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Forever #1
Forever Always
release date is tentative and may be earlier
I'd do anything to protect Riley. Anything.
For as long as I could remember it’s been Riley and me against the world. From the second my dad introduced me to him and his mom as my new family, I knew I’d do anything for my baby step-brother.
For a while everything was perfect. We were the happy little family I always imagined.
And then that all changed.
Protecting Riley became more important than ever. I was the only thing between him and the wrath of Dad. I was the only person keeping a roof over his head and food in his belly.
Me.
I was the most important person in the world to him. And he was mine.
Nothing would ever change that.
We’re grown now, but still, I’d do anything for Riley. I’d gladly get my hands dirty to keep his clean. There wasn’t a line I wouldn’t cross for him. Even lines so forbidden I had no idea how he’d react if he ever found out. But it didn’t matter because it was Riley and me against everyone.
Forever.
Always.
Forever, Always is a dark MM step-brothers forbidden romance and is not intended for readers under 18. It features possessiveness, codependency, and touch him and get unalived vibes. It contains themes of abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, death of a parent, binge drinking, depression, and self-harm. A more detailed content warning can be found at the front of the book.
I'd do anything to protect Riley. Anything.
For as long as I could remember it’s been Riley and me against the world. From the second my dad introduced me to him and his mom as my new family, I knew I’d do anything for my baby step-brother.
For a while everything was perfect. We were the happy little family I always imagined.
And then that all changed.
Protecting Riley became more important than ever. I was the only thing between him and the wrath of Dad. I was the only person keeping a roof over his head and food in his belly.
Me.
I was the most important person in the world to him. And he was mine.
Nothing would ever change that.
We’re grown now, but still, I’d do anything for Riley. I’d gladly get my hands dirty to keep his clean. There wasn’t a line I wouldn’t cross for him. Even lines so forbidden I had no idea how he’d react if he ever found out. But it didn’t matter because it was Riley and me against everyone.
Forever.
Always.
Forever, Always is a dark MM step-brothers forbidden romance and is not intended for readers under 18. It features possessiveness, codependency, and touch him and get unalived vibes. It contains themes of abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, death of a parent, binge drinking, depression, and self-harm. A more detailed content warning can be found at the front of the book.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2024
238 people are currently reading
482 people want to read
About the author
Jacey Davis
35 books133 followersJacey is an M/M and Fantasy/Paranormal fiction writer. She's a Jersey girl through and through, and after a brief time in North Carolina, is back in New Jersey with her husband, two daughters, and her black lab mix. When she's not writing, Jacey is catching up on Netflix shows, reading, and most of all, playing with (aka chasing after) her kids.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
August 21, 2024
FREEEEEEDOMMMMM , never gonna recommend it, life is too short to read BORINGGGGGGGG books
July 11, 2024
So this was a book. That I read. I wouldn't necessary call it dark. More like disturbing. On multiple levels.
And I'm not sure I'd call it romance, either, even though the love aspect was a big part of it. But maybe that's a me issue.
This is a story of two little kids who grew up getting fucked over every which way by life and the adults who should have been looking out for them.
I don't say this lightly. Imagine every bad thing you can imagine. Child sexual assault. Child neglect. Anxiety. Depression. Suicidal ideation. You name it, it's here.
The only safe space they had was each other, and given that, is it any surprise we have declarations like these?
"I love you. Don’t hate me. You were the best dad, brother, boyfriend ever."
Their relationship is codependency on steroids. They say they're 'everything' to each other, and sadly, they mean it in a very literal sense. One was 10, the other 5 when their parents effectively checked out, more or less.
Beckett basically raised Riley. Their relationship changed over the years from big brother, to father figure, to best friend, and eventually to boyfriend.
When I read this, I could see why it would be this way between them, but I honestly can't help but think they deserved better than for each other to be their only option. That's a lot of pressure to put on someone, and many times, you see them crack under it.
It doesn't help that their suffering doesn't end with their childhood. It dogs them even later at 20 and 25. They literally can't catch a break.
"Are you my boyfriend? That sounds dumb as hell, but you’re not just my brother anymore, even if you’ll always be my brother, and I want to talk about you at work or wherever, but I don’t know how. We went on a date, but are we datin’? This should be the biggest thing in our lives right now. We should be enjoyin’ and analyzin’ every moment as we figure this out, but we can’t. It’s become fuckin’ back burner, and I don’t want us to be on the back burner, Becks. Not ever.”
This book is just really heartbreaking on so many levels. I couldn't even get into the romance aspects of it. It's just a really sad book with a HFN ending, and I just don't think I feel much satisfaction with it in general.
To me it's a story of two scared little boys who struggle to survive a ton of shit, don't really succeed and grow into scared adults who are STILL struggling to survive a ton of shit, and mostly failing.
To be clear, this is a well written book. It is. It's just not 'happy', and I really really really mostly read romance for joy, so I can't say I loved this, as a romance.
And I'm not sure I'd call it romance, either, even though the love aspect was a big part of it. But maybe that's a me issue.
This is a story of two little kids who grew up getting fucked over every which way by life and the adults who should have been looking out for them.
I don't say this lightly. Imagine every bad thing you can imagine. Child sexual assault. Child neglect. Anxiety. Depression. Suicidal ideation. You name it, it's here.
The only safe space they had was each other, and given that, is it any surprise we have declarations like these?
"I love you. Don’t hate me. You were the best dad, brother, boyfriend ever."
Their relationship is codependency on steroids. They say they're 'everything' to each other, and sadly, they mean it in a very literal sense. One was 10, the other 5 when their parents effectively checked out, more or less.
Beckett basically raised Riley. Their relationship changed over the years from big brother, to father figure, to best friend, and eventually to boyfriend.
When I read this, I could see why it would be this way between them, but I honestly can't help but think they deserved better than for each other to be their only option. That's a lot of pressure to put on someone, and many times, you see them crack under it.
It doesn't help that their suffering doesn't end with their childhood. It dogs them even later at 20 and 25. They literally can't catch a break.
"Are you my boyfriend? That sounds dumb as hell, but you’re not just my brother anymore, even if you’ll always be my brother, and I want to talk about you at work or wherever, but I don’t know how. We went on a date, but are we datin’? This should be the biggest thing in our lives right now. We should be enjoyin’ and analyzin’ every moment as we figure this out, but we can’t. It’s become fuckin’ back burner, and I don’t want us to be on the back burner, Becks. Not ever.”
This book is just really heartbreaking on so many levels. I couldn't even get into the romance aspects of it. It's just a really sad book with a HFN ending, and I just don't think I feel much satisfaction with it in general.
To me it's a story of two scared little boys who struggle to survive a ton of shit, don't really succeed and grow into scared adults who are STILL struggling to survive a ton of shit, and mostly failing.
To be clear, this is a well written book. It is. It's just not 'happy', and I really really really mostly read romance for joy, so I can't say I loved this, as a romance.
July 24, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
May 2, 2025
2.75 ⭐️
I’m just as confused about my feelings toward this book as Beck was about his feelings for Riley.
This book had all the tropes I usually love: the codependency, hurt/comfort, stepbrothers — but something about this pairing just felt way off.
At around 40%, I was really starting to dislike the book, but I pushed through hoping it would turn around. By 70%, I seriously considered dropping it, and by 81%, I was full-on skimming because I just can’t bring myself to DNF a book.
First, it was honestly weird reading Beck try to sort through his feelings for Riley at the start of the book. It felt like he was trying so hard to convince himself he was into something he so clearly was not into. It was also hard to see their relationship as anything other than sibling-like when there was just zero chemistry for me there. Anytime Becks acted a certain way toward Riley, it felt purely protective, like an older brother looking out for his younger sibling. Maybe it’s because I came in with these high expectations after reading Dirty Love, but this just didn’t live up to any of it. Also, side note, but Beck just really didn’t seem like someone ready for a relationship, even by the end of the book. My manz just needs some time to heal!
There was so much potential here, but the execution just didn’t work for me. The only real highlight was Becks being the bottom first— I definitely didn’t see that coming. The found family aspect with Jay and Dakota was also something I liked— not sure if that means I’ll read their book, but hey, we’ll see where the vibes carry me in the future.
I’m just as confused about my feelings toward this book as Beck was about his feelings for Riley.
This book had all the tropes I usually love: the codependency, hurt/comfort, stepbrothers — but something about this pairing just felt way off.
At around 40%, I was really starting to dislike the book, but I pushed through hoping it would turn around. By 70%, I seriously considered dropping it, and by 81%, I was full-on skimming because I just can’t bring myself to DNF a book.
First, it was honestly weird reading Beck try to sort through his feelings for Riley at the start of the book. It felt like he was trying so hard to convince himself he was into something he so clearly was not into. It was also hard to see their relationship as anything other than sibling-like when there was just zero chemistry for me there. Anytime Becks acted a certain way toward Riley, it felt purely protective, like an older brother looking out for his younger sibling. Maybe it’s because I came in with these high expectations after reading Dirty Love, but this just didn’t live up to any of it. Also, side note, but Beck just really didn’t seem like someone ready for a relationship, even by the end of the book. My manz just needs some time to heal!
There was so much potential here, but the execution just didn’t work for me. The only real highlight was Becks being the bottom first— I definitely didn’t see that coming. The found family aspect with Jay and Dakota was also something I liked— not sure if that means I’ll read their book, but hey, we’ll see where the vibes carry me in the future.
March 14, 2025
3 ⭐️
🖤 Step-brothers
❤️ Co-dependency
🖤 Hurt/Comfort (way more hurt than comfort)
❤️ Dark/Romance (heavy on the dark, light on the romance)
🖤 First times
❤️ No third-act breakup
I wanted to love this book, and I did enjoy it, but it could’ve been better. I can’t put my finger on exactly what I would change, I just know that the concept was greater than the expectation. There were also a LOT of typos and that lol me out of the story. I still had a good time reading it and I’d recommend it if you like these specific tropes.
🖤 Step-brothers
❤️ Co-dependency
🖤 Hurt/Comfort (way more hurt than comfort)
❤️ Dark/Romance (heavy on the dark, light on the romance)
🖤 First times
❤️ No third-act breakup
I wanted to love this book, and I did enjoy it, but it could’ve been better. I can’t put my finger on exactly what I would change, I just know that the concept was greater than the expectation. There were also a LOT of typos and that lol me out of the story. I still had a good time reading it and I’d recommend it if you like these specific tropes.
May 28, 2024
This is a new to me author and just became a favourite. I loved this book so much.
I was engrossed in Riley and Beck's story right from the start. It's hard and heavy with some powerful themes. My heart broke for these men and their shitty childhoods. So many adults failed them.
" This is Riley." My brother? My boyfriend? My f***in everything.
Gawd, these guys will have you cheering for them so hard. The way Beck calls Riley his Butterfly, and Always, Forever is just perfect.
This is an amazing, gritty, at times brutal story that is dark and deep. There were also many times it was sweet and touching. The found family they had in Jay proves that blood is definitely not thicker than water. He was always in their corner and they were in his too.
I highly recommend this book but please make sure you read the trigger warnings first.
I was engrossed in Riley and Beck's story right from the start. It's hard and heavy with some powerful themes. My heart broke for these men and their shitty childhoods. So many adults failed them.
" This is Riley." My brother? My boyfriend? My f***in everything.
Gawd, these guys will have you cheering for them so hard. The way Beck calls Riley his Butterfly, and Always, Forever is just perfect.
This is an amazing, gritty, at times brutal story that is dark and deep. There were also many times it was sweet and touching. The found family they had in Jay proves that blood is definitely not thicker than water. He was always in their corner and they were in his too.
I highly recommend this book but please make sure you read the trigger warnings first.
May 31, 2024
4.5* overall: steamy, hurt/comfort, step-brother romance 🙇♂️
I've read a couple of books by Jacey Davis and so I know she can write superb hurt/comfort MM romances. And here, the h/c definitely delivers. We have PTSD, struggling generally, some rage, some panic attacks and such.
The relationship between the two step-brothers was endearing. The mutual possessiveness and obsession was executed very well. There is not much unnecessary drama between the two... or if there is anything, they talk and deal with everything. And I love seeing this! The fact that we do not get strict roles? *chef's kiss*
The found family trope was also well executed. Jay and his love interest were so cute and I cannot wait to read their story in Forever Mine. There are other characters that are introduced later and will have their own book under a different pen name of the author: Lucky Boys.
I struggled with the way the ending was handled. I mean, Riley does something and it is not really much discussed as a problem. I guess it will be maybe mentioned in other books? But here, I thought there was room for acknowledgement.
I received an ARC from the author but all opinions are my own and authentic!
I've read a couple of books by Jacey Davis and so I know she can write superb hurt/comfort MM romances. And here, the h/c definitely delivers. We have PTSD, struggling generally, some rage, some panic attacks and such.
The relationship between the two step-brothers was endearing. The mutual possessiveness and obsession was executed very well. There is not much unnecessary drama between the two... or if there is anything, they talk and deal with everything. And I love seeing this! The fact that we do not get strict roles? *chef's kiss*
The found family trope was also well executed. Jay and his love interest were so cute and I cannot wait to read their story in Forever Mine. There are other characters that are introduced later and will have their own book under a different pen name of the author: Lucky Boys.
I struggled with the way the ending was handled. I mean, Riley does something and it is not really much discussed as a problem. I guess it will be maybe mentioned in other books? But here, I thought there was room for acknowledgement.
I received an ARC from the author but all opinions are my own and authentic!
June 14, 2024
DNF 20%
It became quite clear pretty early that these two step brothers are very co-dependent because the father in their life is absolutely useless and the mother is dead. I didn’t want to finish because I don’t really like co-dependent romances very much and while I like the taboo troupe of step-siblings I just don’t like where this was going which seemed rather predictable.
It became quite clear pretty early that these two step brothers are very co-dependent because the father in their life is absolutely useless and the mother is dead. I didn’t want to finish because I don’t really like co-dependent romances very much and while I like the taboo troupe of step-siblings I just don’t like where this was going which seemed rather predictable.
July 15, 2024
DNF- I got 35% through the book and could not finish. Sexual abuse of a minor is one thing I cannot stomach. I cannot read a book with any description of a child going through that. If you can stomach reading through that then the actual relationship between the two main characters is a good story.
June 19, 2024
I didn’t love this. Needed a hard edit for sure and ultimately the cheesy possessiveness just didn’t do it for me.
June 16, 2025
This book was cheeks 😂
June 24, 2024
I loved it!
I loved Forever Always by Jacey Davis. I loved Riley and Beckett’s story! They're doing the best they can with the hand they were dealt and I loved that they include Beckett's best friend, Jay, in their little family and how by the end of the book how much their little family has grown. I look forward to reading Jay and Dakota's story and Wes and his friends' story.
I read this book using the Kindle unlimited app.
I loved Forever Always by Jacey Davis. I loved Riley and Beckett’s story! They're doing the best they can with the hand they were dealt and I loved that they include Beckett's best friend, Jay, in their little family and how by the end of the book how much their little family has grown. I look forward to reading Jay and Dakota's story and Wes and his friends' story.
I read this book using the Kindle unlimited app.
June 18, 2024
Strong Love
Riley and Beckett and Jay built a strong family of their own after growing up in rough conditions Beckett sacrificed a lot to take care of Riley and make sure he had more opportunities than himself and Riley couldn’t help but also do everything he could to help Beckett and that made their relationship strong from the beginning it was a hard read at times but a very good book
Riley and Beckett and Jay built a strong family of their own after growing up in rough conditions Beckett sacrificed a lot to take care of Riley and make sure he had more opportunities than himself and Riley couldn’t help but also do everything he could to help Beckett and that made their relationship strong from the beginning it was a hard read at times but a very good book
June 1, 2024
Becks knew step-brother Riley was his to take care of as soon as his Dad introduced him to him and his mother. For a while everything was perfect but then it all changed. Protecting him became even more important as Becks was the only thing between Riley and his Dad and the only person keeping a roof over his head or feeding him. When they are both grown men Becks would still do anything for Riley and gladly get his hands dirty or cross a line to keep him clean. It was still Becks and Riley against the world - Forever Always.
This was a dark story with the two step-brothers navigating life and Becks coping with some dreadful things before a suitable age to protect Riley. I loved their relationship and the love between the two of them even though I could see that it would upset some people. They had to navigate some really hard time and yet they never lost their love for each other. This will cause some tears as you experience some of their hard times and you will cry when you come to realise what Beck's childhood was like. Lots of feelings and emotions in this story. This was an MM story with mature content. Please read the content warnings.
This was a dark story with the two step-brothers navigating life and Becks coping with some dreadful things before a suitable age to protect Riley. I loved their relationship and the love between the two of them even though I could see that it would upset some people. They had to navigate some really hard time and yet they never lost their love for each other. This will cause some tears as you experience some of their hard times and you will cry when you come to realise what Beck's childhood was like. Lots of feelings and emotions in this story. This was an MM story with mature content. Please read the content warnings.
June 1, 2024
This is a story about how one event changed the lives of stepbrothers Beckett and Riley. From page one you know that Beckett will do anything for Riley and Riley looked at Beckett like he had hung the moon, now adults, it hasn't changed. They were it for each other and whilst Beckett was over-protective when it came to Riley, there was times that Riley stepped up to help Beckett. Their relationship was everything.
Learning more about what happened to them was heart breaking and I was their supporting them with every page I turned. There were some sweet moments when the relationship got even more serious and some moments that made me smile, usually thanks to Beckett's closest friend Jay, who I am eager to read more about.
This was evenly paced story and I was invested in the characters enabling me to finish the story quickly.
There are some other characters that I want to know about and I hope the author explores these too. This is a new to me author and I am looking forward to reading more
Learning more about what happened to them was heart breaking and I was their supporting them with every page I turned. There were some sweet moments when the relationship got even more serious and some moments that made me smile, usually thanks to Beckett's closest friend Jay, who I am eager to read more about.
This was evenly paced story and I was invested in the characters enabling me to finish the story quickly.
There are some other characters that I want to know about and I hope the author explores these too. This is a new to me author and I am looking forward to reading more
May 31, 2024
Mm stepbrother against the world. Touch him you die, alot of trauma
Sa, drugs, suicide off pages. Child abuse, neglected parents death of a parent.
Beck and Riley are step brother but it them against the world. When Riley mom dies Beck father lose it and check out. He come hook on drugs and Beck is left to raise Riley on his even through he only 10.
They go through life codependent on each other until their feels change to more then brothers.
A great story full emotional past present and trying to find one self. Good deal of spice too.
Sa, drugs, suicide off pages. Child abuse, neglected parents death of a parent.
Beck and Riley are step brother but it them against the world. When Riley mom dies Beck father lose it and check out. He come hook on drugs and Beck is left to raise Riley on his even through he only 10.
They go through life codependent on each other until their feels change to more then brothers.
A great story full emotional past present and trying to find one self. Good deal of spice too.
November 23, 2024
I love you. Don’t hate me. You were the best dad, brother, boyfriend ever.If super possessive, clingy, protective, codependent stepbrothers are your thing then you'll love this.
What the hell did it say about me that losing limbs didn’t scare me as much as some twink flirting with Beckett? I was the only twink that should be flirting with him . . .Seriously, these boys are my type of crazy. They only have eyes & hands for each other.
Riley’s eyes darkened and his hand moved to my throat, squeezing. “Don’t talk about anyone seein’ your cock but me. Whoever you fucked before, I don’t wanna know. That’s done. It belongs to me.” Holy fuck. Who was this and what did he do to my butterfly? I didn’t bother mentioning that no one had seen my cock that way. Not by my choice anyway. I enjoyed his jealousy too much to ruin the mood.What I loved & thought was unique was that they both equally took care of each other. Even though butterfly was physically smaller & more innocent he wasn't afraid to back up his big bro emotionally and physically. Due to their upbringing they both had different traumas to work out.
There is also a lovely found family aspect to the book and the boys slowly learn they can widen their support circle just a bit. It's a difficult battle but they have each other forever & always💙
June 12, 2024
ARC-Did not finish.
I couldn't get into it, I read 12 chapters, and it just wasn't for me. I wish the author plenty of success with other readers!
I couldn't get into it, I read 12 chapters, and it just wasn't for me. I wish the author plenty of success with other readers!
December 26, 2024
Suffering with sprinklings of jealousy and smut on top of it.
June 10, 2024
Solid 3 stars. Good, but not great.
Beckett and Riley are stepbrothers, whose mothers died when they were children. Riley never knew his father, and Beckett's father, after the death of his second wife (Riley's mom), went off the deep end, becoming an addict and very abusive. Beckett, 5 years older than Riley, had to raise Riley himself and provide for him...being taken advantage of by adult men at twelve years old+ in exchange for a place to live.
Now adults, they are far closer than brothers should be, yet have never crossed any major lines...until the younger brother, Riley, lets his very non-brotherly feelings be known. The story follows them as they deal with living in poverty and with their severe trauma from childhood alongside their relatively quick shift from brotherly love to...more.
The bad: the first 40% of the book seemed to drag for me, and didn't really keep my attention. Eventually, things picked up and the story was much better, but there were still a lot of inconsistencies that had me looking back through the chapters to verify certain things. Next: Some things were just...not believable. While everyone's trauma is different, some things just didn't add up with Beckett and Riley's responses to the trauma, but I overlooked it for the most part. Unfortunately, that led to me not liking Riley a good portion of the time.
The good: The story eventually picked up and became much more interesting, finally keeping my attention enough not to put the story down to do other things every chapter or so, as I had been before. I recommend pushing through the first 30-40% if you feel like it's dragging a bit. Next: For the most part, I liked the MC's: Beckett, Jay and Wes were great...I really loved Jay and Wes, and I'd love to read their stories. As stated earlier, Riley really got on my nerves. He seemed so hot and cold, and while he admitted he was acting immature, it did wear on me after a while.
Overall, I liked the story. I liked that these guys came from the dumps, carrying a lot of trauma and negative vibes, but trying their hardest to overcome it. Their HEA, while expected, was satisfying. The spice was good, but not very detailed. I'd give it a 3.5/5. I respected the fact that because of his severe abuse, Beckett had some major issues to overcome before being comfortable with sexually intimate situations, even with Riley...though I feel there were some inconsistencies between things said toward the beginning of the story as far as that goes.
I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Beckett and Riley are stepbrothers, whose mothers died when they were children. Riley never knew his father, and Beckett's father, after the death of his second wife (Riley's mom), went off the deep end, becoming an addict and very abusive. Beckett, 5 years older than Riley, had to raise Riley himself and provide for him...being taken advantage of by adult men at twelve years old+ in exchange for a place to live.
Now adults, they are far closer than brothers should be, yet have never crossed any major lines...until the younger brother, Riley, lets his very non-brotherly feelings be known. The story follows them as they deal with living in poverty and with their severe trauma from childhood alongside their relatively quick shift from brotherly love to...more.
The bad: the first 40% of the book seemed to drag for me, and didn't really keep my attention. Eventually, things picked up and the story was much better, but there were still a lot of inconsistencies that had me looking back through the chapters to verify certain things. Next: Some things were just...not believable. While everyone's trauma is different, some things just didn't add up with Beckett and Riley's responses to the trauma, but I overlooked it for the most part. Unfortunately, that led to me not liking Riley a good portion of the time.
The good: The story eventually picked up and became much more interesting, finally keeping my attention enough not to put the story down to do other things every chapter or so, as I had been before. I recommend pushing through the first 30-40% if you feel like it's dragging a bit. Next: For the most part, I liked the MC's: Beckett, Jay and Wes were great...I really loved Jay and Wes, and I'd love to read their stories. As stated earlier, Riley really got on my nerves. He seemed so hot and cold, and while he admitted he was acting immature, it did wear on me after a while.
Overall, I liked the story. I liked that these guys came from the dumps, carrying a lot of trauma and negative vibes, but trying their hardest to overcome it. Their HEA, while expected, was satisfying. The spice was good, but not very detailed. I'd give it a 3.5/5. I respected the fact that because of his severe abuse, Beckett had some major issues to overcome before being comfortable with sexually intimate situations, even with Riley...though I feel there were some inconsistencies between things said toward the beginning of the story as far as that goes.
I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2025
There's not much romance in this book, mostly trauma and sex. In romance books what I love is when the MC's are protective of each other. The issue with this book is, they don't have anything to actually protect each other with. They're both broke, don't have a good job or education, aren't skilled with fighting or anything like that and don't have any connections that can help with things. When their dad takes Riley's college money (and it's never explained how he could have) nothing is done about it except Beck exchanging a few choice words with the a-hole. Then you discover for some reason they still have been paying his rent each month.
Now, when finally they decide to stop doing that, you'd say that frees up a nice chunk of monthly income but it's not mentioned ever again. Beck works 2 or 3 jobs, Riley works 20 hours but later goes to work in a restaurant which pays better and still they apparently don't have enough for food.
Throughout the whole story there's a theme going on. Basically life dumps another traumatic experience on them, one of them checks out, gets a panic attack or even just 'everything went black and he woke 3 days later', they have sex, promise each other they'll stay no matter what and then go back to living a shitty life and waiting for the next traumatic experience.
It gets old after a while but also doesn't offer the feeling of safety and love that I like to get from these stories. And then they and let's just say the story escalates very quickly from there. After which, to no one's surprise, he blacks out and wakes up 3 days later, being told that there are no consequences and everything just went away no problem. And then ofcourse to all tie it up neatly
This story left me unsatisfied.
Now, when finally they decide to stop doing that, you'd say that frees up a nice chunk of monthly income but it's not mentioned ever again. Beck works 2 or 3 jobs, Riley works 20 hours but later goes to work in a restaurant which pays better and still they apparently don't have enough for food.
Throughout the whole story there's a theme going on. Basically life dumps another traumatic experience on them, one of them checks out, gets a panic attack or even just 'everything went black and he woke 3 days later', they have sex, promise each other they'll stay no matter what and then go back to living a shitty life and waiting for the next traumatic experience.
It gets old after a while but also doesn't offer the feeling of safety and love that I like to get from these stories. And then they and let's just say the story escalates very quickly from there. After which, to no one's surprise, he blacks out and wakes up 3 days later, being told that there are no consequences and everything just went away no problem. And then ofcourse to all tie it up neatly
This story left me unsatisfied.
November 30, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
Beckett & Riley’s story is emotional and gritty. It explores the relationship between Beckett and Riley, who are stepbrothers that are bound by tragedy and deep-seated trauma.
After Riley’s mother dies, they’re left with Beckett’s father who turns to drugs and alcohol, leaving Beckett and Riley growing up in extreme poverty and pretty much abandoned with their non-existent father. Beckett, who five years older, had to step into the role of caretaker and Jacey doesn’t shy away from portraying the harsh realities of their upbringing: Beckett endured horrific abuse as a child in order to ensure their survival. Despite their hardships, they formed an unbreakable bond—one that eventually becomes more than brotherly.
The story’s strength lies in its raw exploration of trauma and resilience. Both Beckett and Riley are broken in their own ways, but their determination to move forward despite their past is compelling. Their transition from a platonic, brotherly relationship to something romantic feels quick but understandable given the depth of their connection. The romance itself is tender and filled with a sense of yearning, at least on Riley’s part as he claims to have been in love with Beckett for a while. Leaving Beckett to “catch up” to those same feelings.
Beckett’s struggles with intimacy due to his history of abuse are handled with care, adding a layer of complexity to their relationship. However, there are moments where the narrative feels inconsistent, particularly in how Beckett’s issues are addressed early on versus later in the story.
Additionally, while I generally love terms of endearment, Beckett calling Riley his “butterfly” so often—146 times, to be exact—was excessive and occasionally distracted from the emotional depth of their interactions.
Overall, Forever Always is a story of survival, healing, and finding love in the most unexpected places. The HEA is satisfying, even if the journey there feels a bit rushed at times. While the spice level is relatively tame, the emotional depth of the characters makes up for it.
Beckett & Riley’s story is emotional and gritty. It explores the relationship between Beckett and Riley, who are stepbrothers that are bound by tragedy and deep-seated trauma.
After Riley’s mother dies, they’re left with Beckett’s father who turns to drugs and alcohol, leaving Beckett and Riley growing up in extreme poverty and pretty much abandoned with their non-existent father. Beckett, who five years older, had to step into the role of caretaker and Jacey doesn’t shy away from portraying the harsh realities of their upbringing: Beckett endured horrific abuse as a child in order to ensure their survival. Despite their hardships, they formed an unbreakable bond—one that eventually becomes more than brotherly.
The story’s strength lies in its raw exploration of trauma and resilience. Both Beckett and Riley are broken in their own ways, but their determination to move forward despite their past is compelling. Their transition from a platonic, brotherly relationship to something romantic feels quick but understandable given the depth of their connection. The romance itself is tender and filled with a sense of yearning, at least on Riley’s part as he claims to have been in love with Beckett for a while. Leaving Beckett to “catch up” to those same feelings.
Beckett’s struggles with intimacy due to his history of abuse are handled with care, adding a layer of complexity to their relationship. However, there are moments where the narrative feels inconsistent, particularly in how Beckett’s issues are addressed early on versus later in the story.
Additionally, while I generally love terms of endearment, Beckett calling Riley his “butterfly” so often—146 times, to be exact—was excessive and occasionally distracted from the emotional depth of their interactions.
Overall, Forever Always is a story of survival, healing, and finding love in the most unexpected places. The HEA is satisfying, even if the journey there feels a bit rushed at times. While the spice level is relatively tame, the emotional depth of the characters makes up for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2024
Dnf @ 50%
You know what? I really tried with this book. At first I thought that maybe I wasn't in the right mental state to read it, so I took a few days off and tried picking it up. But no. It wasn't for me. (I rarely find books that don't do it for me so this is a huge surprise)
The beginning was fine. Cute even. We see Beck and Riley when they are young and how Beck would always be affectionate with the Riley because of how much younger he is. His father doesn't like this, though. Then their mother dies and it's up to Beck to take care of Riley while he is a child himself because their father is drinking and doing drugs and being a dead weight.
Fast forward, Beck is like 25 and Riley is 20? (As far as I can remember) and their life is still miserable with Beck working multiple jobs and Riley going to college while working as well. Ok fine. I'm okay with that.
Then things start getting better when Riley does something to get a rise out of Beck and works. Beck goes all possessive 'you're mine' on him then pauses, let's everything settle in then gets all 'oh my gosh, that's my brother.' Then exits.
Shortly after, when Beck comes back Riley confesses his feeling and kisses Beck. Beck freezes and says he needs to think about things since it's a lot to process as he has always seen Riley as his little brother.
AFTER A MERE FEW HOURS Beck is like 'yes, I wanna try this out with you' and I'm like HUH!?
Okay look, Beck has always seen Riley as a little brother and even when his dad throws comments suggesting otherwise, Beck always says he sees Riley as his LITTLE BROTHER. So how can he switch up so fast when he isn't ready for a relationship whatsoever and sees Riley as his little brother? I expected some weirdness, you know? I expected Beck to actually take the time to sit down and properly process whether he sees Riley as more.
Then after that the story just goes on about depression, death, and other heavy things that disturbing rather than dark.
So yeah, I tried my best. But I couldn't. I throw in the towel.
You know what? I really tried with this book. At first I thought that maybe I wasn't in the right mental state to read it, so I took a few days off and tried picking it up. But no. It wasn't for me. (I rarely find books that don't do it for me so this is a huge surprise)
The beginning was fine. Cute even. We see Beck and Riley when they are young and how Beck would always be affectionate with the Riley because of how much younger he is. His father doesn't like this, though. Then their mother dies and it's up to Beck to take care of Riley while he is a child himself because their father is drinking and doing drugs and being a dead weight.
Fast forward, Beck is like 25 and Riley is 20? (As far as I can remember) and their life is still miserable with Beck working multiple jobs and Riley going to college while working as well. Ok fine. I'm okay with that.
Then things start getting better when Riley does something to get a rise out of Beck and works. Beck goes all possessive 'you're mine' on him then pauses, let's everything settle in then gets all 'oh my gosh, that's my brother.' Then exits.
Shortly after, when Beck comes back Riley confesses his feeling and kisses Beck. Beck freezes and says he needs to think about things since it's a lot to process as he has always seen Riley as his little brother.
AFTER A MERE FEW HOURS Beck is like 'yes, I wanna try this out with you' and I'm like HUH!?
Okay look, Beck has always seen Riley as a little brother and even when his dad throws comments suggesting otherwise, Beck always says he sees Riley as his LITTLE BROTHER. So how can he switch up so fast when he isn't ready for a relationship whatsoever and sees Riley as his little brother? I expected some weirdness, you know? I expected Beck to actually take the time to sit down and properly process whether he sees Riley as more.
Then after that the story just goes on about depression, death, and other heavy things that disturbing rather than dark.
So yeah, I tried my best. But I couldn't. I throw in the towel.
May 30, 2024
Jacey Davis's writing in this story is incredible. As difficult as the subject matter was most of the time, it was always handled in the best way possible, which I'm sure was difficult as there were several very negative situations that were covered.
I suppose there could be some who wouldn't understand, or wouldn't agree with, the relationship between Beckett & Riley, but their connection was very clear, and their sincerity and dependence on one another was completely understandable. While that may not translate for many as a shift into a romantic relationship for the two men, especially as step-brothers, it was written in such a way that it never seemed weird or wrong. The fact that the MCs could maintain their relationship, before and after it became more, with everything they had to deal with in their lives is amazingly admirable. They were handed the short end of the stick at almost every turn, but they could always rely on one another and their friend, Jay.
I enjoyed Forever Always, and I think the characters developed for this novel and any continuing stories are well-established, and they flourished under the author's direction.
There are many emotional plot points in this book that could be very difficult for those who do not like reading about abuse, sexual assault, severe anxiety, and/or including thoughts of self harm. There are a few violent scenes within that could also be difficult to stomach for those with sensitivities, especially to blood.
I received an advance copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.
I suppose there could be some who wouldn't understand, or wouldn't agree with, the relationship between Beckett & Riley, but their connection was very clear, and their sincerity and dependence on one another was completely understandable. While that may not translate for many as a shift into a romantic relationship for the two men, especially as step-brothers, it was written in such a way that it never seemed weird or wrong. The fact that the MCs could maintain their relationship, before and after it became more, with everything they had to deal with in their lives is amazingly admirable. They were handed the short end of the stick at almost every turn, but they could always rely on one another and their friend, Jay.
I enjoyed Forever Always, and I think the characters developed for this novel and any continuing stories are well-established, and they flourished under the author's direction.
There are many emotional plot points in this book that could be very difficult for those who do not like reading about abuse, sexual assault, severe anxiety, and/or including thoughts of self harm. There are a few violent scenes within that could also be difficult to stomach for those with sensitivities, especially to blood.
I received an advance copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.
June 4, 2024
Jacey has been on my radar for a while now, and I was super excited to read this. The blurb and the dark moody cover made me think it might be similar to Bethany Winters’ seminal Dirty Love, an impression that was reinforced by the first few chapters, but despite some initial similarities it soon became apparent this is a very different book. There's some action, a hell of a lot of trauma and hurt/comfort, and a lovely romance and sex exploration as one of the MCs struggles to overcome his trauma around sex. I loved how gentle and sensitive they were with each other, but also passionate and possessive.
If you're looking for a filthy-hot taboo stepbrothers read, this is not it. There are on-page sexy times, but the emphasis is on their emotional relationship and connection, and the romance sometimes takes a back seat to their respective trauma and the action in the story. Refreshingly, there was also little to no conflict or pushback in the story about them being stepbros. There's barely a raised eyebrow about them being together.
They are incredibly cute together and I really enjoyed their communication– although there was one point early on where I kinda felt they were communicating too well and nobody would be able to express themselves like that in that situation! I love that Becks calls Riley ‘butterfly’, it's the cutest nickname and made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I also enjoyed the found family aspect and the glimpses of a parallel romance running alongside this one. I hope Jacey decides to expand on that soon. There was a lot to unpack in Forever Always, to the point where it sometimes felt it was trying to do too much, but there was a lot to love too.
If you're looking for a filthy-hot taboo stepbrothers read, this is not it. There are on-page sexy times, but the emphasis is on their emotional relationship and connection, and the romance sometimes takes a back seat to their respective trauma and the action in the story. Refreshingly, there was also little to no conflict or pushback in the story about them being stepbros. There's barely a raised eyebrow about them being together.
They are incredibly cute together and I really enjoyed their communication– although there was one point early on where I kinda felt they were communicating too well and nobody would be able to express themselves like that in that situation! I love that Becks calls Riley ‘butterfly’, it's the cutest nickname and made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I also enjoyed the found family aspect and the glimpses of a parallel romance running alongside this one. I hope Jacey decides to expand on that soon. There was a lot to unpack in Forever Always, to the point where it sometimes felt it was trying to do too much, but there was a lot to love too.
June 9, 2024
ARC
Jacey is a new to me author and reading this book I was really surprised how much I liked the writing style, the type of story… I think this hurt/comfort storyline was really well written and these stepbrothers were just really cute!
Overall Riley and Beckett are just a couple of broken boys, living day to day, paycheck to paycheck and trying to make it work while juggling various jobs, a disastrous situation with their father, being emancipated and serious trauma stemming from their childhood…
The possessiveness and obsession they have with each other was stunning and I loved how their story just sucked you in from the beginning🫠
It’s really nice to see how the roles were not strict and clear all the time. Sometimes even the big brothers, with all their strength and conviction need to be wounded and broken and their little brothers need to have the chance to step it up (both outside and inside the bedroom🫣). The way Riley saves Beck from himself and his suffering and comforts him through tough times was stunning🥹
And Jay? He’s the cutest. Best found family and I would love a friend/brother like him too! Actually can’t wait for his and Dakota’s story. And the new characters that show up towards the end of the book?👀 yeah I want that story too!
This one was a little dark, TW are mandatory and need to be read BUT for me they felt like a shopping list🤷🏼♀️ I really liked this book and I definitely would have loved for it to be a bit darker and maybe sometimes to be given a couple more details, but I definitely loved it so much✨
Jacey is a new to me author and reading this book I was really surprised how much I liked the writing style, the type of story… I think this hurt/comfort storyline was really well written and these stepbrothers were just really cute!
Overall Riley and Beckett are just a couple of broken boys, living day to day, paycheck to paycheck and trying to make it work while juggling various jobs, a disastrous situation with their father, being emancipated and serious trauma stemming from their childhood…
The possessiveness and obsession they have with each other was stunning and I loved how their story just sucked you in from the beginning🫠
It’s really nice to see how the roles were not strict and clear all the time. Sometimes even the big brothers, with all their strength and conviction need to be wounded and broken and their little brothers need to have the chance to step it up (both outside and inside the bedroom🫣). The way Riley saves Beck from himself and his suffering and comforts him through tough times was stunning🥹
And Jay? He’s the cutest. Best found family and I would love a friend/brother like him too! Actually can’t wait for his and Dakota’s story. And the new characters that show up towards the end of the book?👀 yeah I want that story too!
This one was a little dark, TW are mandatory and need to be read BUT for me they felt like a shopping list🤷🏼♀️ I really liked this book and I definitely would have loved for it to be a bit darker and maybe sometimes to be given a couple more details, but I definitely loved it so much✨
September 29, 2024
A story of two stepbrothers who help save each other from this cruel world.
Story plot: 4/5
Character development: 4/5
Spice: 2/5
1st person POV told by Riley and Beckett
Grammar/punctuation: 3/5
Riley and Beckett become stepbrothers at the age of 10 months old and 5 years old. When they're 5 and 10 years old they lose their mom and then it's them against their abusive father and the world for the next 15 years. As the boys become men, Riley's feelings for his older stepbrother become a little less brotherly and a lot more intimate. What Riley doesn't know is that Beckett is suppressing a lot of past sexual trauma. This is not a story of two young men who become insatiable and build a relationship based on passionate lovemaking. This is a story of two young men who work through trauma and daily struggles while being each other's rocks. There is sexual content but it's tame and placed scarcely throughout the book. I loved the power-swap dynamic. Beckett is older and larger; he's the protector. Riley could best be defined as a twink with a fierce attitude. But when they're in the bedroom, Riley takes charge 😉
My only issue with the book is the grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I'm not talking about the usage of slang to help make the characters feel authentic. There are quite a bit of editing issues throughout this book.
Stepbrothers
Trauma bonding
Codependency
First times
Story plot: 4/5
Character development: 4/5
Spice: 2/5
1st person POV told by Riley and Beckett
Grammar/punctuation: 3/5
Riley and Beckett become stepbrothers at the age of 10 months old and 5 years old. When they're 5 and 10 years old they lose their mom and then it's them against their abusive father and the world for the next 15 years. As the boys become men, Riley's feelings for his older stepbrother become a little less brotherly and a lot more intimate. What Riley doesn't know is that Beckett is suppressing a lot of past sexual trauma. This is not a story of two young men who become insatiable and build a relationship based on passionate lovemaking. This is a story of two young men who work through trauma and daily struggles while being each other's rocks. There is sexual content but it's tame and placed scarcely throughout the book. I loved the power-swap dynamic. Beckett is older and larger; he's the protector. Riley could best be defined as a twink with a fierce attitude. But when they're in the bedroom, Riley takes charge 😉
My only issue with the book is the grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I'm not talking about the usage of slang to help make the characters feel authentic. There are quite a bit of editing issues throughout this book.
Stepbrothers
Trauma bonding
Codependency
First times
June 2, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
I was weary going into because some of the reviews made it seem like this was going to be a traumatic read or that it was incredibly dark. While there are dark themes, it didn’t read as dark as I thought it’d be. Maybe it is the fact that I’ve read a ton of mafia/serial killer books this year and it’s desensitized me to violence but…this was fairly mild on the dark scale (imo). It absolutely hits some heavy topics in discussion, but on page action is fairly light for a dark book.
The two of them are just my favorite brand of codependent. It’s toxic and unhealthy but honestly, as long as they’re happy (relatively 🤪). The emotional connection that Beckett and Riley have is just one for the ages. Their transition from brothers to lovers is more realistic than I expected. Beckett isn’t entirely on board (because duh) and they take it slower than I expected in book terms.
This is NOT a *step brothers meet in adolescence and date in college or high school* this is *step brothers meet at ages 5 and 10 months, grow up together and trauma bond then date in adulthood* 😂 I know that some people aren’t on the known forever train when it comes to brothers, so I wanted to put that out there.
I am so excited for the Lucky Boys series and Wes’s story. Shes a fox 🥵
Anywho, I am fully team Baby and Butterfly 🥹
I was weary going into because some of the reviews made it seem like this was going to be a traumatic read or that it was incredibly dark. While there are dark themes, it didn’t read as dark as I thought it’d be. Maybe it is the fact that I’ve read a ton of mafia/serial killer books this year and it’s desensitized me to violence but…this was fairly mild on the dark scale (imo). It absolutely hits some heavy topics in discussion, but on page action is fairly light for a dark book.
The two of them are just my favorite brand of codependent. It’s toxic and unhealthy but honestly, as long as they’re happy (relatively 🤪). The emotional connection that Beckett and Riley have is just one for the ages. Their transition from brothers to lovers is more realistic than I expected. Beckett isn’t entirely on board (because duh) and they take it slower than I expected in book terms.
This is NOT a *step brothers meet in adolescence and date in college or high school* this is *step brothers meet at ages 5 and 10 months, grow up together and trauma bond then date in adulthood* 😂 I know that some people aren’t on the known forever train when it comes to brothers, so I wanted to put that out there.
I am so excited for the Lucky Boys series and Wes’s story. Shes a fox 🥵
Anywho, I am fully team Baby and Butterfly 🥹
June 21, 2024
First off - Check your trigger warnings!!! I don’t really have any, but I know that’s not the case with everyone. While I am not a huge fan of the step sibling trope (having step siblings of my own), this one is far more taboo than your every day run of mill step romance. I just want everyone to be prepared and not complain about how they couldn’t believe it and why would anyone write that. Stop it. You’ve been warned. Don’t be a Karen.
With that being said, I found the dialogue a bit cringy and the overall story fell flat. I don’t ever DNF a book, but there were many instances where I absolutely wanted to. Especially in the first 40-45%. It was a struggle for sure. And while the action and events picked up, there were parts that either went too fast or too slow.
Becks and Riley were ok characters. And while I would have loved for their interactions to be less co-dependent due to trauma, I completely get where the author was trying to go with this. There were just mass amounts of misspellings and contradictory statements that it sort of downplayed their journey into a relationship together. I found myself connecting with the side characters, Jay, Dakota, and Wes, far more easily.
I do encourage everyone to read it if you’re into taboo tropes and make your own decisions on the story. Thank you BookFunnel for the opportunity to arc read this book. Enjoy!
With that being said, I found the dialogue a bit cringy and the overall story fell flat. I don’t ever DNF a book, but there were many instances where I absolutely wanted to. Especially in the first 40-45%. It was a struggle for sure. And while the action and events picked up, there were parts that either went too fast or too slow.
Becks and Riley were ok characters. And while I would have loved for their interactions to be less co-dependent due to trauma, I completely get where the author was trying to go with this. There were just mass amounts of misspellings and contradictory statements that it sort of downplayed their journey into a relationship together. I found myself connecting with the side characters, Jay, Dakota, and Wes, far more easily.
I do encourage everyone to read it if you’re into taboo tropes and make your own decisions on the story. Thank you BookFunnel for the opportunity to arc read this book. Enjoy!
June 1, 2024
🖤 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙰𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 🖤
🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆
4.75/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️
↓↓
Holy trauma overload. These poor boys, my heart was breaking for them all the way up to the epilogue.
Becks and Riley just could not get a break. Ever since they were kids it was like they too hit after hit and never got a breather. The only solid thing in their lives was each other, Jay and their trauma. My heart broke for Beck the most, the things that he had to endure just to protect Riley and make sure that he was safe and cared for 🥹
Their story took you on such a doozy of an emotional ride. It was so gripping and kept you on the edge of you seat of what else would go wrong. Definitely some trauma bonding and hurt/comfort the majority of the book but I honestly think that if they did not have each other they would not have survived all of the horrible things that happened to them.
I loved that they finally got to a point that they felt safe and could finally trust some people and got their HEA, they really really deserved that.
𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🖤Stepbrothers
🩶codependency
🤍possessiveness
🖤Touch him and ☠️
🤍ALL the trauma
🩶Questionable coping mechanisms
🖤Double hurt/comfort
🤍Ride or Die MCs
🖤Disaster MCs
🩶younger/smaller top/older/bigger bottom
🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆
4.75/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️
↓↓
Holy trauma overload. These poor boys, my heart was breaking for them all the way up to the epilogue.
Becks and Riley just could not get a break. Ever since they were kids it was like they too hit after hit and never got a breather. The only solid thing in their lives was each other, Jay and their trauma. My heart broke for Beck the most, the things that he had to endure just to protect Riley and make sure that he was safe and cared for 🥹
Their story took you on such a doozy of an emotional ride. It was so gripping and kept you on the edge of you seat of what else would go wrong. Definitely some trauma bonding and hurt/comfort the majority of the book but I honestly think that if they did not have each other they would not have survived all of the horrible things that happened to them.
I loved that they finally got to a point that they felt safe and could finally trust some people and got their HEA, they really really deserved that.
𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🖤Stepbrothers
🩶codependency
🤍possessiveness
🖤Touch him and ☠️
🤍ALL the trauma
🩶Questionable coping mechanisms
🖤Double hurt/comfort
🤍Ride or Die MCs
🖤Disaster MCs
🩶younger/smaller top/older/bigger bottom
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