Penelope never fails to push boundaries and completely hook me with her books!

Penelope Douglas is that go-to author for romance books that push the line and make you enjoy the taboo with a sly smile on your face. I’ve been looking forward to Five Brothers since the end of 2023 which is why it made my list of most anticipated new romance books of 2024 and she gave everything I come to expect from her books.

Krisjen is an 18 year-old from the “rich” side of the tracks that borders the Bay where the Jaeger brothers live. Her family life is unhinged with her absent father (who stole her college fund) divorcing her mother and a mother who’s also absent from caring for Krisjen’s younger brother and sister.

Life looks a lot better across the tracks but somehow only Krisjen can see it because the Jaeger brothers are all dealing with their own struggles in a pressure cooker of a house with all of them under one roof.

I didn’t read Tryst Six Venom before this one which is the sapphic love story about the Jaeger brothers’ sister but found Five Brothers easy to read as a standalone. I have a feeling more books will be coming after this one too.

This taboo romance had a great opening scene that already has you going WTF? and then has you guessing along with Krisjen who her mystery one-night stand brother is throughout the book (though you pretty much can guess it early on).

But mystery guy aside, that doesn’t keep Krisjen from sampling a few brothers as the story unfolds. So if you don’t like “sharing” then this isn’t the book for you.

It gave me similar vibes to Credence so if you liked that book I think you’ll find some similarities here in terms of the characters and who Krisjen is drawn to.

Sharing aside, what struck me most was how this 18 year-old became the glue, keeping this household and family together when two in particular were really falling a part. Though the overall storyline did seem to veer in a lot of different directions at times, it kept me hooked and wondering how it would end.

There is one very heavy theme that is discussed in this book so I highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings before reading it but if you’re into something a bit taboo, with characters who are all a mess in their own way then check out Five Brothers!

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

2.5
I've read a few books by this author that I quite liked but this one just wasn't a hit for me as her other ones. I think others will like it it's just not for me.

Five Brother’s takes place about six months after the events in Tryst Six Venom. I personally recommended reading TSV first as that’s where you meet Krisjen and the Jaeger family, but it could be read as a standalone if you really wanted, but it might feel like you’re missing some pieces.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this book after reading the blurb. This is not a reverse harem and it’s definitely not a why choose. There are multiple love interests/sexual partners, but Krisjen does end up with only one guy in the end so know that up front.

This book entire took my emotions on a freak ride y’all, but I was so here for it. I can’t believe I read all of these pages in less than 24 hours hah. I just couldn’t put it down. I love the Jaeger family and I especially loved Krisjen. There are a couple of pieces that I didn’t feel were tied up/explained well which is why I gave a four star rating rather than five, but it is also clear that there will be more books in this world coming too. So many they will be answered then.

This book is all parts spicy, messy, chaotic, emotional and yes there are even some sweet moments as well. This book will not be for everyone, so I highly recommend checking the content warnings before starting.

4 Stars!

"But I see you. Even when I close my eyes, I see you."

Penelope Douglas has been a fave author of mine for about a decade now. I don't think there's an author who can bring a character to life quite like she can.

Five brothers, for me, was like nothing she's ever written before. Yes, it has some similarities to Credence, but it's completely different too.

I loved the beginning and I loved the end of this book. As far as the middle...well, let me explain! I am going to be blunt and bear with me.. because I did like this book. I am not a fan of the reverse harem trope. I have only seen it done in a way that has worked for me once or twice. And while this book does not have a RH ending, (view spoiler)

It isn't until the 70% mark that the focus really becomes Krisjen and her love interest. And while I was okay with everything that came before this point of the story, it also made the time we spent invested in the couple almost too short for me. This very much felt like a series set up book, until that last 30% of the book which was 5+ stars for me.

So take that as you will. I feel like she almost needed to do a prequel to this series before this book. And again, the relationships that Krisjen has with the other brothers impacts her relationship with our hero, but I needed more time with her and the hero.

Also, I thought the mental health rep was done very well with our hero and getting into his head and the things that were plaguing him.

I love who she ended up with and I saw it from the beginning. He was my top choice for her besides maybe Iron.

I thought the narration for Krisjen was good, but I thought the male narrators were great. Abby Craden sounded too old to me to play an 18-year-old girl.

And...ladies and gentlemen, read the excerpt about Dallas a the end. I hope to everything holy that it means his book is next. It was SO. FREAKING. GOOD!! Like, one of the most magnetic scenes of the entire freaking book!

I received an eARC and an ALC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @BerkleyPub #Berkley #BerkleyPartner for the free book. These opinions are my own.

Five Brothers is darker than most traditionally published romances I have read. The author includes trigger warnings at the start of the book, and I have reproduced their topics below. Stay safe. The author suggested reading a previous book set in the same story world first. It was clear who the characters were and what it could have added, but I didn't find it a problem to read this as a stand alone.

This book sets up a Romeo/Juliet dynamic based on social class and the wealthier or poorer parts of town. And of course, the wealthier areas hide a lot of secrets and poor behavior. Krisjen is from the wealthy side, but she enjoys spending time at the home of the five Jaeger brothers.

I was able to distinguish among the brothers during their varied interactions with Krisjen. However, I did not find myself rooting for any of them. Although parts of the novel showed great emotion and character depth, I felt there was a lot of misogyny that wasn't adequately addressed on page.

I have seen this described as new adult, and she is 18. But she is regularly described as a minor. In contrast, the men are adults, as old as 31. This wasn't really for me, not so much because it's dark or taboo as because I just didn't feel a connection between the characters.

CW: dub con, SA, suicide (off page, before book begins) , domestic abuse and also alcoholism

First off, I have never read a Penelope Douglas book that I didn't love!! She is a fantastic author and always pulls you into the world and characters she creates, this one was no exception! My only gripe is it should not have been labelled a reverse harem, while she does sleep with multiple brothers, she only ends up with one and never back slips to the others she's slept with previously. So I would label it a romance with a sexually adventurous woman but it ends fairly traditionally. The spice was excellent and sooo well done, very risqué and adventurous! I loved all the brothers and am excited to get some more books with the rest of them! This is also tied to Tryst Six Venom which I actually hadn't read yet, this does stand alone and you don't need to read TSV first!

FYI: Five Brothers is a standalone read, BUT to get the full experience of these five I would suggest reading Tryst Six Venom (heads up TSV has female/female leads).

Also, if you loved Credence, you'll love this one. If Credence was not your cuppa, I highly suggest skipping Five Brothers.

LORD. HAVE. MERCY. Buckle up, ladies (and gents)!

I will happily take Penelope Douglas' brand of taboo any day of the week. Once again, this badass writer proved why they sit at the top spot of my favorite author list. The stories they tell are always so fucking wicked. And the Jaeger brothers were no exception!

Pike and Kaleb have always been my favorite Pen heroes, but Macon Jaeger gave them a hard run for their money. I absolutely adored and loved me some Macon. With Army running a really close second.

If you've read my reviews, then you'll know, I'm a complete and utter sucker for a man who's considered damaged goods. Seriously, give me all the fractures and flaws. The darker the better. Why? Because that's the man who's going to hit the ground, on his knees, hard for his girl. Each and every one of these brothers are so damn fucked up. Each one had their issues, their brokenness. Each one perfectly imperfect. But Macon, I resonated big time with him. From the moment he was introduced, there was just something about him that had me chomping at the bit. And the more we got to know him the more I wanted him to be end game for Krisjen. However, I did waiver a bit...Army also gave me chills. He also made my heartbeat a little faster. At one point, it was a toss up on who I wanted to see Krisjen's HEA with.

Speaking of brothers, I wish I'd gotten to spend a little more time with Iron. I think he'd have given his two older brothers quite the run for their money. The three of them were without a doubt so fucking delicious.

As much as I loved the brothers, I loved Krisjen even more. Usually, the chick ruins books for me, but Krisjen actually stole the show. She's a kickass heroine. For an 18/19 year old, I often forgot how young she was. Between taking care of her siblings, dealing with the bs of her parents and the Jaeger brothers, add on her ex, our girl held her own. Giving as good as she got. I adored her huge heart, her compassion, her humor, and her adventurous soul.

One of my favorite tropes is opposites attract, especially when it involves love between two people on opposite sides of the tracks. Penelope Douglas NAILED it. They nailed the characters, the chemistry, the spice, the issues between the families, the depth, the cat & mouse chase, and the ending. That ending was pure FIRE! Even that epilogue had me holding out for more. Everything about Five Brothers was pure perfection.

If you're like me and love your books pushing boundaries and taboo, I highly recommend this one.

Been sitting on this review for a bit because this book was a lot to take in. This book wasn’t bad nor amazing for me, it was just okay. And that’s perfectly fine because not every book has to be amazing.

I’ve seen this book compared to Credence and frankly I think it’s far from that. Krisjen crosses over the tracks and goes into Jaeger territory, where she feels most comfortable. She was friends with Clay and Liv, so she’s familiar with Liv’s brothers. She takes her life into her own hands and decides to have a little fun during the summer and tries out the Jaeger brother’s. In her own way, she has a connection with each brother. I’m not going to say that I love who she ended up with, but they definitely fit together.

If you liked Tryst Six Venom, Five Brothers definitely offers crumbs of Liv and Clay.

Five Brothers has one of my favorite tropes – found family. Not only does Krisjen find her “family” with the Jaeger’s, but her own siblings find family with them. It seriously gave me all the feels.

I’m not sure if it’s in the plans for the other brother’s to have their own books/HEA, but I’d love to see that happen. Feel like we didn’t truly get to know all the brothers.

Read if you’re interested in:
💙 “taboo” romance
🌴 found family
🦩 multiple POVs
🥵 hot spice
🔥 best friend’s brothers
💚 mental health rep
🤔 mystery & secrets
💦 angsty & emotional
👨🏼🤝👨🏼 multiple MMCs, one end game guy

Thanks Berkley Publishing Group & Netgalley for the ARC.

This one surprised me! It had some really pointed societal themes and the spice was on a whole other level. I also really liked the multiple POV's.

I have been hoping to get more of the Jaeger brothers since I first read Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas. This book definitely didn’t disappoint! Five Brothers can be read as a standalone story, but I highly recommend reading Tryst Six Venom as it is good and will give you a bit of backstory on these brothers and Liv and Clay that feature here. You don’t need to read it though to understand this book.

This story centers around all five of the Jaeger brothers and Krisjen. While the Jaegers come from the “Swamp” side of town, Krisjen is a “Saint”. Their sides aren’t supposed to mix, but Krisjen finds herself more comfortable on the other side of town in the Jaeger house. I won’t get into details of the story as I don’t want to give anything away, but I genuinely enjoyed getting to know each of these brothers better. I will say that while there is a lot that happens with the brothers here, this one is not an RH. It does end with Krisjen in a relationship with one brother.

I didn’t want to put this one down, interested to see what would happen and who she would end up with. I honestly felt like Krisjen belonged in the Jaeger family and I loved seeing how much she cared for all of them. She was such a likable character and was so genuinely nice and caring. While I loved this one and know readers will too, I can absolutely say that I hope we get more of this family! I’d love it if each of the brothers gets their own book. While I loved the relationship that developed here, my favorite parts were the family moments here. The Jaeger crew are truly one of a kind and I couldn’t get enough of their moments together. I highly recommend this one!

Not my favorite Penelope Douglas book but still a decent read. The spice was obviously there and that's what kept me going, I just felt like something was missing. It wasn't a total flop for me but it's not something I'd read again.

Despite my love for Douglas’ “Birthday Girl” I just couldn’t get invested in “Five Brothers”. From what I understand from GoodReads, the characters are from another book of Douglas’ so it might be best to start with that book, and get acquainted with the brothers there. As someone who jumped in, I couldn’t keep the brothers order straight - who was the oldest again? Who was Krisjen with first? Plus, I’m not interested in (reverse) harem stories, I just find them icky. Douglas’ writing did keep me involved, but I always fell back with being confused ( a lot of characters to keep track of) and the ick factor. It just wasn't for me. Maybe the next one.

Thank you to Berkley for the free book! Where to begin with this book.. This has the similar idea of Credence yes in that it is not why choose but the rest of the plot and cast of characters is very different so I would still try this if you had any interest whether you read and liked Credence or not.

I went in desperately wanting to know the end game man. I am the kind of romance reader whose pet peeve is when either main character has on page spicy times or significant on page relationship type things with not the end game love interest. This is my "but hear me out..." book because Penelope Douglas makes it work. Still, I scoured the reviews I could find and none had spoilers so I held my breath and dove in. I really had nothing to worry about, if you are spoiler reader like me just trust you actually can go in blind.

The unraveling of this mystery was so engaging. It is like a romantic suspense romance where the mystery is about the romance. If you've read the blurb our FMC has a hook up with one of the brothers but she doesn't know who and spends a pretty good chunk of time reading into everything each one says or does while exploring possible relationships either because of or in spite of her suspicions.

I really liked the FMC in this and I liked that it wasn't overly bully. She really gets integrated in their dilapidated mansion on the other side of town and it is such an interesting dynamic for her to explore and to see how she can get these boys in line. She is supposed to be 18 but honestly reads way older so I kept forgetting she was supposed to be so young and I am totally fine with that for me.

Like the author's note at the beginning this does deal with depression and suicidal ideation. I felt it was dealt with the best I have ever seen in dark romance. The mental illness is not used as an excuse rather a reasoning and yet you still have to face the consequences (which in turn can make your mental health even worse yay) and it felt very real to real life. And plus there was no one character who was the "solution" to mental illness.

Wow this was so different than the typical romances I read, but I was entertained! The story is long and as you can guess from the title there are five brothers that all have some form of relationship with Krisjan (their sisters best friend), but surprisingly it worked. I listened to the audiobook, which was almost 16 hours (long for a romance) but there was a full cast narration that made the story come to life.

Read if you like:
-Dark romances
-Good girl/ bad boy
-Taboo
-Heavy subject matter
-Spicy scenes

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH audio for the gifted copies!

Krisjen's not mad that her college fund disappeared, or that she has to help with her brother and sister, but she is mad that her parents are divorcing, and are M.I.A. She decides that hanging out on the wrong side of the tracks with her friend Amy's older brothers sounds like a great idea until one night everything explodes. She get more & more embroiled unraveling the secrets of each of the brothers.

The story was dark sometimes as it delves into the complex themes of family. I liked Krisjen's strong character, especially for someone so young. She didn't shy away from anything, but like all of us, she made mistakes on the way.

3.75⭐️
Okay I’m just going to preface this review by saying I think I made a mistake by not reading Tryst Six Venom before starting this book! I didn’t actually know how connected they were when I started, and now that I’ve finished this book, I think it would have added a lot of clarity to the world this was set in. However I definitely still enjoyed this book! By the second half I had finally gotten a full understanding of who all the characters were (I’m not gonna lie, it took me a while to figure out all of the brother), and could actually connect with the story. It wasn’t my favourite Penelope Douglas read, but it was definitely hot with a hint of mystery. This is one of those books that doesn’t have much plot-just a lot smut, BUT I like books like that so it wasn’t a problem for me! There was definitely a Credence vibe going on with all of the ✨sharing✨so if you’re a fan of that book, and Penelope Douglas in general, I would definitely check this out!

Saint versus Swamp!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💚💜🖤
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎🌎
Character development: 😊😄😘😍🥰

The heroine: Krisjen - She lives on the wealthy side of the tracks in St. Carmen. Though her parents are going through a nasty divorce and their father has all the money until everything is settled. Meanwhile her mom is trying to force her to marry a rich lawyer named Jerome Watson, though she is basically selling Krisjen to him to secure the lifestyle she wants to live. Krisjen told her mother to just marry him, but she doesn’t want to have more children, so she is forcing Krisjen to do it. Krisjen is eighteen and out of high school, all her friends left for college, and she doesn’t know what to do with herself. She has a younger Brother named Marshall and a five-year-old sister named Paisleigh, whom she loves and wants to stay near rather than leaving them on their own with her mother.

The Heroes: Macon, Army, Iron, Dallas, Trace - The Jaeger brothers. They live in a dilapidated mansion on the bay, the poor part of St. Carmen. The people from the wrong side of the tracks in St. Carmen are known as the Swamp. They own and operate a family landscaping and pool cleaning business.
Macon - The oldest of the brothers at 31 years old. He was in the military when his parents died eight years ago, and he got out to take care of his five younger siblings and has been angry at the world ever since. He runs their business from home and rarely crosses to the other side of the tracks.
Army - He is twenty-eight years old and a single father of a one-year-old son Dex. He is the boss of their business that everyone sees.
Iron - He is really a good guy, but he has a habit of getting in trouble with the law. He was convicted of his last offense and will soon have to go to jail for 3 ½ years.
Dallas - He hates the Saints (the wealthy people of St. Carmen) with a passion. He is twenty-one and lives for instant gratification.
Trace - He is twenty and a nice guy, but lives like a twenty-year-old. He loves to party, and he loves all females. He and Krisjen were hooking up for the last six months, but she wasn’t the only one.

The Story: Krisjen is in a time in her life when things are supposed to change, but she is also deciding what she wants out of life and for her future. She grew up wealthy, in a world that is clean and pretty on the outside but often dirty and ugly on the inside. While her friends on the other side of town seem to live a life that is happier and freer, despite the fact that many of them have issues. Such as Iron, who has to go to prison for the next 42 months, and Macon who doesn’t open up to his family and seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

I loved this book from the start. I read some other reviews which compared it Credence another Penelope Douglas book about a family with issues and the girl that changes everything for them. That was a book that a lot of people either loved or hated. I loved it and agreed that this one has a lot in common with that book. Especially the fact that the men are all super-sexy and they all have the kind of personalities that you just want to know. Whether it be the dark and broody or the happy and life of the party types, they all seem to be the kinds of guys that you just want to know all of their secrets and spend time with. Each of the guys was so great in their own way. You could tell that Krisjen had feelings for each of the guys and they her, but she was looking for something and didn’t quite know how to find it.

The plot had me from the start and kept me interested the entire way through. The world building was on point, you could almost feel the sultry Florida heat, the rain. I loved the descriptions of Krisjen’s clean and bright Florida mansion, like a Palm Beach Estate, and the Jaeger’s neglected mansion in the swamplands slowly being taken back by nature. The character development was great as well, I had clear pictures of them in my head, and they all grew and changed throughout the story. The intimate scenes were sizzling hot, and I loved the way the characters all felt for each other and for family.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down even when I tried. This book is not what I thought it was gonna be because I thought it was gonna be a reverse harem, but it’s more like Cinderella. She is trying to find out which brother is the woman that she had a good time with, but she hast to kind of try them out to determine if it was him or not. I don’t know if that makes sense either way it was very spicy hot book. I also had hoped it was the guy that it wound up being so that made me happy. I love how this book tackled depression and the hardships of being a parent-ified older child. I’m not a big fan of age-gap romances, but I feel like with his trauma and her trauma. It’s not as bad. I am excited to see if more books from the Tryst 6 family come out. I actually didn’t realize this was from the same family as tryst six venom until I started reading it. I will read all of the books that might be in this series. The characters are well flushed out with spicy scenes are super hot and the plotline keeps me coming back.

I’ll never not like a Penelope Douglas book. But this may be my least favorite. The spice is SPICING, but I wasn’t hooked like in all of their previous books.

Swamp vs Saints

Krisjen Conrad, 18, is the eldest daughter of Lachland and Cara. She has a younger brother, Marshall, 13, and a much younger sister, Paisleigh, 6. They live in the excellent part of Seminole, Florida, where the gated mansions stand on pristine lawns and built-in pools. However, the idyllic facade is shattered by the news of her parents' divorce. Her father has stopped all payments, including her college fund, leaving her uncertain about her future. Krisjen had been dating Milo Price until he decided he liked to play Ruff, and by that, I mean physically abusive. Krisjen's best friend is Clay Collins, who is dating Olivia Jaeger, the youngest in the Jaeger family and the only female who lives across the tracks in the Bay section. Through Clay, Krisjen meets Liv's older brother, Trace, 20, who has the most beautiful green eyes; he is the youngest brother. Trace and Krisjen start hanging out, and she starts staying over at their house. The other brothers are Dallas, 21, who despises Krisjen; Iron, 24, who will be spending the next three years in prison; Army, 28, and has a son, Dex; and the eldest is Macon, at 31,  Ex-Marine, who has been holding his family together since their parent's death. They all wear the same bracelet called the Trystsix, a family crest. The Brothers run several businesses together, including landscaping, a restaurant, a bar, and a garage, to name a few. Krisjen has overstayed her welcome in the other part of town, in the deep dark shadows of the bay, where secrets are sacred, and family means everything.