would want in a parent. Along with a romance that percolated for most of the story before combusting in a sensual tug of war was a clever plot device that allowed readers to dig deeper into Tristan's psyche and innermost thoughts. Tristan's blog about his perceived questionable feelings for Trevor caught the attention of the publishing world and it's put him on the cusp of fame. His blog posts were thoughtful, humorous, and self-deprecating and I enjoyed seeing this other side of Tristan; a less serious one. On a whole this was a quick read full of intense emotions that ended just as it got started as I long to see their relationship evolve out in the open. It nicely balanced angst with steamy encounters to keep me fully immersed in the outcome and is another satisfying read from Ms. Popescu that has me excited for the next installment in this new series.
My rating for this is a B.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life.
She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.
WEBSITE/BLOG: http://alina-popescu.com
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/alina_
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/
GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/
GOOGLE+: https://www.google.com/+
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://amazon.com/author/
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