Stepbrother with Benefits 6

By: Mia Clark

Narrated by: CJ Bloom, James Cavenaugh

I don't know when it happened. I didn't think it'd ever happen. I can't lose her. I can't even imagine losing her.

Rule number six: This is supposed to be fun. Understand?

He's my bad boy and I'm his good girl.

And, yes, he's my stepbrother and I'm his stepsister.

He wasn't always, though. We aren't just that. There's a lot more to us.

Sometimes you need to follow your heart, or else you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You don't always have a choice in who you fall in love with.

Sometimes you can't be perfect. You just have to be yourself. Sometimes that's what makes you perfect.

©2015 Mia Clark (P)2015 Mia Clark

starting again, but with love

Possible Spoilers:
Ethan is still on top of Ashley’s bed watching Netflix while she sleeps. When Ashley’s mom checks in, there’s a hint that she’s tickled by Ethan staying with Ashley. When mom comes back hours later with soup, Ashley is still snuggled up with Ethan. Ashley gets ok from her mom to let Ethan continue sleeping in her bed, and to get an airline ticket to visit her girlfriend, who is actually the weasel Jake.
After sneaking out in the morning, Ethan follows her on the flight and punches Jake. When he gets her back home, mom & dad are out of town again. They both get moving notes from their respective parents. Dad apologizes for when he checked out when Ethan’s mom passed. Dad wants to spend time with Ethan. Mom tells Ashley to call to talk and she’s aware that something’s going on between her and Ethan. It’s ok because they’re adults, but use birth control and lock the door. It becomes clear that Ethan & Ashley have very much liked each other since 2nd grade. They begin their relationship with a new freedom to love each other and express it with sex.
Still believe Bloom & Cavenaugh were great picks to narrate these two characters.

Wow

A great book I can’t wait to read the next in the series I was hooked from the beginning

And now…

We are finally getting to the heart of things. Conversations are happening and thoughts and feelings are coming out.

Ashley’s mom seems to be taking this all in stride and Ethan is going after what he wants. Jake is an a$$hole so it will be interesting to see how that plays out in the next few books and to see how Ethan’s dad will react to them.

We’re only halfway through the series and it’s been less than a week so it should be interesting to see how things progress.

I’m invested now, the self-deprecation and internal monologue was a little better in this book. Maybe as they get happier the thoughts will get better too?

The steam has been great and frequent ;).

Finally

I seriously despise Ashley's ex-boyfriend! He's a jerk and I'm hopeful that he's totally out of the picture now.

I'm happy with where this is going and the future of the relationship. These characters are growing on me.

I received a free copy of this book via Cherrylily ARCs and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Sharing Soup and Airplanes

Dirty, dirty, dirty. 🥳 Of course, there's more to Ethan and Ashley than romps but those are fun and dirty. I like how Ethan grows, even if slowly, and the parental units are also making strides of different kinds. Ashley's mom is hilarious!

I listened to an author's copy of the audio book with CJ Bloom and James Cavenaugh leading the charge. Both are well suited for the characters. If there was one thing I could change, it'd be that the books were done in duet narration. Second thing I might change would be CJ's version of Ashley's mom's voice. It sounds more grandmotherly than a woman likely in her 40s.

Story: 4 stars
Narration: 4 stars
Listening Speed: 1.5x