I loved this book. My full review will be posted on my website (Okie Dreams), but I just finished this and couldn't not say how much I loved it. The cI loved this book. My full review will be posted on my website (Okie Dreams), but I just finished this and couldn't not say how much I loved it. The characters are just so fun, and the writing flows so well that each page and scene just carries you right along into the next. Absolutely loved the read and cannot wait for the rest of the series!...more
With wonderful characterization and complicated family dynamics, Joanne Rock’s Rodeo Rebel gives readers an in-depth romance filled with realistic emoWith wonderful characterization and complicated family dynamics, Joanne Rock’s Rodeo Rebel gives readers an in-depth romance filled with realistic emotions and beautiful and passionate encounters. It’s a bit of a slow-build, in terms of the romance, but it delivers on its story promise and setups up what looks like a fun, emotion-filled romance series for the rest of the Kingsley brothers.
Bratva Jewel is the sixth and final book in Sabine Barclay’s Ivankov Brotherhood dark mafia romance series. It is an interconnected, standalone romancBratva Jewel is the sixth and final book in Sabine Barclay’s Ivankov Brotherhood dark mafia romance series. It is an interconnected, standalone romance. So, if you’ve read the previous books in the series, you will no doubt love this one and know, from the onset, exactly who is who. I, however, have not read this series or author before so becoming fully immersed in the book’s story world took a bit longer. But I chose to read this book because I wanted to branch out and try a new to me author, as Barclay is, and I can’t say I’m disappointed by the decision.
I may not have known characters from previous books or what occurred within those reads, but Barclay writes her characters with enough darkness and depth that it is easy to get a feel for who these people are pretty early on in the reading. They are not perfect people, by any means, and they aren’t meant to be. They are raw, real, passionate in the things they do, and protective of those for which they allow themselves to care. Especially family. Born, chosen, and found.
Both Misha and Katerina had strong character traits and were quite protective of those they care about and love. I enjoyed their interactions together, though I have to admit, the daddy/baby girl dynamic did not always come across in the vein that I had hoped that it would here. While some moments were spicy hot, there were other times the scenes didn’t work for me at all. It felt overused or out of place to me in some instances, though they were not poorly written or crafted scenes by any means. They just didn’t register as authentic as I would’ve liked given the characters and their personalities, as I understood them.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Yes, there were moments that took me out of the story. I chalk most of my discontent up to not having read the previous books, and that’s on me because it is an interconnected world, and I didn’t quite realize how interconnected before I started reading this. I don’t know if this book would feel different if I read the other books first or not, but I am considering checking those out and coming back to this one afterward, to see if my overall opinion of this book changes any. Because like I stated previously, this is a new to me author and a lot of my issue with this read is that I didn’t know who everyone was or the true depth of the story world prior to starting this story. Again, that’s on me.
Bratva Jewel is a deeply complex yet well-written story with strong character and an intense romance. I liked the author’s writing style enough to know that I will read her work again. I will also check out the previous books in this series to better understand the world and the side characters in this one.