From the USA Today bestselling author of The Remembrance Trilogy, The After Dark Series, & The FAMOUS Novels, comes a sexy, new standalone novel. They only had each other, until one forbidden night ruined everything… STEPSISTER. He hated that f*cking word.When their parents got married, the only thing Caleb Luxan had in common with Wren Brashill was that they both hated their parents. When … was that they both hated their parents. When he was sixteen, Caleb discovered Wren’s closely guarded secret and vowed to protect her: from that day forward she became the reason for every decision he made.
Jealousy and long-suppressed desire overpowered Caleb’s fierce protectiveness and they spent one forbidden and unforgettable night in each other arms, but the aftermath left Caleb panicked, Wren heartbroken, and their relationship in shambles. In the time since that fateful night, he’d only seen her once and had only managed to make the situation even worse.
The sudden death of his estranged father calls Caleb home and face-to-face with Wren for first time in years. He is presented with a choice that forces him to confront the painful memories of his youth and his many regrets with Wren.
Like it or not, his father’s last, hard lesson, will demand Caleb deal with his long denied emotions for Wren, or let go of her forever.
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Loved it…such beautiful characters and their story tragic but all good in the end
I enjoyed this book. It was my first stepbrother book so I was somewhat nervous since it isn’t something I normally want to read. I chose it because I love everything else Kahlen has written! It was a little slow to start then took off towards the end. Caleb is a character I really enjoyed although I wanted to hit him a few times and say don’t listen to Macy. Macy was a PERFECT character to hate! I still hear her name and it makes me want to slap her! It wasn’t my favorite read of all of Kahlen’s books but I really liked it.
This is only my second book by Kahlen Aymes and i am just loving what I’m reading. I must admit it took me a while to get into the style of writing for this novel, as it was different to what i had previously read, but once i really got into this story i didn’t want to put it down.
This didn’t feel like a step sibling book at all it felt like a book that was two people who were Madley in love but just kept missing there chances. There was so much emotion in this novel and the pasts that these two characters endured it was so exciting to read how they came out the other side happier than ever.
I felt for Wren and if i could describe her mother in one word i think my review would get band, she was one piece of nasty work and for what Wren went through i don’t blame her for being the way she was when she was younger. Wren was so passionate and loved with every fibre of her heart to the people that deserved it from her.
Caleb to me was one of the most protective characters i had read and i loved the way he looked out for Wren and even made her dreams come true. Caleb had also had a crap past with his mother dying and then his father treating him the way he did, but the only good thing his father did was bring Wren into his life.
I loved how this story was told so you would know excatly what every character in the book was thinking and how they felt, i loved how we were in the present but then at times we would go back to the past to see how all these characters became who hey are and what happened to them.
If your looking for a book that is emotional, hot, vindictive, and an awesome story line then this book is for you it was beautifully written and just awesome.
Great book! It’s a favorite of every one I’ve recommended it to .
I am going to admit that this review is a struggle for me…..Yes guys the struggle is real.
I am a huge fan of step sibling relationships. Why I have no idea, but I know they aren’t for everyone, but for me they are draw card for me when wanting to review a novel.
One Step Closer…..I had such a love/hate relationship with this novel.
Please let me explain why….
Caleb. I absolutely loved Caleb. A soul so destroyed by the lack of love he received as a child from his father, Caleb was shut off from the world. So hearing of his father’s passing was nothing more than an inconvenience to him than anything else.
But what it did do was resurface his painful past at the hands of his father and wicked step mother.
It also surfaced memories of Wren. His step sister, who Caleb made sure was always protected from the evil clutches of her mother.
He swore that Wren would always be looked after, even after Caleb was gone.
His love grew for Wren, but he knew it could never be anything else. They were step siblings after all.
Wren. I simply adored her. A beautiful girl that was damaged at the hands of her mother. Her only saviour in life was Caleb, her step brother.
As she grew, Wren soon found that the love she had for Caleb wasn’t a sibling one, but one of pure love. But he was unattainable. One night was all she got. One night was all they shared. And it was magical.
But it was in that one night that changed Caleb and Wren’s relationship.
That one night created distance between them.
But the love they shared never stopped.
So now with Caleb’s fathers passing, Caleb and Wren are now brought to the present.
And so begins their story which holds so much emotion, torment, pain, hurt, trust and love that you can feel throughout the whole novel.
But my struggle/and or hate and only real struggle/hate with this novel was based on the fact that it was written in third person. I found myself at times losing track of what was going on, and I found that for me is disrupted the flow of the novel. I found myself going back a few times to make sure I was understanding what I was reading and what was happening next.
But please be mindful it was a personal struggle of mine, and in no way would I suggest anyone not to read it.
Overall I did enjoy One Step Closer and I highly recommend it for those who are a lover of all things step siblings.
A great read.
4 stars.
“…he’d never considered they could be more. He loved her. He’d always loved her, but he’d always considered her off limits.”
Caleb and Wren were thrown together and formed an alliance against the world, and even with everything possible attempting to tear them apart, they reunite many years later, and the pull is just as strong. Caleb’s protectiveness, adorable sweetness, and touch of bad-boy swagger had me glued to the pages hoping for it all to work out. The Author made us work for it big time…and I sat yelling at my kindle for the road blocks to stop cropping up, but it was fun getting to the end. Filled with feels and romance, I loved reading this couple!
“He was stronger than anyone he knew. He could take on his father, win every fight inside the ring, but he was completely wasted by a tiny girl.”
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
Yes Kahlen does it again, a great read with all the feels. Plenty of love and angst with this one.
I always know I’m going to be in trouble reading one of Kahlens books. I will fall in love with some of the characters, that’s a given, but I am guaranteed to want to maim a least one person! and in this book there were two such people.
Caleb and Wren have such a tragic start, but this seems to be a theme that doesn’t leave them readily.
Loving someone you can’t have is unbearable, so when you’re forced to make decisions for their future! You know it’s going to make or break you.
Enjoyed this one, even though I wanted to murder certain characters.
Loved this book with a passion!!! Caleb met his new step-sister Wren when she was just some little goth girl but one night he found out her secret. They both hated their parents as well as I did! They were both awful! Especially Wren’s Mom! She was nasty and a gold digger! Caleb vowed to protect her until one night when Wren was 18, everything changed and Caleb ran away with his tail between his legs. It made me so angry at him for what he did! When Caleb’s Father passed away Caleb had to see Wren again for the first time in years and both he and Wren were blown away by each other but someone stood in their way and Caleb had a huge decision to make regarding his dads Will that would change both of their lives forever. In the mean time scams were being made behind the scenes and one scam made me want to jump through my book and STRANGLE people! This book seriously brought out all the feels in me. It was cute and sexy and heartbreaking and so AMAZING! The HEA was the best!! This was my first book by Kahlen Aymes and I will definitely be reading more of her books!
First book by Kahlen Aymes and it was a good read. If you enjoy Second Chance and Step-Brother Romance with a slow burn then this is your book. I would love to read more of her books.
I absolutely loved this book. Kahlen ‘s stories are so well thought through. The passion and fire between the characters are explosive. This story had me at the edge of my seat a number of times.
Caleb wasn’t meant to love her but Wren was the woman that he could not live without. The bitch of a stepmother had me almost pulling my hair out. And Macy? OMG…. I wanted to kick her ass so bad! I felt sorry for Cale’s father because from the beginning I thought he was nothing but pathetic man who didn’t care for his son’s feelings but later on I understood why. Awwww Mrs. Joansy reminded me of my own grandmother. Loved her wit and stern sense of humour. Loved this book. I cried ugly tears and I laughed like a nutter. Thanks Kahlen for a great read! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next. Perhaps Dex’s story?
Loved it!
Kahlen Aymes does it again! Another awesome book! I fell in love with her writing after reading the After Dark Series – and I am a huge fan! To be honest I have read all of her books!
Caleb and Wren had no idea how much they both needed each other when they first met. Wren is looking for her white knight to save her from years of abuse from her mother. Caleb is lonely and lashing out at his father after the death of his mother – wanting some unconditional love.
They both come from having troubled pasts. They understand what the other person is going through. They have a push and pull relationship. But which relationship will win – the push or the pull?
With the antics and deceptions of the step monster mother-in-law and a monster of a girlfriend, will Caleb and Wren ever find their happily ever after? A must read stand alone novel!