Battery Operated

Roommates #7

by Stephanie Brother

They hate me. I hate them. And now we have to spend the whole week together.

I didn’t even know Brady, Cole, and Gideon when I said some unkind things about them on my popular social media account. But hey, a girl’s allowed to blow off steam every once in a while, right?

But then they get their revenge. They publicly challenge me in front of my followers, so I can’t back down. Now I have to leave my sleek Chicago apartment and stay with them at their little backwoods’ inn.

The gorgeous men are determined to show me that they can out-perform all my high-tech toys, even the battery-operated ones. But if they think they’re going to win me over with chiseled physiques and small-town charm, the joke’s on them.

Even if Brady really is as good-natured and kind as he seems.

Even if under Cole’s gruff exterior, there’s a true desire to help people.

Even if—well, Gideon actually is the smug jerk I thought he was, but once he takes his shirt off, I forget all about his arrogance.

To my surprise, the week flies by, and we go from enemies to… well, lovers. But we live in completely different worlds, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to bridge the gap. Whoever said that love conquers all was full of it!

Genres: Romance, Why Choose, Contemporary, Erotica, Contemporary Romance, Polyamory, Enemies To Lovers

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2022

About the author

International bestselling author Stephanie Brother writes high heat love stories with a hint of the forbidden. Since 2015, she’s been bringing to life handsome, flawed heroes who know how to treat their women. If you enjoy stories involving multiple lovers, including twins, triplets, stepbrothers, and their friends, you’re in the right place. When it comes to books and men, Stephanie truly believes it’s the more, the merrier.

She spends most of her day typing, drinking coffee, and interacting with readers.

Her books have been translated into German, French, and Spanish, and she has hit the Amazon bestseller list in seven countries.

Find her at:
WEBSITE - www.stephaniebrotherbooks.com
FACEBOOK - www.facebook.com/stephaniebrother
FACEBOOK READER GROUP - https://www.facebook.com/groups/86194...
MAILING LIST - https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
INSTAGRAM - www.instagram/stephaniebrotherbooks
TIKTOK - www.tiktok.com/@stephaniebrotherbooks

Reviews

[Nicole Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised and a little disappointed

I usually love Stephanie Brother's books and always give a 5 star rating, but this book was a bit disappointing. For one, it felt rushed. For two, she usually draws out the sex scenes and they are always hot!🔥 This time they were condensed without much description. 😞 For three, I found a couple editing errors, which she never ever has. So this leads me to believe this book was rushed and it almost felt like her heart wasn't in this one. I've read EVERY book by Stephanie and this one just felt different. The characters were great, there was no problem there. It just wasn't her best. But I still recommend reading it because its still a Stephanie Brother book!!!❤

[kay reads]

not my fav book of the author but the premise is intriguing but it was too rushed and the chemistry felt rushed as well or maybe unexistent to some level also would you not recognise if it was an actual human hand or a machine massaging you? they'd definitely feel different so the whole revenge plot is just ridiculous smh

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

Very enjoyable and well written R/H romance from Stephanie.
I found this very entertaining and loved the banter and growing relationship between the four characters.
There’s also tension from a couple of them, which is explained later in the book, this really adds to the story and makes the whole thing more realistic.
Tech or no Tech, that’s the question, what’s the answer.
Read this book and Stephanie will reveal all.
Great fun and games.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I eagerly opened iBooks to read Battery Operated by Stephanie Brother as soon as I got a copy of it. This is mostly because of the preview of this story in Snowballed. In a video that Tristan, Drew, and Carter were watching Lila, a popular social influencer, attacked another online channel called Down to Earth.

Down to Earth is a how-to show that features 3 gorgeous men - Brady, Cole, and Gideon. They made videos that showed people how to do things like grilling the perfect steak.

Why Lila attacked them is a mystery to everyone, including Lila, lol! But the damage is done and the men planned their revenge. While their revenge was anything but nice, Lila could not say that it was not enjoyable. As a consequence, she agrees to stay at their inn for a week with no tech except her cellphone.

During her stay, she finds herself attracted to all three men. Brady is easy to fall for as he is the friendly one who smiles a lot. Cole is a little more formal but is not unfriendly. Gideon, on the other hand, there is just something about him that rubs Lila the wrong way.

The dynamic between Lila and Brady changes when Brady discovers that without her toys to help her sleep Lila gets terrible nightmares. Since Brady didn’t know where Cole kept them, he offered to give her a “special turndown service” to help her sleep.

I consider Battery Operated by Stephanie Brother as a light romance. There aren’t too many ups and downs and their romance blossoms beautifully, but surprisingly fast with all three. I expected this with Brady since they already had a thing. The biggest question for me from the start was … what is wrong with Gideon and Lila? That question does not get answered until much later in the story.

I enjoyed reading this and I want Lila’s bed!

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of the Roommates series each book can be read as a standalone with a sexy guy or two or three and the women who captures their attention. Love and hate run in the same circles and they say it is a thin line between love and hate and these guys prove that to be true. Lila is intelligent, treacherous when she wants to be a social influencer who attacks another site instead of building it through her own success and the three guys who own the site aren’t too happy with her opinion and has never backed down from a challenge. Gideon, Colt and Brady the owners of the three guys she attacked so getting back at the beautiful yet mean girl by proposing a challenge that will show her and bring business out to their inn which of course they are trying to get going and the revenge is tricking her into coming out to the inn unplugging something that isn’t going to be easy for her for a whole week (let me stress a whole week) but what they didn’t realize this one act will change the course of their paths. Each one of the guys have something that fulfills something inside of her that she didn’t even realize she was missing the attraction is explosive and the magnetic pull between the four of them can’t be ignored so what happens when you are unplugged from everything you know with three very sexy guys will they learn to understand each other, will she see their point of view, will they acknowledge her point of view, will she apologize for bashing them, will their inn take off as planned, will she help with that, and can they four of them find something more than the love/hate relationship between them?.

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

[Magnafeana]

This entire book was a reminder why I need to not do influencer romances again.

SUMMARY

Lila is apparently a tech reviewer with a dad who enjoyed the quiet life. For some reason, of which she never see, she has been known to be THAT influencer who runs her out off. Three men manipulate and trick her in some massager that turns out to be one of them—and she’s waving it off that men cornered her, shut out her support, and touched her. And then the men “challenge” her to stay with them in some podunk town to generate traffic for their inn, and she gets all huffy how they “made” her. Turns out, this was all because some MMC was projecting his values and beliefs onto her.

So 🤷🏾‍♀️


Future me, don’t read this again. This was a mistake book.

I honestly wish this stort started when we could see the lives of all the characters before the two sides met to better understand their beef with each other. Also wished Lila had a spine. I was waiting for her to take the situation of being tricked and spinning it into a whole moment where she accuses the men of cornering a woman and touching her, and now the men are in shambles.

But Lila likes the MMCs for…reasons.

What a waste of a why choose book. I’m glad I skimmed to see if anything happened.

Nothing happened, Future Me. Nothing happened.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila Jones earns her living as an influencer. For some unknown reason, even to herself, she's attacked 3 men who post how-to videos. When the men get their revenge on her, she agrees to go to their inn for 1 week and give up, for the most part, all of her technology.

Brady and Cole Donovan are cousins. Cole's parents were young teenagers who didn't want to raise a baby, so Cole was raised by his paternal grandparents. Brady was raised in town but spent summers with his grandparents and when his father left he moved there. Gideon had never known his father and as a teenager he asked the Donovan's to take him in and let him attend school in Donovan's Mill. The 3 men are like brothers although Brady and Cole are closer to each other.

The men hope to have Lila's help to attract business to the inn but it's going to be an uphill battle. The inn needs a ton of work done physically before they can expect more customers and the website really needs help, too.

As much as she starts out disliking the men she's still drawn to them. But there's something about Gideon... Is he actually a part of her past? And can the 4 of them find a balance with technology?

I received an ARC of this book from the author via Booksprout. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Knight Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a person's subconscious will cause them to over react in certain situations as in the case with this story. When Lila wrote the bad reviews on Cole, Brady, and Gideon from the on line video channel "Down to Earth". Her review was very unflattering with several untrue comments so the guys came up with a plan to get back at her in away that would force her to help them in their business. From the moment she meets the guys, and they trick her into going into Donovan Inn for a week giving up her electronics. She had been overwhelmed with how gorgeous all three guys were, and she's really attracted to them, but Gideon still scares her giving off a vibe that he really does not like her. He seems familiar to her somehow but she has no idea why, and he keeps appearing in her nightmare. This fabulous story has a little bit of everything in it. It contains humor, sadness, a little mystery, hot steamy bedroom scenes, and a new relationship with compromises.

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

[kymagirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Social media influencer Lila (h) lives her life online reviewing tech and delivering her takes on thinks to her large number of followers. In one of her videos, she presents an atypical video for her where she makes some comments about the video content that three men, Brady (H), Cole (H), and Gideon (H), are creating that espouses a low-tech lifestyle. They create a situation that forces her to accept a challenge to come stay with them for a week in their small-town inn and eschew technology. Lila’s relationship with the trio initially is somewhat combative, but gradually evolves with each of the men into something much more. Each of the men brings their unique talents and abilities with Lila gradually coming to appreciate that both and they are right and that a compromise is a win-win all the way around. Hot and steamy RH read. Interesting to find out what triggered Lila’s initial comments about the three men.

[Sidney Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great read!

Lila is a little snobby mixed with a little bratty, but how the men interact with her and how they each respond and treat her differently even though she starts right off with the ice Queen mojo is amazing.

Lila would be considered addicted to the modern world and loves her techy things. But when the 3 guys she bashed on a review trick her and then challenge her to give up the tech and "rough it" for a week in front of her viewers she can’t refuse.

It is a slow build in my opinion but I loved it with this group. I usually like a fast romance. But this one progressed great! I loved Lila, Brady, Cole, & Gideon and their individual relationships and them coming together.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, at times I got a bit frustrated with Lila, but eventually Cole, Brady, and Gideon the three male characters in this story were able to convince Lila that there were other things to enjoy other than the products that she highlighted in her daily videos. It was a cute story and it wasn’t until the end that these four characters decided that they wanted to be together but they still weren’t living in the same house. At least by the time I reach the end of the story there was a lead up to the next one which involved Lila‘s assistant Penny, I’m really looking forward to reading that story.

I was given a copy of this book to read and I am reviewing with my honest and fair opinion.

[Lil Azn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now normally to unplug from all of the tech of today's world would give you the ability to relax and recharge. However, Lila, Social media influencer, finds it hard to believe her techs can be replaced. She called out the guys and their videos and they challenged her back.
The chemistry between Lila and Brady was natural and obvious. I don't feel like Cole had a lot of interactions with her and I just didn't see it . From the beginning, Lila juat was not a fan of Gideon. However her conflict with Gideon just kept increasing.
There was a lot of background and current set up, but I feel like this book burned a bit slower than the normal books. I did receive an advance copy and my review is left voluntarily. I can't wait for the new one.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie gave another Amazing story! Battery Operated was Amazing! Lila is an influencer who is offered the chance to try a new product that has not been released to the public. So we she arrives to try the new product things take an unexpected turn. Gideon, Cole, and Brady have a channel where they post videos of "how to" things. Lets just say Lila had a lot to say regarding the guys channel. So what do you do to get back at the woman who embarrassed you? Do you get even? Check out Battery Operated to find out. I love the dynamics between Lila and the guys. This story is so Amazing and I highly recommend that you check it out! What happens when Enemies become Lovers?

[MysAmanda D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Lila is quite snobby and also a little bratty, but I love how the men interact with her and how they each respond and treat her differently even though she starts right off with the cold shoulder.
She lives in the modern world and is a hi-tech girl when she is challenged by 3 down to earth, old school boys to give up the tech and "rough it" for a week.
I enjoyed how the story progressed and how the relationship between her and the boys moved forward. Their individual chemistry shines through the pages but the spark they create when together is so delicious! I loved Lila, Brady, Cole, & Gideon. I recommend this steamy quick five star read.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little different for me from anything I have read from Stephanie. I did enjoy it but it made me dig a little deeper to like the main character. Lila made it difficult to like her at first. She was definitely spoiled and acted out like a brat. Her being challenged by three men to go old school without her technology for a week was a big part of the storyline for her and one character in particular which shows us two people can see the same person so differently. It makes you think a little bit about others and how they think. I did enjoy seeing the storyline play out and watch the characters grow and learn. I will look forward to reading Penny’s story next!

[Lauren Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a slow start to the romance. The first four-some scene was 70% in and after the main female character came the rest of the scene was fade to black. There weren’t many spice scenes at all, just mentions of it in passing.

I had a hard time accepting the deception of the men in the beginning. A man putting their hands on a woman (not in a sexual way) without her knowing is a big no from me.

After the reveal at the end it seemed odd that she would be able to forgive one of her love interests. Her love with the three men wasn’t believable or earned and they didn’t have a discussion about their relationship until the end. Writing was good and plot was okay.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Battery Operated
By Stephanie Brother
Main Characters: Brady, Cole, Lila, and Gideon
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
4 out of 5 stars
Lila is an influencer that loves her tech equipment. When she maligns the 3 guys, they decide to get back at her. This story had humor and steam that took a little while to build up. The story is told from all 4 characters' POVs. I enjoyed the book but I did feel like the ending needed a little more. I look forward to reading more by this author.

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

[Veronica Albertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit of a challenge for me. I want a fan of how conceded the female character was, me personally I felt like she had an “I’m better than you” attitude and I couldn’t get into the chapters that were from her point of view. The guys however were very promising in this one, I really enjoyed reading from their perspectives and the story was well written as long as I could make it through the females chapters, which was a bit of a challenge. Overall the book was okay. I plan to give another go of something from this author again in the future.

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

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila wants to be an influencer however, when she is really atrocious to a how-to website the men on this site bring the challenge to her. Brandon and Cole are family and Gideon is a friend of theirs. All three work together and when they saw what Lila was doing to their business, they wanted some payback. Will she see her mistake? Can something come from how they started out?

This is a great story that will draw you in from beginning to end. This is a well written and very entertaining story. Its a book that any book lover would enjoy.

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

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila is an internet influencer, when she insults the online videos posted by Brady, Cole, and Gideon for unknown reasons. They decide to get back at her to prove their point by challenging her while she is live streaming to spend a week with them without any electronics, while also gaining viewers for their videos. Backed into a corner, Lila accepts the challenge and goes to stay at their inn for a week. Throughout the week Lila begins growing closer with each of the guys. But of course secrets have a way of coming out. Making for an exciting read to find out if their new relationship will survive.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila is a tech influencer and is very snotty and bratty in the beginning. But when she gets challenged by three down to earth men and they ask her to come live without her tech for a week at their place she can't deny them. I love Stephanie Brother's books and this one is no exception. I enjoyed the tech or no tech scenario and I loved Gideon, Cole and Brady. I eventually started liking Lila too but I loved the story.

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

[Sarah Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, flirty and engaging.

This was an enjoyable read, but not as good as I'd hoped. I look forward to a lot of steamy goodness in Stephanie Brother's books but felt this was lacking in this story. I also would have enjoyed more chapters from the men's point of view, as I found Lila a little tiresome and didn't feel I got to know the men as much as I would have liked. However, still fun, flirty and engaging, and the epilogue has me looking forward to Penny's story next.

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

[Crazy4bookscruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book!!! Lila was sassy, smart mouthed babe that didn’t take shit from no one and ran her own shit! The men were the great old school, small town hotties that everybody wanted a taste of but no one got until Lila decided to get herself into some trouble!

The dynamic was great and the twist at the end was not what I was expecting! Stephanie does the same kind of books but they never feel the same and always leave me feeling happy and giddy inside!

Damn the holidays! Took me way too long to read it 😂😂

[Sharon Holroyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila is an internet influencer who has insulted someone online. She is set up by the men she insulted and dared to stay at their inn for a week with none of her high tech toys. Let the fun and games begin

I loved this take in a reverse harem. There was a lot of story setting before the harem kicked in but it all made perfect sense and lead to a really good story.

Looking forward to more from this author, really hoping Penny gets her story next.

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

[Mulan Book Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this book 3.5 stars.

I thought this book was entertaining so it took me a while to like Lila. I found that she was a bit annoying at first but she slowly grew on me. The same goes for Carter, Tristan, and Gideon. The chemistry between them was sizzling hot and steamy and their interactions with each other sometimes made me giggle. All in all, I found this book entertaining enough to read.

I received a free advance reader copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a fair and honest review.

[Santana Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read

I found this book to be ridiculous and somewhat poorly planned. The main character herself was unlikeable for most of the book but when compared to the guys, she could have been passed off as a saint. I definitely did not like how the book progressed with her and the three men. Also I feel like her and Gideon's reasons for not liking each other was just shoved in to have a reason for conflict between them.

I loved Penny as a character. She was always there for Lila and the sex scenes were pretty good though I wish there were more.

[Rachel Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it had an original and fun storyline. There was humor and a bit of steam. It was a little slower burn than some of her other books. However, I do think it fit well with the story. Especially since it was a bit of enimies to lovers situation. I definitely was surprised because there is a bit of a twist towards the end. I think they were all good for each and I love that it was told in multiple POVs. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

[Jo Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Stephanie Brother’s books - this one took me a while to get into which was different from her other stories but I loved the plot twist towards the end. Full of steamy fun and keeps you guessing right to the end of the book. A good read but probably not the best one to start with from the roommates series. Looking forward to the next one and Penny’s story!

I received an advance copy of this book free via Prolific Works and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merilu Keenum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila needs more in her life than being an influencer. Brady, Cole, and Gideon are hot and willing to be hands on to help her discover personal touch. Stephanie does what she does best: writes a sweetly steamy story with great dialogue and character development. This was fun read with great characters and a great HEA!!.

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

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My oh my!!!

I love Stephanie Brother. She is one of my favorite authors. She is who I go to when I need a quick, sexy pick me up. Which seems to happen frequently lol.

I loved love LOVED this book. I loved how fiesta the FMC was. I loved the world building and scenery descriptions. Being from a small country town, it was so easy to imagine everything she described! Read this ASAP. You won’t regret it!