Frat House Confessions: Brody

I absolutely adored Brody and Emma. While I thought Emma would put up more a fight for her feelings regarding Brody, Bethany did a wonderful job on their story. Brody is swoon worthy. Emma is my hero. Happy to see the Temple brothers and the sisters get together.

Brody & Emma’s Story Is A College Romance With A Focus On Family & Community Service. The Story Is Connected To The Three Sisters Catering Series With Millie, Tasha, & Dru.

The Frat House Confessions series is a collection of connected standalones that revolve around the Delta fraternity at U of M. Each story opens with a different Delta brother visiting Papi, who has become the brother they all turn to for advise. Papi had once wanted to become a priest, so the that his room in the frat house has become a confessional of sorts is fitting.

Papi’s real name is Hector. He pledged along with Ridge, Crush (Bennet/Benny, Javi, and Trap. Ridge Temple is the oldest of the three Temple brothers; his younger brothers pledged as well once they got to college. Wes was second, followed by Brody, who just started this year. Thus far the series includes:

1. Frat House Confessions: Ridge (Ridge & Karrie)
2. Frat House Confessions: Wes (Wes & Trixie)
3. Frat House Confessions: Brody (Brody & Emma)
4. Frat House Confessions: Crush (yet to be released)

Books one through three of this series, which revolve around the Temple brothers, are connected to the Three Sisters Catering series. Millie, Tasha, and Dru had been abandoned by their father, but eventually discover that he had gone on to remarry and have another family. The Temple brothers didn’t have much better luck with their father, but the six siblings quickly form a bigger and happier family together.

Brody Temple, a freshman at the University of Michigan, is bored following Christmas break. He was raised in a mansion in Chicago, where his choices for fun were endless. He has a reputation for being a player, which he shamelessly flaunts. The lavish lifestyle he and his brothers can afford isn’t practical while living in a college town; school has limited his options. Being a Delta and a Temple ensures he has his choice of co-eds, but the college girls he’s met are only interested in having a good time. Ridge and Wes have lucked out in the romance department, but Brody doesn’t see that happening for him. Papi suggests some community service options that will give Brody a sense of purpose, which seems to be just what he had needs.

There was in fact one girl that has piqued Brody’s interest since arriving at school, but each time he flirts with her she shoots him down. He first saw her when she stormed in Delta, upset about what went down with her brother, Crush. Her strength and loyalty to her brother caught his attention, and her natural beauty captured it. He hasn’t given up hope, though. He hopes that one day she will see beneath the surface of his playboy façade and see that there is more to him as a person.

Emma, probably a freshman at U of M, cannot wait to graduate and earn her degree. She wants to break the cycle and make something of herself. She and her brother were raised by their mother, who wasn’t always around. Their mother finally left altogether when Bennet turned eighteen and she was just sixteen. She and Benny have worked at a garage for years now to help them support themselves and go to college. Johnny, their boss, is a friend, and their coworkers are like family. Johnny is just twenty-eight, and he took over the business from his father. Benny works on the vehicles, and Emma helps with the bookkeeping. But things are complicated right now for her and Benny, to say the least.

After the blowup with Delta which shredded Benny’s reputation and self-esteem, ripping him away from his home at Delta and the fraternity brothers he had grown to love, he returned to the rundown apartment that he and Emma had shared. With some help from Delta and the Temple brothers, Emma had seen that Benny had gotten into rehab. He has been clean for a while now but cannot seem to escape his depression. He hasn’t returned to work or classes, and everything he had worked for is at stake. He is at risk of losing his job with Johnny, who has patiently held it for him. But meanwhile the burden upon Emma is enormous as she struggles to keep up with bills and her busy schedule.

Emma is kind an generous, in addition to having an inner drive. Her chosen major, social work, is a perfect fit. She knows what it is like to struggle, and it is her passion to help those in need. To help land the internship and eventually the job of her dreams, she knows she must be heavily involved in community service. In addition to working part time and attending classes, she volunteers for various local efforts. She works with Habitat for Humanity, she is a Big Sister, and she volunteers at soup kitchens across town. When she runs into Brody Temple, of all people, exiting the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, she is surprised to say the least. It makes her pause and wonder if there is more to him than she had first thought. And when she realizes that she might have judged him the way students across campus had judged her brother, she immediately recognizes her error. When he once again suggests they meet up, this time she agrees.

When Brody and Emma meet for coffee, Emma soon discovers that the playboy she had so despised is actually quite caring. She feels perfectly at ease with him, and his interest in getting involved in the community overlaps with her own. The pair begins to spend more time together, and eventually she meets his brothers. They are all warm and welcoming, as are their girlfriends. Their history with Benny – or Crush as they know him – makes her a little nervous. Meanwhile Benny isn’t as quick to accept Brody, and Johnny is a different story. Emma and Johnny had dated briefly, and though Emma had ended things quickly and amicably so that they could remain friends afterward, Johnny wasn’t quite over her. They wanted different things, maybe in part because Johnny was older and ready to settle down. But Johnny was still a part of Emma’s life, and Brody entering the picture put both Johnny and Brody on edge. And despite his wonderful qualities, it remains that Brody is a member of Delta, along with his brothers. Delta had been the source of all Benny’s troubles, and coming to terms with Brody’s involvement there will take some acceptance on Emma’s part.

Brody and Emma’s story is a college romance with a focus on family and community service. Both Brody and Emma experienced hardship in their families. Brody had been largely neglected. His mother doted on Wes, and his father took out his aggression mostly on Ridge. Their parents’ marriage fell apart and their father left, like he had his first family, and their mother’s only concern is shopping. But the boys have each other, and now their three sisters, too. Emma just has Benny, and unlike the Temple brothers, they struggle financially. Being welcomed into such a warm and loving group is uplifting for her. The couple finds they have much in common. They eventually find a simple happy for now ending.

Fans will appreciate that Millie, Tasha, Dru, and their families play a part at end of the story.

Brody and Emma’s college romance is focused on family. The story is nicely written. It feels more like a middle school or high school book in its simplicity, aside from the college setting, rehab, and a few steamy scenes. The plot is fairly simple. There are no terribly big surprises or plot twists. There is no heavy drama. In fact, there are a few points that cause a little friction which could have devolved into something far worse. Both Brody and Emma are fairly trusting, even though their relationship is new. The characters are nicely developed, but the is nothing terribly deep about their story. It is written in first person. The POV alternates between Brody and Emma. I rate this book four stars.

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

So I picked up Frat House Confessions: Ridge and promptly fell in love with the storyline and the writing and immediately dove into the next one then had to wait forever to get my hands on Brody’s story. But in each of the books I’ve gotten to know each of the characters a little better and as we’ve progressed the secondary characters have become more important to me.

However Brody being the baby of the Temple boys we didn’t really know much except he was slightly neglected yet spoilt beyond reason and he lived the carefree life of someone who had nothing to worry about except their own self indulgence. So I was a little nervous as to how I was going to like him. But I shouldn’t have been worried because as usual he was everything that I could have hoped for and more. Partly because he had realised how empty his life was especially since he could no longer fill his days in the same manner but also because despite his self indulgent ways he was a genuinely sweet caring guy who had finally grown up and seen beyond himself.

Emma naturally was beautiful inside and out. From the minute she stormed into the frat to tear them all new ones for hurting her brother I was a massive fan of hers. She was so self assured and confident and had been looking after herself for so long I just wanted to wrap her up in a blanket and love her. But she was so busy taking care of everyone around her she didn’t want to be looked after.

The relationship between these two was so cute. They were both all in yet afraid to be let down like they had been by their loved ones before. Luckily they were both in the same position and neither of them was afraid to talk and express their feelings so there was no unnecessary drama to drive me nuts and I am even more keen to get my hands on the rest of the series because I am loving the characters and the writing.