Review: Branded by Bru Baker

Reviewed by SinChan
Branded by Bru Baker
Dreamspinner Press
Short Story: 36pgs
2 Pants Off

Blurb:
When a would-be assassin sneaks into the citadel disguised as a servant, the king requires that all servants who work in the castle be branded with the royal crest for easy identification. Prince Coren is powerless to fight the edict, but he refuses to allow his personal advisor and secret lover Brannir to suffer alone. Coren shows his devotion by wielding the brand to mark Brannir himself, even though he fears it will change their relationship. He's prepared for resentment, hurt, and anger--every outcome but the one he receives: unconditional love.



Review

Since an assassin sneaked into the castle by disguising as a servant, all servants must be branded for identification. Bran will be forced to leave the castle if he isn't branded. Coren hates to mark his lover but he also can't disobey his father and out himself to the public, after all, he's the crown prince.
 

This is a very slow paced story without much action. There is too much detail going into the branding process and Coren working up the nerve to do it. Coren must brand Bran to protect him but also unwilling to hurt him. Their relationship have to remain a secret and survive the emotional and physical pain of hurting a lover. Their interaction might have been intense, but it lacks the background and length to explore their love and make this a truly deep and intense deep. 
 

 I keep anticipating the King finding out his son's relationship with his advisor or walking in on them. I want to know more about the popularity of the King with his people since he seems really cruel and paranoid, the setting, and the couple's next steps (they can't hide their relationship forever). The story mainly describes one scene (the branding) and its immediate aftermath. 

 

Overall, this is a very short and monotonous story. Most of the excitement is in the blurb. It has the potential to be an intense read and it's a great start to a good story. Fans of the hurt/comfort trope can give this a try. 

 

2 Pants Off

Review: Island House by Bru Baker

Reviewed by Fehu
Island House by Bru Baker
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 200pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Unable to move on after the death of his lover, British expat Niall Ahern clings to Nolan's dream of living in the Caribbean by moving to Tortola. Once there, he finds that not even the beauty of the island can fill the hole in his heart. Broke and spent in nearly every way imaginable, Niall wants out of the lonely, miserable, guilt-ridden life he's carved out for himself.

When Ethan Bettencourt, a wealthy tech guru, shows up in British Virgin Islands looking to purchase a second home, he gives Niall hope that he can move on. Both men fall hard and fast, but Niall finds piloting his yacht in the midst of a hurricane is nothing compared to weathering life's simple misunderstandings. As their troubles come between them, Niall is left to wonder if he and Ethan are over before they've begun.

Review
A great story, the cover is a bit misleading, since all is not well and the sunny beach hides secrets and hurts. This is a well written story about finding ones way again after overcoming grief and second chances at love and life. Very fitting for the season if you get tired of all the fluff and sweetness!

Niall lost his partner and his best friend before their life together could really begin. Now he is living on an island in the dream house of his dead lover and tries to live the live they had planned before his lovers’ sudden death. After sinking all of his savings into this new life and buying the boat his partner always wanted. Niall found out the hard ways that the fishing business was not something he could be successful in and so he fell back on what he knew - selling houses. A tropical island is quite the popular area to buy property and sell property and if Ethan wants to stay in the business, he has to impress Ethan Bettencourt, an internet mogul, who wants to buy a house and approached Niall's firm. A storm helped bring them together and Niall thought about trying something new, but Ethan left before anything could truly happened between them and didn't return to the island. Now Niall has a choice of letting the man go or find out if the spark he felt could be more.

Even after more than 3 years after the death of his partner Niall is still not over the loss and grieves for all the dreams that they lost. It was easy to feel empathy for him and so get into the story and follow him through the book. I liked Niall and he was an easy character to like, Ethan was a bit more complicated, what with his short fuse of a temper.

Ethan and Niall had an instant attraction, but I loved how the author didn't let them give in to it! No, this did not turned out to be a story about a stormy and hot romance on an island, which made me very happy. I love a story that has layers and this one had them, the character had secrets, their past was shown in a different light and it felt a bit like unwrapping candy, with a delicious offering at the end.

4 Pants Off