Brute

by Audrey Osborne

She wants to see the world.

He wants revenge. Raelenthia is a princess of the Fae kingdom. After trying and failing endless times to find purpose and meaning, she feels defeated. She has been sheltered her whole life; told what to say, what to wear, and where to go. That all changes when she hears a rumor that the human kingdom may be starting another war. Desperate to find herself, Rae goes undercover to prove that her life isn’t as tragic as she thinks.

Pearce is a soldier. He doesn’t trust the new party member that joined them unannounced. When his suspicions about her turn out to be correct, he plans to extort her. But when she repeatedly finds herself in danger, he can’t resist stepping in to help. Pearce can’t get distracted, there are people depending on him.

When fire meets ice, what else can happen but a bit of melting?

422 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2024

Reviews

[MaKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: Full Review
WOW. I absolutely loved this! I wish I could immediately start the next book because man, that was such a great experience! I haven’t had a book make me feel like that in a long time!

This book was a fun, crazy ride. I loved the premise and plot. The pacing was well done.
This is a sloooooowww burn but man was it worth it! I was almost begging for more when the MCs would have interactions. I love Pearce. He was so well written and I loved him taking control of situations. It’s hard for me to explain but I cannot wait for more.
The build up to them finally getting together was amazing. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I’m obsessed.

I’m so excited to see what else this author comes out with! This debut was a great one to start with. Please check this out! It was so amazing.
......................................................................

Umm.. I’m speechless… I need to process. But man was that amazing. Please read this book.
📚 I’m ready for book 2 yesterday. 😮‍💨😭

Full RTC when I finish processing.

Audrey- thank you for writing and bringing this into the world. It was amazing. I haven’t had a book make me feel like this in a long time. ❤️

[Gen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rate: 4.75⭐️ & 3🌶️
I just finished the book & I need to make a review ASAP! Also I need book 2! 👀

Raelenthia, is our FMC & Pearce our MMC. Most of the book we just follow Rae & occasionally Pearce. Rae, has officially become one of my girls! I literally LOVE HER! The beginning was slow but once Rae is out of the castle, everything & I mean everything just speeds up so fast! ( in the best way! ) We get so much info into our world thru Rae’s eyes & knowledge. Watching Raelenthia’s inner struggles from beginning to end * chefs kiss * Then enter Pearce! Cold yet caring? Suspicious yet intrigued by Raelenthie. The back & forth between them!! Again * chefs kiss * it was such a SLOW BURNNNNN but once it hits, IT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! 🙂‍↕️🤭 I definitely enjoyed the side character a lot! I won’t name which one I very much disliked towards the end 😒 Dessielle 💕 Jaali ✨ & Ro 🫶🏻
Both Raelenthia & Pearce are amazing, I can’t wait to jump back in into this world again & see where the story takes us. Book 2, where are you??

I 100% highly recommended this book! If you read it, let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts! ✨

[Allison Giamanco · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is new to reading fantasy, this book was perfect. The story was easy to follow which makes to great for someone who has never or doesn’t usually read fantasy. Personally I enjoy romance novels and I did feel like it was lacking in that aspect. Don’t get me wrong, there is romance, I just wish there was more. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Kaitlyn Regian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brute is a GREAT spicy new adult book from first person POV. To Brute’s core– it’s a self discovering, sloooww burning enemies to lovers. I mean, the tension is palpable, it was KILLING ME.

This fantasy world is well built and original, the continent containing all four seasons with different elements & creatures to explore throughout the book. The sassy, spicy, and lovable princess (Raelenthia) experiences realistic day to day life with expectations of education and interpersonal relationships with family & friends, as well as goals and aspirations; NOT focusing on only romance, rather, focusing on a theme of self discovery… with some spice. (hehe)

From the beginning of the book Rae is determined to discover who she is, revisit her lineage, and find her self. She spontaneously slips out of the castle and joins a secret mission against her kins’ wishes. Along the way, one ~brute~ from the team (Pearce) terrorizes, yet protects, Rae on their mission. DROWNING HER??! But then turns around and would literally take an arrow for her… gahh just KISS ALREADY.

Watching Rae transform (physically & emotionally) throughout the book and experiencing this fantasy world through her eyes was fascinating to say the very least. You watch Rae go from princess to soldier in real time. Towards the middle-to-end-ish of the book the tensions between Rae & Pearce rise and it RAPIDLY gains momentum. In the like words of Rae: the push and pull WILL give you f**king whiplash. First you’re waltzing in a ballroom, then you fight– you end up learning so much so quickly, then BOOM– HUGE plot twists and left on a CLIFF HANGER. God, why!!! The world is crashing down around me (literally.) I DESPERATELY need the second book.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

I want to start by saying that I am an epic fantasy, sci-fi, and horror reader. My favorite authors are Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson.

Which is why I’m so impressed with this author and her first novel. I really ended up enjoying this a lot more than I thought I was going to by the end. The focus on the romance and enemies to lovers troupe was a little bit stronger then I would have liked, but not so much that I had to put the book down. I think any book where you start to theory craft, it means the author has done their job. I had a few theories or predictions and one of them ended up being true for twist by the end of the book. The twist was done so well and was so believable, it even reminded me of a few other stories I’ve read. The ending was left on such a good cliffhanger. Like big blockbuster Hollywood movie or massive and expensive TV show kind of cliffhanger. I was not expecting this from a self published author. I really want to see how this world is about to change.

Osborne has created a interesting fantasy world with a lot cool creatures and I just wanted to see more of them! I loved the kelpie, it’s obvious she did her research in the folklore around them. I just really wanted more awesome creatures.

The characters are not my favorite part about this story but I don’t think they are bad. I liked a lot of the side characters more but that’s okay cause I don’t think I’m target audience for this kind of novel. I don’t relate a lot to our main character, but again I’m not the target audience so I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I do really want more back story on Pearce. He seems to have a fear of deep water and I want to know why. I was the same way when I was a kid, probably up until I was 8.

The only flaw I see in this book was some repetitive terms. There was a lot of jaw clenching, eyes boring into skulls, and pinched eyebrows. For a self published author with no other books out, if that’s the only negative I have then I would call your book a success.

Overall Im really impressed. I liked it a lot and I can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out. I think I need to give more smaller or self published authors a chance.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the honeymoon right now but RTC for sure!

[Mekenzie Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I begin? From the very beginning this book HAD me. The amazing descriptions of everything that we saw and experienced was what drew me in. But the main character’s personality and drive is what kept me. Not to mention the actual story!!! I don’t even remember the last time a book drew me in and kept me in like this. I could NOT put it down the entire time. The story had so many twists and turns that continued to surprise me but then once we got there it was like all the great foreshadowing from before made so much sense. I wish I could read this book for the first time again just to feel the same new excitement that this book gave me every time I flipped the page. 10/10 recommend!!!!💚🗡️📚

[Mindy Shewmake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spellbinding!

Just when you think you have things figured out there’s a plot twist like no other! This story will draw you in!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rae is not your average fantasy heroine which is something the fantasy genre desperately needs. She doesn’t come pre skilled or have extreme abilities or unwavering confidence, instead she offers relatability as to what it feels like to not know what you’re good at despite being surrounded with loving and talented people. Rae is desperate to carve her own path for once and sets out to try and prove she can do something all on her own. Pearce is the foil Rae has been looking for even though they don’t know it at first simply because he doesn’t coddle her or make excuses for her. The tension they have is INTENSE and he’s excellently written. THE LONG AWAITED SPICE IS INDEED WORTH IT. The book is so well done you’ll reach the end ready for more and disappointed it’s over.

[Jayde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was unprepared for the rollercoaster I just experienced reading this book. STRAP IN.

[Caty McCullers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

I’m glad it has some focus on the heroine finding her own way in life and didn’t just focus on the falling for the man part (although that was nice too).

I can’t wait for the next one!

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review so let's get into it~
My rating: 3/5, read it in ~4 hours.
I think this book and the author have a lot of potential!
The things I liked:
- Obviously, I was all over the premise, this genre is right up my alley and the autumn court has always been my favourite.
- No miscommunications tropes god bless and the two MCs are likeable
- I really liked the queer representation in this book. A lot of authors have the token gay character who's personality is literally just being queer and it's always frustrating to read. This author did such a great job including queer representation in a natural way and it brought peace to my soul fr.
- Loved the fact that her parents were kind and sane, that was very refreshing to read about. Overall, the her family and best friend were great in terms of healthy loving relationships; it really fit with the cozy autumn vibe.
- I also appreciated the fact that our FMC is kinda plain and struggles with finding something she's really good at in the beginning. There are way too many overpowered FMCs in this genre and Rae was a very relatable character for this.

However, my main issues with this book:
- The plot of this book felt a bit empty. Maybe it's because I'm used to reading very dense worldbuilding and action-packed fantasy books, but the entire plot can kinda be summed up by she wants to do more with her life and know about humans so she infiltrates this group of soldiers going to the human realm to investigate whether or not they are planning to attack, they go there, find information proving the humans want to attack, go back home to discuss plans, and then MMC and FMC confess their love and he brings her back to his home which turns out to be an underground secret kingdom, and then they get attacked . When the book finished, it felt like we should have only been halfway through the plot. I think that's partially why I read it so fast too.
- The worldbuilding didn't feel magical considering we're supposed to be in the autumn court surrounded by fae and magic. Other than a few mentions here and there about magic or specific creatures/objects I feel like the author could have pushed descriptions about the environment or Rae's house and added a bit more ~fantasy~ to it all. Of course, this may have been a conscious choice on the author's part and that's totally fine too, it just wasn't it for me.

I think because of those two things, this book was good but it wasn't particularly memorable for me. I think it has a lot of potential to improve especially with a second book where we could flesh out the plot a bit more (also more Dessi, she was my fav). It was an easy read I would say, and if you're looking for a low stakes story where a half elf decides to step out of her comfort zone to go on a mission with the classic tall dark and grumpy MMC by her side, then this is for you.

[Lor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐

I had very high expectations based on other Goodreads reviews. Now that I’ve finished it, I feel a little underwhelmed. *Spoilers below*

The premise is interesting, the characters are likeable, and the pacing is generally good. Audrey's novel is very creative and eloquent. It’s by no means a bad book or badly written. However, the story itself falls flat. I feel like nothing really happened. Up until Rae left the palace, the book was slow and overly descriptive. I practically learned everyone’s daily schedule because it kept being repeated—mundane details that made the story feel stagnant.

Davian letting Rae go on a dangerous mission into enemy territory, despite knowing who she is and how utterly defenceless she is, made no sense. It also rendered Pearce’s supposed grand gesture of keeping her secret meaningless—someone else already knew, which undermined its significance.

The "plot twist" wasn’t really a twist. It was an obvious setup from the start. A secret underground kingdom, Kermera, is described in a book. Two mysterious men, whose presence on the mission raises suspicion, have origins that remain deliberately vague. Then, Pearce starts acting cryptic about the book. It's repeatedly pointed out how no one knows where they're from. I'm not sure if we were supposed to be surprised that Pearce and Jaali are from Kermera.

As soon as fire powers are mentioned, every single adjective and verb linked to heat and fire is used about Rae. We get it, she has fire powers. While it’s a solid setup, I don’t want to feel like I’m trudging through one long book of backstory, setup, and world-building just to get to the actual story in book two.

Her parents’ reaction or lack-thereof to her leaving was also baffling. They didn’t question where she was going, despite knowing close to nothing about the people she was traveling with—while believing that war was about to break out again?

Reynard’s character was painfully flat and felt like a mere plot device to contrast a bad male love interest against Pearce, the good one. His entire personality boiled down to “I want you, Rae. Why don’t you want me?”

Overall, the book isn’t bad, but it’s painfully predictable. There was no major reveal, no shocking betrayal—just a setup for what feels like the real story in book two.

[Stephanie Cloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve seen alot of people say it’s a slow burn or slow paced book. But I didn’t really feel that way. It’s a fantasy, so I’d say 400 pages isn’t bad at all with the world building, tension, and other things that were all through the book.
Also I really loved the build up of the relationship with the fmc and mmc. They don’t just go straight to good stuff (although.. it’s REALLY GOOD STUFF) and then that’s all you get for the rest of the book.
I do feel it seemed a bit repetitive in the way things or people were described. But that’s the only thing I found I didn’t love about this book because I…
Loved the plot
Loved the relationship anticipation and banter
Loved the level of spice
LOVED the character development
Loved the ending… BUT
THERE BETTER BE ANOTHER ON THE WAY!❤️❤️

[Veronica Beagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from someone who doesn’t read these types of books often I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a good mix of war/fae politics and the tall dark and handsome romantic interest. If anything I wish Rae was more of a strong and badass character earlier on in the story, but she definitely grows into her strength just in time for the shift at the end. But I was definitely hooked on this book, reading whenever I got the chance, excited to see where the story would go. I’m definitely recommending Brute to my friends and I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. Looking forward to what comes next!

[Taylor Buelow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect blend of fantasy and romance. This book swept me away from the very first page. It has everything I love in a story, rich world-building, heartfelt emotion, and just the right amount of tension and magic. I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down. It’s one of those rare reads that reminds you why you fell in love with books in the first place. I’m already counting down the days for whatever comes next!

Audrey, you talented queen. I’ll read any book you write 💗💗💗

[Perci Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want cozy fantasy vibes, new adult spice, and an annoyance-to-lovers romance, Brute is going to be your next read!

[Karis Ramantanin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending… anyway, obsessed with the mmc and can’t wait for the next!