Confession: going with the title of this book, I seem to have a fixation with Stepbrother books. I’m determined to find some good one and in the grand scheme of Stepbrother books, this one is pretty decent. It’s no Prick by Sabrina Paige, but it was still a good read.

Unlike most of the stepbrother books out there, this one had a story with a build up to it. The author established a relationship between the characters and built intrigue around them that would come back to haunt them later in the story.

I liked Preston and Maddy together. Even though he was rich, he didn’t come off as a jerk that throws money around. Sure, he wasn’t opposed to dropping $500 on dinner or giving Maddy a $10K signing bonus for her new job, but he didn’t throw money around and show off with it.

I actually liked the slow build between Preston and Maddy. They didn’t really have any relationship to speak of prior to the start of the book when they run into each other. They had met a few times but that was it. They actually developed quite a nice rapport and friendship as Maddy went to work for Preston. But one quip from Maddy about Preston sleeping with his personal assistants and things became awkward, making them see each other differently.

I loved the fight that went from yelling and screaming to them working their frustration out another way ;) This author really knows how to write steamy scenes.

I have to say that I was a little surprised that Jane didn’t come back sooner to cause problems and it was a little predictable that she was working with Preston’s dad. I was glad to see his dad go down for his horrible actions but I wish more had happened to Maddy’s mom and Jane. They seemed to get off to easily.

Overall, this was a good read. The author hooked me and I couldn’t put the book down, I read it in one sitting.

Here’s the deal….I both loved and hated this book. So for me, the best way to review this, and rate it, is to break it down in parts.

Part 1 – 5 stars

I really enjoyed this part. Nice set up of the wedding and a great intro to the characters. I loved meeting Sophie and Logan. Loved seeing them meet for the first time. I also loved the instant attraction they had prior to knowing that they were the new step-siblings. I loved the flirting that happened and Sophie’s embarrassing blunders. They had me cracking up.

Sophie was 16 and Logan 18…so I was wondering how the author was going to bridge the gap of ages until Sophie was an adult, and I got my answer…which brings me to….

Part 2 – 5 stars

I also really enjoyed this part. I loved seeing how Sophie and Logan were coping & fighting their attraction on her 17^th birthday. I loved her birthday celebration that turned into a quasi-date night for Sophie and Logan when everyone else had plans.

Again, Sophie’s blunders continued, and she says they only happen when she’s around Logan. And I could see how that would happen. Both of them are fighting their attraction because they’re “family” and she’s nervous and that leads to some unfortunate…uh…incidents. They were hilarious (well, to me). Part of what I loved about the birthday “date” was the pizza on the bench in the park. And no, it’s not because it was pizza (anyone that knows me knows pizza is my go to food…always). I loved the scene because it was sweet and filled with the connection between them. And the end of the night was just heartbreaking when Sophie refused to go there because of their family connection.

Skip ahead one year and you finally have Sophie’s 18^th birthday. Logan is done waiting, he’s finally going to claim the woman that’s claimed his heart. The dinner scene was probably one of my favorites.

Unfortunately, the night did not go as planned for Logan. Just as he was on the verge of spilling his guts and putting his heart out there, Sophie and Logan received some devastating news. This brings me to part 3…

Part 3 – 4 stars

After the horrible events on Sophie’s 18^th birthday, Logan and Sophie stuffed their feelings into a box and went about life as sister and brother/best friends. They were both dealing with loss and they were there for each other. They helped each other through their grief, always turning to each other during hard times. I loved this part because it just reinforced their connection and deepened their relationship.

Both had finished college, got jobs and started their lives. Sophie was dating a complete douche canoe that didn’t deserve her. Man, I couldn’t stand him! I was actually surprised that she was still with him. I saw the twist with him coming a mile away. To be honest, I was hoping for it because I couldn’t stand him and I wanted him gone!

Sure enough, Sophie finds out he’s not the prince charming he pretends to be and she runs right to Logan. This is the part I’ve been waiting for! It met all my expectations and surpassed them! I loved Sophie and Logan together during this part. I loved seeing them together. And of course, now that both are single, those pesky feelings for each other start rearing their ugly heads. They still fought it but it came to a head and FINALLY! they got together…and IT. WAS. HOT.

Unfortunately, guilt reared its ugly head (seriously, who invited guilt to the party!? It just ruined what could have been the best book ever!). So, feeling guilty, Sophie takes off, ignores Logan and with hurt feelings all the way around we jump forward another year.

*sigh* Up until this point, I was seriously loving the book. It had 5 stars written all over it for me. But I got ahead of myself. *humorless laugh* I actually had the thought of “Man, I’m on a roll with awesome books! I hope I find another one after this.” And I totally jinxed myself because no sooner did that thought cross my mind and this book took a turn for the worse for me.

Sophie was stupid for cutting Logan off completely. Logan… was a complete idiot. My issue came with the change in Logan. He went from a great guy that’s beyond hot and loves Sophie to a complete jackass. I actually wanted to go all QoH on him for his actions. It just didn’t seem like him. At one point, when he threatened the contract for her business, I had to put my kindle down and walk away from the book. I just couldn’t stand Logan at that point.

I was thankful that he seemed to come to his senses shortly after going home after his stupid ultimatum to Sophie. And I was especially happy that Sophie had a good head on her shoulders and turned him down. It would have seriously pissed me off if she had agreed to his awful deal. I was glad that she stuck to her guns and said no. I was also pleased to see that he wasn’t a jerk about her saying no and she still got the contract. And thus began the intricate dance of will they or won’t they. I have to say that I was beyond pleased with the party and how things went down. Yes, I wish Sophie hadn’t run from him…again…especially after that letter from her mom. But, I love the chemistry between Sophie and Logan and loved the scene where they FINALLY talked and got together.

This book was such a rollercoaster for me. I’m still not on board with the change in Logan. I get he was hurt and even heartbroken, but I’m just not down with the way he treated her. His only saving grace was that he realized pretty quickly how big his error was. But overall, I really did enjoy this book. It’s a solid 4.5 stars. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

*There is a HEA, this is a stand-alone* 

I really enjoy books by Colleen Masters. She knows how to craft a story to draw you in and keep you hooked. Thank goodness I didn’t have to work today because I started this when I woke up this morning, intending to only read “for a little bit” and before I knew it, I was at 75% in the book and since I was that far, I went ahead and finished the book. :D

I really enjoyed the set up of the story, the connection that was built between Emerson and Abby. They were high school seniors, just weeks before their 18th birthdays. Their parents were dating and living together, forcing them together. They had a clear cut plan…one night and then they go their separate ways because the next day, their parents are getting married. Well….things didn’t quite go as planned. They got their night, and the parents got married but…things blew up after that.

I wasn’t sure what was going to happen after the parents got married, but I can say I didn’t expect what did happen. My jaw dropped, I started laughing and had an OMG moment. Of all the things that could have happened, I never would have guessed that!

Where I started having a few issues was the present day/adult version of the characters. Emerson felt like an adult. He’d been through a lot with his mom after things blew up between her and Abby’s dad and he found something he loved and was good at, created a career, traveled and Abby…didn’t. She went to college and was looking for a job. That’s fine, I’m cool with that, heck, I’m living that! But she was stuck living in the past, under her the thumb of her grandparents. So when Emerson and Abby met up again, by chance, he acted like an adult and she acted like the high school girl she was last time they saw each other. Her response to seeing him was to run from him. I don’t really have an big issues with the story, but I wish that the adult time for the characters were longer, fleshed out more. With them having spent more time together.

Pretty early on in their reunion, Abby and Emerson face a challenge regarding work and their newly rekindled relationship. And true to her nature, Abby wants to run from Emerson. But she gets some advice from the last place I’d expect….her dad. He’s basically be absent from her life for the last 8 years and he barely acknowledged her before that…and after the way things went down 8 years ago, I had issues with him being the one to “make her see reason” (totally my words, but I can’t think of another way to phrase it).

My one other issue was Abby’s grandparents. At one point in the book, Abby takes Emerson to the tree house in the backyard. She says that her grandfather built it and that he’s a good man. They may be rich, but their good people. I had assumed that the grandparents in question were her dad’s parents since the grandpa built it for her dad when he was a kid, but…if that’s the case, I want to know what happened between that part of the book and actually meeting the grandparents. The people that were introduced during the wedding scene were the furthest thing from “good people”. They were snobby and rude and just plain horrible. And the way the later treated Abby was awful. So I was left wondering if the grandparents were the same “good people” she had referred to.

Other than those few issues, I did enjoy the story. I loved the connection & chemistry between Emerson and Abby. The book was entertaining and kept me hooked to read it in one sitting,