The Breakup didn’t feel so much like a second book as it felt like, as Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story.” The Hook Up, book one in the Jordan Brothers series followed Cain Jordan and Sophie Bigelow and there is a one month gap before that book concludes. The Breakup, following Cain’s twin brother Christian and Sophie‘s older sister Bella, fills that gap and continues to its conclusion. This is definitely a read in order series, even if it’s only two books. There are, however, more Jordan brothers and this is likely not the end.

I didn’t want to like either of these characters so it took me quite a while to warm up to both of them. Both of them had been problematic in the first book and their personalities were a little exaggerated as seen through other people. As we get to know them and their own story, it took a while for me to thaw, but I did get there.

The story begins very hot and heavy, there’s no long lead up. As the title indicates, Bella dumps her fiance and shacks up with Christian having lots and lots of revenge sex while she hides from the consequences of the breakup. Christian sums it up though when he reminds himself, “I couldn’t take on her problems and she couldn’t take on mine. And neither of us wanted that anyway.”

Yet they don’t seem to be able to stay away from each other. There’s a surprise plot point that I won’t spoil, but once it happened, it seemed the most logical thing to happen in this whole book. Because this story was the answer to, “What the heck happened?“ in the first book, it felt less complete. The conclusion is very abrupt. We get our HEA in a matter of two pages, then “The End.” I had whiplash. I didn’t uncoil for the brief epilogue. I wanted more of both. I hope we get some of that in future books about the rest of the Jordan brothers.

My Rating: B, Liked It

I received a copy of #TheBreakup free through #NetGalley. The book starts off with a spoiled little rich girl and a sort of rough and ready bartender. You quickly learn there is more to each of them than your initial impression. Bella learns less than a week before their wedding that her fiancee cheated on her, multiple times and with different women. At first you might think Christian is just a jerk who thinks he's god's gift to women, but he's actually a dad that wants to provide for his son. Reading the interactions between the two characters was fun. I really enjoyed the book and plan on reading their siblings' story at some point.

A quick and steamy read! I have always enjoyed books by Erin McCarthy and The Breakup is another entertaining story for a lazy summer day. Definitely looking forward to more fun reads from the author.

If you have read Erin's The Hookup you've met Christian and Bella. I've been longing to read their book. And its everything I hoped for. It's a steamy read with all kinds of sass. Bella is trying to figure out who she is after a breakup and Christian the hot bartender is a perfect way to get back at her fiance. This book has a great plot with loveable characters.

Getting married is supposed to be a joyous time for any couple. For Bella – wedding preparations have led to a discovery that she couldn’t expect. The man that should be anxious to make her his bride has been cheating. A discovery that has rocked Bella to her core.

With her faith in a marriage to Bradley rocked, Bella begins to have doubts about going through with the marriage. If Bella wasn’t intimidated enough by the messages she read in regards to Bradley’s cheating, now she is getting not so subtle pushes to go through with the vows. Turning to the local bad boy in town, Bella asks Christian to be the escape from the turmoil in her life. Unexpectedly – Christian declines the offer for a quick roll in the hay.

The countdown has begun and Bella finds that she can’t make that walk down the aisle. With a quick text to Christian, Bella finds herself pulling a ‘runaway bride’. Determined to save Bella from everyone that will pressure her to go through with the wedding, Christian offers her a weekend getaway away from all distractions. What the two couldn’t have predicted is just how addictive they would find the other after their time in the cabin. The only question that remained is how would they go back to their lives after the thrill of the weekend faded away?

The Breakup is the second book in the Jordan Brothers series by Erin McCarthy. It is a glimpse into the life of Bella and Christian. Both were part of the first book in the series, but their journey is laid out in more detail in this book. I will have to admit, there are parts of this book I liked and others that felt too convenient. The attraction between these two characters was definitely believable, and I loved the runaway bride story plot.

What I found a bit of a stretch was the way Christian’s relationship with his son, ‘baby mama’, and Bella just seemed to flow without very much fanfare. Non-traditional families are such a mixed bag. With the lack of parenting from Christian’s one night stand, it seems a bit of a stretch to believe this woman whose marriage falls apart takes to her new lover’s son. Maybe it’s the convenience that is throwing me…not sure.

All in all The Breakup is a cute and fun filled novel to read. I do recommend reading the first book in the series though. There is a lot written about relationships with current characters that is explained in the start of the series. I don’t know if you will have the full effect without the back story. If you like fun and flirty romances…then grab the Breakup today!

Right, I’m just going to come out and say it – I didn’t particularly like either of these characters – at least, not at the start. And for both of them, that reaction is grounded in their behaviour from Book 1.

That said, I think that the author embraced the less endearing elements of these two and made it work. Did I always enjoy the path they took? No. But this was still a decent read.

Again, I’m not sure that this ought properly to be described as a romantic comedy. But I’m still pleased I took a chance on this author.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

The Breakup by Erin McCarthy contains a really good storyline but you have to get past the sexual garbage of the first few chapters before you can relax and enjoy it. The story concerns a young man, Christian, who has not lead an exemplary life but is changing his ways as he is raising his son, Champ. The there is Bella who is engaged to be married in a short amount of time and has found out the man she intends to marry is not the man she thought he was. Bella decides to approach Christian to teach her about having good sex. One things leads to another and Bella cannot face marrying her fiancé so she runs from everyone the day of the wedding. Now the story gets really interesting because Bella is a good girl and Christian cannot stop thinking about. Romance ensues but there are still issues with both Bella and Christian that need to be resolved before they can see themselves together. The truth always prevails and the story concludes happily.

The Breakup is the second book in The Jordan Brothers series by Erin McCarthy and definitely worth reading.
What better way to get back at a cheating ex, but to hook up with the local bartender. Bella believes that this will all end up with a HEA and Christian isn't about to tell her no. Only falling for the girl who has no idea what she wants wasn't necessarily part of the plan.

This was a fun read.It was fast paced and sexy! I haven’t read this author before so it was a nice surprise.The story is told in dual first person point of views. Bella and Christian We’re such a great characters you could easy connect with them.Bella is cute,sweet and kind.She was exactly what Christian needed!

I was introduced to these characters in The Hookup and was thinking if this book would have a good followup and I was not disappointed! My first impression with Christian was not favorable but getting to see more in depth to his character in this book changed my opinion. Bella is engaged to be marry but has a fiance that has sewed some oats before the upcoming big day. Bella uses Christian for some sewing of her oats to get back at her situation. Christian is sexy and Alpha! Bella is sassy! The sparks between these two are explosive! Watch Christian soften his hard exterior and fall for Bella! I like that both of these books from this author have not been your typical love stories. Very refreshing and such great reads!

The good girl falls for the bad boy and the bad boy is oh so BAD!! And delicious and dirty and sexy...well you get my drift. Cute and sexy story that kept my attention from the start. Enjoyable read!!

The Breakup by Erin McCarthy is a standalone novel in The Jordan Brothers Series, a series of standalones. The previous book, The Hookup is Sophie and Cain´s story.

Christian Jordan is a simple man with a complicated life. He´s twin brother of Cain and the single father of a baby boy. The mother is Cain´s ex - not so ex at the time - girlfriend. And the relationship with his twin is pretty strained. He works a sbartender and is a player. He takes what he can get without a second thought.
Bella Bigelow is Sophie´s sister and the family´s good girl. She´s a pleaser and about to marry a successful lawyer. A man with questionable morality.
These two so different people start out as casual buddie´s, lets call it a teacher- student experience.
The Breakup is a story with twists and turns, drama and more drama. The writing is great and the story is captivating. Christian and Bella have a long way to go ´til they get their deserved HEA.

The Break up was Bella and Christians story. Bella is engaged to a man she finds out is cheating on her. Christian is the twin brother to Bella's sisters, boyfriend Cain. In book one we learned that Christian slept with his brothers girlfriend and got her pregnant. So, I already didn't like him. I started to get over it in this book, but then he really does some awful things to Bella. In the beginning Bella kind of goes with the flow not quite sure what to do with her situation. She eventually comes to her senses and lives her life for herself. I didn't really love this book like I did the first one. I liked Bella, but didn't like Christian at all. He didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities. I do enjoy the authors writing so I will read her other work.

The Jordan brothers are almost an urban legend in hot mess drama. Emphasis on the HOT. Whether you have read The Hookup or not, The Breakup will keep you entertained and never let you down. This runaway bride is waking up. Being the princess never had a bigger downfall than learning your fiancee isn't who you thought. So Bride Barbie did the only thing she could do- run!

I loved the backbone that Bella seems to grow in this second chance, runaway bride adventure. It's not innocent but it sure is fun!

I enjoyed reading The Breakup. It was a book that was straight to the point. It had an easy plot to follow, likable characters and some steaming hot sex scenes. I needed to read a book like The Breakup. After some of the books I have read, it was a welcome turn of pace for me.

What is interesting about The Breakup is that it starts halfway through The Hookup. That was interesting to me because I haven't seen too many books written that way. I got to see everything from the bar scene from Christian and Bella's POV. It added an extra insight not only to the stress that Bella was going through but to Christian and Cain's complex relationship. 

I could not stand Bella's fiancée. I wanted to kick him in the nads and punch him in the face. I couldn't believe the stuff he put Bella through. The things he said to her. I felt so bad for her when she found the text messages and told Sophie why he did what he did. He tried to justify his actions to her. "Baby, you made me do it. You are boring in bed". What the actual fricky frack???? No wonder she was so insecure about sex. Then to get her parents involved? W.T.F. So, yeah, I was happy when she left him at the altar. He deserved it. 

Bella and Christian had insane chemistry. Every scene that they were in was through the roof. I found myself chanting "Do it! Do it!" What made it even hotter was that Christian refused to do anything with Bella until she was single. She came to him for a "revenge screw" and he turned her down. What guy does that?? A guy who has morals. Loved it!!

When Bella and Christian finally had sex, it was explosive. I knew that certain things were coming since Bella had told Christian that she didn't like oral sex or butt play. Him teaching her to like oral was a no-brainer. But, I was surprised that anal wasn't touched. Maybe because it was a line that she didn't want to cross. Who knows. What I also liked is that the sexual tension continued. It wasn't as red-hot as the first time but it was still there.

I liked that Christian was a bit of a straight arrow. He carried incredible guilt over what happened with his brother. He felt that he was the blame for Cain's drinking. At the same time, though, he also stood up and took responsibility for his son. I did find it interesting that they wouldn't know if Cain or Christian was the little guy's father. Because they were identical twins, they have identical DNA. But he decided to take the responsibility. I loved how he handled baby mama drama. He wasn't willing to rock the boat because he was afraid that she would go for full custody. 

Bella was awesome in this book. I got a strong Runaway Bride vibe from her at the beginning of the book. I understood what she was going through, relationship-wise. She didn't want to stay because he was a jerk but he was also familiar. Her taking off right before the wedding made me go "Oh yeah" and do a fist pump. The same thing when she let loose on Christian's baby mama. I thought she was a little innocent for Christian, as weird as that sounds. Some of her phrases made me think "Is she from the 50's?".

I was disappointed by the last half of The Breakup. I had a feeling something like what happened was going to happen. I did an "ugggh" when it came around. A typical romance theme that I was hoping wouldn't be in the book.

The ending of The Breakup was your typical HEA. I liked seeing what happened with Sophie and Cain. I also wonder if there is going to be a book 3. There are a brother and a sister that need romance!!!

What I liked about The Breakup:

A) Easy to follow plot

B) likable characters

C) steamy sex scenes

What I disliked about The Breakup:

A) Bella's ex

B) Christian's baby mama drama

C) The last half of the book.

I gave The Breakup a 3.5-star rating. This book was a great read. It had an easy plot to follow. It had likable characters and some steamy sex scenes. I didn't like Bella's ex or Christian's baby mama. I also didn't like the last half of the book. But, overall, a good read.

I gave The Breakup an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Breakup. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Breakup.

All opinions stated in this review of The Breakup are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Bella and Christian are a great couple. I could not put this book down. Erin McCarthy is a great new to me author. Now I am going to have to go read the first book in this series.

The Breakup by Erin McCarty is the second book in her The Jordan Brothers series and though this is both the first book I have read of hers and in the series, I did not feel lost. I will, however, say I would have had more background on the secondary characters if I had. I look forward to reading the previous book and more from this author.

The Breakup was an interesting read. There is angst, wrong turns and choices some readers may not like, but overall it was a good read. Bella is used to always getting what she wants. But when she learns her fiancé is a cheating, what is a girl to do? Revenge sex sounds just about right! Enter Christian Jordan.

Who is Christian to turn down a beautiful woman offering herself up to him, right? And so the push and pull begins between Christian and Bella. There is an attraction there they cannot deny, but they have one hell of journey. Christian does not believe in relationships, but will he realize what she means to him before it’s too late? Will Bella learn to stand up for herself and fight for what she wants?

Happy reading!

A delicious take on the runaway bride story.
Bella has realized she needs help in the bedroom. Christian seems like a likely candidate to teach her. But feelings can still get involved even when you’re trying to keep it as a business transaction.
I love a troubled romance with surprises. Guaranteed to hit all your buttons.
5 stars!!

Sandy’s 3.5 Blush Review

I suggest you read Book #1 The Hook Up prior to The Break Up.

Bella was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She is not the stereotypical spoiled brat despite her obvious family wealth. Her dream is to be a good wife and to raise a family. She’s a week away from her wedding to the man of her dreams. Bradley Alexander is handsome, successful and perfect in her parent’s eyes. If only she could ignore that nagging little voice that’s telling her something is not right. He’s cheating – her intuition is telling her loud and clear. When she finds the truth via his cellphone it is poor consolation. Now what? Can she go through with this wedding or cause a scandal by being a runaway bride?

Christian Jordan is from the “other” side of town. A bartender with plenty of sex appeal and a little boy that he loves more than anything. His mother and sister help to raise him after his mother abandoned him. Now she’s back and itching to make trouble. Add the contentious relationship he has with his twin brother and Christian is carrying a whole lot of baggage. He has no time for spoiled little rich girls that want to slum it up with the hired help.

Bella is sweet but a prude until a little liquor loosens up her inhibitions. Bradley wants her back. If he wants a dirty girl then she’s going to be one. She even knows the perfect guy to teach her how to let go and do all those men want to do – Christian Jordan.

Christian is not one to turn away a beautiful girl offering herself on a silver platter. Bella wants a little revenge sex and maybe a few lessons in how to be at ease with her body and her sexuality. This should be easy, right?! A few roles in the hay and then they each go their own way. Except she’s getting under his skin and that’s not part of the deal.

The banter between Bella and Christian was my favorite part of their story. Though Christian and Cain mending fences was a good thing. As was, Bella finding her voice and Bradley getting his just desserts.

In the last quarter of the book, I didn’t like him very much and she kind of lost me too. Though it all came together in the end, their reactions didn’t feel authentic to me, based on what we knew about their personalities. Overall, the resolution of The Hook Up felt rushed to me and left me wanting.

Having said that, this was a quick read and I’m a fan of Erin McCarthy’s writing. I have high hopes for the next novella in the series.

This was a first read for me by Erin McCarthy and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this 4.5-Star book, The Breakup. It is part of The Jordan Brothers Series but, as I did, it can be read as a standalone. Although, I must admit I enjoyed The Breakup so much that I am going to go back to read The Hookup-book 1. The storyline in The Breakup was just different enough to peak my interest but once I started reading it, there definitely was no putting this one down! On her wedding day, right before she was to walk down the aisle no less, Bella decided that she could not forgive her fiance for his cheating ways nor didn't want a repeat of her parents marriage, even if it was all she had ever known. Fresh off of giving up her apartment and job to start her married life after her wedding, what's a girl to do when she's in her wedding dress & all eyes are waiting for her to walk down the aisle, and she just can't do what everyone expects? Bella finds her own answer when she texts her friendly, hot bartender and he texts back that he will pick her up on the side road after she sneak out the back door to the church. Christian is surprised when he pulls up & sees Bella, she didn't plan to run away from her own wedding or plan to have feelings for this sexy single dad, but she can't hide the fact that Christian is there for her & proves his friendship in spade. He takes her to his families 'old cabin in the woods' so she can hide out for a while to figure things out, but her wealthy family reports her as a missing person and he conflicted between trying to help Bella while worried the decision to hide her out will affect his responsibilities as the sole parent after the departure of his son's mother, AKA his twin brother's girlfriend or possibly ex-girlfriend (but that's a story in itself). As Christian wonders if its worth it to get involved with Bella, Bella begins considering what's next for me after The Breakup? Does Bella stays in this small town or goes back to the city and try to get her apartment and job back? Where does Bella end up finding a job? And how did Bella manage to get her ex-fiance to sign over the title to a house AFTER she left him at the alter? What do Bella & Christian have to work out - What's their big surprise? Find out what happens to Bella & Christian after The Breakup by one-clicking this hot, somewhat steamy, yet romantic read!
I am voluntarily leaving this voluntary review, but for full disclosure I did receive a review copy, ARC, of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.