Not a Whisper

Cracked Spines Duet #2

by M.T. Addams

With her secrets buried and her heart still intact—Briella Wilson is determined to move forward with her head held high as Spring semester starts.

Yet, being entwined in a relationship with three young men is complicated—especially when the powerful Garry Gipson begins to stick his nose into his son’s life. Seen as a threat to the Gipson Empire, Briella finds herself in a whole new game and this time: it’s her life on the line.

But Grant, Jason, and Trip are possessive about their doll. No one will take her from them, not even the most powerful man in Texas. These three are willing to go to new extremes, and play even more dangerous games with both her, and the man they hate.

Even if it means risking their own lives to win.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Romance, College, Polyamory, College Romance, Why Choose

492 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2024

Reviews

[Kursed Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and twisty. Suspense and steam. The conclusion to the Cracked Spines duet brought the heat and had me on the edge of my seat. Love that we have plot with our smut and our harem has personality.

As reminder, I’m in the middle of a move to another state with my family. My reviews are not as detailed as they usually are, but I’m struggling to keep my head above water right now. I’m sorry to anyone this disappoints. I look forward to my life returning to normal when my free time is spent reading, not packing!!

[Jo’s reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,5
Spice : 🌶🌶️🌶️

- Why choose (MMFM)
- Bully Romance
- Forbidden College Romance
- Reverse age gap
- Found family
- BI@ckmail
- Obsessive, possessive and OTT MMCs
- Touch her and die
- Lots of kinks and triggers (dubcon, noncon, etc)

This is a great conclusion to the Cracked Spines duet.
We meet again with Bri, Grant, Trip and Jason where we left them at the end of book 1. This book is about them figuring out their relationships dynamics and overcoming many obstacles. They are many secrets that will be unveiled alongside revenge (the best kind) and grovelling (which let’s be honest should have been longer because they have a lot to atone for).
Even if I loooved the twists and turns this one took I think the book could have been a little shorter (but can’t we also say the more the better ?).
This book has the perfect combination between plot and spice. I loved the character development and Trip still is my number 1 and this book confirmed this for me.
MT Addams is definitely a must read author and if you enjoy dark why choose romance then you should definitely read this duet.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

All they know is fuck fuck fuck omg can we talk about the political and economic state of the world right now ☹️

(This is still family though 💔)

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc Review.

This book was SO GOOD! I was hooked from the beginning. I was anxious waiting for This book after the cliffhanger from Not a Peep. It did not disappoint!

I am in love with Trip, Grant, and Jason. Those boys are so psychotic and Obsessive of Bri 😍❤️. I totally ignored all the red flags 👀😂 Kinda makes me wanna go back to college to find some younger guys to play with 👀. The spice was top notch and had me writhing! Loved the MM scenes between the boys 👩🏼‍🍳💋

And the plot?! Omg!! So good! The conflict between Garry and the 4 of them had me on edge!! I have no nails left I was biting them the entire time! I think my heart stopped at the ending confrontations (I wont spoil you’ll have to read it 😉) but I was really pleased with the ending and how it all played out! Easily a top read!!

Best parts? No third act breakup and no pregnancy trope!! 🥳🤩 MT Addams my dear you have ruined me in the best way possible! ❤️🫶

Go read it! You won’t be disappointed!

[✨Gretch✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good RH book, ESPECIALLY one with a good plot to it. This series was such a fantastic read, I usually break up series as I read them, but I read them both back to back.

There was action, anxiety, and of course plenty of smut in this book. Unfortunately, there are not as many "spicy" scenes in the library, as there was in the first book, but the rest left absolutely no crumbs.

This is series is now going to be one of the main standards that I base my other ratings for RH's. It was just perfect 👩🏻‍🍳💋

[Meka 🌸 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy spicy spicy, this book is spicy as hell and I love it.


Trip, Jason and Grant all come together to make the perfect men for Bri. Add in some thrills and a solid plot and I couldn’t get enough.


Overall

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

[LaTosha Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 It wasn’t the story I was expecting. I thought there would be lots of strategic moves and back and forth between the group and Garry. But it was like 80% relationship development. Which I appreciated up to a point because you often don’t get enough of that in bully romance. Since all of book one was bullying it was nice to see them navigating through that. But it just felt drawn out which made the end obvious and inevitable. There was enough suspense to move the story forward and have stomach in knots. And I did enjoy how the love was expressed in actions and deeds and how utterly obsessed the guys but especially Jason was. I just was expecting a bigger clash. Overall it was a good read and you will never get bored with the sexy time, because Addams gets creative and doesn’t shy away from pushing limits.

[Becca Sabala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great conclusion to this duet.
This book is full of twists and turns.
Bri and the guys start off with figuring out their new relationship status, only for things to get more intense and quickly. The pressure is put on them by Grants dad and they have to figure out how to get out from under him while keeping everyone safe.
There was quite a few surprises in this book and loads of spice.

Trip, Grant, and Jason again made this book for me. I absolutely love them. They’re all so different yet their obsession with Bri is over the top. They will do anything and everything to keep her safe and also keep her happy. But that doesn’t mean they put aside any of their wants to possess her in every way they can.

Bri finally really accepts the relationship she has found herself in and doesn’t question their feelings and motives at every turn like she did in book one.

Overall this was a good read and the spice was top notch.

[Brittni W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I’m just in a mood cause this book didn’t hit as hard for me as the first one. Spice was def 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ though so no real complaints here

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
“I won’t let you pull away, dollface. You can kick and scream all you want, but I’ll drag you to hell with me if I have to if that means I get to keep you.”

The perfect conclusion to Bri’s story. This book was a wild ride! Thank all that’s holy that MT Addams followed up the Not a Peep storyline by writing Not a Whisper. I had so much emotional damage with how that first book ended. VERY strong feelings about how the guys had a complete lack of remorse and how Bri gave in too easily.

While I wouldn’t say they had a complete turnaround, I did come to love the MMCs despite their earlier abhorrent behavior. They aren’t the best at expressing themselves, but they make it work for them to get the girl in the end.

I still felt that Bri’s actions didn’t fit her age. Yes, in some ways she was more mature than the guys, but she also seemed so meek. She did grow more of a backbone as the book progressed and ended the book much stronger.

This book is fast-burn and very spicy with MF, MM, MMM, and group scenes.

Not a Whisper completes the Cracked Spines duet with a HEA. If you like your romance to hurt, you will enjoy these books.

⚠️ This book is not for the faint of heart. Please check TW/CW before proceeding. ⚠️

Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Tropes/Features: Dark elements, forbidden romance, reverse age gap, librarian/students, bullies/enemies to lovers, forced proximity, found family, angsty, OTT J/P, who did this to you, kinks
Narrator: Single 1st Person POV
Relationship Type: Why Choose MMMF, fast burn. spicy
Book Type/Ending: Part two Broken Spine Duet, HEA
TW/CW: Available in book

[Marcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an epic finale!!

MT had me salivating with Not A Peep, but this queen had me downright drooling with this finale!!!!

Briella is a queen that found her strength and will in this follow up - I LOVED how she grew and her form of revenge on her guys will forever be on repeat in my memory.

Grant, Jason and Trip - these guys, oh these guys. To see their possessiveness go hand in hand with their love for their Dollie (and love for each other) is something I will never get tired of seeing.

I loved the plot of this read much!! MT succeeded with keeping me on the edge of my seat and my panties drenched while reading this. I love all the twists, the suspense, spice (so much spice!!🫠🥰) and the uprising. Honestly, I loved every single part of this except for the end - I despise having to say goodbye to this fabulous group and I know I will revisit them again without hesitation

[Lady Lauren Explorer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still good, but took me a while

So I had been waiting for this book to come out ever since I read the ending of the first.

Maybe being a mood reader does have the challenges so when I started reading this book after maybe a month or two of it being out, I did get back into it, but felt slightly enthused.

Although I did find the overall story for both books to be good, I just felt slightly disappointed in my feelings about this book

I think it took me three months to actually finish this and I am happy that I did finish it. I’m just not happy that I couldn’t give it a four star or five.

And I think it has to do with the evil plans of the father and how they reacted to it. It just felt very Austin Powers, but serious. So it took me out of the enjoyment..

I recommend this book, yes! I recommend the duets because I think that these characters deserve to be known and I do love them!

[Jessie Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this duology a lot… I do feel that it could have been one stand alone book but I did like the divide between both books and again really enjoyed this duology.

This book had more plot than the last and was a good 50/50 of smut and plot. I feel that the end was a little rushed but it didn’t take away from the overall read.

The characters were fun and seeing the boys interact more intimately together was a fun experience.

[Lee Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two of the Cracked Spines duet. You do need to read book 1 first. It is a dark why choose romance so please mind your triggers. There's blackmail and secrecy and morally grey men with touch her and die vibes to be had. It has a bit of betrayal but it's for good reason and it is explained. In an effort to protect Bri from Grant's father, they avoid her as much as they can. Grant's been keeping secrets and it could ruin everything they have been building with Bri. Add in a plot twist I did not expect and a bit of revenge and you have yourself an amazing story.

[The.Roaming.Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous ending

Talk about sparks flying! This ending kept me on my toes, not quite turning the ways I thought it would but absolutely fantastic. I love the devotion these boys have for their woman and loved the revenge that was able to be had.

[Charli · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH YEAHHHH THIS WAS THE ONE.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I ATE THAT SHIT UPPPP.

HOLY GUACAMOLE… I’m honestly speechless.. like what!

Uhhh seriously I want those men in my life… whaaaat who said that. 🫡😂💜

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a conclusion
To not give away that much of the story and keeping it spoiler free, it's going to be a short one.

MT Addams wrapped her Groveton College duet up with a banger.
Where Not a Peep, the first instalment, focused more on the bully romance part and later on the suspenseful sortyline, Not a Whisper picks up at the latter point.
This book gave me anxiety. It was capturing, some plottwists I absolutely did not see coming, and the story pushed from wtf moment to the next.
Great conclusion to the Duet. I loved the character dynamics.

[Carley Whitehead · Rating 2 out of 5]

rating is more for the series as whole than this book in particular.

admittedly, i haven't been super into bully romances in quite a while, but even so, this really did not do it for me. i prefer for the bullied to get their get back in these types of books, and i don't think she really ever did. she caved every damn time, but was made to seem like she was this super strong personality, get shit done type person. i also didn't love the MMCs, Jason in particular. they were all so manipulative and for what? they could have asked and gotten what they wanted from her, bc again, she had no damn backbone. and we spent so much time on their relationship, that the eventual confrontation with garry was weak and predictable.

but most importantly, i got the ick every single time she called them "young men." like, she's not that much older, why do you sound like a grandma referring to some 20 year olds 😩

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly smut. A lot of keeping our FMC in the dark, her being upset and then sex. Smut was great, story line was meh.

Read the trigger warnings!!

Tropes:
Forbidden Romance
Reverse Age Gap
Why choose?
Found Family
Touch her and die

[Vivi the reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters became unbelievably more intolerable.

[Vanessa Amelya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a good conclusion to the story. The spice is spicing.... 🌶️🥵 over all a good read.

[Amiee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part two of Briella's story with her boys and they finally get their HEA!!
Bri goes through so much in such a short amount of time and the emotions she feels are depicted so well. I found myself smirking and giggling and kicking my feet at different parts throughout and I definitely felt my heart swell at the boys declarations of love, each one done in a way so perfect for thir persoanlity/character.
Trip is hard and possessive and ready to fight anyone who looks at his Bri.
Jason finally showed his darkness and his obsession with Bri.
Grant let some of his softer side show in this book.
And Bri, she fought her anxiety and finally let love win.

[Alyx Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

F**K MT, you did it to me again. Every time I think the story is going to wrap up, and Bri is going to get her HEA with her boys, WHAM! another plot twist. This is book two of the Cracked Spines duet in the Groveton College world. You will need to read book 1 first in order to understand what is happening. This is a VERY dark why choose romance with morally grey men who are not only in a relationship with the female character Bri, but each other.

In Book 2 Trip, Grant and Jason are trying to keep Bri safe from Gerry and move their plan forward. But some of them are still keeping secrets and the boys have decided that in order to keep Bri safe, that means staying away. Bri had just decided to go all in, but now she’s all alone. It’s not the greatest way to grow relationships. Bri knows her men though, defying adthem always gets her more than minding them, and Bri can brat with the best of them. Each of these guys is a$$ over teakettle for her, their obsession and love for her is HOT!

This was such a spectacularly spicy book, and MT brought her A game with both plot and character development. She doesn’t stint on the supporting characters either. She’s created an entire world for her little family. The plot twists gave me anxiety, every time I thought, ‘whew’ happy ending, Gerry is done for, heck no, another twist or betrayal that took my breath away.

I shudder to see how she’s going to top this!


Mind your triggers, this is a reverse harem, MMFM, where all the characters are romantically and sexually involved with each other.

[Ya-ting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heat: 5/5

Sexy time adventures continue, as librarian Briella Wilson fights for and against her three younger, tenacious men. Jason, Trip, and Grant could maybe be subdued if they were separated, but together? They are an unstoppable, polyamorous, triple-threat of swinging dicks, sexual machine. Every time Bri thinks she's got the upper hand on them or finally has her beautiful head wrapped around what she thinks is going on, one of them smothers her with their smoldering smirks and turns her upside down for a pile drive.

So many big things happen in book 2, in addition to their quiet scheming to shake themselves loose from Garry Gipson's strangling grip. As confident as she can sometimes be, Bri still has a lot to accept about herself and her unconventional but beautiful polycule. The boys don't make it easy, since they are busy carrying their own secrets, dodging Garry's manipulations, and keeping Bri in line. I wondered if Bri would ever learn to listen to her boys, but I think she saw benefits in defying them. Trip's, Jason's, and Grant's punishing hands and mouth could certainly turn a submissive brat even brattier.

This was such a stunningly steamy book that didn't skimp on plot or character development. I fell in love with the group in Not a Peep, and Not a Whisper only deepened and solidified my affection for them. I love MT Addams' writing and can't wait for more!

[Kimberlea Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving In To Her Heart

Ok, so 1st…check your TW before diving into this beautifully dark ride 🖤 Also, you have to read Not A Peep before you read this. Not just because it’s amazing, but because this one won’t make near as much sense to you & you need all the lead up to this book 😉 Cause let me tell you, I read the 1st one, but was no where near prepared for the amount of surprises this book had in store for me. I thoroughly enjoyed being reminded of how dark, chaotic & morally grey Jason, Grant & Trip were, as well as seeing things between them & Bri get even hotter than the last book (like, ummm, how was that even possible 🤯🔥🫦). I loved getting to delve deeper into who all of our characters really were as individuals, and seeing how that impacted their overall relationship. This story was full of blackmail, danger, revenge, betrayal, suspense, secrets, twists & turns, and so much dark & spicy passion & romance 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I knew we’d get answers & see things grow between Bri & her guys, but I never expected ALLLLL that this book truly had in store for us. Watching everything come together for our group was an exhilarating & emotional journey that I plan on going on again & again. If you love dark whychoose reverse age-gap romance then you’ll love this duet! Don’t think twice about diving in 🖤

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top tier

This author has never disappointed me in any of her books. When I tell you I have been impatiently waiting for this second book due to the absolute amount of love I have for this series, doll face and her men have me in a chokehold whew chile. The second book brings even more obsession from our boys toward Brielle and the way that they claim Brielle in this book is even more unhinged this time around I love it. This book shows how the relationship has matured and how the future has them all in it no matter what anyone says or thinks is swoon worthy. The maturity and growth of jason, trip and grant against anyone who tires to interfere with their plans for Brielle or anyone against them comes to a head in this book and is carried out with no regrets. The sexy times will leave you breathless and needing ice water. I need more from this author for the black girls who love this type of genre with a black women being centered and the absolute unhinged obsession that these men show and have for their girl!!!.MT Addams has now become my absolute favorite author she never disappoints!

[Cams Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, a why-choose that finally works for me. I’m not a big fan of the books where the FMC is the focal point of a why-choose relationship because it makes no sense to me that all these guys have fallen for the same girl. MT Addams, girl you know how to write a why-choose that is inclusive of all the participants which I love. Why this works for me and seems more believable is because whilst Jason, Trip and Grant are totally possessive of Bri, they feel the same way about each other. The love and the camaraderie is palpable between the guys and gets extended to Bri too, which is nice after the bullying and degradation they put her through in Not a Peep.
This book picks up straight after that with the foursome having to avoid Garry’s attention and keep their relationship on the downlow. Bri is the standout for me this time around. She shows that she has a toughness that we didn’t see a lot of in the first book, and I’m glad she got her time to shine. As for her tattoo revenge trick, hats off to her, I laughed myself silly.
I do wish more of the plot had centred around Garry, and with him getting thoroughly humiliated but we can’t get everything we want.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay- wow I have a lot to say but I am going to try to not make it long.

I did LOVE the ending to their story. I also really enjoyed the character building of the guys throughout the book.. I am torn between Grant and Trip being my favorite!

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️5 chili peppers BUT I just don't have a yum for MM sex scenes. I tried... but there's a few of those in there and I just can't get behind it (no pun intended). But I tend to give 5 for the amount of detail and amount of scenes in the book and this was another heavy, yummy detailed one.

This book had its ups and downs, to be honest. I ALMOST DNF'D BUT I am glad I didn't. It started right off from where it left off and I actually really liked the beginning! At around 25%, it dropped for me and I was pretty certain I was giving this a 3-star rating. This one was more about the town politics/Gipson power which I sometimes struggled to get through... just the plot didn't really hit for me- it was heavy. I just think this book could have been a little shorter.

BUT I am so glad it picked right back up and I really enjoyed it!! I'll miss these characters!!

[TheheartofBrigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not A Whisper is book two in the Cracked Spines Duet by M.T. Addams.

💜 college
💜 found family
💜 forced proximity
💜 mysteries
💜 🌶🌶🌶🌶 spicy spice

Bri is trying to make sense of everything happening. Because here she is in this bar dress in the outfit they sent over for her, and where are they? It’s New Year’s Eve and she’s waiting on them. What a fool she’s been. She’s barely seen them and yet here she is waiting for them eagerly just to get a snippet of their time. Ugh. Maybe just one more drink before she heads home. Will this change back to the way it was? Are they all done completely? Why are they not seeing her like they used to? Is this even worth it?

Ok. So much happens in this completion of this group’s story. It’s like a runaway train. You can’t help be get trapped by what is going on. You find out so much more about each of the characters. And you’ll both love and hate others. In the end, this was a great duet that did not shy away from hard topics and issues. I enjoyed the ride.

[Irina Brusilovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done ending to Not a Peep

4 stars ⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Spoilers ahead

This was a good conclusion to Not a Peep. The character development grew and the plot and story was captivating. The spice wasn't as hot as the first book, nor as often, but certainly was delicious. If you like romantic suspense this fills the bucket... And while it was a tiny bit predictable it still had some surprises.

I didn't give it 5 stars because I felt like you could see the Lance plot twist and the drugging at the gala from a mile away. The bully aspect of Not a Peep was obviously lost here so I felt like the spice was just kicked down a notch. Honestly I also wish there was a little more plot for Jonathan or Pianna... Almost felt like they weren't truly necessary and didn't bring value to the story in any way. Not for clarity of mind or social interaction.

My other big complaint and why this got 4 stars is because as with Not a Peep a teaser for NSFW art was mentioned. However in neither case was the art actually emailed once you were signed up for the newsletter.