He’s A Brute by Chloe Liese follows Nairne, a Scottish student studying at MIT and Zed, golden boy of Boston and involved with the city’s underworld. Nairne secures a spot as a public health consultant on his board and the two take an immediate disliking to one another. They verbally spar and yet they both find that they are each completely affected by the other. Nairne’s time is limited in the States until she graduates and the two secure an agreement: no strings, no feelings, no love.
All sounds good in theory until things start deepening. Zed has particularly singular tastes for what he enjoys behind closed doors and his family life tied to the Italian mafia in Boston further complicates things. Nairne used to dabble in Zed’s lifestyle in her past, but after she was burned, she’s shied away from embracing that side of herself. A life-changing physical injury has only propelled her need to keep her walls up but Zed is intent on breaking them down…
I ended up really growing to like Zed and Nairne and their dynamic. I’ll be honest, as an Italian from Boston I wasn’t sure what to expect from a book set in my home (I know I’m insane.) This one does take a little bit of time to set the entire story up between the accident, the mob and the romance. I loved that this was a romance that featured someone with a physical disability that was just a part of her but didn’t consume her entire identity. I LOVED Zed’s development throughout the book and how perfect he was for Nairne. The tension developed more and more throughout the story and the steam is there a la Fifty Shades. I can’t wait to read book two in this three part series when it comes out in June. He’s A Brute releases TOMORROW on kindle for only $2.99!
Thank you to Chloe Liese for providing me a review copy. All opinions are my own.
