Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Love Thy Brother
SERIES: Rebel Kings #4
AUTHOR: Garrett Leigh
PUBLISHER: Fox Love Press
LENGTH: 403 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2023
BLURB:
Expect: His brother’s best friend. His best friend’s little brother. The soft-hearted bear and the rowdy chaos gremlin. The inevitable only happens when you let it.
“Riv, if you ever let me speak, you’d know exactly how I feel.”
I’ve told him that a thousand times, but River’s stubborn streak is a mile wide.
He doesn’t want to hear it.
To him, we doomed.
Cursed.
Forbidden.
Because he thinks I love a goddamn motorcycle club more than him.
My worst nightmare is losing him before I get the chance to change his mind, and in our world, bad dreams come true. Our reality is mess and pain, but I love him. And he loves me.
And I’ll fight for us to the end.
REVIEW:
“Years spent knowing it didn’t matter how crazy our physical connection was or how much I loved him. We were doomed. Cursed. Forbidden. Because he loved the club that had obliterated my entire family more than he loved me.”
Love Thy Brother is the gritty, compelling love story of Cam’s little brother, River, and the Rebel Kings’ road captain, Rubi. I think I can safely say we’ve all been eagerly anticipating this book while we’ve gotten peeks of the feelings simmering between these men. Garrett Leigh delivers with another captivating story intertwining a deep love with the sometimes grim reality of MC life and exciting action sequences.
River is a volatile, quick to anger man with a drug habit and a propensity to panic. He shuns all things Rebel Kings because of losing much of his family to MC gang violence. He has a hard time ignoring Rubi, though, because he loves him.
“Sometimes I wondered if I’d known Rubi in another life— he was that familiar to me.”
Rubi is a kind and patient man and is Cam’s oldest friend; he’s therefore known River for many years. Seventeen months ago, Rubi got severely injured when he took a pipe to the skull during a brawl. He now suffers incapacitating migraines and has suffered some memory loss. He worries he’ll never be the same after his concussion. He’s angry all the time and has a temper he didn’t have before. One of the worst side effects is that he can’t remember the one night he spent in River’s bed. River’s memories of the night aren’t much clearer as he was hopped up on drugs.
Despite his overwhelming feelings toward Rubi, River won’t allow himself to get close to him because Rubi always leaves him. The club will always be Rubi’s first priority; he’ll walk away from River if he has to make a choice.
The action begins with someone wanting River dead. Rubi is tasked with staking out his house, with backup from stealthy Alexei and Saint.
This book is slower paced than its predecessors. While there are smaller skirmishes, it’s nearly the seventy percent mark before there’s a big brawl encompassing the club. I love how Garrett beautifully choreographs these scenes. They’re intricate, deadly dances of violence with this band of brothers. We never know who might be seriously injured or killed. Even though we know, deep down, that the leading men won’t die, they could suffer irrevocable damage and any number of lesser characters might not survive, thus keeping us captive.
One of my favorite aspects of this series is the found family. This protective group of men strongly loves one another and is literally ride or die. Every one of the Rebel Kings is a fascinating character with complexities that run deep. We’re treated to Embry and Mateo, Nash, Orla, Locke, Folk, Decoy, Lilliana, and Ivy. But no one’s presence in the book is more welcome than the beautiful threesome: Cam, Saint, and Alexei. They have such a superb dynamic unlike anything I’ve read in MMM before.
“Years ago, if someone had ever told me Cam would find a lover more enigmatic and weirder than Saint, I’d have given them better drugs.”
As with the above quote, there’s a fair amount of dry humor injected into the narrative. My favorite… bone town. This gave me fits of giggles. There’s plenty of sarcasm and biting banter.
Love Thy Brother is a great addition to the Rebel Kings MC series, an absolute must read for fans of the series. For newcomers, this isn’t a standalone. Begin with Devil’s Dance to understand the history, the characters, and club dynamics. It will give you context and the most enjoyment. I can’t get enough of Garrett’s superlative writing and can’t wait for book five, Reluctant Renegade, releasing in June.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: