Split You Open

Gnarly Pines Duet #2

by M.T. Addams

All my life I’ve stuck to the shadows thinking I was safe.
Turns out, monsters lurk here too.
Heartbroken and on the run, I’m struggling. Life as I knew it has been one lie after another and now I’m not sure what to believe.

Thankfully, I’m not facing this devastation on my own.

With the enemy right on my heels, pieces of my heart left back at Gnarly Pines, and a betrayal so vicious that I can’t wrap my head around it—a happily ever after feels out of reach.

But now that I’ve stained my soul with sin, I’m not looking to wash it off.
If I have to burn this forest of lies to the ground to fix what’s been wrought—I will.

Genres: Dark Romance, Forced Proximity, Why Choose, M M Romance

514 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2026

Reviews

[Kursed Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Axe ended on a massive WTF cliffy, and thankfully, Split picks up right where we left off.

Everything has officially gone off the rails at Gnarly Pines.
Blair is on the run with Rhett as they fight for their lives, doing everything they can to stay one step ahead of her enemies. After a betrayal so unimaginable, it’s honestly hard to see how Blair is ever going to find her happily ever after.

And yet, somehow, amidst all the twists, turns, emotional chaos, and smutty goodness, we get a story about resilience, redemption, and a toxic love that absolutely should not be romantic… but somehow totally is.

I especially loved getting to see Blair and Rhett’s relationship deepen and evolve. Their intimacy felt so much more meaningful because we got to see the trust and connection building between them instead of everything being reduced to the physical.

But Santi and Rhett? OH. MY. GOD.

If you’ve been around for a while, you probably know I don’t read a ton of MM. I’m a self-insert reader - I like to imagine myself as the FMC in pretty much everything I read - so MM doesn’t always hit the same for me. All that to say… I was absolutely floored by Santi and Rhett’s reunion. I love Santi’s rapid-fire thoughts and inner monologue, but watching Rhett finally find a way to express himself and show Santi just how much he loves him had me absolutely melting. And when Santi let his own walls down and showed that vulnerability? Out. Of. This. World. That reunion alone emotionally wrecked me in the best possible way.

Split delivered the chaos, angst, twists, heat, and emotional damage I was hoping for - and somehow made me fall even harder for this fucked-up crew.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: 📱

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): Action, Dark, Mystery/Suspense, New Adult

Ending: 💗 {HEA} 💕 {HFN}
Length: 📚📚📚📚📚
POV: 👫🏻🧍🏻‍♂️👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏽 {Multiple | Present}
Emotions: 😳🤯🥵😖😍
Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Pacing: 🏃‍♀️ {Moderate}
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Vibe: Chaotic, Emotional, Intense, WTF

✨ Tropes: Age Gap (47/?19), Stalker, Enemies-to-Lovers, Forbidden, Forced Proximity, Found Family, Friends-to-Lovers, Heroine in Danger, Hurt/Comfort, Love After Loss, Why Choose (Slow Build, MMFMM)
 
💫 Microtropes: Badass FMC, Boy Obsessed, Caretaker/Protective MMC, Caveman/Bridal Carry, Celibate MMC, “Eyes on Me”, Golden Retriever MMC, “Good Girl”, Hand Necklace, Lap Sitting, Pierced 🐓, Pierced MMC, POC/Interracial, Secrets & Lies, Size Difference, Tragic Past, Trauma Bonding

🔆 Character: Blue Collar, Contract Killer, Ex-Con, Nurse, Vigilante

💋 Kinks: 🍑, Angel Wings, 🩸 + 🔪 Play, Clit Pinch, Degradation, Discipline/Punishment, Domination, Double Penetration, Edging, Forced O’s, Pearl Necklace/Spunk Art, Power Exchange, Primal Play, Snowballing, Spanking, STFUATTDLAGG, ⚔️

🤰🏻 Pregnancy: n/a

🚩 Red Flags: Alphahole, Branding, Bulldozer MMC, Dominant MMC, DubCon (by FMC, by MMC) Manipulation, OTT Hero, Touch-Her-and-💀, Tracking/Spying, Unhinged MMC

⛔️ Safety Squad: Child Abuse (Not by MMC), Torture (Not of FMC), Unaliving, Violence, and other potentially triggering elements. Triggers may appear both on- and off-page and in the past and/or present. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📍 Setting: On the Run, Remote - Appalachian Mountains > Caddawalk, Pennsylvania 🇺🇸

📣 Type: Solit You Open is the conclusion to the Gnarly Pines duet. This series must be read in order.

⚠️ Warning: This book is definitely NSFW or with a kiddo by your side. In fact, I would highly recommend you read this one after dark to avoid side eye or awkward conversations.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Lemon Loser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: 4/5 • Spice: 4/5 ➡️➡️➡️ Ledger’s attachments to Blair finally come full circle. When Rhett and Blair return back to Gnarly Pines to deal with Ledger’s betrayal everyone “seems” to have turned their back on what Blair wants. They want to hear Ledger out. She wants him to pay.

Blair’s form of punishment? Damn girl.

After all is said and done, the four of them get their girl. Daddy dearest, Anchor, shows ups. Raises hell and tries to get Blair to leave with him. Santi figures out who Dixie is, with clarification from Anchor. Even though Anchor being Anchor was already two steps ahead of the game.

There’s a lot of bloodshed in this conclusion. There’s vengeance and retribution. There’s also comfort and found family.

The last couple pages of the finale were a little underwhelming. Personal opinion. But I also love MT Addams. This wasn’t my first, and it won’t be my last.

[Rebekah Landeros · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get it

She’s your goddaughter godchild how many fucking times do you have to remind us you freaking weirdo. But I think the worst thing in this book was blaires dad. He hired a male prostitute and watched and the man did sexual things with his naked 16 yr old daughter? That’s so fucked.

[Spicy BookNook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book picks up right where book one ended and thank goodness because I needed to dive in head first on it. The ending of book one left me in absolute shambles and I could not wait for this one to hopefully provide me with some closure. Now I will say, this book doesn't just jump off the rails with closure....there is a whole heck of a lot of things that happen first. And woah oh woah, the insanity of the things Blair (and the guys, of course) have to endure is pure chaos. My jaw had to be picked up off the floor so many times. I had to pause and give my head a moment to catch up to my over-beating heart!

This duet is so absolutely fantastic and incredible. Even with this being a duet, I could totally read on about every single one of these characters for more books! I loved them so much, each in their own ways. I'm so sad that this is the ending, but it did come full circle.

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

wow

This was some how worse than the first one. Very rushed, no one is in character anymore, Blair just needs to find a way to keep letting everyone else's mental illness affect her??? Boooooo bad book

[Lyritza · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Review for the duet

I'm not a fan of serial killer romance and this duet does not change that.
While I liked the male characters well enough, especially Santi's puppy-like energy, the fmc's character was a little too inconsistent for me.
So much of her past and experiences were glossed over that it felt like we knew her only superficially.
The twists were completely unpredictable but the momentum didn't keep going throughout the second book and my excitement for the plot dwindled.
The smut was just okay, sometimes cringey in the 'that seems kinda painful' way.
All in all an okay read, worth it if you’re a fan of the trope.

[Raghini · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 STARS

I AM OBSESSED. 😭🖤

Split You Open completely had me hooked. I loved every single one of the men, and the way M.T. Addams wrote and described each of their personalities made them feel so distinct. I could picture every single one of them, and somehow I ended up falling for ALL of them.

Honestly, I don't even know how I'm supposed to choose a favorite because I loved them all. Their personalities, their different energies, the way they interacted with her… I was completely invested. I was basically sitting there like, yes, give me more of them. 😂

And the tension!!! Especially during the serious situations in the last few chapters—there were moments where I should have been completely stressed, but then one of the MMCs would do or say something and I'd actually be laughing. 😭 Like, sir, THIS IS NOT THE TIME, but somehow you just made the scene even better.

The book had me going through so many emotions: tension, obsession, curiosity, stress, laughter, and then right back to being completely feral over these men.

M.T. Addams really knows how to create MMCs who get under your skin and stay there. I loved how each man had his own personality instead of feeling like copies of one another, and that's a huge reason why I enjoyed this so much.

By the end, I wasn't ready to let any of them go. 🥲

5 stars because I was entertained, obsessed, emotionally invested, and completely gone for these men.

M.T. Addams, you did NOT have to make me this obsessed. 🖤

My biggest problem: finishing the book and realizing I don't have more of them to read immediately. 😭

[GoldenEyeOfHorus · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, not as much as book 1, but it was a exciting read.

I love the FMC's chemistry with each individual MMC. It's hard to balance things in a poly romance. Sometimes I feel like this book struggled with that. I like to see the interactions (spicy and non) between the MMCs individually. For instance, Santi was different with the FMC than he was Rhett and so forth. I like all those different vibes.

I personally didn't like how they wrapped up Ledger's antics and plotting as easily forgivable or excusable because of how much Ledger loved the FMC. It's not excusable, not even a little. I want more authors to lean into the messy bits and have people mess up and have to atone sincerely rather than wrapping it up in some bow and attempting to make a convoluted excuse for why the MMC's actions are not atrocious. No pulling punches, let there be angst and hurt.

The same goes for the jealousy themes in poly and reverse harem romances. Those parts are so juicy and angsty and satisfying to read. In this book, instead of leaning into that everyone just magically takes a deep breath and the jealousy melts away. These people have never had a poly relationship or shared and they all just have no growing pains in this situation. Unrealistic.

The fact that Ledger continued throughout to call the FMC "godchild" and "goddaughter" even after he was sleeping with her was gross.

[Ashley Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could NOT wait for Split You Open, and this book did EVERYTHING I needed it to do. Absolutely loved it!! 💯

I loved ALL of the MMCs and FMC. The action was badass, the chemistry was 🔥, and the spice was DEFINITELY spicy. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ This book had me falling in love with every single one of them for completely different reasons—just like Blair.

Now, Santi…sir. Was doing THAT in her bath products really necessary?! 🤣🤦‍♀️ I mean, control yourself!

The part where Santi wanted to sit on Wes’s lap with Blair, and then Wes grumbling, “I think I just lost 10 years off my life,” after waking up like that had me ROLLING. 🤣 There were so many moments that had me chuckling or smiling that my husband literally asked me what was funny. I had ZERO response because he wouldn’t understand unless he read it himself. 😂

AND any story that throws some government truth bombs into the plot is automatically after my heart. 👀 This part especially:

«“With the government’s involvement—it’s practically a given that they’re up to no good. They just wrap up their projects under the guise of ‘helping the world.’”»

Because why is there ALWAYS an unethical billionaire somewhere in the background with corruption?! 🤣

I could SO easily read a book 3 in this series. 👀 Sooo…are we getting marriages? Babies? Maybe both? Because with this large relationship circle, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT’S NEXT! 😂❤️

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better and this book? It delivered everything I was hoping for and more.
After the heartbreak, betrayals, and revelations from the previous story, I was completely invested in seeing what came next. The emotional weight of this one is heavy, but in the best way. Watching the characters navigate shattered trust, impossible choices, and the aftermath of everything they’ve been through made this such a gripping read.
I loved the themes of survival, resilience, and realizing that sometimes the monsters aren’t always the ones hiding in the shadows. The characters are pushed to their limits, and seeing them fight for themselves, each other, and the future they want was incredibly satisfying.
The twists, the tension, and the emotional moments kept me turning pages because I needed to know how everything would unravel. There’s something so addictive about a story where the characters have been through hell but refuse to let it define them.
This book reminded me why I love this series so much. It’s dark, emotional, messy, and full of characters who are willing to burn everything down to reclaim what was taken from them.

[Bonnie James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Split You Open was dark, filthy, twisted and completely unhinged. M.T. Addams took everything I loved about Axe to Grind and cranked the chaos all the way up.

Blair is one badass woman, and her possessive lumberjacks are the perfect mix of protective, dangerous and absolutely batshit crazy. Their chemistry was insane, the spice was HOT and the darker moments had me questioning what the hell was wrong with me because I loved every second of it.

There was never a dull moment. The danger, secrets and unexpected twists kept me completely hooked, while the softer moments made me love these characters even more. The way everything came together was the perfect ending to this wild and twisted duet.

If you love dark why choose romance, dangerous lumberjacks, obsession, possessive men and plenty of spice, you need this duet.

Just make sure you check your trigger warnings because this one does not hold back!

[Destiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t expect this to be as good as it was! This book was so good.

Reading book 1 and then getting the cliffhanger that left me stunned I didn’t know what to expect coming into this story.

I loved how we seen Blair and Rhett together after they had to run away to keep themselves safe. I feel like those 9 days showed us the connections forming between them and how they loved each other in their own way.

Ledger is what shocked me the most. The cliffhanger and what he did in book 1 had me thinking he wasn’t going to be in the happy ending but I’m so happy he was. I loved how we seen ledger progress in the book it was very needed.

Anchor was a piece of shit!!! I get he was Blair’s dad and all but he was a psychopath who tried killing his own daughter. He was so physically and mentally abusive it was crazy. I disliked that man from book 1 and book 2. The last 2 chapters he stepped up but we need more groveling from him because he did Blair wrong throughout her whole life.

[TheheartofBrigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Split You Open is the second book in the Gnarly Pines duet and is written by M.T. Addams.

💜 mysteries
💜 painful pasts
💜 found family
💜 forced proximity
💜 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 spicy spice

This book picks right up where the first book left off. Wesley is trying to get to Santi. He needs to help him get his truck out of the woods. Then they need to get back to the cabin to come up with a plan. He can’t believe they are in this mess. Ledger did the unthinkable. Blair and Rhett are in the wind. Will they be able to track them down? Will Rhett and Blair be safe? What will happen to all of them?

This was a good conclusion to this duet. I did like that there was more character building done in this book as well. It helped to create an even deeper story. There are plenty of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I liked the fast pace of this book. It all came together well. I’m glad that I finished reading this duet.

[Espy Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Split You Open by M.T. Addams is the second book in the Gnarly Pines Duet, and these characters are just as unhinged as I hoped they’d be.

Rhett and Blair are on the run after the hit placed on Blair, eventually capturing Ledger and bringing him back to the cabin. Once Ledger explains that his obsession with Blair was all about creating a family for her with people who would love and understand her, things somehow become even more chaotic. Then Anchor shows up, decides to handle things his way, and Blair ends up captured and fighting for her life.

I completely loved the plot, the chaos, the morally questionable characters, and this absolutely dysfunctional found family. And the spice? 🔥🔥🔥 SUPER SPICY.

Such a fun, crazy, dark romance with the perfect amount of unhinged!

[Sylvia Pelletier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy heck yall this second book is just as intense as the first! It picks up where book 1 left off and so many secrets are unveiled. Not only is it spicy af, we also meet anchor, blairs infamous father. That was definitely a doozy. Everything is heating up in this one and I loved every second of it! These lumberjacks will have you swooning. Its tense, action packed and at times absolutely gut wrenching, but in the end your heart will be put back together piece by piece. If you love why choose, morally grey to black mmcs and a bad@ss fmc this duet will be perfect for you. Absolutely loved going on this journey with blair and her men, but damn im sad to see them go.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book might just be more intense than the first book. Its also spicier than the first book, that living room scene ::fans self:: yummy. That claiming scene with Ledger was a blazing inferno. We get to meet Blair's father, dear god that man is scary. We also learn more about her childhood plus any and all secrets that were buried in book 1 and boy some of them are a doozy. I wasn't sure some of the characters would be redeemable but MT totally got them back cause they made me mad. On a side note, the super logical part of my 'tism brain fully understood the psych0tic logic and I'm not full sure that is a good thing or not... Either way, check you TW, read the book.

[Crystal Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

Book 2 in the Gnarly Pines Duet. You should absolutely read Book 1 first. Axe To Grind

🪓 Why Choose
🌲 Enemies to Lovers
🖤 Taboo Romance
🪓 MMCs with Red Flags Flying
🌲 FMC on the Run
🖤 Age Gap
🪓 Dark Romance
🌲 Vigilant MMCs
🖤 Found Family
🪓 Lumberjack MMCs

FANTASTIC ENDING to this duet! I was reading the last 25% so fast and with so much focus…WOW! SO GOOD!

Tons of action. Lots of tension and suspense. Seriously good spice. Edge of my seat kinda book.

Read this duet. It is dark. Do check TWs. There is a HEA!

[paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
We finally find out what happens from the cliff hanger in a axe to grind!

All these men are obsessed with Blaire! Santi is still my fav. Rhett was up in all his feels in this one and I wasn’t a massive fan.
Wes is still DADDY and wanting to take care.
Ledger, ledger, ledger… well it finally happens. And damn! I have no words.

We got a lot more on anchor in this book. Although that man is cold!

There is spice we got plot and we got a nicely finished conclusion to the Gnarly Pines duet.

Check triggers if need be :)

[Kyla Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Gnarly Pines Duet and let me tell you, this was even more chaotic then the first one. Blair, she is still just as she was and her lumberjacks are protective, possessive, and dangerous, but will do anything for her. The ending though, that was wow for this twisted, chaotic wonderful read. Each character is so different, but they fit so well together.

Make sure to check your trigger warnings.

[Fran Rosey · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg. perfectly takes off where axe to grind left off. wonderful characters and great world building. plenty of angst, dark humor, spice, and one dramatic guy (you know who im talking about). with some unexpected plots thrown in and plenty of bloodshed, this is a book worth reading, but you have to read axe to grind first to even understand certain parts. the whole duet is one of those you cant put down until you have finished them. keep up the great work and cant wait for more.

[Shelly C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book was just as intense and awesome as the first!

It picks up where book one left off and the intensity never lets up. It is spicy and SPICIER! Whew, it was hot. These lumberjacks will have you swooning.
Its action filled, tense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. There were some nail chewing moments but it all falls together in the end.

If you love why choose, dark reads and a badass FMC this duet is exactly what you need.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!! Fantastic follow up to Axe to Grind. RH/WC with danger, hitmen, sword crossing, and oh my a godfather.
Ledger really grew on me in #2 especially after getting punished for his actions by putting everyone in danger.
Anchor lives up to his reputation and to my delight makes a significant appearance. Wes, Rhett and Santi are so yummy.
MT Addams is a must read for me. Can’t wait to see what she puts out next!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This duet is everything! MT Addams can do no wrong. I loved the tension, the relationships between the characters, each mmc has their own distinct personality and dynamics with Blair.

Loved them making Ledger pay & how Blair's relationship with her dad developed! Super spicy and I'm still obsessed with Santi! ❤️

[Amy Lierz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part two of Blair and her lumberjacks takes off running!

Jumping back into this world was fantastic. What starts off as distrust and a lot of unknowns slowly reveals the true motives of each character and what makes them tick. This book is action packed, unapologetically smutty, and very well written.

[Sam Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’ll feed the trees in these woods the blood of all the men who took my woman from me”

What an amazing conclusion! The angst? The tense moments? *chef’s kiss*

All of these characters have won over my heart, but Santiago? I love that man so much 😭

I can’t wait to explore more on M. T. Addams’ work!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This duet was a wild ride. I was not expecting that twist from Ledger but he redeemed himself in this when they gave him a chance. Not sure if Blair’s dad deserves to be redeemed though, “sorry” doesn’t actually fix anything. Loved Santi even more in this half, especially when he’s acting jealous toward Ledger & wanting to share & his crazy antics.

[Sierra Mahaffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like MT Addams’ other books, I found myself terribly sad when this one ended. I was so immersed in her world and in love with her characters that I didn’t want the story to end. This duet does an excellent job of balancing romance with intricate plot and plenty of darkness. It scratches the dark romance itch perfectly.

[Rachel Garippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aweeeee!!!! Absolutely loved this ending! We got to see so much into the characters and how they all love eachother so much. The twist got me with Blairs dad!! Have to say Ledger is my favorite!!Another great read!!!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing conclusion to the Gnarly Pines duet. I loved how all the characters have very different energy but they all work so well together.

I loved Blairs creative idea for getting Ledger on board with the relationship and Santis punishment for the body wash bottles.

[Kate Fordham · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great conclusion to the duet! Had everything you needed... Drama, spicy scenes, pri8olļmal play and a bit of grovelling and hate s£x!

I loved that we got to see Rhetts caring side and I absolutely love Santi.

"But I might die without a little lick " is Santi down to a tee

Im also so glad Ledger and Blair, finally gave in to each other. Their love is crazy with lots of claiming.

We finally meet Anchor and let's just say you wouldnt want to meet him on a dark night.

I loved this book, it was just what I needed!