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“You’re the North Star in my sky.”

Former astronaut Nico has escaped his heroic past to start a new life as a park ranger. He lives deep in the Smoky Mountains, only leaving to visit his best friends in nearby Knoxville. Here in the wilderness, he’s free from fame, drama, and heartbreak.

Until rock star and international playboy Deen Jayse stumbles headlong into his world.

Cornered and framed by paparazzi, Deen barely escaped with his career intact. He’s stuck doing image rehab. It’s supposed to be a wholesome vacation to promote national parks. But when he’s assigned a grumpy guide, he’s determined to charm the mountain man right out of that sexy park ranger uniform.

It’s easy to break down strong and silent Nico’s walls. Figuring out what to do now is much harder. Deen can't just drop everything to go live in the mountains, and Nico can't abandon them.

After a taste of being together, how can they possibly face a future apart?

Splinter is Book 1 of the Significant Brothers, a feel-good MM romance series. Six best friends from high school are reunited to banter—and occasionally give helpful advice—as, one by one, they each find Mr. Right. Each book can be read as a standalone story and has a guaranteed happily-ever-after ending, and no cliffhanger.

Rainbow Awards Finalist in Best Bisexual Romance & Best Bisexual Book!

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2017

350 people are currently reading
620 people want to read

About the author

E. Davies

130 books726 followers
E. Davies writes feel-good, low-angst romance that never fades to black when the going gets good! Born in Canada, after 16 moves and counting, Ed has finally put down roots in north London.

He emerges from his writing nest to coo over fuzzy animals, flee from cute guys, dance through the streets with his chosen family, put together fierce looks, and—most of all—befriend local flowers.

Newsletter: edaviesbooks.com/subscribe
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/edavies

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5 stars
444 (30%)
4 stars
553 (38%)
3 stars
362 (25%)
2 stars
58 (4%)
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16 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
Profile Image for Gigi.
2,148 reviews1,064 followers
August 2, 2017
You know how you're reading a book, and everything is great and you are really enjoying it and have 4-5 stars in your head? And then it does something stupid and you have a



moment? This one has that. INSTA-LOVE. Sometimes I don't mind it, but in this case the "I love you's" happened WAY too quickly. It took away the suspense of the two of these boys finding their HEA. Yeah, you know it's gonna happen, but some tension would have been nice.

Dirty-talking sex makes a lovely appearance

“Tell me what you want,” he whispered, then kissed the shaft from base to tip in slow, sucking, open-mouthed caresses of tongue and lips. “I wanna hear it .”

“I—I want your mouth. That filthy fucking mouth of yours. I want you sucking my cock, Deen. Your lips …”


and I'm all about that, but it just wasn't enough to save this book for me.

Recommended to those that have a thing for non-shifter insta-love. Others, read if you need a dirty-talk fix. The rest, you can comfortably skip this one.

This review is also posted at Gay Book Reviews

Profile Image for Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish).
905 reviews169 followers
April 10, 2023
Good, but not mindblowingly good love story between a rock star and a ranger.

To be fair, I’m pretty sure I would have skim/read it if not for the audiobook, which is narrated by Greg Bourdeaux. And whoever follows my reviews, knows that he’s one of my top 3 narrators who can’t do wrong and whom I’d listen to even if he’d read me from the phonebook (for the younger ones of you: once upon a time, b.g. -before Google- there was a book with all the names and phone numbers in it. Boring to read, but not if Greg read it. But I digress.)

It’s the story of Deen, a rockstar on the path of self destruction (not too bad tbh, just enough to ruin his reputation). And Nico, a former astronaut, now ranger, who is assigned to look after Deen when the latter needs to take some time off after an almost-scandal.

It’s… nice. But nothing really happens, they’re both sweet and unproblematic, even the mystery-side plot isn’t very exciting. There’s nothing wrong in fact, no idea why I didn’t like it more.
Profile Image for Erth.
4,515 reviews
July 30, 2019
Splinter is a very well written and interesting story. The author’s execution of his thoughts creates a steady flow to the work that pulled me along, causing me to disregard things so mundane as eating and sleeping. The premise is well thought out, and the little details of the back stories are sufficient to lend depth to the characters without overtaking the love story aspect of the piece.
I liked meeting the other Significant Brothers and look forward to their HEAs. The antagonist’s actions and manner give the book a bit of harsh reality that keeps it from being too sweet.
It was beautiful watching such different men come together. Their characters come to life on these pages and draw you into their hearts and minds as they come to realize what they have and the joy they feel as they embrace it all. Their passion is intense, and the spicy scenes are very, very well done.
Start to finish; this is an excellent love story.
Profile Image for Christelle.
808 reviews
July 13, 2018
**3.5 stars**

Sometimes, I’m in the mood of for a comfort-read : nothing flashy, nothing angsty, nothing eye-rolling…just a nice sexy story that is guaranteed to make me smile. And E.Davies is always a good bet.

Standalone in this series “The significant Brothers”, a band a childhood friends. This time, the HEA is in the air for Nico, a park ranger finding solace in the mountains, and Deen, Rockstar, needing a break in his frenzy lifestyle and being gently pushed by his agent to spend a month in the woods, under Nico’s care.
They are so different, but compliment each other in the best way : Deen needing to slow down and Nico to be pushed. Nice setting, endearing characters, hot chemistry and sexy relationship.

Once again, E.Davies made me win my bet : I had a nice smile once I closed my kindle.
Profile Image for L Ann.
720 reviews159 followers
March 15, 2023
What a lovely surprise. 🥰 This was exactly the type of sweet low angst story I've been looking for and I greedily devoured it.

Nico is a parker ranger trying to forget about his former life. Deen is a well-known rock star who is getting bored with his meaningless life of drinking, smoking, fucking, and partying. When they meet for the first time their connection is immediate. They felt drawn to each other and wanted to be around each other as much as possible.

Nico had never heard of Deen's band and therefore had no idea how famous he actually was. Deen didn't know enough about Nico to know he could Google him and find whole articles written about him. That's what made their relationship work. They didn't have outside influences tainting their interactions, and it was sweet and adorable; their banter lighthearted and funny.

This is the perfect story to read in between all these angsty ass stories coming out lately. The narration by Greg Boudreaux was excellent and I'm looking forward to the series as a whole. 4.5 stars 🩵
Profile Image for Gerbera_Reads.
1,647 reviews153 followers
March 22, 2019
Despite the lack of suspense I really enjoyed this story. This is my first time reading a book by this author, and I liked his turn of phrase. I had fun with this book. The romance was sweet and uncomplicated. Sure, there were moments that both men should have talked to each other but didn't. But I really liked their internal musings, there was never a dull moment for me.

An ex-astronaut turned park ranger and a rock star is a match made in heaven, er in space... hmmm the woods?! I liked both men. Nico had that kind of steady calm presence, he settled that wildness that Deen had. With Deen's help Nico finally was able to accept his physical limitations and move on past the painful memories. Deen, due to his celebrity status, always felt used and never knew when people around him wanted him for what he can give or for himself, so he kept everyone at arms length. Everybody always catered to either his needs or his ego. Who knew that in the woods of a national park he will find a man who will see the real him and not the persona he created. He was finally accepted, he felt loved for who he is as a man.

I loved the humor - it was just the right amount not to overwhelm me since for whatever reason I don't like too much of it if any in the books I read. I liked the side characters. The story of Significant brothers and how they came to be is very touching. All the men are so different yet are so devoted to each other and the family they created together. This was a wholesome sweet love story that I had wonderful time reading.

Profile Image for Trio.
3,562 reviews202 followers
December 31, 2021
E. Davies series Significant Brothers follows a friend group of guys who met and bonded in college. We only meet them briefly in Splinter, but I’m already looking forward to getting each of their stories. If Dean and Nico’s romance is anything to go by, this series is going to be great!

I’ve only read a few books by E. Davies, but one of the things I like best about their work is the depth in their characters. We get to know each of them, what things in their pasts make them who they are, and what it is about the pairing that creates such terrific chemistry.

There’s a little mystery which runs through Splinter and, while I was glad it resolved the way it did, I can’t help wondering if the arsonist is going to show up again in future episodes of the Significant Brothers series… (don’t spoil it for me if you know!).

Audio performed by Greg Boudreaux who does a marvelous job. Clearly he’s enjoying himself with E. Davies’ humor, which appears in almost every scene. And fans of E. Davies do not need me to write about the scorching, steamy love scenes. ‘Nuff said!

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the rest of the stories in this series :)

an audiobook copy of Splinter was provided to me for the purpose of my honest review
Profile Image for ⚣Michaelle⚣.
3,662 reviews235 followers
March 30, 2019
As much as I love the NPS and NASA (which means I should have LOVED this book), I felt like the rush to the ILYs was a little too quick for a non-shifter/etc. type book with too little drama to drive an adrenaline-fuel emotional connection Insta-love requires (IMHO). There was PLENTY of time for the characters to get there, and had it shown up only in a months-later epilogue I would have been fine with that kind of declaration.

So, a 3.5 Star book that earned another half star on the sheer enjoyment of listening to Greg narrate the story. (Honestly, is there a book he CAN'T make more entertaining? I'd listen to him read me the stupid phone book...)

Still putting the sequel on the TBR, though.
Profile Image for Cadiva.
3,960 reviews433 followers
August 3, 2017
Loved this light and fluffy heartfelt romance

When an author sneaks a Pink Floyd reference into the first chapter of a book then I know it's going to be my kind of story.

This delightful romance from Ed was just what I needed to get myself out of the book slump I'd been in since finishing the epic Spartan romance Axios: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn

Nico and Deen were an awesome pairing, I loved how they connected and how little drama there was in both their relationship and in the book itself as the bad boy rock star found his lodestone in the arms of a former astronaut turned park ranger.

The setting of the book, in and around the Smokey Mountains, also brought a lovely light touch, all fresh air and bright sunlight to shine on their growing romance. And the sneaky Toni Basil Hey Mickey quite just made me smile more.

Can't wait to find out more about Nico's bunch of friends either on the rest of this series. The gorgeous cover only adds to the pleasure.
Profile Image for Denise H..
3,226 reviews266 followers
August 17, 2017
*** Best seller list for Bisexual romance. ***
This is a wonderful romance for two lonely men.


Deen is a famous singer who needs his image cleaned up. His agent sets him up with a Video Blog from Great Smoky Mountain National Park. There, he descends on Park Ranger, Nico, former Astronaut.


We get to peek into their minds and see what drives them. Their views and opinions are told, and each man is strong, but lonely.



In their sexy times, these guys are dirty talking, raw and aggressive. There is the vblog of Deen's and a fire starter plaguing the Park.

Great Smoky Mountain Park


We get to see the gradual escalation of the deep emotions and solid connection Deen and Nico make.


E. Davies never lets us down.
ENJOY !
============
Profile Image for Gustaf.
1,444 reviews186 followers
March 14, 2024
I love this series.
The bond between the significant brothers are palpable and I love how they love and care for each other. And of course I love Nico and Dean. They are the ones to start it all off.
Profile Image for Elithanathile.
1,926 reviews
August 3, 2017
True rating ... 2.5 stars. This was just ... okay ... or, it was a little more than just "okay" for me, so I gave it a 2.5 star rating. This is by NO means a negative rating AT ALL! I just didn't feel engaged enough to LIKE it and I didn't like it enough to give it a solid 3 stars :-/! There was wonderfully hot sex here and it definitely worth reading, but again, this book just didn't hold my interest and I found myself thinking of other things :-/! I'll definitely give the next book a chance and hopefully it'll grab me more than this one did! I rounded it up to 3 stars, just because I'm thinking I might not have been in the proper mindset for this book, and wanted to be fair :-)!

I do recommend you give this one a try, because there was nothing inherently wrong with it whatsoever. Who knows, you might really like it :-)!!


*******
Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited. If I really like this, I'll buy it.
Profile Image for Josy.
992 reviews3 followers
September 30, 2018
This was sweet and easy with very little drama - a nice read in between books with heavier topics.

Very strong on the insta-love, though. The MCs, coming from very different backgrounds, are spending four weeks together in a beautiful setting - the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sadly, after spending the first couple days together, the rest of the first week of getting to know each other is skipped which makes it almost unbelievable that they both would develop such strong feelings for each other that they are thinking about love after such a short time.
At least there was a little bit of tension when it seemed that both their lives were just too different to make a relationship work and they both had to make some compromises and step out of their comfort zone in order to be with the man they loved.

The sex scenes were hot but at times it seemed like the author was trying too hard to make them so.

I liked the obvious strong bond between the 'Significant Brothers', a group of friends of which Nico is a part of, although they don't play a big role in this book. There is just enough information to learn their names, what they are doing professionally, and how they managed to stay friends throughout the years.

Overall a nice, low-angst book for fans of insta-love in a non-shifter world.
Profile Image for Annika.
1,374 reviews94 followers
September 9, 2020
Audiobook review

Narration: 5 stars
Story: 2,5 stars

Splinter is a great book to listen to when you want an easy and laidback afternoon. And however you look at it, any time spent listening to Greg Boudreaux is time well spent. I mean that man is a talented voice actor and I’d probably enjoy him narrating that proverbial grocery list.

As far as the story and romance goes it was low on angst and offered few, if any, surprises, but that’s also the charm with these types of books, you know what’s what. Well, the romance between the guys progressed in lightning speed; I blinked and out of nowhere they were a couple. Not my preference, but again Boudreaux can make me a believer.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for ~BookNeeds~.
799 reviews15 followers
September 30, 2019
I’m a little disappointed the blurb sounded so good. The story had great potential but it was missing the “oomph”.
Profile Image for Rachel Emily.
4,428 reviews374 followers
August 20, 2017
Ahhh, a new series from E Davies! I really enjoyed this first book, and now I can't wait for the next book so all these Significant Brothers find their man. I loved the reason for the name of the series, so cute!

Nico is a park ranger who used to be an astronaut. He is supposed to help guide and work with Deen, a musician whose management team thinks needs a bit of rebranding and refreshing. Although Nico is used to being solitary and alone, he and Deen quickly bond (very quickly!) - their chemistry was wonderful and hot!

Yes folks, I would agree that there is a case of insta-love here, but I dunno - with Deen and Nico, it still kinda worked for me. They just totally fell in love and that was that, they were determined to make it work and make THEM work.

I will say, I wish that there had been a bit more substance to Nico's past and his injury. It was like one minute he was totally fine, and then the next he saw himself as someone living with a major disability. And I get why he gave up the fame and what caused him to leave his space career, but at the same time it seemed a bit vague still. Yep, this bugged me more than the instalove.

Can't wait for all the other Sig Bros to get their own stories, and looking forward to more from E Davies!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Dan.
1,699 reviews47 followers
February 26, 2021
To me this book fell flat. There were no stakes in the relationship, no fear of the arsonist (there came a point in which I even forgot that was happening), no excitement or fear when that particular plot line came to head, no point in which Nico or Deen struggled with themselves or each other or a third party... it was just a slow, dragging progression of falling in love and getting a HEA.
It came to a point in which I struggled to pick it up, lost my train of thought mid process, then had to drag myself back. I considered leaving it halfway, my pride wouldn't let me. I definitely don't want to drag myself through the sequels. I'll say I tried and leave it at that.
Profile Image for Robert Winter.
Author 26 books351 followers
September 15, 2017
Sweet book, low on the angst. I felt there were some missed opportunities (the arson subplot had potential for some drama), but the banter was nice and the relationship developed at a nice pace. I'll read the next one on the series, even though the setup meeting with all the Significant Brothers was kind of heavy-handed.
Profile Image for namericanwordcat.
2,440 reviews438 followers
October 15, 2017
A completely enjoyable romance which is both sweet and hot.

Deen and Nico are great heroes and watching them fall in love is a pleasure. I like how they work things out like grown ups to deal with both of their careers.

There are some interesting twists on fame here and heroism. The arson plot is to the side and a little undeveloped at the end and the reason's for Deen's early behaviors could be better explored but it is a nice read and kick off to the series overall.
Profile Image for Kendra T.
3,017 reviews39 followers
March 21, 2021
Audio Review
I listened to the audio book as a second "read" and I enjoyed it very much the second time around. The narrator did a great job of differentiating the voices so it didn't sound stale or monotone. I liked listening to this, and I would definitely listen to it again in the future.

Original Review
This was a great start to E. Davies' next series. Nico took himself out of the limelight after a difficult event during his astronaut career. He is now a park ranger, and tends to stay by himself. Deen is a bad boy musician who needs to rehab his image by going off the major grid for a little bit. He is sent to the park for a couple of weeks and Nico is his guide. I enjoyed watching their friendship grow, Nico come out of his shell, and Deen settle down. I loved the idea of "Significant Brothers", and I'm really looking forward to the next books in the series.

I'm voluntarily reviewing a free advance reader copy I received from the author.
Profile Image for Kaity.
1,938 reviews24 followers
June 22, 2021
3-3.5 stars

Solid read and listen because Greg Boudreaux is ear candy!

Also the amount of steam in this books reminds me of the Metahuman series haha, I wish there was a little bit less of it…

I also wish the arson case was a little more mysterious than what happened…

This was also very insta-love but for some reason didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

But can’t wait to continue to next significant brother!
Profile Image for Diane Dannenfeldt.
3,991 reviews78 followers
January 16, 2022
3.5 stars - I did like this easy read. The whole arsonist issue was kind of lame and you don't really get an idea why they did what they did. I could actually see the mountains in my minds eye as seen through their eyes. I will be continuing on with this series.

With the amazing Greg Boudreaux narrating this book, I have to raise my review to 4 stars.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews116 followers
Want to read
March 1, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/1/2019)! 🎁

Blurb:
After zero-gravity heroics left astronaut Nicolas Rogers injured, his new job as a park ranger seems perfect. Being a caretaker of his corner of the Smoky Mountains makes him almost okay with having to be on Earth. More importantly, this deep in the woods, Nico's practically a hermit at a remote ranger station. Sure, he has good friends in nearby Knoxville, but he's otherwise free from petty drama and broken hearts... until Deen enters his world.

Caught in a compromising position by relentless paparazzi, rock star and international playboy Deen Jayse barely escaped with his career intact. He needs image rehab and a break from fame. His manager strongly suggests a stint in the Smokies, promoting national parks and being wholesome. Which would be a lot easier if Nico weren't there in his sexy park ranger uniform.

Nico already has his hands full with arsonists at the park without Deen adding to his workload. He thinks he has to babysit a spoiled celebrity, but when he catches a glimpse of the man behind the persona he sees something he can't resist. They've both experienced the isolation of fame, and while their loneliness brings them together, their worlds threaten to tear them apart. Deen can't just drop everything to go live in the mountains, and Nico can't abandon them... After a taste of being together, how can they possibly face a future apart?
Profile Image for Pam Nelson.
3,788 reviews120 followers
October 31, 2021
Getting caught in a not so great photo and let’s face it Deen was also getting little burned out his manager sends him on a getaway to recharge.

I loved that they both fell without trying, the attraction was there and they just leaned into it.

Nico is healing from his old career and now a national park ranger gives Deen a lot of fantasies I loved! They just fit and I like how they both want to make it work so they do.

I don’t mine the narration, Greg gives us enough of a tone difference we can tell who is talking.
Profile Image for Ottilee B..
597 reviews28 followers
May 16, 2019
Great start to a (hopefully) great series! (I wondered at the series name "Significant Bros." until they explained it- a play on "significant others". Very cute!) Although one mc was a musician, he seemed to have his head on straight for the most part, his idiocy in the ravine notwithstanding! Both mc's were people I'd like to read about and know IRL. Recommended with bells on!!
Profile Image for Kim Stone.
1,524 reviews1 follower
September 3, 2020
I can't believe I have not read this author before. This is a MM contemporary story set in the USA national park. Main characters are Nico an ex astronaut hiding from the world as a ranger in a national park and Deen a rockstar with a bad rep who is trying to have a break from scandal. They find love in the Smokies. Off to read book 2.
Profile Image for Kirstin.
1,991 reviews18 followers
July 7, 2020
This audio is so very amazing. I was so into their story. One was a freaking astronaut, omg. The two of them together, Dean and Nico... they were just perfect!! I absolutely loved this story!
Profile Image for Anu.
364 reviews5 followers
July 31, 2017
Ah what a wonderful story!

We have astronaut-turned-park ranger Nico who gets saddled with rockstar Deen when the latter is ordered to "detox" and get away from it all - at the National Park where Nico works. Over the weeks they spend together, our pair fall head over heels for one another and what follows is a lovely angst-free romance.

Oh I really liked this one. Both men had their insecurities they had to work with but there was no easy fix, they had bit of a rough time with it. There was no drama about coming out, both men were confident and secure with their sexuality which was nice. There was really no drama at all regarding their relationship, no angsty soul-searching or tears breakup - just two guys quietly freaking out inside their heads whether they could do thus right - but determined to give it a chance.

Such a delightful start to what promises to be an excellent new series, I'm so much looking forward to reading about the other guys in Nico's gang.
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