The only had each other…
Until one forbidden night ruined everything.
This new sexy stand-alone STEPBROTHER is
NOW AVAILABLE.
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2e5MZkd
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2eFVsMC
Nook: https://bit.ly/2epJXub
**Additional Retailers to follow**
Blurb
STEPSISTER. He hated that f*cking word.
When their parents got married, the only thing Caleb Luxan had in common with Wren Brashill was that they both hated their parents. When he was sixteen, Caleb discovered Wren's closely guarded secret and vowed to protect her: from that day forward she became the reason for every decision he made.
Jealousy and long-suppressed desire overpowered Caleb's fierce protectiveness and they spent one forbidden and unforgettable night in each other arms, but the aftermath left Caleb panicked, Wren heartbroken, and their relationship in shambles. In the time since that fateful night, he’d only seen her once and had only managed to make the situation even worse.
The sudden death of his estranged father calls Caleb home and face-to-face with Wren for first time in years. He is presented with a choice that forces him to confront the painful memories of his youth and his many regrets with Wren.
Like it or not, his father's last, hard lesson, will demand Caleb deal with his long denied emotions for Wren, or let go of her forever.
Review:
3.5 Stars
I’m a complete Kahlen Aymes virgin but couldn’t wait to start One Step Closer. I love a book about second chances, and I’m always intrigued when stepsiblings are involved.
One Step Closer was written really well, the characters were well developed, the story followed. You go back in time to their one night and you don’t feel like you’ve missed any part of their journey to where they are now.
Caleb is such a strong character, right from the start, at an early age. Wren is completely the opposite. After suffering years of verbal abuse from her mother, she lacks confidence and would rather hide in the background.
When Caleb’s father brings his new wife home, with a daughter/step sister in tow, Caleb swears to never talk to any of them again. Making his dads life hell for doing this to him. I personally think he was just doing what he could to get a bit of attention.
After an incident where Caleb finally gets to see the Wren under the façade, he swears to protect her at all costs, and he does. His protectiveness was endearing, and you can’t help but love him for it. Everything he did, every decision he made, Wren always came first. With or without her knowing.
I have given One Step Closer 3.5 stars, and the reason for that is…. Even though it was a good book, it went back and forth a lot. It felt like forever until we were all one the same page. I would have given anything for Wren to get a backbone and ask Caleb the questions she had swimming in her head. I would also have liked Wren to not listen to lies she was being told, if she knew Caleb the way we all now she did, she would never have accepted that on their say so.
I would recommend this book, and if you like a good stepbrother book, this is defo for you!
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review**
Excerpt
Caleb’s muscled frame was rigid and as Wren looked at him, she studied his profile, and could feel his coiled tension. The fingers in his right hand curled into a fist. “I was so mad. So many times, I wished he’d been the one to die.” His voice was full of pain, as the words tore from him. “I fucking hated him with every breath I took. You saw how much.”
Wren nodded, though he didn’t see her acquiescence. She knew what he went through growing up when they had formed an affable alliance against their parents. She hated her mother at least as much as Caleb hated his father and she understood his anger and pain; then the apathy that became a welcome alternative. They’d been unlikely allies against a common enemy.
“Maybe I deserved his indifference.”
Wren got up and went to Caleb, standing behind him as he stood still as stone, and staring out the window. Her heart ached with love and grief for Caleb. She wanted to touch him; to offer reassurance, to take away the ache in his voice and heart. Without considering her actions, her arms slipped around his waist and she pressed up against his strong back and leaned her head against him, between his shoulder blades.
Caleb was massive in comparison to her, and she was like a flower curling around him. Her hands fanned out against his hard stomach, her fingers finding the definition of his abs beneath his shirt. “Stop, Cale. I won’t let you do this to yourself. Your dad wouldn’t want that. None of it was your fault.” Her arms slid fully around him and held him tight against her body. “I can’t bear it. You’ve had enough pain. Enough.”
Caleb sucked in a deep breath, the action bringing her even closer. He could feel every curve of her body pressed so closely against his back. He could feel her breathing, could feel how she shared his pain. His hand came up and he ran the flat of his hand from her elbow down to her hand, and then wrapped his fingers around hers.
“When did you turn into the strong one?”
Wren’s arms tightened around him. “When I met you. ”
“Oh, Wren.” Should he just spill his guts? Would it fix everything? “I’ve got so much to say to you. How long can you stay?”
She nodded against him, unwilling to end the contact between their bodies; needing the closeness as much as he did.
He wanted to apologize for how he acted the last time he’d seen her, he wanted to say a hundred things… he needed her forgiveness.
“How long do you need me?”
In that moment a miracle happened; a sort of beautiful irony that taunted Caleb with it’s fragileness. It was as if he’d never screwed everything up between them. But would it stay this way?
How long do I need you? Caleb thought. His heart raced to the point of exploding, and he wondered if Wren could feel it.
Forever.
About the Author:
I'm a single mother of one daughter, Olivia. She's amazing in every way.
I was born in the Midwestern United States and educated at a private university where I received a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and Business Administration.
I've always been creative with art, music, theater and writing. I decided to write a story as a way to build a network for a business venture. The reader support of my stories and my overwhelming desire to find out where my characters would take me, soon had the writing morphing the business. No one was more shocked than I. When readers began nominating my work for online awards, it took my breath away and only made me love it more. It soon became clear that writing was, and should be, my focus.
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