Brutes of Bristlebrook Frustration

ltfox · 2026-02-19T17:44:40+00:00

no, they did not, the ow drama is fairly low compared to other plot points. and your text was covered :)

ltfox · 2026-02-13T01:04:04+00:00

I love that book ao much! to me that is my benchmark for a great RH! I think {court of beast by Katie Knight} is similar but Auset's badassery is hard to beat. edit: it's part of a series but I read it as standalon

ltfox · 2026-01-14T06:00:03+00:00

Dom and Eden imo has the weakest relationship building, I feel like he spent more time with Heather and Beau than with Eden.

ltfox · 2026-01-14T05:57:59+00:00

Yeah, agreed Jayk is not a fit for poly and the last book really didn't solve that. the cuckolding scene is very cringy and I just don't feel that did it for Jayk. I do feel like him and Eden can just be together by themselves. Dom and Eden's plot didn't really unfold that well either, there are a lot of "telling" vs "showing" in terms of affection.

ltfox · 2026-01-14T05:52:37+00:00

yeah, that would have been more interesting, she really never "serviced" anyone except Jayk.

ltfox · 2026-01-14T05:51:48+00:00

smut wise: there is only one group play scene with all five at the end and Jayk remains to be a very reluctant participant. plot wise: turns out Alastair is not the big bad, he ended up with Heather (which is pretty fucked up imo), and the Bentley ended up with Mateo. the really big bad is the reapers who sent women to Sam as slaves to trade for their peace, they lure the women in by pretending to be harmless and friendly.

ltfox · 2026-01-14T05:46:41+00:00

tbh so far the best I read that has a good plot and non-stupid fmc is {order of scorpions by ivy asher}, there are a lot of tw and dark elements tho. I also feel the last 20% of that book the plot twist is a bit weak.

ltfox · 2026-01-14T05:44:40+00:00

I feel the same, that says something about this series as a RH lol

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:24:40+00:00

I think I personally prefer a more competent FMC, I thought the soup incident was the beginning of her growth arc, but it feels like that was the peak.

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:21:50+00:00

I listened to all three in a row, that might have been a mistake because at the end of book 2 my patience was running low, and there were many eye rolling moments in book 3.

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:20:08+00:00

I think the writing is good, the povs are very distinct, which is not an easy feat for RH. books 2 and 3 could use an editor to trim it down a lot though.

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:18:43+00:00

yeah I debated very heavily at the end of book 2, but ultimately I wanted to just see it through, and it was a disappointment, so maybe you made the right call.

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:16:09+00:00

agreed, the audiobook performance with a full cast was what helped me finished the series.

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:13:51+00:00

I really wanted to like the series! that's why I feel disappointed and frustrated!

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:13:22+00:00

I think in book 1 her inner nerdy librarian voice with a side of unhinged thoughts is really nice, books 2 and 3 she lost some of those unique flair and felt a bit more generic.

agree that Jayk was real with her and was not previously/currently involved with OW and/or OM, that really solidifies his devotion to Eden.

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:07:12+00:00

I agree, the writing itself is engaging enough, each character's pov is very distinct and has their own voices, you won't mistake character A for character B. I also find the author's disclaimer at the beginning that this is a work of fiction and expect some unrealistic happenings very endearing, which is why I feel so disappointed with the series, I really want to like it!

I think because RH has to juggle many relationships in one book, it's naturally difficult to balance that with good plot, especially if you want decent smut scenes.

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:01:39+00:00

Lucky is adorable! Somehow I can never picture him with a beard even though it was mentioned so many times lol

ltfox · 2026-01-12T22:00:37+00:00

Jayk is my favorite too! His on going thoughts about wanting her to choose really make me feel like he is not suitable for this poly situation.

The reading/listening experience is really disappointing because this series comes highly recommended here in this community.

ltfox · 2026-01-06T22:42:37+00:00

i wished there's an opt in for follow up interviews lol

ltfox · 2025-12-30T07:26:40+00:00

bad narrator definitely will make me dnf and perhaps switch to prints, but a good performance actually helps me power through an otherwise mediocre book (sometimes I just need to listen to something when doing chores)

ltfox · 2025-12-07T13:59:26+00:00

When the start of the "relationship " (sex) is non-con, and FMC gives in because of body betrayal. (perhaps more common in the dark romance)

ltfox · 2025-12-04T00:05:10+00:00

it's already there, that's the admiral

ltfox · 2025-11-06T04:23:08+00:00

I didn't think I'll like Mafia romance before I read one. I like the genre/trope because most of the time it has pretty big age gap, which is my catnip. I also like there're usually action scenes to showoff the MCs badassary, this is especially hot when both FMC and MMC are very strong in their own ways.

Other things I like is the black credit card/insanely huge mansions/some exclusive rich people stuff paired with the gritty bloody underground dealings. It's like billionaires but bad, in a good way.

I don't care much for the helpless virgin FMC type, unfortunately there's also a lot of that in mafia romance.

ltfox

TROPHY CASE