"The Brother" By: K. Larsen - Book Review

A few months ago, I signed up for the ARC of “The Tutor” which was my first K. Larsen book and I absolutely loved it, so when this came about, I knew I had to read it. If you have not read it, be advised, this review may contain some spoilers from Nora and Holden's story. I suggest reading The Tutor first because you will be a little lost otherwise. While I did like this book, I was on the fence between a 3.5 and 4 star rating for a few reasons. Ultimately though, I had a great time reading it.

We meet Liam as he is checking out at a grocery store, and he sees a magazine article covering the story with Nora and his brother, Holden. We've learned about his past in The Tutor, through memories, but we never met him. I thought this concept was fabulous and was pulled in right from the get go.

At first, he's curious about Nora, the girl who knew his brother so well, but it doesn't take long before it turns into obsession and stalking.

I wonder about this sustained, distorting, euphoria I get from my time with Nora. It's thrilling knowing she doesn't realize we're spending time together. The anticipation of what it will be like when we finally meet, makes me buzz with energy.

I simply watch her.

For now.

Since everything happened with Holden, Nora hasn't been doing too hot. Her anxiety is through the roof and she's not really seeing much of a point of it all. Of course she loves Eve, Lotte, and Aubrey, and everything is going really well with the charity organization they started, she's just not dealing well with her feelings that she still has for Holden. She is unaware of Liam's watching her and so when he introduces himself at an event for her charity, she has no idea it isn't the first time he's seen her.

I exit the stage without breaking eye contact with those jade eyes. I am lost in my mind. Lost in Holden. It is as if he is here. Watching me. Waiting for me. One heel slips on the second step. Gasps sound around me as I tilt sideways as flail in the air. Time decelerates. I can see the shocked faces of those I pass as I tumble toward the ground.

Strong arms catch me.

I shriek, suspended in air.

“You're okay. I caught you.”

She's instantly intrigued by the way he reminds her of Holden. The more time they spend together, the more she thinks she may able to actually have a real relationship with someone. She even tells her therapist about him. He plays a really great part at sweeping her off her feet and she is falling hard. She introduces him to Lotte and Eve and while they're freaked out about how much his eyes are like Holden's, he eventually wins them over too. He continues to watch her and stalk her. That was one thing I didn't particularly like, was how long the stalking lasted into their relationship.

All this was as a way to get back at his brother, but he can't deny he's attracted to her and the more he gets to know her, the more they realize how compatible they actually are. In some ways, their unconventional needs compliment each other. He finds himself getting anxious and excited about seeing her every time she leaves. He tells her things he's never told anyone. As hard as he fights it, he does start to realize how much he really cares for her and doesn't want her to ever know who he is. That he's her ex-lover and ex-captor's brother.

I think back, try to pinpoint when things changed for me but I can't. It was a slow build, a plodding journey. My hate for Holden led to my salvation. Nora has given me nothing but acceptance and trust and somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to give her the same. Somewhere in my manipulation, I was manipulated into wanting her.

This book was a pretty quick read, and was a fun story. There were a few really cute scenes and concepts that I enjoyed so much. For me personally, I just felt Liam came off as creepy and not in the same hot-creepy as Holden. I think it had a lot to do with the watching her in her house when they were so far into their relationship that just made me feel that way. I felt that while he did get some retribution, he got off easy. I would have liked to see him had to pay for his actions a little more. I think that's the main reason for the three and half stars. I guess I'm team Holden.