An enemies-to-lovers romance from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis. Standalone with an HEA and no cliff-hanger.Brad I’m in love with my best friend’s girl.She knows it. He knows it. Everyone knows it.Faye will never be mine, but try telling that to my stupid heart. An endless rotation of girls streams in and out of my bedroom in a desperate attempt to forget her, but nothing eases the … in a desperate attempt to forget her, but nothing eases the horrid ache in my chest. Rejection isn’t anything new for me, but it hasn’t gotten any easier.
Until she reappears in my life. Like an out-of-control tornado. Storming in, all fierce and angry, ready to steamroll everything in her path. Rachel is trouble with a capital T bundled in a gorgeous, sexy, Irish package.
She pushes all the wrong buttons, and I can’t decide if I want to yell at her or kiss her.
I should steer clear.
But I’ve never been very good at taking my own advice. Especially when it comes to girls I can’t have and shouldn’t want.
Rachel
I need to escape.
To put as much distance between me and that monster so I can start living my life.
Yet, even the vast Atlantic Ocean isn’t enough to sever the connection. To allow me to forget how he’s ruined me. His hold is more than just physical. He has a vise grip on my head and my heart, and I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t function.
So, I do everything to blot it out.
Until he reappears in my life.
Brad McConaughey. So hot. So infuriating. So in love with my best friend.
Every word out of Brad’s mouth makes me want to throat punch him or kick him in the nuts.
But he makes me feel, and I hate him for it. A part of me might actually love him for it.
I should keep my distance, but like destructive magnets, we are drawn together.
This isn’t going to end well.
I know it. He knows it.
But we’re powerless to resist.
Will I enjoy this book?
If you enjoy emotional, angsty, new adult romance with hot guys and a dash of drama set within a college backdrop then you should enjoy Saving Brad! Fans of this series have also enjoyed titles by Tijan, Erin Watt, Penelope Douglas, Ginger Scott, Jay McLean, Jillian Dodd, Sara Ney, Sara Wolf, Abbi Glines, Rachel Van Dyken, Chloe Walsh, and other similar authors.
While you don’t need to read the first four books in this series to enjoy Saving Brad, it is highly recommended. This book is only suitable for readers aged eighteen and older due to mature content, sexual situations, and language.
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What happens to the third member of a love triangle? This is the story. Kyler and Brad had been best friends since first grade. Faye moved to the Kennedy household from Ireland after the death of her parents. Brad and Faye developed a deep friendship. To Brad, Faye was his lifeline, his only light in a dark world, and he fell madly in love with Faye. Unfortunately for Brad, Faye was also Kyler’s life line and light and Faye and Kyler fell in love. Meanwhile Brad was left pining for the girl he loved.
Rachel was Faye’s best friend, “sister by another mister”, and had her own demons. She moved to America to live with Faye to escape. Initially Brad turned to Rachel to erase Faye from his mind. Rachel turned to Brad to erase her past. Of course, neither one was expecting to find something in each other.
I love Siobhan’s writing. She pulls the reader deeply into the environment and mind of each of the characters. You feel Brad’s pain and wish for him to have his own happily ever after. You feel for Rachel and her desire to start anew. The story isn’t quick and Siobhan carefully builds the tension to an epic conclusion.
Like the Kyler series, the story is dark, brooding, and has uncomfortable elements. That is way makes it such a great book. You are able to read it and feel complete empathy for the characters and satisfied with the conclusions.
I am looking forward to the rest of the series and Siobhan’s future novels.
Okay, time to confess, Siobhan Davis won me over: I am a Brad fan now.
Saving Brad is the fifth book in the Kennedy Boys series, and the second book to work as a standalone novel. As with the prior book, Loving Kalvin, I do believe it works best if you read the Kyler books prior to reading this one. In fact, I’m of the belief each and every book in this series needs to be read for the best experience. Whilst each relationship arc is wonderful alone, there are snippets seen throughout all the books. We get ideas of what is to come for the relationships in future books, we get to see how relationships from the prior books have developed, and these things work to make the standalone books all the stronger.
That being said, the Kyler books will not be for everyone. I completely understand why some people will enter on one of the standalone novels. However, for those to be following the series, this book will work to make a lot of fans happy. As my starting line stated – I’m now a Brad fan. Brad is one of the favourite characters in the series, and I believe the high demand for his story worked towards it being published early into the series, yet I was never a fan. It’s probably one of the most unpopular opinions surround Siobhan Davis, and yet I could never bring myself to like him all that much. His story intrigued me, I cannot deny that, but I never really liked him.
As you can see, things changed in this one. I went in tentative about it being Brad’s story, yet the snapshot we were given at the end of Loving Kalvin had me eager. It was a complex mix of emotions. So much excitement, yet it was somewhat reserved compared to my excitement for the other books. The more negative emotions, however, were quickly pushed away. Siobhan Davis pulled her usual trick – she hooked me early, and I found myself unable to put the book down. The characters, the events, the drama – the entire story – managed to dig deep into my very being and I could not put the book down.
Loving Kalvin was an emotional read on a number of levels, yet it pales in comparison to Saving Brad. They’re both deeply emotional in many ways, yet the situations dealt with in Saving Brad are much heavier. From the moment we were introduced to Racheal I had a few ideas about how her story would play out – things she said, things she had done, had me believing certain secrets would one day come to the forefront. When I found out she was to be the leading lady in Brad’s story, I wasn’t at all surprised when the synopsis pretty much confirmed my belief. Nevertheless, I was waiting on the specifics of the situation. Very quickly, we get to see how Racheal has a dark past and secrets that will rip anyone apart. I worked out the specifics of the situation quite early, but that failed to lessen the impact when the reveal came about – it was dark, it was emotional, and it worked so well in this story. There have been hints of darkness throughout all the books in this series, but I believe this one to deal with the darkest of issues. In other words, it is not a story for the faint of hearts. It will be a trigger for some, and it will leave emotional scars.
Whilst Racheal’s story is the darker element, Brad’s story is also highly emotional. As I’ve stated, his story has interested me throughout the series. I’m so glad we finally got to see how everything came together in that regard. It was emotional in completely different ways, working to pull your emotions in so many directions as each element of the story was presented. A lot of Brad’s story works to add the lighter tone to the story. There are still many dark moments to be found, but a lot of the elements are in the classical Kennedy drama sense.
As for the relationship between the two of them, I came to ship it more than I’d expected. They played off of each other so well, their different personalities and individual stories making for an explosive read. Alone they were both characters I was never crazy about – together, I lost myself in their story. It hit me hard in so many places, and it left me emotionally raw by the time I was done.
There were two things I wasn’t crazy about, if I’m honest, but I realise these things are a personal preference.
The first is some of the choices made by certain members of the Kennedy family. I’m really not going to say too much, due to spoilers, but certain things felt like a bit too much. When we return to the Kennedy home, I found myself surprised by the turn of events. I understand the choice, but it felt a bit too much to me – I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. I understood, but it felt too much. The other is something to do with a reveal made by one of the characters towards the end of the book. Again, it was something I understood, but I wasn’t sure if I felt it was the right choice – at first I thought it was just the shock, but as I thought about it, I felt it jarred slightly with the image I had of the character. Both of these are things I can understand, I can rationalise the choices, but I felt as though it wasn’t what I ever expected to see of the family.
The other thing I wasn’t overly crazy about was the ending. Whilst there was closure, I felt as though things happened rather suddenly. I’m not going to go into detail, and I know why things played out the way they did, but I’m not sure if I was completely happy. To me, the latter part of the book had an almost romantic suspense feel about it. I love a good romantic suspense, and I set my bar rather high. I know this wasn’t a romantic suspense book, but the way elements towards the end slipped in that direction meant my expectation towards the ended was lifted. It did have the emotional impact of the rest of the book, but I wasn’t on the edge of my seat as action sequences of this sort usually leave me. I’m not quite sure what it was, but it hit me emotionally yet it failed to get my heart pumping.
Overall, however, I loved this one. I’m both surprised and glad that Siobhan Davis managed to win me over when it comes to Brad, as I honestly wasn’t sure whether it would be possible. Siobhan Davis managed it though, and I’m grateful. He may never be my number one favourite character in this series, but I’m certainly a bigger fan that I was prior to this one.
As a final note, I’m even more excited for the future books now. I’ve been a big Keven fan from early in the series and he completely stole my heart in this one – the sooner I get my hands on his story, the happier I will be. Honestly, he was a total babe in this one – my love for him has only grown. The snippet provided into Kaden at the end of this one has left me excited for his story also – I feel as though we’re going to get a Siobhan Davis spin on another popular trope, and I cannot wait for it.
Bring on the future Kennedy Boys!
Saving Brad by Siobhan Davis is book 5 in the Kennedy Boys series and can be read as a standalone.
“Because I’m done being a victim. I’m a survivor. And it’s finally time to start living my life.” – Rachel
I have eagerly awaited Brad’s story and my heart has broken for him several times already in the series as we’ve seen the difficulties he’s had to deal with. I know some readers may hate Brad for the things he’s said and done when it comes to Faye and Kyler but I really feel for the guy and wanted him to get his own HEA.
This book is addictive, captivating and memorable. It is the best book of the series so far and I’ve already re-read it as I can’t get enough of Brad and Rachel who are perfect for each other. Siobhan Davis has created another amazing story that you won’t want to put down!
As with all of the Kennedy Boys books, we get glimpses of the other family members in this story and I love that we get to see how they are all doing and are given hints of what’s still to come for Kyler and Kalvin’s brothers. Next up in the series will be Kaden and I’m looking forward to learning more about one of the older brothers who we know less about than the others.
*I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book and all opinions are my own
Brad is an unofficial Kennedy, but still a crucial part in the story. It was nice to see Brad get his own book, even if he was a bit of a wreck. Great read as always!
There are not enough praises for The Kennedy Boys saga by Siobhan Davis. I feel like every book that is published in this series gets better and better, with that, it will be a sad day when this series ends. Saving Brad was absolutely 100% mesmerizing! I couldn’t get enough of this raw, passionate enemies to lovers romance. The push and pull magnitude between Brad and Rachel was superb and of course, I wanted more.
We have seen Brad grow and come to life in Kyler and Faye’s trilogy. Now, it’s his time to shine and finally find his happiness. I will admit, he was a whole different Brad, one that I didn’t care for with the different persona that he began with. But with every flip of the page, the sweet Brad came back to life. The arrogant, douche-canoe falls to the waste and the caring, passionate man is before us. As well, in the tail end of the Kyler trilogy, we see Faye’s best friend, Rachel’s feisty/ spirited personality come to shine and with Brad, it’s shines ever so bright, but we finally see why and who she really is behind closed doors.
With Saving Brad you are unbelievably hooked from the beginning and throughout it’s an emotional turmoil of twists. Not just for Brad and moving on from his feeling of Faye, but for Rachel and her past. Within this fifth book, these two characters lay it all out to bare. Sometimes I thought it would have been better if they had a knock out drag out fight… but hey, it worked out in the end.
“I’m still in love with my best friend’s girl. His one true love. The girl who will always be by his side.”
“There is only so much a guy can take before he cracks.”
This was a darker story than the other books so far. Elements that might trigger negative reactions for some readers be warned, but overall, Siobhan is a captivating, thrilling, well written story teller and I simply can’t get enough.
I am so glad Brad finally got his story told. He has had life hand him so many knocks but yet he keeps getting up and keeps going. There are a lot of things that come to light in this book about Brad’s life and Rachel’s life as well, but together they manage to work through the bad things. I can not wait to read the next book in this series!!
4.5 Stars
Although this title can be read as a standalone, I would highly recommend reading the previous titles particularly The Irish Getaway, that is alluded to several times within this story line.
Siobhan Davis has an uncanny ability to create stories that are raw, intense and emotional. Brad and Rachel are a complex, troubled pair of characters with self destructive tendencies, but epitomize both vulnerability and strength, whilst trying to outrun the pain of their past. Their story is unique and dark, full of twists and turns, drama, angst and intrigue that kept me completely captivated.
Rachel and Brad have an interesting start to their relationship they were lovers, who became enemies, to then become friends before they realize the depth of their bond and connection. I found their relationship to be intense yet realistic. Their banter ranged from fun, and flirty to downright angst fueled and hurtful. They have a tendency to both bring out the best and worst in each other.
At times Brad’s character is as much as you can perceive his pain and suffering, it doesn’t justify the way in which he treats those closest to him. This is not an easy story to read, Rachel’s past is full of pain and suffering, and as details are revealed it’s highly emotional and in my case had me in tears. Brad’s redemption as a character for me came in the way he grew, developed and matured, throughout the course of this book and I loved how he stepped up when those around him needed him the most.
I was completely captivated by this book, and read it in one sitting. I’ve found each book in the Kennedy Boys to be intriguing, engaging and entertaining and I cannot wait to read the next title in this series.
I was very much looking forward to Brad’s story in this series. I wanted to see how things turned out for him after the events in the first three books. If you haven’t read the Kyler books, please do before reading Brad’s story!
Brad had a lot happen to him when he was too young to really have to face those types of situations. He had to grow up fast and become responsible for himself in ways that no high school teenager should. The situations that happened after with Ky, with Faye, they just added to his stress and emotional turmoil.
Rachel had her own tragic history and though her situation was far worse in most ways than Brad’s, they both were forced into adulthood far before their time. Rachel had to learn to take care of herself in different ways than Brad, but still had to learn early.
I think the fact that they had these similarities caused them to be similar in personality too and maybe that’s why they rubbed each other the wrong way when they met. The dynamic was very entertaining to read.
If you like the Kennedy Boys books, if you enjoy New Adult Romance, if you like an enemies to lovers type story, you are going to love Saving Brad. I would again encourage reading the Kyler books first and I would even suggest reading Kalvin’s book too, just because I think the series will flow more smoothly for you if you do.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.