Bartholomew

The Temple Brothers #2

by Elle Sparrow

Bartholomew Temple was the quintessential middle child. A goofball to the core, he thrived on using humor to cut the tension in almost every situation. But, now that he was next to marry, how was he going to handle being a husband? He had always said he lived a life of gluttony: enjoying good food, good music, and good women. After discovering how his intended has been treated by their community, by their church, and even by her own family, it was no wonder he stepped up and agreed to marry her, sight unseen. It was the way of things in Zion. How was he going to handle caring for this godly woman while he wanted nothing more than to teach her the ways of pleasure and kink? Would he be able to keep up the ruse long enough to enact his brothers’ plan to leave the church? Or would he succumb to the temptation and teach this goddess the ways of sin?

Delilah Christian was a woman who knew what it was to serve. It’s all she had. Having been put down and shamed for her appearance and her size by family, friends, and community alike, she had long lost the hopes of being matched with a husband. That’s why it was such a surprise when she found out she would be marrying one of Zion’s most eligible bachelors. She discovers quickly that the man she thought she would be marrying is nothing close to the truth. He is goofy, vivacious, and has a secret side of him that she could have never imagined. It’s almost impossible to believe that he could really find her beautiful.

Can Bartholomew find the seriousness to help Delilah realize her worth? Will she learn to trust him enough to let go of all the insecurities she holds on so tightly to? Or will this life they both yearn to build come crashing down under the weight of the cult that surrounds them?

Genres: BDSM, Romance, Smut, Dark, Contemporary, Cult Classics, Ebooks

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2022

About the author

Elle Sparrow has had stories roaming in her mind for years. When the COVID-19 Pandemic caused states and counties to issue stay-at-home orders, resulting in her being laid off from work as a paralegal, she seized the opportunity to tell you the story that is The Omega Trilogy. Her books take a look into a world and a community that she has been a part of for over a decade, bringing personal experiences, along with research, into her craft.

When she isn't writing, Elle spends her time with her loving family, as well as working full-time as a paralegal, once the stay-at-home orders were lifted and she could return to the office, that is.

With the love and support from her family and friends, and many more stories in her mind that are begging to be told, she has no plans to stop writing, now that the creative goddess inside of her has been awakened!

Reviews

[Niki {Still a Widow but reading more} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ollie's story was a pleasure!

We continue our saga of the Zion cult and the Temple brothers. This was Ollie's story. The brothers need to marry before they can leave as planned. Malachi is being stubborn and refused the girl his parents were trying to arrange. Sweet Ollie, lover of all women and pleasure Dom, heard disparaging remarks being made about the potential bride. He had never met Delilah but knew no woman should be treated or spoken of so poorly. So sight unseen he agrees to marry Delilah.

Delilah, sweet and quiet but with a little sass, is used to being treated badly. Her family and others in the Zion community ridicule her for being overweight and exclude her from events and get togethers. Delilah is surprised that Bartholomew accepted her for a bride and is looking forward to some peace and quiet in her new home. But determined to be the best wife she can be.

I really liked this one. Ollie was so sweet and kind, full of boyish charm. He saw Delilah for the beautiful woman she was, inside and out. Ollie set about giving Delilah a safe space and getting her to see her worth and beauty. There was a lot of steam with their natural chemistry and Ollie being a pleasure Dom. He loved and played Delilah's body like an instrument, wringing out every drop of pleasure he could. They found safety and comfort in each other while they bided their time to fulfill the plan to leave. Something hinky is afoot in Zion so I'm looking forward to Zeke's story next to find out what's going on and why the brothers are being watched.

Even though this is an ARC review, I will always shoot you straight. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review

Arranged Marriage, Kink, Dom/Sub, Religious Cult, Rape (check trigger warnings)

Full rating is 4.75 stars for me (the only reason I'm taking off half a star is because I'm more a fan of short chapters versus long ones).

Bartholomew is the second book in the Temple Brothers Series. The series takes place in a religious cult community, where women are raise to basically be breeding cattle. This story follows Bartholomew, or as everyone close to him knows him as Ollie, and Delilah, sweet, curvaceous eldest sister of the Christian family.

Ollie is the fun loving, sweet spirited, kind hearted middle brother of the Temple brothers, who steps up to "biting the bullet" of marrying town outcast who is seen as ugly, disgusting just because she has curves. Ollie however sees past al that to the beautiful woman that she is inside and OUTSIDE.

Ollie is just the sweetest pleasure Dom and really knows how to take care of a woman. He is a man after my own heart. I fell hard for Ollie and don't know how another man can compete, he climbed to #2 of my book boyfriends easily. And Delilah...Oh Delilah! Elle could have ripped so many of her lines from my childhood journals. And my looks are something I struggle with daily still. I feel like I have curves in all the wrong places so hearing there are men out there that enjoy all those mounds and stretch marks still gives me hope.

I loved this book! And I can not wait for the rest of this series.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

BDSM in a cult

Yeah this is second book in a series about a cult and the characters have a BDSM relationship and there are a number of 🔥 🔥 🔥 scenes and a nice amount of BDSM as well. I really love this series so far and I think the characters are terrific.

[Taylor Chitwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was…yeah this is gonna be a no from me. I wish I could like the MMC but the way the cult stuff is handled by him really bothered me. Like, please just get her out of there rather than participating. The justifications just didn’t sit well with me

[Nyntje347 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel to the first one, possibly even better. I absolutely adore the characters and can very much identify with Delilah, who is a bigger girl. All her life she's been told that she's disgusting, that men don't like big girls, that she's too much, but then she gets married off to Ollie. And Ollie tells her that she does matter, that she is beautiful, that she is enough. For me, it wasn't just the spicy scenes that made this story, it was so much more the development that Delilah goes through. The love she receives, and it felt almost therapeutic to read this.

[Reading and Retrieving · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Star Review for Bartholomew by Elle Sparrow

Oh Ollie, Ollie, Ollie.....what an adorably sincere man. I was hoping/waiting for Bartholomew's story since our first introduction to him in Leviticus. I mean each brother is a mystery and I am dying to know each of their kinks and marriage stories, but Ollie is just so lovable as a character. Hell, this wasn't even supposed to be his wedding. The man volunteered to get married when his brother turned down the union.
Delilah is another sweet, innocent and unwanted woman of Zion. The Reverend and her family treat her like garbage. She is the oldest of three girls, last to be married, and considered repulsive by the people of Zion. Just that fact is heartbreaking. She has been told she is fat and ugly for her entire life. Years of being insulted and spoken down to. Boy does she have thick skin and is truly courageous. She seems to handle the people of Zion much better than Ollie and controls her emotion. Meeting Ollie was exactly what she needed to see good in her world. Ollie loves women. It does not matter what size, shape, or look. Women are beautiful to him.

"For me is was just all about one thing: women. Just. Women. They were incredible, lovely, and completely necessary. I did not think there was a single woman on this Earth I would not find beautiful......I was put on this earth to pleasure them. That's what I was. A pleasure Dom."

I thought the wedding day was not going to be as shocking because we already learned about the requirements for a wedding in Levi's story, but I was wrong. Delilah's father is an Elder. Just think about that...Horrible experience. Horrible man.

Ollie started the marriage with such compassion. He wanted to make everything right and take care of Delilah. From self care to making her breakfast the first morning, he wanted her happy and to learn as much as he could about her. Ollie provided compassion for Delilah when no one ever did.

"Delilah, you will learn...that my desire for you is not held by limitations of time. I want you in the dark of night. I want you in the early morning light. I want you nearly all the time."

The Temple brothers are fascinating. As they are all some form of a Dom, the women of Zion are taught to naturally be submissive. It is a very interesting parallel to read about. Kink and Cult. So far Levi and Ollie have each married someone that completes them, both as a person and a Dom. Although Bartholomew's not a power driven Dom, he was still able to control the dynamic with Delilah. He wanted her pleasure, not to control her. He wanted her sass and for her to learn to love herself.

This story was different than Leviticus' and there was a lot more sweetness. Both characters are learning to love and be loved. You get to follow the ups and downs, steps forward and back. I am still excited for the other Temple brothers and can't wait to see how this series ends, but I also don't want it to be over anytime soon.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Shifty Bugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I absolutely loved reading this book it was amazing, The Temple Brothers so far is really exciting and this is book two. Life on Zion is hard on women they must submit to their husband, cook, clean, have sex to have children then once pregnant then your husband will leave you alone but Delilah was also picked on nagged at and shunned. Bartholomew (Ollie) it was only his brothers, friends and now his wife call him Ollie. The things he had to do to make his wife comfortable in his presence was amazing. I would recommend this book to everyone that like romance.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bartholomew is the second book in the Temple Brothers series and follows the story of Bartholomew, or Ollie. He is from a very strict, religious cult, and plans to follow his brothers plan to leave the community, after marrying someone. That someone is the curvaceous Delilah. But will their plan work or will something hinder the pair from getting out?

Ollie and Delilah may not meet or come together in the most normal way, but they are absolutely perfect for each other. He is a goodball and full of life, but Delilah has beeb brought down many times for her size and falls into a subservient mindset. He helps her feel beautiful and I adored this relationship. On top of that, his Dom side suits her sub side to a T and they compliment each other so well. The steam is always fantastic from this author, and this book did not disappoint.

I love the ongoing story about this family and the sons way of getting out. They're working to save as many women as they can, which I think is a brilliant idea. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Sydnie Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear, sweet Cinnamon Roll, Ollie and lovely underappreciated Delilah make the PERFECT couple in this story. I could give you more synopsis to this story, but as I sat here reflecting on what to write in my review, I realized what these stories are actually about at their heart. They're about falling in love, despite the strict expectations of the harsh, unforgiving world in which you grew up. About shedding the layers of shame and pretense these characters have built up around themselves and uncovering who they truly are on the inside--about figuring out what they truly desire and what brings them pleasure and happiness. This was a truly beautiful, well written story about people simply falling in love and helping understand and offload the baggage we carry into relationships.

[Hannah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I loved the Ollie and Delilah story. And I really wanted to give it a higher rating, but with the amount of text I had to skip over I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

For me, it was him being called “Daddy”. Not to yuck anyone’s yum, it’s just not my thing. It’s a turn-off. So I ended skimming through a large chunk of the book to avoid these references but so I could also continue following the overarching storyline and keep going in the series.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story revolves around a second brother, not sure where he is in birth order, who is a praise dom, in BDSM kink. He marries a BBW who seems very ill treated by her family because of her weight. Though I’m not a BBW myself, I enjoy reading about them in love stories. For one thing, I know a lot of men really LIKE meat on a woman, especially in the rear. I didn’t particularly enjoy the beginning of this story, though. Delilah was treated abominably by not just her family but also by the community and especially by the Pastor leading the community. It was deplorable and I finally skipped through a lot of it because it was so painful, until Ollie got her home. Once there, he masterfully and slowly worked her out of her hard shell. They were perfectly matched, Ollie and Delilah. He, a praise dom, and her with such low self esteem that she couldn’t even value herself in any way. Ollie’s description of what his wedding with her would have looked like had they been able to choose the event for themselves was breathtaking and heart-stopping. Just WOW. Much as I loved Levi as a protocol dom, Ollie is my new hero as a pleasure dom. Some day I want to taste a raspberry the way he taught Delilah to taste: "He handed me a berry, gesturing for me to hold it out for him to taste. He took my wrist in his hand, holding me steady as he wrapped his lips around my fingers. His tongue coiled around the berry, pulling it into his mouth slowly, sensually. All the while, his eyes stayed locked on mine." Reading about the body shaming from Delilah’s family really hurt my heart. I mean I seriously cried over it. Ollie had a lot to overcome in Delilah from the trauma of her life to the point where she married him. When he brought out his guitar and play “Blackbird” for her, he changed the lyrics “firefly glowing in the dead of night, Open those beautiful eyes and learn to see, All your life, Your worth has always been there, now finally be free.” Ollie slowly brought her out of her shell. And then she shined! Delilah became my hero as well. The story had Cinderella elements which I loved. When Ollie responded to Delilah’s father, who'd demanded that she resume her duties as their housekeeper, with such authoritative force, telling him that she will do no such thing because she is no longer his daughter but now she is Ollie's wife and he will decide when and where she goes and what she does, I about fell on my knees before this fictional character. He became my all time favorite character in the series. Not only that but his fun loving personality and pleasure dom kink made me fall in love with him. I have to keep reminding myself that he is just a fictional character, that there are absolutely NO MEN like Bartholomew Temple. One of the most uncomfortable scenes in the book was when the Pastor showed up unannounced to their home and proceeded to dictate how Ollie should live and then he continued on to utterly degrade Delilah right in from of Ollie. It showed how very twisted this leader of the community is. But I kept thinking that if these boys are attending classes on a regular basis, why doesn't anyone actually mention Scripture such as Ephesians 4:32: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" when dealing with the despicable behavior toward Delilah?

It Later occurred to me as I read more about how the church was anxious to get all 5 Temple boys married and serving on the board of elders, that maybe they should stick around and affect change instead of running away and leaving the community to continue to fester and hurt so many people.

In any case, I got my HEA, just like in Cinderella, though there still wasn't a resolution to the conflict of their plan to get away from Zion. I am resolved to read the entire series before I get that.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this series has me on the edge just like the first one and the things people do to each other in the name of religion is short of disgusting for both the women and the men but especially the women. This is book two of The Temple Brothers series it doesn’t read as a standalone it is a continuation of characters as they are all brother’s trying to get away from a cult that their parents are involved forcing them to marry the women of their choice but the things, they do oh my! WARNING: YOU WILL FEEL EVERY EMOTION POSSIBLE SO BE PREPARED! There is so much that go on within these chapters that will have you sitting and thinking just how Bartholomew Temple is part of the Temple family where they are expected to marry the women their father chose for them, they are to live the way their father tells them, impregnate their wives without their choice of how they feel about bring children into the hell they live daily. From the beginning his older brother Levi started making plans to agree to marry the women that are chosen for them in order to save them but once they were all married then they would leave the cult giving the women a choice to leave with them, to stay with them or to live their life the way they want anywhere they want but at least they will have choice. This religion allows the elders to sexual assault the women prior to marriage (their claim is to make sure the women is still pure) and then the man they married is forced to pretty much rape them right there in front of elders then he is cheered on by them for taking his wife in a manly manner (if that is what you call it). Delilah is so sweet, has one to be one of the strongest women, she is abused by her family because she is more on the curvier side pushed to lose weight, then shamed into trying to force her to lose weight, then pushed around for her weight and now forced to marry one of the Temple brother’s who she is sure just like all the other men in the religion they are in which she thought would never happen because of her weight. Both are extremely nervous upon meeting each other, marrying with in a few days of meeting learning more about each other she is everything he thought he didn’t want in a women, he loves her curves and he is this goofy, caring, understanding man who would never shame her or allow anyone else to shame her or her curves but is it enough, will they get their chance to leave the cult, can the two of them learn to love each other despite their beginning or outside busybodies of the elder women trying to control everything, and is there a possible HEA for Bartholomew and Delilah?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[BookwormG · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m really trying hard to like this series and there are parts of the books that I love, like how these men can be so sweet and kind. But I just generally hated this book for the most part.
I hated how we begin the story with Ollie going to the sex club literally the night before his marriage, knowing the next day he would be participating in the most vile ceremony I’ve ever read about. If he was a man with a thread of human decency I think he would have been at home puking his guts out, dreading his participation in the next day’s events, not three fingers deep with a sex partner at a club. I’m not sure why we as readers needed to be privy to his night with Meredith anyway??? It didn’t add to the story at all and made me not like him from the beginning. Like how do you just turn off in your mind that you will be participating in the SA of your bride tomorrow while you get your rocks off tonight??? No sense at all. Pleasure dom my ass.
Speaking of these men and their kinks. It’s unbelievable to me that these extremely innocent women just open up to this world of kink with little reservation, ESPECIALLY after the trauma of the inspection and consummation ceremony. Hell, I need therapy just reading about it! I mean their trauma and abuse is just kind of glossed over. Like, yeah, a bad thing happened, sure I would love for you to spank me!!!
Also, while I know people can be especially ugly to fuller figured women (I myself am a big girl) I don’t buy the depth of the vitriol spewed upon Delilah by literally every one except the brothers and Ruth. They said things and treated her like she was disgusting to look at. 😡It was way over the top comments that just didn’t seem believable. Yeah, maybe some asshole’s will shock you with stupid comments, but literally everyone in this town had ugly things to say about her because she was a curvy size 18??? I’m not buying that bs.
I did love how Ollie pushed her to see herself through his eyes and built her up every chance he could. But, then the reverend showed up and spoke to her like she was subhuman and Ollie just allowed it and even for the sake of appearances participated to a degree. Maybe because I’m used to reading mafia romances my expectations are too high, but I was let down when Ollie didn’t even stand up for her. I’m used to hurt her and you die. I lost interest in the story and the romance after that. I skimmed to the end just to expedite the end of my torture.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at 60%

i tried really hard but i couldn’t get through it.

first of all, the writing is killing me. it’s so formal and wooden and there aren’t enough contractions. it’s a lot of “you are leaving? i do not know why you would leave and i am confused.” none of it sounds like the way real people speak to each other. i tried to rationalize it by remembering the whole cult thing and considering how that might have a lasting effect on the way they speak but it’s so distracting.

second of all, delilah is one of the most stunted characters i’ve ever encountered. now, again, that also might be attributed to the cult upbringing, but it’s still incredibly annoying to read. the whole beginning of the book is people being horrible to her for no reason (we’ll get back to that in a second) and her being stoic and unaffected. and then when she’s with bartholomew, every time someone speaks she’s bursting into tears and getting angry and making demands. which would be nice if it actually illustrates the effect that ollie is having on her to be her authentic self, but it doesn’t feel like that either. she overhears a conversation and is immediately both rude and hysterical without asking any questions.

then when ollie tries to explain anything at all about kink to her she’s like “no, tell me everything right now, i wanna do it now, i mean it, i understand.” girl…you’ve been having a conversation for 5 minutes. you have no idea what you’re talking about and you’ve already proved several times that you can’t confront anything new without losing your mind. maybe take this a little slower and more responsibly.

and really quickly, i understand that this is a plus size romance. as a plus size girly myself, i get that there’s a lot of complicated feelings about bodies and sex and attraction, especially when you have really poor self-esteem. but also as a plus size girl, it’s insane to read a book where every single person in the book finds a reason to call the fmc fat and ugly and disgusting. like…sure, people can be cruel, but it’s completely unrealistic that literally everyone in town calls her gross and undesirable to her face for no reason.

[TheReaderVert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasure Dom seeks a traumatized wife

I'm not into 🐝DSM, but I love a good downtrodden mistreated FMC. Make her a plussize over 22 yo, and I'm ecstatic. The k!nk wasn't hard to either skip or pause at. Daddy here is a Pleasure Dom who loves women. It's his thang.

I find the plotline a little absurd, but the author does a fine job with the story. All these brothers and each one happens to be into the lifestyle and each one is a Dom frfr and each one has very specific and different k!nks. It's a bit much. The honorable and noble act of leaving a c♡lt wasn't enough they decided to get married and have their wives join them in freedom.

What's to like
😊 plussize (size 18) woman was deserved well, and her character was well written and balanced in the story. The typical horrible tropey storylines you get with BBW books weren't here, and it was nice seeing her evolution.

My wish: for once while exploring an FMC, will say "yeah I don't like that. I don't want to try that." It's always hey, let's do toys and O denial and @n@! and she's just game.

😊 I liked the easy nature of the MMC even though he lacked real substance. He was lucky to be rich because he didn't really have any focus or direction going on. He mentioned managing the smmex club, but I'm shocked he gets to do that when he doesn't appear to have any management acumen. I guess being rich is enough.

My wish: There was more there there to his character. It was almost as if he was there as a conduit for her, and that's boring

🙃 Pleasure Dom thing was like ok. I just really tune out that stuff. There's always these explanations and enthusiastic consent and these discussions, and for me, that's boring, but I'm sure others would like it

My wish: the pacing would involve more action. We spent most of the book not doing anything bit on the honeymoon, and even though I love these "we are in isolation" stories, it felt too long for what they did. This could have been trimmed up by at least 100-150 pages.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bartholomew Temple has volunteered to marry one of the Zion commune's women - sight unseen. From the unkind comments made about Delilah Christian, Otto didn't expect the beautiful, voluptuous woman that walked down the aisle to him. He knew he had to do everything he could to make the post-wedding event with the elders easier for her but he was not sure exactly how to do that. The degradation the two of them were going to go through, especially Delilah, made him angry and ashamed. He would have a month-long "honeymoon" at their home to try to make it up to her. His mouth was watering thinking of the things he'd like to do with her - to her, but he wasn't sure she would appreciate any of them. Then there were the secrets he would need to keep from her, secrets about his life, his needs, his plans for the future.

Delilah had always been treated differently - by her parents, her sisters, the other people at Zion. She was the oldest, and the last to marry. Her sisters were all thin, pretty girls and she was the overweight, lumpy girl no one wanted to be around. Always treated like a servant in her own home, she knew she was going to be the same to Bartholomew. But for some reason, Otto kept telling her she was beautiful. He seemed to actually want to get to know her. He wanted her.

Could they really make something of their arranged marriage? Something un-Zion? Something that gave them both what they needed?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[AGirlAmongstBooks (Jess Green) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

While I am enjoying this series, I'm finding it a bit annoying as well. The whole premise of this book is that this group of brothers are in a cult and wish to leave. They are forced into arranged marriages with women they have never met who are also a part of this misogynistic cult group.

Once they are married, these women who have never been alone with a man besides their fathers or brothers, are sent to live with their new husbands and expected to be the perfect subservient wives. The brothers each have an affinity for kink. They somehow bring out these women's inner freak flags and the women don't seem to mind too much. That is what I wish was different. There is no real push back at all. So far these women have just basically gone with the flow and are the perfect fit for each of the brothers. I know it helps the plot move along and I do enjoy the spicy scenes but I just wish there was a little more resistance.

Other than that it's an interesting premise and I'm enjoying it overall. Spicy scenes are pretty decent and I love how the brothers are teaching these women about consent and kink and making them also feel safe to be themselves.

[Arin Baur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so in love with this series and it gets more serious with each book I read! From the very beginning I wanted to punch some people in the church/ the main girl character family for how they treat her. It kinda reminds somewhat of cinderella but once you meet the amazing hot guy who marries her it makes it worthwhile! There is so many wonderful things I could say about this book but I don’t want to give to much away so please if you loved the first book go read this one! It’s truly amazing and very hard to put down once you get started! I wish that these brothers and things book was real life people I totally want to marry one myself!! This book had all different types of emotions going for me so just a heads up I can’t wait to read the next book I hope it comes out soon!! If you love guy characters who won’t let your negativity thoughts and other things about yourself mess with you even if you do it to yourself that’s just one of the many reasons why your love this book!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bookie McBookFace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This premise of this book surprised me in a good way. Religious cult deconstruction meets accurate, consent-based k!nk? Yeah, ok. You have my attention. I got this for free though the Stuff Your EReader Event so I have not read other books in the series.

There were some kinda cringe parts and definitely some darker aspects of the world of Zion. At times transitions between scenes were ROUGH. Towards the end, I had to reread chapter endings and beginnings to try and figure out what just happened because we leap forward in time a little bit without context. I personally dislike the endearment "Daddy" so that made some of the spicy times difficult to read. And then there's the fact that the book just... Ends. It doesn't get tied up nicely (although, I do love a good rope scene) it just goes from spicy time and snuggles to "Read the next book in the series."

It's not even a cliffhanger so much as an abrupt ending.

3 stars. Overall enjoyed most of it, would consider reading others in the series.

[Silke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bartholomew continues the story of the Temple Brothers and their plan to break away from the cult they've been raised in, saving at least one woman in the process - their wife. In Ollie's case, that woman is Delilah, whom he had never seen before the wedding but who takes his breath away at first sight. Verbally abused by just about everyone for her size, it takes all his patience, his positivity and his strength to help her escape the prison of her own thoughts and beliefs. Expect tender, funny, sensual and steamy scenes! There is an increasing sense of urgency, an underlying current of sinister and evil things in this 2nd book that really had me on the edge of my seat. And while there is a happy ending for Ollie and Delilah, I just know that things are going to get worse before geting better. I hope we don't have to wait too long for the next chapter in this incredible story!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Isolette or (ICY) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My apologies I been so much of reading I totally forgot to post my review here.

Bartholomew by Elle Sparrow this is book two of the series the temple brothers . Let just say wow. I couldn’t put the book down. The charters were fantastic I live Ollie charter his ways and understanding towards his wife Delilah.
Ollie is kinky,Dom , Ollie and his brothers are trying away their plan to break away from the cult they've been raised in, saving at least one woman in the process - their wife. Ollie's case, that woman is Delilah, whom he had never seen before the wedding but who takes his breath away at first sight
Delilah is a Christian was a women who knew how to serve. And take care of the house and husband by her beliefs she was raise. Until she married Ollie who had change her and explain her and help her issues as well.
I recommend this book 5/5 the romance was hot and steamy. It was my first time reading Elle Sparrow book. Now I have to read book one lol 😂

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second temple brothers book by Elle Sparrow and this time it followed Ollie and Delilah. Delilah, a size 18, curvy goddess of a woman, has been deemed undesirable by Zion men and women alike, and everyone thinks it is a blessing that Ollie steps up to marry her.

Their arranged union turns into so much more. With him constantly reassuring her that he loves every inch of her body in the most romantic and steamy ways, her exploration into BDSM with his guidance, and the continuing of the plan from book 1, this arranged marriage turns into so much more.

But, outside forces are working and no one knows what will happen when the chips fall.

This book will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions but ends in a HEA/HFN situation for this couple.

Check triggers as some of the scenes in this book could be seen as triggering.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Temple Brothers series and it does not disappoint! There are five brothers living in a religious cult and they all want out. They would like to save other people so they decide to each be married. Trigger warning, what the elders of the church due to the couple directly after the marriage is horrific.
Ollie is the middle brother. Malachi was supposed to marry next but did not want to. So Ollie stepped in. He soon to be wife was completely humiliated and outcasted in the religious community because she is a plus size woman.
Delilah, his wife is an incredibly strong woman. She took all the ridicule like a champ. Ollie had helped her see how wrong everyone truly is. That she is a very beautiful woman.
It is truly a joy to see these two characters who were total strangers, fall in love.
That being said, I'm looking forward to future books to get to know the other three brothers, and how they actually get out. Personally I can't wait for Malachi's book!

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bartholomew is book two of The Temple Brothers series of interconnected standalones. This is Ollie’s story and continues the saga of the Temple brother journey of getting out of the Zion cult. This story absolutely broke me! My heart hurt so bad for sweet Delilah! Her family is awful and everything she was made to do disgusted me! I’m so happy that she has Ollie to help with her body image struggles and to realize she has self worth and that she is beautiful inside and out. The relationship between Ollie and Delilah is built on trust and consent as they learn to rely on each other through their arranged marriage.

I’m anxious to keep reading this series to see how the Temple brothers and their wives escape the cult and the choke hold the elders have on them. This was an emotional read for me but I couldn’t stop reading!

[Dear Ostara · Rating 1 out of 5]

There ain't no way this book has a higher rate than Leviticus.
Ollie was not it, man come out too strong on a traumatized girl whom was abused her entire life, and he could not respect she had body image issues. He would constantly touch her on her stomach and she felt vulnerable and uncomfortable. Sure, this is nice but not that fast, she was 2 days in on an arranged marriage, I couldn't. For me that was a reflactions on how he was incapable of taking things seriously. I don't think the second book should've been his, because he was not husband material yet.
Delilah is a sweetheart but not my favorite
Also by the end I was not sold on their love for each other.

And the daddy honorific was so not Ollie

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ on the spice level!

I just finished book one, Leviticus, which ultimately you should read first. This is book 2 with another Temple brother. And honestly I was worried that the same character build would be the same. I know the BDSM would be slightly different, but felt at first the same. Forced married, natural submissive female. Angst between the newlyweds……well needless to say this was wholly different than what I thought. Still those things but different than book one. And love these two and they took the series with an additional level. I’m excited to continue on this series and I can’t wait! Bartholomew was so hard to put down! Good drama. Dirty read if you are looking

[Samma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh

I’m super conflicted about how I feel about this series.

It lowkey feels like a BDSM story with a religious cult as background fodder. And. Tbh I’d rather have more plot than 10 page spicy scenes every 5 pages.

Arranged marriage. BDSM. Cult. 🙄

It’s too much only because it makes the cult parts feel superfluous. They only exist to remind the reader that conflict exists and for me it’s a wasted plot point.

A dangling carrot to eventually get to the last book so the Temple brothers can escape Zion.

I’ll prolly finish the series, but I’ll be unsurprised when the third book is the same story as the first two. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Bianca Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loooooooove Ollie. Like I love him. His praise kink is what I’m here for. Being what the fashion world looks as plus sized, this book made me feel glorious. The dynamic Ollie and Delilah shared was beautiful. I appreciated the way he spoke, admired, and appreciated this woman.

Now that being said, I feel the books will all start almost the same. It’s expected in my opinion because of the lifestyle there in and all have the same end goal. I do wonder if the 5th book will be a tell all or all the brothers and their wives. I’m thinking so far ahead.

Overall such a good read for me personally.

[JustMel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I haven’t finished this yet, but I’m honestly not too impressed I’m not sure I will.

This book is like 50 shades of grey meets The handmaidens Tale and honestly I’m not sure if it works.

DNF this book at 62%, the whole daddy fixation gave me the absolute ick, his constant use of pet names for her was ridiculous, pick one or two and stick with them. Don’t keep changing them every other sentence.

But to really top this book of and how awful and ridiculous it was, is how they’re having sex, it’s the first time they’ve decided to do a scene together and Ollie decides now is the perfect time to let his inner Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtle personality shine and whilst pleasuring her with a toy - he yells out kowabanga baby ….

At this point it’s my own fault for having eyes and a kindle….

[brooke_and_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED Ollie! He is the next brother in this series to be married off, but this time it is so different. He is married to a woman he has never seen, but this is where I fell in love with Ollie. He chose to marry her because everyone in this horrible cult community thinks she is ugly and no one would ever marry her. On the day of the wedding Ollie if blown away when he sees his bride, because she is gorgeous, and he is going to make sure she knows it. This story is an amazing addition to the series! Highly recommend this series!