I Loved this Series. I really Enjoyed reading first book and Braced was totally amazing. These Brody Brothers makes it hard to not like them. The characters are endearing and the story is engaging.

I Highly Recommend all Readers to Readers to read this book now.

The great plot was well written and the characters were so well developed that as I turned each page the chemistry between the characters kept me totally hooked until the very last page!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

I can say that I enjoyed this book much more than the first book of this series! I love a good friends-to-lovers and second chance at love stories and luckily this combines both into one fun story. I wasn't sure about Lilah's feelings towards Fin, until the truth about what happened that one night long ago is presented, then it all made sense why she feels some kind of way whenever Fin is around.

Braced is the second novel in the Brody Brothers series, and since I wasn't overjoyed about the first booked in this series, I decided to give this second chance, friends to lovers, novel a second chance, and it hooked me from the very start by making me laugh, and kept me involved and entertained and it gets a 5-star rating from me.

The funny opening has the heroine, Lilah Ledbetter, who is 3 months away from getting her doctorate in veterinary medicine and is currently interning with the local veterinarian, running around and trying to lasso the Harry Houdini of goats in 95-degree heat, after being called on an emergency that wasn't. She's not taking it well, and we soon learn that she's got the guts to give as good as she gets from the nasty woman who sent her out on this wild goat chase, as well as a sassy and snarky side, and that she's no shrinking violet--it was impossible not to like her.

When Lilah returns to the office, we soon learn that there is someone she is somewhat cowed by and therefore avoiding, Finian (Fin) Brody, the hero in this novel, one of the four billionaire brothers who own Green Rock Ranch. His brother was featured in Branded, the first book in this series, but this novel works perfectly as a standalone, and I do plan to follow this series, simply because I enjoyed this one so much. Fin and Lilah met when Lilah was 3 years old and her widowed mother came to work at the Brody ranch to support herself and her two children--Lilah's brother, Lawrence, also works at the Brody ranch. Lilah and her brother practically grew up with the Brody Brothers and when Lilah was three years old, she fell madly in love with Fin, when he saw someone bullying Lilah and rescued her--they even had a pretend marriage when both were still in single digits, and her love for him hadn't diminished in the intervening years, although her mother raised her to believe that she wasn't good enough, smart enough, attractive enough, classy enough or wealthy enough to be worthy of one of the exalted Brody brothers.

When Lilah's first sexual experience with Fin (half naked in the front seat of his truck) ends when she professes her love for him and his cold response and churlish remarks to her leave her crushed and brokenhearted, and reinforce everything her mother has been preaching to her about the Brody family since childhood, he was a hard character to like--at first. When he eventually sees the error of his ways, and begins to pursue Lilah, she wants nothing to do with him, and who could blame her? But when she's assigned to the Brody ranch to help them during their first large calving season, she tries everything to get out of it, but eventually has to cave and do what her mentor demands, putting her in close proximity to the now suddenly possessive and flirtatious Fin, but Lilah has no intention of being a doormat again.

After Fin's rude rejection of her, she can't figure out why he seems to be looking for ways to be near her and get her into his arms and into his bed. She's certainly bought into what her mother has been preaching to her for years, about her being an ordinary townie, and way below what a Brody would want, certainly adding to her low self-esteem and broken heart. As Fin tries to make Lilah understand that he really does want to be with her, it's one heck of a bumpy road, but when Fin finally realizes where Lilah's low self-esteem began and was constantly being reinforced, his treatment of Lilah's mother practically had me cheering out loud.

What follows is a sexy, passionate, angst-filled, second chance romance that was impossible to put down, and which had one of the best HEA endings I've read in years. This was an excellent, well-written, and moving read, and I highly recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed at my own.

Lilah has been in love with Fin (Finian) Brody forever. When she finally gives him the only thing she can give him, he takes that gift and breaks her heart right after. Now, months later, he is suddenly realizing what he lost, and he's determined to get her back, no matter how much she fights him on it. Sigh...

Now, don't get me wrong, I love me a determined alpha as much as the next person, but Fin wasn't just determined, he was a jerk, plain and simple. I understand (explained too late in the story, though) why he had such an aversion to love, but it didn't excuse his behavior the night he broke poor Lilah's heart. If I were her, I would have taken his cruel words to heart, and would never have let him back into my life, no matter how persistent he was. Because the way he treated her was absolutely unacceptable regardless of his reason for having no time in his life for love. So, as much as I liked some of the characters (Lilah, Casey, Fin's brother Killian) in this story, I absolutely could not stand Fin and could not understand why Lilah took him back.

Another great book from the series in this book Finnian gets his HEA with his best friend Lilah. After their epic sex in the truck, Fin freaks out and say to Lilah some ugly words that shatter her life. So Lilah is trying to live her life without the love of her life, the man that she loved since she was three years old. But suddenly Fin wants her back in her life, but the thing is Lilah is very stubborn and doesn't believe him. So Finn tries to show her with everything that he can do that he wants her back in his life but not just as a friend. They are both great characters is just sad that Lilah mind was pointed with such insecurities and from the person who should protect her the most and encourage her toward happiness. Loved the Finn and his possessiveness. I loved the animals and Epilogue is just heart melting with their special HEA.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I loved Lilah's reaction to Fin's advances. No woman wants to be on the receiving end of a "hit it and quit it" speech right after sex, and when Fin gives her his version of that speech, she knows she's done. Lilah has been in love with Fin since she was a kid, they even got "married" when she was six.

When Fin shows up at the vet clinic where she's working and insisting that she's the on-call tech for his ranch, she's confused. He told her that he wasn't into her but now he wants to talk and explain.

Not only does Lilah have to deal with Fin and what he thinks he wants, she also has to deal with her mother. Her mother is of the mindset that Lilah is not good enough for Fin, that he is out of her league and does everything in her power to make Lilah believe that.

Lilah's reactions to Fin are spot on. No one trusts a guy whose initial reaction after sex is one thing and a few months later comes back with the "I didn't mean it like that" speech.

I'm ready for the next book in series.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆☆
I was completely addicted to this book from the very first page, I really didn’t want to love it as much as I did because Finian Brody is kind of an ass but… I loved it. Lilah’s mother worked for the Brody family, meaning that Lilah grew up with the Brody brothers, practically a sister and definitely a best friend. Lilah was closest to Fin and wound up letting him take her virginity, quickly followed by him completely crushing her and sending her away. Now, months later, Lilah is 100% focused on finishing veterinarian school and working alongside the local vet, Dr. Petrosian. Fin realizes that he doesn’t want to live life without Lilah but Lilah giving him a second chance isn’t going to be easy, especially when she has a little birdie in her ear telling her she isn’t worthy.

Lilah’s veterinary work had me cracking up laughing – the book starts out with her literally chasing goats and I laughed throughout the whole book. She and Fin’s characters are definitely perfect matches and I was really excited that we got glimpses of the other Brody brothers too. Fin Brody takes alpha male to a whole new level.

The thing I didn’t love about this book was Lilah being so dang oblivious! Fin literally did everything but actually say the words to show her he loved her, and she was completely in the dark. Plus, Fin was the most controlling human ever – I don’t know how the author managed to write a character that I hated and loved all at the same time. It made me love the book more though and I’m literally on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one. The Brody brothers are the most surly of men and this author does a phenomenal job with their personalities.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series – and I think you would benefit from reading Branded first, as this explains just how awful the homelife of these men was, and does explain some of their hang ups! In Branded I was incredibly angry with Fin's brother Ry, but this time Fin's behaviour made much more sense.

Lilah and her brother grew up alongside the Brodys, as their mother ran the office at the ranch. Lilah has been in love with Fin ever since he saved her from a bully, so when he finally paid her some attention, she allowed him everything. He, however, made some horrible remarks and broke her heart. As we find out, that really was inexcusable, but when taken with her mother's exhortations that she is not worthy of a Brody, it has really destroyed Lilah's confidence. Therefore, when Fin suddenly wants to be around her again, she is very skeptical and extremely nervous.

As the story unfolds, and we get to see how hard Fin is trying to explain the change in his behaviour, we can only hope that they act on the amazing chemistry that exists. I love some of the humour in this book – often involving her pets, especially Elmo. There are some clever twists and more secrets of the Brody past are revealed, which will no doubt be important in future books – I cannot wait!

The beginning of this book started off a loittle slow for me, but slowly I was able to get into the storyline and enjoy it. I have always loved the good friends-to-lovers story !

Lilah and Fin have been friends for their entire lives.

Lilah is hardworking, Independent, and dedicated, despite the fact she was raised by a mother who is constantly told her she wasn't good enough.
Fin's character at the beginning is hard to like, He is very arrogant. But things change and quickly you can;t help but like him. It is a beautiful love story. Just don't give up after the first few pages. The characters are well developed and the story line is interesting.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review

BRACED is the second book in Stacy Gail's Brody Brothers series. Once upon a time, Lilah Ledbetter was hopelessly in love with Fin Brody. When Fin finally took their friendship to a different level and became physically intimate, he just as quickly destroyed it by acting like a colossal jerk afterward. The things Fin said, as a defense mechanism to push Lilah away, acted like an acid on Lilah's heart and left scars that never really healed. When Lilah ends up working at Green Rock Ranch, the Brody family stronghold, it makes for an initially awkward and painful time for her as she revisits old hurts. This is an incredibly emotional story and perfect for readers who enjoy second-chance romances and ones with a hero and heroine who have a complicated past.

Stacy Gail immediately makes the reader empathize with Lilah and her defensiveness when it comes to Fin. Fin said some things to Lilah that were extremely harsh. Thankfully for readers, Stacy Gail explores and explains Fin's family background in order to make him easier to understand. Fin realizes he messed up when it comes to Lilah on an epic scale. Even better than realizing what he said and did wrong, Fin has some self-awareness and realizes why he acted the way that he did. The self- awareness on Fin's part mobilizes him to show Lilah with his actions that she matters to him and that he is trying to make up for what he said that hurt her so badly. He knows that she is the only woman he's ever truly loved, and he is committed and fierce in his attempts to be the man she needs. Lilah has two voices in her ear offering, whether wanted or not, advice on her relationship with Fin. Her mother firmly disapproves of Lilah getting involved romantically with Fin, and it's a sore spot in their mother-daughter relationship, and her BFF Casey is more objective and tells her to observe Fin's current behavior to gauge his intentions. At the start of this book, I thought I wouldn't like Fin, but he won me over along with Lilah.

BRACED is about a love that goes astray but comes back stronger than it ever was. Stacy Gail balances the super sexy with the ton of drama she packs into every page of BRACED. I am intrigued by Fin's brothers and hope to read more about them soon. I look forward to Stacy Gail's next book.

An excellent book by Stacy Gail...it was touching, romantic and witty. The story of Fin Brody and Lilah Ledbetter was just OMG! Best Friends their entire life until one fateful night when that line was crossed. Fin tries over and over again to convince Lilah he isn't the same man he was that night but when she has her mother's negative words in her head making her doubt she is worthy of Fin's Love things go upside down.
This is a terrific book with some twists you just don't see coming. Kudos to Stacy Gail!

Lilah and Finian had a hot relationship until he broke her heart. Now he's trying to get her back and convince her he has changed for the better. Lilah ends up working on the ranch and there is no avoiding Fin. Will the couple be able to work things out? This was a great read.

Started out a bit shaky for me but ended up great.
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The beginning started off a bit shaky for me. As I was getting to know the characters I took a big dislike to Fin. Even though Lilah had a massive crush on him since she was a child, he treated her like crap and completely broke her heart.

That made it difficult to warm up to him once he started to realize the error of his ways. I completely related to Lilah has she tried to figure out what he wanted with her.

The fact that her family mixed with his family constantly made it difficult to turn off her feelings. He was her best friend! But when he started putting himself in front of her on a daily basis and working his way back in, I started warming up to him.

I have to say Fin turned out to be a great character with an amazing back bone to take on her mother and be incredibly supportive, not to mention a hot, yummy cowboy. I love the way the author showed us Lilah's strengths and weaknesses, her undying passion regardless of what was trying to knock her off track... like her crazy mother! The ending was sweet and so heartwarming too.

This book is a beautiful second chance story that is passionate, sexy, and very endearing. There are so many wonderful details in this book that make it memorable. Definitely a series I’m going to follow.

Wonderful second chance at love western romance

I enjoyed Braced the second book in Stacy Gail's Brody Brother series.
Lilac and Fin's story was a believable story with conflicts that made the second chance aspect interesting and believable.
I totally understood why Lilah was weary of trusting Fin again. But he made me a fan so I was very happy to see them get their HEA. Absolutely loved the Epilogue.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

The second book in the Brody Brothers series, Braced, is Finn and Lilah’s story. Great characters, engaging interaction and a wonderful storyline made this a fabulous addition to this series. I will be reading more and recommend if you haven’t read this series, yet you pick up book 1 today.

I didn't realize until I was reading that this was a second book to the Brody brothers series, I guess I missed Ry and Celia's story, in this book it mentioned how they had gotten married. This was Fin's book along with his love interest Lilah. Lilah had been in love with Fin all of her life, she even admits to being his shadow. However on a night of passion where he takes her virginity she makes the mistake of telling him that she loves him and he broke her heart, badly. She vows to never be in that position again and never step foot in that ranch where they grew up. Lilah's mother is horrible all she does is put her down and tell her that she is not good enough of for Brody who she treats as royalty. With those doubts plus her horrid experience when Fin comes around trying to explain that he knew he screwed up but that he wanted a chance with her, she doesn't believe him and does not want to give him the chance of hurting her again, but this time Fin is determined.

While this is well written, it just wasn't my cup of tea...There is a lot of tell and not enough show. I skimmed a lot of drawn out parts to get to more of the action/interaction of the characters.

BRACED by Stacy Gail is such a fun romance, I just loved it! Fin and Lilah have known each other forever. They even had a pretend wedding when they were kids. Fin screws up and Lilah is done with him. Fin has to prove his feelings for her are real before she'll give him another chance. Lilah's Mom, Dottie is a witch, she's so mean and hurtful! Fin is one of four brothers, all good-looking and rich. Life on the ranch is never boring!Lots of action and love in this 5 🌟 read!!!

Lilah had to remember the last time she spent with Fin. That memory will forever be burned into her heart as she lost her best friend. Everything changed. She fell in love with Finian Brody when she was only three when he saved her from a bully. He was constantly by her side as they grew up. Her best friend in everything. One night it all changed and Fin has finally seen his momentary loss in judgement lost him the one thing he loved. Making it up to Lilah with little gestures will finally let him back into her heart.

OMG :) I loved this new book by Stacy Gail. I simply couldn't put it down once I started reading it. The writing was great and Fin and Lilah's chemistry was through the roof. I didn't like Fin at first but he did a lo of groveling, so that was satisfying! I would give this book 10 stars if I could it was that good!