I have to say, I thought I knew what to expect with this book, but it was not at all what I expected in so many different ways. Thanks to Netgalley for the ecopy of the book in exchange for a review!
.
So, I was not quite prepared for the 50 shades of Gray level of steam in this one. I knew it was steamy, but not quite mentally prepared for this next level. That aside, I did enjoy this debut novel. I find I have trouble in general with romances whose male protagonist is dominating and controlling, but Zed is very caring toward Nairne and I eventually grew to like him.
.
My favorite part of this story is that there are multiple levels and layers to it, and that Nairne is such a strong willed character. I love that both characters play my favorite sport (soccer), the Italian mafia plot line and Nairne’s past adds a mystery dynamic that’s refreshing to read in a romance. Finally, I loved that it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
.
This one did take a bit to get into, but if you’re prepared for 50 shades level of steam and a bit of mystery mixed with your romance, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!
.
This was 3.5 stars for me!

He's a Brute is a steamy romance with great character development, a feisty heroine, and an irresistible bad boy.

I was shocked when I realized that this was Chloe Liese's debut. Her writing style was great and she was able to leave me wanting more.

When I began reading this book, I was excited because the blurb was very intriguing. The beginning was a little slow for me. The characters, Nairne and Zed, did have chemistry but I didn't feel like the story would progress as it did. A few pages before the midway point was when I started getting more hooked to the story.

We started seeing more of the challenges they each had. Nairne was smart, sassy, and confident. When we find out that she has a handicap/disability it brought me a sense of sadness and empowerment. Here is this confident woman who had her dreams taken away from her, but she didn't give up. She found something else she could be great at.

Zed is the bad boy women can't help but fall for. He is a mafia prince and is a gifted footballer. He continues to have a chip on his shoulders. He is living a life that is deeply influenced by those around him. He is dominant and yet he can be so soft and vulnerable.

Zed and Nairne turned from enemies to lovers and it's filled with passion and fire. The STEAMY scenes are steamy AF! This book will definitely leave you wanting more!

I give He's a Brute 4.5 stars. This was a great debut novel from Chloe Liese. I loved the chemistry between Zed and Nairne. This book did end in a cliffhanger that left me WANTING book 2. I highly recommend this book to lovers of the Fifty Shades series. If you are looking for a dominant/submissive romance with depth and exploration then this book is for you!

This is my first experience reading this author's work and I'm so grateful to NetGalley to have been able to read the first 2 books in this series back-to-back. He's a Brute, Book #1, ends in a huge cliffhanger so I was relieved to be able to get right into Book #2 which was just as good, if not more so, than this one. I loved everything about this book -- the characters and their building relationship were well developed and the plot and storyline kept me riveted to the pages. I couldn't put it down once I started reading! Yes, Zed is domineering but I just knew he had a heart of gold underneath that controlling alpha male. And I loved that Nairne was a strong, crazy intelligent woman in her own right -- so refreshing. What I really enjoyed was how a certain aspect of Nairne is introduced to the reader -- not going to spoil it for others, but suffice it to say, that it was so well done! And such a surprise to this reader! I adored the witty banter between these two, the steamy chemistry and the secondary characters that really brought this whole book to life. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm really sorry, but I tried. After reading 25% of the novel I could no longer continue. This story, and writing style was not working for me.

Okay so I really ended up liking this one! It started off a little slow for me and I honestly thought it was a bit stiff at first. But, I thought the characters developed really nicely in the second half of the book and their chemistry really started to come alive. This is a really great debut from an author I’m sure we will end up seeing a lot of great stuff from! I love that the characters were both intellects and scholars and while they did come off a bit stiff at first, they became easy to love once their stories became a bit more clear. The author is sending me an arc of the second book in the series and I’m really excited to see where this story goes!

He’s a Brute was a thoroughly enjoyable, well-written, sexy and sassy debut by Chloe Liese that sets an intriguing intro into the lives of a spoilt rich boy, and a intensely intellectual woman. I liked the characters and the dynamic between them was fiery and never boring. I’m looking forward discovering how their adventurous liaison will ultimately conclude. 3 1/2 Stars for me.

am tickled to have found a new author who’s writing style gels with my reading habits in Chloe Liese. I am so ready to recommend this series because these characters, Nairne and Zed, develop as the story progresses and unfolds fluidly. This is a fictional story that teems with slightly over-the-top dramatic moments of absurdity, but I was so involved with the characters and the story that it just read like a well-developed soap in kindle format. I’m into it, but I felt there were so many factors to each character to have happened at such a young age, that it was hard for me to process all of the facts (such as Zed being a full-time professional soccer player and mafia boss??? I think not!).

Liese managed to put soccer, the mafia, physical disabilities, heated sex and multi-national humans in one novel and make it work. I immensely enjoyed how intense and independent Nairne was— she was capable and massively intelligent and I admired the stuffing out of her regardless of her disability— because who do you honestly know in real life that doesn’t have a disability and is that efficient?? This debut from Chloe Liese was entertaining and heartfelt and I cannot wait for book two!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

You know when within the first 3 pages a line of a book says “My breast’s tingled in heat” it’s gonna be a nice steamyyy romance.

I absolutely loved this book. It was like 50 Shades but with an even stronger independent (and we can’t forget with a physical handicap) female that KICKS ASS and knows her worth.

The romance scenes were STEAMY and I loved that it showed someone with a physical handicap that is able to be a sexual powerhouse.

I also fell in love with Zed because he had a bad streak to him but he was also so kind and thoughtful.

Absolutely a five star read for me and I cannot wait to get my hands on book two!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an intense, erotica romance. I liked that the heroine was super smart and independent. when she meets the hero she doesn't put up with his crap. Unfortunately for me this is one of those sexually dominant and submissive romance which is a bit uncomfortable to read since she's wheelchair bound and he likes to get rough. Despite that a decent romance with a mob crime twist.

Nah, not for me!!!

I don't even know how to explain all the problems I had with this book... there were so many Fifty Shades of Grey things here that irritated me so much.
And I kind of had high hopes for this book with the soccer and mafia scenarios and I also appreciated the fact that the author decided to write a main character with a disability. All these nice parts could've been developed so much better and they would've make the story so much more interesting.

However, the "dom and sub" thing was not my cup of tea in here, it lacked content, it lacked story.

Sorry to say, but not good enough.

I really liked how unapologetic Nairne was! She was such a sassy character. A major aspect of her character is introduced about 20% into the book, I didn’t love how late this was mentioned. This is my personal opinion, but I would have really liked this mentioned sooner. Knowing she was disabled going in might have made me like the book a bit more. But I did really like how her character progresses throughout the book. It’s so important to have a heroine with a disability that has an active sex life!

Speaking of sex, when this story is steamy it’s VERY steamy. I read a lot of steamy books, and even I was like “wait, he wants to do what?!” BDSM doesn’t work for me, it was a bit much. This story is definitely on the Fifty Shades level of steam.

I’ve never read a mafia romance before, and I’m not completely sure that aspect of the book worked for me. Those sections didn’t feel clear or cohesive to me. He’s a Brute was a 3 star read in my opinion.

Since this book is part of a trilogy, it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger! If you hate cliffhangers, you may want to wait until all three books are released. But if you need a mafia bad boy with lots of steam, this may be for you.

Really nice to read an inclusive book with someone with disabilities and someone portrayed as badass as well, not just the disability or any limitations. I loved this for that alone. Nairne and Zed have some great chemistry, although Zed is slow to warm up to, he can be pretty unlikeable to begin with, but he gets there. I’m a sucker for a hate to love story and this is fast and fun, great read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion