After reading Tryst six venom I was intrigued by the Jaeger brothers and I was excited when Pen announced she will be writing a story about them but then I read the premise of the book I was like 😬 oh no this can be very good or very bad.
But is there one thing I love about Penelope is how she captives you with her writing. The way she has a gift to create worlds and characters that pull you in and make you crave for more. She is like a spider weaving her web to trapped you, she is that good at her craft.

While I was nervous based on how this turned out because I’ll be honest I didn’t love Credence I liked it and finish it but is not my favorite and to my disappointment it seemed Five Brothers was heading that route but as I say can’t say no to Pen Douglas book and I was surprised that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, as I said before Pen has a way to perfectly create this worlds that you can’t help but to get immersed in it and that’s what happened. I won’t lie and say this book has similarities with Credence because it does but in a way it also feels different. Each character here has weaknesses and strengths, the story is a multi POV so is amazing to be able to get into the head of the characters and be able to read and either hate them or be on their side rooting for them but also experience how much they care and love each other but also how much they struggle. This isn’t just Kirsjen love story; is about a family and their town fighting for each other.


Overall while i didn’t love it, I like it much more than Credence and it was an enjoyable read and i can’t wait to explore more of the Bay and their characters specifically Dallas and Callum. I’m itching to read about them specially after that teaser at the end I’m wishing and hoping they are next book because I hate for Pen to keep dragging their story. I you love Credence and darkness of the Devil’s Night series you’ll definitely love this one. O

I absolutely LOVED this book. I finished it a few days ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It’s messy, emotional, angsty, & extra SPICY! One of those books that you stay up way too late reading because it’s just so good that you don’t want to put it down.

If you liked credence, I think you’ll love this. I didn’t care for credence however, I saw the potential for it. I think this one was WAY better!

This book will definitely take you on an emotional rollercoaster. You’ll be sobbing one minute & then all hot & bothered the next.

I’ll just tell you right now: if you like your romance sweet and closed door, this is not the book for you. This one is dark, friends. Think graphic and detailed sex scenes and violence. There is a content warning at the beginning, and I advise readers to take it seriously. Your mental health is important.

The book can be read as a standalone, but the previous book Tryst Six Venom introduces this world, the characters and the power imbalance between the “right side” and “wrong side” of the tracks in this Florida town. It’s helpful to read beforehand, although Penelope does a good job of catching readers up. Another thing to note is that the first book is a sapphic romance between two girls, while this book is a reverse harem book with five brothers and one girl. They are very different, but at the same time, both are very dark.

Krisjen is our main heroine here, and at only eighteen years old, she is fairly inexperienced when it comes to love. She is sunshine and rainbows. Kind and caring, she has a positive outlook. Krisjen saves this book for me. I really need someone I like in a book, someone I want to cheer for, and she fills this role. You can’t help but like her. She comes from a very wealthy family on the “nice” side of town. She went to the best schools and is accustomed to the best of everything. Even so, she finds herself a little lost after finishing high school. Her parents are in the middle of a nasty divorce that has left her mostly responsible for her younger siblings, and she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. A fling with bad boy Trace Jaeger is just the thing. She is drawn to the Jaeger household and the brothers inside. She sees each of them for who they are and what makes them special. And they in turn, warm up to having her cheerfulness around. 

Beyond the romance, we get into the politics and power plays of this small town. The Jaeger brothers live in the swampy part of town, literally on the wrong side of the tracks. In the bay, they have held developers off from taking their ancestral land for generations. As readers get to know the brothers and their neighbourhood, we get to see how they’ve built a community and why it is so important for them to protect.

One of the more fun elements of the book is the playlist included. I really enjoyed listening to the music while I read and spotting each song that came up in the text as I went along.

Five Brothers takes readers on a heck of a journey. If you’re into reverse harem and dark romance, you might like this book.

This is the first book that I have read from this author and I will definitely be reading more.
You have a family of brothers and a sister from the wrong side of the tracks. The guys have bad reps with the women lol.
These men also have secrets. Krisjen comes from money and not supposed to have anything to do with people in this part of town but she is seeing Trace and ends up having sex in the dark with someone. I didn't think it was Trace. I had a feeling on who it was and was hoping it wasn't another Brother. I felt it was kind of a why choose but it ended up being better than that,
I could not put the book down and getting to know these characters and why they are the way they are. Kept me up reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the book to review,

Thanks for the free book Berkley and Penelope Douglas!!

I have loved everything I’ve read by PD but this one is by far my favorite. I mean i read it twice already when the book wasn’t out yet. The writing is 10/10. The story is 11/10. I want to be a part of the Jaeger family🥹
Truly a 2024 highlight.

You might know Krisjen from Tryst Six Venom as one of Clay’s best friends.
Stayed in St. Carmen while her friends left for school, decided to have some fun at the Jaeger house.
First it was Trace.
Then one of the five l left handprints all over her body in the middle of the night.. only she didn’t know who.
Was it Iron? Who’s sent to jail by her own grandfather.
Or Army? whose busy taking care of his son as a single dad.
It couldn’t have been Dallas who hated everyone, especially Krisjen.
That leaves one, but he’s not even an option.

I ate it up. I was on the edge of my seat all the time and felt deep connection to every single character.
Krisjen is already struggling with her family, the Jaegars are struggling to keep the family together.
The journey is long and hard and worth every word in those 500+ pages.

Krisjen is from the part of town known as Saint. Things are clean, perfect and no problems. She meets Trace Jaeger who is from the swamp side of town. His four brothers are Macon, Army, Iron and Dallas. All with their own personalities and issues. Krisjen stays at their house to avoid her parents plans for her life. Everything isn't perfect in her world but she's figuring out her life. Now she has to figure out which brother comforted her when she needed it most. An intriguing read with all interesting characters. Looking forward to more stories.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

This story really takes the reader on a ride through the Jaeger family and the community of the Bay and self discovery. It is thick book but fast paced so you might find you can't put it down so settle in!

Although it is called Five Brothers, it felt like it was Krisjen's story. Her story of wanting the comforts of family which she didn't have although she's from the "right side of the tracks", of making it out of what she could reach, of fighting for who she wanted to be, of humbling herself, of protecting those she loves, of using what power she has, and of owning her own sexuality. She might be the youngest of the main characters but she proves to be the wisest in a lot of ways.

All the characters including the Five Brothers (Trace, Iron, Dallas, Army, and Macon) are flawed and human in a visceral way. They make mistakes sometimes with major consequences but they are also kind, unexpected, and eager for the community they provide each other. The brothers each have their own journeys during the book that intersect with Krisjen's in different ways.

"I'd happily never love anything, if I could hate her my whole life."

read the trigger warnings but know that the author does take great care in addressing these difficult topics and making them feel realistic and honest.

- Best Friend’s brothers
- Multiple MMC but only 1 end game
- Multiple 1st person POV
- MF
- opposites attract
- Found family
- Mental health rep
- Angst
- grumpy x sunshine
- right side/wrong side of the tracks
- age gap
- Taboo romance

I always know that when I read a book from this author it is going to push on my boundaries and that is why I love their writing so much! And this book is no different. I really thought going into this book that it was going to be why choose…but it isn’t! Krisjen has multiple love interests but only ends up with one brother…and he was who I was rooting for! I don’t want to say too much and give the story away. I went in blind and think others should too! This story does touch on some heavier topics so please check the trigger warnings. I loved all of the brothers and can’t wait to get their stories!

I think this is a fun book, but it also hits on serious topics. There's been a lot of questions whether this is a why choose/RH romance and the answer is no. The FMC, Kristen, does choose one guy amongst the Jaeger brothers. I don’t know if we’re supposed to be keeping it a secret, so I will have spoilers about the endgame at the VERY end of this review and I’ll mark it ahead of time so you know to skip that part of the review if you want.

Penelope Douglas does include content notes at the beginning of the e-ARC and the audiobook does read them out, so I would imagine they're in the final copy as well. I would recommend taking into consideration that topics of depression and suicidal ideation is actually a very heavy topic in this book and something one of the characters is going through, so please keep that in mind.

The opening scene is a bit shocking, but I want to iterate that it is consensual, it’s a roleplaying scene, and they're 18 and older. I think it's important to know what’s going on before diving right into this book.

Content notes I would include are depression, suicidal ideation, mentions of a parent dying by suicide, mentions of parents dying before the series begins, homomisia, violence, alcoholism, mentions of revenge porn (nude or highly sexual pictures of the FMC in high school being circulated around adult men in their country club), racism, mentions of a relationship with a high schooler (20 and 17), and child abandonment.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

I'm quite new to Penelope Douglas and so far I have read Tryst Six Venom (T6V) and this book. I think they’re very solid books and I am planning to read more from them! They do work as standalones, but I do highly suggest reading Tryst Six Venom first. T6V is a sapphic bully romance set in high school. This is set after graduation. Kristen and the love interests are 18 and older in this book.

Not very many people point this out, but I think it’s important to note that the Jaegers are part Seminole and this book takes place in the state of Florida. A pretty major plot point threading this series of books together is that the Jaegers are doing all they can to protect their land and their people in the Bay, and the white people across the tracks in St. Carmen (also referred to as the Saints) are trying to take their land away from them. I'm interested to see where this story goes because I'm definitely rooting for the Jaegers keeping their land (and even taking more from the Saints).

We met Krisjen Conroy in T6V as a classmate and best friend to Clay Collins. I didn’t really like her at first because she just seemed like a sterotypical mean girl, but I did like her in the second half of the book as she came to be Clay and Liv’s friend and supported their relationship. She’s 18 in this book and she has a tough home life and despite her father being an influential figure in St. Carmen, a lot of responsibility fell on Krisjen to look after her siblings after he left his wife and children.

INTRODUCING THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Krisjen’s mother is used to living a certain lifestyle and her priorities are definitely not in raising her own children and being an actual mother. Krisjen has a 12-year-old brother, Marshall (nicknamed Mars), and 5-year-old sister, Paisleigh. Krisjen skipped out on college because she doesn't trust her mother to provide for them. Meanwhile, her mother seems more concerned with marrying Krisjen off to an older man (a 31-year-old named Jerome Watson) to keep their family in the lifestyle they’re used to.

And then we have the Jaeger siblings. Liv, the only girl in the family, is the youngest and who we met in T6V. But she has 5 older brothers. We have Macon, the oldest in the family, once military, but came back to take care of the family when their parents died. Army is the second oldest with a one-year-old child named Dex. Dex’s mother is not in the picture and we still don’t know who that is except that she broke Army’s heart. Iron is the next and a troublemaker. We don’t see much of him in this book because his actions have caught up with him and he’s been sentenced to 42 months in prison. Dallas longs to leave the Bay. He’s also a hotheaded troublemaker and he hates Krisjen. And then there’s Trace. His family sees him as a bit of an airhead but he’s the "fun" one. Him and Krisjen are hooking up at the beginning of this book and I actually really like Trace. We find out more about him and his thoughts and dreams and I wish his brothers knew that about him too.

IS THIS DARK ROMANCE?

This book is long, but I think it’s the appropriate length for Krisjen and learning about the 5 potential love interests. This book perhaps falls into the dark romance sector of books because she’s hooking up with the brothers before she winds up with just one of them, because this might be a bit too much for your usual contemporary romance readers. But I think the book never goes as ~dark~ as other books considered dark romance these days. I say this because a lot of dark romance books would have no qualms about killing off unsavory characters who are a threat to the FMC, and I'm still perplexed a certain person is just dropped off with the cops (who are on the Jaeger payroll, but still). Should’ve fed him to the gators like they insinuated earlier in that chapter. This book does take place in Florida after all. But that's just me.

GIRL FRIENDSHIPS

For fans of T6V, we do see appearances from Liv and Clay sprinkled throughout this book. Liv is away at college and Clay pops in from time to time as Krisjen’s best friend. Underrated friendship popping up I wasn't expecting is Aracely, who lives in the Bay and does all sorts of odd jobs for the Jaegers. Aracely is clearly in love with one of the Jaeger brothers herself and has decided that Krisjen is her enemy at the beginning. But they become good friends once their differences get worked out and I wish there were more Krisjen and Aracely scenes honestly. I'm a fan of Aracely and would actually want to know more about her.

HIT RIGHT IN THE FEELS

If you’re an older sibling in your family, be prepared to be hit in the feels. There’s a lot of older sibling trauma/feelings in this story that I did not see coming and maybe I should have. Krisjen obviously has a lot to deal with on her own looking after two siblings. But Macon is essentially a 31-year-old father figure more than an older brother to his 5 younger siblings. To top it off, he’s the one person everyone looks to for help in the Bay. His methods might be unconventional, but people trust him.

This book has POVs from all the brothers so you can see how they feel about Macon and the burden that they feel they are to him and I think it’s actually heart-wrenching. Everyone knows they all love one another, but they’ve been through so much and they’re not the type to open up about their feelings? I just want them all to give each other a hug every once in awhile. Dallas’ POV and his flashback memory to when they were children is heartwarming but also sad that Macon was only 13 at the time and already having to parent his siblings because their parents sure weren’t doing it.

One main critique I have is in the third act of this book. There’s one scene in particular where I KNOW it’s to build the relationship between Krisjen and her endgame love interest, but the guy is seriously depressed and suicidal and I wish it had been one of the other brothers (or maybe all the siblings) instead who came forward and helped him? Like a family bonding moment. I think that’s what this book was missing. You know the Jaegers all love each other fiercely and would go to the ends of the earth for one another, but there’s still a distance between all of them just sharing their feelings with each other. Yeah, yeah, they’re tough men and all that, but the family needed a true breakdown bonding moment in my opinion. I didn't want anything drastic to happen, but maybe a nice cry would've been nice.

HOW MUCH MONEY WAS USED TO FIX OFF KRISJEN'S CAR?

In lighter news, and this is a random thought I had after finishing this book that is of zero consequence whatsoever to the plot, but how much money total did they spend on fixing Krisjen’s car and how many tires did they replace? It sounded like they did fix her car in the end but that whole subplot seemed to be pushed to the side after she lost her tires running over the spikes in the road. Krisjen works at the diner in the Bay for money to help pay for things for her and her siblings, but we never see her using that money to pay for anything (not even the babysitter if I'm being honest). But that's just all a stray thought I remembered afterwards.

A LOT OF THOUGHTS ON THE AUDIOBOOK

The audiobook was interesting. I don’t know if it was due to timing and there just wasn’t enough time, but I was expecting when I saw the number of narrators for this that we would be getting a full cast recording like I’m used to with Rina Kent’s audiobooks? On Penelope Douglas’ Instagram post June 19, it seemed to indicate that the narrators for the audiobooks were being finalized or almost finalized? The audiobook was ready for early download and review by July 18. Is that enough time to record an audiobook? I don't know. Why I find this audiobook super weird is because the narrators all narrate their character’s POV chapter, but they don’t actually seem to narrate their characters when they appeared within other POVs. I think they showed up early on in the audiobook to narrate the male roles in Krisjen’s chapters but near the end, Krisjen’s chapters seemed to have her narrator doing all the male parts.

This audiobook was treated more like a dual narration rather than a duet narration. Yes, I realize doing an actual full cast narration throughout the chapters where each narrator voiced their character's parts would’ve been mad expensive but if a self pub author can find the time and money to produce them, I was expecting a big traditional publisher like Berkely/Penguin Random House audio could do it too.

For a breakdown on who’s narrating which character:

-Abby Craden: Krisjen
-Jeremy York: Macon
-Kaleo Griffith: Army
-Robin Blake: Iron
-Andrew Eiden: Dallas
-Aaron Sherlock: Trace

I have a lot to say about the audiobook. I KNOW Abby Craden is a very popular sapphic romance audiobook narrator and has narrated Penelope Douglas’ Fall Away series, but the way she rolls her words and her inflections do not work for me. The way she pronounces words like “table”, “school”, and other “-le” sounds at the end of the word is just…a very new-to-me pronunciation. It must be a specific regional accent because I’m from the southern US and I am not familiar with it at all.

Jeremy York as Macon was okay. I know he’s super popular and has narrated previous Penelope Douglas audiobooks before (namely, the Devil’s Night series) but somehow I don’t think I’ve ever listened to him before. I think fans will love that he narrates a number of chapters in this book.

Kaleo Griffith is a new-to-me narrator. In my head, I had a different voice in mind for Army when I was reading his chapters in text, but it’s fine for the couple of POV chapters we hear from him. Army’s chapters require a lot of anger and emoting and I don't think the narrator fully conveyed that? Also, his voice for Krisjen was not the best.

Robin Blake as Iron was fine. He didn't have much to work with, so it's hard to judge as fully as the other characters with more chapters to work with, but it was fine for what we got.

I am a bit biased with Andrew Eiden as Dallas. I do listen to a lot of audiobooks under his pseudonym, Teddy Hamilton (this is not a secret, he’s done interviews revealing this that’s one Google search away). Sadly, he only has one POV chapter to narrate. But, slight spoiler, maybe they’ll bring him back for book 3 to narrate. Hopefully they cast him here with that in mind. Fingers crossed!

I know Aaron Shedlock is a favorite with romance audiobook narrations, but I don’t think I’ve actually listened to any of his narrations? He only narrates one chapter from Trace’s POV and that’s unfortunate because I actually liked his narration. I came out of this knowing that I want to find more audiobooks he narrates.

ENDGAME SPOILERS

*****The rest of this review will contain spoilers about the endgame In this book and discussion about the MCs for book 3*****

*****LAST CHANCE TO TURN AWAY*****

Okay. In hindsight, it is quite obvious from the start who Krisjen ends up with. From the moment on the couch and her stating which brother is where, you can deduce who is not accounted for and who MUST have been the guy she falls for at the end. I’m not sure how this audiobook will display in the different audiobook apps, but on the PRH app, it does list the POV chapters and just a glance at the chapter headings gives it away entirely because he’s the only one left standing at the end with all the POV chapters alternating with Krisjen.

Obviously, I’m talking about Macon. Yes, there’s a significant age difference. Krisjen is 18 and Macon is 31. Krisjen had been with 2 guys by the time this book starts so she’s not a newly 18-year-old virgin. She does have other potential love interests before fully setting her eyes on Macon, and Macon does his best to avoid her most of the time. They do share oldest sibling burdens and can understand each other and what they’re going through. I personally think that despite the age difference, Krisjen and Macon do work well together. I think it’s good that the author let the relationship build throughout the book and they weren’t hooking up right away. That might be a dealbreaker for some people, but the title of this book says it all because you know she's not just hooking up with her love interest and there's other potential suitors.

I’m only hesitant on how this book handles Macon’s depression. Everyone will have different viewpoints on it, but I'm just not sure I am fully onboard with how everything played out. There's one specific scene that didn't really work for me because WHY didn’t Army talk to him? A random phone call he just so happens to answer from another brother is what pulls him out of it? Maybe that’s enough. I don’t know. The catalyst for that scene was Krisjen finding out something about his past and who that happened with. She was sympathetic to him and his trauma before that moment, but suddenly turns on him without a thought of empathy? At least that's how it looked to me. I'm curious what everyone else thinks about that. Let me know.

I was worried about the slight breeding kink Macon seemed to have where Krisjen was concerned and they would start popping out babies by the epilogue but I did appreciate that they took a step back with that one. I like that they didn’t rush into having children but I can’t help but be super surprised that after how long he’s raised his own siblings from such a young age, and how Krisjen has also been in charge of taking care of her siblings, that Macon and Krisjen would even want children. Macon especially. Krisjen didn't really want to go to college and she likes waitressing. But to ultimately still want to be a housewife despite her seeming disdain at her mother’s life or being married off to Jerome Watson, that plot line just seemed like an odd choice to me personally.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM BOOK 3?

Speaking of the epilogue, it is set 4 years ahead and that conveniently puts us in a timeline where Iron is getting out of prison and Callum Ames has graduated college. For those who don't know, Callum dated Clay in T6V and was a bully.

Dallas and Callum are going to be the messiest relationship ever because they’re both hotheaded. There’s a bonus chapter at the end of this book that introduces them properly and lets us glimpse into what they are to one another. Dallas is bisexual (or pansexual) and Callum is gay. Callum's father and Macon do know about that relationship.

There’s unanswered questions that their book will have to address like Callum’s alleged secret sibling. Who is it and have we met them already? There's questions about Mars' paternity in this book that was never really answered. WHAT IF IT'S MARS? But more importantly, the five year deal between Macon and Callum’s father buying up land in the Bay needs to be addressed. I’m hoping for a happy ending that they don’t have to sell and the Seminole land stays with Macon and the Bay residents. Will they finally use the blackmail they have on the country club members? They have that in their back pocket but have yet to do anything about it. If they get even more land out of Dallas and Callum’s relationship that would be great too. I don’t see Callum’s father suddenly getting a change of heart like Clay’s dad, so they’ll have to take him down even if it's through blackmail.

So I think it’s fun that this series will have had a f/f, m/f, and an upcoming m/m book. It’s hinted who Army might eventually end up with in this book and I'm all for it, but I wonder if Iron and Trace will find their HEAs as well. We haven’t seen teasers beyond Dallas’ story and it seemed like at the end of this book Trace had something he wanted to say to Macon? But who knows. I’m looking forward to anything Penelope Douglas writes in this world and I hope they keep giving us more books!

***Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to download an e-ARC and audiobook for review***

5⭐️
3🌶

"This could be it."

Completely addicting. Five Brothers met every hope I had for the Jaeger men and I ate up every single page.

Macon. Army. Iron. Dallas. Trace. And Krisjen. Five Brothers starts off with a bang (literally) and just does not quit for all of its 550+ pages. This book will make your heart pound and your eyes water, it'll make you sweat like you're in the Florida heat, and, if you like to take trips to the other side of the tracks, it'll make you long for a Jaeger of your own. Possessive and enigmatic they may be, and maybe a bit bewildering, they're alluring all the same.

If you won't take my word for it, take Krisjen's.

I loved the multiple POVs and the glimpses we get into the mind of every Jaeger. We spend quality time with each of them (as does Krisjen, lol) exploring not only where they're at in this snip of time, but their pasts, their desires, their hurts, and what makes their souls ache. We understand the impact Krisjen has on them and all of Sanoa Bay. We learn how their family dynamic works, and how it doesn't. We learn what it's like to love them and be loved by them.

I liked Krisjen at the end of TSV, but I like her best in the spotlight of the Jaegers. She loves hard. Unapologetically. I wasn't expecting to enjoy her character so much, but her spitfire attitude, bravery, and willingness to do whatever it takes stole my heart. Be it for the Jaegers or for her siblings.

Penelope Douglas's writing is mesmerizing. Their stories are wild, a bit chaotic, and so full of heart (and maybe a touch of taboo). PD tells their characters' stories with detail and care, making me fall fast and hard every single time.

I am begging for a continuation of their stories, especially after that epilogue and bonus chapter 👀

My best read this year hands down! Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for giving me the ARC for this because I found a new Roman Empire book. I know you’re supposed to read Tryst Six Venom first but I received this arc and I’m starting it now.

Penelope Douglas has literally done it again. They know how to write a good storyline and make you fall in love with the characters. I honestly didn’t know which brother to love more. The Jaeger brothers each have their own characteristics that you fall in love with. Macon and Army are of course my favorite.

Krisjen spends her time across the tracks because it’s where she feels safe and she escapes from her mom. It brings a trope out in me I didn’t realize I actually liked and that is found family.

In a way it kind of feels like a Romeo and Juliet type of storyline because you have Krisjen who is considered a Saint and the Jaeger brothers who are from the swamp. Possibly closer to Wayside story. But I could not put it down. There’s dual POV from the brothers and Krisjen and she is honestly one of the guest likable FMC’s that I’ve seen in a while.

Overall I am SO thankful to have gotten this arc because it’s top tier in my list and Penelope Douglas is an automatic buy author for me now.

5/5 Stars ⭐️

Five Brothers is a classic Penelope Douglas read. This woman can manipulate your emotions like its nothing! Like all her books (in my opinion), there is a somber tone. The haves (Saints) and the have nots (Swamp) is a story as old a time, but Douglas puts her spin on it in a great way.

Krisjen is a Saint and the Jaeger boys are Swamps, but that doesn't stop them from hanging out. Initially, Krisjen befriends Trace and they have a lot of fun together. She can be herself with the Jaegers. Krisjen may come from money, but that doesn't mean she didn't have problems and family issues (her mom is the WORST). I low key hated Trace. He was so immature and slutty. But, I get why he and Krisjen were hooking up. Now, as a fan of why choose, I wish this book went that way, but it doesn't. Krisjen gets to know all the brothers as they work through various issues in the story (an upcoming prison sentence for Iron, single parent issues for Army, anger issues for Macon, and straight up hate for the saints from Dallas). I appreciated the individual relationships between Krisjen and the guys, but I certainly had my favorites.

Overall, if you like the wrong side of the tracks vibe with some serious family dysfunction, Five Brothers is a must read! It is emotional, gritty, and beautiful. This is a spin off of sorts of Tryst Six Venom, but if you have read Credence and liked that vibe, you will love Five Brothers.

Note: I am actually thinking of getting the audio because it is done by a multi cast! So, if you are an audio fan, maybe check that out as well!

Loved this book! Douglas is one of my favorite authors and after being introduced to the characters in Tryst Six Venom earlier this year, I was highly anticipating this book! Obviously, there’s lots of spice, but this felt grounded in a very emotional storyline. The bonus scene at the end seemed to set up a third book, so now I’m eagerly waiting for that! 4.5⭐️

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book much more than the first book, having started it not realizing it was a high school bully trope. This second book in the series focuses on 18 year old Kristen who graduated from high school a couple of months prior with Liv Jaeger, the main character from book one. The summer finds Krisjen spending more and more time across the tracks at the home of Liv Jaeger and her five brothers who are constantly fighting to keep their home and land safe from the wealthy, privileged like Kristen and her family. The Jaeger brothers start to realize that Krisjen isn’t “slumming” it and thrill seeking on the wrong side of the tracks though. Her father has left her mother snd younger siblings with no money and her mother flits from boyfriend to boyfriend, neglecting the younger kids. Krisjen spends the book trying to find a connection, love, and community that she knows that money will never afford her on the right side of the tracks.

This one is honestly very hard for me to rate! Looking back on it, I really enjoyed the setting and the characters and was invested in seeing what would happen. I also am very intrigued to see what happens with the series (if it is going to be a series? hopefully...?) moving forward. But there were some things that didn't 100% work for me.

I'm going to try and keep things very vague because the fun part is trying to figure out which brother Krisjen ends up with! I honestly was pretty satisfied with how things ended up. Was he my favorite brother? Not necessarily. But I think it made sense given where the story went.

I honestly found it hard to pick a favorite brother! There were a couple I found myself naturally gravitating towards. And I'm sure people that know my reading tastes could tell which ones haha. But there were really things that I liked about each brother and things I didn't. They all seemed to make stupid decisions and make me mad at least one point haha. But I loved how they protected each other and brought Krisjen into their family.

And I mean, she does have relations with most of them haha so if you are someone who wasn't a fan of Credence, this one miiiight not be the book for you. I liked Krisjen overall as an FMC. I liked how she took care of her siblings and pushed some of the brothers to do better. And I enjoyed her friendships with Liv and Clay!

However, I struggled with some of the plotlines outside of Krisjen's relationships with the brothers. I have not read TSV so maybe that was part of it, but there were a lot of people to keep track of and it took me a while to really understand the dynamics of the town and keep the characters straight. Which might not have been the case if I had read TSV or if I honestly had eyeball read instead of audio. So that could be a me problem. Also this was long. In ways it made sense cause you have five brothers to explore, but I still really felt the length.

So overall, I did enjoy it! Not my favorite from Penelope Douglas, but I am very excited to see where this series could go. We got a few teasers at who some of the other brothers could end up with and there are some I think that I could really enjoy books about. So I hope we get them! I do recommend this one for anyone who is intrigued by it!

I knew when I read Tryst Six Venom that I needed books for the Jaeger brothers. They each hold a characteristic that I love in a hero. They're edgy, dark, flirtatious, possessive, bold, and salt of the earth men who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty - in more than one way. They work hard and play hard and are loyal to a fault. I fell for each and every one of them in this book.

Without giving anything away, Krisjen ends up with exactly who is perfect for her - and her for him. Pen does a FANTASTIC job of writing this story so that the reader falls for each brother - and shares their POV so that you get a real and raw experience of who they are. The storyline is addictive, sensual, a bit suspenseful and completely captivating. I wanted to dive into the pages and move to Sanoa Bay!

I have my fingers and toes crossed that Pen has plans to write a book for each brother because I need MORE of the Jaeger brothers!!!!

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.