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Blue Jay: An MM, Hurt/Comfort Stepbrother Romance
Not yet published
Expected 31 Mar 26We were never meant to be apart.
After all, there’s no me without him.
Roman
At eighteen, I met a boy with golden hair and blue eyes.
He slipped through the cracks like it was inevitable, like it was always supposed to happen, and I never stood a chance. Not against him.
He was kind, and warm, and he was mine.
Until I ruined everything.
Like I always do.
Jesse
At eighteen, I met a boy with black hair and dark eyes.
He held me when I couldn’t sleep and chased my nightmares away.
But I couldn’t chase away his.
He was my stepbrother, my best friend, my everything.
Until he let me go.
Now five years later, we’re back to living together, sharing the same space, and the pull is impossible to ignore.
Only this time, it will either destroy me, or save us both.
Blue Jay is an MM, hurt/comfort, stepbrother romance. Told in two parts, it’s a story of first times and second chances, of inevitable connections that feel like gravity, and of two souls who were always meant to find their way back to each other.
Tropes: MM romance, stepbrothers, codependency, hurt/comfort, first times, second chances, quiet heartbreak, yearning, it’s always been us, so much intimacy, so many feels, 1st person/dual POV
Content Warnings: Mature content with explicit scenes meant for an adult audience, parental abandonment (off-page, mentioned), domestic abuse (off-page, mentioned), parental neglect & verbal/emotional abuse (on page, mentioned & in flashbacks), deceased parent (off-page, mentioned), sleepwalking
After all, there’s no me without him.
Roman
At eighteen, I met a boy with golden hair and blue eyes.
He slipped through the cracks like it was inevitable, like it was always supposed to happen, and I never stood a chance. Not against him.
He was kind, and warm, and he was mine.
Until I ruined everything.
Like I always do.
Jesse
At eighteen, I met a boy with black hair and dark eyes.
He held me when I couldn’t sleep and chased my nightmares away.
But I couldn’t chase away his.
He was my stepbrother, my best friend, my everything.
Until he let me go.
Now five years later, we’re back to living together, sharing the same space, and the pull is impossible to ignore.
Only this time, it will either destroy me, or save us both.
Blue Jay is an MM, hurt/comfort, stepbrother romance. Told in two parts, it’s a story of first times and second chances, of inevitable connections that feel like gravity, and of two souls who were always meant to find their way back to each other.
Tropes: MM romance, stepbrothers, codependency, hurt/comfort, first times, second chances, quiet heartbreak, yearning, it’s always been us, so much intimacy, so many feels, 1st person/dual POV
Content Warnings: Mature content with explicit scenes meant for an adult audience, parental abandonment (off-page, mentioned), domestic abuse (off-page, mentioned), parental neglect & verbal/emotional abuse (on page, mentioned & in flashbacks), deceased parent (off-page, mentioned), sleepwalking
- GenresM M RomanceContemporary
Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 31, 2026
148 people want to read
About the author
Marina Pirlimpou
6 books42 followersMarina Pirlimpou is a self-proclaimed book lover and a proud introvert who lives for dreary, autumn days, cozy blankets, and hot beverages.
You can find her reading in her favorite nook, listening to music, or writing about all things romance.
If you want to know all about her new releases or just looking for some new book recs, follow her on Instagram as @marinas_readingcorner.
You can find her reading in her favorite nook, listening to music, or writing about all things romance.
If you want to know all about her new releases or just looking for some new book recs, follow her on Instagram as @marinas_readingcorner.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
5 Stars!⭐️
3.75🌶️
I Had The Chance To Arc Read This Book And OMG YALL!!!!! This Book Was SIMPLY EVERYTHING I WANTED THIS BOOK TO BE AND MORE!!! Definitely One Of My Favorite Reads This Year 100% And A New Favorite Of Mine. Roman And Jesse, These Precious Boys Were Just Everything To My Heart And Soul And My Whole Mind. Like I Want My Person To Be Just Like Roman In The Future Y’all Cause He Was EVERYTHING I Want A Book Boyfriend To Be. And Jesse, Oh This Sweet Lovable Beautiful Baby Lace Loving Angel Blue Jay, He Was Everything Oh I Wanted To Hug Him So So Much Cause He Deserves The Whole World And I’m So Happy Both Jesse And Roman Get To Spend The Rest Of There Life’s And Eternity Together Cause They Are So Meant To Be. Now Romans Dad, FUCK YOU!!!!!! That’s All I Have To Say About Him. Jesse’s Mom, I Really Loved Her Y’all, So Sweet And Caring And Just UGH I Love. And Jesse’s Friend Molly ( I Think That’s Her Name If Not I’m So Sorry ) I Loved Her. Like Can I Have A Friend Like Molly Now Please That Would Be Amazing. And There Were Other Side Characters I Also Loved Too Like Jackson, Amazing Father Figure To Roman, So Amazing. But Y’all I HIGHLY Recommend This Book Because Marina Never Misses With Her Books And You Need To Read Her ASAP!!!!! Cause She Is Just An Amazing Author Who Writes Some Of The Best Heartwarming MM Romances Ever. She’s On My Auto Read List Like I Need More From Her Guys Like Her Books Are Everything!!!! So When This Book Cokes Out End Of March, READ IT!!!! And You’ll Thank Me Later 💕
3.75🌶️
I Had The Chance To Arc Read This Book And OMG YALL!!!!! This Book Was SIMPLY EVERYTHING I WANTED THIS BOOK TO BE AND MORE!!! Definitely One Of My Favorite Reads This Year 100% And A New Favorite Of Mine. Roman And Jesse, These Precious Boys Were Just Everything To My Heart And Soul And My Whole Mind. Like I Want My Person To Be Just Like Roman In The Future Y’all Cause He Was EVERYTHING I Want A Book Boyfriend To Be. And Jesse, Oh This Sweet Lovable Beautiful Baby Lace Loving Angel Blue Jay, He Was Everything Oh I Wanted To Hug Him So So Much Cause He Deserves The Whole World And I’m So Happy Both Jesse And Roman Get To Spend The Rest Of There Life’s And Eternity Together Cause They Are So Meant To Be. Now Romans Dad, FUCK YOU!!!!!! That’s All I Have To Say About Him. Jesse’s Mom, I Really Loved Her Y’all, So Sweet And Caring And Just UGH I Love. And Jesse’s Friend Molly ( I Think That’s Her Name If Not I’m So Sorry ) I Loved Her. Like Can I Have A Friend Like Molly Now Please That Would Be Amazing. And There Were Other Side Characters I Also Loved Too Like Jackson, Amazing Father Figure To Roman, So Amazing. But Y’all I HIGHLY Recommend This Book Because Marina Never Misses With Her Books And You Need To Read Her ASAP!!!!! Cause She Is Just An Amazing Author Who Writes Some Of The Best Heartwarming MM Romances Ever. She’s On My Auto Read List Like I Need More From Her Guys Like Her Books Are Everything!!!! So When This Book Cokes Out End Of March, READ IT!!!! And You’ll Thank Me Later 💕
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC review
Roman is a brooding artistic loner with a traumatic past. He is abandoned by his mother and ignored by his father. When his father marries Laura, Roman is forced to share a home with her son Jesse. Jesse is a soft golden haired boy. Despite their instant mutual attraction Roman pushes Jesse away. But when Jesse seeks comfort in Roman's arms the two form a bond that blurs the lines between friendship, protection and forbidden desire.
Roman is a compelling mix of vulnerability and intensity. He has a tragic back story that explains his emotional walls. His gentle moments with Jesse are heartwarming. Jesse is lovable. He is an anxious sunbeam and brightens Roman's dark world. His sleepwalking and past trauma make him sympathetic.
The slow burn in this book feels natural and their first kiss is hot.
The book differs in pacing in the first half opposed to the second half. The first half is slow and focuses much on kisses and cuddles without advancing the plot. In the second halve we have major developments like Jesse's trauma or Roman's past. I'm also missing a real conflict. The biggest obstacle was Roman's guild and that is resolved fairly easy. The parents form no obstacle whatsoever.
I still enjoyed reading Blue Jay so I'm giving it 3 stars.
Roman is a brooding artistic loner with a traumatic past. He is abandoned by his mother and ignored by his father. When his father marries Laura, Roman is forced to share a home with her son Jesse. Jesse is a soft golden haired boy. Despite their instant mutual attraction Roman pushes Jesse away. But when Jesse seeks comfort in Roman's arms the two form a bond that blurs the lines between friendship, protection and forbidden desire.
Roman is a compelling mix of vulnerability and intensity. He has a tragic back story that explains his emotional walls. His gentle moments with Jesse are heartwarming. Jesse is lovable. He is an anxious sunbeam and brightens Roman's dark world. His sleepwalking and past trauma make him sympathetic.
The slow burn in this book feels natural and their first kiss is hot.
The book differs in pacing in the first half opposed to the second half. The first half is slow and focuses much on kisses and cuddles without advancing the plot. In the second halve we have major developments like Jesse's trauma or Roman's past. I'm also missing a real conflict. The biggest obstacle was Roman's guild and that is resolved fairly easy. The parents form no obstacle whatsoever.
I still enjoyed reading Blue Jay so I'm giving it 3 stars.
March 19, 2026
This was sweet. I really enjoyed seeing the initial relationship between Jesse and Roman and how they got started and then seeing them get to know each other again in some aspects after they reunited.
Jesse and Roman had a great relationship from the start. Although Roman was a bit reserved in the beginning he began opening up to Jesse fairly quickly. Jesse was exactly who Roman needed in his life as he was loving, caring and supportive. All things Roman unfortunately had been missing. I really loved how these two made space for one another in their lives and even after time passed remained the same just maybe in different ways regardless of the distance between them.
I had a great time reading this and I can’t wait to see what Marina releases next!
💜ARC REVIEW💙
Jesse and Roman had a great relationship from the start. Although Roman was a bit reserved in the beginning he began opening up to Jesse fairly quickly. Jesse was exactly who Roman needed in his life as he was loving, caring and supportive. All things Roman unfortunately had been missing. I really loved how these two made space for one another in their lives and even after time passed remained the same just maybe in different ways regardless of the distance between them.
I had a great time reading this and I can’t wait to see what Marina releases next!
💜ARC REVIEW💙
Review of advance copy received from Author
A love like a warm hug...❤️
Absolutely stunning.
I will return with full review.
ARC provided by the author
Absolutely stunning.
I will return with full review.
ARC provided by the author
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews