What’s worse than losing the love of your life? Answer: Finding out that he’s now (1) a single dad and a widower, (2) your business rival, and (3) still very much your stepbrother.Lonely and estranged from his family, Olivier wishes for love. His music shop is sinking—no thanks to Total Sounds, the new music chain in town. But that’s not all: The alpha stepbrother he’d grown up loving? Eric’s … loving? Eric’s moving back to Meadowfall with his baby girl, and Ollie’s life is officially a mess.
Eric has two goals: One, to raise his late wife’s daughter. Two, to ensure that Total Sounds beats out all its competition, especially that one shop, Olivier’s Strings. Except the owner of Olivier’s Strings is an omega from his past—someone Eric had been truly, madly, deeply in love with. The very omega who had broken Eric’s heart right outside their family home, and, unbeknownst to Eric, is still in love with him.
To escape the grief of his wife’s passing, Eric confronts Olivier about their past… except Ollie’s in heat.
One simmering encounter turns into another, and that new honey scent of Ollie’s… It means Olivier is pregnant. Eric has his suspicions. Ollie insists that the baby isn’t Eric’s. Could it be…?
Stepbrother’s Secret is a 99,000-word standalone non-shifter MPreg romance, with second-chance and hurt/comfort themes, an adorable 9-month-old, and an alpha who falls madly in love with his omega again.
Warning: This book contains references to past domestic/emotional abuse. Full list of warnings available on the Look Inside. If those are your triggers, please take care when reading!
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These two men seemed to just be set on hurting each other at first in the need to protect themselves or the each other. The family adds another layer of drama to their on going struggle to truly accept the love they have for each other. There were moments when I wanted to say stop playing around and really communicate so you can move on. But it is worth going to the end for a very satisfying conclusion.
If you’re into the taboo, this book has a bit of a lot of the faves. I really enjoyed reading the story, and the kink in addition to the step-brothers trope just added to the fun for me.
This book is full of seriously hot sexy times. It combined a couple of tropes; step-brothers and ABO/mpreg. I liked that the author introduced other kinks into the story without making a big deal about them; they were just a part of the characters’ lives or part of the storyline.
I have to admit that I was surprised by how quickly the MCs reunited. I honestly thought it would take more time for them to get over their past. However, the book starts off hot and heavy, and the MCs get right down to business.
There is a lot of angst involved in this story. There is past abuse, both emotional and physical, from childhood through adulthood in Ollivier’s life. This has caused him to make questionable decisions and self-destructive behavior since he and his brother were separated.
Eric has spent his life locking away a part of himself; even from his omega wife. When he loses her and is left to raise their daughter, his job gives him the opportunity to move back to his hometown. Unfortunately for both MCs, his job could bring devastation of its own.
Along with Ollie’s personal fears, the real possibility of Eric losing the family that he adored causes Ollie to make one mistake after another. Fortunately, Eric is able to learn from the past, and look past Ollivier’s words.
In the end, the two get the happiest ever after they could have dreamed of, and the future looks bright. It also appears that the author has set up for at least one sequel in the future. She is a new author for me, but I really did enjoy the story.
Happy reading!
* I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. *
MY FIRST ALPHA/OMEGA READ – AMAZING!
HOT! I read the first four chapters of this book and had to buy it. I was captivated and couldn’t stop thinking about it. The love and adoration of Erik and Olivier kept me wanting to read the next chapter and then the next. This book must take place in a different world with different values. I couldn’t put the book down until I was done!
This was an engrossing and stressful read. Olivier and Eric grew up as stepbrothers, but even as children, they were more to each other than siblings. Olivier had a terrible self image, due to his vile stepmother and exacerbated by a horrible ex, and he continuously pushed Eric away. Eric had his own problems to sort through, after losing his previous omega in an accident he blamed on himself, but he knew that he still wanted Ollie for his own.
There were several times when I felt frustrated with Ollie’s need to sacrifice his own happiness to do what he thought would be best for Eric, rather than letting his alpha make his own choices. My heart hurt for both men for most of the book. But there were humorous moments and a few great supporting characters who kept my hopes alive, and I was ultimately extremely satisfied with the way things ended up for Eric and Ollie. I liked this well written book, and look forward to the next installment in this great series.
This is an intense, emotional, and all around wonderful story! That said, sensitive readers beware. There are some very intense domestic violence scenes involving one of the MCs and an abusive ex. While rescue comes, it is not before significant brutality occurs. This is a touching story – it made me laugh and cry. I loved the secondary characters of Cole and Aaron – best brothers ever – and they way they tried to help bring Eric and Olivier back together. I hope we get to see their stories down the line, especially Cole and Levi. This story has some edge of your seat moments, numerous very steamy intimate scenes, lies and misunderstandings, lots of angst, a lovable toddler, and second-chance love between step-brothers. Definitely a recommended read!
I received a complimentary ARC from the author. This is my honest, voluntary review.
This was Anna Wineheart at her best! I loved Olivier and Eric from the very first and connected with the anguish that both men felt over their love for each other. Initially, I was a bit confused with Levi’s reaction to Eric; it seemed a bit too vehement for a total stranger, but, when we later learned of his past association with Cole, things made a bit more sense. And I can’t wait for Levi and Cole’s story.
The thing that struck me the strongest here was how Olivier loved Eric so much that he was constantly making choices to protect his love. Normally this would be a beautiful thing, but Olivier’s terrible self esteem, fueled by Eric’s mother’s hatred, made Ollie continually make horrible choices, that hurt pretty much everyone, in his determination to protect Eric. I loved the way that Eric recognized and ignored these attempts to push him away as he helped Ollie feel worthy of being loved.
Also, while I found Wendy Lancaster to be a piece of work, I actually feel less forgiving of Ollie’s dad. If he was simply oblivious to Ollie’s torment, that’s bad, but understandable, but for him to blame Ollie for being his wife’s victim for years had my blood boiling. We didn’t see what was involved in Ollie reaching out to repair his relationship with his dad, but I like to think that daddy dearest cut that cramp out, and apologized.