“What if you didn’t have to stop kissing him, Memphis? What if you didn’t have to choose me over him?” –BrennanMemphisAt thirty-four years old, ex-DEA agent Memphis Wheland has lived, loved and lost…everything. The ultimate betrayal by the man he gave everything to has left Memphis with no family, no career and a bone deep bitterness that refuses to release him from its icy grip. His work with … him from its icy grip. His work with an underground vigilante organization is the only light in his otherwise bleak existence. That and the occasional no-strings hookup with men whose only focus in that moment, and for as long as Memphis wants them, is him and only him. No clingy exes, no unrequited love, no relationship drama. Period.
Because Memphis has one rule that he won’t break for anyone or anything. He doesn’t share.
Ever.
Now if only someone had told that to the young man who would come into his life in the most unexpected way…
Brennan
With his entire life ahead of him, graduate student Brennan Devereaux wasn’t expecting it to change in the blink of an eye. But when a case of mistaken identity nearly costs Brennan his life, it isn’t just his future that’s about to change, but his past too. Because for years he’s been in love with a young man who only sees him as a friend and nothing more. And while he was content to love Tristan Barretti from afar, he hadn’t expected to be drawn to the mysterious stranger who saved his life and changed it with a simple promise.
I’m not letting you go.
They were words spoken in the heat of the moment as the darkness of death had threatened to claim him, but even as Brennan’s love for Tristan refuses to wane, his need for the intriguing Memphis Wheland continues to grow.
But any relationship with Memphis means he has to let go of the one thing in his life he’s always valued above everything else…
Tristan
At nineteen, Tristan Barretti should have had the world at his feet. His musical gifts have garnered him prestige as well as admission to the famed Julliard School in New York and he has a family that most people would kill for. But the protective bubble his fathers have kept him in has burst and he’s discovered that life outside his unconditionally loving family isn’t as accepting of a kid born with HIV. A poor decision to find answers to questions better left unasked, along with the complications of living with his disease, have Tristan returning to Seattle and the solace of his family.
And to the young man he’s wanted from the time he was barely old enough to even understand what that meant.
But with an uncertain future that leaves him nothing to offer the gorgeous and successful Brennan Devereaux, Tristan knows the best he can hope for is to keep building on the friendship they’ve shared for years and not get his hopes up that Brennan will be the one man who sees him and not his disease.
Except all bets are off when danger follows him home…
Choices
Even though a physical relationship with Brennan was supposed to be just that, Memphis finds himself unable to refuse his young lover’s request to help put a stop to the threat against Tristan. Even knowing full well that Brennan’s heart lies with the man he claims is nothing more than a friend, Memphis accepts the challenge of ensuring Tristan’s safety.
But when the quiet music student stops being a “job” and starts being something much more, Memphis is torn between his growing feelings for both young men and the fear that he’ll be facing an even greater betrayal that he’ll never be able to come back from.
Except none of that matters when the threat that Memphis never saw coming puts Brennan and Tristan in the crosshairs…
Trigger Warning: Sexual assault against an MC
Full length novel (115k words)
Can be read as a stand-alone story – no cliffhangers.
*Check out inside of book for suggested reading order with rest of series. I’ve also bundled all my series in the correct reading order under the title: A Family Chosen: The Protectors and Barrettis.
Note: This book contains M/M/M sexual content
more
**********Contains Spoilers**********
I enjoyed this book but what I found weird is the plot as the bad guy kind of came out of left field at nearly the end of the book. I fully understand that the bad guy was added for a reason which made sense but there was no reason for them to think anything was amiss before everything went down. I thought Memphis, Brennan and Tristan were great together and they just seem to work. I loved that they could all be vulnerable with each other and know that the others are there to catch them. It totally made sense that Memphis didn’t want to let anyone get close to him after not only losing his family but also being betrayed in the worst possible way by the man he loved Drake and that supposedly loved him back. I can’t believe he even had the courage to let not one but two men get close to him as it took a lot of guts, trust and hope to know that they’re telling the truth and that they won’t betray him either. I loved that both Memphis and Brennan just supported Tristan in the best way they could when Tristan had a scare with a blip in his viral load results since he’s HIV Positive and they made sure that whatever precautions that they had to make to so they’re all protected, as well as making sure Tristan is comfortable was awesome to see. The choice Brennan had to make near the end of the book to save Tristan and Tristan’s little brother Tanner from suffering the same fate as Memphis’s family especially his little sister totally broke my heart as it wasn’t really a choice, as neither of the choices were good. Wow, the aftermath of Brennan’s ordeal and all the feelings Memphis, Tristan and Brennan feel a boatload of guilt and Shame was horrible. I honestly thought that Drake had won and did what he’d set out to do as I really thought that the guys weren’t going to make it and I’m really glad that Dom of all people finally got through to Memphis and made him see that it wasn’t his fault. I loved seeing Memphis at his first Barretti family dinner and loved his wee moment with Matty. Lol man is Memphis’s his cat Princess Tinkerella aka Tink such a wee diva as well as kind of thinking that she’s a dog. I’m looking forward to reading more books from this universe. I’d definitely recommend this book, series, universe and author to everyone.
Forsaken and Vengeance are both fabulous reads. Both are emotional stories with their hot men. Vengeance was even more emotional, it was gut wrenching. My heart hurt as I cried.
Both have great hog sex scenes however Vengeance is even more deliciously dirty.
Such strong great male characters with their amazing families.
DNF 40%
I can’t believe this is happening to me!!!!
I know i’m not going to be particularly popular here and believe me when I tell you, that I never thought that there would EVER come a day where I would not finish a book from Sloane.
When it comes to one of my favorite authors, I don’t always read reviews before I read a book, but in this case I should have.
Oh god this book annoyed the hell outta me….! Don’t think I need to read more of this book to say, that I think it should seriously have been an mm book..!
There are too many good books out there (the last ones in this series are some of them, because even though I don’t like this one, I not going to stop reading this series), for me to continue one I don’t feel!
Memphis, Brennan and Tristian were a treat in this series. Even though there was the very heavy topics and events that occurred, the falling in love between the three of them was beautiful. With Memphis holding back his feelings, it allowed Brennan and Tristian to pull their feelings to the forefront to show Memphis what their life could be like. In the end they got their happily ever after and joined even more so both the men from The Protectors and the Barretti family. Wonderful addition to this world!
Out of all Sloane’s men who come with horrible past I think I got Memphis’ actions the most. His desire to keep everyone at arm’s length, his aloofness all made sense when he told his story to Brennan and Tristan. OMG, that was horrible. I then understood how much courage Memphis had to even consider opening himself up to TWO men, not one. I really liked him. His tenacity, his drive to protect and those moments when he let himself be seen were just precious.
My sweet Tristan! That boy didn’t have it easy since birth. It’s my first time reading a book with one of the MCs being HIV-positive, and I really liked that this particular aspect of life was written in positive light, how safe Tristan was made to feel, how both Memphis and Brennan just accepted him and everything about him. Tristan was so sweet, with a bit of vulnerability but still strong in times of adversity.
Brennan while having to grow up faster that he should still had life relatively untarnished by any tragedy. He was loved and cared for by his older brother Zane and his family. I liked his protectiveness over both Tristan and Memphis, his drive to fight for the three of them. The sacrifice he had to make in the end nearly broke my heart. There were moments when I thought these men would walk away from each other. But thankfully with the help of friends and family they were able to pull through and find peace and happiness again.
Very emotional, angsty and passionate story. I am really enjoying this whole series. This book is no exception. I highly recommend it!