A review by phoeberuth
Brutal Saint by Luna Kayne

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Who can resist a MC with a fetish for fuzzy socks?

I loved Cole as the male love interest and found him a much lighter change from Ryder with (seemingly) fewer demons. He is definitely more of a jokester and I enjoyed the lighter moments with both him and Harlow and his brothers. I also liked how Luna Kayne incorporated the controlling, domineering side that all of the Saint brothers seem to have. Despite him being sweeter/gentler than Ryder when his controlling side came out it didn't feel out of place but an extension of his need to care. He reminded me of a gentle giant or a teddy bear and those are my favourite kind of heroes. 

Harlow was easy to like and I enjoyed her POVs. Her history of the care system and being split from her siblings made her walls understandable and she felt very rounded as a character. I loved the loyality between her and her siblings and how it mirrored the Saint brothers'. Despite all Harlow has been through she still has a lightness and sweetness that could have easily been stamped out. The chemistry between her and Cole was palpable and they bounced off each other. 

"We don’t choose our family. We choose who we love, and we make them our family."

I am loving the continuing storyline throughout the series and seeing the web unfold around the Saints and the Luccianos. The different alliances. The lies. The bloodlines. It's the kind of tangle that I love in other series about crime families and one of the reasons I love the trope. 

So I was so suss of Daddy Saint from the first book so wasn't entirely surprised when he turned out to be a total d***head and Grayson's murderer. I was completely blindsided however by him being the one to have hired a hit on Cole as a teenager. He had seemed to be one of those head's who was all about legacy so I really didn't see him taking out his own offspring. 

I did like that we got more of Lennox and got to understand why he was so withdrawn. Seeing Cole's analysis of the relationship between him and Ryder also helped with context for Cruel Saint. Sloane explaining her history with Lennox has made me really excited for their story in the future.


I am so looking forward to the 1st November when I can read Dagen's story in Wild Saint. 

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