Immoral Steps

Immoral #1

by Marissa Farrar

I’m only a week short of my eighteenth birthday when I discover my drug-addicted mother dead, a needle in her arm.

It’s only then I learn of the family I’d forgotten—a stepfather and his two adult sons. One is star of the music world, a blind violinist who wows his audience on stage.

The other brother is his protection—a six-four beast who no one dares cross.

I don’t need them.

They don’t want me.

With my head still spinning, I find myself plunged into a world of wealth and fame.

But it’s a brief dalliance.

A private plane is due to take us to a concert hall in Montreal. Except it doesn’t make it.

We find ourselves crashed in the middle of the Canadian wilderness with little hope of rescue.

Survival becomes all.

I’m stranded with three men. Though they barely know me, we’re forced to pull together.

We might be family, but out here, where no one else can judge us, they become so much more.

*Immoral Steps is a whychoose stepbrother/stepfather romance with darker themes*

Genres: Dark Romance, Why Choose, Romance, Dark, Forced Proximity, Contemporary, Smut

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2023

About the author

Marissa Farrar is a multi-published romance and fantasy author. She was born in Devon, England, loves to travel and has lived in both Australia and Spain. She now resides in the countryside with her husband, three children, a crazy Spanish dog, two rescue cats and six hens. She has a degree in Zoology, but her true love has always been writing.

Marissa is the author of sixteen novels, including the dark vampire ‘Serenity’ series. Her short stories have been accepted for a number of anthologies including, Their Dark Masters, Red Skies Press, Masters of Horror: Damned If You Don’t, Triskaideka Books; and 2013: The Aftermath, Pill Hill Press.

If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at marissafarrar@hotmail.co.uk.

Reviews

[april ♡ probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 🌟 4/5 🔥

Wanna read about a girl falling for her stepfather and two stepbrothers? PICK THIS ONE. It's SO good!!!

"I have to protect her. Even if that means protecting her from my two sons. Even if that means protecting her from myself."

Laney has had an awful life. Her mom was a drug addict and she walked in and found her mom overdosed. Because she's only 17 (18th birthday in a week) she was told she had to either stay with family or go into the system until she's 18. She doesn't have any family... but finds out her mom was married when she was a child and never got a divorce. Surprisingly she has a stepfather and two stepbrothers!

Reed, her stepdad, picks her up and whisks her away. It's so awkward between them but the chemistry is AMAZING. Because one of her stepbrothers is a famous blind musician, she learns she's going on tour with them.

I was NOT expecting this book to go the way that it did. There were several surprises I didn't see coming! I absolutely love Laney and the guys.

SAFETY:
Age: 17/18h, 20H, 22H, 40H
Cheating: no!
OM/OW drama: no!
Sex scene with OM/OW: no!
Virgin/celibate/manwhore: virgin heroine, manwhore heroes
Tropes: taboo love (stepdaughter/stepbrothers/stepfather)
Triggers: panic attacks, mild bullying, graphic violence
Kinks: dirty talk, rough sex
HEA?: CLIFFHANGER!

My bookshelves may contain spoilers.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Will never look at a violin bow the same way again 😅

[chanelmindedx · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Credence and The Wild had a baby it would be Immoral Steps. Less exciting though.

Although I wanted to LOVE the story, it was okay. It wasn't the best RH. The dialogue at the beginning was pretty repetitive. The boys were too understanding and encouraging with Laney (the FMC) wanting to fuck Reed (the step-father). I wanted tension, jealously, and angst prior to them fucking, but this story did not have much of that. They really didn't give a fuck who Laney fucked. They were too willing to share.

The heroine wasn't that interesting. I really didn't care for her. She was desperate and flat. Also, when did she start loving them?? It just came out of nowhere. I felt 0 connection between any of them to be honest. I LOVED REED THOUGH.

Will I continue the duet? No. The plot intrigued me at first, but then it got boring. The relationships were also boring. 2/3 of this book is just them repetitively fucking.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got bored and it is super inaccurate. I was fine with some the inaccuracies but when it got to the point where she says she has her legs waxed regularly and yet she talks about being so poor to not be able to afford food regularly I was out. Waxing is way more expensive than food and a luxury that poor people do not ever get done. Heck i would be surprised if she used precious money to buy a dollar razor so waxing ya no way.

[TwinreadsandReds-Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this as the back was given Credence vibes..was very let down. Obviously extremely unrealistic, but it was so corny at times.

[Danielle's · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laney was handed a raw deal in life. When her trailer park bubble is burst she’s left in unfamiliar territory. It’s a week till she’s 18 and she needs a guardian until her birthday. She finds out there is a back up plan for her life and now she has a new family.

Reed is her stepfather and now her legal guardian. He and his two sons are going to become more than a temporary fix.

This wasn’t what I was expecting. I was thinking it was going to be full of sinful dirty talk and one of the brothers does attempt it but overall it’s kinda a happy F*** up family on all parts.

This is RH, stepbrother, stepfather romance which was entertaining and promises more.

5 stars because the writing was addictive, it gave Creedence vibes and although it’s a slow burn it got steaming hot🔥 towards the end.

[JL Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

By the end I was kind of annoyed by how big of a deal the main characters were making of being steps. Like you never met, are in no way related and aside from the age gap between Laney and Reed, the step-father, I wasn't seeing the big deal. But the fact it had to be mentioned, thought, said aloud like every time they breathed was a little ott. I liked the story line, which is what is going to force me to pick up book 2, and Darious. Not sure I cared about the rest, but we'll see if I connect more with book 2.

[b · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is basically credence 2.0 so you know i ate it up. i liked the plot - there was really no chemistry between them but the smut was good so who cares!

normally wouldn’t bother continuing to the next book but that cliffhanger has me itching to read what happens next so having to wait a couple of weeks is gonna be difficult.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some porn with a dubious plot. Ok characters but an incomplete ending urgh- I hate that!
2 stars x

[mia:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

they’re stranded after a plane crash. step siblings. her stepfather. and yeah… 🤭🤭 you already know. i ate this up. if you loved Credence by Penelope Douglas, this gives that same forbidden, trapped-together energy but just add a plane crash. 😌🤭the isolation made everything feel more intense and there was no escaping the tension…like at all. 😩🙂‍↕️ and the blind mmc? first of all, loved him!! he was my favourite. literally a sweetheart🥹. his impairment made the connection feel more intimate than just lust. he actually had to feel instead of just go after her looks. 🥹 and miss laney… girl. i don’t blame you. after all, you’re not blood related. 🤭🙂‍↕️😮‍💨😌

🛩️🏝️☀️🌲🐻🌎🌿🦎❤️‍🔥

‘It doesn’t make any difference to me either way. If I decide I want her, then I’ll take her, no matter what my father says.’-😮‍💨

‘I have to protect her. Even if that means protecting her from my two sons. Even if that means protecting her from myself.’-🤭🤭

[The Written · Rating 1 out of 5]

MORALLY CORRUPT- WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND!!!

Zero stars. Depraved writer Marissa Farrar wants to toe the line of incest by writing a female lead who just turns 18 and finds herself stranded after a plane crash with her stepfather and two stepbrothers, guess what happens next? THATS right she’s fing all three. That’s the excrement you find in romance these days. So sexy, romantic, and normal for an 18 yo girl to be passed around by her male “family” members. Marissa Farrar is disgusting and needs some serious therapy. Absolutely SICKENING!

[Jen • jenteereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you like Credence, this is for you

It was just okay. The build up wasn’t really there, the chemistry felt lacking, and I’m honestly not sure who she’s meant to end up with. But the writing was pretty good and it scratched an itch for now.

[Ellie Nott]

Step bro I’m stuck (in a cabin in the woods)

[Lemon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot: 3/5 • Spice: 3/5 ————-> Laney makes the choice of going with her estranged step-father (he’s been gone 14 years) or go into child services. She’s only one week away from turning 18 so she decided to go with her step-father.


Reed is an attractive man of only 40. He has two bio sons who he chose to raise after this mom was dying of cancer. He chose to abandon Laney and her mom (Laney was 3) to go help raise his sons. Laney struggled to care for her adict mother the entire time. Reed got cleaned and raised his sons. One of his sons rose to fame by becoming a concert violinist. Raising to fame and made a ton of money. However, Darius is blind. Cade, the older brother is basically bis body guard. Cade wants nothing to do with Laney and thinks she’s only out for the family money.


While on a plane to Darius’ next event the private plane goes down somewhere between Minnesota and Canada wilderness. Only the four of them survive.


Finding an old abandoned cabin in the woods they set up shelter there. It’s still summer so the weather is in their favor, but they all know they’ll nrver survive a winter here. Continuing to hope they’ll be rescued.


They find guns in part of the cabin along with a dead body. Bones only at this point. Clearly realizing this house was the middle point for something. They pack up and leave and follow the river in hopes of finding civilization again.


There moments between Laney and the three guys was a little… ehhhh…. getting caught masterbating in a river? The bothers just say “fućk it” and get with Laney? Then coming up with the idea that Reed has to have sex with her first before anyone? The sex scenes were messy. I only liked Darius and Laney together. The rest I could do without. Honestly.


The PLOT of this book was great. The whole idea of surviving a plane crash after your mother just dies with men you don’t even know? Fun. The execution of this plot? Messy. Not done the best.


Ends on a cliffy with them still trying to survive the wild. On the fence with continuing. 🤔

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another reverse harem with a good plot idea and marketing tropes that have promise, but everything falls just a little short development wise. I like the plane crash and forced proximity/survival aspects, and the very lightly taboo aspects but both could have been leaned into more, especially the taboo. The insta-attracted thoughts the heroine has for the three heroes is boring and the love declared by the end was completely unearned, which is always a downfall with me in RHs. Some of the brief sex scenes are hot on their own but I would have appreciated more tension and angst before the too-easy capitulations. The writing is simple, about average for RHs but below for books overall, about 25ish editing errors and double that for sentences that could have used some tweaking. My OCD and the little bit of interest I still have in the story will have me attempting at least book two but it will be when I am in the mood for something easy to read that I don't need to pay much attention to.
2.75 ⭐️

[Thisbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

*spoilers* Laney is nearly 18 when her mother, a woman highly addicted to drugs and alcohol, dies due to an overdose. Surprisingly her stepfather Reed comes to pick her up and take care of her until she turns 18 in a week. Laney did not even know they were still married, having not seen him for 14 years. He took off and got sober to take care of his two sons Cade and Darius, whose mother was terminal ill. Darius is a genius with the violin and very famous. Reed is his manager and Cade head of security. Darius lost his eyesight because of a measel infection when he was seven. They all have their own issues and most of all Cade is not happy to suddenly have a stepsister. After only one night they take off on a private plane to Canada for another concert of the famous Darius when their plane crashes. Like a wonder the four survive and really get to know each other and other than first seemed possible.
This is kind of taboo, because Reed, Darius and Cade are her stepather and brothers, but they are not related and Laney barely remembers Reed. I did not find this story smutty, but with much depth to the characters. It was my first one of this author and it was really captivating. Each of the four has his or her own sturggles and triggers, but they grow so close in a special way, but not only sexually. They come a long way from anger, regret and guilt. So much more than what I first expected! I just did not like the cliffhanger too much.

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

[Desire Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love the multiple POVs and the story is interesting that i did not want to stop reading. like 96% through i was SO frustrated with the ending and then the actual ending of the book had me downloading the second book and reading a couple chapters even at 4am!

there are some spots where the grammar is a little questionable and i’ve decided that it was not done on purpose so that was a little frustrating.

otherwise this book was super good and i loved the plot and the spice is spicin’ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

this book checked all my boxes🥵

[Krissi Vonasch · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5⭐️ This was a good book and the twist at the end has me running for the second book in the series. The bonus chapter was shocking to say the least lol. I loved Laney with Darius, Cade, and Reed. I like that Darius is blind because that’s not something you see in books often and I think it was nice to include his disability but show how much he has conquered it.
🎻🥊💻🎰✈️⛰️🏠🏞️🆘🩵💙💚🤎

[Christina's Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this spicy stepfamily adventure! So 🔥. It's not super long which I like. It does end of a cliffhanger, surprise ending. I'm starting the 2nd book asap!

[Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Why amazon insist on 20 words for a review I'll never understand. Especially when I just want to say I enjoyed this book.

[Solène Augait · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

[Oredeen (honest reviews) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for better, the set up was there but the only real scene we get is with her and the dad for what ever reason.
I got uncomfortable vibes with her and the dad, not the boys, that was hot but the dad just wasn’t it. Also not a stand-alone but not good enough to move on.

[maru · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a trilogy so it ends with a cliffhanger. I normally hate that, but it didn't really bother me with this one since all three books are released and available on Kindle unlimited so I could immediately start the next one with no trouble.

I don't want to get too far into rating the trilogy itself in the review of this first book, but I will say that this book was my favorite out of the three. This one had the things in it that I like in my reverse harem stories while the other ones....went a different way.

This is my first "Step" romance story and it left me feeling kind of ambivalent to the genre. These characters are only steps on paper. Technically the father, Reed, was married to the heroine, Layne's mother, but he'd left when Layne was 3 and they hadn't seen each other since. And she'd never met Reed's sons, Cade and Darius. So, they really weren't anything to each other, and that made the Step angle feel very superficial.


The story begins with 1-week-away-from-turning-18-Layne coming home to her trailer to find that her druggie mother has ODed. She calls the authorities and they show up in record time, along with a social worker. We're then asked to believe that the social worker has already figured out that Layne's mother is still technically married to Reed and therefore he would be the next of kin who would be responsible for the still legally a child Layne. And the social worker has already called him and he's already agreed to take Layne for the 1 week it'll take for her to turn 18.

We soon learn that Reed was kind of an asshole. Prior to being with Layne's mom, he'd been in a long-term relationship with another woman who had given birth to his son and was pregnant with another when Reed ditched her. He'd been an alcoholic and druggie at the time, hooked up with Layne's mom and even married her. But they'd fought all the time, while also using, and he'd eventually left her too. Then he'd gotten the call that his sons' mother was dying of cancer and that he was going to have to take care of his then 6 and 8 year old boys.

Reed had gotten sober for them, though it had been a very tough time. They were very poor, and then Cade got the measles, passing it on to Darius at home because apparently the mother never vaccinated them. But while Cade recovered with no issues, Darius was left blind for life. Then Darius had chanced to touch a violin and apparently he immediately manifested as a savant, able to play incredibly well before ever having a single lesson. This turned the family's fortunes around as Darius became famous and toured around playing to packed concert halls. Reed acted as his manager and Cade, who grew up to be massive, strong, and with anger issues, as head of his security.

They're not exactly a healthy family unit. Cade carries a lot of demons with him. He blames himself for Darius's blindness. He's also ashamed of himself for recoiling from their mother as she was dying. He'd been a young kid and she'd looked skeletal and like some kind of demon to him near the end and he'd been too afraid to come close to her, even when she begged to hold him. Cade is also very conscious of the fact that, without Darius and his talent, he has nothing. He hasn't accomplished anything himself, he's just riding his brother's coattails. So, he drinks, womanizes, gambles, and starts fights...And when he finds out he's about to have a new stepsister, he is NOT happy.

Cade immediately decides that Layne is a gold digger out to suck as much money out of them as possible now that they're rich. He's also angry that his father had married Layne's mother when he hadn't bothered to do the same with his and Darius's mother.

Darius is the calmer brother, though he's capable of rage at times. He doesn't really mind his blindness most of the time, but he does feel the need to control every aspect of his surroundings. He doesn't blame Cade for his disability, and has told him as much many times, but he knows Cade still blames himself. Darius is also aware that the family would be screwed without his talent for the violin. It's not an egotistical thought, it's just recognition of the truth of the situation. He's not as immediately angry about their new stepsister as Cade is, but he's not exactly overjoyed either. He's more inclined to just wait and see what she's like.

So, Reed picks Layne up without having to fill out any paperwork or anything because that would just bog the story down. He's immediately attracted to Layne but tries to tamp down on that reaction since it would be immoral. Layne, too, feels attraction to Reed but she's got issues with him. She's angry that he left her with her junkie mom and never once checked on them. That he didn't think to send a little money their way once he hit it big. It's a bitter pill to swallow that while she was trying to get by on food stamps and avoiding being raped by whatever junkie her mom was hooking up with that week, he was sleeping in 5-star hotels and flying on private jets.

Darius has a concert that night, so Reed has a personal shopper come to the hotel with an appropriate dress for Layne and they go to the concert together. It's only once she's there that she realizes she probably could have just refused to come and stayed in the hotel room. She hasn't even had time to mourn her dead mother, whom she'd loved, despite all her faults.

Layne is moved to tears by Darius's playing and then she meets her new stepbrothers. Cade is mean and crude the whole time, coming straight out and saying that she's a gold digging whore. He also says that he "sees the way Reed looks at her" and it's definitely not in a fatherly way. Darius is nicer to Layne.

Next day, they all pile into a private jet to fly to Canada for Darius's next concert. Cade takes the opportunity to say more mean things to her and then the plane crashes. Our four MCs are the only ones who survive the crash and they're in the middle of nowhere. They do some arguing about whether they should stick by the plane or strike out looking for civilization or shelter. Eventually, they decide to leave. They manage to find a cabin that's in decent enough shape and that's where they spend the rest of the book.

They start working on finding food and water, chopping wood, etc. Throughout the whole thing, though, there's an underlying sexual tension. All three of the men are highly attracted to Layne, and she's drawn to them as well. Reed, in particular, is keenly aware that he and his sons are very sexual beings and he's concerned about protecting Layne from them all, himself included. The space in the cabin is limited and Reed sleeps next to Layne, ostensibly to keep his sons from taking that place and maybe getting frisky during the night...but every morning he wakes up with his arms wrapped around Layne and his erection rubbing up against her ass.

One day after they've been at the cabin for a few weeks, Layne, who has been dealing with Cade's constant snarking that she's not pulling her weight, tries to help by chopping some wood. But she messes up her swing and ends up cutting her leg pretty badly. She doesn't tell anyone, though, because she doesn't want more snark from Cade. By the next morning, she's running a fever and quickly succumbs to delirium. There's nothing the men can do but worry because they don't have antibiotics and there's no chance they could try to carry her to civilization when they don't know where they are.

Layne's fever breaks after a few days and the men are all very relieved, even Cade. This marks a turning point in their relationship. The threat of losing her has made them all realize how much they really care about her and feel like they can't live without her. Not long after, the sexual relationship begins.

It starts with Darius taking Layne down to the river to bathe. She doesn't bother trying to be modest, since he can't see her anyway. But while she's naked, she's looking at his shirtless body and starts getting hot and bothered. Enough that she starts to touch herself. She realizes that it's kind of immoral to take advantage of his disability to get herself off right in front of him, but she's too horny to stop. Cade, however, happens upon this situation and decides that if she can do it, so can he. So, he starts jerking himself off while staring at her, naked and pleasuring herself while staring at Darius. Then he comes out and makes himself known and tells Darius what she was doing. Darius and Cade have apparently shared women before and he's very ready to start sleeping with Layne. She, however, says that they shouldn't have sex yet. That Reed, as the "leader" of their little group, should be the one to take her virginity. The brothers reluctantly agree.

This begins a period where Layne starts trying to seduce Reed, without being TOO obvious that's what she's doing. He resists, barely, and the party is in this limbo where she and the brothers are stealing kisses and caresses whenever they can, but not having full blown sex. Reed is suspicious because he can see the change in their behavior and is both angry and jealous. Finally he comes back to the cabin one day to find Cade eating Layne out while she's giving Darius a blowjob. Reed comes thundering in to yell at them for doing something so "wrong" but the erection he can't hide tells a different story.

The next time Reed and Layne are in bed together, and his erection is rubbing against her as usual, she starts rubbing back. Reed asks what she's doing and she basically begs him to have sex with her. She's 18 now, there's nothing stopping them. He finally succumbs and does it, not realizing she's a virgin until afterward when he sees the blood on his dick. Cade and Darius were "asleep" in the cabin with them while this happened and as soon as Reed leaves, Cade basically expects Layne to jump on his dick too. She tells him no, that she's too sore, and he accepts that with bad grace.

Strangely, though, this doesn't really cap off a period of everyone having sex together. There's only one other instance of sex described on-page and that's between Layne and Darius. He's keeping "watch" for search planes, something they've had someone doing at all times since they got there, and Layne comes back to the cabin. One thing leads to another and she climbs on his lap to ride him. As far as we can tell from what was described on-page, she never had sex with Cade at all in this book, which I found very weird. Even with this being a series, I would have expected all our MCs to have had sex at least once before the end of this first installment.

Since we're nearing the end of the story, the author needs to bring it to some kind of conclusion. So, she has Cade suddenly notice that there's a previously unnoticed trap door in the bedroom no one uses. This leads to an attic where they find a skeleton and a bag of guns. They had been wondering who this cabin could belong to when it's too far from civilization to make sense as a hunting cabin and now they have their answer - gun smugglers.

This prompts our party to decide they need to leave. The men had been discussing the need to leave anyway, prior to this. They've barely managed to scape by on berries, roots, and the occasional snared rabbit up to this point, but they've all lost significant weight. In the winter, they'd surely starve because the berries would be gone. Layne was worried that they'd just be wandering aimlessly in the woods and lose their shelter, so she had resisted the suggestion of leaving, but the knowledge that the smugglers could be back at any time makes the decision for her.

So, they pack what little provisions they can and set off, following the river with the understanding that civilizations tend to be located near water sources. They haven't gone very far, with Cade in the lead, when suddenly a man jumps out and cracks Cade in the head with the butt of a rifle. Another one holds the rest of the party at gunpoint.

And that's the cliffhanger ending. The gun runners have returned and now have our party hostage.

All in all, it was an enjoyable story, though I would have preferred the sexual relationship between the group to have progressed a bit further. I really liked the whole "trapped together in a cabin and forced to rely on each other" plot line. It's believable that strong feelings would develop in that situation and they'd all give in to the attraction that had always been there. Which is why it feels so weird that the author didn't write the book that way. I can't believe that Layne and Cade never slept together in this first book. And we didn't get any group sex scenes either. I expected that to have been established before the book ended.

Still, I generally enjoyed this book and immediately grabbed the next one to find out what happened next.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came here just to rate this book & please don’t waste your time reading it. Im all for taboo and dark romance books, and I thought it would be similar to Credence, but this book looks like the Temu version from it. It’s definitely Credence wanna be though. There is no connection whatsoever with the characters. Laney ( the heroine ) lost her mother and all of the sudden couple of hours later shes thinking about her step father. It just didn’t click with me. There wasn’t any remorse or grief put in, and even Reed ( the so-called step dad ) is thinking about sleeping with her from the very beginning. On many times Laney holds him accountable for leaving and her going after the money now, that just didn’t sit right with me. I thought her character would be deeper, but she just came off as shallow and easy to pass around. There isn’t any connection between her and the step brothers as well. I just couldn’t figure out who she clicked the most with. To be honest, Reed just gave me creep vibes, and how they sexualized Laney from the very start. They barely had any proper conversation without turning it into smut. It just came out like this book was written only for the smut, and is desperately trying too much to give Credence vibes. But neither the characters, nor the plot or even the chemistry click. I finished it, and I still can’t tell whether they liked Laney, or were just using her as a sex toy. I wouldn’t go after the second book. Also sorry for my bad English, this is my third language.

[Italy · Rating 1 out of 5]

.

I honestly think this book was trying to do too much. The toxicity was kind of expected seeing as it was a dark themed book, but this was ridiculous. A lot of this book was awkwardly written. The characters weren’t like able.


*Spoilers ahead*


First, of course, there’s the trailer trash/gold digger stereotype. Everyone has to be doing drugs for sure. Then Cades gambling and messing with the wrong crowds. The cabin’s mysterious dead body and what appears to be gun runners. And the ending, because of course in the middle of nowhere there’s going to be people that they magically run into that are up to no good (of course it’s those darn gun runners, shocking), because out of the hundreds of miles and the weeks spent in the wild, it only seems right that they run into each other when they leave.

I don’t know about the author, but as a violin player in the past, I know the bows are long, and the way she wrote the scene with Laney and Darius was incredibly awkward.

I know I’m definitely forgetting stuff but this definitely wasn’t for me.

[Joanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book got me curious because of the blurb but omfg what a disappointment 🥴

The beginning of the book got me curious but the story didn't had a proper development and just like that after 50+% of the book the characters start to have sex out of nowhere (I mean one of them hated the heroine but then doesn't care and the other was her stepfather that wanted to resist but then didn't care).

I see a lot of people comparing this book to "Credence" and oh boy not a chance.

I'm not even going to read the rest of the series even after that cliff hanger, I'm not interested. Thank you, next.

▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: forced proximity, reverse harem, stepdad, stepbrothers, daddy kink, survival
▬ 𝐭𝐰: substance abuse, death, disability

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding survival reverse harem romance

The intensity of the sexual tension between the characters was so distracting that it took me ages to realise this was more of a slow burner. The multiple points of view were well written. I especially liked the combination of reverse harem and survival tropes.

[Bent Letters · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Liz Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 / 5 ⭐️

If you’re not into some spicy and heated family bonding time this is definitely not the book for you. This might just be my new Credence and it happens to be a finished trilogy series. Though the ending was unforgiving. With lack of time and not being able to immediately continue to find out what is happening next.

Our opening scene has us meeting our FMC, Laney, becoming orphaned a week before she turns 18 years old. Her mother having struggled with addiction for years. The way Laney loses her mother was tragic yet beautifully written.

Having Laney pick up after her. The way Laney finds her mother is sad and it broke my heart entirely. Even though this can be a reality for some children, no one should be growing up like the way Laney had to do.

Reed immediately launching Laney into a world of luxury, literally the same day she’s lost her mother and is clearly grieving yet unable to process her feelings about it, is something that also showed us how vastly different their lives had become. He’s arranged a personal shopper/stylist appointment for her to bring her clothes and dress her for Darius’s concert. Followed by Laney’s unforeigness of blini’s and canapes. Her feelings towards their accumulated wealth seems to spark a hint of jealousy inside her.

The brothers do make pretentious assumptions about Laney when they don’t even know her and literally just met her. Not everyone is money hungry and wants their fair share of the wealth.

Laney
She’s fierce, determined and extremely strong. Not taking anything someone, especially Cade, throws her way. She’s very well equipped to stand up for herself and voice her opinion.

Cade
This man was insufferable at first when he opened his mouth. Though later on he’ll slowly grow on you little by little. Throughout the book Cade and Laney fight like they’re siblings. His mouth though, needs rinsing with some soap, because they do make one melt into a puddle.

Darius
He surprised me, where he seemed very timid and being led by his brother, Cade, Darius having his own moments of instigating naughtiness. A violin’s bow doesn’t necessarily have to strike on a violin, it can be used for other activities as well.

Reed
This man seemed riddled by guilt, but I also understand why Reed never reached out or checked in after leaving Laney’s mother and Laney herself. It wasn’t his responsibility to take care of them, he didn’t owe them anything at all.

Cade, Darius and Laney banding together to get Reed be the first to “initiate” Laney into adulthood is a little odd yet incredibly funny the longer you think about it. Like he got dibs for some unknown reason other than “it just feels right”.
Reed’s first moment with Laney did make me giggle, because were they both really that naive to think Cade and Darius wouldn’t hear them. But it opened the door for their own little initiation process. The brothers are very good at making you blush and make the room temperature rise to heatwave levels.

Personal preferences
- There’s an inconsistent pacing to the book. Some chapters read like 5 minutes where others can drag up to 30 minutes.
- What happened to Cade’s leg? After the plane crash he was severely injured, but somehow that miracuously healed and seemed to have dissolved into thin air.
Moments like described above, make the timeline seem a little off.
- Them not being found by a rescue team seems odd and it makes me wonder if they really have disappeared into thin air for the outside world.

Honestly, this book was enjoyable, I liked it a lot and will be continuing soon again with the other two books in this series.