Redeeming the Stepbrother Tales from St. Giles Book 2
M/M Romance
Dreamspinner Press
April 10, 2018
200
Family can be a blessing and a curse, but for artist Florian, it’s a nightmare he longs to escape.
As chief designer for Bartholomew Porcelain Studio, Florian specializes in painting birds. He also watches them in the wild to distract himself from his short-tempered mother, at least temporarily. Florian’s heart is too soft to leave his stepsister, Ella, to suffer alone. Still, he can’t help dreaming about one day finding happiness and love.
When Count Dieter von Hollenbach arrives in town to visit a friend and present an award, he isn’t looking for romance. Then again, he doesn’t expect someone as perfect as Florian to come into his life. To make sure Florian is all he seems and that their connection is genuine, Dieter keeps his title to himself.
But he isn’t the only one with a secret.
At a masquerade ball to celebrate the award, some of the masks fall away, but those that remain in place could destroy the love beginning to grow between them.
Reviewed by: Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
Florian Cinderson is the chief designer for Bartholomew Porcelain Studio in St. Giles. If you read book one in this series then you know all about Dante Batholomew and his husband Beau who own the studio. Florian paints birds and when not painting them he goes to the bay to watches them. On the side he also paints nudes of men, not men he has actually seen but men from his imagination until he meets another birdwatcher, Count Dieter von Hollenbach.
Dieter is in from Germany to present an award to the studio an award that was due to Florian’s life-like paintings of birds. When the two meet they find themselves attracted to each other but Dieter is going to return to German and Florian has no idea that he is a Count. All Florian knows is that he wants what Dante and Beau have, love.
Florian’s home life is right out of Cinderella with a mean older brother and a step-sister that his mother uses as her own personal servant. Florian is twenty-two and his prospects for a life filled with love does not seem to be a reality. He knows he has to move out and be on his own but he is hesitant to leave his sister behind with no one to protect her. He realizes that too many years have gone by where he should have been there for Ella but now it is time for him to stand up for himself and her and Dieter helps give him the convidence he needs.
Unfortunately trouble comes in the form of Florian’s older brother who in spite of always being their mother’s favorite has been jealous of Florian’s success. Jeremy blames Florian for everything that goes wrong in his life and never faces that he and he alone is responsible for his failures. His resentment leads to very unexpected circumstances which I will not discuss.
Florian and Dieter hold on to what they have for the short amount of time that Dieter will be in the States and although Florian knows their relationship will end he hungrily grabs hold of whatever joy and happiness he can get for as long as he can.
If you have read Andrew Grey’s books before than you know that they are based on men looking for, and finding love, but is this book going to be a change of pace…………….not saying.I will say that I loved it and Florian and Dieter.
2nd Place: LGBT/ROMANCE – SERIES
