This review is a bit late but I just couldn't connect with this series so it took me some time to finish both titles. The story of Nairne and Zed just wasn't what I was expecting.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC for free by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you so much for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this novel but unfortunately I found it difficult to fully connect and become attached to the story. I do love Liese’s writing in future books. This was my first ‘mafia’ trope book and I think this paired with the dominant/submissive trope - it just wasn’t for me. I also found the insta love/lust extra fast. Though this didn’t work for me, I know lots of people will love this one!

A fun steamy read. The chemistry between Zed and Nairne is HOT and the connection between the characters is very strong.

Initial Thoughts:

I entered this expecting your usual contemporary romance, but this was a mix of a lot of tropes that it made my head spin a bit.

Surprisingly, this book had Dom/Sub undertones and I wasn't expecting that! It also touched on mafia, sports, science, and family.

What meant the most for me was the disability rep in this book. I haven't much experience on reading romance books with disabled readers, nor am I an #ownvoices reviewer for this. I did, however, appreciate seeing more types of representation in romance.

I just found out it is part of a trilogy so I'm jumping on to the next one!

I attempted to read the book a while back and decided to DNF this book at around 30%, basically at the point before the main characters hook up. I actually really the female main character but the male lead is a fucking asshole. When they meet in some meeting, he is constantly putting her down and displays intense alpha male behaviour. He is over dramatic and his name is Zed (the worst bad boy name I have ever seen) , the alpha maleness continues when they interact in a bar. I just didn't want read anymore about this hot mess of a guy.

I Just finished cause I had to.. But i did not like it. It felt boring, plane and not interesting. The characters were boring, and not realistic. Everything happened so fast that i didnt feel a connection with the story.

What a fun read. Action packed and easy to follow, I'm already looking forward to reading the third and final book in the series.

What a great debut romance! I love this author's writing style. He's A Brute is smart, fast and with great banter (my favorite!). I loved that the heroine was a strong woman with a sharp tongue who took no nonsense. This book is super steamy and does have strong language. These were bonuses for me, but a good thing to know going in.

Thank you Netgalley and the authors for this ARC of the book.
Chloe Liese is a good author and this book is the prove. I really enjoyed reading this story and I purchased it too.
Great read. Worth my time.
Happy reading.

enjoyed this book from the beginning of the book. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will read more from them. It had me hooked. Must read

2.5 stars
Going into this book I really wasn't sure what to expect. I was assuming it was going to be more about soccer in general but it didn't turn out that way.
Instead, we get to see He's a Brute from both Zed and Nairne's point-of-views. I really liked this set up as it was very important for the dynamic they ended up having.
Nairne is a former soccer player who had to retire due to an injury. She is now in Boston going to school and working as an intern for Zed's company. Nairne is also now in a wheelchair and is paralyzed to some extent.
Zed is a soccer player and runs his family's business while also being heavily involved in the mafia. The book never goes into great detail about this besides mentioning it and stating he was far too involved in it to get out anytime soon.

The relationship dynamic they end up having is sexually based, but it is one that they end up agreeing upon after a lot of back and forth.

Overall I really did enjoy this story. The insight into Nairne's new life and having to navigate a wheelchair and all that comes with her injury was nice to see in a book. We don't get to see it often and I really appreciated how it was mentioned that Zed didn't just like her because she was in a wheelchair and it wasn't a fetish thing. The care and independence he gives her at the same time is one that is hard to balance for anyone, but I think he did it well along with Nairne being exact in what she did and didn't want help with. The relationship they have is definitely a volatile one at times, but they start to get it figured out by the end of the book. I'm interested to continue on with this series and see how they figure out what they both want, vs what they think they deserve.

As for the parts about soccer her getting paid a lot while the ideal isn't the truth sadly for women's soccer, nor would she have had to deal with the paps like the book mentioned. Its something we hope for in the future of women sports, but isn't quite there yet.

He's a Brute was a romantic read of the intense variety. I enjoyed the spunk the characters brought to their relationship and the ongoing back and forth banter between Nairne and Zed. The romance in this novel is not for the light of heart, so if you are looking for a light and fluffy romantic read, you will want to choose a different book. I look forward to reading the second book, She's a Spitfire.

This is my first read by this author. I found the book to be interesting and really liked the characters. Zed is a bit of a control freak and then he meets Nairne who drives him a bit crazy. Full of intense moments, suspense and sexy times made this an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars****


*****I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided by NetGalley*****

A big thank you to NetGalley and NetGalley Connect for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is part one in a series. You will probably need to read them in order as they don't have conclusions. They sort of just end. I liked the characters sort of??! It's not realistic at all. See has not one demanding job, head of an NGO, not two demanding jobs a soccer star, but three! He's also a mafia prince ! Wtheck Nairne is soo young. No real romance just wham sex. I don't like books about the mafia and I don't like serial books. I don't u understand why it's not just one book! 3 stars

Super quick, super steamy, but with enough side story that it's not all about the sex. Enjoyable, definitely checking out the next in the series.

This is definitely a very sexual romance novel. There are some sexual references in the first chapter and while that doesn’t usually bother me, I’m used to reading more slow building romance novels. I mention this first because that’s what stood out to me the most and sort of threw me off. The main characters were meeting for the first time and immediately had sexual thoughts about each other. I wasn’t expecting this and the language felt abrupt and too direct so early on.

I wanted to like this story but I just didn’t like the characters. I wanted to like Nairne and Zed but I couldn’t handle their hot and cold between their obvious sexual desires and their work relationship. I was also very overwhelmed by the details between Zed sitting on an important board of directors, being a soccer star, and saving his family’s name in the mafia. I couldn’t grasp his real personality under all those occupations and it didn’t feel believable to me.

Overall I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes intense romance novels that focus mainly on the sexual aspects of the relationship, rather than the slow burn or romance portion of the relationship. I’m sure the characters grow in their relationship and their personalities but I just was turned off by the sexual language from the start.

I didn't know quite what to expect when beginning this book; I had recommended the book on a whim because it looked mildly dissimilar to something I would generally pick up. I don't tend to dabble in books with dark themes (in this case it was the male characters ties to the mafia), and I was wary going into this that the mafia aspect would be at the forefront of the story but, thankfully for me, it wasn't. Though it was a good thing for me, it might not be a good thing for another reader so this may be worth taking into consideration - though I can't vouch for the mafia based content in the following books as I have not yet read them. It was a thrill to read, particularly because the mafia based drama was so few and far between that whenever it cropped up it made my heart thoroughly accelerate and sucked me deeper into the book. I do love a sprinkling of drama within a book, and this certainly delivered.

This is the first book that I have personally encountered wherein the character is in a wheelchair because of a spinal ailment. I found this an incredibly pleasant surprise, and fell in love with the main character (and actually the way Zed treats her), because of her strength, resilience, power and passion. I resonated deeply with her character because I, too, have a spinal ailment which is becoming more and more likely to be aided by a wheelchair, and I felt really visible and represented in this story through Nairne's character. I felt the disability portion was handled with care, tenderness, sensitivity and accuracy and didn't once feel like it was being played upon for drama, nor did I feel like Zed was using it to his advantage - both characters are amazing with it. I cannot explain how much this book meant to me because of the disability representation; it touched my soul and warmed my heart beyond words.

Along with the disability rep, I thoroughly adored the fact that Nairne was sexually active. Since being diagnosed with my degenerative spinal condition, I have wanted to read a story about a disabled woman who finds someone who adores her for who she is, and finds her sexually attractive. The sex scenes are incredibly well written, massively passionate, intense, and smoking! The way the characters interact with one another in these scenes is stunning, and how Zed approaches having sex with Nairne is so smooth. I was a little worried that her disability would be treated by Zed in these scenes as an inconvenience, but it was quite the opposite. He requested reassurance that he wasn't hurting her, ensured that he wouldn't accidentally push her further than her bodily limits would allow, and asked where it was that hurt the most so that he could avoid it. The two had amazing communication. I can't find the words to explain how much I loved the sex aspect of the book and how the sex and disability entwined together to create something I have wanted to read for so, so, so long. It is everything I have wanted to read, and be represented within, for so long and I cannot truthfully find words powerful enough!

This book is a thoroughly fantastic read, and I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys the romance genre. I think this may be a little too heavy on the sexual content if that isn't something you're used to reading or not particularly a fan of, but if it sounds like your cup of tea then go for it. The reason I deducted a star was that there were a couple of points throughout wherein I felt that the story lagged a little and lost its pace, but that was soon rectified. This was a really enjoyable book and I'm thoroughly excited to read the next ones.

I really wanted to like this series. I think the plot is intriguing and different from anything else I read lately. However, I just couldn’t seem to get invested in these characters. It was well written and well plotted but just not for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a newbie at NetGalley, so I’m guilty of comitting the mistake of being too tempted but that cute “Request” button that knows my name and has the alluring voice of a siren. I have clicked it too much and now I have a big pile of ARCs that I need to review. I’m so late that they can’t barely be called ARC now!! So, my summer goal is to get rid of as much of those as I can without changing my reading habits. And stop clicking that damn button!!

This book is the first one in a trilogy where we follow the misadventures of Nairne, a former athlete (soccer player) who was injured and had to reamke her future as a brilliant scientist. While she is studying, she is also gaining experience working for a non-profit company. The big boos of that company is not other than Zed, a current soccer star, businessman and mafia boss. Sparks fly between them the moment they meet. Can Nairne deal with the special flavour of Zed’s lifestyle? Just one way to know…

I have to take out of my chest my impression of tthe book after finishing it: very disappointing!. It is a huge shame, because the author had gold between her hands: wonderful characters, original situations, chances of good banter… But everything is eclipsed with the BDSM part of the story. Yes, Zed is a dominant out and proud with an army of subs to do with them as he pleases. He wants to add Nairne to that roster and he doesn’t really have to work much to get it. Most of the book is just sex with those two. One bossing around the other: do this, wear that… obey, obey, OBEY!! The sex was underwhelming, even though I have to say it’s pretty well written, but that realtionship is not what the characters deserve. That focus on the dominant/sub rutine does a huge disservice to the interesting background where everything takes place.

I’m not a fan of Romance books where the mafia is involved. It’s a bit weird to follow the feelings of a character when one or all of them is a criminal. But in this case we are presented the usual story with a twist: Zed is working behind the scenes to get rid of the worst part of that world. I was 100% ready to read that story, that looked very promising and with endless possibilities. I guess I can still get that side of the tale in the following books, because in this first part is barely developed. Zed was a really great character already, with many facets and enjoyable quirks. That is why adding the dominant part feels so frustating. And much more when it is that part that takes the front row of the storytelling. He didn’t need it.

I also have to take my hat off to congratulate the author on that surprising character named Nairne. She is not the usual female character in a Romance book. I think this is the first time I have read a story of that genre with a disabled character. The dynamic of the main couple feels pretty original thanks to that detail. I love the fact that the wheelchair hasn’t made Nairne stop and take things easy. Nope. She has jumped head on to a new life and embrace all the possibilities of it. And I also love that Zed’s attitude doesn’t change when he discovers her paralysis. Eveytime the athor drops the dominant/sub bullshit, the couple is really awesome.

I feel mostly cheated by this book. It hasn’t told me what I expected after reading the blurb. I hope the next ones are focused on something else that Zed’s lifestyle as a dominant, because it lacks interest and cuts down time of the other plots that are more enjoyable. She’s a Spitfire is among my pile of ARCs, so I guess I will read it sooner rather than later.

The steam! Oh, the steam! Phew! I truly appreciate a book that gets right down to it and isn’t a serious slow burner. I flew through this and I’m ready for book 2!

If you’re looking for a book that includes a smart woman who knows what she wants (mostly), a handsome athletic mafia man and a complicated (and kinky) relationship. Look no further. I just have to know what is going to happen next!