bellesmoma2021 's review for:

Brooke by Ronie Kendig

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Brooke by Ronie Kendig is an insanely wild and terrifying ride. Each novel in The Metcalfes series is excellent and seriously intense, but Brooke takes it to another level. This book is not for the faint of heart. As with the previous three novels, Brooke deals with human trafficking. In this story, readers see the ugliness and evilness of labor and sex trafficking. There are some chapters that are really, really hard because the emotional upheaval is rough. I was simultaneously enraged and in tears. I wanted to save all the kids and destroy all the evil, nasty, disgusting, vile villains. As hard a read as this book is, I still really loved it. Considering the series as a whole, Brooke is my favorite. It perfectly wraps up all the loose threads from the three previous stories, and I loved getting to see the Metcalfe brothers work together as a team. But Brooke is my favorite because it has Cord Taggart. He is my favorite hero — a man’s man who does all he can to protect and save others, but a man who is also not afraid to show his emotions, to share his heart. I love his character. He is so good at being strong, but he’s endearingly vulnerable too. He is noble and valiant, but he is also sweet and goofy. He is excellent with details and reads people like books, and this is why he is so good at saving others. What I loved the most about his character is that he is not afraid to call things as they are. He sugarcoats nothing. He’s not mean by any stretch, but he calls a spade a spade. This is something that Brooke needs. Brooke is a fighter in her own right. She is brave and courageous and has a big heart, but she tends to hide all of this from those she is supposed to be the most open with — her family. I enjoyed watching Cord break through Brooke’s many walls and get her to recognize and acknowledge her issues and come out of her shell. Yes, Cord is a really handsome hero who wheedles his way into Brooke’s heart, but the best thing about him is that, at the end of the day, Cord becomes Brooke’s best friend. Of the many elements to this story, this is my favorite part — that what Brooke needs most of all is not romance and wooing (although that is good), but deep, real friendship, and Cord gives that to her in abundance.

Brooke is a fantastic novel, one I highly recommend! This is a story you will not want to miss. Purchase yourself a copy today. You will not regret taking this wild ride!

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on February 5, 2023, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.