Germaphobe

by Callie Moss

From the author of For the Love of Layla comes a steamy, taboo romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat and begging for more...

I was nine years old the first time I laid eyes on the woman that would change my life forever. More so, I was freshly nine years old the day I met the boy that would become my best friend, confidant and protector. From the moment I saw him sitting on top of the hood of his car, I knew he was going to be the best part of this whole new family deal. He looked so undeniably cool, his hair such a deep shade of brown it looked nearly black. The only hint of its true color coming from the early morning sunlight, revealing a deep mahogany hue that I thought was beautiful even then. I remember how nervous I was that day, how my heart drummed in my chest.
And I remember the day he left. The day he broke my heart before it had a chance to form fully. I remember the day they died, suddenly my new loving family was gone and he the man that abandoned me… abandoned us was all I had left.

Germaphobe is a full length, standalone forbidden stepbrother romance that contains content that may be upsetting to some readers. It is dark, wrong and undeniably sexy. Please check content warnings on my author website www.authorcalliemoss.com before reading.

Genres: Dark, Dark Romance, Forced Proximity, Romance, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Smut

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2023

About the author

Callie Moss is an indie author. She published her first book Surviving December in January 2022. Callie has overcome a lot after being diagnosed with Graves Disease at twenty-three. She's a chronic daydreamer, lover of dark gritty romance that makes you clutch your pearls and forsake well rounded men. She's a married, stay-at-home mom, surrogate, and cosplayer that likes to spend her time reading, writing, and listening to true crime podcasts. She grew up in the Midwest, where she always felt like an outcast. Never quite fitting in with the kids at school, she was bullied for her macabre tastes. Relentless imagination and her obsession with a particular sparkling vampire. She found solace in escapism and learned the profound effect a good story can have on someone. She wants to give her readers the same experience, creating worlds you can lose yourself in, if only for a moment.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

In order for a dark romance like this to work, the author needs to make the h as depraved as the H, or at least want the same things as much as he does. The author didn’t do that here, and it made the H just unfortunately just seem predatory. I mean I liked how he was, but it never seemed like the h did. I mean, she left with the police and told him being with him felt like when a man SA’d her when she was a kid…..how is that romantic in any way?

It also made NO sense to me that he was with other girls besides the h. I mean, the man wouldn’t even use towels to dry off because that’s unsanitary, but you’re going to tell me he fucks a bunch of girls? No that doesn’t make sense. You can’t walk in his house with shoes, shake his hand, you have to scrub your hands when you even enter his house, but you’re REALLY going to say he was perfectly fine fucking girls? Make that make sense. Because according to him the only person he could touch without feeling disgusted was the h, so how did he have sex???? Makes no sense and just discredits the book
He couldn’t even watch porn because it looked “unsanitary”, but he can act out live porn with girls?!?! Nonsense!

And I don’t buy that “he thought he would never see her again” when he left. The dude killed someone for her, and he was fucking crazy, so you can’t tell me he thought he would never see her again. So for him to not only be fucking girls despite his “germaphobia”, but to also fuck them knowing he would have the h again someday just pisses me off

[Bela]

h is annoying brat and i am super dissapointed that H is not virgin. Like he has major mental problems with germs and touching, but still managed to be a manwhore.
h virgin ofc..

[Darkreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 I really wanted to love this stars. I adore manipulative heroes, so, despite the mixed reviews and unfortunate lack of editing, I hung on for over half the book, at which point I skimmed to see how this all plays out. I didn't really connect with either character. Cohen, for all his bulldozing and manipulation, came off on the wrong side of unhinged. The uncontrolled, immature, haphazard side that I just didn't find sexy. Andrew was way more my speed. And the only thing I remember about Rea is that she cried. A lot. Like, severe dehydration levels of crying. Also, and yes I'm ashamed to admit that I read and still remember 50 Shades, but Vanessa? Hello???!!! Did nobody else see the similarities? All in all, this could've been really great, but it was just a mess.

[Jena]

Self note
Plain Jane h, and Hs totally obsessed, sure.🙄Welcome to fantasy romance land. Reviewers said she was also weak, bland, and cried a lot.

He’s a germaphobe, but had no issues fucking ow. Sex isn’t dirty I guess? Manwhore is a requirement in romance?
And of course the h has to be a V🙄..and a doormat?
Perfect combination.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Avoiding.

[✶ ✶ Hummingbird ✶ ✶ · Rating 3 out of 5]

He is completely unhinged and HATES everyone.

Stats:
H: Jealous, Possessive, obsessed, germaphobe, sociapath(?)
h: Kind of a plain Jane ngl. Not boring tho, I think the H kept it interesting
virgins: h -> yes. H -> no
separation: Yes. H's on-going obsession is discovered by the dad of the h (h's dad and H's mom get married) and he is kicked out of the house as he is scared for his daughter.
celibate during separation: Well he certainly wasn't. But one of the girls' he was with is the big baddie.. so basically we hear about that one often. There is no on page smex with OP. The H has been obsessed with the h since childhood and when he left he though he would never ever see her again. For more details see the spoiler below.
OM: No.. she does go on a date but nothing happens. She deliberately threatens his life LOL. TSTL
OW: yes, there are two separate incidents. One -> see above ☝🏼. Two -> in one flashback scene the h and H's friend catch him in his room with a girl from their high school.. The H at this point doesn't know his feelings for his own sis but he is possessive of her when he sees her with his friend. But it was obvious when the H and the girl came out of his room of what had been happening.

I mean in my opinion, when you've got two characters who've known each other since childhood, it is impossible to avoid OP. Especially with boys, authors love to make them non-virgins but the h's are virgins (*bombastic side-eye*). Whatever, he is NOT a playboy or anything. No one after he realizes his feelings but then he gets kicked out... and the rest is history

OW drama spoiler 🔻
There is OW drama-ish in the sense that the H (before reuniting) with the h, meets another woman... brain-washes her to emulate the h who is the H's step-sister. Which leaves her in a broken-mental state. She comes back and makes an appearance but there's no jealousy from the h. The H makes it clear in words and his thoughts that he is only hers and it will only ever be her for him

Everyone in the book was actually scared for the h, who had the H's undivided attention and how he was addicted to her

[CriSsStina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read was exhausting!!!

I'm so disappointed. I wanted to DNF a few times, but my curiosity won in the end, and I finished the book. This is one MMC that's not redeemable, in my opinion.

I read a lot of reviews saying the FMC is weak and cries a lot ... well, yes, of course, she's traumatized and manipulated by the MMC. She has no support system except him, and he's a crazy, psychotic person.

I actually liked her ... up until she went back to him. 🙄 She should have continued therapy (and change the therapist, of course) and moved on with her life. 😉

I'm a dark romance reader, and while he did questionable things, I wouldn't say this one was that dark. There were certain aspects. Sadly, it wasn't a good fit for me since I just couldn't stand the MMC. It is what it is!

[Ana Stasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been a masterpiece, if only it had been edited better.

The amount of typos and missing commas nearly drove me insane. The only reason I didn't stop reading is because the story was extremely gripping. There were a few inconsistancies sprinkled throughout the story. Also the descriptions of scenes at times were confusing. Things like, where certain items/furniture are situated and whatnot, stuff that makes it difficult to picture the scene properly.

All in all, loved the insanity of the hero. His ultra-extreme level of possessiveness was fantastic to read about, and the book had a very taboo feeling to it. I know all stepbrother romances are written keeping in mind that it's taboo, but most of the books really fail to convey that feeling throughout the story. It usually turns out that the fmc & mmc's parents are already divorced or they basically grew up separately and whatnot, so it usually doesn't feel that taboo. But this book really hit that vibe on the head, cause the fmc and mmc spent a lot of time together and had a great relationship in their child/teenage years. Plus they had the same last name, which ratcheted up the levels of tabooness all the more. The heroine was kind of annoying and stupid at times, and extremely impulsive/reactive, but what can we expect from an 18 yo, really? So I can overlook that for sure.

Towards the end, what really showed off that the heroine was no innocent victim and was just as cuckoo as the hero, was the scene where she basically put her rando date in risk deliberately, got him beat up even though he did nothing wrong whatsoever, and basically almost fucked right in front of his salad, lmao. The other insane thing was she realised and easily forgave that the hero was the one who basically killed their parents. Can't say I was surprised, saw that coming a mile away.

The book was super duper dramatic I feel like. There was the crazy look-alike murderous ex, the pedophile murdered dude whose murder was basically brushed aside, the germophobia, the rape attempt on the heroine when she was a kid, the hero's dad committing suicide, the parents being basically killed by the hero and etc etc etc. I'm not even touching on the drama in the central romance. Gotta say, wasn't bored for a moment. I was annoyed at times, angry at times, but never bored. The book was entertaining for sure, I only sincerely hope that the author gets a proper editor. The typos like "decent" instead of "descent" and the lack of commas (the story needed about 200 more commas than it has currently), were my biggest pet peeves. Otherwise, it was a pretty great dark romance.

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile]

Note to self


Manwhore H before meeting h
Manwhore H after the separation
How is he a manwhore and a germaphobe 🤷🏿‍♀️only the author knows

[Pabla is petty ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here I am again, writing reviews/rants when I should be focusing on grad school...LOL.

Nevertheless, this was a solid 3-star read (pretty impressive, given my tendencies) until the last half of the book. By that point, the story became redundant, and it became apparent that this was going to be a "girl falls for her abuser" kind of "romance." Cohen doesn't love Reagan; he wants to own her. Reagan doesn't love Cohen; she...needs a psychologist. Blech (my favorite word lately). Also, I was confused once I finished the book. That is probably just me, though. Maybe I could have gone along with Reagan and Cohen's "happy" ending if Reagan wasn't crying LITERALLY almost every chapter and there was better cohesion on what she was supposed to be feeling. I just couldn't get a good grasp on the emotional turmoil. Is she or isn't she kind of whiplash. Tears were shed in: chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, epilogue. There are a total of 30 chapters, including the epilogue. That means Reagan was crying in 26/30 of the chapters...


Writing-wise, there is a decent amount of punctuation errors and the occasional misuse of some words (e.g., the author uses "died" when talking about hair dye (page 233)). They aren't a huge deal, but I personally get fixated on them.

Random thought: It's hard to believe that Cohen was supposed to have a severe case of germaphobia, yet he was okay with touching his shower wall. I get such an ick when I accidentally do.

[Tabatha Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t like this one more. I’m going to chalk it up to not enjoying the writing style. I’m just not sure I vibe with this author. There were some spelling errors/typos but that sort of issue doesn’t bother me. I mention it only because I know it really bothers some readers.

This is definitely taboo and has many dark elements. I do love a good obsessive H. I think he’s a solid dark romance hero. There really isn’t anything redeeming about him. He embraces his villainous role. The H absolutely delivers what is promised here. The h was ok, she’s only 18 and her immaturity shines through but she wasn’t overly annoying to me.

The selling point here for me was the depths and lengths of what H was willing to do have and keep h. While he wasn’t particularly endearing I couldn’t hate him for his behavior which I definitely thinks shows the talent of the author. I read a lot of dark romance and the Hs are definitely not all created equally. I admire the talent this author displayed writing Cohen.

As much as I loved the way she wrote Cohen the story still fell a bit short for me. After all his maneuvering there is *still* a 6 month separation between H/h and I just hate that. It didn’t even really feel like it served that much of a purpose. I want my dark romance Hs to be Julian Esguerra level obsessed (Twist Me trilogy by Anna Zaires). I don’t like this “ let her go so she’ll see how much she misses me business”. It would be over Julian’s dead body before he let Nora leave. Cohen giving her space (while still stalking her, of course) didn’t vibe with everything else he’d been giving us in the story.

Virgin h
No manwhore
Push away from h
OW drama
Very mild OM drama
No cheating
No scenes with other people
Several year separation
H isn’t celibate
HEA

Safety - so this is safe in regards to cheating and there being no scenes with others. However, I think Hs lack of celibacy could be bothersome for some. I don’t love it but it is what it is. When H is forced to leave he genuinely doesn’t think he’ll ever see h again AND at that time she’s still a kid (I think 12ish) and he isn’t consciously attracted to her or thinking of her in that way. It’s only during the separation and time passing that he realizes he feel some type of way about her.

As far as we know he’s only with one girl during this time and it’s a really messed up relationship. He forces the girl to look/talk/act like h and ignores her if she breaks character. This is told to us not shown so we don’t see anything between H and OW on page other than him trying to command OW to leave h alone - as she’s trying to kill her.

The OM stuff is super minor. She goes out on a date and H shows up to kick the guys ass and scare him off.

[CC · Rating 3 out of 5]

3★

As an irritable, antisocial germaphobe, Cohen Bennett, would take extreme measures to protect what he believed to be his, and after four years of waiting, it is his to take.

“I’m the man that has been fucked for you since the moment we met. I’m the man that has never been anything but entirely devoted to you.”

In starting this book, I was intrigued by Cohen’s afflictions and affinities, but the narrative had many elements converging without developing needed layers into the storyline. Both Cohen and Reagan are damaged and are quite mercurial, just for different reasons. While this one had lots of potential, it was a miss for me.


*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey*


For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:

[Kitcatscratch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give this 5 stars despite multiple incorrect word usage. It was not a case of syntax or grammar but literally, the wrong word used in sentences. In fact, I had to look up the word "taunt" just to make sure there wasn't some archaic use of the word that I was unaware of.

Having said that, this book really kept my attention and caused me think to about it quite a bit after. I've read books where the MMC has an OCD which manifests in controlling behaviors and "germaphobia." (Little Lies is one). However, the Helena Hunting novel "Little Lies" is quite tame by comparison. In "Little Lies," the MMC has controlling/OCD behaviors with include a phobia about germs. However, in that he does eventually get to a point where he's able to manage it.

In "Germaphobe?'' No, not so much. His, Cohen's, illness (because yes, it's an illness), gets progressively worse over the years. Even his love for his younger step-sister doesn't change this fact. The only difference is that he tries harder to suppress his extreme aversion to germs with her. And Reagan in exchange accepts who he is and the demands that his illness makes regarding cleanliness. For me, I found this really interesting to read about his need to scrub himself thoroughly until his skin is raw, wash his hands (or wear gloves) and so on. He really was starting to go full on Howard Hughes.

There is some...discomfort...reading this with regards to their relationship. Reagan has depended on Cohen growing up and sees him as a brother. Cohen's view of Reagan is much more complicated. Their parents marry when Reagan is 9. Cohen is around 14. He immediately feels a connection to Reagan and is extremely overprotective of her. Yes, it is sweet with the time and attention he gives her. And YET, it's also a bit creepy that he clings to Reagan so much. Reagan's father is not seen much except in occasional flashbacks but we get the impression that the father is also not comfortable with Cohen's closeness to Reagan.

Then Cohen disappears from Reagan's life without explanation and Reagan is devastated. Later, tragedy strikes and Reagan (now 18) reunites with Cohen. Only, Cohen's illness has progressed in the interim in many ways. Upon Reagan's return, he pushes to change their dynamics (from a sibling one to a relationship one). Cohen has put into motion a lot of things that keeps Reagan trapped by his side. As we learn more about Cohen, we see just how unhinged he is. Reagan, of course, is the sole focus of everything Cohen does. Seeing her succumbing to Cohen is uncomfortable as she descends into alcohol among other things to cope with Cohen and her circumstances.

Do they get an HEA? Well, sort of. I mean, it IS an HEA but it's not your typical one. I finished the story and found myself thinking of it quite a bit while also feeling slightly squigged out. Honestly, I'd probably read it again down the road. So while not really a true 5 star read, just the fact that I WOULD re-read it promotes it to a 5...

[★¸. • * ° * ༺*Blanka*༺*°°*•.¸. ♥★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the overall storyline and thought the plot was interesting however I was getting confused by the switching of the times every now and then as well as some of the quoting and the beginning of the chapters. I loathed the heroine, she was the biggest emotional doormat ever - she went from loving her stepbrother to hating him, to crying over nothing to just being teary, it was exhausting keeping up with her I am not sure what Cohen so in that mess. It started getting a bit interesting but I would not read it again.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Little Stranger, I was on a bit of a romantic suspense / step-brother kick, and this book was all over Reddit, so naturally, I had to try it.

The story follows Reagan, 18, who hasn’t seen her stepbrother in four years. When her parents die, he becomes her guardian.

Cohen is definitely a psycho stepbrother, but Reagan was so bratty it made the whole experience awful. She was the worst. I get that she is mentally unwell from everything that happened to her, but my gosh. I could not stand another moment listening to her whining.

Also, the "thriller" aspect of it reminded me a lot of Fifty Shades of Grey. The way the past was written was hard for me to understand, so every time it was a flashback chapter, I struggled not to skim through it.

Anyway, they can't all be winners. 🤷‍♀️

[Kim BookJunkie ~ Editor & Proofreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

5-star story
2-star execution

Books that need to be professionally proofread are my biggest pet peeve because the errors pull me from the story. However, this is the first time the proofreading issues literally made me laugh out loud! Below are just a few examples of what was erroneously typed. The first part is what the author typed, in parentheses is what it SHOULD have been).

-all the sudden (all of a sudden)
-she peaks (she peeks)
-sweat beating (sweat beading)
-crevasse (crevice)
-A brutal swift from (a brutal switch from)
-nipples taunt (nipples taut)
-down the latter (down the ladder)
-fowl mouthed brat (foul-mouthed brat)
-formally locked (formerly locked)
-dosed (doused)
-It’s everything I have (It takes everything I have)

Unfortunately, being so distracted by the typos, punctuation/grammatical mistakes, omitted Chicago Manual of Style rules, etc. were not the only problem I had with this story. There were times (mostly during the last 50%) when I encountered what felt like unnecessary fluff/filler, so much so that I often wanted to skim through the material. It’s a shame because this author had a truly phenomenal, innovative premise… Perhaps with a more skilled editor and proofreader, her obvious creativity could be transferred from her brain to the computer better.

[Krissreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark step sibling romance 🖤☕️

Our boy Cohan here has some CRAZY OCD which turns out is from past trauma and let me tell you it was god damn heart breaking reading that AND what miss Rae went through in the shelter, ugh💔…

anddddd that’s about all I could kinda care about so moving on… 💁🏻‍♀️

The story line sucked as the beginning it was weird consider she was like 9 and he was 15 already knowing she was going to be his. Chuck in some grooming and you have yourself a possessive AF step brother who will literally off people (totally valid on good old Jakey boy) just to get to her. The middle of the book made me want to chuck my kindle out the window because, ughhh whatever it was as I just can’t be bothered explaining it as it’s not worth the headache from eye rolling🤷🏻‍♀️ The ending though, I enjoyed it lot more because he was a little less OCDish and just seemed hotter? Again 🤷🏻‍♀️

BUT Andrew seemed like I wanted him to be the main character, what a chefs kiss🤌🏼 YET I was extremely upset knowing he doesn’t get a book of his own.. HUH 👁️_👁️ bUt WhY…????

This book had me 📈📉📈📉📈📉

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
❤️‍🔥/5
🌶️🌶️/5

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Trope: step brother thriller
Angst: 😱😱😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥1\2

I don't know where to start with this one, lol. I am emotionally exhausted - and not necessarily in a good way. It was just a LOT. I think it was mostly the FMC that made me feel that way? MMC was unapologetically off his rocker. I actually liked him, lol. He was true to himself and did whatever he had to: lie, cheat, steal, and unalive for his girl. I think the issue I had was mainly with the heroine who seemed to be too easily manipulated and molded by him. Like, where's the fun in that? 😅 . I guess I just would have preferred her eyes wide open earlier in the story and not so much the broken doll. But good writing. Excellent story, but yeah, too emotionally exhausted.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always with Callie, she knows how to shock. The reveal towards the end, was one I was really not expecting. Brilliantly done!

Cohen is one unhinged MC, his love for Reagan really knows no bounds and he will do anything for her. Reagan and Cohen both have their demons, and their story will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat!

Also those spicy scenes, are super hot.
Another great read from Callie.

[Vicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost DNF'd this book early on, and then at several points beyond that, and really I should have. Instead, my analytical side continually won in the argument I was having with myself to keep reading, and here are the takeaways, in order from worst to best (***spoilers under "The Good" section***):

The Ugly
The editing is shockingly bad. I highlighted over 1800 errors. This is something I do in everything I read, and something with a lot of errors I typically DNF, but I was 1) trying to understand why I have seen so many recommendations for this book in my groups and 2) at a certain point deciding I wanted to see just what the total number would be, even though I wasn't super careful about catching everything since I kept arguing with myself on quitting. I also usually use different color highlighters for different types of errors, so I can delineate between incorrect/missing words, etc. and punctuation-type errors but there were so many per page/screen in this book that I got lazy about changing colors in this case. I will say that at least half, if not more, were for incorrect punctuation related to dialogue/dialogue tagging, so that is clearly an issue for this author/their editor. There were consistent homophone and missing or erroneous comma placements as well. There were also some incomplete/incorrect sentences/sentence structures that I think may have been stylistic choices on the author's part, however with the sheer number of obvious errors of other kinds, I can't be sure they were deliberate. Taken altogether, this made the book very difficult to read and if I hadn't paid for it or was in a different mood I would have DNF'd in the first 10%.

The Bad
The story just does not come together. There is a lack of development overall, lack of specific scenes or dialogue moving along the plot or deepening the relationship, and a total lack of clarity in the writing - perhaps meant to be mysterious but the major events are telegraphed from the beginning so the mishmash of non-specific, unnecessary padding and telling (vs. showing) just makes for a boring muddle. Thriller, this was definitely not.

>>>>>>>>>>> SPOILERS BELOW<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The Good *with caveats*
The basic ideas of this story I LOVE, which is why marketing tropes and social media recs drew me in. Rea and Cohen are step-siblings, whose families join when she is 9 and he is 16 (I think). I always love a step-sibling romance where they meet when young as when they are close to or almost adults that forbidden element is just not there. I LOVE that Cohen is a germaphobe (and the reason why he is). I really wanted to see his OCD manifestations in detail, and watch him slowly overcome it for touching just Rea, and that is not the case, not really. It's disappointing that even with this dynamic, the hero is a manwhore (with weakly explored D/s kinks too). I think it would have been way more interesting for him to be a virgin who overcomes his issues solely because of his obsession with Rea. Speaking of, I LOVE his obsession with Rea and several of the ways it manifests, from the very beginning (shown in periodic flashbacks). I like the possessiveness, the control of every aspect of her life, and the drastic and immoral things he does to tie her to him. That is to say, I like the ideas of all of those things, the potential of what these ideas could be in a well-written (and edited) book. So many of these dynamics, ideas and even some specific scenes are really interesting and are things I want to read about, they are just not executed well overall, and that is such a shame.

[Neapolitan670 &#x1f4da;&#x1f5a4; · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going to admit right now I struggled with this one, the concept was good in theory but the execution not so much. I’ve read books where an 18 yo FMC seems to know everything in the world and how to react 🙄
Reagan just rolled over and took it all, by that I mean, the MMC her older step brother just manipulated people and her to his own wants/needs/desires taking away her own sense of worth, complete freedom and life, what did she do….well, you either read it and enjoy it or you read it and don’t, I can’t give away all the spoilers 🤭

Read some of the other reviews and you get the general gist of this one. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them, just not this one 🤷🏻‍♀️

[حبيبه ⭐️]

"germaphope" more like a walking std

[lunewhal ✨&#x1f33f;&#x1f349; · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ If only the author had found a good editor to edit this book. The amount of typos, lack of punctuation, grammar and spelling errors made this one a very tough read. Overall, the story would’ve been a million times better if it were grammatically correct. The 2 stars are for the drama/story and smut.

[MacKenzi Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Callie outdoes herself and gives us characters to fall in love with. I’m not going to go into Cohen and Reagan though. You’ll have to read it yourself to get a full understanding of their dynamic and who they are. The side characters are just as lovable as the main characters. I wish I had an Andrew and a Gilda. I’d die for all 4 of them.

Not only does Callie give us amazing characters to fall in love with, she also shows the different sides of grief and mental illness’. Not just in the way it affects the person going through it but those around them as well. As someone with bipolar, depression, anxiety etc it was really nice to see this.

I do get to read these early and free as an ARC reader in exchange for my honest review. Another 5/5 from me. I absolutely love anything written by Callie and I’d say I’m one of her biggest fans 😜

[Oredeen (honest reviews) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So we have a 50 shades fanfic. And a not very good one at that. I actually think I liked 50 more.
H sees dead parent as a kid and is scarred mentally and doesn’t like being touched -in this case it’s agoraphobia and ocd that the author for some reason calls bipolar but actually shows very little evidence related to bipolar so that’s kind of fucked. Literally H never has a manic or depressive episode. He has one personality continuously and it’s all related to severe OCD and trauma/cptsd…they’re not the same.
H becomes obsessed with ordinary young girl.
Features insane ex with likeness to his obsession but this time it’s not his mom, it’s the h.
Billionaire genius type..

Yup…

Now the issues. There are many. A few weird transitions. Some POV some mid sentence/scene. Like characters actions being explained but something vital being missed. One point they threw ‘it’ but we’re never told what ‘it’ was.
Spending over 5k at a grocery store with one full cart of a regular mix of items …..have you ever been grocery shopping before?
Mention of the H’s one million $ deal and it being more money than most people see in a life time…that’s just not true…a billion? Sure but not a million.
And a huge one for me, during their first time which doesn’t happen until 60% mind you.
H says, “She's not on birth control. I should pull out, just to be safe. I've always shown an overabundance of caution before, but she's different. The thought of filling her pretty little pussy up with my come makes a sick thrill run down my spine”
Followed by, ““You can't! I'm not on the-“ I cut her off, slamming my lips into hers, my cock throbbing at the prospect of breeding my pretty little butterfly.”

Only to say later how he can’t get her pregnant bc he got a vasectomy years prior!?!?!?! WTFFFF.

Past that if I never read another reference to an h biting her “full bottom lip” it will be too soon.

[SaviLeeLind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running on, no sleep, because I devoted my note this book, and I would do it all over again. I was not ready for Cohen and Reagan. The depths of their story could be felt inside and out. Drama, betrayal, lust, obsession, addiction, secrets, jealousy, passion, love, addiction, and the utter devotion, no matter what had to be done to keep it. I devoured this book and it was the appetizer, the main course, and the desserts every chapter I read.

Reagan and Cohen or pure toxicity. Their relationship was misunderstood and misconstrued. Brought together when their parents married the future indicated lines to be drawn, and then clearly crossed. And Reagan was this lovable and innocent girl, every flashback mixed with every memory. She was traumatized, and it felt that she never gained that part of her self back. She was lovable, loyal, devoted, desperate to be loved. From the start her relationship with Cohen was something she did not understand. When he leaves her, and they are reunited here later she has so many questions. One night she woke up and he was gone and from there it was radio silence. A tragedy calling her home only reveals more chaos in its wake. I This man is not who she grew up with and the darkness in him is grittier.
Cohen is that sexy man who calls to the dark side of you. An alpha male I know there’s only one king and his castle, and he has waited way too long for his queen. He is obsessed, possessive, dark, charming, and full of deceit. His love knows no bounds and his addiction to Reagan has no limits. Reagan has been the one since day one and nothing but sabotage a plan that’s been set in motion. A child rocked by the worst type of trauma, mixed with severe OCD she has been the only want to see him who he is.
Coming together, they take you on this forbidden , spicy, toxic journey that will haunt you in your dreams. Is their love more than obsession , or is it love that I
is until death do us part by their own hands or someone else’s?

[AshhLeeLee · Rating 5 out of 5]

⏰🧨Cohen & Reagan 🩰🤍

“She's the only goodness, the only light I need. So, I'll keep going. I'll blacken every inch of my soul until there's nothing left if that's what it takes. None of the guilt matters, none of the pain, because somehow she makes the insanity… the agony feel like fucking nirvana.”


Callie Moss, you had NO right to make me feel this way 😩 seriously, it was so perfectly dark and yet all consuming to the point where I think…I’m obsessed? Or I need therapy….maybe both.


Cohen is more than a red flag, he’s….so all consuming I’m over here tripped up over him 😂 Rea is special. You meet here and you think she’s delicate, and maybe she is? But at the same time she’s just like him, I know he went down the rabbit hole first but he dragged her in with him 🖤 I’m in a book hangover. I am okay and not okay. Wow.


🩶Obsessive
💔Unhealthy
🩶Consuming
💔Forbidden
🩶Did I mention obsessed?
💔Dark romance readers dream

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Alexandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m normally not a stickler for grammar, but this book DESPERATELY needs an editor, and if it had one, the author needs to get her money back.

The misuse and lack of commas made this nearly unreadable at some points- it was incredibly distracting. I had to stop and reread passages multiple times in order to figure out what the author was trying to say. It made it a very cumbersome read.

This probably could have been a 4 or 5 star read if it had been edited better.

ALSO- I took a star away for the token “I think about br33ding her” BC refusal/ cream pie that is followed a few chapters later with “I hAd a vAsEcTomY yEArs aGo”. Pick one. Either you want to incorporate a br33ding/baby trap element to the plot or you don’t. But it’s such a massive plot in-continuity to incorporate both.

[Katie Dobay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. He's obsessive, OCD, manipulative, and controlling. He's also hot, ripped, and cares so I guess we give him a pass? LOL I loved and hated this book at the same time. I was dark in terms of him being fawn of her as a child and letting the fawn turn love obsession. It does specifically say it was sexual when she was younger but knew she's would always become his one made my skin crawl. The spice was good and the drama was good. The drama at one point was super 50 shades of grey ish. I loved the MMC even with him being as problematic as he was.

[Anushka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have surely given it 5 stars , had the execution, grammar and composition of the story been more refined. I loved the plot, but there were certain parts which were confusing and all becoz of the messy writing. The punctuation marks, the grammar , required a proper proofreading ffs. Other than that, the taboo element that has been discussed in this book was really good. Loved the obsessive psycho stepbrother trope.
4 stars 🌟

[Patti · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 28% into book
Honestly, I just don't think this author is for me. I found that the pace was slow and what I read boring.

Reagan
- another annoying fmc.
- too much reminiscing of "that awful day" four years ago and yet saying nothing about what actually transpired.
- constant repetitive inner monologue
- again annoying-af
- constantly crying