Barred Desires
The Deepest Desires, Book 1
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Barred Desires
Narrated by:
Eric Corbyn, Michael Gallagher
Buy Now for $22.99
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Narrated by:
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Eric Corbyn
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Michael Gallagher
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By:
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Ashley James
About this listen
Luca Gray Hart
I have everything I could ever want—a great family, awesome friends, a girlfriend, and I’m headed off to my dream college. But the past is always there, lurking like a shadow in the night....
Branson Joseph Adler
I love men. I love everything about them. Their feel. Their smell. Their taste. It’s no secret to my friends and family that I’m gay. But I do have one secret....
What happens when you give in to the temptation and your world turns upside down?
It’s forbidden.
But it’s ours.
Barred Desires is the first book in the Deepest Desires interconnected series. It is a forbidden MM stepbrother romance, and it is angsty, emotional, and steamy.
©2022 Ashley James (P)2023 Pink Flamingo ProductionsDelish Story!
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While Branson and Luca's story does fall into the forbidden with the stepbrother trope I feel there was more in this book than just that. There are moments of addressing their past traumas (please read trigger warnings this might not your jam), genuinely funny moments and moments of pure cute sweetness.
I admit I did a struggle in some moments. More because I was hoping for more angst with their situation. But overall I did enjoy the book and right from the first chapter mention of Knox and Aston I knew I needed book two!
This was an audio reread for me, so the above review is from my first read on kindle. But I do need to add that Michael Gallagher did an amazing job with Bransons POV. However if I NEVER hear Eric Corbyn's voice again it will be too soon, once you hear the breathing you can't unhear it. Plus some of the character voices were very off putting. For a new to Ashley reader I absolutely feel his narration would ruin their read. If you tried and didn't vibe him, I promise you their story is worth it and the rest of the series is brilliant!
Overall I did enjoy the book
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Luca and Bran became step brothers when they were young. Luca is straight and dating his high school girlfriend and Bran is a year older than Luca so already in college and is openly gay.
Luca joins Bran at college and ends up living in his share house due to his own share house falling through.
They never really thought of each other in a non-platonic way until they both, at different times in the book, walk in on the other during some bedroom shenanigans and stick around and watch. It leads to them both thinking about the other non stop, and soon their mutual crush and attraction grows.
Luca eventually breaks up with his annoying girlfriend (do not like her one bit) and it doesn’t take long for Luca and Bran to act in their growing attraction and pounce on each other, cue lots of bow chicka wow wow.
There are some triggers in this book, so please check the author’s TW, past trauma, loss and abuse are mentioned. Overall this book is a great read and the audiobook is performed well, I am pretty much loving anything I read from Ashley James.
Tropes include:
Stepbrothers, YAY!
MM romance
Bi awakening
Super steamy
Supportive parents & friends
Both fall fast, swoon
HEA
Story of Lucas and Branson
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Enjoyed the story
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Great book but the narrator gasping at the end of every sentence was seriously off putting
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Nice love story
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